Liang Fengyi: The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission focuses on areas such as virtual assets, with Web3 and generative AI being significant opportunities
ChainCatcher news, the CEO of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Ashley Alder, stated in a speech at the annual meeting of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association that, "The SFC is committed to driving growth. We understand that investment products in the market need to innovate to keep pace with the times and meet the ever-changing demands of investors. We are currently focusing on three main areas: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), virtual assets, and RMB-denominated products."Regarding the work related to virtual asset products, Alder mentioned, "The demand for these products has been rising in recent years, and we have introduced measures to encourage responsible technological innovation and support the fintech industry. We have recognized the first batch of virtual asset futures ETFs, which primarily invest in virtual asset futures traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, including the world's first Ethereum futures ETF and Asia's first Bitcoin futures ETF. Two weeks ago, we released guidelines for licensed virtual asset trading platform operators. Similar to the virtual asset futures ETFs, we have implemented several measures to protect investor interests, such as specifying requirements for the inclusion criteria of tokens available for retail investors to trade."Additionally, although Alder pointed out that the investment environment remains challenging, she stated, "We do not forget that there are opportunities in crises. The 'opportunities' include the reopening of the Chinese economy, digital transformation, the third generation of the internet (Web3), and generative artificial intelligence (generative AI), all of which are significant opportunities for driving innovation and sustainable investment." (source link)