East & Partners

Singapore Wins Race for Stablecoin Debut Against Hong Kong

(2 October 2025 – Singapore) Singapore has edged out its fiercest rival financial hub, Hong Kong, to debut the XSGD cryptocurrency pegged against the Singapore Dollar.

Both financial hubs compete fiercely to draw digital asset ventures while prices for cryptocurrencies continue to rise sharply. Singapore-based payment infrastructure provider StraitsX is the issuer for XSGD. It has cited approval from the city-state’s financial regulator to bring out the token. The stablecoin is market-capped at about 14.8 million Singapore dollars.

KRWO is pegged to the South Korean won, THBx follows the Thai baht and JPYC is linked to the Japanese yen while Hong Kong doesn’t expect licenses for stablecoin issuers to be granted until next 2026.

“For global players evaluating Asia as a launchpad, the availability of a regulated local currency stablecoin enhances Singapore’s appeal as a hub for both global capital markets and Asia’s digital economy. As more platforms like Coinbase list XSGD, it is setting the benchmark for what regulated and real-world stablecoin use should look like” a StraitsX representative commented to Nikkei Asia.

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