Cointelegraph’s latest Asia Express roundup spans a wide set of crypto developments across Asia and nearby markets. At the center is a lawsuit filed in New York by two Thai businessmen against stablecoin issuer Tether over the freezing of $42.4 million in USDT linked to a $61 million pig butchering case. The plaintiffs said the freeze came in October 2025 without a warrant after an informal request from US Homeland Security Investigations, while a seizure warrant was only issued later in February 2026. The case puts fresh attention on how far stablecoin issuers can go when freezing assets. Thailand also moved on regulation, with its Securities and Exchange Commission issuing Travel Rule requirements that cover crypto transfers, including those involving self-custodial wallets, effective Feb. 27, 2027. The same regulator is consulting on whether intermediaries should be allowed to give retail clients access to certain overseas crypto derivatives. Elsewhere, Pencil Finance said it completed a $1 million fully onchain student loan cycle serving 6,600 students in Southeast Asia. The regional update also includes moves by MAS in Singapore on stablecoins, ASIC’s warning to unlicensed crypto firms in Australia, Standard Chartered’s spot BTC and ETH trading launch in the UAE, and a series of developments in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Tom Lee predicts Bitcoin could reach $150,000 as institutions buy crypto stocks, calling current rally just the first wave. Former SEC and CFTC officials co-signed a letter urging risk-calibrated regulation to attract offshore perpetual futures back to the U.S. Bitfinex Securities lists 5 tokenized notes linked to Strategy and other Bitcoin reserve companies. 21 global financial institutions commit to forming a joint stablecoin company targeting 2027 launch. Other key stories: OSL Group revenue up 65.8%, Kraken parent partners with LSE to tokenize 100 UK stocks, Fed's Barr warns of rate hikes if inflation persists, Singapore MAS consults on stablecoin regulation, Thai SEC proposes allowing retail to trade overseas crypto derivatives, and more.

Ripple and Coincheck Group have each moved to expand digital asset custody infrastructure in Asia through new partnerships aimed at institutional clients. Ripple said Tuesday that it partnered with digital asset infrastructure firm SettleMint to combine Ripple Custody with SettleMint’s Digital Asset Lifecycle Platform, giving financial institutions tools for custody, issuance and management of tokenized assets across the full asset lifecycle. A day earlier, Coincheck Group announced a partnership with wallet infrastructure provider DFNS to build digital asset wallet technology and custody services in Japan. DFNS said its wallet-as-a-service platform supports full transaction lifecycle management, including workflow orchestration and governance controls, across more than 100 blockchain networks. Both deals target the infrastructure shortfall that has slowed adoption by regulated financial institutions. The announcements also come as the Asia-Pacific region posts strong crypto growth and governments continue to refine regulation, with Chainalysis reporting a 69% year-over-year increase in value received in the region and Japan revising its laws in July to classify crypto assets as financial assets.