Hong Kong’s SFC has allowed licensed virtual asset brokers to offer margin financing, introduced its first regulatory framework for perpetual contracts, and permitted affiliated market makers on licensed platforms under control measures.
Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2026 returns April 20-23 with over 40 speakers from BlackRock, OKX, Solana, SharpLink, Ondo, and more, focusing on TradFi-crypto convergence, AI+Web3, and RWAs.
Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced the first batch of stablecoin issuer licenses will be granted in March, along with plans to regulate digital asset dealers and custodians, boost liquidity, and advance tokenization.
Hong Kong’s SFC is prioritizing passkeys, cryptographically verified registered devices, and hardware security keys for crypto platforms as phishing and fraud losses keep climbing.
Futu Holdings' PantherTrade receives full SFC approval and integrates deeply with Futu Securities, creating Asia's first licensed securities broker and crypto exchange. Crypto holdings may be used as collateral for traditional stock trading.
Hong Kong’s 2026-27 Budget outlines new licensing rules for digital asset dealers and custodians, while the first fiat-referenced stablecoin issuer licenses are set to be issued next month.
Hong Kong's SFC fined Saxo Capital Markets HK $4 million for allowing retail clients to trade crypto products from 2018 to 2022. It involved 1,446 trades across 32 products, 130 retail investors. The firm relied on group systems that failed to flag the products, and has since compensated clients.
Hong Kong's FSTB and SFC published consultation conclusions on licensing virtual asset advisory and portfolio management services, following the 'same business, same risks, same rules' principle. Legislative proposals expected in 2026, supported by market feedback.
