Asia's weekly TOP10 crypto news (Apr 21 to Apr 27)

1. The Russian Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank Plan to Establish a Cryptocurrency Exchange, Limited to Participation by Ultra-Highly Qualified Investors link

Anton Siluanov, the Russian Minister of Finance, stated that the Ministry of Finance will jointly establish a cryptocurrency exchange specifically for “ultra-highly qualified investors” with the Central Bank of Russia. The aim is to legalize and bring some cryptocurrency transactions under regulation. The trading platform may either be newly established or have its functions expanded on the basis of existing exchanges.

According to the experimental legal framework previously proposed by the central bank, only investors who meet specific asset or income criteria (such as holding assets worth over 100 million rubles or having an annual income of more than 50 million rubles) can directly trade cryptocurrency assets. Other investors can participate in the market through derivatives that are linked to cryptocurrency assets but do not involve physical delivery.

2. Singapore Exchange Plans to Launch Bitcoin Perpetual Futures in the Second Half of 2025 link

The Singapore Exchange plans to launch Bitcoin perpetual futures in the second half of 2025, targeting institutional and professional investors. The SGX is the only official trading platform for securities and derivatives in Singapore and is regulated by the Singapore government.

3. South Korea’s Right-Wing Political Party Promotes a New Bill to Boost the Development of the Cryptocurrency Industry link

The People Power Party of South Korea has announced that it will push for the formulation of the “Basic Law on Digital Assets” to regulate the virtual asset market, taking into account both investor protection and industrial innovation. Kim Sang-hoon, the party’s policy chairperson, pointed out that the current government’s excessive regulation has made it difficult for overseas capital to enter the South Korean market, and there has been a continuous outflow of capital. He emphasized that the ambiguous regulation should be ended and the era of cultivating digital assets should be officially launched. The details of the relevant virtual asset policies will be released by lawmaker Park Su-min on April 28.

4. Japanese Senators Meet with Samson Mow to Discuss Formulating a National Bitcoin Strategy link

According to news from BitcoinNews, Samson Mow, a former executive of Blockstream and CEO of the Bitcoin technology company JAN3, had a meeting with Satoshi Hamada, a member of the House of Councillors in Japan. They discussed the pressing need for Japan to formulate a national Bitcoin strategy. Previously, in a public speech last December, Hamada called on the Japanese government to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve.

5. North Korean Hackers Set Up a US Shell Company to Attack the Cryptocurrency Industry link

Members of the North Korean hacker group Lazarus Group have assumed false identities and established two shell companies, Blocknovas LLC and Softglide LLC, in New Mexico and New York State of the United States. They spread malware through false job recruitment and specifically target cryptocurrency developers.

The cybersecurity firm Silent Push has disclosed that these companies induce victims with fake job interviews to steal sensitive information such as cryptocurrency wallets and passwords. Many developers have already fallen prey to these attacks. Silent Push claims that this is a rare case where North Korean hackers register legitimate companies in the US to carry out cyberattacks.

6. The Prime Minister of Malaysia Meets with CZ to Discuss Malaysia’s Development Potential in the Digital Assets and Blockchain Industry link

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met with CZ, the founder of Binance, to discuss the development potential of Malaysia in the digital asset and blockchain industry. Anwar said that he will have continuous dialogues with institutions such as the Securities Commission, the National Bank, and the Digital Ministry to explore ways to promote responsible innovation, and pointed out the guiding role of the government in promoting the application of blockchain, such as the tokenization of financial instruments and other use cases.

7. The Trump Family Project WLFl Announces Blockchain Cooperation with the Pakistan Cryptocurrency Council link

The World Liberty Financial (WLF), a project of the Trump family, has signed a letter of intent with the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC). The aim is to accelerate blockchain innovation, the adoption of stablecoins, and the development of decentralized finance (DeFi) in Pakistan.

The WLF delegation has met with the prime minister, the chief of the army staff, the finance minister, and other senior officials in Pakistan to discuss cooperation. The two sides will collaborate in areas such as regulatory sandboxes, the growth of DeFi protocols, asset tokenization, the application of stablecoins, and blockchain infrastructure consulting. The Pakistani government plans to announce a comprehensive cryptocurrency legalization policy in the near future.

8. South Korea’s SK Telecom Suffers a Hack Leading to SIM Card Information Leakage, and Bithumb Strengthens Monitoring to Address Risks link

SK Telecom, one of the three major telecommunications operators in South Korea, was attacked by malicious software from hackers late at night on April 19, resulting in the leakage of users’ SIM card-related information. The cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb stated that it is actively responding by conducting real-time monitoring of USIM forgery and tampering to ensure the secure use of its services.

9. Bithumb Plans to Go Public (IPO) in the Second Half of 2025 and Spin Off Non-Exchange Businesses to Establish a New Entity link

The cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb in South Korea has announced that it will spin off its non — exchange business on July 31, 2025, to establish a new company called “Bithumb A” . This is aimed at enhancing the independence and operational efficiency of each business segment. The spin — off is in preparation for its IPO. The company plans to go public in the local market in the second half of this year, and listing on Nasdaq is also under consideration. Bithumb ‘s net profit last year reached $110 million, with a year — on — year growth of 560%.

10. Metaplanet Announces the Purchase of 145 More BTC, Bringing Its Total Holding to 5,000 Coins link

Metaplanet has announced the purchase of an additional 145 BTC at an average price of approximately 13.28 million yen (about $92,997) , for a total amount of 1.926 billion yen (about $13.49 million) . As of now, the company ‘s total holdings have reached 5,000 BTC.