Hong Kong asset manager Hang Seng has launched a gold-backed ETF, which also has tokenized shares on Ethereum.
By Godfrey Benjamin
Editor Hamza Tariq
Updated
2 mins read
Hang Seng Investment, one of Hong Kong’s asset managers, recently debuted its physical gold-pegged exchange traded fund (ETF).
The ”Hang Seng Gold ETF” was launched on January 29 on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the ticker “03170.”
The new fund has a conventional approach as well as a tokenized class of units.
The new Hang Seng Gold ETF tracks the LBMA Gold Price AM while holding bullion stashed in designated vaults in Hong Kong, per the product disclosures.
It features a tokenized share class issued on Ethereum ETH $2 943 24h volatility: 2.7% Market cap: $354.83 B Vol. 24h: $24.31 B with the possibility of extending to other public blockchains in the near future.
This reinforces the growing merger of traditional commodity ETFs and blockchain-based fund infrastructure.
Though domiciled on the Ethereum public blockchain, distributors are not authorized to push out these tokenized ETFs in secondary markets.
Any eligible and interested investor is required to subscribe to or redeem the product exclusively through qualified distributors.
According to Hang Seng’s product page, the units are still not open for subscription but will be released as soon as relevant approvals are secured.
During the Asia morning trading hours, the new fund went up by roughly 9%, hinting at positive momentum in the market.
HSBC is acting as the tokenization agent for the product. The development comes as Hong Kong continues efforts to position itself as a crypto asset hub through new regulatory frameworks and policies aimed at attracting digital asset firms.
In December 2025, Hong Kong Insurance Authority announced its intention to allow insurance providers to invest capital in digital assets such as cryptocurrency and other risk ventures such as infrastructure.
Insurance providers are also expected to pay a 100% risk charge. This means that they would have to match every dollar invested in crypto or other approved vehicles 1-for-1 as a means to avoid risking policyholder funds.
More recently, Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association pushed back against proposed regulatory changes that would require traditional asset managers to obtain full virtual asset licenses even for minimal cryptocurrency exposure.
The proposed rules require that a portfolio manager with only 1% allocated to Bitcoin BTC $87 815 24h volatility: 1.7% Market cap: $1.75 T Vol. 24h: $50.10 B would need a complete virtual asset management license.
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Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalist who relishes writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desire to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain media and sites.
