Hong Kong spot crypto ETFs debut tomorrow: 6 things to know

The cryptocurrency community is eagerly awaiting a significant industry event as Hong Kong is poised to launch trading for spot Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on April 30.

Three Chinese firms: China Asset Management, Bosera Asset Management and Harvest Global Investments are expected to launch crypto ETFs through their Hong Kong subsidiaries on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) on April 30.

As the ETF launch in Hong Kong approaches, Cointelegraph has gathered a few facts about the upcoming trading debut.

HKEX already trades Bitcoin futures and other crypto contracts

The introduction of spot crypto ETFs into the Hong Kong ETF market isn’t the first instance of crypto ETFs being traded on the HKEX.

Crypto ETFs made their debut on HKEX in late 2022 with the introduction of the CSOP Bitcoin Futures ETF and the CSOP Ether Futures ETF, both managed by CSOP Asset Management. The ETFs track cash-settled Bitcoin futures contracts and Ether futures contracts traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).

All three futures crypto ETFs on HKEX have 1.3 billion Hong Kong dollars ($170 million) in assets under management as of April 29, 2024, according to data from HKEX.

All Hong Kong ETFs account for 0.6% of the U.S. ETF market

From the data presented, it is evident that the Hong Kong ETF market is considerably smaller compared to the ETF market in the United States.

On the other hand, the size of Hong Kong’s ETF market is estimated to amount to $50 billion, according to Bloomberg data analyst Jack Wang.

In-kind crypto ETFs in Hong Kong vs. cash-create ETFs in the United States

Hong Kong’s spot crypto ETFs will have at least one distinct feature that makes them significantly different from their American counterparts: the method of ETF redemption.

“I think the reason why Hong Kong did in-kind is because ultimately we’re trying to differentiate ourselves from the United States,” Bloomberg’s senior ETF analyst Rebecca Sin said in a Bloomberg-hosted webinar on April 24.

Hong Kong’s spot Ether ETF will not be the first one in the world

Hong Kong’s spot crypto ETF launch is exciting because it will bring not only the in-kind spot cryptocurrency ETFs but also a spot Ether ETF, which has yet to be approved in the United States.

According to Nasdaq, there are five Ether ETFs in Canada at the time of writing: the Purpose Ether ETF, Evolve Ether ETF, CI Galaxy Ethereum ETF, 3iQ CoinShares Ether ETF and the Fidelity Advantage Ether ETF.

Mainland China investors won’t be able to buy Hong Kong Bitcoin ETFs

The launch of spot crypto ETFs may have spurred some optimism regarding mainland China’s stance on crypto, which may not be true.

However, mainland Chinese citizens are expected to be unable to purchase Hong Kong’s spot crypto ETFs despite the ETF issuers’ close ties with mainland China.

According to Bloomberg analyst Wang, China prohibits citizens from any crypto-related activity, meaning that crypto ETF investments are also banned.

“So even for the futures-based crypto ETF listed in Hong Kong — I actually tried to set a trade — the brokers will just directly reject the trade,” Wang said. He believes that Chinese investors will not invest in this kind of product in the short term.

China AMC is the biggest issuer in terms of AUM

Among the three spot crypto ETF issuers in Hong Kong, China AMC — the Hong Kong subsidiary of China Asset Management — is the biggest asset management company.

According to Bloomberg data, China AMC has 15 ETFs in Hong Kong with total assets under management of $3.6 billion. Its parent company in mainland China manages 1,400% more assets, or $55.7 billion.

The other two issuers, Bosera and Harvest, handle $40 million and $16 million in AUM, respectively, in Hong Kong.

According to Wang, Hong Kong’s spot crypto ETFs are well suited to collect $1 billion in assets under management in one or two years in a bullish scenario.