Paul Chan, speaking at a Web3 forum in Cyberport, said Hong Kong remains committed to becoming a regional crypto hub - an ambition expressed at the end of October, just before Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX exchange had its industry-altering meltdown - and will work to attract new businesses from all over the world.
"As certain crypto exchanges collapsed one after another, Hong Kong became a quality standing point for digital asset corporates,” said Chan, who’s been Hong Kong’s financial secretary since 2017. The city has a robust regulatory framework that"matches international norms and standards” while prohibiting free-riders, he added.
The remarks came as the city attempts to rebuild its international stature as a financial hub following three years of tough Covid-19 restrictions. Its leadership has come under fire for virus curbs that played a role in pushing investors, executives and corporations to locations like Singapore that dropped guardrails earlier.