Hong Kong Reaffirms End-2026 Deadline for Crypto Licensing Amendment Bill

The Hong Kong government has confirmed it will submit an amendment bill before the end of 2026 to set up licensing regimes for digital asset trading, custody, advisory and management services. Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, told a Monday policy briefing that the bill will come “within this year.” He said it responds to innovative developments in financial technology and will build a broader framework for digital asset activities. The plan is part of the city’s wider crypto licensing push.

Hong Kong Stablecoin Issuer Licenses

This is not a new target. In January, Hui said regulators planned to submit a draft proposal on crypto asset regulation before the end of 2026, and that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority had started processing license applications from stablecoin issuers. In April, the HKMA granted its first stablecoin issuer licenses to Anchorpoint Financial and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, showing the licensing framework is already moving forward.