Fidelity Increases Its Stake in the First Hong Kong Regulated Crypto Exchange, OSL

Fidelity Investments, a leading global asset manager interested in crypto, has increased its capital allocation to BC Technology Group. This firm runs the first crypto asset exchange to be licensed in Hong Kong, OSL. According to the regulatory filing, Fidelity increased its ownership stake from 5.29% to 6.29% after acquiring an additional 3.3 million shares at HK$52.3 million ($6.7 million).

Before this event, Fidelity’s shares at BC Technology stood at 17,795,500, an investment that the asset manager acquired last year at a rough figure of $14 million. The latest increment is a sign of the bullish outlook in being exposed to Hong Kong crypto markets where regulators seem to have been slowing capital inflows. Notably, BC Technology raised around $90 million in a top-up share placement last week.

Having received the Hong Kong license, OSL crypto exchange might be well onto the path of exponential growth. This much-coveted license is issued by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, which means that OSL now gives crypto exposure to both retail and institutions. The exchange recently touted its status as the world’s ‘first SFC-licensed, listed, digital asset wallet-insured, Big-4 audited digital asset trading platform for institutions and professional investors.’

Going by such fundaments, Fidelity's capital scaling in Asia comes as no surprise; in fact, the firm recently invested in a Singapore regulated fund manager dubbed Stack Funds in a move that will enable investors to purchase and store crypto assets. Fidelity also launched a Europe based unit towards the end of last year; this particular entity was launched in the United Kingdom and will focus on extending Fidelity’s services to the larger European market.

Overall, Fidelity has had quite a good run in the crypto space; its CEO, Abigail Johnson, a crypto enthusiast, recently revealed that their custody operations have been ‘incredibly successful.’ Having launched its Bitcoin fund in early 2020, Fidelity targets investors who can invest a minimum of $100,000. Per the company’s latest updates, an estimated 36% of institutional investors have exposure to BTC or other crypto assets.