Amina Crypto Bank has just clinched a major regulatory victory in Asia’s booming digital asset hub by becoming the first international bank to secure a Hong Kong institutional license.
Amina Crypto Bank Scores Exclusive “Type 1 License Uplift”
Swiss-based Amina Crypto Bank announced that its Hong Kong subsidiary has been granted an upgrade by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).
This makes Amina Crypto Bank the first international bank to receive approval for offering regulated crypto trading and custody services to institutional clients in the region.
The approval could not have come at a better timing. Hong Kong crypto exchanges saw trading volumes skyrocketed 233% in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year.
This was mostly fueled by rising demand from both retail and institutional players hungry for bank-grade infrastructure.
With the new license now in hand, Amina Crypto Bank is rolling out institutional access to 13 major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC) trading at $89,983, Ether (ETH) at $3,003, stablecoins USDC and USDT, plus leading DeFi tokens.
“This approval fills a critical gap in Hong Kong’s institutional crypto market,” Michael Benz, Head of the bank said.
“Institutions here have faced limited options due to the city’s stringent compliance standards; until now.”
The win helps Amina Crypto Bank rapidly expand into private fund management, structured products, derivatives, and tokenized real-world assets, supercharging its offerings for high-net-worth and institutional clients across Asia.
Why is Amina Bank’s approval important on a global scale?
Hong Kong is aggressively becoming the “Tinder” of the crypto world attracting many crypto giants into the country. Amina Crypto Bank’s landmark approval signals the same.
While local giants like HashKey and Tiger Brokers already operate in the space, Amina is the first foreign bank to crack the institutional gateway.
Hong Kong has been on a regulatory sprint. They launched new stablecoin rules in August, approved Asia’s first Solana ETF ahead of the U.S., and tightened self-custody safeguards to boost cybersecurity.
The sky is the limit for Hong Kong, as it appears.
