Nearly 25% of APAC Adults With Internet Access May Own Crypto, Report Says
Nearly a quarter of internet-connected adults in the Asia Pacific region may own cryptocurrency, though usability and accessibility remain key barriers, according to a report by CoinDesk and Protocol Theory.
The study surveyed 4,020 adults across 10 countries—including India, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Australia, Japan, and the UAE—and extrapolated the findings to the broader APAC population. It found that limited access to traditional financial services continues to drive crypto adoption, with stablecoins used by roughly 18% of adults in emerging markets.
The report highlighted that the pace of adoption will depend on how easily digital assets can be integrated into daily life. “Participation is now shaped by usability, integration, and inclusion rather than speculation,” it said. “Stablecoins, remittances, and tokenized assets are becoming practical foundations of a cross-border digital economy, supported by regulatory frameworks designed to enable participation.”
According to the survey, about half of adults aware of cryptocurrency plan to use it within the next year, despite only modest growth in adoption over the past 12 months. Respondents were aged 18–64 and had prior awareness of crypto.
One factor limiting adoption is that traditional financial services—digital banking, remittances, and bill payments—remain relatively easy to access compared with the perceived complexity of wallets, exchanges, and token transfers.
Regulation is emerging as a key driver of trust. Over 70% of adults in emerging markets—including the UAE, India, China, the Philippines, and Thailand—said regulatory clarity is important. That figure falls to around 66% in Hong Kong, Australia, and Singapore, and below 50% in Japan.
“In emerging economies, regulation bridges institutional gaps and signals legitimacy,” the report noted. “In mature markets, it mainly manages risk rather than driving adoption.”
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