• AMINA bank becomes the first foreign bank approved in Hong Kong to offer institutional crypto trading services.
• The bank gains an upgraded Type 1 license, enabling trading and custody of 13 major digital assets.
• Hong Kong strengthens its regulatory framework as crypto trading volume surges 233% in early 2025.

Hong Kong has made further significant progress in developing its digital assets sector after the Swiss-based bank AMINA Bank AG received regulatory approval regarding the offering of institutional cryptocurrency services within the financial hub of Hong Kong. This makes AMINA Bank the first international bank that receive this type of approval after following the regulatory requirements of Hong Kong.

AMINA announced on Monday that the bank received the uplift of its Type 1 license that secured the trading and custody of virtual currencies with institutional clients; this area of business has not found smooth sailing within the region.

On obtaining it, AMINA’s Hong Kong subsidiary now enables trading of a further 13 cryptos, including Bitcoin, Ether, USDC, and Tether, together with other leading DeFi assets.

Rising Demand Fuels AMINA’s Expansion Plans

This development comes at a time when the Hong Kong cryptocurrency industry is growing rapidly. AMINA Bank reported that the trading of virtual currencies on the platforms of Hong Kong increased significantly by 233% in the first half of the year 2025 compared with the same period the previous year.

Michael Benz, the head of the Hong Kong branch of AMINA, said that the new banking license will enable the bank’s growth in the area of management of private funds, structured products, derivatives, and tokenized real-world assets. Hong Kong wants to improve its stronghold with the addition of more global digital assets companies.

Local companies such as HashKey and Tiger Brokers are currently active within the regulated environment set up by the government, but the inclusion of AMINA Bank constitutes the first-ever addition of a foreign bank with this special approval.

AMINA Bank Boosts Hong Kong Crypto

Hong Kong’s regulatory environment regarding digital assets continues to improve with the inclusion of new companies. August marked the regulatory execution of the eagerly awaited rules on stablecoins; this has prompted major banks HSBC and ICBC to apply for licenses. Later on, the first Solana ETF received regulatory approval by the SFC, months after the U.S. followed suit.

Despite the increased vigilance on the issue of self-custody and its mitigation of the various cyber threats, the regulatory environment still appears bullish on the growth of the sector. The entry of AMINA Bank further fuels the ambition of Hong Kong’s endeavor to be the world’s hub of institutionally managed cryptocurrency markets.

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Hong Kong Opens Crypto Markets Globally

Meanwhile, the city is preparing for one of the biggest regulatory overhauls ever. Hong Kong will soon permit its regulated Bitcoin trading platforms access to worldwide liquidity pools, the first time the trading community hasn’t maintained an insulated system over the years.

SFC CEO Julian Leung announced the Hong Kong Fintech Week event and indicated that this new development will ensure that the regulation of virtual assets will align with the rest of the financial markets. Since the beginning of 2022, the SFC has implemented the regulation of virtual exchanges and accepted investment products based on Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Nevertheless, trading levels remain lower than in markets like the United States. The proposed changes seek to address this disparity with a balance of investor protection.

Hong Kong is getting new regulatory requirements regarding the licensure of dealers of cryptocurrency, custodians of virtual assets, and issuers of stablecoins. Regulators may consider giving access to world markets not only to trading exchanges but also to other brokers with licenses.

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