At Outset PR, we've been tracking how crypto visibility shifts region by region and our recent look at Asia uncovered patterns that go far beyond traffic charts.
In Q2 2025, the latest Outset Data Pulse report, part of our ongoing intelligence framework built on PR-native formulas and indices, analyzed 171 crypto-native and mainstream outlets across East and Southeast Asia. With raw Similarweb data as the core, Outset Data Pulse measures how discovery systems, editorial habits, and audience behaviors evolve across the crypto media layer. The findings reveal how crypto news is being found, trusted, and shared in a region where both technology and community define attention.
What we discovered is that loyalty is quietly replacing virality as the driver of visibility.
Readers are choosing homes now.
"Asia's crypto audiences behave differently," says Maximilian Fondé, senior media analyst at Outset PR. "They follow brands they trust. Direct visits now outweigh search, showing how credibility drives visibility in this market."
How Big Is Asia's Crypto Audience in 2025?
Asia's crypto audience reached around 102 million visits in Q2 2025. That's a 2.2% rise from April to May, followed by only a 1.3% dip in June, and a sign of steady retention, not volatility.
By contrast, mainstream financial sites that cover crypto topics saw a 14% drop over the same period, shrinking from 267 million to 229 million visits.
What that means in practical terms is that crypto's niche media ecosystem is holding its ground even as broader financial interest cools. It's a sign of maturity and a reminder that crypto journalism in Asia has become a distinct market of its own.
In countries like South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia, readers now treat crypto media as a habit, not hype. Across Q2, 42% of crypto-native outlets actually grew their audience, while the rest only saw small dips. That balance suggests consolidation, not decline.
"This is what a loyal readership looks like," notes Fondé. "Asia's crypto audience didn't disappear after 2021's highs; it reorganized. They've found local voices they trust, and they keep coming back."
Asian Most-Read Crypto News Sites
The most-read crypto sites in Asia include CoinReaders, TokenPost, CoinPost, Jinse.cn, and 528BTC. Together, they reflect a clear trend of traffic consolidation – just 18 outlets now capture 81.8% of all crypto-native visits across the region, totaling about 83.5 million.
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Their success comes from rhythm as much as reach. CoinReaders in South Korea, for instance, gets 58% of its traffic directly, meaning readers are typing the site's URL or using saved links instead of search results. That's audience loyalty, not algorithmic luck.
Meanwhile, Japan's CoinPost dominates on X, where 96% of its social traffic originates, proving that timing and real-time engagement can still outpace SEO. China's 528BTC, on the other hand, has quietly become a model for AI visibility, with 27% of its referral traffic already coming from AI aggregators and discovery tools.
"What we're seeing is a split between two success models," explains Fondé. "The Korean and Japanese outlets are built on habitual readership: credibility and consistency. The Chinese and Southeast Asian outlets are optimized for algorithmic discovery – structured data, fast updates, clean syndication."
The mid-tier media cohort (roughly 20 outlets with 130K–400K monthly visits) represents just under 12% of traffic, yet often drives some of the most community-led engagement. Beneath them, dozens of smaller outlets (Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesia) are surviving through specialization: AI tokens, DeFi stories, local regulation. Their scale may be limited, but their loyalty metrics rival those of top-tier brands.
Where Is Crypto News Growing Fastest Across Asia?
Fastest growing crypto media audiences in Asia are in South Korea and Japan, where total traffic reached 95.6 million visits (70.8%) in Q2 2025.
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These two markets share similar habits but different content cultures. Korea's readership (57 million visits) is driven by strong domestic exchanges, professional coverage, and tight-knit news communities. Japan (11.7 million visits) thrives on fast-moving updates and real-time commentary, powered by X, YouTube, and increasingly, AI search.
Behind them, Indonesia (7.3M), Taiwan (6.6M), and China (4.6M) form a fast-rising middle layer. Southeast Asian markets like Vietnam (2.7M) and Thailand (2.3M) are closing in through bilingual and influencer-driven coverage.
This map tells us something important: visibility follows credibility, and credibility often follows language. When readers can access reliable news in their own tongue, they return.
As one editor in Vietnam told us during our survey, "International outlets can't keep up with local nuance. Our readers want speed and identity, not translation."
It's a reminder that localization is no longer optional for crypto publishers trying to reach Asia's next wave of readers.
Asian Crypto Media See Measurable Traffic From AI Discovery, Data Confirms
AI-driven traffic is still small but in Q2 2025, AI referrals accounted for 0.58% of total traffic, or roughly 587,000 visits out of 102 million. That might not sound transformative, until you realize that for top-tier outlets, it already represents 18% of referral traffic.
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In other words, AI platforms and agents are becoming new gateways for crypto discovery, even if users don't realize it. Outlets that structure their pages for easy AI parsing – clear definitions, question-based headlines, and citations – are already appearing more often in generated summaries.
"AI is changing the shape of discovery, not just its channel," says Fondé. “Visibility now is all about who's included in the answer. The same way SEO rewards keyword clarity, LLM visibility rewards structure and citation."
This is actually measurable. In China and Indonesia, a few publishers are already tracking double-digit growth in traffic attributed to AI aggregators. Across mainstream Asian outlets, AI discovery now drives 27% of referral traffic, suggesting that general-interest media are adapting even faster than crypto natives.
How Do Most Readers in Asia Follow Crypto News?
Most crypto readers in Asia – 54.15% – now go directly to their favorite news sites. That's more than half of all readers typing in URLs, saving pages, or using direct bookmarks. It's a powerful sign of loyalty and a quiet blow to traditional search models.
Organic search still matters, accounting for 35.3% of traffic, but it's no longer the main driver.
Social channels contribute 4.85%, with X (49.7%) and YouTube (23%) leading the way. Facebook retains strong roots in Vietnam and Thailand, where local crypto groups still drive discussion, while LinkedIn and Telegram fuel more professional and community-specific engagement.
"The media map here doesn't look like the West," concludes Fondé. "Google doesn't dominate discovery, people do. Social networks and direct access are the new homepage."
That shift reflects something we've seen in every Outset Data Pulse report this year: credibility has become the new currency. Readers return to outlets that match their language, values, and speed. Algorithms can amplify visibility, but they can't replace loyalty.
Benzinga Disclaimer: This article is from an unpaid external contributor. It does not represent Benzinga’s reporting and has not been edited for content or accuracy.
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