Hong Kong ready to issue first stablecoin licenses in March, Financial Secretary says
Analysis
Price Impact
HighHong kong, a major global financial hub, issuing its first stablecoin licenses and finalizing custodian regulations signifies a significant step towards legitimizing digital assets. this move enhances regulatory clarity and fosters institutional adoption, which is broadly positive for the crypto market.
Trustworthiness
HighThe information comes from coindesk, a reputable crypto news source, quoting hong kong's financial secretary paul chan mo-po directly at the consensus hong kong conference. the details are specific and official.
Price Direction
BullishRegulatory certainty from a key financial jurisdiction like hong kong encourages greater participation from institutional investors and provides a clearer framework for the integration of digital assets, particularly stablecoins, into traditional finance. this reduces market uncertainty and increases confidence, leading to potential capital inflow.
Time Effect
LongWhile the initial licenses are set for march, the establishment of a comprehensive and robust regulatory framework for stablecoins, custodians, and potentially perpetual contracts (as mentioned in related articles) creates a sustainable environment for long-term growth, innovation, and institutional integration of digital assets in the region and globally.
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Policy Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Hong Kong ready to issue first stablecoin licenses in March, Financial Secretary says Hong Kong will begin issuing a small number of stablecoin licenses to companies with credible business models and strong compliance, Paul Chan Mo-po said. By Nikhilesh De Feb 11, 2026, 9:39 a.m. Make us preferred on Google Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po (Michael Perini/CoinDesk) HONG KONG — Hong Kong is ready to begin issuing the first of its stablecoin licenses next month, the Special Administration Region's Financial Secretary said Wednesday. Hong Kong will only issue a small batch of licenses initially, Hong Kong's Paul Chan Mo-Po said Wednesday at CoinDesk's Consensus Hong Kong conference . STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the State of Crypto 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 . "In giving our licenses, we ensure that licensees have novel use cases, a credible and sustainable business model and strong regulatory compliance capabilities," he said. Hong Kong is also moving to finalize its licensing regime for custodian service providers, he said, and looking to introduce legislation this summer. "Together with the framework already in place, this will ensure that our regulatory regime comprehensively covers the team of the digital asset ecosystem," he said. Speaking more broadly, Chan pointed to three trends in particular maturing at this moment: The growth of tokenized products in the real world, increasing interaction between decentralized finance (DeFi) and traditional finance and the growing ties between artificial intelligence (AI) and digital assets. "Tokenization initiatives are moving from proof of concept to real world deployment supported by more institutional adoption government bonds, money market funds and other more traditional financial instruments are increasingly being issued onchain, using digital ledgers to enhance settlement efficiency enable fractional ownership and unlock liquidity in assets that have traditionally been less liquid." He also pointed to increasing growth in AI. "As AI agents become capable of making and executing decisions independently, we may begin to see the early forms of what some call the machine economy, where AI agents can hold and transfer digital assets, pay for services and transact with one another onchain," Chan said. Consensus Hong Kong 2026 Hong Kong More For You Hong Kong working to allow perpetual contracts, chief regulator says By Nikhilesh De 4 hours ago Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission will publish a "high-level framework" allowing perpetual contracts, SFC CEO Julia Leung said. Read full story Latest Crypto News Arkham Intelligence said to be shutting crypto trading platform as usage fails to sparkle 17 minutes ago Tom Lee says stop timing the bottom and start buying the dip 37 minutes ago MrBeast's finance bet could become the new generation's Schwab, Robinhood, Tom Lee says 51 minutes ago Binance teams up with Franklin Templeton to use tokenized money market funds as off-exchange collateral 1 hour ago Spark looks to build building a safe bridge between onchain capital and TradFi 3 hours ago Hong Kong working to allow perpetual contracts, chief regulator says 4 hours ago Top Stories Crypto's banker adversaries didn't want to deal in latest White House meeting on bill 10 hours ago SkyBridge's Scaramucci is buying the bitcoin dip, calls Trump a crypto president 7 hours ago Citadel Securities backs LayerZero as it unveils ‘Zero’ blockchain for global markets 12 hours ago Crypto PAC Fairshake leaps into first midterm Senate race with $5 million in Alabama 9 hours ago Crypto exchange Kraken fires chief financial officer ahead of long-awaited IPO 17 hours ago Sam Bankman-Fried files for new trial over FTX fraud charges 13 hours ago