Animoca Brands Joins Forces With Standard Chartered and Hong Kong Telecom to Launch Licensed Stablecoin Issuer in Hong Kong

Generated by AI AgentCoin World
Friday, Aug 8, 2025 5:16 am ET1min read
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Aime RobotAime Summary

- Animoca Brands, Standard Chartered, and Hong Kong Telecom formed Anchorpoint, a licensed stablecoin issuer under Hong Kong’s 2025 regulatory framework.

- The joint venture participated in HKMA’s stablecoin sandbox for over a year, aiming to build a compliant, scalable infrastructure for stablecoin issuance.

- Hong Kong’s Stablecoin Ordinance anticipates ~40 license applications but expects fewer than 10 approvals, reflecting strict regulatory oversight.

- The initiative highlights stablecoins’ growing regulatory focus in 2025, with Hong Kong’s framework serving as a key innovation-compliance benchmark.

Animoca Brands, a leading web3 investor, has entered into a joint venture with Standard Chartered’s Hong Kong division and Hong Kong Telecom to launch a licensed stablecoin issuer named Anchorpoint. The partnership aims to develop a sustainable business model for the issuance of stablecoins in compliance with the regulatory framework recently introduced in the special administrative region of Hong Kong. The venture was disclosed in an emailed announcement and marks a significant step in the evolution of the local stablecoin ecosystem [1].

Anchorpoint has publicly indicated its intent to apply for a stablecoin issuer license under Hong Kong’s new regulatory regime, which became effective at the beginning of August 2025. The joint venture has been part of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) stablecoin

sandbox
for over a year, aligning with broader regulatory preparations across the region [1].

The partnership brings together a diverse set of expertise, with Animoca Brands representing the web3 innovation space, Standard Chartered providing financial services and compliance know-how, and Hong Kong Telecom offering telecommunications infrastructure support. Together, they aim to create a regulated, scalable infrastructure for stablecoin issuance that could facilitate broader adoption in both traditional and digital financial systems.

With Hong Kong’s Stablecoin Ordinance now in effect, the market is expected to see around 40 licensing applications. However, HKMA CEO Eddie Yue has suggested that the regulator is likely to approve fewer than 10, indicating a cautious and selective approach to the licensing process [1]. This underscores the regulatory

gravity
attached to stablecoin operations in the region.

Stablecoins, which are crypto tokens pegged to traditional financial assets like the U.S. dollar, have emerged as a focal point in the development of cryptocurrency regulations in 2025. The new licensing regime in Hong Kong is a key milestone in this regulatory evolution, offering a structured environment for innovation and compliance [1].

Source: [1] Animoca Brands and Standard Chartered Establish Stablecoin Issuer in Hong Kong (https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/08/08/animoca-brands-and-standard-chartered-establish-stablecoin-issuer-in-hong-kong)