DLT Weekly Review: From Southeast Asia to Global Trade, Blockchain Takes Root in Real Economy
Published on DLTRevolution.io – May 17, 2025
This week, the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ecosystem saw major regulatory breakthroughs in Asia, tangible progress in tokenized finance, and further applications of blockchain in cross-border trade and digital identity. As institutional adoption gains momentum, DLT continues to shift from innovation lab curiosity to infrastructure-grade reality.
Singapore Approves Tokenized Asset Funds
In a landmark move, Singapore’s Monetary Authority (MAS) officially approved a framework allowing licensed fund managers to launch tokenized asset funds under regulated conditions. The framework outlines operational requirements for custody, disclosure, and investor protection while giving green light to fractionalized real-world assets (RWAs), including real estate, commodities, and debt instruments.
This sets Singapore up as a global hub for tokenized finance, bridging traditional capital markets and blockchain ecosystems with regulatory clarity. Fund managers can now leverage DLT to enhance transparency, reduce costs, and open new channels of investment.
📖 Read the full story on CoinDesk
Japan Automates Trade Finance for SMEs
Meanwhile, in Japan, the Ministry of Economy announced a pilot program automating trade finance for small and medium exporters via a blockchain-powered network. Built on a Hyperledger Fabric architecture, the system streamlines documentation, customs clearance, and invoice financing by offering real-time validation and risk scoring.
The initiative aims to reduce the liquidity gap for SMEs—traditionally underserved by legacy banking systems—and could serve as a blueprint for other export-driven economies. This marks another step toward using blockchain as a backbone for global trade infrastructure, especially beneficial for developing nations.
CBDC and Digital Identity Developments
Nigeria’s central bank announced a new partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to link its CBDC, the eNaira, with a blockchain-based digital identity system. This aims to onboard millions of previously unbanked citizens through biometric and mobile integrations. Analysts see this as a foundational move toward inclusive digital economies in Africa, where access to formal financial systems remains low.
Simultaneously, Brazil’s central bank confirmed plans for a programmable digital real pilot by year-end, focusing on interoperability with existing payment systems and smart contract-based disbursements for government aid programs.
Legal Actions Reinforce Market Integrity
Enforcement efforts against crypto fraud continued globally. In Canada, regulators shut down a $50 million crypto mining Ponzi scheme masquerading as a green energy blockchain project. In Thailand, a prominent influencer was arrested for promoting fraudulent token sales on social media. Authorities used on-chain analytics to trace flows and issue asset freezes, showing that DLT’s transparency can be a powerful regulatory tool.
Takeaway
This week showed once again that DLT is maturing into a globally coordinated, regulated, and institutionally embraced technology. With financial authorities creating clear rules, developers building high-utility use cases, and enforcement catching bad actors, blockchain is steadily becoming a fixture in the future of finance, identity, and trade.
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