Policy Share Share this article Copy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail Hong Kong will start granting stablecoin issu Policy Share Share this article Copy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail Hong Kong will start granting stablecoin issu

Hong Kong will start granting stablecoin issuer licenses in March: Reuters

3 min read
Share
Share this article
Copy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail

Hong Kong will start granting stablecoin issuer licenses in March: Reuters

Eddie Yue Wai-man, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), said only a very few stablecoin licenses would be issued initially.

By Olivier Acuna|Edited by Jamie Crawley
Feb 2, 2026, 12:36 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
The Hong Kong financial watchdog says it will issue stablecoin issuer licences in March. (Shutterstock/Modified by CoinDesk)

What to know:

  • Hong Kong’s monetary authority plans to issue the city’s first stablecoin issuer licenses in March, but expects to approve only a very small number initially.
  • HKMA chief Eddie Yue said the licensing review process is nearly complete and will prioritize risk management, anti-money-laundering controls and the quality of backing assets.
  • The move comes as stablecoins, now a roughly $300 billion asset class, are projected to grow into the trillions and are seen by some global banks as key to future digital trade settlement.

Hong Kong’s financial watchdog will grant a first batch of “very few” stablecoin issuer licenses in March, according to Reuters.

Eddie Yue, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), said he expects to issue the first series of stablecoin issuer licences in March, while addressing a Hong Kong Legislative Council meeting on Monday.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the State of Crypto Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Sign me up

However, he said only a "very small number" would be approved initially.

Stablecoins, a subset of cryptocurrencies with prices anchored to fiat money like the U.S. dollar, seeing increasing adoption worldwide, as the world's major jurisdictions put regulatory frameworks in place. Last year, stablecoins moved $35 trillion on blockchain rails.

Currently a $300 billion asset class, Citi projected stablecoins to become a $1.9 trillion to $4 trillion market. Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters said that Hong Kong's push into tokenized money and stablecoins could lay the foundation for a new era of digital trade settlement.

Yue noted that the review process for applications is nearing completion.

The head of the HKMA highlighted that the criteria for stablecoin issuer license approval assessments focused on issues such as risk management, anti-money laundering measures, and the backing assets of the stablecoins.

He also said licensed issuers must comply with local regulations for cross-border activities, adding that mutual recognition agreements with other jurisdictions could be explored in the future.

Hong KongStablecoins
Disclaimer: The articles reposted on this site are sourced from public platforms and are provided for informational purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect the views of MEXC. All rights remain with the original authors. If you believe any content infringes on third-party rights, please contact service@support.mexc.com for removal. MEXC makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the content and is not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided. The content does not constitute financial, legal, or other professional advice, nor should it be considered a recommendation or endorsement by MEXC.

You May Also Like

Galaxy Digital’s 2025 Loss: SOL Bear Market

Galaxy Digital’s 2025 Loss: SOL Bear Market

The post Galaxy Digital’s 2025 Loss: SOL Bear Market appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Galaxy Digital, a digital assets and artificial intelligence infrastructure
Share
BitcoinEthereumNews2026/02/04 09:49
Michael Saylor Pushes Digital Capital Narrative At Bitcoin Treasuries Unconference

Michael Saylor Pushes Digital Capital Narrative At Bitcoin Treasuries Unconference

The post Michael Saylor Pushes Digital Capital Narrative At Bitcoin Treasuries Unconference appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. The suitcoiners are in town.  From a low-key, circular podium in the middle of a lavish New York City event hall, Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor took the mic and opened the Bitcoin Treasuries Unconference event. He joked awkwardly about the orange ties, dresses, caps and other merch to the (mostly male) audience of who’s-who in the bitcoin treasury company world.  Once he got onto the regular beat, it was much of the same: calm and relaxed, speaking freely and with confidence, his keynote was heavy on the metaphors and larger historical stories. Treasury companies are like Rockefeller’s Standard Oil in its early years, Michael Saylor said: We’ve just discovered crude oil and now we’re making sense of the myriad ways in which we can use it — the automobile revolution and jet fuel is still well ahead of us.  Established, trillion-dollar companies not using AI because of “security concerns” make them slow and stupid — just like companies and individuals rejecting digital assets now make them poor and weak.  “I’d like to think that we understood our business five years ago; we didn’t.”  We went from a defensive investment into bitcoin, Saylor said, to opportunistic, to strategic, and finally transformational; “only then did we realize that we were different.” Michael Saylor: You Come Into My Financial History House?! Jokes aside, Michael Saylor is very welcome to the warm waters of our financial past. He acquitted himself honorably by invoking the British Consol — though mispronouncing it, and misdating it to the 1780s; Pelham’s consolidation of debts happened in the 1750s and perpetual government debt existed well before then — and comparing it to the gold standard and the future of bitcoin. He’s right that Strategy’s STRC product in many ways imitates the consols; irredeemable, perpetual debt, issued at par, with…
Share
BitcoinEthereumNews2025/09/18 02:12
HKMA Launches Fintech Blueprint with AI, DLT, Quantum and Cybersecurity Focus

HKMA Launches Fintech Blueprint with AI, DLT, Quantum and Cybersecurity Focus

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published a Fintech Promotion Blueprint to support responsible innovation and fintech development in the banking sector.
Share
Fintechnews2026/02/04 10:20