As stablecoins grow, Hong Kong’s US dollar peg seen as advantage despite Web3 challenges

The Hong Kong dollar’s peg to the US currency is seen as a unique advantage for the city, as the majority of stablecoin trading activity happens through cryptocurrencies backed by the US dollar. This can help smooth out business operations for companies whose main asset holdings are also pegged to the USD, including the largest stablecoins Tether (USDT) and Circle’s USD Coin (USDC).

“Hong Kong has long been a global financial hub with a deep and liquid foreign exchange market, supported by a regulatory environment that facilitates currency conversion,” said David Katz, the Asia-Pacific vice-president of strategy and policy at Circle. “Its peg to the US dollar and strong banking infrastructure make it an attractive location for USD conversions.”

“The reality is everybody, everywhere in the world – China and everywhere else included – wants dollars,” said Chris Maurice, CEO of the Africa-focused stablecoin exchange Yellow Card. “This is why you have US$200 billion now in market cap in USD stablecoins.”