HashKey Launches Beta Distribution for Hong Kong-Regulated HKDAP Stablecoin

Anchorpoint Financial, a Hong Kong-licensed stablecoin issuer, is widening the distribution of its Hong Kong dollar stablecoin, HKDAP, by adding HashKey Exchange as an authorized distributor. The move comes as Hong Kong’s regulated stablecoin framework continues to roll out, with market participants positioning tokenized HKD for institutional and professional access.

In a Tuesday announcement, the companies said the arrangement is part of a beta rollout. Eligible institutions and professional investors can access HKDAP via HashKey and other supported channels. HashKey also stated that it has completed its first HKDAP minting and redemption transaction with eligible clients, including fiat on- and off-ramping.

Key takeaways

• Anchorpoint Financial has appointed HashKey Exchange as an authorized distributor for its Hong Kong dollar stablecoin, HKDAP.
• The partnership begins with a beta rollout for eligible institutions and professional investors, with HashKey already completing an initial mint and redemption.
• Anchorpoint and HashKey plan to expand distribution over time and look at additional HKDAP use cases.
• Hong Kong dollar stablecoins are still an early-stage segment, and reliable public data on their adoption remains limited.

HKDAP distribution goes through HashKey

HashKey’s role focuses on making HKDAP available to users that meet the eligibility requirements for the beta program. The announcement highlights operational readiness—HashKey said it has already carried out its first HKDAP minting and redemption cycle with eligible clients and incorporated fiat on- and off-ramping.

For institutions, that plumbing matters. Minting and redemption are often where operational friction concentrates, particularly when regulated stablecoins need to integrate with traditional financial rails. By completing an initial transaction, HashKey signals that it is prepared to support at least the early workflow for converting fiat into HKDAP and back out again.

Anchorpoint said the distribution program will be expanded gradually, and the companies plan to explore broader applications for HKDAP beyond basic issuance and redemption.

A regulated Hong Kong dollar stablecoin built for “tokenized money”

HKDAP—short for “HKD At Par”—is designed to function as a regulated tokenized Hong Kong dollar for payments and other financial transactions. Anchorpoint Financial is a joint venture established by Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong), HKT and Animoca Brands.

Anchorpoint was among the first firms to receive a stablecoin issuer license from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, reflecting how the issuer-side licensing regime is beginning to translate into real distribution relationships. The company was established in April 2025, two months after Standard Chartered and Animoca Brands, together with HKT, announced plans to launch a Hong Kong dollar-backed stablecoin, according to earlier coverage from Cointelegraph.

As more authorized players enter the system, the market’s ability to scale will depend not only on licenses, but also on how quickly distributors and platforms can onboard eligible customers and run mint/redeem operations reliably.

From access to use cases: payments, settlement, and tokenized finance

The companies said they intend to explore additional uses for HKDAP as distribution grows. Their stated priorities include cross-border payments, settlement, and tokenized finance.

Those directions are consistent with what many regulated stablecoin initiatives aim to accomplish: moving tokenized fiat from “on-chain custody” toward transactional utility. Cross-border payments and settlement, in particular, are areas where stablecoins are often evaluated for faster settlement cycles and improved interoperability—though real adoption will depend on the readiness of counterparties, compliance processes, and integration details with existing payment and banking infrastructure.

At this stage, Anchorpoint and HashKey’s focus appears intentionally phased: begin with beta access for eligible participants, validate minting/redemption processes, and then widen distribution while testing expanded functionality.

How big could Hong Kong’s stablecoin segment become?

Hong Kong dollar-backed stablecoins could eventually develop into a meaningful market, but current visibility is limited. A 2025 Citi report cited in the announcement estimated that circulation could reach $16 billion after the introduction of the city’s stablecoin licensing regime. Still, the broader picture remains uncertain.

For now, US dollar-pegged stablecoins dominate global circulation, and synthetic stablecoins represent a smaller, emerging category. Reliable data on circulation and adoption for Hong Kong dollar-backed stablecoins is described as limited, making it difficult to assess where the market stands today or how quickly it could grow.

Meanwhile, stablecoin activity overall continues at high volume. Bernstein reported that the combined adjusted transaction volume of USDC and USDt reached roughly $3.8 trillion in the first quarter of the year, underscoring the depth of stablecoin usage even as a narrower regulatory submarket—HKD-pegged tokens—finds its footing.

This contrast matters for investors and operators: it suggests demand for stablecoin settlement and transfer mechanics is already established globally, but the local HKD variant still needs to build liquidity, distribution breadth, and compatible use cases to convert regulatory momentum into sustained adoption.

As HashKey and Anchorpoint expand distribution beyond the beta phase, the key signals to watch are onboarding speed for eligible institutions, the consistency of minting and redemption throughput, and evidence that HKDAP use cases—especially cross-border payments and settlement—are moving from plans to repeatable production workflows.