TLDR Chainalysis found a 420% rise in onchain malware this year, with North Korea and Iran linked hackers behind most of the activity. CoinEx will shut down after nine years, citing falling t
Crypto news across Asia this week covers hacking, exchange closures, and new regulation. Several countries made moves that affect how digital assets are tracked, traded, and taxed.
A new Chainalysis report found onchain malware jumped 420% this year. Most of the growth came from hackers linked to North Korea and Iran.
State linked groups made up about two thirds of the new malware activity. Chainalysis pointed to UNC5342, a North Korea linked group, as being behind activity on Tron, Aptos, and BNB Smart Chain.
Hackers are storing malware instructions directly on public blockchains. This makes campaigns harder to stop since the data stays accessible even after servers or websites get shut down.
In 2025, North Korean hackers used a method called EtherHiding to place crypto stealing code inside smart contracts. This year’s activity builds on that same approach.
Separately, NBC reported that North Korea is using remote workers from Iran and Lebanon to pass job interviews at US companies. North Korean operatives then take over the roles to earn money for weapons programs.
In South Korea, police referred 18 Polymarket users to prosecutors as part of an illegal gambling probe. The group had wagered a combined 17.6 billion won, worth about $12.7 million.
Authorities said Polymarket bets count as illegal gambling under South Korean law because outcomes cannot be predicted with certainty. Polymarket does not verify user identities.
Hong Kong founded exchange CoinEx announced it will close after nine years. The company blamed weak trading volume during the bear market and higher compliance costs. Withdrawals stay open until December 22.
Metaplanet reduced its Series 10 stock pool by 41% after criticism over a plan to give executives up to 20% of shares. The change wipes out more than $220 million in warrant value and raises Bitcoin held per share by about 8.8%.
Industry figures in Hong Kong say the delayed CLARITY Act vote in the US gives the city a chance to attract crypto business. Analysts want Hong Kong to build infrastructure that works across borders rather than wait on US rules.
India rolled out a tokenized bond pilot through its securities regulator and central bank. Three companies issued a combined 10.25 billion rupees, about $107 million, using the new Demat 2.0 system linked to India’s digital currency network.
India’s Parliament also wrapped a year long review of crypto policy, with a government response due next week. The Enforcement Directorate said it wants to close economic crime cases tied to crypto within 18 months.
In Vietnam, Bitcoin Suisse plans to move up to half its Swiss jobs to Bratislava and Vietnam for back office work. Binance also signed an agreement to help build the Vietnam International Finance Center in Ho Chi Minh City.
Singapore Exchange got approval from the US Commodities Futures Trading Commission to offer Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual futures to American institutions. Singapore’s High Court also issued a ruling on how to value crypto assets in legal claims.
Thailand’s securities regulator proposed a daily stablecoin transfer cap of 5 million baht, about $151,000. In Singapore, six Malaysian men were sentenced to up to nearly 13 years plus caning for a 2024 armed robbery involving crypto and cash. Fitch Ratings also named Malaysia one of the more crypto friendly Muslim majority nations after its regulator ruled Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Stellar sharia compliant.
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