Hong Kong continues to support local digital asset community growth, chief executive says

Finance Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Hong Kong continues to support local digital asset community growth, chief executive says The government will continue to support a local crypto/Web3 agenda, Chief Executive John KC Lee said at Consensus. By Nikhilesh De | Edited by Sheldon Reback Feb 11, 2026, 1:40 a.m. Make us preferred on Google (Nikhilesh De modified by CoinDesk) What to know : Hong Kong Chief Executive John KC Lee said the government is committed to making the city a global hub for digital asset and Web3 innovation. Lee highlighted the "one country, two systems" framework, deep financial market liquidity and strong investor protections as key advantages for crypto development in the special administrative region. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is close to issuing the first stablecoin licenses, while the Securities and Futures Commission is working to deepen virtual asset market liquidity. HONG KONG — Hong Kong is a growing locale for Web3 and crypto innovation, its chief executive said on Wednesday. John KC Lee, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, opened CoinDesk's Consensus Hong Kong conference with a brief speech about the city's work to grow its crypto communities and businesses. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . "The HKSAR Government is committed to establishing Hong Kong as a global hub for innovation in digital assets," he said in taped remarks. "That’s why over the past few years, Hong Kong has been actively building the regulatory framework to promote the steady and sustainable development of our Web3 ecosystem." Hong Kong is positioned to take advantage of both growing crypto efforts and its existing position operating close to China and the broader financial markets, Lee said. "Under the unique 'one country, two systems' principle, Hong Kong is the only city that converges both the China advantage and the global advantage," he said. "... What’s more, Hong Kong’s financial regulatory system is robust, and our financial market stands out for its deep liquidity, innovative products and world-class investor protection." More specifically, he pointed to Hong Kong's efforts in crypto, including last year's policy statement on digital asset regulation and stablecoin work. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is close to issuing licenses for stablecoin issuers, he said, saying that the first licenses may come out in the next month. Similarly, Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission is working to grow the region's virtual asset market liquidity to further "facilitate the development of this vibrant area of growth." "Hong Kong is in a strong position in promoting Web3 development," he said. "Hong Kong will continue to go all out to stay at the forefront of this pivotal shift in finance and technology. We welcome companies and institutions from around the world to join hands with us, and build a brighter digital future together." Consensus Hong Kong 2026 More For You Robinhood starts testing its own blockchain as crypto and tokenization push deepens By Krisztian Sandor , Margaux Nijkerk | Edited by Nikhilesh De 10 minutes ago The Robinhood Chain, built on Ethereum-based Arbitrum, aims to become key plumbing for around-the-clock trading and plugging tokenized stocks into DeFi. What to know : Robinhood has launched a public testnet for Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum-based layer-2 built on Arbitrum, with a broader rollout planned later this year. The firm's blockchain aims to support 24/7 trading and self-custody of tokenized stocks, ETFs and other assets via Robinhood's crypto wallet, while enabling access to DeFi applications on Ethereum. “What we wanted was the security of Ethereum, the liquidity that is available on EVM chains and the Ethereum ecosystem,” said Robinhood Senior Vice President Johann Kerbrat in an interview with CoinDesk. 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