The history of a financial centre is a sequence of decisions, crises and reforms. The chronology of the Digital Assets book records, in one line each, the events that shaped digital-asset law in Singapore and Switzerland from 2008 to 2026. A chronology for the financial centre book is planned, and the principal dates are given below.
The treaty of 6 February 1819, the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 17 March 1824, the Crown Colony of 1 April 1867, the Federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963 and independence on 9 August 1965 set the frame. The Asian Dollar Market followed in 1968, the Monetary Authority of Singapore on 1 January 1971, Temasek in 1974 and GIC in 1981.
More recent dates include the Variable Capital Companies Act 2018 in force on 14 January 2020, the Payment Services Act 2019 on 28 January 2020 and Part 9 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2022 on 30 June 2025.
Many of today's questions have historical answers: why English law applies, why the port is open to every flag, why the regulator has so wide a mandate. Knowing the background helps a newcomer read the tone of a bank's or a regulator's questions.
The chronology entries can be read in sequence or on their own, and the entries refer to the events discussed in the book.
Start with the chronology 2008 to 2026, the section on financial history or Part A of the financial centre book.
Annex I: Chronology
The chronology lists the principal dates in the history of Singapore as a place of trade and finance, from the first Chinese and Javanese records of Temasek in the fourteenth century to the autumn… Read more Singapore · AnnexesOrigins: From Temasek to the Free Port (c. 1330–1866)
Origins: From Temasek to the Free Port (c. 1330–1866): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesColony and Commerce (1867–1942)
Colony and Commerce (1867–1942): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesWar, Independence and the Developmental State (1942–1971)
War, Independence and the Developmental State (1942–1971): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesBuilding a Global Financial Centre (1971–2008)
Building a Global Financial Centre (1971–2008): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesContemporary Wealth Management and Private Banking (2009–2026)
Contemporary Wealth Management and Private Banking (2009–2026): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesInternational Singapore: Law, Disputes and Diplomacy (1952–2026)
International Singapore: Law, Disputes and Diplomacy (1952–2026): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesThe Commodity Trading Hub (1892–2026)
The Commodity Trading Hub (1892–2026): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesTrade Finance, Fraud and Risk (1978–2026)
Trade Finance, Fraud and Risk (1978–2026): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesGateway to Asia (1967–2026)
Gateway to Asia (1967–2026): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesLanguage as Infrastructure: English and Bilingualism (1823–2026)
Language as Infrastructure: English and Bilingualism (1823–2026): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · AnnexesSingapore 2035: Technology, Sustainability and Geopolitics (1990–2026)
Singapore 2035: Technology, Sustainability and Geopolitics (1990–2026): a section of the book. Read more Singapore · ReferenceAnnexes
The five annexes that follow are working tools. A reader opens them while a chapter is being read, when a date, a statutory reference, a case citation or a regulator document needs its context. Read more Singapore · ReferenceChronology 2008–2026
This chronology records, in one line each, the events that shaped digital-asset law in Switzerland and Singapore and the international standards that both hubs implemented. Read more