Asia’s Top 10 Crypto News: Iran’s Crypto Market Valued at $7.78 Billion by 2025

Iran has developed a crypto parallel economy valued at around $7.8 billion, focusing on Bitcoin mining and stablecoins to evade the U.S. dollar system. Chainalysis data indicates that Iran’s crypto ecosystem hit $7.78 billion in 2025, with addresses associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) receiving over $3 billion in crypto inflows. Meanwhile, Elliptic reported that Iran’s central bank acquired at least $507 million in USDT in 2025 to stabilize the rial and facilitate trade. The Iranian government mines Bitcoin for approximately $1,300 per coin and sells it at market prices. Unfortunately, recent military actions against Iran by the U.S. and Israel could disrupt the power grid, affecting energy-intensive mining operations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a federal law allowing the confiscation of virtual currencies like Bitcoin in criminal investigations, based on court orders. This law defines virtual currencies as “intangible assets” and permits law enforcement agencies to seize relevant assets, including hardware wallets, upon court rulings.

The Bank of Korea (BOK) is urging commercial banks in South Korea to spearhead the issuance of Korean won-pegged stablecoins to prevent complications with monetary policy effectiveness, foreign exchange stability, and financial stability. BOK highlighted the importance of banks adhering to capital and compliance regulations before allowing non-bank entities to issue stablecoins to mitigate risks.

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) has announced support for proof-of-concept trials run by the private sector focusing on anti-money laundering (AML) for crypto assets. Hitachi Ltd. is leading the project, which involves various crypto exchanges, stablecoin-related firms, and blockchain analytics providers to enhance AML monitoring and risk detection.

South Korea’s National Tax Service accidentally exposed the full recovery phrase of a hardware wallet, leading to the transfer of approximately $4.8 million in crypto assets stored in the wallet. This oversight poses significant security risks due to the loss of control over the wallet.

China’s Supreme People’s Court is planning to conduct extensive research on judicial responses to new financial cases, including virtual currencies, to enhance the financial judicial protection system. Additionally, the court aims to accelerate the establishment of bankruptcy courts and improve the bankruptcy trial mechanism to address emerging financial challenges.

A report compiled by Artemis and Stablecon indicates a surge in B2B stablecoin payments in 2025, with total annual stablecoin payment volume exceeding $390 billion. Notably, the United States received the largest share of stablecoin inflows, followed by China and Hong Kong. This growth signals a significant increase in stablecoin adoption for cross-border payments.

Japan’s largest security token platform, Progmat, is planning to migrate over $2 billion worth of tokenized real estate assets and corporate bonds from Corda to Avalanche’s dedicated L1 network. The move aims to enhance scalability and governance rules for Japan’s compliant digital securities market.

DAIDO LIMITED, a well-established Japanese listed company, has approved the purchase of Bitcoin up to 1 billion Japanese yen to diversify assets, hedge against inflation, and mitigate risks associated with yen depreciation. The company views Bitcoin as a valuable asset due to its limited supply and low correlation with traditional assets, positioning it as a competent store of value.

In conclusion, various regulatory developments and initiatives in the crypto space reflect a growing acceptance and integration of digital assets into traditional financial systems across different regions. This evolution signifies the importance of adapting financial regulations to accommodate the evolving landscape of digital currencies.