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☆ Amid crypto turmoil, Hong Kong debuts first crypto futures ETFs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Two exchange traded funds (ETF) that track U.S.-listed cryptocurrency futures have raised a combined $73.6 million ahead of their debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday in defiance of the sector's meltdown. Cryptocurrencies have endured months of turmoil, with the collapse of crypto exchange FTX the latest blow to the sector. The larger of the two, CSOP Bitcoin Futures ETF (3066.HK), pulled in $53.9 million, according to the manager. "Coming after the recent liquidity problems affecting some of the crypto platforms, our two crypto futures ETFs demonstrate that Hong Kong remains open-minded on the development of virtual assets," said Yi Wang, head of quantitative investment at CSOP. On Friday, each lot trading on the Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing (HKEX) (0388.HK) will debut at HK$780 each.

Billionaire money manager Bill Ackman went public last week with his wager that the days of the Hong Kong dollar's 39-year-old peg to the U.S. dollar are numbered. "For me, the Hong Kong dollar peg is like a delayed, or lagging bet against China," said Diego Parrilla, who runs Quadriga Igneo, a $240 million fund designed to profit from market turmoil. The Hong Kong dollar has been pegged in a tight band between 7.75 and 7.85 per greenback for nearly four decades. In the short-term, the market is moving against this style of trade as local interest rates and the Hong Kong dollar go up. "The far forwards market still prices in higher U.S. rates than Hong Kong rates," said Mukesh Dave, founder and CIO at Aravali Asset Management in Singapore, which in theory ought to contain gains in the Hong Kong dollar.

☆ Chinese nickel firm Lygend to raise $470 mln in Hong Kong IPO - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Alexander Marrow | Supantha Mukherjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 25 (Reuters) - Chinese nickel producer and trader Lygend Resources has priced shares at HK$15.80 apiece to raise $470m in its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO), according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The Ningbo-based firm sold 232.54 million shares in the IPO, the fourth largest in Hong Kong so far in 2022. The biggest IPO fundraising so far this year has been CALB's (3931.HK) $1.28 billion issue. The company says it is the world's largest nickel product trader, and the largest in China in terms of nickel ore trading in 2021, with a market share of 26.8% in 2021. ($1 = 7.8120 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Georgina Lee in Hong Kong; Additional reporting Gao Zhuo; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hong Kong's leading crypto retail operator says it ceases trading as FTX fallout roils sector
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Nov 18 (Reuters) - A leading cryptocurrency retail service provider in Hong Kong said it has ceased trading as the broader fallout from the collapse of FTX, and solvency issues at other major crypto firms, continues to roil the sector. Genesis Block has no connection with a separate crypto player called Genesis Global Capital which suspended customer redemptions this week. One person with knowledge of the matter said one Genesis Block official was previously a director in FTX Hong Kong, but resigned from the directorship this month. FTX Hong Kong is one of the about 130 FTX-affiliated companies backed by Sam Bankman-Fried that have filed Chapter 11 bankrupcy proceedings in the United States. CoinHero's website offers a guide for its customers on how to buy FTT through Genesis Block's trading desk in Hong Kong.

☆ Moody's closing its consulting business in China, cutting staff -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S.-headquartered credit rating firm started winding down the business, Moody's Analytics, in China this week, the people said on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to media. The move, first announced internally on Monday, has affected more than 100 employees across Moody's Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen offices, one of the sources said. Total headcount for the business unit could not immediately be ascertained. Moody's credit ratings business will continue to operate in the world's second-largest economy, the source added. Reporting by Samuel Shen in Shanghai, Georgina Lee and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Reactions to Trump announcing 2024 White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SINGAPORE, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's aides filed paperwork for his 2024 White House bid on Tuesday as the former president launched a run to regain the title, aiming to pre-empt potential Republican rivals. Republicans are meanwhile closing in on the 218 seats they need to take a majority in the 435-seat House of Representatives. COMMENTS:ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FOUNDER, SKYBRIDGE CAPITAL, SINGAPORE (FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR)"You know how you have a zombie that you can’t kill, like in the Night of the Walking Dead? If any one of those other candidates can present themselves with some of the Trump messaging without the Trump drama, there might be opportunities." Neil Young said 'it's better to burn out than fade away'...feels like Trump will go down this time with little glory."

SINGAPORE/LONDON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Regulators are moving in on distressed crypto exchange FTX as it scrambles to raise billions in funds to stave off collapse, while its chief executive, Sam Bankman-Fried, faces heightened scrutiny. The Securities Commission of the Bahamas has frozen assets of FTX Digital Markets, an FTX subsidiary. FTX Australia called in administrators on Friday, the Australian Financial Review reported, citing a company statement. Bankman-Fried is under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for potential securities law violations, Bloomberg reported, citing a source. This source said helping out FTX was the question for larger investors in FTX.

He is seeking the remainder from other funds, including current investors in FTX such as venture capital fund Sequoia Capital, the source added. Tether's chief technology officer, Paolo Ardoino, tweeted that it had "no plans to invest in or lend assets to FTX." FTX also got hit by the Bahamas Securities Commission, where the company is based, freezing assets of FTX Digital Markets "and related parties". In a tweet, FTX said it had reached a deal with Tron to establish a special facility that would allow clients to swap some crypto assets from FTX to external wallets. Bankman-Fried told investors that Alameda owes FTX about $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported.

☆ FTX to start U.S. bankruptcy proceedings, CEO to exit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Crypto exchange FTX is to start U.S. bankruptcy proceedings and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is to step down, after a liquidity crisis at the cryptocurrency group that has prompted intervention from regulators around the world. The distressed crypto trading platform had been struggling to raise billions in funds to stave off collapse after a wave of withdrawals. "I'm really sorry, again, that we ended up here," said FTX founder Bankman-Fried, in a series of tweets after the commencement of the bankruptcy filing. FTX is under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Justice Department, and Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to a source familiar with the investigations. Cyprus's Securities and Exchange Commission has asked FTX EU to suspend its operations on Nov. 9, the regulator said on Friday.

Bankman-Fried said he was in talks with "a number of players" in the crypto sector, including Justin Sun who is the founder of crypto token Tron, after a potential rescue deal with larger rival Binance fell apart. He also said his firm Alameda Research, which sources have said was partly behind FTX's problems, was winding down trading. FTX's native token, FTT , is down more than 90% this week and was attempting to steady around $3.50. Another exchange, OKX, said it had been approached earlier in the week by Bankman-Fried, who described liabilities of $7 billion that needed covering fast. Bankman-Fried said FTX.US, the U.S. operations of the exchange, however, had not been financially impacted.

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE/NEW YORK Nov 10 (Reuters) - FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried is seeking new funds after a deal with Binance collapsed, according to a staff memo on Thursday viewed by Reuters, as the crypto exchange looks to plug a reported $8 billion hole in its finances. Larger rival Binance walked away from a bailout of FTX on Wednesday, sending cryptocurrency prices plunging as hopes for a rescue diminished. In the memo, viewed by Reuters, Bankman-Fried said for the next week he would be "conducting a raise" to do right by customers and "possible new investors." It came after Bankman-Fried told employees on Wednesday he was exploring all options for his firm after the Binance deal with collapsed. TX's shortfall comes after users rushed to withdraw $6 billion in crypto tokens from FTX in just 72 hours.

FTX head Sam Bankman-Fried said he was "exploring all the options", but fading hopes for rescue left FTX teetering. A message on the FTX website said: "FTX is currently unable to process withdrawals. "The dagger will continue to hang over the crypto market, as long as the outlook of FTX's fate remains unclear." 'CONFIDENCE CRISIS'There are also early signs that the fallout could spread beyond crypto markets, with jittery stockmarkets sliding on Wall Street overnight. Most crypto players remain bullish about the long term, but are braced for further falls in the near future.

☆ Sam-Bankman Fried told OKX FTX has liability of $7 bln - OKX director
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] FTX logo is seen in this illustration taken, November 8, 2022. The appeal for cash injection has come as FTX was facing a $7 billion total liability, said Lai, citing Bankman-Fried's comment made in the call. FTX has approached OKX for a deal as it needed to survive through a slew of withdrawal requests, Lai said, citing the several calls he had with Bankman-Fried on Nov. 8. "If FTX does not get immediate cash injection, they would go bankrupt," said Lai, he recalled their conversation during a later call at 7 a.m. Hong Kong time. "Sam said he was talking with a few other potential investors, so he needed an urgent decison from us," he said.

Crypto markets have come under intense pressure this year, as rising interest rates prompt investors to ditch risky or speculative assets. In the case of FTX, U.S. residents can't trade on its global platform due to strict regulations for the crypto space in the United States. Ken Lo, co-founder at Hong Kong-based crypto exchange and custodian Hong Kong Digital Asset Exchange, said counterparty risk, which comes from a lack of transparency and information disclosure, underscores the need for "clear regulatory framework and vision statement." In an interview with Reuters in July, Bankman-Fried said his company still had a "few billion" on hand to shore up struggling firms that could further destabilize the digital asset industry. Max Boonen, co-founder of digital asset liquidity provider B2C2, said FTX's problems have set the crypto space back by six months.

He is seeking the remainder from other funds, including current investors in FTX such as venture capital fund Sequoia Capital, the source added. Bankman-Fried told investors that Alameda owes FTX about $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported. FTX had lent more than half of its customer funds to Alameda, the newspaper said. The U.S. securities regulator is investigating FTX.com's handling of customer funds and crypto-lending activities, according to a source with knowledge of the inquiry. Canada's Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, Tiger Global and Japan's Softbank are also FTX investors.

A representative for FTX did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the deal or the SEC investigation. FTX and Binance did not disclose the terms of their agreement, and markets face fresh uncertainty over whether it will proceed. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration 1 2Prior to the Binance proposed deal, Bankman-Fried approached cryptocurrency exchange OKX on Monday morning about a deal, but the exchange declined to move forward. "It has been a truly a devastating year for the industry," said Ryan Wong, a senior researcher at crypto exchange Huobi. "This could be a major source of risk to crypto markets," Lai wrote.

☆ Analysis: China's markets clutch at economy reopening straws
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly three years after the coronavirus was first detected in central China, daily cases hit a six-month high on Friday. Even the unverified social media post on Tuesday that sparked the market's exuberance said a "Reopening Committee" would not aim at relaxing the curbs before March. China stocks market cap'THE TEST OF HISTORY'But cooler heads warn that China's trajectory of COVID rule relaxation will not resemble this week's stock charts. Reopening from COVID will likely take "a steady and gradual approach", similar to China's lengthy but successful economic liberalisation, said Zhang Kaihua, a Nanjing-based hedge fund manager. Yin Peixin, investment manager at Shanghai Jianlong Asset Management Co., said: "If our leadership doesn't stick with zero-COVID, China will be thrown into a hellish condition."

☆ Explainer: What's behind Hong Kong's tightening cash conditions?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HONG KONG, Nov 3 (Reuters) - A weak Hong Kong dollar and capital outflows have pushed the city's interbank rates to 14-year highs and drained cash levels to their lowest in two years, sparking investor worries about Hong Kong's cherished currency peg and its economic health. Below are some details on the complex policy framework and recent developments surrounding the tight liquidity:WHY IS HONG KONG ON INVESTORS' RADAR? That has tightened cash in the economy and driven the one-month Hong Kong Interbank Offer Rate (HIBOR) to a 14-year high. A dearth of initial public offerings this year on Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing's (HKEX) markets has dampened investor demand for Hong Kong dollars. Hong Kong rates, liquidity($1 = 7.8498 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Georgina Lee; Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hong Kong proposes allowing retail trade in cryptocurrencies
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's government has proposed allowing retail investors to trade in cryptocurrencies and crypto exchange-traded funds - a move it hopes will help it rebuild its fintech hub status. Authorities will start a consultation process on giving retail investors "a suitable degree of access" to virtual assets, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said in a keynote address broadcast to the Hong Kong Fintech Week conference. While Singapore allows retail investors to trade in cryptocurrencies, its central bank has been discouraging the public from speculative trading in cryptocurrencies and brought in restrictions on advertising of cryptocurrency services in public places. Hong Kong's latest move to legalise retail crypto trade would also set Hong Kong further apart from mainland China, which has a imposed a blanket ban on cryptocurrency trade. ($1 = 7.8492 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Georgina Lee; Additional reporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] People buy food at stalls promoting China's digital yuan, or e-CNY, during the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China September 1, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu WangHONG KONG/SHANGHAI, Oct 27 (Reuters) - China's digital yuan took the centre stage in the world's largest cross-border central bank digital currency (CBDC) trial to date, a report showed, pointing to how Beijing is speeding up yuan globalization efforts amid rising geopolitical tensions. China's digital currency, or e-CNY, was the most issued, and actively transacted token in the $22 million pilot that used CBDCs to settle cross-border trades, a Bank of International Settlement (BIS) report showed. The PBOC's participation in m-Bridge represents its ambition to eventually promote global, wholesale use of the e-CNY. But China's yuan internationalisation, digital or not, faces challenges amid a slowing economy ravaged by COVID flare-ups, and a property debt crisis.

Monthly debt market data shows foreign investors have been net sellers for seven straight months to August as what had been a lucrative yield premium in China vanished as U.S. interest rates soared. GIMME SHELTERAmid foreign investors' exodus, there are signs of locals following as fast as allowable under capital controls that were tightened after the previous season of heavy outflows in 2016. Moving money is also very difficult as COVID-19 curbs on travel add another layer to capital controls. Data from consultancy Education International Cooperation showed a 41.5% jump in queries about study in Hong Kong between January and July, compared with the same period a year earlier. They expect a rush to Hong Kong products when the border between Hong Kong and the mainland reopens.

Banknotes of the euro, Hong Kong dollar, U.S. dollar, Japanese yen, GB pound and Chinese yuan are seen in this picture illustration, in Beijing, China, January 21, 2016. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterData showing U.S. producer prices increased more than expected in September, further boosted the dollar against the yen. Following the U.S. PPI data, the greenback rose as high as 146.88 yen , its strongest level since August 1998. Japanese authorities staged their first yen-buying intervention since 1998 on Sept. 22, when the dollar was at 145.90 yen. The risk-sensitive Australian dollar sank to a 2 1/2-year low of US$0.6236, and was last flat on the day at US$0.6268.

The dollar strengthened 0.22% to 146.18 yen in Asian trading, after pushing as high as 146.39 for the first time since August 1998. The Japanese currency is particularly sensitive to the gap between U.S. and Japanese long-term bond yields. Japanese authorities staged their first yen-buying intervention since 1998 on Sept. 22, when the yen tumbled to as low as 145.90 per dollar. Elsewhere, sterling which earlier touched $1.0925, marking a fresh low since Sept. 29, bounced 0.4% to $1.1008 after the FT report. The euro slumped to its weakest since Sept. 29 overnight at $0.9670 and remained not far from that level, trading 0.08% lower than Tuesday's close at $0.96975.

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