Hong Kong is stepping up tokenised financial infrastructure and regulation of digital assets at the same time. It plans to build a 24-hour on-chain payment environment using central bank money, while also revamping cryptocurrency licensing and the regulatory framework for tokenised investment products to boost competitiveness as an international digital finance hub.

Cryptopolitan and Hong Kong government 자료 said the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) plans to upgrade EnsembleTX, a real-transaction pilot under Project Ensemble, by the end of this year to support 24-hour payments using tokenised central bank money. EnsembleTX is currently running an experiment to trade and settle tokenised Hong Kong dollar deposits and digital assets at real value.

Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) also released an implementation plan aligned with its first five-year plan and the 2026 policy address. It will strengthen the licensing regime for cryptocurrency operators and draw up detailed regulatory guidelines. It will also overhaul issuance and trading rules for real-world asset-based investment products, including tokenised gold. It plans to tighten oversight of digital asset custody and anti-money laundering, and use the CrypTech system and AI for market surveillance.

A stablecoin framework has also entered the commercialisation stage. The HKMA granted its first issuer licence in April (local time) to Anchorpoint Financial, a joint venture of HSBC and a group including Standard Chartered, HKT and Animoca Brands. Anchorpoint is running a limited beta of HKDAP, which is pegged 1-to-1 with the Hong Kong dollar, for a restricted group of institutional clients, and aims for a full launch around year-end.

The Hong Kong government said it will gradually link CBDCs, stablecoins and tokenised deposits, bonds and securities to the regulated financial system under a principle of "same activity, same risk, same regulation". It is focusing on expanding real-world use of tokenised finance while upgrading payment infrastructure and regulations at the same time.