Japan has approved a bill moving cryptocurrency under financial securities law, introducing insider trading rules, stricter penalties, and annual disclosure requirements for issuers.

South Korea is moving to fold stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) into its existing financial system, a shift that could accelerate institutional adoption while significantly tightening regulatory oversight across the digital asset sector.

Brazil has passed a law allowing authorities to seize cryptocurrency and other digital assets from organised crime and use them to fund public security. Judges can freeze accounts, block wallets, and redirect funds without waiting for a conviction.

Crypto.com has partnered with South Korea’s KG Inicis to let foreign visitors pay with digital assets at around 190,000 merchants, with payments settled instantly in fiat or crypto. The move aims to make cross-border spending easier for tourists while managing currency volatility and complying with local regulations.

The UK government recently appointed HSBC's Orion platform to pilot the issuance of digital gilt bonds (DIGIT), marking the official entry of the sovereign debt market into the blockchain era.

The EU plans to sanction two Kyrgyz banks and several other foreign lenders for helping Russia move money through crypto and bypass existing sanctions. It also wants to block all crypto transactions linked to Russia, including stablecoins and the digital rouble, to close this route for payments and trade.

Vietnam plans a 0.1% tax on all cryptocurrency transfers made through licensed platforms, treating them like stock trades. Domestic companies would pay 20% tax on profits from crypto, while transfers stay exempt from VAT.