Core Viewpoint - Hong Kong is committed to creating a more vibrant fixed income and currency market ecosystem to generate lasting value and new opportunities for international issuers and investors [1]. Group 1: Market Development - The Asian international bond market has seen robust growth in recent years, with Hong Kong leading in this sector [3]. - Over the past decade, Hong Kong has ranked first in Asia for bond issuance in 9 out of the last 10 years [3]. - With support from the central government, Hong Kong has established itself as an offshore center for RMB sovereign bonds [3]. Group 2: Infrastructure Enhancement - Hong Kong is enhancing market infrastructure, including improvements in fixed income and currency custody, management, and trading platforms [3]. - The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission is exploring the feasibility of creating an electronic bond trading platform to increase market participation and improve efficiency and transparency [3]. Group 3: Cross-Border Cooperation - Hong Kong is seeking cross-border debt securities custody and settlement cooperation with global partners such as the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland [3]. Group 4: Market Liquidity and Innovation - Hong Kong is working to enhance market liquidity and expand the use of RMB, encouraging the development of RMB-denominated investment and risk management products [3]. - The region is embracing financial innovation and is preparing to issue a third batch of tokenized green bonds [3].

Market Performance - The Hang Seng Index closed at 25,176, down 1.36% for the day and up 25.51% year-to-date [1] - The Hang Seng Tech Index fell 2.72% to 5,490, with a year-to-date increase of 22.89% [1] - The Dow Jones Index decreased by 0.38% to 44,461, with a year-to-date rise of 4.51% [1] - The S&P 500 Index closed at 6,362, down 0.12% for the day and up 8.18% year-to-date [1] Currency and Commodity Overview - The Renminbi Index stood at 95.710, down 0.22% over the past month and down 5.14% over six months [2] - Brent crude oil price increased by 8.15% over the past month to $72.210 per barrel, but decreased by 1.00% over six months [2] - Gold prices rose by 0.88% over the past month to $3,332.69 per ounce, with a significant increase of 19.24% over six months [2] Company-Specific Developments - JD.com announced a voluntary public acquisition offer for CECONOMY AG at €4.60 per share, with full support from CECONOMY's supervisory and management boards [13] - Adidas reported a 58% year-on-year increase in operating profit for Q2, reaching €546 million, surpassing market expectations [15] - Guotai Junan International successfully issued the first public digital native bond by a Chinese brokerage, with a size of up to $300 million [16] Economic Indicators - Eurozone GDP grew by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in Q2, exceeding expectations, with an annual growth of 1.4% [17] - The U.S. GDP for Q2 showed an annualized growth of 3%, rebounding from a contraction in Q1 and surpassing the expected 2.4% [18]

Core Points - The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has officially issued licenses to 11 digital asset trading platforms as of early July 2023, with an additional 9 applications currently being processed [1][3] Group 1: Licensing and Regulation - The licensing process for digital asset trading platforms is influenced by various factors, including the completeness of the applicant's information and the adequacy of supporting documents [3] - The SFC is continuously reviewing and optimizing its procedures to help applicants better understand regulatory expectations, aiming to shorten the time required for license evaluations [3] - Following the implementation of the digital asset trading platform licensing system in June 2023, the "Stablecoin Regulation" will come into effect on August 1, 2023 [3] Group 2: Future Developments - The Hong Kong government and the SFC are consulting the public on licensing systems for digital asset service providers and custodians, with the goal of proposing legislative recommendations soon [3] - Once the legislative work is completed, the regulatory framework in Hong Kong will comprehensively cover major aspects of the digital asset industry [3] Group 3: Green Bonds - The Hong Kong government has issued tokenized green bonds in 2023 and 2024, which have been well-received in the market, marking them as some of the world's first government tokenized green bonds and multi-currency digital native tokenized bonds [4] - The latest budget announcement indicates that the issuance of tokenized bonds will become a regular practice, with preparations underway for a third issuance of tokenized green bonds by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority [4]