Hong Kong touts distinct features to set it apart from London in global gold hub push

In an effort to distinguish itself from London, Hong Kong's government is actively developing an international gold and precious metals trading ecosystem, according to Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu. Hui revealed that the city would unveil a central gold clearing platform in the first quarter of next year, which will handle both physical delivery and payments, with the latter linked to the real-time gross settlement system.

The ultimate goal is to connect Asian liquidity with international market standards, providing a venue in the Asian time zone for trading, storage, clearing, refining, and risk management.

Hui explained that Hong Kong's unique position in the Asia time zone makes it well-suited for this purpose. Despite the recent departure of the Saudi Central Bank from the mBridge project, Hui reassured that Hong Kong would still push ahead with its own initiatives. The China-led multilateral central bank digital currency platform serves as an alternative to the traditional US dollar-dominated payments system.

Hong Kong's efforts to develop its gold trading ecosystem are part of its first five-year plan, set to run until 2030. The plan aims to support the development of mainland China's gold economy, which benefits from the world's largest domestic gold production and consumption markets. The government's ownership, backing, and integrated delivery-versus-payment settlement, along with cooperation with Shanghai, differentiate Hong Kong's offering from its competitors.

While Hong Kong faces competition from Singapore as a regional gold trading hub, Hui emphasized that the city is focused on improving its own performance. He highlighted the importance of a comprehensive value chain, including storage, logistics, trading, and legal issues, in setting Hong Kong apart from other markets. The integrated delivery-versus-payment settlement service, which is set to launch officially in the first quarter of next year, will run under government ownership and control, further enhancing Hong Kong's credibility.

The city currently has 11 banks participating in the payment settlement arrangements, with others expressing strong interest in joining. Hong Kong aims to increase its gold storage capacity to over 2,000 tonnes within three years, with half of the capacity located at the airport and the remainder coming from the private sector. Hui also noted the relaunch of a US dollar-denominated gold futures contract and anticipated the announcement of a yuan-denominated contract before the end of the year.