Review of Global Cryptocurrency Regulatory Progress Across Countries and Regions in 2025

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Today marks the final month of 2025, making it the right moment to begin a series of retrospective reviews. We will start with a review of global cryptocurrency regulatory progress across countries and regions in 2025. This series will subsequently include, but is not limited to, reviews of the stablecoin market, the memecoin market, major crypto security incidents, and a retrospective of the SuperEx platform.

In 2025, global cryptocurrency regulation entered a transitional phase. Regulatory thinking across countries and regions shifted from enforcement-led approaches toward the construction of differentiated institutional frameworks, using regulation as a means to guide the direction of industry development. This article will outline the practical progress and outcomes achieved by major countries and regions worldwide in the field of crypto regulation throughout 2025.

Review of Cryptocurrency Regulation in the United States

The United States was arguably the country with the most frequent cryptocurrency regulatory activity in 2025. After Donald Trump returned to the White House, U.S. crypto regulation clearly shifted away from a state of “ambiguous enforcement plus inter-agency conflict” toward a phase centered on legislation and the restructuring of market order. Throughout the year, four landmark bills were successively advanced and implemented, focusing on stablecoins, market structure, and central bank digital currencies.

1. Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act)

The GENIUS Act was the most strategically positioned piece of crypto legislation in the United States in 2025. Its core objective was not simply to restrict stablecoins, but to establish a foundational premise: stablecoins are regarded as tools of financial innovation rather than inherent sources of systemic risk.

The bill focused on three key areas:

• clearly defining the legal status of compliant stablecoins and distinguishing “payment-type stablecoins” from security-type digital assets
• requiring stablecoin issuers to implement clear reserve asset disclosure and auditing mechanisms
• encouraging the development of compliant stablecoins within the U.S. dollar system to reinforce the dollar’s position in global digital payments

From a regulatory stance perspective, the GENIUS Act does not represent laissez-faire deregulation, but rather conditional openness. As long as stablecoin issuers are willing to enter the regulatory framework and comply with transparency requirements, regulators will no longer rely on “gray areas” as a justification for retroactive enforcement.

2. Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy Act (STABLE Act)

If the GENIUS Act reflects national-level financial strategy, the STABLE Act is more clearly oriented toward risk management and consumer protection. This bill further refines compliance requirements throughout the stablecoin issuance and operation process, including:

• reserve asset composition ratios and liquidity requirements
• explicit standards for redemption mechanisms and contingency arrangements during extreme market conditions
• heightened issuer responsibility for technical and operational risk disclosures

This demonstrates that in 2025 the United States adopted a “dual-track regulatory approach” to stablecoins: recognizing their real-world value in payments and settlement, while preventing excessive financialization or the emergence of “shadow banking” through stricter transparency and accountability standards.

3. Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act)

For many years, the greatest problem in the U.S. crypto market was not excessive regulation, but unclear regulatory boundaries. The CLARITY Act was introduced specifically to address this fundamental issue.

The bill attempts to answer three critical questions at the legislative level:

• which digital assets fall under SEC jurisdiction
• which assets are more commodity-like and should fall under CFTC oversight
• what compliance pathways should apply to projects at different stages of development

Although the bill does not resolve every dispute, it marks the first systematic recognition that digital assets are not a single homogeneous category, but a dynamically evolving collection of markets. This signals a shift in U.S. crypto regulation from post-hoc classification to ex-ante categorization.

4. Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act

Compared to the previous bills, the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act is significantly more controversial. Its focus is not on technology itself, but on privacy, limits of government authority, and financial freedom.

The bill explicitly opposes the introduction of retail central bank digital currencies capable of directly monitoring individual transactions without full congressional authorization.

From the broader 2025 context, the U.S. position on this issue is clear: even while advancing digital finance, the creation of centralized tools that could be abused for surveillance must be avoided. This stance has also influenced global discussions surrounding CBDC models.

Review of Cryptocurrency Regulation in Hong Kong, China

If the United States was the most active jurisdiction in crypto regulation in 2025, Hong Kong was the fastest-moving and most clearly defined in its regulatory path.

1. Stablecoin Ordinance Bill

In 2025, Hong Kong took a critical step in stablecoin regulation with the introduction of the Stablecoin Ordinance Bill, formally incorporating stablecoins into its statutory regulatory framework. The bill’s core logic is highly explicit:

• allowing compliant stablecoins to be legally issued and circulated in Hong Kong
• requiring issuers to have clearly identifiable legal responsibility entities
• establishing clear rules for reserve assets, redemption mechanisms, and risk disclosures

Hong Kong’s regulatory approach does not pursue regulatory arbitrage, but instead seeks to attract compliant institutions through clear rules, reinforcing its competitiveness as an international financial center in the digital asset era.

2. Crypto Asset Reporting Framework and CRS-Related Public Consultation

In addition to stablecoins, Hong Kong simultaneously advanced improvements to its crypto asset reporting framework in 2025 and launched public consultations on amendments related to the Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

The signal here is unambiguous: crypto assets are no longer treated as a special exempt category, but are gradually being integrated into existing international tax and information exchange systems. This reflects Hong Kong’s clear baseline requirements for compliance and transparency while continuing to encourage innovation.

Review of Cryptocurrency Regulation in the European Union

Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA)

At the EU level, the regulatory focus in 2025 continued to center on the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). The full implementation of MiCA made the EU the first economic bloc globally to establish a unified crypto regulatory framework at the regional level.

Through standardized rules, MiCA:

• reduces regulatory fragmentation among member states
• provides clear entry and operational standards for crypto service providers
• imposes stricter prudential requirements on stablecoins and large-scale crypto projects

Market feedback indicates that MiCA has not stifled innovation, but instead provided greater certainty for long-term capital and institutional participation.

Review of Cryptocurrency Regulation in Japan

1. Amendments to the Payment Services Act

In 2025, Japan continued to advance crypto regulation along a “stable and gradual” path. Amendments to the Payment Services Act further clarified the legal positioning of crypto asset trading, custody, and settlement.

The revised framework places greater emphasis on user asset segregation and platform risk management, while distinguishing between the functions of stablecoins and other crypto assets.

2. Proposed Approval of Yen-Denominated Stablecoins

Japan’s stance toward yen-denominated stablecoins also shifted noticeably in 2025, moving from cautious observation toward institutionalized exploration.

By introducing compliant issuance mechanisms, Japan seeks to balance financial system stability with the need to avoid marginalization amid the global expansion of stablecoins.

Review of Cryptocurrency Regulation in the United Arab Emirates

1. Federal Decree-Law №6 of 2025

This decree laid the foundation for unified digital asset regulation at the federal level in the UAE, clearly defining the legality of virtual asset activities and allocating regulatory responsibilities.

It represents a major consolidation in the UAE’s financial regulatory history and significantly tightened oversight across crypto-related sectors.

2. Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) Rulebook Version 2.0

In 2025, VARA released Rulebook Version 2.0, comprehensively upgrading compliance requirements for virtual asset service providers. The updated framework covers:

• anti-money laundering
• market manipulation prevention
• technical and operational risk management

3. Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Regulatory Framework Revisions

On June 10, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of ADGM announced immediate implementation of revisions to its digital asset regulatory framework.

The revisions focus on modifying the process for accepting virtual assets (VA) as recognized virtual assets (AVA), as well as setting capital requirements and fees for authorized persons engaged in regulated virtual asset activities.

These revisions further enhanced regulatory clarity and international compatibility, reinforcing the UAE’s position as a crypto-friendly jurisdiction in the Middle East throughout 2025.

Conclusion

A review of global crypto regulation in 2025 reveals a clear trend: regulation is no longer limited to “risk restriction,” but is increasingly focused on defining rules, guiding direction, and shaping market structure.

Different countries and regions have chosen different paths, but they share a common understanding: the crypto industry has entered a new phase of institutionalized development. This provides the contextual foundation for subsequent shifts in the stablecoin market, memecoin ecosystems, crypto security incidents, and beyond.