Hong Kong sees third major cryptocurrency exchange withdraw licence application as Gate.io unit drops out

The platform said it will cease trading on May 28, as required by the city’s regulations, and it suggested users withdraw their assets by August 28.

Hong Kong’s new mandatory licensing regime for centralised exchanges, which came into effect in June last year amid the city’s push to become a virtual asset hub, calls for intensive compliance efforts and capital investments from firms hoping to gain a foothold in the city.

Under the new rules, the SFC may send a notice to a firm if it does not qualify for a so-called deeming arrangement, in which the platform is deemed to be licensed from June 1 while it awaits full approval for a licence. Businesses that fail to qualify are required to shut down by May 31 or within three months of being notified by the SFC, whichever is later.

Meeting the SFC’s requirements has proved challenging. Eight firms have withdrawn their applications to date, according to the regulator’s official website, and they include local companies with ties to well-known global exchanges.

Gate.io, the parent of Gate.HK, ranked sixth by 24-hour trading volume on Friday, according to market tracker CoinGecko.

Gate.HK “remains dedicated to maintaining compliant operations in Hong Kong”, and is exploring the possibility of applying for other regulatory licences in the city, company chief executive Kevin Lee said in a statement.

“Our overall business strategy to have a presence in Hong Kong has not been changed,” he said.

There currently remains 20 applicants for Hong Kong’s virtual-asset platform licence, with OKX, Crypto.com, Bybit and Bullish among the largest. Two exchanges, Hashkey Exchange and OSL Exchange, have been approved to serve retail investors.