AMINA Bank Becomes First International Bank Approved for Institutional Crypto Services in Hong Kong

Swiss crypto bank AMINA Bank AG has secured a significant regulatory achievement in Hong Kong: a "Type 1 license uplift" from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). This approval allows its Hong Kong subsidiary to offer crypto trading and custody services to institutional clients in the region, a first for an international bank.

The bank views this as addressing a gap in the local institutional market, which has struggled to access bank-grade crypto services due to Hong Kong's strict regulatory compliance.

• Key Services: The license permits trading and custody for 13 cryptocurrencies, including major assets like Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), USDC, and Tether (USDT), along with major decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens.
• Market Context: The move comes as AMINA reported a 233% increase in trading volume on Hong Kong crypto exchanges in H1 2025, signaling growing adoption by both retail and institutional traders.
• Future Expansion: Michael Benz, head of AMINA for Hong Kong, noted that the license paves the way for the company to expand into advanced offerings such as private fund management, structured products, derivatives, and tokenized real-world assets (RWA).

Conclusion: Hong Kong's Evolving Crypto Landscape

While AMINA is the first international bank to claim this "Type 1 license uplift," it enters a market with existing local players like Tiger Brokers and HashKey. This approval reinforces Hong Kong's commitment to positioning itself as a global crypto hub. The region has recently taken several steps to formalize its crypto environment, including:

• Rolling out stablecoin rules in August (prompting interest from banks like HSBC and ICBC).
• Approving the first Solana exchange-traded fund (ETF) in late October, preceding the US.
• Tightening rules on self-custody of crypto to mitigate cybersecurity risks.

In summary, AMINA Bank's regulatory milestone marks a key step in institutionalizing crypto services in Hong Kong and validates the region's success in attracting sophisticated foreign financial firms to its regulated digital asset ecosystem.

November 2025, Cryptoniteuae