Hi fintech friends,

What a beginning of 2026! China fintech news isn’t as colorful as the global political headlines that opened the year, yet it is still packed with moves. Beijing is turning the digital yuan into an interest‑bearing deposit product; Hong Kong is racing to lock in its role as a regional hub for crypto despite the mainland ban; and Binance has landed in another money‑laundering scandal.​

More to come, so please read on!

Licensing & Regulations

• From January 1, 2026, the digital yuan (e‑CNY) will become interest‑bearing, with balances at commercial banks treated as insured deposits, aiming to encourage adoption.
• Hong Kong plans to extend its crypto regime to OTC dealers and custodians, beyond already‑licensed trading platforms. New rules would pull more OTC flows under SFC oversight and impose capital, custody and AML standards on custodians.
• Hong Kong rolled out its Fintech 2030 blueprint focused on AI in financial infrastructure, tokenised assets and cross‑border connectivity with the GBA and ASEAN. 
• A new report claims Binance still let suspicious accounts linked to sanctioned or terror‑connected entities trade even after the $4.3 billion US criminal settlement in 2023. 
• JPMorgan secures general lead underwriting license in China.
• Trump signed the 2026 defence bill, tightening US outbound investment screening for Chinese tech tied to military or surveillance use. The law hits AI, advanced chips and biotech, forcing funds to notify or avoid deals that could bolster China’s defence ecosystem. On the other hand, China is putting scrutinies over Meta's high profile acquisition of Manus.

Product & Partnership Launches

• Bitget Wallet launched a zero‑fee USDC on‑ramp with Alchemy Pay.
• Trip.com enabled stablecoin payments with USDT and USDC for select overseas bookings.

Financing & Acquisition

• Airwallex announced that it will invest around 200 million euros over the next five years in the Netherlands.

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