The Future Of Crypto In Asia-Middle East

Opinion by: Dipendra Jain, co-founder of TCX

Regulation has become the baseline for crypto. From the United States’ regulatory enforcement to Dubai’s comprehensive crypto rulebook and India’s renewed debate on formalizing Bitcoin reserves, governments are rewriting the rules of digital finance. As listed institutions, retailers and social networks weigh in on digital asset rails, stablecoins and yield mechanisms, the real story is no longer what’s next, but who is building what comes next. 

Speculation once drove adoption, but structured compliance catalyzes scale across the Asia-Middle East corridor. Hubs like the United Arab Emirates and India represent the treatment of regulation as the backbone of innovation. The UAE is pushing a unified virtual asset service providers (VASP) framework to accelerate global crypto ambitions. At the same time, India is opening the door for offshore crypto exchanges to return, with approvals now subject to the review of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). 

As regulatory frameworks formalize, platforms must align with new taxation, data governance and licensing rules to access expanding markets without friction. The global center of gravity is tilting eastward, and the question is: Who will master the age of “permissioned scale,” where sustainable growth comes from thriving within regulation, not skirting them?

Jurisdictional intelligence and the demographic interplay

Once sufficient for market entry, understanding jurisdictional rules is no longer enough. The Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has issued 36 full licenses and supports over 400 registered companies. VARA is also piloting tokenized gold and DeFi products, which promise growing enthusiasm to experiment with real-world assets beyond established solutions within a controlled environment. 

But regulation alone renders platforms powerless if they fail to meet users where they are. With over 1.12 billion cellular mobile connections in India, 55.3% have internet access, and only 27% of adults meet basic financial literacy requirements. Platforms must recognize the need to bridge the knowledge gap through education-embedded user journeys. Crypto platforms can offer far more efficient, blockchain-based fintech solutions in remittance-heavy Cambodia and the Philippines, where such transactions make up 9% of GDP, by leveraging stablecoins to simplify transfers, reduce costs, and enhance transparency. 

Financial sovereignty will remain…