Swiss lender AMINA Bank has secured Hong Kong’s first full-service crypto approval for an international group after the Securities and Futures Commission granted an uplift to its Type 1 licence for professional investors. The AMINA Bank crypto licence comes as Hong Kong’s trading volumes rose 233% in the first half of 2025, signalling stronger institutional adoption despite strict regulation. AMINA can now support 13 assets including bitcoin, ether, USDC, tether and leading D

Recruiters expect Hong Kong finance hiring to increase 10–15% in 2026 as asset growth and stronger equity markets prompt banks and fund houses to expand headcount. Robert Walters reports a 20% rise in active roles this year, though completed offers remain behind as employers stay cautious after pandemic overhiring and subsequent cutbacks. Robert Half noted increased openings in front-office and revenue-generating roles, with steady demand across middle and back offices. Banks

Hex Trust and Fireblocks crypto custody collaboration is targeting institutional clients across Asia and the Middle East as regulators tighten rules on how virtual assets are held. Under the strategic deal, Hong Kong-based Hex Trust will act as a qualified, locally licensed custodian on the Fireblocks Custody Network in key markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE. The arrangement allows banks, brokers and fintech firms to combine Fireblocks’ transaction and wallet te

Hong Kong financial centre advantages in liquidity and law are in focus as the city competes with rival hubs in a volatile macroenvironment. Bankers highlighted Hong Kong’s role as a fundraising hub, with the market raising HKD216bn (USD28bn) from IPOs in the first 10 months of 2025 and tipped by some to reclaim the top global listing spot, even though its stock market currently ranks only fifth worldwide by size. Speakers at a recent Financial Times conference pointed to dee

Global wealthy families are increasingly turning to Hong Kong family offices as a base to access private investments in mainland China, particularly in electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, biotech, and selectively in real estate, according to Swiss family office platform Club Estate. The Zurich-based firm, which manages about 700m Swiss francs (USD884m) and operates in Luxembourg, Singapore, and Hong Kong, said clients are also diversifying away from US dollar assets i

More than 100 global investors from Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Europe, and the UK will convene in Ho Chi Minh City on 3–4 December for the Vietnam 2.0 investor conference, a two-day event aimed at channelling long-term foreign capital into Vietnam. Organised by Dynam Capital, Vantage Point Asset Management, and Shinec Vietnam, the event—titled “Vietnam 2.0 – Unlocking the Next Growth Phase”—will spotlight opportunities in infrastructure, energy, environment, tech

Blue Pool Capital private equity fund ambitions are expanding as the Hong Kong-based family office of Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai launches fundraising for its first private equity vehicle open to external investors, with a target of USD750m. The Riverside fund will pursue majority or minority stakes in mid-sized businesses valued at USD100m to USD1bn across high-end retail, fintech, digital banking, payments, and AI-enabled software. The move marks a strategic shift for Bl

Adams Street Partners Hong Kong office plans are advancing as the USD65bn private markets manager opens a new location to strengthen coverage of institutional, family office, and wealth clients across Asia-Pacific. The office, which will commence operations upon licensing, aims to enhance local deal sourcing and client engagement amid rising regional demand for diversified access to global private markets alongside domestic opportunities. The firm said the Adams Street Partne

UBS has partnered with Ant International to trial UBS tokenised deposits and real-time cross-border payments, marking one of Asia’s most prominent bank–fintech collaborations in digital finance. Under an MoU signed in Singapore, Ant will integrate UBS Digital Cash—first piloted in 2024—with its Whale blockchain treasury platform to test multi-currency tokenised deposits enabling instant transfers across Ant’s global entities. The initiative aims to enhance settlement speed, t

Vietnam’s promotion to FTSE Russell secondary emerging market status is pushing global and Asia‑based family offices to shift the country from frontier exposure to core allocation, according to Das Family Office strategist Rainer Michael Preiss. Speaking at the Hubbis Vietnam Wealth Management Forum 2025, he said Vietnam is increasingly viewed as a structural ASEAN growth market alongside China and India. Preiss urged diversified exposure across listed equities, private equit

Family‑office backed Aquilius Investment Partners is expanding into Hong Kong as it steps up its Asia private equity secondaries strategy with the hire of former HarbourVest executive Martin Yung as managing director and head of private equity secondaries. The Singapore‑headquartered firm, founded in 2021, has already invested several hundred million dollars in GP‑led and LP‑led deals and expects to deploy well over USD500m a year in private equity secondaries over the medium

The Singapore Exchange will launch Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual futures on Nov.24, offering institutional, accredited and expert investors regulated access to crypto markets as digital assets gain adoption in portfolios. The contracts, benchmarked to iEdge CoinDesk Crypto Indices, will use a funding‑rate mechanism to keep prices aligned with underlying crypto benchmarks while providing continuous, no‑expiry exposure via SGX’s listed‑derivatives clearing and margin system. S

Asia’s family offices and next‑generation wealthy entrepreneurs are fuelling demand for Vista’s private aviation services as the group puts Japan and Southeast Asia at the centre of its 2026 plan. Vista, parent of VistaJet and XO, said Japan is its fastest‑growing market, with membership up 67% year on year in H1 2025, supported by outbound corporate investment and ultra‑rich clients seeking global mobility. Industry data show Japan is set to attract about 600 new high‑net‑wo

Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) earned more than HKD2bn (USD256m) in 2024 investment income, driven by initial public offerings and biotechnology allocations, chief executive Clara Chan told Bloomberg TV. Formed in 2022 with HKD62bn to strengthen the city’s economy and mainland links, HKIC has deployed less than 20% of its capital but remains “in perfect alignment” with its plans. The fund is entering a second phase to pursue larger deals alongside sovereign funds, pe

DBS and Franklin Templeton have jointly launched Singapore’s first tokenised retail fund, advancing efforts to mainstream digital finance. The Franklin Onchain US Dollar Short-Term Money Market Fund, a USD-denominated strategy recorded on a blockchain register, has been approved by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as an authorised scheme. Available via DBS relationship managers to wealth clients and accredited investors, the fund has a USD20 minimum investment, with a reta

Private funding for Southeast Asia’s digital economy grew 15% year on year to USD7.7bn in the 12 months to June 2025, though it remains about 70% below the 2021 peak, according to the Google-Temasek-Bain report. Growth lagged the global 25% pace, with capital concentrated in late-stage rounds while early-stage deals dropped from 30% to about 20%. The study, expanded to 10 markets, found that AI accounted for 32% of total funding in H1 2025, up from 30% in H2 2024, as over 680

Singapore’s Jaleel family office has purchased the George Williams Hotel in Brisbane’s central business district for AUD34m (USD22.2m) through High Street Holdings, the investment arm of JD Properties. The acquisition adds a centrally located, mid-scale property to a portfolio expected to exceed AUD150m as the family builds its Australian hospitality assets. The move positions the office to capture demand from Brisbane’s infrastructure boom and the 2032 Olympic Games. It also

Asia’s private credit lenders are increasingly adopting payment-in-kind (PIK) structures as higher-for-longer interest rates, tighter bank capital rules and shallow bond markets squeeze borrowers’ cash. Previously used mainly in distressed and mezzanine deals, PIK is now emerging in senior direct lending, allowing interest to accrue to principal or convert to equity to preserve liquidity while increasing leverage. Variations include holdco PIK, split PIK and toggle PIK, with

Munich-based family office Perpetual Investors is shifting its focus towards Asia infrastructure as it trims a historically US-heavy portfolio, according to Infrastructure Investor. Founded in 2015 as the investment office of Bavaria’s Wilsdorf family, Perpetual backs entrepreneurs, other family offices, and institutional investors, with several years’ experience in infrastructure assets. The firm is pursuing broader diversification across Asia, Europe, and the US but notes r

Thailand’s central bank will now permit non-bank institutions to establish asset management joint ventures to help resolve bad loans, expanding a framework previously limited to banks, according to rules published in the Royal Gazette. Applicants have two years to file, with each JV-AMC allowed to operate for up to 15 years. Initially deployed during the pandemic, the scheme has been extended to support ongoing debt workouts. Krungthai Bank plans to apply next year and expect