The Conference kicked off with a vision speech delivered by Mr. Ronald Leung, solicitor, Founder and Group CEO of Esperanza. Mr. Leung pointed out that the Asia-Pacific region has long relied on Western settlement systems and Western-dominated interest rate policies. The tokenized economy, powered by tokenized gold, offers an alternative capital solution to drive regional economic development and the continuous internationalization of the financial and capital markets of the Chinese Mainland  and Hong Kong . He emphasized that the support for development of tokenized gold in Hong Kong’s 2025 Policy Address is a highly strategic policy direction. Capitalizing on her status and resources as an international financial center, Hong Kong possesses unparalleled edge in developing an ecosystem powered by tokenized gold in facilitating cross-border trades in the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, tokenized gold could be integrated with Central Bank-led digital Renminbi (RMB) in the future to contribute to the internationalization of RMB. He pointed out that the Group has completed registration with the Hong Kong Customs as an issuer of precious asset-backed instrument. The Group has also undergone a small-scale, non-public proof-of-concept (POC) testing in multiple Asia Pacific markets, including Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and currently has significant verified “Know Your Customer (KYC)” POC users. Although Esperanza's tokenized gold is designed based on the legal framework for precious asset-backed instrument registered with Hong Kong Customs, to ensure overall regulatory stability in Hong Kong, it is anticipated that Esperanza will open its tokenized gold offerings to the Hong Kong public only after addressing the concerns of other regulatory bodies and when a clear regulatory framework is fully implemented in the city. The Group will also align with governments of various economies on operational fronts via strategic partners.

Mr. Leung continued to point out, "Tokenized gold is a key milestone for Hong Kong's financial future. Esperanza has already signed an agreement with Hatcher Group Limited (8365.HK) regarding the development of tokenized gold before the Policy Address was released. Immediately following the release, our team has conducted a productive and in-depth communication with the Chief Executive's Policy Unit, while ensuring our technology platform and infrastructure are in place and ready for action. Currently, we are maintaining active dialogues with regulators, with the core principle of achieving ‘controllable innovation’ that adheres to existing regulatory framework as well as the work agenda of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit. We firmly believe that Esperanza, armed with first-mover advantages in technology and its business model, and in collaboration with various sectors, will be able to transform tokenized gold into a powerful engine in driving economic autonomy in the Asia-Pacific region."

The conference had two thematic sharing sessions. The first had Mr. Roy Lui, Managing Director of ESPE Gold Solutions, sharing the compliant implementation of tokenized gold in Hong Kong. Mr. Lui shared that the Group’s proposed solution – “ESPE Gold” (“ESPG”) – is legally categorized as a “precious asset-backed instrument” instead of a virtual asset or a stablecoin, nor a collective investment scheme. Esperanza purchases physical gold bars adhering to London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) standards, stores them in licensed gold vaults and issues 100,000 ESPG, i.e. digital gold certificates, for each kilogram of gold bar. These digital gold certificates, each representing a complete instalment payment, are recorded on blockchain networks. Upon completion of 100,000 instalments, i.e. holding 100,000 ESPG, clients can redeem physical gold bars from Esperanza. Clients can make instalment payments any time and sell ESPG back to Esperanza, enjoying much higher flexibility than traditional gold redemption clubs. Mr. Lui emphasized that, although ESPG gives users experiences similar to that of stablecoins, the business model is actually more akin to traditional gold dealers earning bid-ask spread. He also spoke on the diverse application scenarios of ESPG besides as a convenient way to purchase physical gold. ESPG is poised to develop into a cross-border settlement means for commerce across Asia economies, with future potential to power a gold-backed interest rate system through collateralized lending of ESPG.

In the second sharing session, Mr. Tony Chang, Executive Director of ESPE Capital Solutions, talked about the Group’s blueprint for tokenized investments as a core use case for tokenized gold. Mr. Chang said tokenized investments have not seen significant breakthrough due to the lack of product designs that are attractive to investors and that liquidity is highly concentrated within professional investors. Tokenized investments need to deliver both “attractive growth potential” and “security in exit channels” in order for investors to make meaningful consideration for adoption. Such example includes a short-term revenue sharing arrangement with foreseeable potential for revenue improvement. He added that Esperanza has obtained the Asset Management licence from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong and its application for tokenized business is currently under review, with the legal, tax, and trading infrastructures ready. Currently, the Group’s tokenized investment pipelines include concert revenue of Southeast Asian and Korean artists, movie box office receipts and revenue of hotels and shopping malls.

In addition to the thematic sharing sessions, the conference also featured a panel discussion comprising Mr. Jeremy Teo from Singapore, Co-founder and Board Director of Esperanza, Mr. Ronald Leung and Mr. Tony Chang. The discussion centers on the development potential of tokenized gold and tokenized investments across various Asia-Pacific economies, particularly the opportunities in bringing Southeast Asian projects to Hong Kong for capital raising via security token offerings (STOs). These opportunities illustrate the advantages for Hong Kong in developing tokenized gold with the support of the Hong Kong SAR Government.

The conference marked an important step made by Esperanza in promoting the development of tokenized economy in Hong Kong and across Asia. Looking ahead, the Group will continue to provide innovative fintech solutions to support Hong Kong in strengthening her position as an international financial center, as well as helping foster greater economic autonomy and financial innovation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Photo captions

Photo 1: (From left to right) Mr. Tony Chang, Executive Director of ESPE Capital Solutions, and Mr. Ronald Leung, Founder and Group CEO of Esperanza, and Mr. Roy Lui, Managing Director of ESPE Gold Solutions, at the conference.

Photo 2: (From left to right) Mr. Jeremy Teo, Co-founder and Board Director of Esperanza, Mr. Ronald Leung, Founder and Group CEO of Esperanza, and Mr. Tony Chang, Executive Director of ESPE Capital Solutions, after the panel discussion session.

About Esperanza Fintech (Hong Kong) Limited (Esperanza)

Esperanza is co-founded by the next generation of professionals from Hong Kong and Singapore with the mission to reform Asia’s economies through fintech. Esperanza is building the world’s first digital economy powered by a compliant tokenized gold infrastructure and its applications in finance. Esperanza aspires to reconnect Asia’s economies and integrate with their respective Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) to build autonomy against reliance on Western settlement systems and interest rate policies.

Esperanza operates on a low-profile, highly efficient, and decisive business model. Since commencement in 2025, Esperanza has secured the registration as a Precious Metals and Stones Dealer (DPMS) with Hong Kong Customers and the Trust or Company Service Provider (TCSP) licence for the operations and custody of tokenized gold, and the Asset Management licence with the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong for the development of tokenized investments.

In August 2025, Esperanza entered into a partnership agreement with Hatcher Group (8365.HK) relating to tokenized gold and tokenized investments. In September 2025, Hong Kong government has included the development of tokenized gold into its 2025 Policy Address.

Esperanza's tokenized gold and tokenized investments continue to adhere to Hong Kong's Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements and common reporting standard for counter-tax evasion measures. Fintech solutions have enabled Esperanza to significantly reduce financing and operational costs, connecting products directly with end users. Esperanza’s tokenized finance system will fully support the globalization of national economy and is committed to becoming an alternative solution for international trades and settlements.

To find out more, please visit the Esperanza website: espetopia.com