Hong Kong SFC Grants Licenses to Smart Contract Securities Platform DigiFT

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has granted Type 1 and Type 4 licenses to DigiFT, making it one of the first non-custodial, smart contract-driven platforms authorized to operate tokenized securities in the territory, DigiFT announced in a statement today.

The approval enables DigiFT to offer regulated securities dealing and investment advisory services for tokenized real-world assets to institutional and accredited investors.

Unlike traditional custodial platforms, DigiFT operates through smart contract infrastructure that allows automated, transparent transactions without requiring the platform to hold client assets directly. The company already partners with major asset managers including UBS Asset Management and Invesco to tokenize money market funds and private credit strategies.

"This authorization reinforces institutional trust in tokenized finance and brings us closer to enabling an open, on-chain economy," said Henry Zhang, founder and CEO of DigiFT.

The Hong Kong licensing builds on DigiFT's existing Monetary Authority of Singapore license obtained in 2023, creating a dual-jurisdiction regulatory framework spanning product structuring in Singapore and distribution services in Hong Kong.

Kevin Loo, CEO of DigiFT Hong Kong, noted the platform is "the first to be built on smart contract-enabled infrastructure" among licensed tokenized asset distributors in the territory.

The approval comes as Hong Kong accelerates efforts to establish itself as a global virtual asset hub, following the passage of the Stablecoin Bill in May 2025 that introduced licensing for fiat-referenced stablecoins. The SFC's willingness to license smart contract-powered platforms signals regulatory acceptance of trust-minimized infrastructure within traditional financial oversight frameworks.

The development could influence other Asian jurisdictions evaluating similar applications, as institutional demand for compliant tokenized asset products continues growing across the region.