APAC Banks Leap into Tokenized Finance with Strong Profitability
Asia-Pacific (APAC) is emerging as a key market for tokenized finance, driven by stablecoins, central bank digital currencies, and cross-border payment projects. According to IBM's 2026 Global Outlook for Banking and Financial Markets, stablecoins now account for about 7% of the total cryptocurrency market capitalization, with 97% pegged to the US dollar.
The region is seeing increased activity in central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), with regulators and financial institutions running active CBDC pilots. These projects often focus on cross-border payments, while approaches to stablecoins remain mixed.
Banks across APAC are entering this transition with stronger profitability than in 2019, with a median return on average equity (ROAE) of 12.0% in 2025, up from 10.0% in 2019.