Regulatory Ramblings: Episode 73 - Geopolitical Risk: Thai Tensions / Sanctions, Tariffs & FCPA Enforcement in Asia
Regulatory Ramblings: Episode 71 – Crypto Fault Lines: Stablecoins, Meme Coins & the Fight for Clarity PLUS: Sanctions, Shell Companies & Fragmented Global Trade
Regulatory Ramblings: Episode 70 – Lessons for Compliance from a Law Enforcement Career + Regional Geopolitical Risks in 2025 with Mark Nuttall and Steve Vickers
Kidon IP War Stories David Cohen & Doug Clark
Nota Bene Episode 91: China Q3 Check In - Trade Wars, GDP Growth, Pandemic Comparatives, and Hong Kong with Michael Zhang
Daily Compliance News: May 25, 2020-the Memorial Day edition
A Conversation with Lindsay Chu on Asia Restructurings
A Conversation with Rajiv Gupta on Asia Restructurings
A Conversation with David Heller on Asia Restructurings
Key developments of interest over the last month include: the UK government's communications in connection with the Chancellor's annual Mansion House speech, and the launch of its Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness...more
On 21 May 2025, the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed the much-anticipated Stablecoins Bill (“Bill”), now citable as the Stablecoins Ordinance (“Ordinance”), marking a significant milestone in the city’s ambition to become...more
On 27 June 2025, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (“FSTB”) and the Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) jointly launched a public consultation (the “Consultation”) on new legislative proposals aimed at...more
Key Points - - Under Hong Kong’s liberal regulations, several dozen asset managers have been licensed to manage virtual asset funds. - A number of index funds, tied to individual cryptocurrencies and baskets, have also...more
Government plans to supercharge the digital assets industry, with crypto dealing and custody regimes the icing on the cake for a holistic regulatory framework....more
The new law complements existing laws on digital tokens and virtual assets....more
On June 6, 2025, the government of Hong Kong published in the Gazette a notice to appoint August 1, 2025 as the effective date for the Stablecoins Ordinance (Cap. 656) following passage of the Stablecoins Bill on May 21,...more
On May 21, 2025, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council passed the Stablecoins Bill, establishing a regulatory framework for stablecoins–cryptocurrencies whose value is tied to an external asset or commodity. This marks an important...more
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has recently unveiled a growth plan for the virtual asset (VA) industry, outlined in a five-pillar roadmap called “A-S-P-I-Re.” This roadmap consists of 12 initiatives...more
Setting up a tokenized investment fund with an approved manager in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) offers many strategic advantages by combining the innovative benefits of blockchain technology with cost-effectiveness and...more
Recently, Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) initiated accepting applications for Digital Bond Grant Scheme (the Grant Scheme) to financially support digital bond issuers for the duration of three years. The Grant Scheme...more
The Bill regulates “Specified Stablecoins” which is defined as cryptographically secured digital representations of value which, among other things, purport to maintain a stable value with reference wholly to one or more fiat...more
On 29 October 2024, the Hong Kong District Court issued the judgment of the first legal action (Chan Wing Yan and Another v. JP-EX Crypto Asset Platform Ltd and Others [2024] HKDC 1628) against JPEX, which the Hong Kong...more
Stablecoin Demand Increases with Initiatives Announced in Germany, Hong Kong - Recent reports highlight an increasing demand for stablecoins. According to one report, the market cap of the PYUSD stablecoin recently...more
Regulator sets out its expectations for banks looking to provide digital asset custody services, and sell and distribute tokenised products. On 20 February 2024, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published two...more
U.S. Companies Announce Crypto Cashback and NFT Ticketing Initiatives - According to recent reports, a major U.S. credit card company has partnered with Swoo, a mobile wallet blending traditional and crypto payments, to...more
On 8 February 2024, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) released a consultation paper on its legislative proposal to introduce a regulatory regime governing over-the-counter (OTC) trading of virtual assets...more
Hong Kong regulators recently brought criminal enforcement actions against virtual asset trading platform JPEX and individuals associated with the platform. This case has become the first opportunity for local authorities to...more
In the crypto world, does it really matter where you are? Is there a sunny offshore paradise perspective on the click of a button and a fintech trade? The answer lies as usual in how to unravel a problem should it arise. Both...more
In our previous alerts (Part I and Part II), we provided a brief overview of the new Dual Licensing Regime and highlighted some of the key aspects of the new regime, particularly those set out under the Guidelines for Virtual...more
SWIFT Publishes Blockchain Pilot Findings; Firms Announce USDC Integrations - According to a recent press release, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift) recently published a report with...more
In our previous alert, we provided an overview of the new Dual Licensing Regime and highlighted the consequences of relevant breaches of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (Cap. 615), as amended...more
The Hong Kong government is trying to support the growth of virtual asset and other Web3 industries. One of the first key steps they've taken is to put virtual asset trading platforms into a regulatory licensing regime where...more
On 23 May 2023, the Securities and Futures Commission (the "SFC") published conclusions (the "Consultation Conclusions") to its consultation launched in February 2023 on the proposed regulatory requirements for virtual asset...more
The regulatory perimeter continues to expand as the Securities and Futures Commission introduces a comprehensive regime to regulate virtual asset service providers. This Client Alert reviews key obligations and...more