Singapore launches BLOOM initiative to advance digital finance infrastructure

The market capitalization of South Korea's cryptocurrency market stood at 87.2 trillion won ($57.4 billion) at the end of last year, marking an 8% decline from 95.1 trillion won ($62.6 billion) at the end of June 2025.  A survey released on March 25 by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), covering 27 virtual asset service providers, found that the number of listed crypto assets in Korea rose to 712 at year-end—up 9% (59 assets) from 653 in June.Photo by Daniel Bernard on UnsplashTrading activity declines, listings increaseAverage daily trading volume on won-denominated crypto exchanges fell 15% to 5.4 trillion won ($3.6 billion), from 6.4 trillion won in the first half of 2025. New listings rose 10% to 227, while delistings jumped 50% to 54, including cases where the same coin was delisted from multiple platforms. The average transaction fee rate stood at 0.16%. Operating profit at the exchanges fell 38% to 395.8 billion won ($261 million), down from 635.2 billion won ($418 million) in the first half. Data on retail investors show that men in their 30s remain the largest group of crypto users in South Korea, with 2 million accounts. Overall, 74.2% of the country’s 11.13 million accounts—equivalent to 8.26 million users—held less than 1 million won (about $660) in digital assets. Only 10% (1.12 million accounts) held 10 million won ($6,600) or more, while just 1.5% (170,000 accounts) held over 100 million won ($65,800). By age group, users in their 30s and 40s each accounted for 27%. They were followed by those in their 50s (19%), under-30s (19%), and users aged 60 and older (9%). Survey shows investors remain waryRecent survey data points to cautious sentiment among retail investors. In a weekly survey of Korean investors conducted last week by CoinNess and Cratos, 36.9% of respondents reported “fear” or “extreme fear,” compared with 30.8% who were neutral and 32.3% who were optimistic. Despite the overall caution, short-term sentiment turned slightly more optimistic. The survey found that 38.3% of respondents expect Bitcoin to rise this week, up from 35.6% the previous week. Those expecting prices to move sideways accounted for 22.5% (down from 23.1%), while 39.2% expect a decline (down from 41.3%). With macroeconomic uncertainty rising and speculation growing over a possible April rate hike by the Federal Reserve, respondents were split on how monetary policy would affect digital assets. When asked about the Fed’s rate outlook for the year, the largest share (30.3%) said Bitcoin would rise regardless of interest rates. Another 26.5% expected rates to remain unchanged, 19.9% expected a cut, and 12.4% a hike. The remaining 10.9% said Bitcoin would fall regardless of rate decisions. 

OKX Strengthens Partnership with Manchester City Football ClubSeychelles-based crypto exchange OKX has announced the expansion of its sponsorship deal with Manchester City Football Club, the treble-winning English Premier League soccer champions.The announcement was made through a virtual reveal video featuring player avatars, presented at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. News of the deal was also posted on the English club’s website on Friday.While the valuation of the deal remains undisclosed, the collaboration signifies a significant milestone for both parties. The new agreement, which spans multiple years, establishes OKX as the official sleeve partner on both the men’s and women’s first-team playing kits.Photo by Giero Saaski on UnsplashExtended partnershipUnder this extended partnership, the OKX logo will be prominently displayed on the sleeves of Manchester City’s playing kits, solidifying its position as a key sponsor. Additionally, OKX will retain its presence on the club’s training kit sleeve.City Football Group, the holding company that owns Manchester City and other soccer teams like New York City FC and Melbourne City FC, oversees the management and operations of the club.OKX initially became Manchester City’s official cryptocurrency exchange partner in March 2022. Subsequently, in July of the same year, the exchange secured a sponsorship deal to feature its logo on the front of the club’s training kit throughout the 2022/2023 season. At the time, the agreement was reported to be valued at over $12 million.OKX CollectiveIn February, OKX launched the “OKX Collective” alongside Manchester City players Jack Grealish, Rúben Dias, Ilkay Gündoğan, and Alex Greenwood. This immersive metaverse fan experience offered exclusive content and rewards, allowing fans to engage with the club in a unique way.OKX’s CMO Haider Rafique expressed satisfaction with the evolving partnership, stating: “Manchester City was our first official global brand partnership, and in just a year and a half, we have come a long way. We always intended to integrate with the sport and help the club lead on leaning into Web3. Fast forward fifteen months, we now have a metaverse, an NFT initiative, and a number of other new projects that we are excited about.”Additional sports sponsorshipsBesides Manchester City, OKX has also established partnerships with other prominent sports brands and athletes, including McLaren Formula 1, the Tribeca Festival, Olympian Scotty James, and F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.While OKX’s partnership with Manchester City strengthens its global fan base, it’s worth noting that the sale of crypto derivatives, a product offered by OKX, was effectively banned by the UK’s financial regulator in January 2021. Consequently, OKX and other crypto exchanges have refrained from advertising such services in the country.As the Premier League clubs have collectively agreed to restrict gambling sponsorships on team shirts, there are concerns that similar restrictions may be imposed on crypto company sponsorships. However, any such developments are expected to be some years away, as the changes regarding gambling sponsorships are scheduled to take effect in the 2026/2027 soccer season.Marketing spend by crypto firms has sobered up quite a bit since the heady heights of the last bull run. However, OKX remains one entity which has been fairly consistent in continuing its marketing efforts regardless of market conditions.

China’s Crypto Crackdown Reveals Capital Control LoopholesChinese authorities have been stepping up their efforts to crack down on cryptocurrency-related crimes, and with that, uncovering how digital currencies are being used to bypass strict capital controls imposed by Beijing.China may be a few years into a crackdown against the use of cryptocurrencies but despite that, their use and particularly their use for illicit purposes continue. That’s according to a report on Wednesday by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).Photo by Christian Lue on UnsplashCombating capital outflowsThe rising trend of capital outflows has prompted Chinese authorities to take action. Two prominent cases illustrate the extent of these illegal activities and the value of assets seized.In Jingmen, a city in Hubei province, police disclosed details of an online gambling case involving digital currencies used to evade regulation. The case has implicated over 50,000 individuals and a turnover of billions of dollars. Although the specific virtual currency was not mentioned, authorities revealed that they had frozen multiple accounts with a combined value of $160 million.Meanwhile, in Shanxi province, police solved a money laundering case linked to 380 million yuan worth of USDT, the US dollar stablecoin issued by Tether. China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange is responsible for monitoring cross-border capital flows. Accordingly, it has taken steps to curb these illicit activities. Late last month, it fined ten firms in order to maintain order in the forex market.Digital yuan developmentThese recent cryptocurrency cases have exposed loopholes in China’s capital control system. Crypto mining and trading have long been banned by Chinese regulators. As an alternative, China has been actively developing its own central bank digital currency (CBDC), known as the digital yuan or e-CNY. 2023 has seen a raft of measures taken by various regional administrators throughout China to bring about further e-CNY adoption.However, the ban on cryptocurrencies and the launch of the e-CNY have driven many miners and traders underground or to overseas locations such as Hong Kong, which ironically, is vying to become a cryptocurrency hub. The continued depreciation of the yuan against the US dollar has intensified capital outflow pressures.Chinese bonds sell-offInternationally, fund managers have been selling significant amounts of Chinese securities since 2021. That goes against the current regional trend which sees emerging Asian markets experiencing substantial inflows of funds during the same period, according to the Institute of International Finance.That market activity has been in response to Chinese policies and escalating US-China tensions. An Atlantic Council report highlights that international institutional investors have been net sellers of approximately 1 trillion yuan in Chinese bonds since early 2022.China’s efforts to control capital outflows and stabilize the yuan’s value face ongoing challenges, as cryptocurrency-related crimes persist. While the crackdown exposes weaknesses in the country’s capital control system, it also underscores the difficulty authorities will have globally in trying to control digital currency use.