Malaysia to Pilot Tokenized Deposits and Stablecoins in 2026

• The experiments will take place at the bank’s Digital Asset Innovation Hub (DAIH).
• Officials want to understand how these tools might impact the financial system.
• All three projects are being tested under controlled conditions, with input from banks.

Malaysia’s central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), has announced three new pilot projects for 2026 that will test ringgit-backed stablecoins and tokenized bank deposits. 

The experiments will take place at the bank’s Digital Asset Innovation Hub (DAIH) and focus on using regulated digital assets for large-scale payments, both within Malaysia and across borders. Officials also want to understand how these tools might impact the financial system and guide future policies.

There are three projects admitted to the DAIH this year. The first one is a ringgit stablecoin for B2B settlement, which is led by Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia in partnership with Capital A Berhad.

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The two companies will test whether a stablecoin linked to the ringgit can make wholesale business payments faster and smoother than current methods.

The next project is the tokenized deposit pilot by Maybank. The bank will explore how digital versions of traditional bank deposits can speed up payments for approved uses.

Lastly, there’s the tokenized deposit pilot by CIMB Group. It was reported that CIMB will run a similar test as Maybank, looking at how tokenized deposits can work in regulated payments and settlement, including for Islamic finance instruments like sukuk.

All three projects are being tested under controlled conditions, with input from banks, business partners, and regulators. Some of them will also look at whether the setup follows Shariah principles.

Malaysia’s plan for digital assets

In June last year, BNM launched the DAIH to give financial companies a safe, supervised space to test and build digital asset tools. Over 30 local and global organizations have joined to find the most useful ways to use tokenized assets.

Malaysia has spent over a year preparing for wider use of tokenized assets. In 2025, BNM published a three-year plan exploring how to tokenize things like stocks or loans. The country also asked the industry for input to help shape future frameworks.

Private projects in the country are already moving forward. In December 2025, the Regent of Johor launched RMJDT (a ringgit-backed stablecoin) inside a regulated sandbox aimed at cross-border payments. It’s a clear sign that Malaysia is serious about blockchain-based money.

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