Hong Kong has initiated plans to exempt private equity funds, hedge funds, and billionaires from paying taxes on realized gains from crypto investments. The policy changes could see Hong Kong emerge as a competitive rival against Singapore and Switzerland in the race for the top offshore financial hub.
Singapore and China have been competing to lure capital investments from large investment funds and billionaires through lighter taxation policies.
According to a lengthy proposal seen by the Financial Times this week, the Chinese government intends to create a conducive environment for asset managers to base their operations through lighter regulations. Taxation is among the key considerations for such entities.
The Chinese tax revision proposal could expand tax-exempt investments if approved
The tax proposal detailed that the government also intends to revisit its tax policies to expand tax-exempt investments. China has been running a six-week consultation, and once the proposal is approved, Hong Kong will eradicate taxation on private credit, overseas property, and carbon credits.
According to Patrick Yip, vice chair and international tax partner at Deloitte China, whose main focus lies in family offices, if the proposal is implemented, the tax proposals could provide clarity to family offices and capital-intensive investors. Yip highlighted that the proposal could boost Hong Kong as a financial and crypto trading hub. He added that a group of families allocates up to 20% of their investment portfolios to crypto investments.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on wealthy individuals in the jurisdiction caused high-networth Chinese citizens to set up private investment channels outside the Chinese Territory.
On the other hand, Singapore initiated a strict campaign against money laundering, sparking concerns among offshore investors. The country has employed more strict due diligence checks that have slowed the onboarding of new family offices.
China has seen recent pro-crypto developments, especially after Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5th U.S. presidential elections. In 2021, China upheld its strong conviction against digital assets. The Chinese central bank declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal and banned digital assets like Bitcoin. The ban effectively blocked 1.41 billion people in the country from accessing cryptocurrencies.
However, China’s perspective on digital assets appears to have changed or evolved with time. Recently, a Shanghai court ruling clarified that personal ownership of crypto assets is legal in China amid rising concerns about Beijing’s crackdown on crypto assets’ use for commercial purposes. However, Chinese regulations still ban business activities centered around digital assets to maintain financial stability and protect shareholders.
The U.S. leads with a more positive crypto outlook for investors and institutions
Although the Chinese government seems to be taking a more conservative approach to digital assets, the U.S. has made significant strides since Donald Trump was declared the president-elect after the elections. His campaign endorsed digital assets and pledged to make the United States the global crypto hub.
Unlike China, U.S. regulators allow companies to incorporate digital assets in their operations. The lighter crypto regulations have paved the way for U.S.-based companies like Microstrategy and Solidion to adopt crypto assets as strategic reserve assets to boost shareholders’ value and hedge against inflation.
Microstrategy is the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder with 386,700 Bitcoin at the time of this publication. Japan has also pioneered Bitcoin adoption in Asia by allowing companies like Metaplanet to adopt Bitcoin as a strategic reserve, mimicking Microstrategy’s success.
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