HKMA relaxes capital requirements for HK banks holding Bitcoin

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has announced a relaxation of capital requirements for financial institutions holding specific digital assets. The HKMA's easing of capital requirements for banks holding Bitcoin is viewed as a strategic move to solidify Hong Kong's status as an international financial center and actively develop the cryptocurrency industry. The HKMA is also implementing a new regulatory policy manual module, CRP-1, which clearly categorizes virtual assets under the Basel Committee's global capital standards and will take effect on January 1, 2026.

Easing of Capital Requirements Originating from August Notification

This new regulation stems from a notification issued by the HKMA in mid-August, confirming that the international Basel standards will be implemented in Hong Kong in early 2026. The authority has circulated a consultation document to the local banking sector outlining the specifics of how it will implement the Basel standards within Hong Kong's regulatory framework.

Notably, the new regulation adopts a differentiated approach for cryptocurrencies operating on unlicensed blockchains, such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). If issuers can effectively implement risk management and mitigation measures, their capital requirements may be reduced. This measure will distinguish tokenized assets and stablecoins from unendorsed cryptocurrencies, moving away from treating all digital assets uniformly.

According to the Basel Agreement, digital assets originally bore a risk weight of 1250%, meaning that banks needed to hold capital equivalent to or exceeding 100% of the digital asset's value as a loss buffer, making participation in the virtual asset business economically unfeasible for banks. The new regulation is expected to lower this threshold.

Initial Approval for a Limited Number of Stablecoin Issuers

The HKMA indicated that initially, only a limited number of stablecoin issuers would be approved, allowing them ample time to prepare for the capital requirements set to take effect early next year. Over the years, Hong Kong has established a comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, encompassing licensing systems for cryptocurrency exchanges and stablecoin issuers. The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) also updated its guidelines in August, requiring licensed cryptocurrency platforms to enhance customer fund custody measures and detailing new requirements for platform custody practices in response to vulnerabilities and customer losses exposed in several overseas incidents. These new requirements include responsibilities for senior management, cold wallet infrastructure, real-time threat monitoring, and third-party wallet oversight.

For stablecoin issuers, the HKMA's new regulations require them to hold a license and issue stablecoins pegged to the Hong Kong dollar, maintaining a minimum capital of HKD 25 million, HKD 3 million in liquidity, and sufficient additional liquidity to cover at least 12 months of operating expenses. Stablecoin holders can redeem assets at face value within one business day, and issuers are prohibited from imposing unreasonable fees or conditions on redemption requests.

Issuers operating regulated stablecoin activities without permission will face fines of up to HKD 5 million and imprisonment for up to seven years, along with daily fines of HKD 100,000 until the violations cease. This series of measures demonstrates the Hong Kong government's commitment to developing the cryptocurrency industry while emphasizing risk management and regulatory transparency.