Stablecoins are gaining ground in APAC finance as clearer rules draw more institutional interest, a new Money20/20 Asia report found.
Published ahead of Money20/20 Asia in Bangkok this April, the report draws on insights from more than 130 stakeholders across the region and points to a fintech sector moving beyond experimentation in areas such as AI and digital assets.
It highlights three main themes for 2026: maturing core technologies, deeper collaboration between banks and fintechs, and the growing importance of trust across data, cybersecurity and governance.
In digital assets, the report says interest is rising particularly around stablecoins, with attention shifting away from speculative crypto activity and toward practical uses in B2B and cross-border payments.
It says growing regulatory clarity is helping support that shift and attract larger traditional financial institutions, while also noting that monetisation remains a hurdle for many players and that digital assets are still seen as a parallel option rather than a replacement for fiat.
AI is also moving further into deployment. The report says it has progressed beyond experimentation into active scaling, with firms focusing on embedding it into core operations.
At the same time, it warns that AI is also creating new risks, especially in fraud, phishing, identity verification and broader cybersecurity.
“APAC is no longer experimenting — it’s executing. The region is building financial infrastructure that is faster, safer, and more inclusive than ever before.
What happens here will influence the future of money globally.”
said Ian Fong, VP of Content at Money20/20 Asia.
Separately, the report found Southeast Asia was the top market APAC fintech organisations are focused on or expanding into over the next 12 to 18 months, cited by 22.9 percent of respondents.
Digital Trust Emerges as a Core Priority
That focus on trust runs throughout the report. It says 91.7 percent of respondents view cybersecurity and data privacy as a top priority, while 88.2 percent see digital identity as a foundational part of the modern banking and payments ecosystem.
The report adds that security is increasingly being treated as a business capability woven into products and operations, rather than just a compliance requirement.
The report also points to a more collaborative regulatory climate across Asia Pacific.
It says regulators are increasingly engaging through initiatives, pilots and public-private partnerships, with growing momentum toward regulatory harmonisation across markets.
Respondents broadly viewed regulation as increasingly supportive of innovation, particularly in areas such as digital assets and AI risk management.
Overall, the report suggests APAC fintech is moving into a stage where the question is no longer just what can be built, but what can be scaled, trusted and sustained.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by tamirt via Freepik
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