As blockchain-related projects gather steam across Asia, the region’s countries are adopting crypto in unique ways.

While Vietnam’s strong gaming culture has driven its crypto boom, India’s NFT gold rush has been powered by Bollywood film stars. However, regulation is still a tough nut to crack across the region.

In this episode of Deep Dive, Tech in Asia’s Thu Huong Le, Nikita Puri, and Melissa Goh discuss how countries across Asia are navigating the world of crypto.

Timecodes:

00:00 – Intro music
00:46 – Today’s topic: Asia’s crypto fever
01:59 – Gaming: The catalyst for crypto adoption in Vietnam
03:55 – A tech-savvy population’s solution to the effects of the pandemic
05:11 – Scams abound, but users aren’t deterred
06:56 – India’s obsession with NFTs
07:55 – A craze driven by local celebrities
10:02 – A way to promote indigenous art
12:25 – The Vietnam crypto scene’s plight against regulators
13:33 – A lack of clarity for India’s crypto players
15:11 – Singapore’s cautious approach to legislation
16:14 – The risks that come with being an early adopter

Featured reporters:

• Thu Huong Le, a Tech in Asia journalist based in Vietnam
• Nikita Puri, a Tech in Asia journalist based in India
• Melissa Goh, a Tech in Asia journalist based in Singapore

Essential reading:

• Explaining Vietnam’s crypto boom
• Inside the tsunami of NFTs in India
• Is Dubai stealing Singapore’s thunder in crypto?
• The Philippines: Asia’s next crypto hub?
• How NFTs are going from megabytes to mega bucks