Asia Crypto Roundup: South Korea Tax Clock Starts Jan 2027, Japan Goes 24/7 on Bond Trading, BNY Expands Custody

A packed week across Asia's crypto landscape. South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance confirmed virtual asset taxation will proceed as scheduled from January 2027, ending years of delays and giving investors roughly 18 months to plan around the new regime. Meanwhile, Japan is moving to launch 24/7 blockchain-based government bond trading, a structural shift that would bring sovereign debt settlement into continuous markets.

On the institutional side, BNY Mellon is expanding its crypto custody footprint into Abu Dhabi, adding regulated infrastructure in one of the Gulf's most active digital-asset jurisdictions. Russia's MOEX launched four new crypto indexes, broadening benchmark coverage for a market that has been navigating sanctions-era capital flows. Bithumb's entry into Vietnam rounds out a week that underscores how regulatory frameworks, institutional rails, and exchange…