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<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>THAILAND</strong></p><h2 id="thai-businessmen-sue-tether-for-freezing-42m-in-61m-pig-butchering-case">Thai businessmen sue Tether for freezing $42M in $61M pig butchering case</h2><p style="text-align: left;">Two Thai businessmen have sued stablecoin issuer Tether in a New York district court, claiming it illegally <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/thai-sue-tether-freezing-61m-pig-butchering-case" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">froze $42.4 million in Tether USDt (USDT) in October</a>, as part of a broader case tied to a pig butchering scheme.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The plaintiffs claimed that Tether illegally froze the $42 million without a warrant in October 2025, following an informal request from US Homeland Security Investigations.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Authorities in the Eastern District of North Carolina only issued a seizure&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/us-attorneys-office-ednc-announces-seizure-61-million-dollars-worth-cryptocurrency" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">warrant</a>&nbsp;for the funds later in February 2026. The warrant directed the burn and reissuance of the tokens to a government wallet.&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: left;">While the plaintiffs didn’t dispute their involvement in the investment scam, the lawsuit tests the freezing authority of stablecoin issuers.<br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;" id="thailand-adopts-crypto-travel-rule-with-self-custodial-wallet-checks">Thailand adopts crypto Travel Rule with self-custodial wallet checks</h2><p style="text-align: left;">Thailand<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/thailand-crypto-travel-rule-self-custodial-wallet-checks" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> is tightening oversight of crypto transfers, including transactions involving self-custodial wallets</a>, as it moves to align with global Anti-Money Laundering (AML) standards.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued new Travel Rule regulations requiring digital asset operators to collect information about parties involved in crypto transfer.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The rules will take effect on Feb. 27, 2027.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br></p><img alt="" height="512" src="https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/2026/09/01M1MS2MMB7A99CQTK6RKAYNGV/aa20pvof-3153564606.jpg" width="768"><p style="text-align: left;"><br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;" id="thailand-sec-proposes-retail-access-to-regulated-overseas-crypto-derivatives">Thailand SEC proposes retail access to regulated overseas crypto derivatives</h2><p style="text-align: left;">Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed allowing intermediaries to <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/thailand-sec-retail-overseas-crypto-derivatives" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">facilitate retail access to certain digital asset derivatives traded overseas</a>.&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: left;">Under the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sec.or.th/EN/Pages/News_Detail.aspx?SECID=13264" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">proposal</a>, eligible products would need to resemble crypto derivatives traded in Thailand, including their underlying assets, maturity, leverage and settlement methods.&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: left;">The products must also trade on an exchange that uses a central counterparty for clearing and is overseen by a regulator belonging to specified international regulatory or exchange groups.&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: left;">The consultation remains open until Sept. 30.</p><p><strong>ASIA</strong></p><h2 id="pencil-finance-completes-1m-onchain-lending-cycle-for-6-6k-students-in-southeast-asia">Pencil Finance completes $1M onchain lending cycle for 6.6K students in Southeast Asia</h2><p>Pencil Finance has completed a $1 million onchain student loan cycle, offering financing to 6,600 students in Southeast Asia who were underserved by traditional lenders.</p><p>Of the <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/pencil-finance-1m-onchain-lending-cycle-students" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">6,600 students across 118 schools and universities in Southeast Asia</a>,&nbsp;about 1,050 received direct funding. Pencil said the loans were designed for students underserved by traditional lenders, with 50% female borrowers and 93% stemming from lower-income households.</p><p>Pencil Finance claims this is the first-ever fully onchain lending cycle financing student loans transparently recorded on the blockchain network.</p><h2 id="asia-crypto-custody-deals-from-ripple-and-coincheck">Asia crypto custody deals from Ripple and Coincheck</h2><p style="text-align: left;">Ripple has partnered with digital asset <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/asia-digital-asset-custody-deals-ripple-coincheck" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">infrastructure company SettleMint</a> to offer financial institutions solutions for custody, issuance and management of tokenized assets across their full lifecycle.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Digital asset service provider Coincheck Group has also <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260831667179/en/Coincheck-Group-and-DFNS-Announce-Strategic-Partnership-to-Bring-Institutional-Grade-Digital-Asset-Custody-to-Japan" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">partnered</a>&nbsp;with wallet infrastructure provider DFNS to build digital asset wallet technology and custody services in Japan.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br></p><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>SINGAPORE</strong></p><h2 id="singapore-weighs-recognizing-some-foreign-issued-stablecoins">Singapore weighs recognizing some foreign-issued stablecoins</h2><p style="text-align: left;">The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is reconsidering its earlier restriction on stablecoins issued across multiple jurisdictions, <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/singapore-weighs-foreign-regulated-stablecoins-mas-framework" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">proposing a route for some jointly issued tokens to qualify under its regulatory framework</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Under one proposal, stablecoins jointly issued by a Singapore issuer and a foreign issuer could be regulated under the framework and labeled “MAS-regulated stablecoins,” provided that the associated risks are sufficiently mitigated.</p><p style="text-align: left;">MAS is also considering recognizing a limited number of foreign-issued stablecoins regulated under comparable overseas frameworks, citing their potential use in cross-border wholesale transactions.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br></p><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>AUSTRALIA</strong></p><img alt="" height="719" src="https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/2026/09/01M1MS1WN2V4N3BV5MJ7M9WR86/anz-bank-completes-australian-cbdc-use-case-for-carbon-v0-bcqbml-zs7mc-hf4a95qioo5hpgiaorgmufec1u5zw-1926540457.jpg" width="1080"><h2 style="text-align: left;" id="australia-warns-unlicensed-crypto-firms-of-fines-up-to-10-of-annual-turnover">Australia warns unlicensed crypto firms of fines up to 10% of annual turnover</h2><p>Australian crypto companies relying on temporary regulatory relief have until Sept. 30 to apply for a financial services license<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/australia-warns-unlicensed-crypto-firms-of-fines-up-to-10-of-annual-turnover" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> or risk penalties, including fines reaching 10% of their annual turnover</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/news-items/final-call-for-firms-to-act-before-asic-s-digital-asset-licensing-deadline" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">said</a>&nbsp;businesses requiring an Australian Financial Services license must apply for one or seek changes to an existing license before the deadline.&nbsp;<br><br>ASIC has recorded more than 45 digital asset-related license applications to date.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>UAE</strong></p><h2 style="text-align: left;" id="standard-chartered-launches-spot-bitcoin-and-ether-trading-in-uae">Standard Chartered launches spot Bitcoin and Ether trading in UAE</h2><p style="text-align: left;">London-headquartered multinational bank Standard Chartered has launched<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/standard-chartered-bitcoin-ether-trading-uae" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> spot Bitcoin and Ether trading for institutional clients </a>in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).</p><p style="text-align: left;">The move makes Standard Chartered the first global bank to offer institutional digital asset trading in the region and the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) with a similar offering, the bank said.</p><p><br><strong>JAPAN</strong></p><h2 style="text-align: left;" id="japan-s-remixpoint-dumps-altcoins">Japan’s Remixpoint dumps altcoins</h2><p style="text-align: left;">Remixpoint, one of Japan’s largest corporate Bitcoin holders,<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/remixpoint-dumps-altcoins-1506-btc-sole-crypto-bet" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> sold all its altcoins</a>, leaving about 1,506 BTC ($115 million) as its only cryptocurrency holding as it concentrates its crypto strategy around Bitcoin.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Remixpoint sold its Ether, Solana, XRP and Dogecoin holdings for a combined 878.8 million yen ($5.5 million), generating a 117.8 million yen ($736,000) gain,&nbsp;<a href="https://contents.xj-storage.jp/xcontents/AS08938/e11a3c77/3bce/4b01/a120/fb85711a2458/140120260901530316.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">according</a>&nbsp;to a Wednesday company disclosure.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The company recorded gains on its ETH, SOL and XRP sales but sold its DOGE holdings at a 3.26 million yen ($20,000) loss.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;" id="br-japanese-regulator-seeks-stablecoin-tax-exemption"><br>Japanese regulator seeks stablecoin tax exemption</h2><p>Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) submitted a request to<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/japanese-regulator-tax-exemption-trust-type-stablecoins-2027" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> exempt trust-type stablecoins from mandatory tax filings</a> starting in fiscal year 2027.<br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;" id="metaplanet-moves-4-800-btc-worth-377m-to-coinbase">Metaplanet moves 4,800 BTC worth $377M to Coinbase</h2><p>The Japanese Bitcoin treasury company <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/mutiny-metaplanet-moves-4800-btc-worth-377m-to-coinbase" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">has transferred 10,270 BTC to Coinbase Prime</a> this week, triggering speculation about the company selling its holdings.</p><h2 id="br-strong-japan-s-fsa-warns-hong-kong-based-izaka-ya-over-unregistered-services-strong"><br><strong>Japan’s FSA Warns Hong Kong-Based IZAKA-YA Over Unregistered Services</strong></h2><p>Japan’s Financial Services Agency issued a formal warning to Hong Kong-based Izakaya Limited, alleging its cryptocurrency exchange services are unregistered.</p><h2 id="strong-sbi-holdings-takes-20-stake-in-indonesia-s-ajaib-group-strong"><strong>SBI Holdings Takes 20% Stake in Indonesia’s Ajaib Group</strong></h2><p>Japan’s SBI Holdings will spend $270 million to acquire a 20% stake in Indonesian online brokerage Ajaib Group. The aim is to expand its crypto business across the region and to promote SBI’s yen stablecoin JPYSC.</p><p><strong>HONG KONG</strong></p><img alt="" height="799" src="https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/2026/09/01M1MS3D71KJGFWAXR1QTYZSG2/interactive-brokers-opens-hong-kong-retail-crypto-trading-v0-9d6vktsksz3dsycldeenfxs4l1pjv604ssxjm26w1bo-2145136151.jpg" width="1200"><h2 id="hashkey-joins-dtcc-working-group-as-first-asian-crypto-service-provider">Hashkey joins DTCC working group as first Asian crypto service provider</h2><p style="text-align: left;">Hashkey joined the <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/hashkey-dtcc-first-asian-crypto-service-provider" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Depository Trust &amp; Clearing Corporation’s (DTCC) Digital Assets Advisory Services Industry Working Group</a> as its first Asian digital asset service provider.&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: left;">Hashkey joins over 100 other global financial institutions including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange.</p><p style="text-align: left;">DTCC custodies $114 trillion in liquid assets, including stocks and exchange-traded funds. Its working group was formed to connect traditional finance with decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure. DTCC plans to launch access to&nbsp;<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/dtcc-eyes-october-tokenized-securities-launch-with-dozens-of-wall-street-giants" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">tokenized securities in</a>&nbsp;October.<br></p><h2 id="strong-bitcoin-asia-conference-subdued-strong"><strong>Bitcoin Asia conference ‘subdued’</strong></h2><p>The mood at Bitcoin Asia in Hong Kong was subdued according to the South China Morning Post.<br><br>Despite a pep talk by Binance founder Changpeng Zhao who declared Bitcoin “will for sure become more important than gold” the bear market hangover was all too evident.</p><p style="text-align: left;">“Psychologically, I think <a href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3365484/crypto-slump-ai-boom-overshadow-czs-bullish-pitch-hong-kongs-bitcoin-asia" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">this has been one of the hardest bear markets we’ve had</a>, because this time it wasn’t just the price of bitcoin that took a hit,” said Brandon Green, CEO of conference organiser BTC, during his opening address.</p><p style="text-align: left;">“This time, the Bitcoiners’ ego also took a hit.”<br></p><h2 style="text-align: left;" id="strong-osl-group-reports-65-8-revenue-surge-strong"><strong>OSL Group Reports 65.8% Revenue Surge</strong></h2><p>Hong Kong-based digital asset firm OSL Group reported a 65.8% revenue increase in its first-half financial results.<br></p><h2 id="strong-sfc-warns-star-bridge-capital-is-unlicensed-strong"><strong>SFC warns Star Bridge Capital is unlicensed</strong></h2><p>Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission has added Star Bridge Capital Group to its Alert List following forced liquidation anomalies and millions in trader losses.</p><p><strong>KOREA</strong></p><h2 style="text-align: left;" id="mirae-asset-lays-out-crypto-stablecoin-tokenization-plans-for-digital-x">Mirae Asset lays out crypto, stablecoin, tokenization plans for Digital X</h2><p>South Korean financial group Mirae Asset plans to build a 150 trillion won ($109 billion) digital asset business around Digital X, <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/mirae-asset-lays-out-crypto-stablecoin-and-tokenization-plans" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">the crypto exchange formerly known as Korbit</a>, according to The Korea Times.</p><p>The report&nbsp;<a href="https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/banking-finance/20260827/mirae-asset-sets-109-bil-target-for-digital-asset-business" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">said</a>&nbsp;Digital X will focus on crypto, stablecoins, real-world assets and security token offerings, with plans to tokenize physical assets including gold, silver and electricity.</p><p>The expansion plans follow Mirae Asset Consulting’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/economy/cryptocurrency/20260723/mirae-asset-completes-korbit-acquisition-becomes-1st-financial-group-to-control-crypto-exchange" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">acquisition</a>&nbsp;of a 97.15% stake in Korbit in July for a cumulative 141.4 billion won.&nbsp;The exchange was subsequently rebranded as Digital X, marking the first time an affiliate of a South Korean financial group acquired control of a domestic crypto exchange.</p>

Tether sued over frozen ‘pig butcher’ coins, 6,600 students get crypto loans: Asia Express

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