Hong Kong’s monetary regulators have determined to retain the grace interval for crypto companies regardless of the town grappling with main fraud scandals involving crypto change platforms JPEX and Hounax in latest weeks, native media reported on Nov. 27.
The grace interval permits crypto companies to proceed working in Hong Kong with no license till June 2024 with the intention to permit ample time to adjust to new regulatory requirements launched earlier this 12 months.
Regardless of the latest scams, the Securities and Futures Fee (SFC) believes that abrupt adjustments to the grace interval might be counterproductive, doubtlessly destabilizing the burgeoning digital asset sector in Hong Kong.
SFC Director of the Licensing and Fintech Unit Wong Lok-hei stated:
“Scams can occur with or with out the grace interval.”
In the meantime, SFC CEO Leung Fung-yee echoed the sentiment and stated buyers have to be cautious of schemes providing unrealistically excessive returns.
She added that platforms like Hounax aren’t regulated entities, and the SFC doesn’t have the facility to close down their operations straight.
Excessive-profile crypto scandals
The entire variety of investment-related fraud circumstances in Hong Kong from January to September was a staggering 4,331 — amounting to losses of round HK$2.82 billion.
The JPEX and Hounax circumstances, involving misleading promoting ways and restrictions on withdrawals, have revealed vital gaps within the regulatory oversight of digital belongings.
The Hong Kong police have lately escalated their actions towards fraudulent actions within the crypto sphere, arresting 30 extra people linked to JPEX, bringing the entire variety of arrests to 66.
Regardless of these arrests, no formal prices have been pressed, and the suspects have been launched on bail. The JPEX scandal has left 2,623 individuals victimized, with losses estimated at round HK$1.6 billion.
In the meantime, authorities lately issued warnings towards Hounax after 131 victims who collectively misplaced near HK$120 million filed complaints towards the platform. Essentially the most vital single reported loss concerned a 69-year-old girl who was defrauded of HK$12 million.
In response to those incidents, the Hong Kong Police have suggested the general public to be vigilant, particularly relating to unsolicited funding alternatives on social media, suspicious cell apps, and unverified web sites. The SFC has additionally warned that platforms like Hounax are suspicious and have employed misleading ways to lure buyers.