Hong Kong to host major cryptocurrency conference in 2025 as city woos virtual asset firms
- Chinese crypto players have responded positively to Hong Kong’s supportive policies and new regulatory framework, but few major international firms have committed
- The Hong Kong government has over the past year steadily expanded its legal toolkit to supervise the virtual asset industry as it moves to attract such businesses
The 2025 Consensus, one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency-themed conferences, will be held in Hong Kong as the city’s government woos global virtual asset businesses in an effort to become a hub.
The event will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre next year, aiming to attract around 10,000 attendees, conference host CoinDesk, a US cryptocurrency media outlet, said on Thursday.
The event will be one of the biggest international crypto conferences to be held in Hong Kong since the Asian financial hub pledged in late 2022 to embrace and develop its virtual asset industry. The 2024 edition of the event will be held in Austin, Texas, in May.
Local and mainland Chinese crypto industry players have responded positively to Hong Kong’s series of supportive policies and new regulatory framework. But few major international firms and events have yet to commit to the city, which saw an exodus of crypto businesses in recent years amid regulatory uncertainties for the sector and Covid-19 travel controls.
As Hong Kong pursues its crypto hub ambitions, government bodies including InvestHK and the Hong Kong Tourism Board have jointly worked on bringing Consensus to the city, according to King Leung, InvestHK’s head of financial services and fintech.