Markets › News › Regulation

Singapore MAS Expands BLOOM Initiative with Malaysia and Thailand

The Monetary Authority of Singapore adds Malaysia and Thailand to its cross-border digital money initiative BLOOM.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore adds Malaysia and Thailand to its cross-border digital money initiative BLOOM. This is an original Token Times brief based on reporting by The Coin Republic, with live market data added, as of Sun, 25 Oct 2026 14:45:02 UTC.

Why it matters

The expansion of the BLOOM initiative signifies a coordinated regional effort to harmonize digital currency policies and could accelerate cross-border stablecoin adoption and interoperability in Southeast Asia.

Key takeaways
  • MAS adds Malaysia and Thailand to the BLOOM initiative for cross-border digital money.
  • Bank Negara Malaysia and Bank of Thailand join as key policymaker members.
  • Mastercard, Airwallex, and World Bank Group are also involved in the initiative.
  • The move aims to develop common approaches for digital currency regulation and usage.
The story so far · 2 briefs
  1. Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand Partner for Stablecoin Payments Integration
  2. Singapore MAS Expands BLOOM Initiative with Malaysia and Thailand — this brief

On October 23, 2026, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced the expansion of its BLOOM initiative by adding two new members: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the Bank of Thailand (BOT).

The BLOOM initiative, which stands for Borderless, Liquid, Open, and Multi-currency, aims to foster collaboration among regional policymakers to develop common approaches for cross-border digital money. This expansion marks a significant step towards harmonizing digital currency policies in Southeast Asia.

Multiple outlets report that Mastercard, Airwallex, and the World Bank Group are also involved in the initiative, although MAS's official release does not provide details on the roles these entities will play. The Coin Republic focuses on the regional collaboration aspect, while Unchained emphasizes the involvement of these additional participants.

The BLOOM initiative was initially launched to address the challenges and opportunities of digital currency in cross-border transactions. The inclusion of Malaysia and Thailand suggests a growing recognition among Southeast Asian countries of the potential benefits of digital currencies for financial inclusion and economic integration.

As of the latest market data, the total cryptocurrency market cap stands at $2.75 trillion, with the overall market remaining relatively flat. Bitcoin is down 0.45% over the past 24 hours, and the Fear & Greed Index is at 54, indicating a neutral market sentiment. While no specific coin is directly named in the BLOOM initiative, the development could have implications for stablecoin adoption in the region.

The market when this published · October 25, 2026
Total market cap₹261.68T
Bitcoin 24h-0.45%
Ethereum 24h-1.49%
BTC dominance58.6%
Fear & Greed54 · Neutral

Singapore MAS Expands BLOOM Initiative with Malaysia and Tha — questions & answers

What is the BLOOM initiative?

BLOOM stands for Borderless, Liquid, Open, and Multi-currency. It is an initiative by MAS to develop common approaches for cross-border digital money.

Which countries are joining the BLOOM initiative?

Malaysia and Thailand are the new members joining the BLOOM initiative.

Who are the other participants in the BLOOM initiative?

Mastercard, Airwallex, and the World Bank Group are also involved in the initiative.

Which outlets reported this story?

This is an original Token Times brief that synthesises reporting from The Coin Republic. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.

In this storyMastercard Company
Token Times Newsdesk Data-stamped

Token Times's newsdesk writes original briefs by synthesising coverage from across the crypto press — 50+ outlets including CoinDesk, The Block, Decrypt and Cointelegraph — cross-checking the figures they report — and verifying them against on-chain data from DeFiLlama and mempool.space — plus live market context (CoinGecko, Binance). We summarise and link to every source; we never reproduce full articles. Read our editorial standards and how we use AI. Not financial advice.

Market data verified against CoinGecko & Binance · October 25, 2026 ⛓ Timestamped at Bitcoin block #973,079 sha256:91aff0b05b30f845
Based on reporting by The Coin Republic — this is an original Token Times summary with live market data, not the original article.The Coin Republic · Oct 25 14:00 ↗

Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original Token Times brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.