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According to the updated information from the official website of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, Victory Digital Technology Limited's digital asset trading platform VDX has obtained a license to operate a virtual asset trading platform. The institution is authorized to conduct regulated activities under Type 1 (Securities Trading) and Type 7 (Providing Automated Trading Services). At the same time, its subsidiary VDX Custody Limited has also been licensed under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance to provide digital asset custody services. As of now, the number of licensed virtual asset trading platforms in Hong Kong has increased to 12.

According to the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, Wang Yang, pointed out that the digital yuan has been tentatively involved in settlements in Hong Kong's digital asset market. In addition to traditional settlement methods, the primary issuance of Hong Kong dollar and renminbi bonds is also among the first in the world to apply digital yuan and digital Hong Kong dollars in the settlement process for digital bonds.Furthermore, Hong Kong will be the best market for accommodating onshore assets RWA. With regulatory adjustments and market development, there will be greater opportunities for renminbi assets to be issued as digital assets in the Hong Kong market, with digital yuan naturally being the preferred settlement currency. From a developmental perspective, stablecoins will become an important usage habit for offshore market users. In the internationalization of the renminbi, offshore renminbi stablecoins are one of the future options, while digital yuan deposits and digital yuan liquid assets provide the necessary reserve assets for offshore renminbi stablecoins.

According to the Hong Kong Economic Journal, the newly appointed president of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Lo Chok-kin, stated that guidelines are being developed to help the accounting and business sectors understand how to handle virtual assets in accounting. The first part of the guidelines, which involves virtual currencies and stablecoins, has been issued, while the second part, which has not yet been announced, relates to the auditing requirements for stablecoins set by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. The Institute is currently in discussions with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority on this matter, and it is expected to be released within six months. The third part of the virtual asset accounting guidelines aims to be launched by the end of the year at the earliest, but it will still require communication and consensus with regulatory bodies and the industry before it can be released.

The Ethereum Foundation officially announced that the Hong Kong Ethereum Community Center is now officially operational.This community center focuses on offline communication, co-creation, and event hosting, and is regarded as an important node for connecting the Ethereum ecosystem in East Asia.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) released its 2025 work review and 2026 work priorities, which highlighted that in 2025, consumer protection in digital assets will be provided, a consultation with the industry will be conducted on the proposed framework for handling customer authorization payment fraud loss claims, and the prudent regulatory framework for crypto assets will officially take effect on January 1, 2026.The HKMA's 2026 work priorities will support the sustainable and responsible development of the digital asset industry and promote "FinTech 2030," including: data and payments (comprehensive risk data strategy), artificial intelligence (generative AI sandbox++, financial industry-specific models), and tokenization (regulatory incubator for distributed ledger technology), among others.

Ethereum co-founder and Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson appeared at the Consensus Hong Kong conference wearing a McDonald's uniform. He stated, "Market sentiment has fallen to historic lows, but that's okay. Because while things look bad on a micro level, the macro level indicates that we need a new paradigm, a new vision, a new narrative."

Bitget Academy's public welfare project "Blockchain4Youth" participated in the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's "AI & Web3 Builders" event. CEO Gracy Chen and Chinese lead Xie Jiayin were invited to attend the public lecture, sharing industry trends and personal growth experiences on-site.During the lecture, Gracy analyzed the structural changes in the new round of industry cycles, focusing on the gradual dominance of institutional funds, the large-scale development of RWA, and the reshaping of decision-making logic by AI. Xie Jiayin, drawing from his own professional experience, shared insights on career choices and growth paths in the crypto industry. He encouraged young people to build a reusable skill set from a long-term perspective, maintaining patience and a continuous learning ability in uncertain market cycles.Previously, Bitget Academy announced that it would invest $10 million in the "Blockchain4Youth" public welfare project over the next five years to support youth learning, practice, and long-term development in the fields of AI and Web3. Bitget Academy hopes to deepen communication and understanding through this public lecture, bringing discussions of technology and trends back to personal growth and long-term value.

Hong Kong Legislative Council member Wu Jietzhuang posted on the X platform, stating that the gradually relaxed policies in Hong Kong will allow licensed companies and industry practitioners to fully realize their potential. The Chief Executive of the Special Administrative Region has proposed that the first batch of stablecoin issuer licenses will begin to be issued starting in March this year, which is believed to further enhance society's recognition and practical application of Web3. It is suggested that Hong Kong consider establishing a dedicated agency or department to comprehensively coordinate the development direction related to digital and crypto assets.For example, consider introducing clear guidelines or regulations to allow decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to operate more compliantly in Hong Kong, attracting more Level 1 public chain projects to thrive in Hong Kong.

According to Jinjian News, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission issued new guidelines today, allowing licensed brokers providing virtual asset trading services to expand their service scope to margin financing, and providing guidance for virtual asset trading platforms to assist in formulating leveraged product proposals. This move will encourage margin clients with robust credit conditions and collateral to participate more actively in virtual asset trading, enhancing liquidity in the Hong Kong market.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Ashley Alder, stated at the Consensus Hong Kong conference that the regulatory body will release a "high-level framework" allowing licensed trading platforms to offer perpetual contract products. Alder pointed out that these products will initially be open only to institutional investors and not to retail customers.The relevant framework will focus on risk management, requiring platforms to have robust risk control capabilities and ensuring that trading mechanisms are fair to clients. In addition, the Hong Kong SFC will also allow brokers to provide financing services to clients with good credit standing, with collateral including securities and virtual assets. Given the high volatility of virtual assets, initially only Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) will be eligible as collateral.In terms of market-making activities, if platforms engage in related services, they must establish independent market-making departments and implement strict conflict of interest management mechanisms. Alder stated that these measures continue the SFC's roadmap to promote the development of the local crypto market by 2025, aiming to allow compliant institutions to offer a wider range of products and services.

According to on-site reports from Foresight News, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Ashley Alder, stated at the Consensus 2026 conference that the SFC is committed to establishing a comprehensive regulatory ecosystem for virtual assets and announced three new initiatives:Guaranteed Financing: Allow brokers to provide financing services to clients with good credit backgrounds, with collateral that may include securities and virtual assets. Initially, this will only be open to Bitcoin and Ethereum, and a prudent haircut will be required in accordance with traditional financial standards.Perpetual Contracts: A high-level regulatory framework will be announced, allowing licensed platforms to offer perpetual contract products. This service is currently limited to "professional investors" and requires platforms to have extremely high transparency and the ability to manage volatility fees and automatic liquidation risks.Associated Market Makers: Regulations will be relaxed to allow licensed platforms to provide liquidity through their affiliated market-making units, provided they can demonstrate functional independence and strict management of conflicts of interest.Alder pointed out that tokenized assets have developed rapidly over the past year, with the asset management scale of tokenized gold reaching $400 million, doubling in the past six months. Currently, the SFC has authorized 11 tokenized money market funds. In addition, Project Ensemble is piloting the use of tokenized deposit settlement money market funds. Regarding the regulatory roadmap, the SFC has published a consultation summary on virtual asset trading and custody and plans to collaborate with the SAR government to submit relevant legislative proposals within this year.

According to CoinDesk, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee stated at the Consensus Hong Kong conference that the Hong Kong government is committed to building Hong Kong into a global innovation center for digital assets.John Lee emphasized that Hong Kong, leveraging its unique advantages of "one country, two systems," combined with deep financial market liquidity, innovative products, and a world-class investor protection system, is actively constructing a regulatory framework to promote the sustainable development of the Web3 ecosystem.He revealed that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority will soon issue the first batch of stablecoin licenses next month, and the Securities and Futures Commission is also working to enhance liquidity in the virtual asset market. He also expressed a welcome to global enterprises and institutions to join hands with Hong Kong to build a brighter digital future together.

The Chinese company Zhongchi Chefu Internet Technology Co., Ltd., listed on the US stock market, announced the completion of negotiations to acquire approximately $1.1 billion worth of high-quality digital assets from a cryptocurrency institution, valued at about $1.87 billion.This acquisition includes mainstream crypto assets, high-growth potential public chain ecological tokens, infrastructure assets related to stablecoins and compliant payment, as well as equity and tokens from multiple high-quality projects. At the same time, Zhongchi Chefu's US subsidiary has reached a principle cooperation agreement with the cryptocurrency giant, where both parties will engage in deep cooperation in the development of the Digital Asset Treasury (DAT), the construction of compliant crypto payment infrastructure, and the expansion of multi-scenario payment ecosystems, jointly creating and leading the global cryptocurrency digital asset treasury and crypto payment market. The management of Zhongchi Chefu stated that this counter-cyclical digital asset acquisition marks the company's transition from "traditional asset allocation" to a new era of "global diversified digital asset allocation."

According to Techub News, multiple sources have revealed that the first batch of compliant stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong is expected to be issued by the end of March, with HSBC and Standard Chartered likely to be among the first approved institutions.Insiders indicate that after the first round of licenses is issued, the approval process for the second round of licenses will also be expedited, with an announcement expected soon.

At the recent "Build and Scale in 2026" themed forum held in Hong Kong, Eric Chong, Deputy Director of the Chief Trade Research Department, delivered a speech on the topic "Connecting Finance and Web3: Building the Next Era of Investor Confidence." He stated that based on Chief Trade's 46 years of experience in financial services, there is a strong demand from high-net-worth investors for secure and compliant channels for cryptocurrency, which is the core driving force for traditional financial institutions to enter the Web3 space.Eric Chong pointed out that Hong Kong's comprehensive regulatory framework provides a safe environment for institutional participation in the crypto market, but investors are more concerned about how to engage in this emerging asset class through regulated and compliant means. To this end, Chief Trade will focus on three main directions: providing regulated crypto trading services, expanding the digital asset product line, and enhancing investor education.He believes that the advantages of traditional financial institutions in financial credibility, compliance frameworks, and ecological connections will help guide investors to enter the digital asset space steadily, while the integration of Web3 and traditional finance has become an irreversible structural trend.