Hong Kong SFC grants new licenses to Panthertrade and YAX

Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has issued virtual asset licenses to the exchanges of local crypto Panthertrade and Yax.

Hong Kong The financial authorities have updated their list virtual asset trading platforms that have received an operating license from the SFC. Two crypto trading platforms based in Hong Kong, Panthertrade Hong Kong Limited and Yax Hong Kong Limited, have just received an operation license is January. 27

“The publication of this list by the SFC does not constitute a guarantee of performance or credibility of a virtual asset negotiation platform authorized by the SFC,” the financial regulation agency said in a translated press release.

Until now, there are a total of nine virtual asset trading platforms that have received licenses to operate in Hong Kong from the SFC. These are made up of Osl,, ChoppingHong Kong Virtual Asset Exchange, Hong Kong Digital Asset Ex, accumulus GBA Technology, DFX Labs and Thousand Whale Technology or BVI.

On the other hand, there are six other candidates awaiting revision and possible approval for a SFC license. Some of the crypto trading platforms that have requested a license include Hong Kong BGE, the Whalefin, Flying Hippo Technologies and Highblock markets.

Although Panthertrade has an office in Hong Kong, he is actually part of a Chinese Internet company called Cheetah. While Yax Hong Kong is a subsidiary of Tiger Brokers Hong Kong Global Limited, an Internet broker company.

As before reported By Crypto.News, Executive Director of the Intermediary Department of Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, Ye Zhiheng had suggested that the Commission would issue new virtual asset licenses in the first quarter of 2025.

He did not reveal an exact date, but he said that the “good news” would be delivered in a month or two.

Hong Kong regulators have produced updates to how the virtual license emission process is taking place, aimed at issuing a new share of licenses to develop the region’s grass cryptographic center.

Unfortunately, Hong Kong’s regulatory obstacles have prevented them from progressing at a faster rate; fall behind Singapore who have issuing Twice the number of cryptographic licenses last year compared to 2023.

In October, the Hong Kong SFC had aimed to approve a new share of cryptographic licenses by the end of 2024. However, this target was even more delayed in early 2025.