The government stated that the overall figure of the visitors to Hong Kong from December 31st, 2025 to January 4th, 2026 has reached approximately 950,000, an increase of about 40% compared to the same period last year. Benefiting from the New Year's holiday arrangement in the Mainland, the Mainland visitors to Hong Kong exceeded 740,000, an increase of about 48% compared to the same period last year.
Mr Shiu Ka-fai, Photo source: Sing Tao Daily
Mr Shiu Ka-fai, the Legislative Council member of the wholesale and retail functional constituency, stated that the local retail sales performed well over the past three-day holiday from January 1st. Besides the Mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong, many residents who had already traveled abroad during Christmas also chose to stay in Hong Kong for consumption during the New Year's holiday, resulting in better local sales performance than the Christmas holiday.
Mr Shiu also estimated that the Hong Kong market would even be better during the Chinese New Year, holding a positive estimation of an increase in the number of visitors. He expected that many Mainland tourists would visit Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year holiday, assisting in boosting the local sales by 10%.
Many Mainland visitors chose to visit Hong Kong during their holiday. Photo source: reference image
CREGIS, a global leader in enterprise-grade digital asset solutions, today shared its insights regarding the 2026-27 Budget. Shawn Yan, Founder and CEO of CREGIS, welcomes the government's decision to include digital assets within the scope of tax concessions and affirms the importance of the licensing regime for custody service providers in establishing market security standards. Furthermore, he believes the application of stablecoins is set to accelerate capital flow and create high-paying technical roles for professionals.
CREGIS
Optimized Tax Regime: Driving Digital Asset Allocation for Family Offices
Shawn Yan noted that the Budget’s proposal to optimize the tax system by exempting digital assets as eligible investments for family offices provides a powerful incentive for global capital to settle. "Our experience serving family offices proves that when institutional capital enters the Web3 space, the primary concerns are compliance and the security of asset sovereignty," Yan stated.
He added that underlying management strategies such as MPC and HSM (Hardware Security Modules) provided by enterprise wallets offer family office clients a more robust system, allowing them to benefit from policy dividends while mitigating non-transactional risks.
Institutionalizing the Licensing Regime: Enhancing Transparency and Security
The Budget outlined a licensing regime for digital asset custody service providers—a move Yan describes as a milestone for industry maturity. "Many clients have reflected that traditional custody models may suffer from a lack of transparency and 'Single Point of Failure' risks," Yan observed.
He believes that by institutionalizing technical benchmarks and requiring custodians to use segregated accounts, the government is aligning with the logic of "layered management" and "compliant risk control," helping to establish a universally recognized security standard.
Photo source: Design image of Getty
Stablecoin Issuance: Building an All-Weather Settlement Ecosystem
Regarding the announcement that the first batch of stablecoin licenses will be issued next month, Yan expects an enthusiastic entry of institutional-grade clients. Stablecoins are more than just payment tools; they are the "standard protocol" for financial settlement. "Stablecoins significantly accelerate capital turnover. On this track, CREGIS's infrastructure solutions help enterprises implement authorization approval flows similar to traditional banking, ensuring that stablecoin settlements remain efficient while meeting all regulatory and compliance requirements."
Empowering Talent: High-Value Technical Roles for the Next Generation
The compliance of digital assets will facilitate the entry of university students into the global FinTech industry. The licensing regime solidifies the industry’s legal status, creating high-paying roles such as Blockchain Security Auditors and Compliance Analysts. As multinational tech firms establish hubs, local youth will gain exposure to advanced Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). CREGIS remains committed to training local talent, as a background in a compliant jurisdiction will ensure students are recognized by global enterprises.
Photo source: Design Image
