Malaysia Blockchain Week (MYBW) 2025 launched with a powerful call to action for greater collaboration, regulatory innovation, and bold investments in decentralised digital infrastructure. The event, which has quickly become a marquee platform for blockchain and Web3 stakeholders across Southeast Asia, opened with an agenda that blends visionary thinking with pragmatic goals.
Dominik Schiener, Co-founder of IOTA, set the tone in his keynote by emphasising the importance of building impartial, open, and incorruptible systems. “Our digital world cannot run on centralised systems controlled by a few,” he stated. “No amount of alliances can match the power of a decentralised network.”
Schiener highlighted the need for digital systems that are globally accepted and trusted. He called for smart regulation—referencing the U.S. Genius Act as a comparative example—and positioned Malaysia as a potential leader in building real-world use cases that bridge data, identity, and assets on-chain.
Ethan Chung, Co-founder and CEO of Blox, and one of the speakers on Day 1 introduced the launch of $MYRC, a 1:1 MYR-backed stablecoin issued on Arbitrum. He argued that stablecoins are “the future of money,” particularly in Malaysia, where e-wallets remain siloed and remittance corridors are still plagued by high friction.
“The gap is clear,” Chung explained. “Builders in Malaysia lack a ringgit-native base layer to build on. $MYRC aims to be that infrastructure.” He also teased the upcoming launch of Samudera, a project that will demonstrate real-world use of MYR-backed stablecoins in trade and remittance.
Dr Ian Tan and Noelle Lee, co-founders of MYBW and Lydian Labs, announced the successful launch of the second edition of Malaysia Blockchain Week, positioning it as more than an event—a platform to unite regulators, investors, and startups to co-create meaningful policy and technical progress.
“We want to showcase homegrown Malaysian startups,” said Lee. “Our goal is to align the ecosystem on forward-thinking, inclusive policies that foster real innovation.”
In a keynote address, YB Chan Lih Kang, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), reiterated the Malaysian government’s commitment to embracing the future economy through blockchain technology.
He described MYBW as a “bold statement of intent”, aligned with the Malaysia Madani vision and the broader Malaysian Blockchain Infrastructure (MBI) strategy—a cross-ministerial initiative to lower fragmentation and costs, and expand access to startups across sectors like finance, halal supply chains, and data security.
“Blockchain is increasingly relevant, yet still fragmented,” said Minister Chan. “MBI is our strategic response to this challenge. It’s a platform to reduce inefficiency, lower costs, and enhance Malaysia’s competitiveness globally.”
The launch closed with a unifying message: for Malaysia to lead in the blockchain revolution, it must foster an open, collaborative ecosystem involving regulators, industry, academia, and civil society.