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According to a report by the Korean News Agency, Lee Won-ik, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, stated during a comprehensive inspection at the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee regarding the taxation of virtual assets to be implemented next year, "Various circumstances need to be fully considered." On the same day, People Power Party member Song Yeon-sik questioned whether to abolish or postpone the taxation, stating that the nature of digital assets and policy direction have not yet been determined, and that the "Basic Law on Digital Assets" should be prioritized. Lee Won-ik responded that the relevant legislation on digital assets is in the final negotiation stage and discussions will be promoted as soon as possible; regarding taxation, opinions from various parties are diverse, and collection of opinions is still ongoing.The taxation of virtual assets in South Korea was introduced in 2020 through amendments to the Income Tax Act, having been postponed three times previously. The government is currently advancing administrative procedures according to the timeline for implementation in January next year, but some in the industry and even within the ruling party believe that due to unclear standards and insufficient infrastructure, the timing for implementation is not yet mature.

According to a report by the Korean News Agency, the South Korean Ministry of Finance and Economy has convened a seminar on virtual asset taxation with five exchange operators: Dunamu, Bithumb, DigitalX, Coinone, and Streami, as well as institutions like the Financial Services Commission, to discuss current taxation regulations, market environment, tax preparation work, and the possibility of delaying or abolishing the tax, but no clear decisions have been made regarding related measures.South Korea's virtual asset taxation policy was established in 2020, originally scheduled for implementation in 2022, but has since been postponed to 2023, 2025, and 2027. The National Tax Service of South Korea is currently preparing relevant details, but matters such as staking still need to be negotiated with the Ministry of Finance and Economy; if the details are announced next month, there will be only about two months left until the planned implementation date.

The Financial Supervisory Service of Korea stated that it will conduct a rapid investigation into unfair trading associated with virtual asset issuance foundations in order to address behaviors that harm market order.Related content was presented in the report on the current status of supervision by the National Assembly's Political Committee, with a plan named "Strengthening User Protection for Digital Assets and Establishing a Sound Trading Order."

According to a report by the Korean News Agency, the South Korean government will convene representatives from the five major virtual asset exchanges—Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Digital X, and GOPAX—along with DAXA executives on October 20 to gather industry opinions regarding the virtual asset tax originally scheduled to be implemented in January 2027.The current proposal aims to impose a 22% income tax and local income tax on virtual asset transfers and lending income after deducting a basic tax exemption of 2.5 million Korean won. This tax policy has been postponed three times since it was proposed in 2020, and the government is still advancing preparations according to the original schedule. The National Tax Service of Korea is expected to release a related announcement in November.In addition, South Korea's financial regulatory authorities are accelerating the advancement of the government draft for the "Basic Law on Digital Assets," which is expected to be completed by the end of this month and initiate related consultation procedures.

The Hong Kong police announced that over the past two weeks, they have received more than 150 cases of WhatsApp account hijacking scams, with total losses exceeding 15 million Hong Kong dollars. Recently, an employee of a local company engaged in virtual currency exchange encountered account hijacking. The scammers blocked the original work group and blacklisted members, copied the group image, name, members, and profile pictures to create a fake group, impersonating a customer representative to request exchanges.The victim, as per usual practice, first transferred cryptocurrency to the designated wallet of the other party. It was only after discovering that the customer account balance was insufficient and calling to verify that they realized they had been scammed, resulting in a loss of over 4 million Hong Kong dollars for the company. The police remind that WhatsApp groups can be forged, but the member phone numbers cannot be exactly the same as those in the real group, and the timestamps of conversations cannot be replicated. They also suggest enabling two-factor authentication and verifying the other party by phone before making remittances, avoiding logging into accounts on public WiFi or public computers.

According to reports from Strait News, in March 2025, Zheng Mouyi, Zou Moumou, and others exploited the weak regulation and difficulty of evidence collection in offline USDT over-the-counter trading to plan a "black eat black" robbery crime under the guise of virtual currency offline trading.The gang raised over 340,000 yuan and invited virtual currency merchants for offline transactions. During the transaction, after the merchant transferred over 40,000 USDT into the virtual wallet controlled by the gang, Zheng Mouyi sprayed the victim's eyes with chili water on the spot and, along with others, violently seized all the transaction funds. After the incident, six involved individuals divided the stolen money. The day after the incident, the public security authorities quickly arrested all involved individuals, recovering most of the stolen funds and returning them to the victim.The Jin'an District Prosecutor's Office legally prosecuted Zheng Mouyi, Zou Moumou, and four others for robbery. In 2026, the court heard the case and sentenced the five defendants to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from five years and seven months to ten years and four months for the crime of robbery.

Recently, the police in Binhai City, Shandong, China received a report from a citizen named Xie, stating that 1,300 USDC stablecoins and NFTs worth tens of thousands of yuan had mysteriously disappeared from his digital wallet. There were no obvious transfer alerts or signs of phishing links in the wallet. The police began an on-chain investigation into the virtual currency transfer records and actively sought cooperation with enterprises to analyze the suspect's account.After extensive work, a major suspect named Chen (30 years old, from Fengyang County, Chuzhou, Anhui) was identified. On October 9, technical police officers went to Fengyang County to arrest him. Upon arrival, Chen initially denied the allegations. However, the police utilized the immutable and traceable characteristics of blockchain evidence to gradually break down his psychological defenses. Chen ultimately confessed to the theft. Chen has now been criminally detained in accordance with the law, and his family has actively compensated the victim for the losses. This case marks the first instance of virtual currency theft in Binhai City.

According to a report by the Korean News Agency, the Commissioner of the National Tax Service of Korea, Lim Kwang-hyun, stated during a National Assembly Finance, Economy, and Planning Committee inspection that the National Tax Service is preparing to announce taxation standards for virtual assets in November.Lim Kwang-hyun pointed out that the taxation standards for transaction types such as airdrops, hard forks, staking, and decentralized finance (DeFi) focus more on the economic substance rather than the form of the transaction, with whether it is a transfer or a loan being the key determining factor. If airdrops and hard forks have the nature of a transfer or loan, they should be considered taxable objects, while some details regarding staking still need to be discussed with the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

According to the updated data from the official website of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, the virtual asset trading platform license application submitted by Matrixport HK was withdrawn on October 12.Matrixport HK had submitted the virtual asset trading platform license application to the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission on February 26, 2024.

According to South Korean media etoday, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Financial Services Commission of South Korea stated that the Korea Communications Commission has decided to implement domestic access blocking or termination measures against 27 virtual asset operators' websites, including KuCoin, MEXC, BingX, Phemex, XT.com, Bitrue, CoinW, Poloniex, BTCC, and BitMart, which have not reported in accordance with the law.This initiative expands the scope of restrictions on unreported operators from mobile application markets to internet web pages.

According to a report by the Korean News Agency, the Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, Lee Ik-yeon, stated that the provisions regarding the shareholding restrictions for major shareholders of virtual asset exchanges in the ongoing "Digital Asset Basic Law" are not influenced by specific individuals, but rather consider the need for exchanges to bear higher public responsibilities after institutionalization.Lee Ik-yeon mentioned during the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee Financial Committee's national governance inspection that currently, South Korean virtual asset exchanges operate under a system of updating declarations every three years. However, after the implementation of the "Digital Asset Basic Law," exchanges will transition to a licensed institutional operation model. He noted that exchanges have infrastructure attributes, thus requiring public nature and responsibility that match their status.Previously, South Korean lawmakers questioned why the original proposal from the Financial Services Commission did not include shareholding restrictions for major shareholders, whether the relevant provisions were influenced by external factors, and pointed out that if enforced, major shareholders and potential acquirers of South Korean exchanges might need to sell shares worth trillions of Korean won.In response, Lee Ik-yeon stated that the government is currently drafting relevant legislation, and the specific content of the shareholding restrictions can be further coordinated during the National Assembly review process, emphasizing that all opinions will be fully reflected in the design. He also mentioned that the government proposal for the "Digital Asset Basic Law" is undergoing final coordination and will be submitted as soon as possible, although no specific timeline has been announced.

South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Lee Hyeong-ryeol stated that in response to the virtual asset taxation policy planned for implementation in 2027, various opinions proposed by the National Assembly, as well as those from experts, industry professionals, and relevant stakeholders, will be widely collected. South Korean lawmaker Kim Sang-hoon questioned that several months before the implementation of the virtual asset taxation, the relevant infrastructure is still not fully developed, including insufficient tracking and verification capabilities for trading records on overseas exchanges, DEX, DeFi, and other platforms.Regarding the expected tax revenue scale from virtual asset taxation, Lee Hyeong-ryeol stated that there are indeed parts that are "difficult to accurately grasp." Since taxation requires obtaining taxpayer declaration data first, further tax estimation can only be conducted after the relevant declaration system is launched next year, and a careful evaluation of the related policies will be carried out.

South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Lee Hyung-ryul stated that in response to the virtual asset taxation policy planned for implementation in 2027, various opinions proposed by the National Assembly, as well as those from experts, industry professionals, and relevant stakeholders, will be widely collected.South Korean lawmaker Kim Sang-hoon questioned that several months before the implementation of virtual asset taxation, the relevant infrastructure is still not complete, including insufficient tracking and verification capabilities for trading records on overseas exchanges, DEX, DeFi, and other platforms. Regarding the expected tax scale brought by virtual asset taxation, Lee Hyung-ryul stated that there are indeed parts that are "difficult to accurately grasp." Since taxation requires obtaining taxpayer declaration data first, further tax estimation can only be conducted after the relevant declaration system is launched next year, and related policies will be carefully evaluated.

Virtuals Protocol announced the launch of the Virtuals App, which is currently in closed testing on iOS, limited to invited users.According to the introduction, the Virtuals App equips personal AI with wallet and market access capabilities. Users can assign tasks to the AI like using a personal quantitative trader and set operational ranges and permissions, which the AI will then execute automatically. Users can also research investment opportunities, discuss trading strategies, and conduct fund operations through conversation.Currently, test users are utilizing the application to continuously track market and social media information, automatically executing trades based on social media posts, or building dashboards to track the complete process of specific token sniper wallets from buying to exiting. These functions can all be completed directly in group chats where users discuss investment ideas with friends.

According to a press release from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui, attended a policy briefing by the Legislative Council's Financial Affairs Committee. He stated that a bill to establish a licensing system for virtual asset trading, custody, advisory, and management services will be submitted within this year as part of Hong Kong's first five-year plan concerning financial services and the Treasury.In addition, the Hong Kong Central Clearing and Settlement System for gold will officially launch in the first quarter of next year, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will announce details of a new gold futures contract priced in Renminbi and settled in physical gold within this year.

According to The Philippine Star, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) of the Philippines has obtained a court freeze order to freeze over 100 financial accounts and other assets related to a congressman and several individuals and entities. These assets are suspected to be linked to corruption, plunder, and irregularities in flood control projects.The freeze includes 86 bank accounts, 4 investment accounts, 1 insurance policy, and 25 virtual asset wallets. The AMLC stated that the funds circulated through multiple virtual asset service providers and various virtual asset wallets, complicating tracking efforts. The council did not disclose the identities of the relevant congressman and other parties involved.

Recently, the police in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China, investigated a virtual currency money laundering case. The criminal gang used "free credit card repayment" as bait to attract ordinary users to provide accounts. They received illicit funds from overseas gambling and fraud through false consumption, then contacted currency dealers to exchange for virtual currency and transferred it to designated addresses abroad. Through financial and on-chain data analysis, the police identified nearly a thousand involved accounts, with suspects distributed across Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Jiangsu, Hebei, Chongqing, and other regions.The Digital Currency Research Institute of the People's Bank of China stated that it is currently using large model technology to analyze the flow of funds in virtual currency transactions, restore the gang's trading patterns, and uncover clues related to illegal industries. Upon investigation, it was confirmed that seven members of the gang were illegally engaged in payment settlement business without approval from relevant national authorities, constituting the crime of illegal operation, and were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from one year and two months to two years and six months, along with fines.Using virtual currency for money laundering is a new type of money laundering crime that has emerged in recent years. Lv Wei, the president of the Inner Mongolia branch of the People's Bank of China, stated that enhancing the monitoring and identification capabilities for abnormal fund transactions related to virtual currency trading has helped successfully crack down on a major money laundering case involving virtual currency pyramid schemes, dismantling more than ten money laundering and points-running dens, and confiscating illegal gains of approximately 130 million yuan. In recent years, there have been coordinated efforts to promote the conviction and sentencing of four cases involving money laundering using virtual currency, forming a strong deterrent against illegal activities such as money laundering with virtual currency.

According to a report by the Korean News Agency, Jeong Dae-sik, a representative of the People Power Party (the largest opposition party in South Korea), stated that the government needs to re-examine the establishment plan of the "Future Response Fund" funded by excess tax revenue, as well as the taxation system for virtual assets (digital assets).Jeong Dae-sik stated that excess tax revenue is temporary, and once spending increases, it is difficult to reduce. Therefore, priority should be given to alleviating the tax burden on the public. Regarding the taxation of virtual assets scheduled to be implemented in January next year, he called for a postponement or abolition, stating that forced taxation could lead to capital flowing to places like Hong Kong and Singapore.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission announced that the licensed virtual asset trading platform DFX Labs Company Limited reported "dfx[.]cn", "dfxcn[.]com", and other four websites as fraudulent websites. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has listed the relevant websites as suspicious virtual asset trading platforms.

On September 22, the House of Representatives of Jamaica began reviewing the "Virtual Assets Service Providers Act," which aims to establish a licensing and regulatory framework for cryptocurrency exchanges and other virtual asset service providers, and to ensure compliance with international standards such as anti-money laundering.The bill stipulates that businesses providing virtual asset services to Jamaican consumers, regardless of their headquarters location, must obtain a license from the Financial Services Commission (FSC); operating without a license will constitute a criminal offense. Licensed entities must also fulfill obligations such as customer identity verification, transaction monitoring, and reporting suspicious activities.Jamaica's Minister of Finance Fayval Williams stated that FSC licensing only regulates business operations and does not constitute official recognition or guarantee of the digital assets being traded. The Jamaican dollar remains the only legal tender in the country, and the FSC will be authorized to license, supervise, and shut down non-compliant virtual asset businesses.