Jack Ma's Ant International Seeks Stablecoin Licenses in Hong Kong, Singapore: Bloomberg
Hong Kong has been establishing a stablecoin regime since 2023, with the legislation expected to go into effect in August

What to know:
- The international unit of Alipay owner Ant Group plans to seek stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore.
- Ant International will apply for a stablecoin issuer's license once the regulatory regime comes into effect in August.
- Hong Kong has been establishing a stablecoin regime since 2023, with the legislation expected to go into effect in August.
The international unit of Alipay owner Ant Group plans to seek stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
Ant International will apply for a stablecoin issuer's license once the regulatory regime comes into effect in August, according to the report, citing people familiar with the matter. The firm is also planning to apply for a similar license in its native Singapore, as well as Luxembourg.
Hong Kong has been establishing a stablecoin regime since 2023, with the legislation expected to go into effect in August.
Stablecoins are tokens pegged to the value of a traditional financial asset, such as a fiat currency, providing a counterweight to the volatility of BTC, ETH and other cryptos.
As such they may represent an entry point to the digital asset market for major financial or technological companies. Progress toward stablecoin regulation in the world's most prominent markets, particularly the U.S., should help accelerate this trend.
Alipay is referred to as the largest mobile payment platform in the world with over a billion users, thanks to being the most dominant provider in China, where it holds a share of 55% in the third-party payment market.
Ant International did not immediately respond to CoinDesk's request for further comment.
Read More: Sam Altman’s World Chain Adds Native USDC Stablecoin and Circle’s Cross-Chain Service
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KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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Iran accepts cryptocurrency as payment for advanced weapons

Prospective customers could purchase weapons such as missiles, tanks and drones using crypto, according to a government website.
What to know:
- Iran's Ministry of Defence Export Center is accepting cryptocurrency payments for advanced weapons systems as a means of bypassing international sanctions that the country faces.
- The offer is among the first known instances of a country accepting cryptocurrency as a means of payment for military equipment, according to the Financial Times.
- The facility for using cryptocurrency to pay for transactions involving sanctioned countries is already well established.










