S.Korea crypto tax falters as yen stablecoin, China’s e-CNY advance

TL;DR: Asia’s digital money race is heating up, with countries taking different approaches to crypto taxation and digital payments. South Korea may delay its crypto gains tax yet again, as lawmakers across party lines push back ahead of its planned January 2027 start. Meanwhile, Korean card giant Shinhan Card and two SBI Group firms are teaming up to pilot yen stablecoin payments between Korea and Japan. China, for its part, has rebuilt its digital yuan platform to support smart contracts and a broader range of payment and settlement uses.