Cryptocurrency exchange CoinEX has launched a digital asset trading platform
for its users in Hong Kong. Dubbed BitHK, the
platform, which seeks to apply for a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP)
license from the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (SFC) on June
1, would offer spot trading and digital asset storage services in both
the taditional Chinese and English languages. Additionally, BitHK aims to expand its
current offerings.
”BitHK is constantly
improving and plans to introduce P2P crypto trading on top of spot trading to
support both HKD deposits and withdrawals,” said Haipo Yang, CEO of CoinEX, in a statement. ”As
an integral part of Hong Kong’s financial services industry, BitHK has an
obligation to uphold the city’s image as an internationally recognized ‘inclusive and open’ financial hub.”
CoinEX’s launch of BitHK specifically for the Hong Kong users comes at an interesting
time: the city has just reviewed its cryptocurrency regulation to allow
retail investors to participate in digital asset trading per a
consultative process detailed last year.
In efforts to re-establish itself as a digital asset hub,
Hong Kong said in a statement last October that it was
seeking to introduce regulations to the digital asset sector similar to those
governing the traditional financial space. Christian Hui, Hong Kong’s secretary
for Financial Services and Treasury, emphasized
the statement in March
this year, noting that many companies had expressed interest in setting up
operations in the city.
Speaking during the
Aspen Digital Web 3 Investment Summit on March 20, 2023, Hui said that as of February this year, Invest Hong Kong had gotten expressions of
interest from more than 80 virtual asset-related digital asset firms from Mainland and foreign markets, including virtual asset exchanges, blockchain
infrastructure companies, wallet, and payment services providers.
Regulatory Pressure in the US
Elsewhere, CoinEX is battling tougher regulation. The exchange was recently sued by the New York Attorney General, Letitia
James, for operating unregistered business against the state laws. As a result,
James is seeking a ban on CoinEX from operating in New York.
Some of the services
offered by CoinEX include spot and margin trading, futures, swaps and financial
management services. It also operates as an Automated Market Maker (AMM). The exchange was founded
in 2017 and serves 5 million users across more than 200 countries, according to…
