The consultation paper, which should be read in conjunction with the draft guidlines, seeks views on the proposed anti-money laundering and counterfinancing of terrorism regulatory requirements for stablecoin issuers to be licensed by the HKMA for carrying out regulated stablecoin activities. 

Deadline for comments is 30 June 2025.

Upon implementation of the Stablecoins Ordinance, any person who, in the course of business, issues an FRS in Hong Kong, or issues an FRS that purports to maintain a stable value with reference to Hong Kong dollars in or outside Hong Kong will need to obtain a licence from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.

The relevant persons must satisfy the requirements in areas such as "reserve asset management and redemption, including proper segregation of client assets, maintaining a robust stabilisation mechanism, and processing stablecoin holders’ requests for redemption at par value with reasonable conditions. The relevant persons must also comply with a range of requirements, including those on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, risk management, disclosure and auditing, and fitness and propriety."

The MA will conduct further consultations on the detailed regulatory requirements of the regime in due course.

In its circular to VATPs, the SFC provides guidance to licensed platforms when providing staking services. To manage risks to investors, they should maintain measures to "effectively prevent errors associated with the services, safeguard staked client virtual assets, and ensure proper disclosure of risks to which such staked assets may be subject."

The SFC revised its circular on SFC-authorised VA Funds to facilitate their engagement in staking. These funds are required to "stake virtual asset holdings only through licensed VATPs and authorised institutions, subject to a cap to manage liquidity risk."

HKMA also published an accompanying letter.

The initiatives will "streamline access for global liquidity, enable adaptive compliance and product frameworks focusing on security, and drive infrastructure upgrades for traditional finance to tap into blockchain efficiency."

Under the roadmap, new frameworks for regulating VA over-the-counter and VA custodian services will be developed, while VA product and service offerings will be expanded. Other measures encompass optimisation of operational requirements for VA trading platforms, combatting illicit activities, investor education and proactive stakeholder engagement.

This new licensing approach requires VATP applicants to implement their policies, procedures, systems and controls before conducting an external assessment on these measures. The SFC will become a party to the engagement to supervise the overall external assessment process.