AMINA Bank AG has made a significant move by securing regulatory approval in Hong Kong.
The Swiss crypto bank is now the first international financial institution to offer crypto trading and custody services to institutional clients in the city.
The approval, granted by Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), provides AMINA with a “Type 1 license uplift.”
This will allow the bank to provide institutional clients with secure, compliant, bank-grade crypto services in Hong Kong as part of the highly regulatory environment.
Through this license, AMINA is now in a position to provide trading and custody of 13 major cryptocurrencies. These are Bitcoin, Ether, USDC, Tether, and a number of commonly used DeFi tokens. The move gives institutional clients a controlled and risk-free form of interaction with the crypto market.
This is given the fast development in the crypto industry in Hong Kong. In the first half of 2025, AMINA said that the volume of trade in local cryptocurrency exchanges has risen by 233% compared to the same time a year ago.
The crypto market of the city is increasing rapidly, and the need for compliant crypto services is rising.
Amina bank’s license boosts Hong Kong’s crypto market expansion
The head of AMINA in Hong Kong, Michael Benz, pointed to the expansion of the implications of the license. The license will enable the bank to diversify into segments such as management of private funds, structured products, derivatives, and tokenized assets.
These markets are likely to be major institutional demand drivers in the Hong Kong crypto market.
Hong Kong is trying to establish itself as a crypto hub in the world. The city is also attracting foreign crypto companies, which provide a regulated area for digital assets.
The license of AMINA is also the first foreign bank that has passed this, but local operators such as Tiger Brokers and HashKey have long been operating in the sphere.
The approval belongs to the overall attempts that Hong Kong has made to consolidate its crypto industry. In August 2025, the city presented much-anticipated rules on stablecoins.
It also issued its first Solana ETF, a step forward, in October, which was preceded by the United States. Such measures will grow city crypto operations and draw investment globally.
Hong Kong tightens self-custody rules, supports safe crypto growth
Although the self-custody regulations have been made stricter to control cybersecurity threats, the regulators in Hong Kong are still encouraging safe development in the digital asset market.
The introduction of AMINA into the market is a positive step that Hong Kong aims to take in order to become a major force in institutional crypto finance.
The city is also in preparation of revamping its crypto trading regulations. The new rules will enable licensed exchanges to reach international order books. This will be the end of the isolated trading model that Hong Kong uses and align its crypto rules with traditional financial markets.
Moreover, Hong Kong is implementing licensing of crypto dealers, custodians, and stablecoin issuers. Global exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase expect these developments to open their entry into the Hong Kong market.
With the acceptance of AMINA, Hong Kong becomes a more important international figure in the crypto world. The changing regulatory environment in the city keeps welcoming institutional crypto companies, giving the city a promise of a bright future in its digital asset market.