HONG KONG, May 26, 2026 — Hong Kong’s Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Securities and Futures Commission said Tuesday they had concluded a consultation on proposed regulatory regimes for virtual asset advisory and management service providers, as Hong Kong continues developing its regulatory framework for digital-asset financial services.
The proposals received broad market support during the consultation, with regulators saying the new regimes would follow the “same business, same risks, same rules” principle and align with existing Type 4 and Type 9 regulated activities under the Securities and Futures Ordinance. Type 4 covers advising on securities, while Type 9 relates to asset management, according to a statement.
The FSTB and the SFC said they would now finalize legislative proposals under Hong Kong’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, with the aim of introducing a bill into the Legislative Council later in 2026.
Expansion of Hong Kong’s digital asset regulatory framework
The proposed regimes form part of Hong Kong’s broader effort to expand regulation across the digital-asset sector. Together with existing licensing frameworks for virtual asset trading platforms and stablecoin issuers, as well as proposed regimes for virtual asset dealing and custody service providers, the framework is intended to cover key segments of the digital-asset ecosystem while supporting market participation and investor protection.
Regulators said the proposals support the “Access” pillar of the SFC’s ASPIRe roadmap, which was introduced in February 2025 as part of Hong Kong’s broader strategy for virtual asset market development.
Officials emphasize investor protection and responsible innovation
“The conclusion of further consultation marks the final leg of our journey to complete the regulatory framework for digital assets, paving the way for the long-term scaling of our ecosystem,” SFC Chief Executive Officer Julia Leung said in the statement.
Leung added that the proposed regimes would align virtual-asset services with standards applied to traditional financial services while supporting responsible innovation.
Financial Services and the Treasury Secretary Christopher Hui said the advisory and management regimes were integral to Hong Kong’s broader digital-asset strategy outlined in the government’s Policy Statement 2.0 on the Development of Digital Assets released in June 2025.
Hui said the combined framework would support the development of a “trusted and sustainable system comparable to that of conventional finance.”
SFC encourages early engagement from applicants
The SFC said existing and prospective virtual asset advisory and management service providers were encouraged to engage with the regulator early through pre-application discussions to better understand the proposed licensing requirements and compliance expectations.
