Hong Kong regulated crypto trading tools are being expanded as the Securities and Futures Commission loosened rules to allow licensed brokers to provide margin financing for digital-asset trading while setting guardrails for more leveraged products to deepen market liquidity. The SFC said brokers may extend financing to clients with strong credit profiles and adequate collateral, initially limited to bitcoin and ether but potentially expanded later. It also issued a high-leve

South Korea crypto exchange inspections were widened as regulators launched on-site checks of major platforms days after Bithumb mistakenly credited customers with 620,000 so-called ghost bitcoins. An emergency task force comprising regulators and the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance will inspect Upbit, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax, focusing on asset-verification procedures and internal controls, authorities said in a report to the National Assembly. The Financial Supervisory Ser

Maybank deposit tokens cross-border payments are being tested as Maybank and Malaysia’s Yinson Holdings pilot a tokenised ringgit under Bank Negara Malaysia’s Digital Asset Innovation Hub. Maybank said the pilot uses its permissioned blockchain to run on-chain transactions involving ringgit and other ASEAN deposit tokens, with Yinson as the first corporate participant. Bank Negara launched the hub in June 2025 as a regulatory sandbox to trial programmable money and ringgit-ba

Hong Kong single-family offices growth accelerated to 3,384 by end-2025, up 25% in two years, contributing HKD12.6bn (USD1.6bn) a year to the economy, Deloitte said, citing a survey of 136 sector participants conducted in October–December 2025. The count was up by 681 from the fourth quarter of 2023, with surveyed offices’ wealth origins led by mainland China and Hong Kong. Family offices cited uncertainty in U.S. markets and geopolitical volatility as factors driving a refoc

Chubb wealth platform Hong Kong has been launched as the Zurich-based insurer targets high-net-worth individuals with fund investment and advisory services and access to alternatives with lower minimums. Chubb said the platform, called Chubb Wealth, will offer a digital onboarding experience, a low and transparent fee structure and a curated menu of funds, while providing alternative investment opportunities with minimum commitments starting at USD10,000. Clients will be supp

Hong Kong brokers 2026 outlook remains upbeat, with more than 40% calling the city the most attractive investment market this year despite rising costs, stiff competition and tighter regulation, an industry survey showed. The Hong Kong Securities Association said its poll of 152 responses found over half were optimistic on Hong Kong equities, including 8% who were very optimistic. Mainland China ranked second, cited by about 30% of respondents, while nearly 60% viewed the U.S

Vietnam crypto transfer tax proposal would exempt cryptocurrency transfers and trading from value-added tax while imposing a 0.1% personal income tax on the gross value of each transfer, mirroring the levy used for securities transactions, according to a draft circular opened for public consultation by the finance ministry. Individual investors would pay the tax regardless of residency status. For organisations established in Vietnam, income from crypto-asset transfers would

Family offices emerging managers strategies were in focus at the Tokyo Asset Management Forum, where investors said new managers can diversify portfolios through niche strategies and impact investing while still targeting higher returns, even as shorter track records and liquidity constraints remain hurdles. Leo Lum, an investment manager at Singapore-based family office Khattar Holdings, said new managers can outperform in private markets and smaller funds can focus on very

Hong Kong family office tax breaks precious metals coverage will be expanded as the city plans to broaden preferential regimes for funds and family offices to include investments in precious metals, including gold-linked exchange-traded funds, Financial Services and the Treasury Secretary Christopher Hui said. Hui also said Hong Kong and Shenzhen have signed a memorandum to jointly develop gold processing and trading, encouraging collaboration between Hong Kong merchants and

AIIB Keppel private credit fund commitment will reach up to USD125m after the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank agreed to back Keppel Private Credit Fund III, the companies said. Keppel said the pledge includes a USD75m investment and a co-investment sleeve of up to USD50m, lifting the fund’s funds under management to more than USD561m. It is AIIB’s first investment under a strategic partnership signed in June 2025 that aims to mobilise up to USD1.5bn of sustainable infras

Singapore household wealth top 20% averaged SGD5.3m (USD3.9m) in 2023, driven mainly by property assets worth SGD3.4m, the Ministry of Finance said in its first comprehensive release of household wealth data. The ministry defines net wealth as total assets minus liabilities, with assets spanning property, net CPF balances and other financial assets, while liabilities are largely mortgages. Across all wealth groups, home equity and CPF balances were the biggest components, and

Family offices private equity diversification is accelerating as investors shift more capital into private equity and other alternatives while broadening jurisdictions to manage geopolitical and regulatory risks, according to Ocorian’s 2025 Family Office Report cited by Circle Family Office founder Amin Naj. Pureprofile surveyed 200 family office leaders, family members and advisers in June 2025 and found more than 75% plan to materially increase private equity allocations ov

UBS Hong Kong wealth hiring plans include about 50 new bankers for its wealth business after its North Asia franchise posted record revenue last year, with recruitment focused on high net-worth clients as the bank looks to broaden beyond its recent emphasis on billionaires, Asia-Pacific wealth co-head Amy Lo said. UBS brought in USD62.5bn of net new assets in Asia in 2025, helped by Hong Kong’s active IPO market and so-called win-back flows after the integration of Credit Sui

Hong Kong digital finance strategy was in focus at a forum convened by the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit to discuss how the city can support China’s push to become a financial powerhouse by advancing digital finance use cases, balancing regulation with development and linking more closely with mainland infrastructure. The forum brought together participants from Hong Kong and mainland China, including researchers from the People’s Bank of China’s research institute, members o

South Korea crypto regulation crackdown calls intensified after the financial watchdog said Bithumb’s accidental distribution of more than USD40bn worth of bitcoin to customers showed the need for tougher rules to address vulnerabilities in trading systems. Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin said regulators will factor in lessons from the incident as they pursue legislation to bring digital assets under tighter oversight, and flagged concerns including so-cal

Macquarie Asset Management Asia wealth expansion gathered pace as the firm added three hires to grow its regional wealth business and push private market offerings to private banking and intermediary clients, the firm said. Wai Kin Leung joins as senior vice president, Asia wealth, focusing on Greater China and helping advance private market solutions; he most recently led managed solutions work at LGT Private Banking and previously worked at Pictet, Credit Suisse and HSBC. M

China virtual currency restrictions will be tightened further as authorities reiterated that crypto assets lack the same legal status as fiat money and that related business activities amount to illegal financial activities, according to a notice released by the central bank and other agencies. Officials said that without official approval, domestic entities and the overseas entities they control are prohibited from issuing virtual currencies overseas, underscoring Beijing’s

South Korea Indonesia cross-border QR payments are set to launch in April 2026, enabling visitors to pay at merchants in either country using domestic QR apps, Bank Indonesia said. The Indonesian central bank and the Bank of Korea reviewed progress on the interlinkage and agreed to keep working closely as they move toward launch. Talks began in 2023 and led to a memorandum of understanding signed in July 2024, with the service operating alongside the Local Currency Transactio

Vietnam business formation January data showed a surge in activity as nearly 24,200 new firms were registered and more than 24,500 businesses resumed operations, signalling improving confidence as the economy recovers, official data showed. Total registered capital for new firms rose to VND180.9tr (USD7.1tr), while registered employment increased to about 108,200, the National Statistics Office said. However, average capital per newly formed company fell to VND7.5bn, and addi

A Hong Kong family office AI venture fund is backing a new artificial intelligence vehicle launched by former SenseTime managing director Esther Wong, the founder said. Wong’s firm, 3C AGI Partners, is targeting up to USD100m by March after raising USD50m at a first close in November. The fund will focus on so-called “picks and shovels” AI infrastructure, including hardware and data centres, and will steer clear of application-layer bets that Wong described as overvalued. VMS