Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan outlined plans for a second digital asset innovation push in a blog post over the weekend. After the first policy statement in 2022 formalized its approach to cryptocurrencies, it is planning to announce its future strategy soon. It sounds like the focus could be on digital securities and tokenized…
Fintech firm Ant International, the global affiliate of Chinese tech giant Ant Group, said it would apply for a stablecoin issuer licence in Hong Kong once the new ordinance governing fiat-backed cryptocurrencies comes into effect in August. “We welcome the passage of the Stablecoins Bill … and hope to contribute more to the city’s vision…
China is not a fan of cryptocurrencies. Over the past decade, the Chinese government has built up one of the world’s most hostile regulatory frameworks against cryptocurrency-related activities, including trading and mining. Beijing views digital assets like bitcoin as a threat to the country’s financial stability and capital account controls, and even a challenge to…
Today Hong Kong’s Legislative Council passed the Stablecoin Bill for fiat-referenced stablecoins. The legislation is expected to come into force later this year and is seen as a key pillar in Hong Kong’s desire to maintain and enhance its position as an international financial center. Last year the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) launched a…
The recently concluded Consensus 2025 event, hosted by CoinDesk, has been hailed as a resounding success, bringing together key players in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. Held as one of the largest gatherings for crypto enthusiasts, developers, and investors, the event showcased groundbreaking discussions on decentralized finance, regulatory frameworks, and the future of digital assets….
The travel sector has also witnessed a tremendous digital revolution, and now it is more convenient than ever before for individuals to organize vacations, book hotels, and pay online through travel applications. It only takes a few clicks on a mobile phone for tourists to book flights, hotels, cars on rent, and activities, simplifying the…
The US House of Representatives has followed the Senate in voting to overturn a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that would give the watchdog oversight of tech giants such as Apple, Google and X, that offer digital payment apps and wallets. Editorial This content has been selected, created and edited by the Finextra editorial team…
On April 4, 2025, Justin Sun, a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency space, announced the arrival of Ishowspeed in Hong Kong via a tweet at 10:30 AM UTC (Sun, 2025). This event, while seemingly unrelated to market dynamics, often triggers movements in cryptocurrencies associated with Sun, such as TRON (TRX) and BitTorrent (BTT). Following the…
On March 31, 2025, Japan’s stock market experienced a significant decline of nearly -4%, triggered by anticipation of President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ (KobeissiLetter, 2025). The Nikkei 225 index closed at 28,500, down from 29,680 the previous day, a sharp drop that reflected investor concerns over the potential economic policies that might be announced (TradingEconomics, 2025)….
Crossmint has raised $23.6 million to continue expanding its solutions that help companies and developers build blockchain applications. The company’s platform enables users to build blockchain applications with a few lines of code and deploy wallets, tokenization, payments, onchain credentials and other building blocks for apps, Crossmint said in a Tuesday (March 18) press release. The…