John Lee: Hong Kong is actively working to establish itself as a global digital asset innovation hub, with the first batch of stablecoin issuer licenses to be issued next month.

Foresight News reports that Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee delivered a video speech at Consensus 2026. John Lee stated that Hong Kong is currently one of the world’s most free economies and one of the top three international financial centers globally. Under the principle of “One Country, Two Systems,” Hong Kong maintains a rule of law tradition, an independent judiciary, and a common law system similar to that of global financial centers, with advantages such as free capital flow and low tax rates.

John Lee pointed out that Hong Kong is committed to becoming a global digital asset innovation hub. Over the past few years, the government has actively built a regulatory framework and released the Digital Asset Development Policy Declaration 2.0 in June last year, aiming to establish a trusted and innovative digital asset ecosystem. Notably, the Stablecoins Ordinance implemented in August last year established licensing requirements for fiat-backed stablecoin issuers. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is actively processing related applications, with the first batch of stablecoin issuer licenses expected to be issued next month.

Additionally, John Lee mentioned that the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) announced a virtual asset market regulatory roadmap last year, implementing measures to enhance liquidity in the virtual asset market and expand related products and services. Currently, Hong Kong ranks fourth globally in digital competitiveness and fourth in talent ranking, with five universities among the top 100 worldwide. Hong Kong will continue to lead in financial and technological innovation, welcoming global enterprises and institutions to build the digital future together.