regulations

According to CoinDesk, real estate billionaire and founder of Starwood Capital Group Barry Sternlicht stated that the company is prepared to tokenize real-world assets (RWA) such as real estate on the blockchain, but is currently unable to advance related plans due to regulatory restrictions in the United States. Starwood manages assets totaling over $125 billion.Sternlicht pointed out at the World Liberty Forum that asset tokenization could create new financing methods for less liquid assets like real estate and allow investors to participate in investments more conveniently. He described this technology as a "future trend" and believes its development stage is even ahead of artificial intelligence.Industry reports indicate that Deloitte expects the global tokenized real estate market could reach $4 trillion by 2035, a significant increase from less than $300 billion in 2024, implying a compound annual growth rate of about 27%. Sternlicht called for further clarification of the regulatory environment to unlock the potential for assets to be placed on-chain.

According to Crypto Politan, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) announced its updated regulatory framework for crypto tokens last year and released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to assist businesses in understanding and implementing the new regulations.The new framework allows entities regulated by the DFSA within the Dubai International Financial Centre to choose the crypto tokens they wish to work with without requiring prior approval from the DFSA, and this update has been effective since 2026. The FAQ clarifies that the new regulations cover crypto tokens used for payment or investment purposes, excluding investment tokens such as NFTs, utility tokens, securities tokens, and stablecoins.Stablecoins are limited to use by asset managers for payments. Businesses offering crypto token-related products must comply with the token regime and related requirements, with token suitability assessment criteria including their characteristics, regulatory status in other jurisdictions, global market size and liquidity, relevant technology, and whether they may hinder compliance.

According to the Hong Kong Economic Journal, the newly appointed president of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Lo Chok-kin, stated that guidelines are being developed to help the accounting and business sectors understand how to handle virtual assets in accounting. The first part of the guidelines, which involves virtual currencies and stablecoins, has been issued, while the second part, which has not yet been announced, relates to the auditing requirements for stablecoins set by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. The Institute is currently in discussions with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority on this matter, and it is expected to be released within six months. The third part of the virtual asset accounting guidelines aims to be launched by the end of the year at the earliest, but it will still require communication and consensus with regulatory bodies and the industry before it can be released.

According to on-site reports from Foresight News, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Ashley Alder, stated at the Consensus 2026 conference that the SFC is committed to establishing a comprehensive regulatory ecosystem for virtual assets and announced three new initiatives:Guaranteed Financing: Allow brokers to provide financing services to clients with good credit backgrounds, with collateral that may include securities and virtual assets. Initially, this will only be open to Bitcoin and Ethereum, and a prudent haircut will be required in accordance with traditional financial standards.Perpetual Contracts: A high-level regulatory framework will be announced, allowing licensed platforms to offer perpetual contract products. This service is currently limited to "professional investors" and requires platforms to have extremely high transparency and the ability to manage volatility fees and automatic liquidation risks.Associated Market Makers: Regulations will be relaxed to allow licensed platforms to provide liquidity through their affiliated market-making units, provided they can demonstrate functional independence and strict management of conflicts of interest.Alder pointed out that tokenized assets have developed rapidly over the past year, with the asset management scale of tokenized gold reaching $400 million, doubling in the past six months. Currently, the SFC has authorized 11 tokenized money market funds. In addition, Project Ensemble is piloting the use of tokenized deposit settlement money market funds. Regarding the regulatory roadmap, the SFC has published a consultation summary on virtual asset trading and custody and plans to collaborate with the SAR government to submit relevant legislative proposals within this year.

According to The Block, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller stated that the central bank plans to introduce a "streamlined master account" proposal by the end of 2026, which will provide limited access to the U.S. payment system for non-traditional financial institutions, but will not include features such as interest payments and discount window borrowing.Meanwhile, the legislative process for Congress's cryptocurrency market structure bill "Clarity" has stalled due to political divisions. Waller noted that as Bitcoin has fallen from its historical high of $126,000 to around $70,000, the "frenzy" in the cryptocurrency market triggered by the Trump administration is fading.

According to CoinDesk, Hong Kong Legislative Council member Wu Jiezhuang stated in an interview with CoinDesk that Hong Kong is positioning itself as a global hub for the cryptocurrency market.Wu emphasized that Hong Kong should not compete with other jurisdictions but should act as a bridge. He pointed out, "Cryptocurrency and Web3 are highly connected to the traditional financial system." With the Greater Bay Area initiative, Hong Kong can connect the scale of mainland cities, the depth of manufacturing, and technological talent, while providing regulatory clarity and financial credibility. Wu also mentioned that this year Hong Kong will introduce regulations for custody and over-the-counter trading, and may allow professional investors to engage in higher volume trading.Wu also stated that the field of artificial intelligence will also integrate with cryptocurrency, and Hong Kong occupies a unique position in this regard, being able to handle both Western and Chinese datasets, thus becoming a platform for global AI company collaboration. He believes Hong Kong's advantage lies in maintaining openness, being regulated, and interconnected, occupying a central position in this still-developing system.

According to Jin Ten, Federal Reserve Governor Mulan stated that deregulation will allow the Federal Reserve to reduce its balance sheet.

According to a post from the official White House X account, under Trump's push, the United States has become the world's cryptocurrency capital. The new chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Mike Selig, responded that there is no place more suitable for entrepreneurship than the "world's cryptocurrency capital." The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is modernizing its rules and regulations to ensure that the future of cryptocurrency and on-chain finance realizes "Made in America."

The Hong Kong securities industry group has expressed objections to the city's proposed regulatory framework for digital asset management, warning that the related reforms could hinder traditional asset management institutions from venturing into the cryptocurrency space.In a submission to regulators on Tuesday, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association opposed a proposed regulatory adjustment that would eliminate the existing "minimum exemption threshold" for Type 9 asset managers. According to a report by local law firm JunHe, under the current framework, institutions holding a Type 9 license (which covers discretionary portfolio and asset management services) are only required to notify regulators without applying for additional license upgrades if they allocate less than 10% of their total fund assets to crypto assets.The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association pointed out that the proposed reform would remove this threshold, meaning that even a 1% exposure to Bitcoin would require obtaining a full virtual asset management license. The industry group stated that this "all or nothing" regulatory approach lacks proportionality and believes that it will still incur significant compliance costs even with limited risk exposure, potentially deterring traditional management institutions from attempting to engage with the crypto asset category.This industry backlash targets a regulatory framework that has already entered the fast lane. In December last year, Hong Kong authorities released a consultation summary report on related reform proposals following a public consultation that began in June. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Securities and Futures Commission have initiated further consultations on introducing a supplementary licensing system for crypto asset trading, advisory, and management services.

According to TechCabal, the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released new regulations. Under the new framework, digital asset exchanges and digital asset custodians that operate trading venues and safeguard users' digital assets must maintain a minimum capital requirement of 200 million naira (approximately 1.4 million USD), up from the previous 500 million naira.In other categories, the minimum capital requirement for Digital Asset Offering Platforms (DAOP) and RWA tokenization platforms is set at 1 billion naira, while digital asset intermediaries and related service providers are required to maintain between 300 million to 500 million naira. The new regulations mandate that the relevant institutions must meet these standards by June 30, 2027, or they may face suspension or revocation of their licenses.

According to Cryptopolitan, Kazakhstan's President Tokayev has signed the "Law on Banks and Banking Activities" and the "Amendments to the Regulation and Development of Financial Markets," aimed at relaxing cryptocurrency trading rules and promoting fintech innovation. The new legislation defines digital financial assets (DFAs) as a new asset class, divided into three categories: stablecoins, tokenized physical assets, and electronic financial instruments.Under the new regulations, the National Bank of Kazakhstan will be responsible for issuing licenses to cryptocurrency exchanges, creating a list of cryptocurrencies allowed for circulation, and regulating the market to prevent money laundering. Commercial banks are permitted to invest in fintech companies and develop innovative financial products, including mobile payments and a digital tenge system.

According to official news, HTX DAO has recently officially released a governance token white paper that complies with the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA, Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) standards. This move marks HTX DAO's further alignment with global mainstream regulatory frameworks in terms of information disclosure, governance norms, and compliance transparency. HTX DAO stated that it will continue to promote governance practices within the compliance framework in the future, providing users with a clearer, safer, and verifiable information environment, and steadily building a more transparent HTX DAO ecosystem.HTX DAO, initiated with the support of Huobi HTX and TRON, is a decentralized autonomous organization involving community members, early contributors, and global advisors, dedicated to creating an open governance ecosystem that is user-led, transparent in rules, and efficient in collaboration. Upholding the philosophy of "holding tokens means governance," HTX DAO has gradually implemented voting mechanisms for token listing and token burn mechanisms. The latest data shows that HTX DAO has cumulatively burned 994 trillion $HTX, close to 10% of the total issuance, with a total burned value of approximately $186 million.

According to Jinshi reports, Federal Reserve Governor Milan stated that easing regulations should put downward pressure on prices, which is another reason for the U.S. central bank to cut interest rates.

According to Jinshi reports, Federal Reserve Governor Mester stated that the "ambitious" deregulation in the United States will support the Federal Reserve in further implementing accommodative policies.

According to The Nation Thailand, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has officially launched a comprehensive campaign against "gray money" and illegal capital flows, ordering tighter regulations on gold trading and digital assets. In the digital asset sector, the government will strictly enforce the "travel rule," requiring the identification of both the sender and receiver in all wallet-to-wallet transfers to eliminate anonymity.In addition, Thailand will establish a national data bureau to centrally manage financial data, enabling regulatory agencies to track suspicious transactions in real-time.

According to CoinDesk, India's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has announced stricter identity verification measures for cryptocurrency exchanges to combat money laundering and terrorist financing activities.The new regulations require exchanges to verify the authenticity and biometric features of users by having them take a blinking dynamic selfie, while accurately recording the user's geographic coordinates, time, and IP address. In addition to providing a Permanent Account Number (PAN), exchanges must also collect additional documents such as passports, driver's licenses, identity cards (Aadhaar card), or voter ID cards, as well as mobile phone numbers and email addresses, which will be confirmed via one-time passwords (OTPs). Ownership of user bank accounts will be verified through a "small credit verification" method, while high-risk customers or those associated with tax havens, jurisdictions related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), or potential risk exposure individuals or non-profit organizations will need to undergo enhanced due diligence every six months.Exchanges are prohibited from supporting ICOs and from using tools like mixers to obscure transaction trails, making cryptocurrencies untraceable. All platforms must register with the Financial Intelligence Unit, report suspicious transactions, and retain user data for five years. The guidelines indicate that initial coin offerings and initial token sales lack reasonable economic justification and pose "higher and more complex" risks of money laundering and terrorist financing.

The luxury real estate brand Sotheby's International Realty, under the auction giant Sotheby's, has released a report sharing the current evolution of the global luxury real estate market and the economic policies and factors that have the greatest impact on it. The report points out that the influence of cryptocurrency on luxury home consumption is increasing, especially in markets such as Dubai, New York, and California. Adjustments in regulatory policies may allow crypto assets to be included in mortgage qualification.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, He Yadong, responded to questions regarding the review of Meta's acquisition of the artificial intelligence platform Manus, stating that the Chinese government has always supported enterprises in conducting mutually beneficial and win-win multinational operations and international technological cooperation in accordance with the law.It should be noted that enterprises engaging in foreign investment, technology exports, data outflow, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and other activities must comply with Chinese laws and regulations and follow legal procedures. The Ministry of Commerce will work with relevant departments to conduct an assessment and investigation of the consistency of this acquisition with laws and regulations related to export control, technology import and export, and foreign investment.