#创作者冲榜

Futu NiuNiu Enters the Cryptocurrency Exchange Market!

Futu Holdings, known for operating "Futu NiuNiu," announced that its virtual asset trading platform Panther Trade has received full licensing and is now operating legally. It will soon be deeply integrated with Futu Securities, becoming a comprehensive financial services platform that holds licenses to operate both "Securities Brokerage" and "Virtual Asset Exchange."

Futu Holdings, the parent company, announced on Thursday that this self-developed virtual asset platform will soon fully connect with its retail brokerage Futu Securities, with services including crypto asset matching trading, asset custody, and underlying technology support.

👊Asia’s First Dual-License: A Milestone for VATP with a Brokerage License

Under Hong Kong’s current regulatory framework, VATP licenses are approved by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and are only issued to platforms that meet strict capital and compliance requirements.

The acquisition of a license by Panther Trade marks the completion of Futu’s dual-track compliance in both "traditional finance + crypto markets." Once integrated, Futu Group will be able to operate both stock brokerage and virtual asset exchange businesses under licensed status in Asia.

💡Crypto Holdings Will Be Considered as Securities Buying Power

Futu further stated that, under regulatory guidance, it plans to explore including virtual asset holdings in a unified calculation system for purchasing power.

In simple terms, users may in the future be able to use their crypto holdings as collateral or available funds for traditional securities trading(, i.e., margin/leverage), enabling seamless cross-asset fund flow and leverage between traditional finance and crypto markets.

💪Promoting the Development of Hong Kong’s Cryptocurrency Industry and Strengthening Hong Kong’s Status as an International Financial Center

1. Setting a Model for Licensed Operations: Under the regulatory environment in Hong Kong that has mandated VATP licenses since 2023, Panther Trade successfully completed the full licensing review and was approved to operate. This provides a clear compliance pathway and successful example for other platforms applying or observing. It signals to the market that compliant operations are possible under strict regulation.

2. Attracting Traditional Financial Institutions: Futu’s successful licensing as a large listed brokerage group significantly boosts the confidence of traditional financial giants in Hong Kong’s crypto market. It demonstrates that within the existing financial regulatory system, traditional securities businesses and virtual asset services can operate compliantly in tandem. This may encourage more licensed brokerages, banks, and asset management firms to explore or accelerate their crypto asset service offerings, promoting large-scale, regulated entry of traditional capital into the sector.

3. Demonstrating the Effectiveness of a "Balanced" Regulatory Model: Hong Kong’s comprehensive and proactive dual-license regulation for VATP (covering both security and non-security tokens) is exemplified by Futu’s success. This reflects Hong Kong’s regulatory philosophy of emphasizing investor protection, market integrity, and anti-money laundering while fostering an innovation-friendly environment. It helps attract compliant Web3 companies and talent to settle in Hong Kong.

4. Helping Hong Kong Become Asia’s Digital Asset Hub: As stated by Futu management, this integration aims to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an Asia Web3 and digital asset hub. The emergence of a large, compliant, and integrated platform led by traditional financial institutions enhances Hong Kong’s service capacity and international competitiveness in digital assets, creating a differentiated advantage compared to other financial centers like Singapore.