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Tiger Brokers subsidiary awarded crypto license in Hong Kong

Policy & Regulation·February 04, 2025, 1:40 AM

A subsidiary company of Tiger Brokers, a Singapore-based online brokerage firm with nine million users, has been awarded a virtual asset trading license in Hong Kong.

 

The subsidiary, YAX (Hong Kong) Limited, has been added to a list of licensed virtual asset trading providers (VATPs) on the website of the local regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). 

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Seven platforms licensed

Back in August, YAX found itself among a list of 11 VATP applicants that had been provided with feedback with regard to issues that needed to be addressed following inspections carried out by the SFC. Evidently, those issues have been resolved given that the company has now been awarded a trading license.

 

YAX is now just one of nine trading platforms that have obtained licenses in the Chinese autonomous territory. These include OSL and HashKey, who were the first entities to be licensed in Hong Kong. HKVAX followed with approval granted in August 2023.

 

Last October, SFC CEO Julia Leung told local news media that the regulator was dealing with 11 applications and that four approvals were imminent. In December, four additional exchanges, namely HKbitEX, Accumulus, DFX Labs and EX.IO, were awarded licenses.

 

Bixin.com, WhaleFin and Matrixport HK are among the eleven applicants that have yet to receive a license. Alongside YAX, Panthertrade (Hong Kong) Limited was issued a license on Jan. 27, meaning that seven platforms have now been licensed. Panthertrade is a subsidiary company of Chinese mobile internet firm Cheetah Mobile. 

 

Crypto trading and custody

Once launched, YAX intends to extend crypto trading services alongside crypto custody to its clients. The company’s CEO, Kelvin Liu Kai, has said that as it rolls out its service offering, YAX will look to enhance speed trading, focus on transparency and security relative to the trading process and reduce custodial risks. 

 

Tiger Brokers CEO Wu Tianhua has suggested that the virtual asset sector has grown rapidly on a global basis and with that, he sees “immense potential” for further growth. He added:

“Cryptocurrencies are a key future investment trend. The establishment of YAX not only demonstrates our confidence in the potential of the market, but also showcases our firm commitment to creating a transparent and secure trading environment.”

 

Swift licensing process

These latest licensing applicant approvals follow confirmation earlier this month that the SFC had extended access to its swift licensing process to all new VATP applicants. The four applicants approved in December had been the first to be put through the process. 

 

In December, Joseph Chan, Acting Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (FSTB), confirmed to Hong Kong’s Legislative Council that in addition to the swift licensing process, a consultative panel for licensed trading platforms will be established in early 2025.

 

It emerged in October 2023 that both YAX and Panthertrade were planning on submitting applications for VATP licensing in Hong Kong. With licensing pending, YAX parent company Tiger Brokers partnered with HashKey Exchange in May 2024, in order to launch a virtual asset trading service. 

 

The service was made available to retail investors through the Tiger Trade platform the following month, enabling the platform’s 800,000 users to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum.

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