Just yesterday (June 24), the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission officially approved Guotai Junan International to provide cryptocurrency trading services. As a result, its parent company's Hong Kong stock (1788, HKG) surged by 198% within 24 hours, becoming one of the most watched targets in the market that day. This is not just a benefit from a license but a 'systemic shock' to the entire Asian virtual asset landscape.
This event sends a strong signal: traditional financial giants are accelerating their entry into the crypto industry, and a new era of compliant trading has fully begun.
Starting in 2023, Hong Kong has accelerated the construction of its virtual asset regulatory framework, going through multiple stages including the release of platform licensing policies, consultations on stablecoin regulatory drafts, and improvements in transparency, finally completing a key part of integration with traditional financial institutions in the summer of 2025—granting the first approval for a Chinese broker to conduct cryptocurrency trading.
Guotai Junan International's stock price surged by 198%, what did the market sense?
The surge of Guotai Junan International is not a coincidence but a positive market feedback on the 'traditional finance x crypto industry' future prospects.
Investors generally have high hopes for the three major changes brought by the involvement of brokers:
• Let virtual asset trading have 'traditional finance-level' security custody and matching mechanisms;
• Let compliant channels cover more small and medium investors and institutions;
• Lower the entry barriers for users, allowing new funds to enter the digital asset world more quickly.
This is not only a celebration for the Hong Kong stock market but also a deep transformation of the Asian compliant virtual asset market. Compared to the past 'speculative concepts', this licensing approval is a concrete compliance progress, indicating that more financial institutions will follow suit, pushing the industry into a dual-track cycle of integration and expansion.
Some say this is a game-changing 'pass'; others say this is a landmark event marking the official entry of the Hong Kong version of MiCA (EU cryptocurrency regulations) into the implementation phase. So, what market trends are revealed behind this approval? And for the digital asset industry, does this mean a new compliance cycle will begin in the second half of the year? The Guotai Junan event not only clearly signals the opening of Hong Kong's financial markets but more importantly, it signifies that crypto assets are no longer 'marginal investment products' but are gradually entering the mainstream financial system.
Asian compliance trend: it's not just Hong Kong that is moving.
Don't overlook, this is not an isolated case. Looking at the entire Asia, since 2025, multiple countries/regions have been accelerating the progress of 'legitimate access of crypto assets to the financial system':
• South Korea's new president, Lee Jae-myung, has initiated legislation for a stablecoin pegged to the Korean won right after taking office;
• Japan's FSA (Financial Services Agency) is promoting a 'Web3 whitelist' channel to accelerate the approval of quality projects for listing;
• Singapore continues to strengthen its review of compliant VASPs (Virtual Asset Service Providers) to attract foreign investment.
In other words, while Europe and the United States tightened regulations due to the FTX incident in recent years, the Asian region has gradually constructed a clearer 'regulatory sandbox' and released a tilt towards quality platform licenses.
WEEX perspective: In the wave of compliance, we have long been on the road.
For WEEX, the entry of traditional financial institutions does not mean a threat; rather, it validates that our insistence on a 'compliance-first, globalized and stable' path over the past few years is correct.
Since WEEX launched its global compliance strategy in 2021, it has always focused on compliance, risk control capabilities, and product stability as core construction directions. Currently, the WEEX headquarters is located in Dubai, UAE, and has completed localized operations in regions such as Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East, while continuously monitoring changes in regulatory contexts in various countries.
In terms of stablecoin support, trading depth construction, and derivative optimization, WEEX has long invested to ensure that users can enjoy a smooth, transparent, and secure trading experience during both bull and bear cycles.
The end of compliance is trust, and building trust requires time and transparency. WEEX always believes that the future of digital assets does not only belong to a select few insiders but to every ordinary investor around the world.
In the next 3–6 months, investors should focus on:
• Are more Chinese brokers or banks applying for cryptocurrency licenses?
• Are there stablecoins or exchange platforms entering the Hong Kong market?
• Will more 'compliance + technology' dual-driven new financial targets emerge in the Hong Kong stock market?
When Bitcoin successfully breaks through $110,000, and Hong Kong stocks present 'crypto-related shares', and policy interest rates may turn towards easing within the year, we might say: the digital asset market is moving away from the 'speculative bubble stage' and entering the 'quasi-financialization stage'.
And the biggest change in this phase is—
• No longer just competing on 'price rises and falls', but competing on 'legitimacy'
• No longer just 'making quick money', but constructing a long-term asset allocation.
If the past three years were a trial period for crypto-native platforms, then the second half of 2025 may be the formal intersection of traditional capital and the crypto market. WEEX will continue to build a trusted professional platform experience in this round of convergence.
As many users in the WEEX community have said: 'In the past, choosing a platform was for convenience; now choosing a platform is for peace of mind.'