The new law signed by Serdar Gurbangulyevich Berdimuhamedow, President of Turkmenistan, in late November 2025 came into force on January 1, officially permitting the operation of cryptocurrency mining and crypto asset exchanges. The law stipulates that crypto mining (including mining pools) is legal locally, and non-Turkmen residents may also participate after completing registration; crypto exchanges established in Turkmenistan are required to obtain licenses, implement KYC/AML requirements and cold storage specifications. Meanwhile, the new law clarifies that crypto assets are not regarded as legal tender, a form of currency, or securities in Turkmenistan.$BTC $ $BNB
A Dubai court ruled that a woman was guilty of theft for committing a crypto wallet swap scam, sentencing her to two months in prison, a fine equivalent to the value of the stolen assets at the time of the crime, and deportation. The case details show that during a business meeting in Dubai, the woman swapped the victim’s hardware wallet with an identical-looking device, and privately transferred approximately $1 million worth of digital assets. Following the criminal ruling, a civil court further ordered her to compensate the victim with 4.3 million dirhams (approximately $1.17 million), plus interest calculated at an annual rate of 5%. The court clearly stated that digital assets are legally protected property. The woman’s husband was identified as a key accomplice and is currently at large.$BTC $XRP $
Satsuki Katayama, Japan’s Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Financial Services, stated at the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s New Year opening ceremony that 2026 will be designated as the “First Year of Digitalization”. She emphasized the crucial role of commodity and securities exchanges in promoting the popularization of digital assets and blockchain assets. She pointed out that to ensure the people truly benefit from digital assets, efforts should be made to accelerate their popularization by relying on exchange infrastructure. She also mentioned the trend in the United States of using ETFs for inflation hedging, implying that Japan should also actively promote similar developments, and stated that as the chief financial minister, she will fully support exchanges in building a more advanced digital asset trading environment.$BTC $BNB $XRP
For the first time, the Supreme Court of South Korea has ruled that Bitcoin held by individuals and stored on virtual asset exchanges such as Upbit and Bithumb is subject to seizure under the Criminal Procedure Act. This ruling further supplements the Court’s 2018 decision that $BTC is subject to confiscation by the state. The Court pointed out that the scope of seizure is not limited to tangible objects but also includes electronic information; as an electronic token that can be independently managed, traded and has economic value, Bitcoin is controlled by private keys and may be lawfully seized by investigative authorities.$ETH $SOL