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

China tightens crypto crackdown with onshore RWA tokenisation ban

South Korea

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

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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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.

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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.

Hong Kong is hoping to position itself as a digital asset hub. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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.

The World Economic Forum in Davos runs until Friday. Photo: AFP
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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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.

Blockchain and Web3 technology are “inherently global”, but real-world applications must be “embedded in regulation and local use cases”, expert says. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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.

Regulators said on Wednesday they would finalise legislative proposals for two new licensing frameworks. Photo: Shutterstock
Technology

Opinion | Forget the US dollar. Watch water and energy resources instead

In our increasingly hi-tech-based economy and financial systems, energy and water resources will be macroeconomically critical.

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Blockchain

Video | How a Shanghai start-up is digitalising Chinese tea

Safety, verification and trust behind start-up company Teakan Technology’s goal to make traditional Chinese tea digitally traceable.

IPO

HashKey shares debut flat in Hong Kong amid bitcoin bear market

The firm, one of 11 licensed virtual asset trading platforms in Hong Kong, raised US$206 million in the city’s first crypto-native IPO.

HashKey executives and other exchange and government officials at the gong-striking ceremony to mark the company’s trading debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange on Wednesday. Photo: Karma Lo
HKEX

Nasdaq is planning 23-hour trading. Should Hong Kong follow suit?

HKEX plans to adopt digital currencies and tokenisation in the next decade, which analysts say are in demand for round-the-clock trading.

The HKEX logo is displayed at the Hong Kong stock exchange in Central, June 5, 2024. Photo: Edmond So
Blockchain

Coins in sand: how the UAE draws in the global crypto community

At Abu Dhabi Finance Week, insiders give credit to the UAE’s regulatory infrastructure and institutional adoption of digital assets.

United States

‘Crypto king’ Do Kwon gets 15 years in prison for misleading investors

The South Korean founder of Terraform Labs had previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges stemming from a US$40 billion stablecoin crash.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin drops below US$90,000 as AI worries sour risk appetite

The fall signals renewed market jitters after the historic crypto crash in October.

Standard Chartered slashes expectations that bitcoin would hit US$200,000 by the end of 2025, lowering its forecast to US$100,000. Photo: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

Hong Kong eyes info sharing on crypto assets to combat tax fraud, evasion

Compliance with OECD framework is of ‘paramount importance’ to maintain Hong Kong’s reputation as a finance hub, secretary says.

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Government aims to complete legislative amendments in the coming year and start automatic exchange of tax information starting in 2028. Photo: Shutterstock
IPO

HashKey aims for US$214 million in Hong Kong IPO amid Beijing’s crypto pressure

Retail investors oversubscribe crypto exchange operator’s offering despite China central bank’s tough stance on virtual assets.

Hong Kong

Crypto exchange Gate weighs Hong Kong licence return amid high compliance costs

Hong Kong’s policies pose some difficulties and covering the cost of operating locally is difficult, founder and CEO Lin Han says.

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