AMINA Bank obtains advanced crypto licence in Hong Kong
AMINA Bank, regulated in Switzerland, gets its Type 1 licence upgrade in Hong Kong in October 2025, becoming the first international banking group to offer spot trading and custody of crypto assets for professional investors.
AMINA Bank, regulated in Switzerland, has achieved a significant milestone by obtaining a Type 1 Licence upgrade from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong.
This achievement makes it the first international banking group to offer comprehensive spot trading and cryptocurrency custody services in Hong Kong.
A Fundamental step for the digital market
The approval, granted to AMINA (Hong Kong) Limited, a subsidiary of AMINA Bank AG, allows it to provide spot trading and cryptocurrency custody solutions to professional investors.
This approval marks a major advancement in Hong Kong's fast-moving digital asset regulatory framework through 2025.
Hong Kong's digital asset market has seen significant expansion, with a year-on-year increase of 233% in early 2025. This growth has been fuelled by institutional demand for a secure and compliant custody infrastructure.
The SFC's Type 1 Licence is essential as it allows for securities trading activity, a requirement for companies offering cryptocurrency trading locally.
Recent regulatory developments reinforce this momentum. In 2025, the SFC granted nine new licences for virtual asset trading platforms and the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau introduced a separate licensing regime for virtual asset custodians.
In addition, stablecoin reserve management regulations came into effect on 1 August 2025. The SFC's September 2025 policy statement introduced the 'A-S-P-I-Re' framework, which emphasises Accessibility, Security, Professionalism, Innovation and Resilience.
Complete Services for Institutional Clients
According to the AMINA's official announcement, the new service fills a long-standing gap in institutional access to cryptocurrencies for professional investors and family offices, who previously had few options for comprehensive, regulated services in Hong Kong's legal environment.
The global digital asset custody industry has grown by more than 50 per cent in the past year, reaching $683 billion by October 2025. In Hong Kong, more than 35 licensed fund managers now offer institutional-level cryptocurrency custody and trading services. Large financial groups, such as HSBC, have launched blockchain-based settlement services in 2025.
Global Credentials and Growth Plans
Founded in Switzerland in April 2018, AMINA was granted a Swiss bank and securities dealer licence by FINMA in August 2019. Since then, the bank has obtained licences in Abu Dhabi's ADGM in 2022, Hong Kong in 2023 and Austria in 2025 under the MiCAR framework.
The Hong Kong licence, updated in October 2025, reflects strong demand for cross-border crypto banking services under robust regulation. AMINA aims to expand beyond spot trading and custody to include private fund management, structured products, derivatives and tokenized assets, in line with Hong Kong's 2026 roadmap for custodians and stablecoin issuers.
Opening to Global Capital Pools
Hong Kong recently announced that licensed virtual asset trading platforms can now connect with global capital pools and foreign liquidity providers.
This policy shift allows local crypto exchanges to combine domestic and international capital, marking a departure from the previous insular market structure and positioning Hong Kong as a serious contender in the global race to become a hub of digital assets.
The ECB selected a Portuguese company specialising in artificial intelligence to develop fraud protection systems in an initiative to safeguard the central bank's future digital currency.
Elliptic's 26 September report reveals how sanctioned Russian entities, through a wallet network run by fugitive Ilan Shor, moved more than $8 billion in digital assets, circumventing Western restrictions and relying on stablecoins such as USDT.
In an unprecedented move to combat fraud and cybercrime, Vietnam permanently closed more than 86 million bank accounts, sparking a global conversation about security and the sovereignty of personal finance.
Chiara Scotti, deputy governor of the Bank of Italy, warns that without unified rules, cross-border stablecoins could create legal, operational and stability risks for European markets.
AMINA Bank, regulated in Switzerland, has achieved a significant milestone by obtaining a Type 1 Licence upgrade from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong.
This achievement makes it the first international banking group to offer comprehensive spot trading and cryptocurrency custody services in Hong Kong.
A Fundamental step for the digital market
The approval, granted to AMINA (Hong Kong) Limited, a subsidiary of AMINA Bank AG, allows it to provide spot trading and cryptocurrency custody solutions to professional investors.
This approval marks a major advancement in Hong Kong's fast-moving digital asset regulatory framework through 2025.
Hong Kong's digital asset market has seen significant expansion, with a year-on-year increase of 233% in early 2025. This growth has been fuelled by institutional demand for a secure and compliant custody infrastructure.
The SFC's Type 1 Licence is essential as it allows for securities trading activity, a requirement for companies offering cryptocurrency trading locally.
Recent regulatory developments reinforce this momentum. In 2025, the SFC granted nine new licences for virtual asset trading platforms and the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau introduced a separate licensing regime for virtual asset custodians.
In addition, stablecoin reserve management regulations came into effect on 1 August 2025. The SFC's September 2025 policy statement introduced the 'A-S-P-I-Re' framework, which emphasises Accessibility, Security, Professionalism, Innovation and Resilience.
Complete Services for Institutional Clients
According to the AMINA's official announcement, the new service fills a long-standing gap in institutional access to cryptocurrencies for professional investors and family offices, who previously had few options for comprehensive, regulated services in Hong Kong's legal environment.
The global digital asset custody industry has grown by more than 50 per cent in the past year, reaching $683 billion by October 2025. In Hong Kong, more than 35 licensed fund managers now offer institutional-level cryptocurrency custody and trading services. Large financial groups, such as HSBC, have launched blockchain-based settlement services in 2025.
Global Credentials and Growth Plans
Founded in Switzerland in April 2018, AMINA was granted a Swiss bank and securities dealer licence by FINMA in August 2019. Since then, the bank has obtained licences in Abu Dhabi's ADGM in 2022, Hong Kong in 2023 and Austria in 2025 under the MiCAR framework.
The Hong Kong licence, updated in October 2025, reflects strong demand for cross-border crypto banking services under robust regulation. AMINA aims to expand beyond spot trading and custody to include private fund management, structured products, derivatives and tokenized assets, in line with Hong Kong's 2026 roadmap for custodians and stablecoin issuers.
Opening to Global Capital Pools
Hong Kong recently announced that licensed virtual asset trading platforms can now connect with global capital pools and foreign liquidity providers.
This policy shift allows local crypto exchanges to combine domestic and international capital, marking a departure from the previous insular market structure and positioning Hong Kong as a serious contender in the global race to become a hub of digital assets.
Read Next
ECB chooses an AI start-up to prevent digital euro fraud
The ECB selected a Portuguese company specialising in artificial intelligence to develop fraud protection systems in an initiative to safeguard the central bank's future digital currency.
Crypto-Sanctions: Russian Network Moves Over $8 Billion
Elliptic's 26 September report reveals how sanctioned Russian entities, through a wallet network run by fugitive Ilan Shor, moved more than $8 billion in digital assets, circumventing Western restrictions and relying on stablecoins such as USDT.
Vietnam's Digital Purgatory: 86 Million Bank Accounts Vanish
In an unprecedented move to combat fraud and cybercrime, Vietnam permanently closed more than 86 million bank accounts, sparking a global conversation about security and the sovereignty of personal finance.
Bank of Italy calls for clear EU rules for cross-border stablecoins
Chiara Scotti, deputy governor of the Bank of Italy, warns that without unified rules, cross-border stablecoins could create legal, operational and stability risks for European markets.