Hong Kong SFC to Unveil Institutional-Only Framework for Crypto Perpetuals

Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission will unveil a high-level framework for trading platforms to offer perpetual contracts, with access limited to institutional investors and a focus on risk management, SFC CEO Julia Leung said Wednesday at CoinDesk's Consensus Hong Kong conference. Platforms seeking to offer such products must demonstrate strong risk controls and fair treatment of customers, while market making will be permitted via independent units with robust conflict-of-interest safeguards, Leung said. She added that Hong Kong brokers will be allowed to provide financing to clients with strong credit profiles using collateral backed by both securities and virtual assets, initially limited to bitcoin and ether, and noted the SFC has published conclusions from its consultation on custody and related issues as part of a broader 2025 roadmap to expand regulated crypto products and services.