Owning Bitcoin ETFs through a Hong Kong brokerage account

A Bitcoin ETF in Hong Kong is a fund listed on HKEX that holds Bitcoin and issues units you can buy like shares. On 30 April 2024, six spot products for Bitcoin and Ether listed together, the first in Asia. More followed in 2025, including Asia's first spot Solana ETF. For many Hong Kong investors this is the simplest way to own crypto: no new exchange account, no wallet, and the position sits next to your HSBC or Tencent shares.

Below you will find every spot and futures-based crypto ETF we could identify by stock code, how to buy them, what the research shows about fees, how in-kind subscriptions and staking work, and an honest comparison of ETF units against holding the coins directly.

Every Bitcoin ETF in Hong Kong, by stock code

A LegCo paper dated 28 May 2026 counts 11 SFC-authorised spot virtual asset ETFs. We could identify 10 of them; the 11th was not confirmed in public sources we checked. Codes shown are the Hong Kong dollar counters. Several products also trade on US dollar counters (typically a code starting with 9) and some on RMB counters (starting with 8), so check that you are buying the counter you intend.

The three managers from the April 2024 launch are ChinaAMC (Hong Kong), Harvest Global Investments and Bosera Asset Management (International), the last partnered with HashKey. Pando and MicroBit added Bitcoin products in 2025, and MicroBit an Ether product as well. ChinaAMC's Solana ETF, listed on 27 October 2025, was described as the first spot Solana ETF in Asia, and the IFEC confirms SOL is the only underlying besides BTC and ETH.

Futures-based and inverse products

Before spot ETFs, Hong Kong already had Bitcoin and Ether exposure through futures. These products hold CME futures contracts, not coins, so their returns can drift from the spot price because of the cost of rolling contracts. The inverse product is designed for short holding periods only.

We cover these, along with what retail investors can and cannot do with crypto derivatives in Hong Kong, in our crypto futures guide.

How to buy a Bitcoin ETF in Hong Kong

You buy these exactly as you would buy the Tracker Fund. Any securities account that trades HKEX-listed shares will do: a bank investment account (HSBC, for example, lets Hong Kong customers trade the listed virtual asset ETFs) or an online broker. Picture a family in Tin Shui Wai who already have a Futu account for their dividend stocks. Buying 3042 takes them about a minute, with no new account, no crypto knowledge test at an exchange and no wallet to secure.

1. Open or log in to a securities account

   Bank or broker, as long as it trades HKEX stocks. Your existing account usually works.

2. Search the stock code

   For example 3042, 3439 or 3008 for Bitcoin. Check the product name and the counter currency (HKD, USD or RMB).

3. Read the key facts statement

   It shows the management fee, ongoing charges, custodian, platform and risks. Look at trading volume and the bid-ask spread too.

4. Place the order in trading hours

   A limit order avoids paying a wide spread. Your broker’s normal commission and HKEX charges apply.

5. Hold or sell like any ETF

   Units sit in your securities account. Selling returns HKD to that account, with no exchange withdrawal step.

Some brokers ask you to acknowledge the risks of virtual asset products before your first trade. That is normal. What you will not get is the coins: an ETF unit cannot be withdrawn to a wallet or sent on-chain.

What the fees look like

Fee data is the weakest part of the public record, and we would rather tell you that than guess. The ChinaAMC Solana ETF was reported at launch with a 0.99% management fee. CSOP's Bitcoin and Ether futures ETFs launched in December 2022 with a 1.99% management fee. For the spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, we have not verified current management fees from the issuers, and fees can change after launch. Check the latest key facts statement on the issuer's website before you buy.

On top of the fund's own fee, you pay your broker's commission, the bid-ask spread and HKEX trading charges on each trade. For a long-term holder, the ongoing fee matters most; for someone trading often, spread and commission add up faster. Compare that with buying the coins on an SFC-licensed platform, where HashKey's base trading fee is reported at 0.29% and there is no annual holding charge, but you take on platform custody instead.

In-kind subscriptions and staking

One feature set Hong Kong's spot ETFs apart from the start: they permit in-kind subscriptions and redemptions, meaning new units can be created by delivering Bitcoin or Ether to the fund rather than only cash. In practice this happens at the creation level, through the fund's dealers and platforms, not through your retail brokerage app. For an ordinary investor it mainly matters because it can help the ETF track its underlying closely.

Staking is the newer development. On 7 April 2025, the SFC issued circulars allowing licensed platforms to provide staking services and allowing SFC-authorised virtual asset funds, including ETFs, to stake. By early 2026, according to the May 2026 LegCo paper, three virtual asset ETFs had been approved to stake. The paper did not name them in the material we reviewed, so check each Ether or Solana ETF's latest documents if staking income matters to you. Staking adds its own risks, including lock-up periods and validator penalties.

Bitcoin ETF or real Bitcoin?

Neither is better in the abstract. They solve different problems, and many people hold both.

If you want Bitcoin exposure inside a portfolio you already manage, maybe alongside an MPF top-up and a few blue chips, an ETF is tidy and familiar. If you want to actually use Bitcoin, move it, or hold it outside the financial system, buy the coins; our buy Bitcoin guide compares the routes. If you want Bitcoin in a bank or broker app but not an ETF, see bank and broker apps.

How big is Hong Kong’s crypto ETF market?

Small, by global standards. Hong Kong's virtual asset ETFs held about US$536 million in combined assets in February 2026, up around 85% since launch, with average daily turnover of roughly US$6 million, according to the LegCo paper. That is a fraction of the US spot Bitcoin ETF market. For an individual investor the practical consequence is liquidity: the larger, older products tend to have tighter spreads, while newer or smaller ones can trade thinly. Check volume before placing a big order.

Risks that come with the wrapper

An ETF removes the wallet and exchange risks, but it does not remove Bitcoin's volatility, and it adds a few risks of its own. The unit price can trade at a small premium or discount to the value of the Bitcoin the fund holds, especially in thin trading or when the crypto market moves while HKEX is closed overnight or at the weekend. US dollar and RMB counters can be much less liquid than the HKD counter of the same fund. Futures-based products can lag spot Bitcoin over time because of the cost of rolling contracts, and the inverse product resets daily. Regulation protects you as a fund investor; it does not protect you from the price falling.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. SFC: speech at the listing ceremony of virtual asset spot ETFs · 30 Apr 2024
2. IFEC: virtual asset spot ETFs explained · Updated 27 Oct 2025
3. HKEX: first virtual asset futures ETFs list (3066, 3068) · 16 Dec 2022
4. ETF Express: ChinaAMC launches spot Solana ETF on HKEX · 27 Oct 2025
5. ETF Express: spot crypto ETFs launched on HKEX (MicroBit) · 25 Aug 2025
6. CNBC: Asia’s first spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs debut in Hong Kong · 30 Apr 2024

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