Asia Pacific takes nine of top 20 spots in crypto adoption index
Chainalysis's 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index shows nine APAC nations in the top 20, while Bitget confirms a $351.6 million breach and suspends withdrawals.

Key points
- Nine of the top 20 countries in Chainalysis's 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index are in Asia Pacific, including Japan at 4 and South Korea at 5.
- Bitget confirmed unauthorised transfers of about $351.6 million and temporarily suspended withdrawals while it investigates.
- Bitget CEO Gracy Chen said the breach affected hot and warm wallet layers, with cold wallets secure.
- Binance invested $100 million in Circle under an expanded five-year USDC agreement.
- The Bank of Korea began a pilot 24-hour won settlement network with four domestic lenders, targeting full operations in January 2027.
Asia Pacific accounts for almost half of the top 20 nations in Chainalysis's newly released 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index, according to CoinTelegraph. Nine countries from the region appear on the list, led by Japan in fourth place and South Korea in fifth. India ranks sixth, followed by Thailand (8), China (12), Indonesia (14), Australia (15), Vietnam (18) and the Philippines (19).
Cross-border stablecoin transfers are a major growth area in the region. Tianwei Liu, co-founder and CEO of StraitsX, told CoinTelegraph that fragmented currencies and payment systems in Asia have created demand for stablecoin settlement. He added that this demand is extending into everyday spending, with stablecoins sitting behind payment methods people already use.
In the week's biggest security story, crypto exchange Bitget confirmed unauthorised transfers affecting approximately $351.6 million in assets and temporarily suspended withdrawals while investigating. CEO Gracy Chen said the breach was contained to part of the exchange's hot and warm wallet layers, while cold wallets remained secure. Bitget said it flagged addresses linked to the transfers and contacted law enforcement and onchain security firms. The affected amount falls within its User Protection Fund, which holds more than $464 million.
APAC leads adoption index
Elsewhere in the industry, Binance invested $100 million in stablecoin issuer Circle as part of an expanded five-year agreement to promote USDC on the exchange. Under the deal, Circle will pay Binance a monthly incentive fee based on the amount of USDC held through its Modular Smart Contract Wallet infrastructure, and Binance agreed to further promotional activities for USDC on its platform.
In South Korea, the Bank of Korea launched a pilot of its first 24-hour won settlement network, aimed at letting foreign investors settle won transactions outside normal banking hours. The international wire network began trial operations on Monday with KB Kookmin Bank, Woori Bank, Hana Bank and Shinhan Bank. Full operations are scheduled for January 2027, when participation is expected to expand to other institutions and foreign banks, though the network will not run at weekends or on public holidays.
Other developments included Hana Bank issuing a five-year, $100 million digital bond on Euroclear's blockchain platform, reportedly cutting settlement from three to five business days to the same day. Kakao Pay and KakaoBank signed a memorandum of understanding with Fireblocks to explore digital assets including stablecoins. North Korean group WaterPlum used fake job offers at crypto, AI and NFT firms to infect at least 30,000 devices across more than 100 countries, stealing $10.7 million in crypto.
Bitget confirms breach
Animoca Brands suspended its planned Nasdaq listing through a reverse merger with Currenc Group, citing market conditions and closing timelines. In Hong Kong, a former bank official was jailed for four years over falsely authenticated letters of credit worth more than $1.6 billion and $470,000 in cryptocurrency bribes, while the HKMA said it will upgrade its debt securities settlement system to run on blockchain around the clock. Boyaa Interactive added 152 Bitcoin to reach 4,468 BTC, and Saudi Arabia withdrew from the China-backed mBridge project, the Financial Times reported.