Cryptoeconomics

News, data and analysis on tokenized assets, market design and digital economic systems.

Jurisdiction · Partly in force

Singapore

Digital payment token services have been licensed since 2020, but the single-currency stablecoin framework finalised in 2023 still has no enabling legislation, so issuance continues to be regulated under existing law.

Regime
Payment Services Act 2019 and Financial Services and Markets Act 2022 + MAS single-currency stablecoin framework
Status
PSA and FSM Act in force; single-currency stablecoin framework finalised (August 15, 2023) with implementing legislation still pending
Scope
Digital payment token services, single-currency stablecoins; tokenized securities under the Securities and Futures Act and Project Guardian

The state of play

Digital payment token services have been licensed under the Payment Services Act since January 2020, and the Financial Services and Markets Act 2022 extended the perimeter to Singapore-incorporated firms serving only overseas customers, with that digital token service provider regime commencing on June 30, 2025. MAS finalised its single-currency stablecoin framework on August 15, 2023, requiring full reserve backing in low-risk assets, redemption at par within five business days, capital and disclosure requirements, and restricting a MAS-regulated label to SGD and G10 currency pegs. The enabling legislation had not been introduced as of July 2026, so issuance remains regulated under existing law. On November 13, 2025 MAS managing director Chia Der Jiun said the authority was ready to begin drafting stablecoin legislation and planned to issue tokenised bills to primary dealers in 2026, settled in Singapore dollar wholesale central bank money. Tokenization work continues through Project Guardian and the Borderless Settlement of Liabilities and Obligations initiative announced in 2025.

Frameworks

FrameworkStatusDateNote
Payment Services Act 2019: digital payment token servicesIn force 28 January 2020Licensing of buying, selling, exchange, transfer, custody and brokering of digital payment tokens, with AML/CFT, technology risk and consumer access requirements.
Payment Services (Amendment) Act 2021 expanded DPT scopeIn force 4 April 2024Extends the regime to custody, transfer and cross-border money transfer services involving digital payment tokens.
Financial Services and Markets Act 2022: digital token service provider regimeIn force 30 June 2025Licenses Singapore-incorporated firms providing digital token services solely to customers outside Singapore.
MAS single-currency stablecoin (SCS) regulatory frameworkPending 15 August 2023Finalised policy: full reserve backing in cash, cash equivalents and short-dated sovereign debt, par redemption within five business days, base capital and audit requirements, MAS-regulated stablecoin label. Enabling legislation not yet introduced as of July 2026.
MAS guidelines on provision of digital payment token services to the publicIn force 1 January 2024Restricts retail incentives, credit and leverage, and requires risk-awareness assessments.
MAS notice PSN02 on AML/CFT for digital payment token service providers (travel rule)In force 28 January 2020Originator and beneficiary information requirements for value transfers, with no de minimis threshold for DPT transfers.
Project Guardian asset tokenization initiativeIn force 31 May 2022Industry pilots on tokenized fixed income, funds and foreign exchange, with fixed income and funds frameworks published in 2023 and 2024.
Borderless Settlement of Liabilities and Obligations (BLOOM) initiativeIn force 13 November 2025MAS-convened work on cross-border settlement using tokenized bank liabilities; announced alongside plans to issue tokenised bills to primary dealers in 2026 settled in SGD wholesale CBDC.

Products issued under this regime

  • XSGD and XUSD (StraitsX)
  • Global Dollar (USDG, Paxos Digital Singapore)
  • DBS Token Services (tokenized deposits and conditional payments)
  • UBS uMINT tokenized money market fund
  • ADDX tokenized private market funds
  • Marketnode digital securities issuance and servicing

Market participants

On the record

Every development we have evidenced under Singapore, newest first.

Full record →

MAS announces Project Ubin, a tokenized Singapore dollar for interbank settlement

The Monetary Authority of Singapore announced the first phase of Project Ubin, a proof of concept placing a tokenized Singapore dollar on a distributed ledger for interbank payments, run with R3 and a group of banks. The phase concluded on 9 March 2017 and was followed by four further phases covering real-time gross settlement redesign, delivery versus payment and cross-border payment versus payment.

The weekly read on onchain market economics

What issued, what settled, what the supervisors changed, with the numbers behind it and a note on what the numbers do not show. One email, Thursday mornings.

No tracking pixels. Unsubscribe in one click. We do not sell or share the list.