Hong Kong International New Economics Research Institute: The virtual asset market will usher in a reshuffle, and some non-compliant U-merchants and project parties may withdraw
Fu Rao, executive director of the Hong Kong International New Economics Research Institute, wrote in the Ta Kung Pao article "Improving the Healthy Development of the Virtual Asset Supervision Industry", pointing out that the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate of China jointly issued an interpretation on several issues concerning the application of law in handling money laundering criminal cases, which will explicitly list virtual asset transactions as one of the methods of money laundering, which will have the following effects on the virtual asset industry:
1) Industry cooperation is on the rise. The introduction of regulations means that practitioners need to pay more attention to compliance issues and increase compliance investment to ensure business compliance. The market will usher in a reshuffle, and some non-compliant U-merchants and project parties may withdraw from the market, further increasing industry concentration.
2) Strengthen investor education. The introduction of regulations will prompt investors to pay more attention to the risks of virtual assets and improve their risk identification capabilities.
3) Industry supervision is gradually improving. The release of this judicial interpretation will help regulators to conduct more effective supervision of the virtual asset industry and promote the healthy development of the industry.
Due to Hong Kong's vigorous development of the virtual asset economy, the mainland has responded first from the serious crimes that virtual assets are most likely to cause. In this context, both U merchants and ordinary investors should raise their legal awareness to ensure transaction compliance and avoid falling into legal risks.