Hong Kong unveils gold, bond and liquidity plans to drive next phase of yuan adoption

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) announced plans to launch yuan-denominated gold futures early next year, as the city’s de facto central bank, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), plans to introduce more yuan products and platforms to support the diversification and digitalization of the currency’s internationalization.

Speaking at the Treasury Markets Summit 2026, HKEX managing director Gregory Yu confirmed that the yuan-denominated gold futures contract would be introduced, aiming to advance the city's priorities of promoting yuan internationalization and developing its gold market. HKMA chief executive Eddie Yue Wai-man added that the authority would explore a seven-day offshore yuan liquidity mechanism to address banks' short-term funding needs and introduce measures to support tokenization in the local bond market, including yuan-denominated bonds.

The internationalization of the yuan is advancing towards the last mile, where banks and corporations can use the currency in the real economy, according to HKMA executive director Darryl Ho.