Welcome back to Continuum Weekly News
Every Friday we pull the top Asia headlines on digital-asset regulation, cyber risk, industry moves and insurance signals, with concise takeaways and practical actions for insurers and corporate risk teams.
Regulatory
Thailand expands derivatives framework to include digital asset contracts — Thailand’s SEC received Cabinet approval to expand its derivatives framework to cover digital assets and carbon credit contracts, moving digital asset trading infrastructure closer to regulated markets and increasing supervisory perimeter and eligible product risk scrutiny.
Hacking & Physical Risks
Singapore telcos targeted by espionage group UNC3886 — Singapore’s four largest telecoms (Singtel, StarHub, M1, Simba Telecom) were publicly confirmed as targets of a sophisticated cyber-espionage campaign by the threat actor UNC3886; telco infrastructure systems were accessed but operations and personal data remained intact.
Coordinated cyber defence response highlighted — Singapore authorities’ disclosure of “Operation Cyber Guardian,” a multi-agency effort to contain UNC3886 campaigns against telecom critical infrastructure, underscores persistent threat sophistication and the need for integrated public-private incident response mechanisms.
Industry & Markets
Solana leans into tokenisation and payments in APAC at Accelarate event — Builders and ecosystem partners at the Accelerate APAC event in Hong Kong highlighted real-time settlement and tokenisation gains for payments and asset flows, signalling deeper integration between blockchain rails and traditional finance infrastructure in Asia. — Regional regulatory outlooks reiterated that Asia Pacific will maintain heightened oversight on digital assets, AI risk governance, and resilience standards in 2026, suggesting continued compliance pressure for market participants.
BlackRock exec sees Asia crypto allocation unlocking capital flows — A senior BlackRock executive projected that even a small institutional allocation to crypto in Asia could unlock significant capital (USD 2T estimated), underscoring growing traditional investor interest in digital assets on the continent.
Insurance Spotlight
Commercial insurance pricing in Asia continues downward trend — Recent data from Marsh Risk’s Global Insurance Market Index shows commercial insurance pricing across Asia dropped further in late 2025, with implications for cyber, liability, and property lines as competitive capacity squeezes rates but risk quality expectations remain elevated.
Asia composite insurance rates down 5% in Q4 2025— A related report confirms that across multiple classes in Asia — including property and casualty — pricing declined, reflecting abundant capacity and high competition, a notable signal for risk teams considering program renewals this year.
