Wemade joins hands with DIFC to establish WEMIX Play Center in Dubai

Japan is preparing to shift oversight of crypto assets from its payments rulebook to its main securities law, a move that would treat digital tokens more squarely as investment products rather than payment tools, according to a new report from the country’s financial regulator. In a working-group paper on crypto asset regulation released Dec. 10, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) said it plans to bring “crypto assets” under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA) instead of the Payment Services Act (PSA), as reported by local outlet CoinPost. The agency framed the change as an effort to strengthen investor protection as more households buy digital assets for investment purposes.Photo by Alessio Ferretti on UnsplashCrypto distinct from traditional securitiesThe regulatory perimeter itself would not expand. The FSA intends to keep using the PSA’s existing definition of “crypto assets,” while leaving non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and stablecoins outside the scope of the new framework. Under FIEA, crypto assets would be carved out as a distinct class separate from traditional securities, reflecting the fact that they generally do not confer legal claims such as dividends or interest payments. That distinction is already shaping how firms attempt to expand the economic utility of crypto assets. The move toward a clearer rulebook also arrives as market participants look for ways to construct return-generating mechanisms for assets that do not produce steady income on their own. Hong Kong–based Animoca Brands has partnered with Solv Protocol to provide Japanese institutions access to a Bitcoin-backed wrapper, according to Cointelegraph. The product is structured to generate returns in the 4% to 12% range for large holders, effectively layering yield on top of a token that otherwise provides no ongoing income. Rising retail demandThe regulator's report also details how deeply crypto has penetrated Japan’s retail market. As of October 2025, accounts at domestically registered crypto-asset exchanges had climbed past 13 million, with user deposits topping 5 trillion yen (about $32 billion). Roughly 70% of account holders fell into annual income brackets below 7 million yen (around $45,000), and more than 80% of individual accounts held less than 100,000 yen (about $640). The FSA said 86.6% of trading was driven by expectations of long-term price gains, indicating that most users view crypto primarily as an investment vehicle rather than a means of payment. Against that backdrop, the working group concluded that FIEA is a better fit than the PSA, which is geared toward payment services and anti-money-laundering (AML) controls. Shifting to the securities law would give regulators clearer authority to impose disclosure standards, govern conduct in the market, and levy penalties for unfair trading practices, the report said. The proposed framework would place heavier disclosure obligations on token issuances and initial exchange offerings (IEOs). Issuers or the listing exchanges would be required to provide key information to investors, and, in cases where an issuer does not have audited financial statements, offerings would be subject to investment limits. Crypto exchanges would face stronger due diligence requirements, tighter cybersecurity expectations, and broader insider-trading restrictions. Those rules would not only apply to employees at trading platforms but also to issuers and other insiders around listing events. Rules split for CEXs and DEXsCentralized exchanges (CEXs) would be supervised largely in line with securities firms. That would include requirements to maintain reserves or insurance to protect customer assets and expanded oversight of wallet-service providers connected to those platforms. Decentralized exchanges (DEXs), which have no central operator, would not be brought under the same regime. Instead, the FSA is proposing lighter, perimeter-based rules focused on disclosures by wallet providers and interface operators, coupled with efforts to warn users about the specific risks of trading on DEXs.  Industry participants, meanwhile, have raised concerns that licensed exchanges may face higher compliance costs in the near term as they adapt to the new regime.  Moving forward, the FSA is expected to refine the framework with an eye toward submitting a bill to the ordinary Diet session in the new year. 

Dubai-headquartered global crypto exchange Bybit has integrated the Avalon Finance protocol within its platform to offer users greater opportunities to earn yield on Bitcoin. Avalon Finance is a decentralized lending protocol that offers a range of financial services on the Merlin Chain, a Bitcoin layer-2 network. It facilitates users to borrow stablecoins using their Bitcoin as collateral, while also providing opportunities to earn yield by contributing to digital asset liquidity pools.Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashCeFi to DeFi bridgeAvalon Labs, the driving force behind the Avalon Finance protocol, took to X on April 14 to outline that the protocol had gone live on Bybit. It stated:”By integrating with Bybit Earn, Avalon unlocks new yield opportunities for Bitcoin holders by arbitraging our fixed-rate institutional borrowing layer — delivering predictable, enhanced returns through a seamless CeFi-to-DeFi bridge.” Avalon claims to offer a mechanism which brings Bitcoin into DeFi. It accepts FBTC, an omnichain digital asset with $1.25 billion in total value locked (TVL), pegged 1:1 with Bitcoin, as collateral, while lending it out at fixed interest rates. USDT stablecoin borrowed on the strength of that Bitcoin can then be deployed by platform users to execute high-yielding DeFi strategies via the Ethena Labs synthetic dollar protocol, implicating the use of Ethena USD (USDe) and Ethena Staked USD (sUSDE). In this way, the Avalon Finance protocol is providing a conduit between centralized finance and decentralized finance. Avalon Labs claims that the offering turns Bitcoin into a productive asset. It stated: “Returns are stable, secure, and passed back to Bybit Earn users—making Bitcoin a productive asset while maintaining simplicity and risk control.” More exchange collaborations plannedIt’s understood that Avalon plans to collaborate similarly with other crypto exchanges in the future. Towards the end of 2024, the firm raised $10 million in Series A funding, with the funding round having been led by Framework Ventures, with participation from UXTO Management, Presto Labs and Kenetic Capital. At the time, Avalon Labs asserted that the funding would be used to expand its Bitcoin-centric ecosystem.  BTC-backed public debt fundTaking to X in February, the project outlined that after years of research, it was working towards the launch of a Bitcoin-backed public debt fund that would fall within the parameters of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) regulatory framework. The firm stated:”By exploring regulated investment structures, we aim to bridge the gap between traditional finance and crypto, opening new opportunities for Bitcoin-backed financial products.” Regulation A is an exemption offered by the SEC enabling a company to sell securities to the investing public without full registration. Should it eventually take this path forward, the project would pioneer this approach to launching a public debt fund as little progress has been made by others in taking such a Bitcoin-related product forward to date. Towards the end of last month, Avalon Labs announced that it has added support for BlackRock’s “BUIDL” fund, a tokenized fund created by the world’s largest asset manager, which invests in short-term U.S. Treasury bills.

Busan to Merge Blockchain and Coffee through Smart Logistics PlatformThe Korean southern port city of Busan and its regional institution for industrial innovation, Busan Techno Park, announced that they will begin developing a collaborative platform that facilitates smart logistics in the local coffee industry through the use of blockchain technology. The project is aimed at enhancing transparency and trust in the industry by tracking the entire logistics process — from the importation of raw coffee beans through Busan Port to distribution to businesses, then purchase by consumers.Photo by Theo Crazzolara on UnsplashTracking production and flavor profilingThe platform will use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to track the distribution of coffee beans as well as objectively analyze various types of coffee to arrange flavor profiles based on factors such as weather, storage conditions, and the environment. This would eliminate any room for subjective opinions that are usually associated with taste evaluation.“This project aims to develop blockchain technology that can be used to trace the background of coffee beans starting from their country of origin,” said Kim Hyung-kyun, Director of Busan Techno Park. Blockchain technology’s strength lies in its ability to solve the problem of a lack of transparency between coffee producers and consumers.The platform was selected in April as a technology commercialization initiative under the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT’s 2023 Special R&D Zone Development Project. It is set to receive a total of KRW 11.8 billion (approximately $8.9 million) in governmental, private, and municipal funding until December 2025.Fostering transparency and securing a competitive edgeA ceremony was held at the Asti Hotel in Busan on Tuesday to kickstart the project and form the Busan R&D Innovation Valley Committee — consisting of two subcommittees dedicated to distribution and technology, respectively — to carry out the initiative.“It will be possible to manage data on changes in ingredients and quality due to storage conditions and duration. This will give sellers a competitive advantage and allow consumers to enjoy better-quality coffee at reasonable prices,” explained Oh Dong-joon, who is in charge of the distribution subcommittee.After the platform has been developed over the next three years, it will be available for coffee businesses and startup entrepreneurs in Busan. “In the case of specialty coffee, traceability and transparency are important. When the platform is established, it will be a significant help in verifying objective data related to problems that may occur during the import and storage of coffee beans,” remarked Jeon Joo-yeon, CEO of Busan-based specialty coffee brand Momos Coffee.Jung Yo-han, leader of the business mining division under the project’s technology subcommittee, added that consumers will be able to buy coffee that they can trust after it has been traced through the distribution process. The city will also be able to stimulate startups by leveraging blockchain technology and take advantage of the project’s scalability by applying it to all agricultural and marine products that are imported through Busan Port.