Tokens And Skyscrapers: Inside Singapore’s Blockchain Boom

If you spend time in the world of Web3, chances are you’ve heard Singapore pop up often – the Lion City is everywhere. Not just because it’s well-connected and strategically placed between the East and West, but because the city-state understands what blockchain can – and has – become.

For most of the last decade, blockchain founders had to spend more time fighting regulators than actually building products. In the US, enforcement actions came faster than clear rules. While in China, an outright ban completely pushed talent and capital elsewhere. Singapore, on the other hand, looked at all of that and made a choice to become the place where the industry could actually work.

That bet has paid off spectacularly. Companies who may have previously chosen London or New York as a home base are now choosing to headquarter in Singapore. What are the reasons for that? Regulatory certainty, world-class infrastructure and a government truly invested in getting it right.

Why Is Singapore’s Blockchain Scene One To Watch?

Singapore set out to build a concrete regulatory framework while other financial capitals were still arguing about whether crypto was just a fad or a threat.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is somewhat of a gold standard for how central banks manage digital assets. It’s not a crackdown, but it isn’t a free-for-all either. It’s a licensing regime that essentially says if blockchain startups prove their legitimacy and operate transparently, they’ll be given room to grow.

Now, the city is the world’s second biggest stablecoin hub by adoption behind the US.

The Crypto Companies To Keep An Eye On

There are over 700 blockchain startups in Singapore, with research showing that around a third of the population either currently own or have owned some form of crypto asset. Here are some of the top companies proving that the nation’s strategy is certainly working.

1. RedDuck

RedDuck has carved out a reputation for serious technical work across financial services, gaming and logistics, particularly in DeFi platforms and tokenisation projects.

They use a multi-layered protection architecture specifically designed to capture smart contract vulnerabilities before they become expensive problems and run comprehensive security audits as standard practice.

To date, RedDuck has won awards at events including NEAR Hackathon and KyivTech Summit, even gaining recognition from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

2. ROCKETECH

ROCKETECH is a software development company bringing strong UX sensibilities to the world of blockchain. Often, blockchain products work well technically but feel clunky to use so ROCKETECH focuses on building decentralised applications that people actually want to interact with.

They cover mobile app development, smart contracts, token systems and full product lifecycle support from concept through launch. Their approach of treating every sprint as a collaborative process has earned them quite the loyal client base spanning startups and growing companies.

3. Circle

Circle is the company behind USDC which is the world’s largest regulated stablecoin, and Singapore has become one of their most strategically important markets. In 2023, they received a Major Payment Institution License from the MAS in May of 2025, they hosted the inauguration of the Circle’s Asia-Pacific office in Singapore.

The company went public on the NYSE in June 2025, raising over a billion dollars in its IPO and landing a market valuation of around $6.8 billion. For anyone transacting in digital dollars across Asia, Circle’s infrastructure is powering an enormous amount of it.

4. ADDX

ADDX takes assets that have historically been reserved for institutional investors and makes them accessible to a much wider audience through tokenisation. The platform uses blockchain and smart contract technology to fractionalise private equity, hedge funds, bonds and pre-IPO equity.

The company has raised a total of $140 million, including $50 million in its Series A and $58 million in the first part of its pre-Series B. In November 2025, ADDX partnered with Franklin Templeton in a landmark partnership to launch the first tokenised money market fund registered for retail investors in Singapore.

5. Nansen

Nansen is the analytics platform that serious crypto investors and institutions turn to when they want to understand what’s actually happening on-chain. The company has built a database covering over 500 million labelled blockchain wallets, allowing users to track smart money movements, identify early token opportunities and monitor activity across chains in real time.

They raised $75 million in a Series B round led by Accel, bringing its total funding to $88.2 million. In September of 2024, Nansen acquired Stakewithus, a non-custodial staking service with over $80 million in staked assets across 20 networks including Solana.

6. Coinbase

Coinbase is one of the world’s most recognisable crypto exchanges. The MAS granted the company a Major Payment Institution license, allowing them to offer regulated digital payment token services to retail and institutional clients in the country.

They launched Coinbase Business in Singapore as its first international market outside of the States, giving startups and small businesses access to crypto-native operating accounts, instant USDC payments and global payouts.