TOPIC

Financial regulation

Financial regulation
Key developments in regulation of financial markets with a focus on those in Hong Kong and mainland China.
People use ATMs in Central in 2024. A 2025 survey found a majority of respondents reporting that digital banks could meet at least half of their daily banking needs. Photo: Eugene Lee
Banking & finance

Letters | 5 years on, digital banks are taking root in Hong Kong

Readers discuss perceptions of virtual banks, vetting of English teachers, and the outlook for Hong Kong.

China's economic recovery

China cautions against ‘compound errors’ from clashing policies

Banking & finance

Exclusive | HKMA teams up with SFC, Insurance Authority to promote fintech over next 5 years

IPO

Turning point: China doubles IPOs in 2025 amid eased curbs to boost tech push

CSRC reforms revive fundraising momentum with 115 firms generating US$18.3 billion across mainland China’s exchanges.

The securities regulator rolled back curbs on new listings and resumed approvals for pre-profit technology companies, leading to the IPO boom. Photo: Xinhua
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.

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US-China relations

China showcases joint effort with US in drugs-related money laundering case

Case spanning both nations saw two men sentenced to jail following US tip-off, People’s Daily reports.

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A court in northern China has sentenced two men to prison and fined them for “illegal trading of foreign exchange and disrupting the financial market order”, according to Chinese state media. Photo: dpa
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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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.

Banking & finance

Macroscope | Inflated asset prices show markets don’t always know best

With hyperinflated sectors across multiple asset markets, the next crash could be so severe that it prompts a restructuring of global finance.

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People take photos by the bull statue in Shanghai, on August 7. Photo: EPA
Banking & finance

China’s risky shadow banks back in spotlight after debt crackdown

Entities owned by local governments are borrowing billions from trust companies and leasing firms at rates of 8 per cent or higher, sources say.

A view of the Jinan Huanggang Road Yellow River Crossing Tunnel, which is under construction in Jinan city, Shandong province, on March 4, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
China trade

‘Strong breakwaters’: China’s central bank vows to shield from external shocks

Governor Pan Gongsheng says policy must prioritise the domestic economy, warning against ‘excessive policy swings’ that could undermine long-term stability.

China economy

Opinion | China’s shrinking credit reflects a financial reset, not a collapse

Beijing is moving away from the old growth model reliant on rising leverage, towards a framework that prizes risk management and data integrity.

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IPO

Hong Kong crypto exchange HashKey wins listing nod in test of investor appetite

HashKey could raise around US$300 million this month amid Hong Kong’s push to develop its digital asset sector.

HashKey is one of 11 licensed virtual asset trading platforms in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout
Fintech

Does tokenisation in China risk a repeat of the P2P lending crisis?

Tokenisation provides value, but the interest of multilevel marketers raises ‘genuine concerns’, forum speaker says.

Traffic crawls on an elevated highway as buildings are reflected on a glass surface in Beijing’s central business district on November 12, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Fintech

Hong Kong reaps the fruits of fintech seeds sown nearly 10 years ago

Hong Kong’s rise as a fintech hub is due to the concerted regulatory push, with the city competing with Singapore for regional leadership.

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Japan

Opinion | As Japan takes aim at crypto, first mover Hong Kong must look out

The Takaichi government’s pro-digital assets policies place Tokyo as a direct and serious competitor to Hong Kong.

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Law

Legal Tales | How Hong Kong’s law protects those drawn to crypto and virtual asset investments

City has introduced groundbreaking, tailor-made laws designed to protect the public when investing in new class of financial products.

The price of bitcoin fell to as low as about US$16,000 in late 2022. Photo: Jelly Tse
Cryptocurrency

Chinese crypto founders shelve US$500 million ether digital asset treasury plan

Proponents call off the project amid the worsening cryptocurrency market conditions.

Blockchain

Ant International, UBS partner on blockchain-based cross-border payments

The strategic partnership aligns with financial institutions’ increased adoption of blockchain technology for cross-border payment solutions.

Banking & finance

Hong Kong renews contract for top market regulator Julia Leung

The CEO of the Securities and Futures Commission will stay on for at least two more years to see through a series of ongoing reforms.

Julia Leung Fung-yee, CEO of the Securities and Futures Commission, pictured at the commission’s office in Quarry Bay on December 15, 2022. Photo: May Tse
Banking & finance

Hong Kong central to Standard Chartered’s digital finance strategy: CEO

Fintech-friendly regulations have convinced the bank to anchor its digital-asset ventures in the city, Bill Winters says.

Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters sits down for an interview at the Post’s Hong Kong headquarters. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Malaysia

Quicker, nimbler scammers outrun Asian banks in cyberfraud ‘arms race’

Cybercrime in Asia is evolving ‘at an unprecedented rate’, accounting for US$37 billion in losses last year, Malaysian banking body warns.

Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Beijing’s full backing for Hong Kong on display at finance summit

Hong Kong has a role to play in global financial governance.

Cryptocurrency

Hong Kong pushes adjustments to digital-asset rules as Beijing remains cautious

The changes show a ‘clear shift in focus from building guardrails to enabling growth’ in the sector, Clarient Advisory’s Joy Lam says.

The SFC’s latest digital asset-related initiatives aimed to “connect Hong Kong with global liquidity”. Photo: Shutterstock
Fintech

‘Superconnector’ Hong Kong gets boost from Beijing

China is ramping up support for Hong Kong’s finance sector as it develop the city’s role as a link between the mainland and global markets.

Image: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

Beijing backs Hong Kong as global hub with new financial measures

At the Global Financial Leaders’ Summit, Chinese officials vow to strengthen Hong Kong’s international financial centre status.

China’s fourth plenum

China’s 15th five-year plan: market reforms and opening up

This is the second in an SCMP Plus series annotating different parts of China’s five-year plan recommendations. The focus is on market reforms and opening up.

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