CoinPayments Appoints Aaron Budiman to Lead APAC Expansion and Stablecoin Growth

CoinPayments has appointed Aaron Budiman as its Asia Pacific Regional Director to spearhead the expansion of its merchant and partner network. For fintech professionals, this move signals a sharpened focus on stablecoin-enabled cross-border payments within a region currently experiencing the world’s highest growth rate in blockchain-based crypto-asset transactions.

What was announced

The appointment of Aaron Budiman marks a strategic push into the Asia Pacific (APAC) market, where he will lead efforts to scale CoinPayments' infrastructure for businesses and financial institutions. Budiman’s remit focuses specifically on the deployment of stablecoins to facilitate cross-border payments, aiming to address traditional pain points such as high transaction costs and slow settlement times. His background involves assisting organizations in leveraging digital assets to enhance transparency and efficiency in global money transfers.

This regional expansion comes at a time of significant activity for the sector. Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) indicates that Asia recorded a 69% year-on-year growth rate in blockchain-based crypto-asset transactions between June 2024 and June 2025. This represents the highest growth rate of any global region, creating a substantial demand for the compliant and scalable digital asset infrastructure that CoinPayments provides.

CoinPayments, which has been operating since 2013, brings a significant track record to this expansion. The company has processed more than $50 billion in total transaction volumes to date. Its ecosystem currently supports over 250,000 merchants worldwide and maintains a user base of more than 1 million digital asset wallets. Alex Alexandrov, Group CEO and Founder of COINPAYMENTS, noted that Budiman’s understanding of the region’s diverse regulatory landscapes is central to supporting the company’s momentum in the territory.

"I am thrilled to be joining COINPAYMENTS at such a pivotal stage of its growth journey. The Company’s commitment to enabling businesses and consumers to send, receive, and manage digital currencies easily and securely is second to none, and I look forward to working alongside their talented team as it continues to strengthen its position within the rapidly evolving digital assets ecosystem."

Aaron Budiman, Asia Pacific Regional Director at COINPAYMENTS.

The companies involved

CoinPayments is a veteran provider of digital payments infrastructure, having established itself in the market in 2013. The company operates as a gateway for merchants to accept a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, positioning itself as a bridge between traditional commerce and the digital asset economy. Over the last decade, it has grown into one of the most recognized names in the crypto-processing space, competing on the basis of its extensive merchant network and the breadth of assets it supports.

The firm’s leadership has recently seen a return to its roots, with founder Alex Alexandrov resuming the role of Group CEO to oversee global operations. CoinPayments has historically focused on providing secure wallet services and payment processing tools that allow businesses to integrate digital currencies without the need for deep technical expertise. In the current market, the company is increasingly focusing on the utility of stablecoins, which offer the benefits of blockchain technology—such as 24/7 availability and near-instant settlement—without the volatility typically associated with unpegged digital assets. This focus is particularly relevant in the APAC region, where cross-border trade is a primary economic driver.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely tracked the recent leadership and strategic shifts at CoinPayments. In October 2026, we reported that COINPAYMENTS Founder Alex Alexandrov Returns as Group CEO to Scale Global Operations, a move designed to consolidate the company's international presence. This followed a period of aggressive regional growth, including the company’s efforts to bolster North America leadership with a new Head of Sales in April 2026.

The company’s focus on the Asia Pacific region is not new; in March 2026, COINPAYMENTS accelerated its APAC expansion through a partnership with OSL Group. Additionally, the firm has sought to integrate its infrastructure into luxury and niche markets, as seen in the alliance with duPont REGISTRY Group announced in May 2026.

What this means

The pivot toward stablecoin-centric cross-border payments in APAC is a direct challenge to the traditional correspondent banking model. As regional transaction volumes surge, the industry is moving away from speculative trading and toward functional utility. CoinPayments is positioning itself to capture the institutional shift toward "programmable money," but it faces a landscape of fragmented regulations. The success of this regional push will likely depend on how effectively infrastructure providers can navigate the differing compliance requirements of markets like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. For the broader fintech sector, this signals that stablecoins are no longer a peripheral experiment but a core component of global liquidity management.