HashKey Group partners with ZA International to Turbocharge FinTech and Web3 in Asia

HashKey Digital Asset Group and ZA International announced a new partnership to explore cooperative opportunities on digital assets, Web3 and distributed ledger technology (DLT), amongst other areas.

The agreement, in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), formalises the collaboration between both companies. HashKey and ZA International will bring together their own unique resources, expertise and experience, and work to realise new investment opportunities in the blockchain ecosystem and capture the intrinsic value of the Web3 paradigm in Asia.

ZA International is the international arm of ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance Co., Ltd. (HKEX Stock code: 6060), a world-leading online InsurTech company headquartered in China. The home-grown FinTech unicorn is the only company in Hong Kong to hold both licences in virtual banking and digital-only insurance. ZA International has recently unveiled its plan to tokenise its ZA Coin offered under its reward programme. This move seeks to cement ZA International as an early and leading contributor to ongoing efforts to build up Hong Kong as a global virtual asset hub and to encourage the local development of virtual assets.

Since its inception in 2018, HashKey Group has over the years assembled a robust and integrated ecosystem of digital assets services spanning from exchange, brokerage to blockchain infrastructure. The Group has not only been deeply involved in the development of key digital asset solutions such as liquid staking platforms, NFT-based decentralised identifiers (DID), and non-custodial wallets, but it is also one of the leading bellwethers in advocating the early adoption of digital assets, epitomised by its investment in over 300 projects since 2015, and infrastructure support of over 40 public chains. In November this year, Hash Blockchain Limited, a member of the HashKey Group, was granted the full licences by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong to provide virtual asset trading services to professional investors, becoming only the second firm in Hong Kong to receive such approval.

Wayne Xu, President of ZA International, said, “We are honoured to partner with HashKey, a global leading corporate in digital asset management and blockchain solutions. Its latest virtual asset trading services licence granted by SFC is definitely another strong proof. We have been a staunch supporter of the development of FinTech and digital assets in Hong Kong and this collaboration marks another key milestone along our journey into the digital asset, Web3 and DLT space. Despite the recent uncertainties surrounding the industry, we still believe that with proper governance and regulations, it will play an integral role in shaping the future of finance. The digital asset industry looks set to flourish across Asia, while the Hong Kong government has also laid out its vision to be a global virtual asset hub. We believe Hong Kong will soar on the right track with a promising future., and we look forward to joining hands with HashKey to unleash the huge potential of FinTech.”

Michel Lee, Executive President at HashKey Group, said, “We are very excited to collaborate with ZA International, one of the world’s largest online technology firms. ZA International brings years of expertise and know-how in technology and FinTech, which complement well with HashKey’s products and track record in infrastructure building, putting us in a potent position to deliver added value to the current digital asset landscape and contribute to the growth of the Web3 ecosystem.”