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
Earlier this month, the Hong Kong Government unveiled its long-anticipated legislative proposal to regulate online hailing hire car services. This legislative proposal will pave the way to remove the legal uncertainty...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
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
Taking effect in August 2025, the new legislation will bring issuers of fiat-referenced stablecoins into the regulatory perimeter. By Simon Hawkins, Adrian Fong, and Sam Maxson On 21 May 2025, the Legislative Council of Hong...more
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies with values tied to fiat currencies or other assets, and are often said to be “pegged to” a single or a basket of fiat currents and/or other assets....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 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
The government will enact the new legislation to bring issuers of fiat-referencing stablecoins into the regulatory perimeter. On 17 July 2024, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Hong Kong Monetary...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 January 2022, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority issued a Discussion Paper on Crypto-assets and Stablecoins, inviting industry comments on the regulatory approach of crypto-assets, in particular payment-related stablecoins....more
A Hong Kong court has for the first time convicted and imprisoned an individual for obstructing employees of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in performance of their functions pursuant to the Securities and Futures...more
The Court of First Instance has dismissed a judicial review application against certain provisions in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) (SFO) which empower the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) to issue...more
Hong Kong has traditionally been a hub for digital asset businesses in the region. As regulators in Hong Kong are working to tighten the regulatory regime on virtual asset exchanges, market players and investors seeking to...more
On 24 June 2022, the Hong Kong government published in the Gazette the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Bill 2022 (Amendment Bill). The Amendment Bill proposes amendments to the Anti-Money...more
A new rule effective March 22, 2021 establishes a process for the US Department of Commerce to review commercial transactions between US and foreign parties for certain information and communications technology and services...more
Rounding out an already-intense 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued three notices in December that expanded export sanctions and restrictions against Chinese, Russian, and...more
On 23 December 2020, BIS created a new Military End User List, naming more than 100 Chinese and Russian companies subject to the enhanced licensing requirements of section 744.21 of the EAR....more
In addition to the many changes targeted specifically at national security concerns related to China, Russia, and Venezuela, the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) has implemented a number of additional regulatory...more
Hong Kong government issued a consultation to implement a new regulatory framework requiring virtual asset exchanges to be regulated by the SFC - Key Points: ..The Hong Kong Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau...more
Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission’s introduces new licensing regime to regulate previously unregulated markets and restates expectations regarding security token offerings. The second day of Hong Kong Fintech...more
On June 30, 2020 at 11:00 PM Hong Kong time, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HK National Security Law) took effect....more
The SFC’s consultation conclusions carve out non-financial groups and multilateral portfolio compression services. On 12 June 2020, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) published its conclusions (Consultation...more
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has released a number of circulars relating to COVID-19, including March 31 guidance on licensing and ongoing compliance matters. This LawFlash provides an overview of the...more
In Hong Kong, any person operating a money service is required to obtain a Money Service Operator (MSO) licence. Money services include the following...more
In recent years, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has increasingly focused on private equity funds’ obligation to be licensed under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO). In February 2019, the SFC’s...more