GBA–Asia Launches: Bringing Blockchain Standards to the World’s Fastest-Growing Markets

Blockchain adoption is accelerating across Asia. From national digital currency pilots to enterprise supply chain deployments, governments and businesses across the region are rapidly exploring ways to leverage blockchain infrastructure. But growth without standards can lead to fragmentation—and, more often than not, to wasted investment.

That’s why the Government Blockchain Association (GBA) has partnered with CESS Network to launch GBA–Asia, a new initiative dedicated to delivering localized Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) assessments across the region. It’s a strategic move, reflecting a broader shift in focus: away from experimentation for experimentation’s sake, and toward accountability, interoperability, and measurable outcomes.

Why BMM—and Why Now?

The Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM), developed by GBA, isn’t just another framework—it’s a roadmap from “we’re doing blockchain” to “we’re doing it well.”

The BMM is showcased by the Dynamic Coalition on Blockchain Assurance & Standardization of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum. It has already been used by organizations around the world in many industries including the Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Blockchain Platform, DeVOTE, a mobile voting app, and EarthID, a decentralized identity platform demonstrating the model’s applicability across various industries.​

Now as blockchain enters mission-critical sectors (like legal identity and health data), the need for measurable benchmarks has never been clearer. The BMM provides that structure.  But standards are only useful if people actually use them, and this is where GBA–Asia comes in.​

What’s the Gap GBA–Asia Is Filling?

Asia remains a leading region for blockchain innovation. According to the Coincub Blockchain Patent Report 2023, China dominates the field, responsible for 90% of blockchain patent applications in this period. Yet, across the region, organizations have lacked a regionally adapted framework to validate their blockchain readiness, especially one that balances global standards with local regulatory realities.

That gap has slowed adoption at scale, particularly among institutions and governments that need independently validated models to guide procurement or internal audits. GBA–Asia is designed to bridge that gap by localizing the BMM for markets including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

About the Partnership

Under a five-year agreement, CESS Networks will establish and operate GBA–Asia as the  primary provider of BMM assessments in the region. Outside Asia, CESS Networks will also support BMM assessments.

Key goals of the collaboration include:

• Localizing the BMM: Adapting the framework to address jurisdictional nuances, such as Japan’s financial regulations, Vietnam’s digital ID requirements, and Singapore’s smart contract guidelines, ensuring assessments align with local compliance expectations.
• Expanding BMM capacity: Training and certifying assessors across key markets like Hong Kong, Seoul, and Taipei to streamline evaluation timelines and support regional expertise development.
• Strengthening GBA’s regional presence: Collaborating with industry groups and regulators, such as Taiwan’s FSC and Hong Kong’s fintech associations, to promote standards adoption through workshops and policy dialogues.
• Co-developing new resources: Creating supplementary BMM guidance for Asia-specific use cases, such as cross-border trade documentation and central bank digital currency (CBDC) interoperability.

This is about meaningful evaluation, not performative compliance. The aim is to create assessments that are useful, repeatable, and aligned with real-world governance expectations across the region.

What This Means for Public and Private Sector Stakeholders

For government agencies, this partnership provides a neutral, standards-based approach to evaluating blockchain projects—whether they’re in procurement, early development, or already deployed.

For enterprises, it offers a roadmap to maturity: a way to demonstrate operational integrity, reduce implementation risk, and align with international best practices. And for policymakers, it provides a foundation for more informed legislation and procurement standards.

Looking Ahead

The launch of GBA–Asia reflects a broader truth about blockchain: trust in the technology starts with trust in the process. Standards give governments, businesses, and end users something to measure against—and a way to hold systems accountable. But for those standards to work, they have to meet people where they are.

And that’s exactly what GBA–Asia sets out to do. By combining GBA’s globally recognized BMM framework with CESS Network’s regional expertise, this initiative brings a practical, context-aware approach to blockchain governance—something the space has sorely needed.

Get Involved

GBA–Asia isn’t simply launching a new service—it’s anchoring a new standard for blockchain governance in the region’s most dynamic markets. Whether you’re building the next identity layer for a nation-state or piloting smart contracts for supply chain transparency, now is the time to benchmark your work against a model built for impact, accountability, and local relevance. Join GBA–Asia to help shape the standards that will define blockchain’s future in Asia and beyond.

• Visit https://gbaglobal.org to explore upcoming opportunities with GBA–Asia.