Hong Kong SFC VASP Licensing Regime

Requires virtual asset trading platforms in Hong Kong to obtain an SFC licence and meet conduct standards.

12

Rules extracted

199

Obligations decomposed

16.6x

Avg obligations per rule

🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR

Jurisdiction

About this regulation

The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 introduced a new licensing regime for virtual asset trading platforms (VATPs) under Schedule 2 of the AMLO, effective 1 June 2023. All centralized VATPs operating in or actively marketing to Hong Kong must be licensed by the SFC. The regime covers licensing requirements, fit and proper criteria, financial resources, custody of virtual assets, client asset segregation, AML/CFT compliance, Travel Rule, market integrity, trading rules, insurance and compensation arrangements, SFC supervisory powers, and transitional provisions for existing operators.

What AuditDSS covers

Source

1

Regulation

Extracted

12

Rules

Decomposed

199

Obligations

16.6x

Decomposition ratio

Each rule is decomposed into an average of 16.6 atomic obligations — the smallest testable units that can be independently violated.

Fully extracted & scored

All 199 obligations have been decomposed, titled, risk-scored, and embedded for semantic matching.

Risk scoring

Every obligation in HK VASP Regime is scored across independent risk dimensions:

W

Obligation Weight

How critical within the regulatory framework

L

Violation Likelihood

How often breached in practice

E

Enforcement Evidence

Regulator enforcement history and penalties

C

Cascade Dependency

How many obligations depend on this one

Regulatory details

Full title
Hong Kong SFC VASP Licensing Regime
Regulatory body
Securities and Futures Commission
Jurisdiction
🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR
Document type
ordinance
Effective date
June 1, 2023
Issuing authority
Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong
Official source
View source document ↗

Who this applies to

virtual asset trading platform operatorscustodiansresponsible officerskey personnel

Key requirements

  • VASP licensing
  • fit and proper criteria
  • HKD 5M minimum capital
  • 98% cold storage
  • client asset segregation
  • AML/CFT and Travel Rule
  • market surveillance
  • insurance/compensation
  • SFC supervision

Frequently asked questions about HK VASP Regime

What is HK VASP Regime?

The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 introduced a new licensing regime for virtual asset trading platforms (VATPs) under Schedule 2 of the AMLO, effective 1 June 2023. All centralized VATPs operating in or actively marketing to Hong Kong must be licensed by the SFC. The regime covers licensing requirements, fit and proper criteria, financial resources, custody of virtual assets, client asset segregation, AML/CFT compliance, Travel Rule, market integrity, trading rules, insurance and compensation arrangements, SFC supervisory powers, and transitional provisions for existing operators.

Who does HK VASP Regime apply to?

HK VASP Regime applies to virtual asset trading platform operators, custodians, responsible officers, key personnel.

How many obligations does HK VASP Regime contain?

AuditDSS has decomposed HK VASP Regime into 199 atomic obligations from 12 rules. Each obligation is independently testable and risk-scored.

What are the key requirements of HK VASP Regime?

The key requirements include: VASP licensing, fit and proper criteria, HKD 5M minimum capital, 98% cold storage, client asset segregation, AML/CFT and Travel Rule, market surveillance, insurance/compensation, SFC supervision.

How can I assess my HK VASP Regime compliance?

Upload your compliance policy to AuditDSS. The platform maps your document against all 199 HK VASP Regime obligations using deterministic AI scoring — not checklists or LLM summaries. You get a risk-scored gap analysis showing exactly which obligations are covered, partially covered, or missing.

Which jurisdiction enforces HK VASP Regime?

HK VASP Regime is enforced in Hong Kong SAR by Securities and Futures Commission.

When did HK VASP Regime come into effect?

HK VASP Regime became effective on June 1, 2023.

What industry does HK VASP Regime apply to?

HK VASP Regime is primarily relevant to the AML & Counter-Terrorism Financing industry. AuditDSS covers 64 regulations in this industry sector.

Build a HK VASP Regime compliance pack

Don't have a compliance policy yet? AuditDSS generates a complete compliance pack for HK VASP Regime — alone or combined with other regulations your business needs. Every clause is mapped to specific obligations.

Policy

High-level commitments and governance framework covering HK VASP Regime requirements.

Procedures

Step-by-step operational procedures to implement each policy commitment.

Forms & checklists

Ready-to-use forms, registers, and checklists for day-to-day compliance operations.

Multi-regulation

Combine HK VASP Regime with other regulations into a single unified compliance pack for your business.

Already have a policy? Assess it against HK VASP Regime

1

Upload your document

Upload your compliance policy, program manual, or operational document. AuditDSS accepts any text-based document.

2

AI maps against 199 obligations

Your document is scored against every obligation in HK VASP Regime. Each claim is mapped to the obligation tree and evaluated for coverage.

3

Risk-scored gap report

Receive every gap ranked by risk priority with remediation guidance, enforcement evidence, and cascade impact analysis.

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Assess your HK VASP Regime compliance

Upload your document and get a risk-scored gap analysis against 199 HK VASP Regime obligations in under 5 minutes.