Hong Kong Policy Address advances tokenised gold and RWA products for licensed platforms
By 8bitcrypto
September 17, 2026
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive’s 2026 Policy Address commits the Securities and Futures Commission to improve the regulatory framework for tokenised investment products so licensed platforms can issue and trade tokenised gold and other suitable real-world assets, while also promoting regulated stablecoins for settlement of tokenised money-market funds. For Phygital desks that already track vaulted cards and luxury twins, that is official policy language tying physical-world assets to licensed digital trading rails—not an OpenSea drop announcement.
The same chapter pairs virtual-asset licensing work with concrete gold-market plumbing. The government plans to officially launch Hong Kong’s central clearing and settlement system for gold in the first quarter of 2027. HKEX will announce details this year of new RMB-denominated, physically settled gold futures. The HKMA is exploring increasing Exchange Fund gold holdings and gradually transferring physical gold to designated vaults appointed by the Hong Kong Precious Metals Central Clearing Company Limited. A dedicated Gold Hotline will support Mainland and overseas traders entering the ecosystem. Those lines matter for collectors who ask whether a “tokenised gold” product maps to vaulted metal or only to a paper claim.
Warehouse-receipt digitisation is the second phygital bridge. HKEX is establishing a blockchain-backed multi-asset tokenisation platform that already incorporates carbon credits listed on Core Climate 2 and will include commodity warehouse receipts from LME-approved warehouses for a pilot next year, aiming at flexible collateral allocation and cross-collateralisation. Separately, HKEX is striving to launch a pilot for tokenised warehouse-receipt financing with designated banks in 2027, using physical tracking technologies so inventories can back liquidity. The Policy Address also seeks more LME-approved warehouses in the Northern Metropolis to cluster physical delivery, financing, and risk management.
On the settlement side, the HKMA will test tokenisation of Exchange Fund Bills by year-end so banks can make round-the-clock use of more than HK$1.3 trillion of those bills for asset-liability management. Digital bonds issued in Hong Kong captured nearly 50% of the global market between 2025 and the first half of 2026, per the Address, and issuance will be regularised with exploration of digital-currency settlement across the bond lifecycle. The HKMA is also planning CBDC settlement and 24/7 operations under EnsembleTX around end-2026, plus more tokenised-deposit use cases. Regulated stablecoins are to be promoted on licensed virtual-asset platforms specifically for settling tokenised money-market funds.
8bitcrypto’s recent RWA and phygital coverage already mapped vaulted trading cards, Beezie luxury twins, and commodity-backing checks. Hong Kong’s Policy Address is upstream of those marketplace experiments: it tells licensed venues and banks what product classes regulators want to clear—tokenised gold, suitable RWAs, warehouse receipts, and stablecoin-settled funds. Collectors should not invent an immediate OpenSea gold PFP floor from a policy chapter. Attribute every figure and timeline above to the official 2026 Policy Address text on the government’s site.
What Thursday’s file proves is narrow. Hong Kong published concrete digital-asset and gold-market commitments: tokenised gold/RWA product frameworks on licensed platforms, gold clearing timelines, vault transfers under study, LME warehouse-receipt tokenisation pilots, and Exchange Fund Bill tokenisation tests. What it does not prove is that any specific NFT collection will list gold-backed tokens next week or that CBDC settlement is live today. Watch SFC guideline drafts, HKEX gold-futures details, and 2027 warehouse-receipt pilots before marking the chapter as shipped product.
For 8bitcrypto readers on September 17, the clean Phygital line is that one of Asia’s major financial hubs just wrote vaulted metal and warehouse receipts into the same digital-asset playbook as licensed stablecoin settlement—physical collateral language with a compliance path, not a mint calendar.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or trading advice. The NFT market is highly volatile, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any decisions related to digital assets. The cover image for this article may have been created using artificial intelligence (AI).
