About HKbitEX
HKbitEX was founded in June 2020 by former HKEX executives, positioning itself as one of the first applicants for Hong Kong's virtual asset trading platform (VATP) licenses. In December 2020, it completed a $10 million Series A2 funding round led by Axion Global Investment and Hanwha Asset Management. A key milestone came in March 2024 when HKbitEX received approval-in-principle from the SFC for Type 1 (dealing in securities) and Type 7 (automated trading) licenses under the new VASP regime. This marked a significant step toward full compliance. Additionally, its parent group, Taiji Capital, issued Hong Kong's first SFC-permitted real estate fund security token offering (STO) in September 2023, demonstrating the group's pioneering role in tokenized assets. These events highlight HKbitEX's early entry, regulatory progress, and innovative STO leadership.
In the past six months, HKbitEX showcased its unique Real-World Asset (RWA) pipeline through its asset management arm Pioneer at a Consensus special event in March 2026, marking a deeper push into tokenization. The firm continues to emphasize tokenization as a foundational trend in finance, while maintaining a focus on compliant digital asset trading. Future development priorities are expected to center on RWA tokenization, regulatory compliance, and institutional services, though a detailed roadmap has not been publicly disclosed.
Han Gao, Founder and CEO. Previously served as Manager of China team at HKEX, involved in "China Connect" projects; Director at CIC; Vice President at Goldman Sachs; PhD in Computer Science from University of Chicago; Bachelor's from Tsinghua University.