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1. Hong Kong Releases Virtual Asset Roadmap, Considers Promoting Gold Tokenization 1.1 Hong Kong is Exploring the Promotion of Gold Tokenization link According to Hong Kong Wenhui Daily, Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, stated at the Consensus conference that Hong Kong is considering promoting the tokenization of gold, integrating physical gold with blockchain technology, and driving innovation in the financial market through tokenization. Hong Kong is also promoting the participation of digital finance in the real economy, such as supporting cross-border payments. Another trend is the integration of artificial intelligence with blockchain and Web3 technologies to strengthen the construction of digital infrastructure. 1.1 Hong Kong SFC Unveils Virtual Asset Roadmap ASPIRe link The Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong has issued the newly formulated ASPIRe Roadmap, which proposes five ...

1. Bank of Japan Maintains Interest Rates Unchanged link On December 19, the Bank of Japan announced it would maintain its unsecured overnight call rate at 0.25%, leaving the policy rate unchanged. The yen weakened against the dollar, dropping to 155 for the first time since November. This marks the central bank’s third consecutive pause on rate hikes, with the decision passed by an 8-to-1 vote. 2. Japan’s Crypto Tax Reforms May Take Shape by 2025 link At a joint meeting of the Tax System Committees and Tax Research Committees of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party, the final outline of the 2025 fiscal tax reform was approved. Currently under “review,” the reforms may introduce a 20% separate self-assessment tax rate for cryptocurrencies and a loss carryforward system. The outline also confirmed an increase in the deduction amount to 1.23 million yen. Japan’s current cryptocurrency tax rate reaches as high as 55%, significantly higher than other countries, undermining th...

Hong Kong Embraces Crypto Regulations While many countries in the West remain cautious about cryptocurrencies, Hong Kong has taken a different approach by actively regulating crypto assets. In 2023, the city’s Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, announced the government’s commitment to building a robust crypto and fintech ecosystem. Since then, Hong Kong has been proactively developing regulations and compliance measures to foster the growth of the crypto industry. Read More: Bitcoin Exchange Outflow Hits 1-Month High, BTC Price Pump Incoming? Hong Kong ’s pro-crypto stance has attracted attention from global tech giants. In January, Samsung, the Korean tech giant, announced the launch of a Bitcoin Futures Active ETF on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong . Moreover, in mid-February, reports emerged that Chinese officials were providing strategic approval to Hong Kong ’s pro-crypto efforts. It is even speculated that the Chinese government might eventually consid...