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Spot Crypto ETF Applications Will Be Considered, Hong Kong Regulators Say
The statement from the SFC and HKMA comes as expectations mount the U.S. SEC is on the verge of approving a spot bitcoin ETF.
Hong Kong regulators said they are ready to consider applications for spot crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
In a joint statement, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said the virtual asset environment has changed since 2018, when the SFC formulated a "professional-investors only" regulatory approach.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Hong Kong has been loosening its approach to crypto this year, and the regulators' opinion on retail exposure to digital assets has shifted. In October, the SFC updated its rule book to allow a broader range of investors to engage in spot-crypto and ETF investing. Then, last month, SFC Chief Executive Officer Julia Leung said the regulator was moving toward allowing retail amidinvestors to buy spot crypto ETFs and would "welcome proposals using innovative technology that boosts efficiency and customer experience" provided any risks were addressed.
"The virtual asset landscape has evolved rapidly and begun to expand into mainstream finance," the two regulators said in Friday's statement. The SFC "is prepared to accept applications for the authorisation of other funds with exposure to virtual assets, including virtual asset spot exchange-traded funds (VA spot ETFs)."
The statement comes amount mounting speculation the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is likely to approve a spot bitcoin ETF in the first few weeks of next year.
See also: BlackRock, Nasdaq, SEC Met Regarding Bitcoin ETF
Sheldon Reback
Sheldon Reback is CoinDesk editorial's Regional Head of Europe. Before joining the company, he spent 26 years as an editor at Bloomberg News, where he worked on beats as diverse as stock markets and the retail industry as well as covering the dot-com bubble of 2000-2002. He managed the Bloomberg Terminal's main news page and also worked on a global project to produce short, chart-based stories across the newsroom. He previously worked as a journalist for a number of technology magazines in Hong Kong. Sheldon has a degree in industrial chemistry and an MBA. He owns ether and bitcoin below CoinDesk's notifiable limit.
