Twenty-4 firms have utilized for licenses to function
digital asset exchanges in Hong Kong, marking a transfer within the metropolis’s bid to
set up a regulated hub for the trade. Notable candidates embody Bybit,
OKX, and Crypto.com.
Among the many record of candidates had been Gate.io, HTX, and Bullish,
every boasting notable buying and selling volumes within the digital asset sphere. The
utility course of got here with a deadline of February twenty ninth, after which
platforms failing to submit should stop operations by the tip of Could.
Angela Ang, Senior Coverage Adviser at Blockchain Intelligence Agency TRM Labs, Supply: LinkedIn
Notably absent from the applicant roster had been trade
giants like Binance,
Coinbase, and Kraken.
Trade observers view the applying pool as a litmus check for Hong Kong’s
attraction as a digital-asset middle, significantly amidst intensifying competitors
from different jurisdictions. The town’s nine-month-old virtual-asset regulatory
framework prioritizes investor safety, probably introducing compliance
prices that might deter some companies.
“The appliance record is the litmus check for trade
sentiment,” stated Angela Ang, the Senior Coverage Adviser at Blockchain Intelligence
Agency TRM Labs. “It’s an excellent signal to see quite a few well-known gamers within the
combine. What Hong Kong actually wants is quite a few dedicated, sizable gamers to
anchor its ecosystem.”
Maintain Studying
Ding Chen, the Head of Regulatory Affairs at Bullish,
acknowledged the price implications of working a regulated enterprise, drawing
parallels with conventional monetary providers. Such concerns are factored
into firms’ general methods as they navigate Hong Kong’s regulatory panorama.
Over-the-Counter Dominance: Crypto Flows Past Digital
Exchanges
Hong Kong’s pivot in the direction of turning into a crypto hub in late 2022
displays an effort to undertaking a cutting-edge picture amid uncertainties in regards to the
metropolis’s future. Presently, HashKey Alternate and OSL Group are the one
licensed digital-asset exchanges working in Hong Kong.
Gary Tiu, the Head of Regulatory Affairs at OSL, highlighted the
evolving regulatory setting’s affect on enterprise development and
emphasised the necessity to assess related prices.
Regardless of Hong Kong’s attract as a crypto vacation spot, information
from Chainalysis
signifies that a good portion of crypto flows into town happens
by means of over-the-counter (OTC) trades relatively than digital-asset exchanges.
Regulators have initiated crackdowns on small retailers facilitating
cash-to-digital asset exchanges, signaling efforts to streamline oversight.
Hong
Kong is actively exploring rules for stablecoins and contemplating
the potential of permitting exchange-traded funds investing immediately in choose
cryptocurrencies. In a current improvement, the federal government bought $750 million of
digital inexperienced bonds utilizing HSBC Holdings’ tokenization platform, additional
underscoring town’s foray into digital finance.
Twenty-4 firms have utilized for licenses to function
digital asset exchanges in Hong Kong, marking a transfer within the metropolis’s bid to
set up a regulated hub for the trade. Notable candidates embody Bybit,
OKX, and Crypto.com.
Among the many record of candidates had been Gate.io, HTX, and Bullish,
every boasting notable buying and selling volumes within the digital asset sphere. The
utility course of got here with a deadline of February twenty ninth, after which
platforms failing to submit should stop operations by the tip of Could.
Angela Ang, Senior Coverage Adviser at Blockchain Intelligence Agency TRM Labs, Supply: LinkedIn
Notably absent from the applicant roster had been trade
giants like Binance,
Coinbase, and Kraken.
Trade observers view the applying pool as a litmus check for Hong Kong’s
attraction as a digital-asset middle, significantly amidst intensifying competitors
from different jurisdictions. The town’s nine-month-old virtual-asset regulatory
framework prioritizes investor safety, probably introducing compliance
prices that might deter some companies.
“The appliance record is the litmus check for trade
sentiment,” stated Angela Ang, the Senior Coverage Adviser at Blockchain Intelligence
Agency TRM Labs. “It’s an excellent signal to see quite a few well-known gamers within the
combine. What Hong Kong actually wants is quite a few dedicated, sizable gamers to
anchor its ecosystem.”
Maintain Studying
Ding Chen, the Head of Regulatory Affairs at Bullish,
acknowledged the price implications of working a regulated enterprise, drawing
parallels with conventional monetary providers. Such concerns are factored
into firms’ general methods as they navigate Hong Kong’s regulatory panorama.
Over-the-Counter Dominance: Crypto Flows Past Digital
Exchanges
Hong Kong’s pivot in the direction of turning into a crypto hub in late 2022
displays an effort to undertaking a cutting-edge picture amid uncertainties in regards to the
metropolis’s future. Presently, HashKey Alternate and OSL Group are the one
licensed digital-asset exchanges working in Hong Kong.
Gary Tiu, the Head of Regulatory Affairs at OSL, highlighted the
evolving regulatory setting’s affect on enterprise development and
emphasised the necessity to assess related prices.
Regardless of Hong Kong’s attract as a crypto vacation spot, information
from Chainalysis
signifies that a good portion of crypto flows into town happens
by means of over-the-counter (OTC) trades relatively than digital-asset exchanges.
Regulators have initiated crackdowns on small retailers facilitating
cash-to-digital asset exchanges, signaling efforts to streamline oversight.
Hong
Kong is actively exploring rules for stablecoins and contemplating
the potential of permitting exchange-traded funds investing immediately in choose
cryptocurrencies. In a current improvement, the federal government bought $750 million of
digital inexperienced bonds utilizing HSBC Holdings’ tokenization platform, additional
underscoring town’s foray into digital finance.
