HashKey Exchange, the licensed exchange under HashKey Group, said it is moving ahead with a partnership with global asset manager Baillie Gifford to examine how traditional asset managers and compliant digital asset platforms can work together. The aim is pretty direct: give professional investors in Hong Kong a wider set of asset allocation choices.
Focus on tokenized investment products
Per the announcement, the partnership will focus on bringing traditional investment products together with blockchain technology. The two companies plan to examine how tokenized products may be applied to investor reach, product distribution, and digital asset management.
HashKey Exchange said tokenization may let investment products from traditional asset managers reach target investors through digital asset infrastructure in a more efficient, more digital format. And this is not only about products. The firms also plan to explore work together on education programs and industry events.
Baillie Gifford expands its tokenization push in Asia
Baillie Gifford is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was founded in 1908. The firm has long followed a long-term investment approach, and it opened a Hong Kong office in 2015 to serve clients across Asia.
HashKey Exchange called the partnership an important step in tightening cooperation with major international asset managers. It said the agreement shows Baillie Gifford recognizes HashKey Exchange’s standing in the sector, and that it also fits into the exchange’s broader "Asia connectivity" strategy.
Executives outline the partnership
Ru Haiyang, chief executive officer of the exchange business group at HashKey Exchange, said: "This partnership is an important step for us in deepening cooperation with international asset management institutions and exploring financial innovation. We look forward to joining hands with Baillie Gifford to keep advancing the integrated innovation of traditional asset management and digital asset infrastructure within a compliant framework." He said the partnership marks an important step in deepening collaboration with international asset managers and exploring financial innovation, adding that the company expects to work with Baillie Gifford to continue advancing integration between traditional asset management and digital asset infrastructure within a compliant framework.
Rita Xiao, head of Greater China at Baillie Gifford, said: "Asia is at the center of our development of tokenized investment products, and working with partners in the region is essential to building products that fit client needs. Our cooperation with HashKey Exchange gives us an opportunity to explore how to use our complementary strengths to broaden investment choices for professional investors in Hong Kong. Our goal is to offer our investment services through entirely new digital asset channels while holding firm to the investment discipline and client protection mechanisms that form the foundation of our business. We look forward to continuing to deepen this partnership, which is also an important part of our long-term commitment to the region." She said Asia is central to the firm’s development of tokenized investment products, and that working with regional partners is important for building products that match client needs. She added that the partnership with HashKey Exchange creates an opportunity to test how the two sides’ complementary strengths can broaden investment choices for Hong Kong professional investors, while delivering investment services through new digital asset channels and maintaining the investment discipline and client protection mechanisms that underpin the firm’s business.
HashKey Exchange details its regulatory status
HashKey Exchange said it will keep pushing its "Asia connectivity" strategy, widen its network of international financial institution partners, and improve its institutional ecosystem. The company said cooperation with traditional asset managers such as Baillie Gifford will help link institutional resources across Asia and international markets, while it keeps exploring how traditional finance and digital asset infrastructure can be integrated under a compliant framework.
According to the company, HashKey Exchange is a digital asset exchange under HashKey Holdings Limited, listed under stock code 3887.HK. Hash Blockchain Limited, which operates as HashKey Exchange, is one of Hong Kong’s first licensed retail virtual asset exchanges.
The exchange said it has received approval from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission and holds Type 1 and Type 7 licenses under the Securities and Futures Ordinance, covering dealing in securities and providing automated trading services, along with a virtual asset trading platform license under the Anti-Money Laundering Ordinance.
HashKey Exchange also said it has obtained ISO 27001 certification for information security and ISO 27701 certification for privacy information management. But to comply with laws and regulations, it does not provide services to users in mainland China, the United States, and certain other jurisdictions.
