Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Deputy Chief Lam Ho-him noted increased interest from Middle Eastern clients in transferring funds and opening local accounts. He highlighted mutual engagement, the expansion of virtual insurance in the region, and the introduction of Islamic bond ETFs, indicating Hong Kong's development as a digital asset innovation hub.

Pakistan's central bank has opened its banking system to licensed virtual asset service providers, reversing a previous ban. This change, following the Virtual Assets Act 2026, allows crypto businesses access to banking services under strict regulations.

Ghanaian fintech startup appsNmobile has secured $1 million from Oasis Capital VC to expand its e-payment services, especially its virtual point-of-sale solution for MSMEs, while meeting regulatory capital requirements.

Nauru appoints cryptocurrency entrepreneur Dadvan Yousuf as its Commissioner for International Trade to advance a digital asset strategy, attract global investment, strengthen cooperation with virtual service providers and technology companies, and help position Nauru as a virtual asset hub.

Gate News updates. On April 14, People’s Daily published an article titled “Disrupting the capital markets: these irregularities by finance-and-economics self-media accounts need to be on high alert,” which singled out and criticized certain accounts that drive users to virtual-coin trading by publishing false yield information such as “one hundredfold coins” and “making millions every month trading coins.” The article cites a notice previously issued by eight departments, including the People’s Bank of China, emphasizing that business activities related to virtual currencies constitute illegal financial activities. The article states that accounts and platforms suspected of providing referral traffic and technical services for illegal virtual currency trading may violate laws and regulations and could threaten financial security and anti–money laundering efforts.

Gate News message, April 12, the Argentine Securities and Exchange Commission (CNV) issued General Resolution No. 1125/2026, formally recognizing cryptocurrencies as an asset category that can be included in an individual's net worth for determining eligibility as a qualified investor. Under this resolution, virtual assets are defined as "any digital value representation that can be traded and/or transferred digitally and that is used for payment or investment." This definition covers digital asset types such as cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, and stablecoins.

Grayscale has updated its list of candidate assets for its products, covering four major categories: AI, finance, smart contract platforms, and utility tools, and adding multiple new projects. Current products include mainstream assets such as BTC and ETH, and the candidate list will be updated each quarter.

Gate News message, April 12, the second batch of Hong Kong compliant stablecoin license applications is underway. According to reliable sources, Futu Securities and OSL Group are both applicants for the second batch of licenses. Previously, in November 2025, 13 ministries including the People’s Bank of China issued a statement, reaffirming China’s crackdown on virtual currency trading and classifying stablecoins as virtual currency, which means stablecoins will be impossible to trade in mainland China.

Argentina’s National Securities Commission revises the definition of eligible investors, bringing virtual assets within the scope of recognition. In addition, investors must hold at least 350k UVA. Furthermore, new crowdfunding financing provisions have been added, allowing non-eligible investors to participate in certain offerings. The maximum investment per transaction is 3,000 UVA, with a total cumulative limit not exceeding 10k UVA.

Gate News message, April 9, MoonPay announced a partnership with WalletConnect and payments acquiring and services provider Ingenic, aiming to bring stablecoin payments into physical retail scenarios. MoonPay virtual accounts (Virtual Accounts), supported by Iron, will provide fiat settlement services for stablecoin payments at checkout.