> The only requirement is to have proliferation of Bitcoin-fiat exchanges across the region
No, that's not the only requirement. Other requirements include teaching large numbers of nontechnical people what the heck a cryptocurrency is, how to get and secure a wallet, how to get an account on an exchange, how to convert Bitcoin to and from their local currency, why they can't carry Bitcoin around in their pocket like cash, and who they should talk to if their Bitcoins get stolen or their exchange gets hacked.
Or, they could just get a WeChat or Alipay account, which are going to be available in southeast Asia pretty soon. Boom, done.
WeChat and Alipay are here already, but the market is already fragmented when they arrive.
They also pose the risk of vendor-lock, which is worrisome to local businesses and regulators due to their links to China. It's one thing to have a locally-approved payments monopoly, it's another thing if that monopoly is foreign-owned.
If Southeast Asia wants to produce a region-wide equivalent to WeChat / Alipay, then an open, neutral & interoperable platform is the best way to do it, politically speaking.
No, that's not the only requirement. Other requirements include teaching large numbers of nontechnical people what the heck a cryptocurrency is, how to get and secure a wallet, how to get an account on an exchange, how to convert Bitcoin to and from their local currency, why they can't carry Bitcoin around in their pocket like cash, and who they should talk to if their Bitcoins get stolen or their exchange gets hacked.
Or, they could just get a WeChat or Alipay account, which are going to be available in southeast Asia pretty soon. Boom, done.