Hong Kong | Crypto

Speaking at a closed-door workshop in Davos, Finance Secretary Paul Chan said digital assets require regulatory guardrails alongside innovation. Hong Kong Finance Secretary Paul Chan defended the city’s “same activity, same risk, same regulation” framework for digital assets while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, according to the South China Morning Post. Speaking at a closed-door workshop in Switzerland on Tuesday, Chan said finance and technology were increasingly intertwined but required a balanced regulatory approach. He said: Chan pointed to the city’s “same activity, same risk, same regulation” principle for digital assets, which he said guides how the sector is regulated. The principle means digital asset businesses are regulated according to the risks of their activities rather than the technology they use. Read more

The warning came as Hong Kong consults on new virtual asset advisory and management licenses, expanding oversight beyond crypto trading platforms. The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association (HKSFPA) warned that the city’s proposed rollout of new crypto licensing regimes may unintentionally force compliant crypto managers to cease activities if regulators proceed without transitional arrangements.  The warning centers on what the group described as a potential “hard start,” under which existing firms would be required to be fully licensed by the commencement date of the new rules or cease regulated activities while their applications are under review.  Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau are currently consulting on new licensing regimes that cover virtual asset dealing, advisory and management services, which would expand regulatory oversight beyond the city’s existing framework for crypto trading platforms.  Read more

The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association is backing the OECD’s CARF and tougher tax transparency, but wants lighter treatment and more flexible recordkeeping. The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association (HKSFPA) has urged the city’s government to soften some elements of its planned implementation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) crypto reporting standards. The industry body warned that the OECD’s Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and related Common Reporting Standard (CRS) amendments could saddle local institutions with operational and liability risks. CARF is a new standard for automatic tax information exchange for crypto asset users across borders, while CRS is the OECD’s existing automatic information exchange regime for traditional financial accounts. Read more

OKX user issues desperate plea after funds frozen. Hong Kong hasn’t ruled out gold-backed stablecoins, but says it’s too early. Asia Express. An OKX user trying to get around restrictions on Chinese users has become desperate after the crypto exchange froze funds saying the money was needed to cover urgent family medical expenses. The user, who shared a lengthy personal appeal on X, said about $40,000 in crypto became inaccessible after OKXs risk controls locked multiple accounts linked to identity violations. The user admitted the accounts were acquired from third parties to access promotions that were unavailable to mainland China users. In the post, the user said all funds transferred into them originated from their verified personal account. They described the funds as life-saving money needed for a family members surgery. Read more

Hong Kong’s FSTB and SFC will introduce licensing requirements for virtual asset dealing and custody firms, expanding the city’s policy push that already includes a stablecoin licensing blueprint and tokenization guidance. Hong Kong regulators will proceed with legislating licensing regimes for crypto dealers and custodians after wrapping up consultations, as part of a broader push to tighten oversight. In a Wednesday announcement, the city’s Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) said that they had concluded consultations on proposed licensing regimes, which would require firms providing crypto dealings or custody services in Hong Kong to obtain licenses once the framework takes effect. The move adds to the city’s expanding crypto licensing framework. Earlier in 2025, Hong Kong brought its Stablecoin Ordinance into force, opening a new licensing regime for stablecoin issuers. Read more

Hong Kong’s insurance regulator is reportedly weighing a proposal to let insurers invest in cryptocurrencies with a 100% capital charge. The Hong Kong Insurance Authority is reportedly proposing to allow insurance capital allocation to cryptocurrencies and infrastructure projects. Bloomberg reported on Monday that the city’s regulator started reviewing the risk-based capital regime to support the insurance industry and economic development. Crypto allocations would be subject to a 100% risk charge, meaning that the insurer would need regulatory capital roughly equal to the full value of its crypto position. Read more

HashKey’s IPO bid puts Hong Kong’s virtual asset regime on display, testing whether compliance-first crypto platforms can win investors. HashKey is aiming to become Hong Kong’s first fully crypto-native IPO by listing 240.57 million shares under the city’s virtual asset regulatory regime. The business extends beyond a spot exchange by combining trading, custody, institutional staking, asset management and tokenization into a single regulated platform. Revenue is growing, but the company is still incurring losses as it invests heavily in technology, compliance and market expansion. Read more

Hong Kong has launched a public consultation on adopting the OECD’s crypto account tax data sharing program, CARF, and revising its tax reporting standards. Hong Kong has launched a public consultation on how to implement the international Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, or CARF, as it moves to bring crypto tax data sharing in line with global standards. According to a Tuesday news release, Hong Kong is seeking input on both the implementation of CARF and changes to tax reporting standards. The announcement explicitly ties the move to the local administration’s efforts to fight cross-border tax evasion. The move constitutes standardization rather than a change of direction by the local government. As the announcement points out, Hong Kong authorities have been annually exchanging financial account information with partner jurisdictions since 2018. Read more

HKEX published a post-hearing information pack for HashKey Holdings, pushing Hong Kong’s top crypto exchange closer to a high-profile IPO. HashKey Holdings, the parent company of one of Hong Kong’s biggest licensed crypto exchanges, moved a step closer to a public listing, according to new filings from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX). On Monday, the HKEX published a 633-page post-hearing information pack for HashKey Holdings. The document was published at the request of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and the local financial regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). A post-hearing information pack is only published after HKEX’s listing committee formally clears an applicant at the listing hearing. In other words, without explicitly stating it, this document indicates that HashKey has moved closer to listing on the exchange and is progressing toward its initial public offering (IPO). Read more

The crypto industry rushed to the aid of Hong Kong residents who suffered the city’s most devastating fire in 80 years, claiming the lives of at least 128 people. Some of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges and Web3 companies have pledged millions of dollars to support victims of the deadly fire at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po District, highlighting the sector’s growing role in real-world relief efforts. Three centralized crypto exchanges (CEXs) have publicly pledged to donate $24.78 million Hong Kong dollars ($3.19 million) to aid the victims of the devastating fire, which claimed the lives of at least 128 residents. The donations included $1.5 million from Bitget exchange, $1.28 million from Binance, and about $256,000 from KuCoin exchange. Read more

Japan is quietly preparing the most pro-crypto shift of any G7 nation. According to multiple reports from local media, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) is drafting a sweeping reclassification of digital assets that would bring Bitcoin, Ethereum, and around 100 other tokens under the same umbrella as stocks and investment funds. If the plan moves […] The post Japan’s 20% crypto tax sets a new bar in Asia, pressuring Singapore and Hong Kong as retail costs fall appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The largest Bitcoin ATM operator in North America is expanding to Hong Kong, citing growing global demand for cash-to-crypto access. Bitcoin Depot (Nasdaq: BTM), the largest Bitcoin ATM operator in North America, is entering the Asian market with a new launch in Hong Kong, marking the company’s first international expansion into the region. According to an announcement on Wednesday, the expansion reflects a strategy to reach markets with strong demand for easy cash-to-crypto conversion. Bitcoin Depot aims to be among the top five Bitcoin ATM operators in Hong Kong, it said. “Hong Kong is quickly becoming a global center for crypto, with the right mix of regulation, demand, and momentum,” said Scott Buchana, Bitcoin Depot’s president and chief operating officer. Read more

The bonds mark Hong Kong's third digital bond sale since 2023 and are part of its push to become a leading global hub for tokenized assets.

Accredited investors in Hong Kong have access to the U.S. dollar, Luxembourg-registered, tokenized UCITS money-market product.

The launch marks Franklin Templeton’s latest step into digital assets, introducing a blockchain-based UCITS fund as Hong Kong accelerates its push toward real-world asset tokenization. Franklin Templeton has launched a tokenized US dollar money market fund for professional investors in Hong Kong, expanding its crypto offerings in Asia. According to a statement shared with Cointelegraph on Wednesday, the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund is the first end-to-end tokenized structure by an asset manager to integrate issuance, distribution and servicing directly onchain in Hong Kong. The tokenized fund will be initially available only to institutional and professional investors. It is registered in Luxembourg under a regulated framework that allows investment funds to be sold across the European Union. Read more

Banco Inter and Chainlink test cross-border trade finance using Brazil’s Drex and Hong Kong’s Ensemble networks in landmark blockchain pilot. Brazilian digital bank Banco Inter has completed a blockchain-based international trade finance pilot with Chainlink, the Central Bank of Brazil and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), showcasing how distributed ledger technology can simplify cross-border settlement. The experiment took place under Phase 2 of Brazil’s Drex central bank digital currency (CBDC) project and simulated the settlement of export transactions between Brazil’s Drex network and Hong Kong’s Ensemble platform, a blockchain system developed under the HKMA’s Project Ensemble initiative.  Chainlink provided the interoperability infrastructure connecting the two networks, according to Banco Inter. Read more

The majority of wealthy investors surveyed in Hong Kong plan to buy crypto this year, Japan to allow banks to hold Bitcoin. Asia Express. Standard Chartered Hong Kong will reportedly launch trading services for crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in November. According to the banks wealthy clients study cited by local newspaper Ming Pao, nearly 80% plan to invest in digital assets within the next year, while more than 30% already hold some form of crypto exposure. The survey covered over 500 respondents with at least 1 million Hong Kong dollars (about $128,650) in liquid assets. Read more

The majority of wealthy investors surveyed in Hong Kong plan to buy crypto this year, Japan to allow banks to hold Bitcoin. Asia Express. Standard Chartered Hong Kong will reportedly launch trading services for crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in November. According to the banks wealthy clients study cited by local newspaper Ming Pao, nearly 80% plan to invest in digital assets within the next year, while more than 30% already hold some form of crypto exposure.  The survey covered over 500 respondents with at least 1 million Hong Kong dollars (about $128,650) in liquid assets. Read more

The majority of wealthy investors surveyed in Hong Kong plan to buy crypto this year, Japan to allow banks to hold Bitcoin. Asia Express. Standard Chartered Hong Kong will reportedly launch trading services for crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in November. According to the banks wealthy clients study cited by local newspaper Ming Pao, nearly 80% plan to invest in digital assets within the next year, while more than 30% already hold some form of crypto exposure.  The survey covered over 500 respondents with at least 1 million Hong Kong dollars (about $128,650) in liquid assets. Read more

The majority of wealthy investors surveyed in Hong Kong plan to buy crypto this year, Japan to allow banks to hold Bitcoin. Asia Express. Standard Chartered Hong Kong will reportedly launch trading services for crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in November. According to the banks wealthy clients study cited by local newspaper Ming Pao, nearly 80% plan to invest in digital assets within the next year, while more than 30% already hold some form of crypto exposure.  The survey covered over 500 respondents with at least 1 million Hong Kong dollars (about $128,650) in liquid assets. Read more