Hong Kong targets DeFi, metaverse for fintech expansion

Jun 26, 202408:57 UTC

Government-backed studies in Hong Kong have identified decentralized finance (DeFi) and metaverse technologies as new opportunities to enhance the region's dominance in the global fintech landscape.

The Hong Kong Institute for Monetary and Financial Research (HKIMR), the research arm of the Hong Kong Academy of Finance (AoF), released two reports on June 25, each detailing the implications of DeFi and metaverse on the finance sector.

Hong Kong’s report on DeFi highlighted the ecosystem’s explosive growth from a modest $6 billion market capitalization in 2021 to over $80 billion in 2023. It added:

“These numbers demonstrate that DeFi’s potential cannot be ignored.”

DeFi, which accounts for 4% of the overall crypto-asset market, currently remains a widely untapped market. As shown below, over 70% of crypto businesses participating in the study were yet to explore the technology.

Read Cointelegraph's beginners' guide to learn more about decentralized finance.

Tapping into DeFi potential

The study pointed out existing issues in DeFi around governance, compliance and vulnerabilities but widely remained optimistic about its unique characteristics:

“DeFi has the potential to provide new financial services, such as liquid staking, flash loans, and automated market makers, with reduced transaction speed and enhanced innovation, automation and financial inclusion.”

When it comes to the metaverse, Hong Kong’s study revealed that local financial institutions displayed a moderate level of engagement despite their high interest in it. This finding aligns with the sentiment displayed by the Hong Kong respondents.

Mixed feelings about Metaverse

More than 51% of respondents bet against the metaverse’s future potential, of which 6% were metaverse service providers.

However, a sector of Hong Kong fintech businesses is actively pursuing metaverse-related developments. Enoch Fung, CEO of the AoF and executive director of the HKIMR, said:

“The emerging technologies of DeFi and the metaverse, which are closely connected to the broader virtual asset and Web3 developments, will likely present various opportunities for the financial services industry in Hong Kong.”