Venom Foundation, the blockchain infrastructure provider based in Abu Dhabi, has issued a formal proposal to central banks and financial regulators across Southeast Asia, inviting them to co-develop sovereign-grade digital financial systems. The initiative seeks to address the region’s long-standing challenges around payment fragmentation, delayed settlements, and regulatory oversight by offering a public-sector-ready Layer-1 blockchain protocol.
The open letter to institutions, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Bank Negara Malaysia, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and the State Bank of Vietnam, outlines Venom’s vision of a compliant, modular infrastructure platform. It is designed to support core government functions such as stablecoin issuance, cross-border payments, and on-chain KYC/AML compliance, while remaining fully interoperable with existing banking systems.
At the centre of Venom’s offer is a governance structure that grants partial validator control to designated public-sector entities — a move aimed at bridging the trust gap between regulators and blockchain infrastructure. According to the foundation, this model allows governments to maintain oversight without sacrificing the efficiency of decentralized architecture.
“Our mission is to empower governments and institutions through next-generation blockchain technology, strengthening their sovereign capabilities and unlocking new opportunities for their citizens,” said Christopher Louis Tsu, CEO of Venom Foundation.
Venom’s platform is already operational and includes several features designed specifically for institutional adoption. These include ISO 20022 compatibility enabling integration with SWIFT-connected banking systems and a modular framework that allows governments to adopt components individually.
The foundation reports that pilot programmes are already underway in the Philippines, where Venom is collaborating with local financial institutions on stablecoin applications and real-time settlement experiments. A broader regional rollout is expected in 2025, beginning with the deployment of a cross-border payment and settlement layer intended for use by public-sector entities.
From a geopolitical standpoint, the proposal is notable. Rather than positioning blockchain as a disruptive alternative, Venom presents it as a neutral infrastructure layer that supports national autonomy while enabling cross-border cooperation.
Yet, challenges remain. Public-sector blockchain adoption has historically been hampered by institutional hesitancy, integration complexity, and a lack of regulatory clarity. Venom’s emphasis on modularity, standards compliance, and formal government partnerships appears designed to mitigate these risks.
