OSL Group govt Gary Tiu lately participated in Bloomberg’s “China Present” to debate Hong Kong’s spot Bitcoin ETF (exchange-traded fund) panorama. Within the interview, Tiu additionally talked in regards to the prospect of launching an Ethereum ETF spot sooner or later.
When will the Spot Bitcoin ETF be launched in Hong Kong?
Gary Tiu, govt director and head of regulatory affairs at OSL, talks with Yvonne Man and Annabelle Droulers in regards to the digital asset agency’s expectations for the Hong Kong Spot Bitcoin ETF and the readiness of the funding product.
Within the interview, the manager shared his predictions for when the ETF might be launched. Though no precise timeline was given, Tiu is optimistic and believes that the spot Bitcoin ETF initiative “underneath dialogue” might be obtainable within the coming months.
After the profitable launch of ETFs in the US, curiosity in these merchandise surged from conventional traders and establishments. Some curiosity has targeted on the choices of different international locations launching Bitcoin ETFs and whether or not U.S. regulators will approve different cryptocurrency-based exchange-traded merchandise.
Concerning expectations for a world launch of a spot Ethereum ETF, the manager believes the race is “extra attention-grabbing” because the product has not but obtained approval from the Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC) in the US:
I feel there’s positively a extra world race now to see who can truly convey the primary product to market. Most of the points we talk about are delicate to market timing. For gamers investing on this area, being first to market is essential.
How is OSL Group making ready for the launch of the ETF?
OSL executives imagine that if a Bitcoin ETF is launched in Hong Kong, it would arouse the curiosity of many traders. Based mostly on U.S. pursuits and developments, the digital asset firm is being attentive to the numerous efforts put into the merchandise and infrastructure wanted to “launch ETFs.”
Moreover, Tiu commented on the readiness and breadth of Hong Kong’s ecosystem to advertise “focus dangers” because the authorized framework for ETFs will “depend on licensed corporations in Hong Kong.”
The manager believes OSL Group is well-positioned because it has been working as a licensing platform for greater than three years. Tiu emphasised that OSL is just not the one licensed firm out there.
Nevertheless, he believes that an important factor for a profitable ETF is a aggressive panorama that incentivizes market makers:
So, I suppose it from one other perspective, ETFs should not even simply the buying and selling platform that has to assist the product. Market makers are individuals who assist liquidity on an trade. (…) We would like market makers to be correctly incentivized in order that they will do very, very strict pricing on the exchanges as a result of that’s how ETFs are distributed out there.
Moreover, the pinnacle of analysis commented on the final working fashions of U.S. ETFs versus Hong Kong ETFs, arguing that these variations would give them a bonus when it comes to charges and execution prices:
The Hong Kong working mannequin will enable the fund to obtain Bitcoin immediately from subscribers and pay traders in crypto property or Bitcoin on redemptions within the first tranche.
In order that does probably give the Hong Kong product some benefits when it comes to decrease execution prices. As an alternative of getting to at all times go into the market to purchase, they will obtain Bitcoin immediately from traders.
Lastly, Tiu mentioned OSL Group’s funding profile in retail, acknowledging that the digital asset firm is “stronger” as an institutional platform.
Nonetheless, he confused that the current capital injection brings in a brand new administration crew with intensive retail experience, probably enabling the corporate to launch a “premium retail platform.”

Bitcoin is Buying and selling at $68,088.38 within the 1-day chart. Supply: BTCUSDT on TradingView.com
Featured photographs from Unsplash.com, charts from Tradingview.com
