HashKey Exchange has made a major step forward in the city’s emerging digital asset market gaining authorization of Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) to provide Ethereum (ETH) staking services. As for HashKey, it is one of the first licensed virtual asset trading platforms in Hong Kong that have been permitted to provide staking services, including spot Ether exchange traded funds (ETFs).
The SFC’s ruling follows the release of new regulatory guidelines released on April 7, 2025, which outlined the guidelines for staking activities that licensed platforms and authorized funds can perform. Staking is one of the most important parts of improving blockchain security and for investors and having the opportunity to profit in a controlled market is important here.
The Hong Kong approval represents a major step forward in the introduction of service innovation in regulating Hong Kong virtual assets, as Terence Pu, Managing Director of HashKey Exchange poses. He said that the exchange has a staking service system that complies with regulations so as to provide ETH staking services to spot ETFs and eventually all clients.
It is inline with Hong Kong’s overarching ambition as a global hub for digital assets in the area of staking service launch. The city’s approach differs from other jurisdictions, including the US, which take a different regulatory position on staking strategies that are in practice prohibited within ETFs. With the goal of raising money from institutional and retail investors wishing to participate in digital assets in a legalized manner, Hong Kong plans to allow investors to stake their digital assets in a regulated fashion.
In addition, Hong Kong, has been making great efforts to promote innovation while maintaining strict regulatory laws in the digital asset market. This development is aimed at further maturing of the city’s digital asset ecosystem and making it more attractive to enterprised investors from around the world.
