Bitcoin Asia kicked off in Hong Kong on Thursday, as Hong Kong strives to balance its goal of becoming a crypto hub while pushing forward a regulatory regime to mitigate financial risks.
In its second edition, the conference featured experts who said that Hong Kong could become a hub for shaping the global digital asset regulatory landscape.
Two points were brought up: using asset treasury holdings for a broader ecosystem for cryptocurrency and global regulatory leadership to coordinate and shape the crypto landscape.
The Bitcoin Asia conference, taking place in Hong Kong on August 28 and 29, features US President Donald Trump’s son Eric as a headline speaker. It issued more than 17,000 tickets on Thursday, almost three times last year’s attendance of 6,000, according to the organisers.
President of Mining at Bitmain, Irene Gao, spoke during the Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong on August 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters alt=President of Mining at Bitmain, Irene Gao, spoke during the Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong on August 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters>
Abel Seow, head of APAC and Managing Director of BitGo, said that he ‘believes digital asset treasures mark the start of integrating traditional finance with crypto’.
“These companies will move beyond accumulating tokens towards actively fostering a healthy ecosystem, helping institutions see the true potential of crypto and creating a more sustainable market,” Seow said. “Everybody is going for the ways of trying to accumulate more tokens in their treasury company.”
CEO of Hut 8, Asher Genoot, spoke during Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong on August 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters alt=CEO of Hut 8, Asher Genoot, spoke during Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong on August 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters>
Hong Kong could play a key role in the “global convergence in terms of digital asset regulations,” said Clarence Shen, a Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) manager responsible for fintech policy formulation, making him the only speaker from the city’s government to attend the event.
“Hong Kong, the SFC in particular, is playing a key role in this change,” Shen said. “We have been actively taking part in many different multilateral organisations and bilateral communications with different regulators.”
What Hong Kong and SFC are trying to do is to be “an active player and active writer of the global rule book” in global regulations, rather than merely taking part, he said.
Bitmain’s Bitcoin mining machine on display at the Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong on August 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters alt=Bitmain’s Bitcoin mining machine on display at the Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong on August 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters>