Hong Kong Grants First Stablecoin Licenses to HSBC, Standard Chartered Group

Hong Kong has granted its first stablecoin issuer licences to HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial Limited, a consortium that includes Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong), Animoca Brands, and HKT. The move matters because the city has shifted from writing stablecoin rules to approving real issuers that say they want to launch in the coming few months.

On 10 April 2026, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said it granted stablecoin issuer licences to Anchorpoint Financial Limited and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. The regulator said both licences took effect on 10 April 2026.

HKMA’s licensed stablecoin issuer register lists Anchorpoint as FRS01 and HSBC as FRS02, with both entries effective on 10/04/2026. For readers who do not follow crypto regulation closely, that register entry is the practical proof that Hong Kong has moved from policy language to named, supervised issuers.

HKMA chief executive Eddie Yue described the approvals as a milestone for the city’s digital-asset plans.

Anchorpoint Ties A Bank, A Telecom Group, And A Crypto Firm Together

Animoca Brands said Anchorpoint was established in Hong Kong together with Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited and HKT. That structure matters because it brings banking, telecom, and crypto-industry partners into the same applicant instead of leaving the first licence round to a crypto-native startup.

Animoca Brands also said Anchorpoint indicated formal interest with HKMA in applying for a stablecoin issuer licence on 1 August 2025, the day Hong Kong’s Stablecoins Ordinance took effect. That timeline shows the consortium was in the queue from the first day the new regime opened.

Some headlines have described Anchorpoint as Standard Chartered-led, but Animoca’s official statement confirms Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong), HKT, and Animoca as partners without saying one party leads the venture. That caveat matters because the public documents support the partnership claim, but not the stronger wording.

Animoca Brands President Evan Auyang framed stablecoins as a practical crypto use case when the company announced Anchorpoint’s application plans.

Hong Kong’s Rulebook Has Now Produced Live Licence Holders

On 29 July 2025, HKMA said the stablecoin issuer regime would start on 1 August 2025 and that no licence had been issued as of 29 July 2025. The approvals on 10 April 2026 are therefore the first licences granted under that framework.

HKMA said the newly licensed issuers intend to complete preparation work and launch business in the coming few months. The regulator has not yet disclosed a launch date, ticker, reserve mix, or blockchain network for either product.

The brief also notes that no public HSBC product statement has yet described how its stablecoin will work. For a regular crypto holder, that means the approval is already official, but the consumer-facing product details still are not public.

Why Markets Care Before Any Product Is Live

The immediate market signal is the identity of the approved names, not a token launch. Because HKMA’s register now shows HSBC and Anchorpoint as licensed issuers, Hong Kong can point to supervised participants rather than just a rulebook.

That may help mainstream users trust the category more, because the first approvals involve established financial and corporate brands. The same appetite for clearer infrastructure has shaped other crypto stories, from Ethereum’s growing staking base to long-range security debates such as quantum-safe Bitcoin proposals.

It is still early to call this a retail adoption breakthrough. HKMA said the issuers need a few more months of preparation, so the more practical takeaway is that Hong Kong has opened a regulated lane for stablecoins, not that shoppers or traders can use these products today.

If those launches arrive smoothly, they could give Hong Kong a stronger role in payment-focused crypto adoption across Asia. That is the part newer readers should watch, especially in everyday use cases where crypto already acts as spending balance rather than just a trade, including digital wagering platforms that rely on crypto balances.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency and digital asset markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making decisions.