Asian Crypto Firms See Surge in Funding Amid Regulatory Developments
Metaplanet's executive stock pool has sparked controversy among shareholders. The company's 10th Series executive option pool, which automatically expanded as new shares were issued to fund Bitcoin accumulation, has raised concerns about stock dilution. Multiple shareholders have taken to social media to express their objections, with some calling on the company to cancel the additional 273 million shares created and provide greater transparency in future decision-making.
David Bailey, CEO of Bitcoin Magazine, defended Metaplanet's approach, stating that granting the team 20% of the cap table over five years 'isn't some crazy number.' However, many shareholders disagree with this assessment.
In other news, Citi plans to offer Japanese companies near-instant international payments through blockchain-based infrastructure. This move is part of a broader trend in Asia, where investment in crypto firms has more than doubled between 2025 and 2026, reaching $680 million. Singapore has emerged as the region's top hub for crypto activity, accounting for 82.5% of all-time blockchain equity funding.
Regulatory developments are also underway, with South Korea introducing a three-phase roadmap to develop infrastructure for tokenized securities issuance. Meanwhile, India's Financial Intelligence Unit has issued non-compliance notices to 15 offshore virtual digital-asset service providers for alleged AML failures.