What happens when Japan, with its technological prowess, starts dominating the crypto world? Quietly, the country is making waves with innovative projects that have the potential to reshape the industry landscape. Japan continues to prove itself as a hub of digital innovation. No wonder Asia now dominates global crypto adoption, accounting for approximately 60% of users.1
The trend of crypto innovation in Japan has not gone unnoticed by industry leaders actively building this ecosystem. In an AMA session organized by AllSpark Research on the topic Emerging Japanese Crypto Projects & the Domination of the Asia Market, Koki Sato (CMO of UPCX), Ken Komatsu (Founder of Golfin), Suya Lu (Head of Global Partnerships at Golfin), and Marcus (Head of Business Development APAC at AllSpark Research) shared their insights. This AMA session was part of the Proof of Connect: The KOL Tour, held in Bangkok on April 3.
They discussed how Japanese crypto projects are evolving and contributing to Asia’s dominance in the global market. The discussion revealed how the combination of advanced technology, supportive regulations, and a strong interest in digital assets is driving the rapid growth of the crypto ecosystem in the region.
UPCX: A Practical Financial Blockchain for Asia
UPCX is a high-performance blockchain platform designed for financial infrastructure. The project offers 100,000 TPS, low fees, and seamless cross-chain transactions (via UPCX Bridge). It focuses on real-world utility, targeting payments, e-commerce, remittances, and DeFi integration. UPCX is actively expanding in Asia, particularly in Southeast Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam) and South Asia (India). East Asia (Japan and Korea) is a key market due to high crypto adoption and digital payment growth.
Compliance with regulations and localization strategies for Asia’s diverse markets often pose challenges for UPCX. However, this has been successfully addressed by partnering with regional legal experts and exchanges (e.g., recently listed on BitTrade Japan). Unlike many Japanese projects that focus solely on DeFi/NFTs, UPCX emphasizes practical financial solutions, competing with Visa/Mastercard.
Golfin: Web3 Golf with Play-to-Earn and NFT Rentals
Golfin is a Web3 golf game that integrates digital and real-world golf experiences. Players earn points (redeemable for USDC/USDT) by playing in-app or on actual golf courses. Non-golfers can rent golf club NFTs to participate. Golfin aims to democratize golf through Web3, utilizing play-to-earn mechanics and NFT rentals.
One of Golfin’s challenges is overcoming the perception that golf is an “exclusive” sport. To address this, Golfin collaborated with a Japanese manga artist to simplify the onboarding process for new players. The platform has a strategic expansion plan in Southeast Asia, leveraging the region’s gaming culture through community meetups, such as Proof of Connect 2025, and partnerships with influencers in Thailand. Golfin also plans to host real-world tournaments and collaborate with golf brands to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3 audiences, ultimately boosting adoption.
AllSpark Research: Tracking Sentiment to Improve Crypto Project Performance
AllSpark Research is a data-driven research agency that helps crypto projects enter the Asian market through localization, community growth, and educational strategies. The lack of blockchain literacy remains both a barrier and the biggest driver of growth. To tackle this, AllSpark collaborates with academies to offer free courses.
In Asia, AllSpark Research tailors its strategies with regional narratives (e.g., DeFi in India, gaming in Vietnam). Additionally, AllSpark Research focuses on projects with real-world utility (RWA, payments), as they tend to perform better in the long run compared to speculative ones. While many projects explore AI, AllSpark Research emphasizes real utility, such as on-chain data analysis.
AllSpark Research also employs a data-driven approach by tracking community sentiment, comparing competitors, and testing campaigns before scaling. According to AllSpark Research, education is key—when communities understand crypto utility, adoption will happen organically.
Conclusion
Japan is now leading Asia’s dominance in the crypto market with innovative projects such as UPCX, which offers practical financial blockchain solutions, and Golfin, which integrates Web3 with play-to-earn and NFTs to democratize golf. Both projects leverage advanced technology and supportive regulations to accelerate adoption in Asia. AllSpark Research plays a crucial role by providing data-driven research and education to support the growth of the crypto community. The firm ensures that projects with real-world utility, such as UPCX and Golfin, have a strong chance of long-term success in the Asian market.