HONG KONG — Institutional cryptocurrency participation across Asia is entering a more mature stage as regulators establish a clear framework for stablecoins and exchange-traded funds. Large enterprises now prefer market-neutral strategies and regulated instruments rather than direct, targeted exposure to digital assets.
Vicky Wang, president of Amber Premium, highlighted this shift during a panel discussion at Consensus Hong Kong. She noted that while transaction volume is expected to reach $2.3 trillion by mid-2025, capital allocation remains cautious. “I would say institutional engagement in Asia is real, but at the same time very cautious,” Wang said. She observed that institutions prefer “market neutral and yield strategies” to aggressive directional bets.
Fakhul Miah, managing director of GoMining Institutions, pointed to Hong Kong’s recently approved ETFs and perpetual bonds as key drivers of liquidity. He noted that even Japan’s traditional “big banks” are now working on stablecoin solutions. These developments allow traditional capital to enter the space through familiar structures. Miah explained that institutions must go through “risk committees and operational governance structures,” which historically have not existed for on-chain products.
The focus of many Asian institutions has shifted to real-world asset tokenization and stablecoin settlement. Matrixport chief brand officer Wendy Sun noted that while these topics are popular, there is still a gap in internal financial adoption. “For internal treasury stablecoins, we are still waiting for the standards to be released,” Sun said. She believes the actions of these institutions are becoming more “rules and plans-based” rather than the pursuit of short-term gains.
Wang concluded that the future of the industry depends on the integration of artificial intelligence and digital assets. “In the future, digital assets will be more than just an alternative asset class or alternative financial system,” Wang said. “This will be the financial layer of AI.”