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TOPIC

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency
News and analysis about non-fiat, decentralised assets used as digital currencies, including bitcoin, ether, altcoins and stablecoins.
A pedestrian passes in front of a currency mural on a shop’s gate in Hong Kong. Photo: Antony Dickson
Hong Kong budget 2026-27

Hong Kong’s virtual asset sector considered for taxation under policy review

Latest budget announces new government committee to be tasked with reviewing Hong Kong’s tax policies.

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Banking & finance

Why China’s rise as a ‘financial superpower’ could depend on Hong Kong

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Bitcoin

‘Sentiment is bleak’: bitcoin declines amid geopolitical tensions

Fintech

Can Hong Kong lead a digital gold trading revolution with blockchain innovation?

Beyond banks, asset managers, fintechs and crypto firms are racing to launch innovative tokenised gold products for investors.

Tokenised gold is giving investors a new way to hold the metal, easing pain points around access, custody, transfer and trading. Photo: Shutterstock
Vietnam

‘Everyone became greedy’: how Vietnam’s crypto gold rush ended in ruins

Vietnam’s crypto boom faces a harsh winter as investors lose fortunes, bankruptcies and lay-offs roil the industry.

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Bitcoin

Crypto rout set to deepen as Standard Chartered warns of further downside risks

Bank expects a ‘price capitulation in the next few months’ before recovering for the rest of the year.

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Bitcoin

Policy to products: Web3 innovation takes centre stage at Consensus Hong Kong

SFC CEO Julia Leung Fung-yee announced that the regulator will greenlight virtual asset margin financing for clients with strong credit profiles.

A booth at last year’s Consensus held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, February 19, 2025. Photo: AFP
Yuan

‘The Trump factor’ could be luring more foreign investors to China. Here’s why

Global volatility is forcing a rethink of traditional safe havens, creating opportunities for Beijing, prominent investor says.

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Banking & finance

Hong Kong bridges traditional, digital finance with new virtual asset initiatives

The first initiative will allow licensed virtual asset brokers to offer margin financing to clients with strong credit profiles.

Bitcoin

Consensus 2026 kicks off in Hong Kong amid tighter Beijing oversight

Organised by CoinDesk, the event is an important gathering for digital finance and cryptocurrency professionals.

Visitors attend a panel discussion at Consensus 2025 in Hong Kong, February 19, 2025. Photo: AFP
Stablecoins

Scams and outflows: why China slammed the door on real-world asset tokens

Beijing’s clampdown aims to help safeguard financial security and monetary sovereignty while leaving room for regulated fintech innovation in Hong Kong.

Stablecoins represent the most widely adopted use case for real-world assets on blockchains. Photo: Shutterstock
Stablecoins

China tightens crypto crackdown with onshore RWA tokenisation ban

Domestic entities, as well as offshore entities under their control, cannot issue virtual currencies overseas without approval.

South Korea

Cryptic error sees South Korea’s Bithumb give away over US$40 billion

Bitcoin prices briefly slumped 17 per cent on the cryptocurrency exchange after the transfers but later recovered.

Hong Kong economy

Bargain hunting? Hong Kong retail investors snap up bitcoin amid crypto crash

Dozens seen queuing at cryptocurrency shops at Admiralty Centre to buy bitcoin after price fell by more than half from its peak.

People visit a cryptocurrency shop in Admiralty. Photo: Edmond So
US-China trade war

US Treasury chief warns of China’s push for digital asset dominance

Scott Bessent tells senators the US must pass the Clarity Act to counter Hong Kong’s ‘sandbox’ and maintain global financial leadership.

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
United States

Bitcoin drops, driving US$2 trillion slide in crypto market value

The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to a low of US$66,675.12, its weakest since October 2024, a month before Trump won the US election.

Bitcoin

Hong Kong crypto investors stay cautious but upbeat as bitcoin sell-off deepens

Bitcoin’s steep pullback has rattled global crypto markets, but in Hong Kong clearer rules on stablecoins are underpinning confidence.

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Spain

Chinese hair salon owner arrested in Barcelona for funding Hamas via crypto

The 38-year-old Chinese national faces terror financing charges after allegedly laundering US$715,000 via cryptocurrency to the militant group.

Spanish police arrest a salon owner for allegedly funding Hamas with cryptocurrency, seizing assets and freezing accounts. Photo: Shutterstock
South Korea

73 South Koreans repatriated from Cambodia face online scam probe

Arriving in handcuffs, the suspects allegedly scammed fellow South Koreans out of US$33 million.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong promotes ‘responsible and sustainable’ digital asset regime at Davos

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po says finance and technology are ‘mutually reinforcing’ but balanced approach needed to support development.

Banking & finance

Scam, corruption cases spark Chinese debate about future of virtual money

The Chen Zhi arrest might push bitcoin prices down temporarily, but analysts said other factors will have greater sway in the long term.

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Representations of the bitcoin cryptocurrency. Illustration: Reuters
China’s Communist Party

How Chinese corruption busters are tracking down bribes paid in cryptocurrency

A documentary on state television highlights how a senior central bank official was bribed with a digital currency.

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Yao Qian’s corruption case featured in a documentary broadcast on state television. Photo: Capco
Crime

China accuses extradited billionaire Chen of running crime network from Cambodia

Beijing says mainland police will put core members of his crime ring on a wanted list and fugitives should ‘turn themselves in’.

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Fintech

Digital finance in 2026: what to expect as pilots move into real-world adoption

While digital money experiments promise greater efficiency, they also risk deeper fragmentation and regulatory pitfalls, experts warn.

Banking & finance

How China is upgrading its digital yuan for the stablecoin era

Beijing is upgrading its digital currency in response to the rise of stablecoins, but the goal is to create a fundamentally different system.

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A booth promotes the digital yuan at an expo in Beijing. China is upgrading its digital currency as it aims to create an alternative to stablecoins and cryptocurrencies. Photo: AP
Hong Kong

Trip.com tests stablecoin, offering USDT and USDC for prepaid bookings

The travel platform switched on stablecoin checkout in select markets, a cautious offshore pilot as Beijing keeps crypto crackdown in place.

Trip.com’s stablecoin move comes despite Beijing’s hard line on crypto-related activity. Photo: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

Opinion | To harness crypto ingenuity, financial threat must first be neutralised

Future of money must be shaped by competition between private ingenuity and public purpose, not by rent seeking and speculative bubbles.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong to broaden crypto rules with new licences for dealers and custodians

New frameworks mooted for virtual asset dealing and custodian services, as Hong Kong forges ahead with plans to become a digital-asset hub.

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