Chinese tourists seek thrills in Hong Kong’s crypto scene

A rising trend is taking hold in the heart of Hong Kong. Regularly, Zhang, an entrepreneur hailing from Shenzhen’s Futian district, embarks on a 90-minute journey across the border to exchange his money for USDT, a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar.

A wave of Mainland Chinese tourists, like Zhang, are partaking in this venture, highlighting the appeal and thrill of Hong Kong’s flourishing, yet loosely regulated, crypto scene.

Mainland China’s Digital Gold Rush in Hong Kong

Contrasting to Mainland China’s stringent regulations against cryptocurrency transactions, Hong Kong is progressively becoming an attractive destination for digital assets trading.

With China’s ban on overseas exchanges serving onshore clients, Hong Kong’s cryptocurrency shops are filling in this gap, and in the process, transforming into bustling crypto bazaars.

These crypto shops peppered across the city’s popular districts, from shopping malls to tourist hotspots, offer customers an enticing proposition – the ease of acquiring digital assets in cash, often sans any intrusive identity checks or inquiries into the origin of funds.

The unique mix of legal ambiguity surrounding these shops and the city’s aspiration to become a virtual assets hub has led to an exponential surge in footfall from mainland Chinese visitors.

Crypto’s New Haven and the Changing Tide

Crypto HK, an over-the-counter (OTC) cryptocurrency business with two branches in Hong Kong, witnessed this change firsthand.

According to founder Merton Lam, mainland Chinese customers now account for roughly half of the total customers, a sharp rise from less than 5% before the reopening of the China-Hong Kong border in February.

Another testament to this trend is One Satoshi, a company operating nine crypto branches in Hong Kong. Co-founder Roger Li reported a rise of about 20-25% in trading volumes in the first five months of the year compared to the same period last year, projecting a year-end increase between 35 and 40%.

A newly introduced regime for online crypto exchanges in Hong Kong aims to license all such platforms operating within the city.

However, Hong Kong’s encouragement for crypto growth stands apart from other jurisdictions like the U.S. and Singapore, which are tightening their regulations in response to high-profile exchange collapses.

Despite this progress, the majority of OTC crypto stores still operate outside the purview of Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission. Their existence primarily serves to facilitate simple transfers of money to unlicensed online exchanges, fulfilling a significant demand in the market.

The ambivalence about regulatory supervision brings along its challenges. While some shops favor more stringent controls to foster the sector’s growth, others revel in the current laxity, allowing rapid transactions without the need for “Know Your Customer” (KYC) checks.

Despite this lack of scrutiny, Hong Kong’s OTC shops continue to be a magnet for Chinese tourists due to its close proximity to mainland China and the thrill of investing in the digital asset class.

To them, the appeal lies not only in circumventing the mainland’s restrictions but also in the potential of their digital assets appreciating significantly.

With changes looming in the regulatory landscape, it remains to be seen how this trend will shape the future of crypto trading in Hong Kong.

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