In this Q&A, partner Nick Dealy explores the roles, responsibilities and potential liabilities of an SFC-approved Responsible Officer.

Under this regulatory framework, money service operators must have a license to operate a money service.in Hong Kong.

The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Bill 2022 has been passed by the Legislative Council on 7 December 2022.

Hong Kong lawyers Susanne Harris, Wei Na Sim, Alan Linning and Charlene Wong discuss key developments in the AML/CFT space in Hong Kong in 2021 in this bylined article.

In the Financial Secretary's 2020 – 2021 budget speech, the Hong Kong Government announced that it will consider extending the anti-money laundering/counter terrorist financing requirements to cover crypto currency service providers.

The Limited Partnership Fund Ordinance (Cap. 637) (the "LPFO"), which came into effect on August 31, 2020, introduces the limited partnership fund ("LPF")...

On 6 November 2019, Hong Kong's Security and Futures Commission (SFC) issued a position paper setting out a new regulatory framework for the licensing of centralised virtual asset trading ...

On 21 May 2025, the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed the much-anticipated Stablecoins Bill ("Bill"), now citable as the Stablecoins Ordinance ("Ordinance")...

The Hong Kong Government has recently proposed to expand its AML laws. This is expected to assist Hong Kong in keeping pace with AML developments in other financial centers...

The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority has issued two new binding rules that will fundamentally reshape compliance obligations for financial service providers, including mutual funds, private funds, and SIBA registrants. These rules convert previously non-binding guidance into enforceable requirements with significant penalties for non-compliance, mandating enhanced anti-money laundering programs, sanctions screening protocols, and independent audit obligations.

A major virtual asset (VA) regulatory milestone occurred last week when the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) published its much anticipated Consultation Paper...

The Hong Kong Government has confirmed that the Stablecoins Ordinance will take effect on 1 August 2025, requiring issuers of fiat-referenced stablecoins in Hong Kong or those pegged to the Hong Kong dollar ("HKD") to be licensed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority ("HKMA").

In July 2022, the Hong Kong government published its second money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) risk assessment report, based on an assessment completed in 2021, (the "Report").

On 23 September 2019, the new statutory regime for the regulation of insurance intermediaries will take effect.

Though Hong Kong has been a major centre for private equity in the Greater China region for many years, historically, Hong Kong private equity fund sponsors have opted for offshore fund structures, ...

Following the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering's inspection of Hong Kong in October and November 2018, their much anticipated

The period from 2019-2020 saw a continued decrease in the number of SFC enforcement actions focused on SFC licensed corporations but a marginal but possibly significant increase in the number of SFC enforcement actions ...

The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (CFA) finally settled the question of legality of the No Consent Regime (NCR) in its recent judgment in Tam Sze Leung v. Commissioner of Police [2024] HKCFA 8 – confirming...

Hong Kong recently announced the framework of a new regulatory regime for virtual assets and associated products and services to combat ML/TF risks.

On 4 September 2019, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) issued the Fourth Round Mutual Evaluation Report of Hong Kong, China (Report).