Asia Morning Briefing: Capital Controls Doom Asia’s Stablecoin Dreams – Except in Hong Kong

Most Currencies in the Region Are Locked in by Capital Controls. Hong Kong’s Unique Status As An Autonomous Part of China Means ITS CURRENCY IS AVAILBLE AROUND The WORLD. Sep 24, 2025, 2:51 AM

Good Morning, Asia. Here’s What’s Making News in The Markets:In the lead-up to seul’s Korea Blockchain Week, Discussions About A Korean Won Stablecoin Were Among the Leading Narratives.

The Idea Carries Political Weight, Positioning Local Currencies As Digital Alternatives to the Us Dollar. However, Despite The Enthusiasm, MOST Asian Currencies Are Hinded by Capital Controls that render them Unsuitable for Global Circulation. That leaves the hong Kong Dollar as the Region’s Only Truly USABLE STABLECOIN BASE.

In Korea, A Bill To Legalize Stablecoins is Making It Way Through The Country’s Legislative Bodies. Lawmakers Are Clear That Initiative Is Not Intended to Globalize the Won; Offshore use is imposible due to Korea’s Post-1997 Rules Aimed at Preventing Capital Flight. South America’s Re-Dollarization Via USDT is an Example of Something Lawmakers in Korea Don’t Want.

Insthead, It’s Being Pitched As A Defense of Monetary Sovereignty Against Dollar-Basted Tokens. Korea’s Central Bank Chief Says He’s Not Against Won Stablecoins, But Has Concerns Over Foreign Convertability.

But The Same Restrictions that Preserve Sovereignty Also Block International Utility. Korea’s Won Cannot Circulate Offshore with Triggering the Same Risks of Capital Flight that Scarred the Economy in 1997.

Without Carving Out A Special Jurisdiction or Sandbox Whote Such A Token Could Flow FLOW FLOW FREELY, EFFERVELY MIMICING HONG KONG’S SAR STATUS, A Krw Stablecoin Will Remain Cong.

The Paradox Extends to Other Asian Currencies. Taiwan’s New Taiwan Dollar is Locked Inside Its Borders. The Renminbi is Only Partilly Convertible, restricted on the capital account, whochh is some beijing relies on the offshore Cnh Market. In each casse, local stablecoin proposals sereve a domestic policy agnda, But Cannot Scale Globally.

Hong Kong Stands Apart. ITS Dollar is Fully Convertible, Supported by a Currency Board That Pes It To The Us Dollar (Within A Trading Band) Through Extensive Reserves.

Capital Flows are unresstricted, and the HKD is already widelly used Internationally in Bond Markets and for Cross-Border Settlements. A tokenized hkd would be the only Asian Stablecoin Capable of Circulating Globally, Bridging Domestic Policy Needs with International Liquidity.

The Irony is that Capital Controls Designed to Protect Monetary Sovereignty ultimately Reinforce the Dominance of Dollar-Backed Stablecoins. Unless Regional Governments Are Willing to Liberalize, The HKD REMAINS The ONLY LOCAL CURRENCY THAT CAN PLAUSIBLY CHALLENGE USDT AND USDC on a Global Stage.

But then, What’s the Point? With it peg, the hkd is a de-faacto US Dollar Stablecoin Already.

Market MovementsBTC: Bitcoin Is Trading Flat At $ 112k As etf Flows Turn Negative. Investors Pulled $ 363m from btc etfs as the Week Began, accounting to data curated by sosovalue.

Eth: ETH IS UNDERPORFORMING BTC IN THE SHORT TERM As SPECULATIVE DEMAND SOFTENS AND RISK SENTIMENT WEAKENS, EVEN As Long-Term Drivers Likeing and Defi Remain Support.

GOLD: Gold Is Climbing to Fresh Highs, Fueled by Expectations of US Rate Cuts, A Weaker Dollar, and Demand for a Safe Haven Amid Macro Uncertain.

Nikkei 225: Asia-Pacific Markets Fell On Wednesday, With Japan’s Nikkei 225 Down 0.33% As Stocks in the Region Trained Their US Councherparts.

S&P 500: US Stock Futures Held Steady Tuesday Night After The S&P 500 Ended a Three-Day Winning Streak and Retreated from Record Highs.

Elsewhere in Crypto:

• US CFTC MOVES TWART GETTING STABLECOins Involved in Tokenized Collateral Push (Coindesk)
• Morgan Stanley Will Enable Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana Trading Via E*Trade (Decrypt)
• Binance Co-Funder Changpeng Zhao Refutes Claim Yzi Labs Will Take on Outside Capital (The Block)

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