Asia's weekly TOP10 crypto news: South Korea Advances Stock Tokenization, Thailand Checks Self‑Custody Wallets and CZ Attends Kyrgyzstan Crypto Talks and Top10 News

1. MAS Releases Stablecoin Regulatory Consultation Paper, Proposes New Licence, Interest Ban and Freeze‑Burn Mandates link

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has released a stablecoin regulatory consultation paper proposing amendments to the Payment Services Act to introduce a new‑category licence for stablecoin issuance. Only licensed entities will be permitted to label their issued stablecoins as “MAS‑regulated stablecoin”. Issuers must maintain at‑least‑100‑percent reserve assets and honour redemptions within prescribed timeframes, and are prohibited from distributing interest, returns or other benefits tied to token holdings or balances to holders.

MAS also proposes mandatory quarterly stress‑testing for issuers, together with technical capabilities to trace, freeze and/or burn stablecoins involved in illicit activities. For systemically‑important stablecoins, MAS may restrict domestic circulation in Singapore if issuers fail regulatory compliance, including mandating licensed DPT service providers to delist the relevant stablecoins and their trading pairs.

2. Southeast Asian Blockchain Firms Raise $680M Year‑to‑Date, Surpassing Full‑Year 2025 Total link

So far in 2026, Southeast‑Asian blockchain firms have closed 25 funding rounds totalling $680 million, surpassing 2025’s full‑year figure of $319 million yet still well below the $2.2‑billion peak recorded in 2022. Capital is growing more concentrated among mature companies; the largest recent round raised $400 million, accounting for over half of this year’s total funding. Over the past twelve months, crypto‑financial‑services businesses raised $498 million across 19 rounds, representing a 48.4 % year‑on‑year increase. Out of 3 957 relevant firms tracked by Tracxn, only 167 have progressed to Series‑A or later financing stages. Singapore‑based companies have captured 82.5 % of the region’s aggregate funding.