HONGKONG
McAfee's Ghostcoin Gets Backing as Payment in Hong Kong
John McAfee's Ghostcoin gets backing for use as a payment coin in Hong Kong across 60 vending machines including Disneyland.
China Leads Pan-Asian Digital Currency Project to Compete with Facebook's Libra
Led by China, four Asian countries are in the early stages of developing a joint digital currency. The currency will help keep the Dollar and Libra in check
Bitcoin Adoption is the Ultimate Protest Against Government and State Abuse of Freedoms
As protests break out across the globe against state and central authorities, are the protesters overlooking their best and most potent weapon in Bitcoin? Bitcoin in essence, was built for protest and could potentially destabilize the central source of power for our governments—control over traditional financial systems.
Hong Kong Fintechs Embrace Blockchain and DLT
Blockchain firms make up nearly 40% of all new Hong Kong FinTech companies launched in 2019.
China Plans to Incorporate Blockchain in Attempt for Hainan to Overtake Hong Kong on International Trade
The Chinese government is planning to make the province of Hainan into a free trade port, focusing on facilitating free trade, investment, and cross-border capital flows. The plan encourages government institutions to use blockchain and other emerging technologies to improve government functions. The government’s plan has mentioned blockchain technology consistently, as it could have the potential to be used in social governance, as well as protecting data systems including intellectual property rights.
Hong Kong Vending Machines Accept Bitcoin Cash not Bitcoin Boasts Roger Ver
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) advocate Roger Ver recently took to Twitter to highlight a Hong Kong vending machine which accepts BCH and Ether as payment options but not Bitcoin. After asking why BCH was preferred over BTC, Ver was accused by popular YouTube Bitcoin influencer Tone Vays and trader Willy Woo of paying for Bitcoin’s omission.
China Passes Civil Code Which Will Allow its Citizens to Inherit Cryptocurrency
At the Thirteenth National People’s Congress held in Beijing China, the parliament passed a new civil code that protects the civil rights of inheritance, marriage, property, personality, and contract infringement. According to Lixin Yang, a professor at Renmin University of China, the civil code states that “When a natural person dies, the legacy is the personal legal property left by she/he.” Personal legal property in this case also means “internet property” including virtual currencies. Chinese citizens will be able to leave their cryptocurrency and virtual assets to their heirs, coming into effect on January 1, 2021.
Why Hong Kong is Still Not Ready to Become Asia's Leader in Crypto and Blockchain
During a live webinar, as part of the UK FinTech Week, Clara Chiu, the Head of Fintech Unit & Director of Licensing at the SFC explicitly stated that Hong Kong does not have the mandate to create a large regulatory regime for cryptocurrencies or to attract more investors or players in the crypto field. Rather than promoting the crypto sector, Hong Kong is rather focused on protecting investors and promoting new regulations for the same reason. Is focusing on licensing enough for the city?
First Crypto Fund Approved by Hong Kong’s Financial Regulator Aims to Pass $100M in its First Year
Hong Kong’s first approved cryptocurrency fund, Arrano Capital, the blockchain arm of Venture Smart Asia announced its rollout of a new Bitcoin fund in Hong Kong.
PwC Expert's Take: What Are the 3 Grey Areas to Crypto Taxation in Hong Kong?
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) of Hong Kong took a step further to provide clarity in taxing digital assets. In the recent press release titled “LCQ20: Regulation of virtual asset investment activities”, James Lau, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury answered the queries raised by the Hon Wu Chi-wai on taxation of virtual assets, tax evasion of virtual asset-related business and latest effort to regulate virtual assets by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).
Standard Chartered's Virtual Bank, Mox Will Usher in New Era of Banking for Hong Kong
Mox Bank Limited, or Mox, the new virtual bank in Hong Kong recently launched by Standard Chartered, has now been made available to select customers via invitation in an external pilot. The aim of the pilot is to prepare the state-of-art virtual bank for the public launch scheduled for later this year.
Hong Kong's 2020 Budget: Digital Assets May be Incorporated into Regulatory Framework but not Blockchain
Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, Paul Chan been under intense pressure from lawmakers to dip into the government’s fiscal reserves to help the city get out of an economic slump. After months of anti-government protests and the emergence of the coronavirus epidemic, Hong Kong residents aged over 18 will receive a cash handout of HK$10,000. The budget also highlighted the forecast of an all-time high deficit of HK$139 billion for the coming fiscal year.
Unauthorized Cryptocurrency Betting Jeopardizes Jockey Racing Integrity, Warns HKJC Expert
During a presentation at the Asian Racing Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, Tom Chignell, a Hong Kong Jockey Club expert, warned that illegal cryptocurrency betting markets could seriously compromise jockey racing integrity.
Hong Kong Blockchain Startup Bitspark Announces Closure Amid Coronavirus Outbreak and Protests
Bitspark, a blockchain remittance startup based in Hong Kong recently announced its abrupt closure, stating internal restructuring issues.
Hong Kong’s Central Bank and Bank of Thailand Announce Results of Blockchain-Based CBDC Study
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Bank of Thailand published the results in a research report of the Project Inthanon-LionRock, by the two central banks on the application of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) on cross-border payments. In May 2019, the two authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on fintech collaboration, as Thailand is one of Hong Kong’s top 10 principal trading partners.