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HSBC: Starlink Users Surpass 12 Million as Space Race Boosts Earth-Based Industries in Three Ways
According to Trend Research, an HSBC report released on August 18 spanning 12 industries points out that SpaceX's Starlink has crossed the inflection point for scale. As of June 30, it operates 10,200 satellites in orbit and serves 12 million broadband subscribers across 167 markets. Additionally, 7.4 million monthly active devices connect directly to mobile phones via satellite (Direct to Cell), covering 30 countries. Maersk has installed Starlink on more than 330 container ships, while United Airlines plans to upgrade 15 Boeing 737-800 aircraft per month. Starship aims to reduce launch costs to $100–$300 per kilogram, representing a decline of over 95% compared to historical averages. HSBC assesses that the space race is now benefiting terrestrial industries across three dimensions: From a communications standpoint, Starlink and ground-based telecom operators are predominantly complementary, filling coverage gaps in oceanic, desert, and post-disaster environments. Regarding compute infrastructure, orbital data centers currently cost three times as much as ground-based equivalents, acting mainly as strategic reserves; however, if TeraFab’s vertically integrated wafer fabs succeed, they could revolutionize the division of labor in the semiconductor industry. At the energy level, AI data centers have pushed the annual growth rate of U.S. power demand to 4%-5%, making renewable energy and the electrical grid the largest beneficiaries. Among the 12 industries covered, power, semiconductors, and robotics are being directly transformed.
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Standard Chartered and HSBC Complete First Real-Time Cross-Border Transaction via SWIFT Blockchain Ledger
Odaily News: Standard Chartered and HSBC have completed the first real-time cross-border transaction executed via the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) blockchain ledger. The transaction exchanged payment messages through the SWIFT ledger, with the corresponding debts recorded respectively on HSBC's Tokenised Deposit Service and Standard Chartered's tokenised deposit infrastructure.The SWIFT ledger matches and nets off the debts of both parties before final settlement, with the ultimate settlement still completed through existing payment systems. The ledger is designed to connect tokenised deposits issued across different banking infrastructures, supporting round-the-clock cross-border payments while retaining existing settlement, compliance, and risk control mechanisms. (Cointelegraph)
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Standard Chartered and HSBC Complete First Cross-Border Transaction on Swift Blockchain Ledger
Standard Chartered Bank and HSBC completed the first real-time cross-border transaction on the Swift blockchain ledger, demonstrating the interoperability of the two banks' tokenized deposit systems.
Ledger
HSBC: CSP Capex Far From Peaking, Leverage Capacity Supports AI Trend Until 2028
According to TechFlow Research, HSBC's August 12 report pointed out that since July 1, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index has fallen 16% and the S&P 500 has risen 3%, indicating the market's concern over CSP capital expenditure peaking is excessive. Consensus forecasts the capex growth rate of the five major CSPs (Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle) will decline from 95% in 2026 to 46% in 2027 and 11% in 2028, with free cash flow turning from $34 billion to -$104 billion. However, HSBC scenario analysis shows that if 2027 capital expenditure reaches $1.0 to $1.6 trillion, the Net Debt/Equity ratio will only rise from the current 7% to 8% to 30%, and even if 2028 reaches $1.9 to $2.5 trillion, the Net Debt/Equity ratio will only be 25% to 43%. Under HSBC's aggressive scenario, the overall CSP ROIC will be 19% in 2027 and 17% in 2028, which HSBC believes is still acceptable. The research report judges that TSMC, Intel, and ASML's June quarter capacity expansion guidance is supported by demand. HSBC's top picks are Marvell, Intel, TSMC, and ASML, with target prices of $300, $200, NT$3,400, and €2,149 respectively, all rated Buy. The five major CSPs also all maintain Buy ratings, with target prices of Alphabet $420, Amazon $310, M
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Retail bearish sentiment hits a multi-year record, and under this gloomy backdrop, new opportunities may emerge in U.S. stocks
: Retail bearish sentiment has hit a new multi-year record, while institutional positioning lags even further behind. As U.S. equities face an unprecedented disconnect between fundamentals and capital flows, analysts predict a rare "Wall Street expectation gap" is now underway. Last week, the S&P 500 index posted a cumulative gain of 22% since late March and broke through the 7,700-point mark for the first time in history. As investors digested the latest batch of earnings reports, the benchmark index closed roughly flat on Monday.Strategists at 22V Research have observed a notable divergence between the AAII Bull-Bear Spread and the firm's proprietary economic data index, which tracks a range of U.S. macro data releases. According to the firm's model, the current valuation deviation implies that the S&P 500 will rise by 1.6%, 5.1%, and 7.8% over the next one, three, and six months, respectively.Dennis DeBusschere, President and Chief Market Strategist at 22V Research, wrote in a note to clients: "The current reading of investor sentiment relative to economic data suggests market returns will be above normal levels."Alastair Pinder, Global Equity Strategist at HSBC, also noted that the many macro concerns that have emerged over the past few weeks have indeed given investors ample reason to question the current stock market rally.
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UK Parliamentary Crypto and Digital Assets APPG Writes to Major Banks, Demanding Clarification on Crypto Business Accounts and Payment Restrictions
Odaily News: Gurinder Singh Josan, Co-Chair of the UK Parliamentary Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), along with Lord Vaizey of Didcot, has written to the CEOs of all major UK banks, demanding clarification on how they treat crypto and digital asset businesses. The letter raises six questions covering banks' current policies, whether they provide services to crypto businesses, related transaction restrictions and the factors determining them, and asks whether practices will be adjusted once the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory regime takes effect. The group noted that many crypto businesses struggle to open bank accounts in the UK, with some banks also restricting related payments. The letter stems from a parliamentary inquiry into banking service access launched on July 21, with written submissions open until August 31. A January survey by the UK Cryptoasset Business Council estimated that banks block or delay around 40% of transactions to crypto exchanges. HSBC, NatWest, Monzo, and Nationwide cap monthly transfers to crypto exchanges at between £5,000 and £10,000, while Starling and Chase UK prohibit such transfers altogether. UK Treasury Economic Secretary Lucy Rigby stated that the government does not want FCA-licensed firms to face banking restrictions solely because of their industry; the FCA completed related rules in June, with the regime becoming mandatory in October 2027. (Decrypt)
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FCA explores tokenized gold for UK wholesale collateral market as London accounts for 70% of global trading volume
Odaily News: The UK regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), is exploring how tokenized gold can be incorporated into wholesale markets, including whether it can be used as collateral. The discussions involve regulatory approaches for institutional markets, with related rules potentially being announced in the coming months. The regulatory discussion comes as London seeks to consolidate its position as a global hub for gold trading. According to data from the World Gold Council, London currently accounts for approximately 70% of global gold trading volume, with Shanghai and Hong Kong competing for a larger share of wholesale business. HSBC launched a tokenized gold product for retail investors in Hong Kong more than two years ago, reporting cumulative trading volume exceeding $2.2 billion with more than 276,000 transactions. The FCA does not directly regulate physical gold trading, but it does regulate gold derivatives and publicly listed exchange-traded products. (Bitcoin.com News)
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Crypto allocation drops to 6%, but 45% of high-net-worth investors still plan to increase holdings, according to HSBC
HSBC's "Affluent Investor Snapshot 2026" report shows a survey of nearly 10,000 high-net-worth investors globally. In 2026, the average allocation to crypto assets stands at 6%, down 1 percentage point year-on-year. However, 45% of respondents still plan to increase their allocation over the next 12 months, while 40% intend to maintain it. In Singapore and Malaysia, investors' crypto asset allocations are 5% and 6%, respectively, both flat year-on-year. Over the same period, global cash allocation has fallen to 19%, with funds continuing to shift towards stocks, gold, and alternative investments.
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HSBC Survey: Singapore and Malaysia Wealthy Investors' Crypto Allocation Remains Stable, Funds Shift to Gold and Alternative Assets
According to e27, the "2026 Affluent Investor Snapshot" survey released by HSBC shows that the average cryptocurrency allocation for global affluent and high-net-worth investors is 6%, a slight decrease of 1 percentage point compared to 2025. Singapore investors' crypto allocation remained unchanged at 5%, and Malaysia remained unchanged at 6%, with no significant signs of exit. Meanwhile, investors in both regions are actively reducing cash holdings—13% of respondents in Singapore and 16% in Malaysia plan to reduce cash allocation within the next 12 months, shifting to increase alternative assets such as fixed deposits, gold, and private equity. Malaysian investors' interest in gold is particularly prominent, with the proportion planning to increase gold holdings rising by 20 percentage points; Singapore investors are more inclined towards fixed deposits (+18 percentage points) and alternative investments (+15 percentage points). Conducted between January and February 2026, this survey covered a total of 9,993 investors across 10 global markets, with a minimum investable asset threshold for respondents of USD 100,000.
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HSBC plans to recruit 100 AI experts in Singapore
According to The Straits Times, HSBC plans to recruit 100 AI experts and 100 wealth management client managers in Singapore, and will establish its first global AI center of excellence there.
UK Tokenized Government Bond Plan Advances, On-Chain Cash Settlement Becomes Key Bottleneck
According to CoinDesk, the UK government plans to complete the first tokenized sovereign bond issuance tests through HSBC and the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) in early 2027, but industry experts point out that on-chain cash settlement issues remain the core obstacle hindering the implementation of the plan. Varun Paul, Global Head of Central Banks and Market Infrastructure at Fireblocks, stated that the project has secured sufficient institutional support, and a change in government (UK Prime Minister changing from Keir Starmer to Andy Burnham) is unlikely to reverse it, and tokenized government bonds are expected to boost market demand given the UK's current debt scale of nearly 3 trillion pounds (approximately 4 trillion USD). Jannah Patchay, Founder of Markets Evolution, pointed out that tokenized bond technology has been validated for nearly seven years since Santander Bank issued the first tokenized sterling corporate bond in 2019, but the absence of on-chain counterparty risk-free settlement assets has remained unresolved. She called on regulators to promote the use of compliant sterling stablecoins to provide an on-chain settlement mechanism. Currently, the global stablecoin market size reaches $300 billion, but TGBP, the largest pound stablecoin by market capitalization, is only worth about $34.2 million, accounting for a negligible proportion.
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Anchorpoint Financial is about to announce the launch of the Hong Kong dollar stablecoin HKDAP
: Anchorpoint Financial Technology, led by Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong), is one of the two stablecoin issuer license holders first approved by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) in April this year. Standard Chartered and Anchorpoint Financial are expected to issue a joint announcement as soon as the end of this month, within the next two weeks, announcing the launch of the Hong Kong dollar-pegged stablecoin HKDAP. Previously, the HKMA issued the first batch of stablecoin issuer licenses to Anchorpoint Financial and HSBC in April this year.
HSBC receives Bank of England approval to enter Digital Securities Sandbox, HSBC Orion has facilitated over $5 billion in digital bond issuances
HSBC has received approval from the Bank of England to operate within the UK's Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS). Its digital asset platform, HSBC Orion, will support the issuance, servicing, and settlement of digital securities. HSBC stated that HSBC Orion will operate as a digital securities depository within the DSS and claims to be the first company approved by the Bank of England to go live in the sandbox. The platform will support native digital bond issuances, including the UK's planned digital sovereign bond, the Digital Gilt Instrument (DIGIT), and corporate bonds. HSBC noted that HSBC Orion has facilitated over $5 billion in global digital bond issuances. The UK Treasury stated that the first DIGIT transaction is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2027. HSBC has signed a memorandum of understanding with the London Stock Exchange Group to develop connectivity capabilities that support investor participation in the pilot issuance.
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英国拟于 2027 年初发行首个数字主权债券，或成首个在分布式账本上发行国债的 G7 国家
The UK plans to launch its first digital sovereign bond, DIGIT, in early 2027, and is expected to become the first G7 country to issue government debt on distributed ledger infrastructure. The bond will be denominated in sterling, issued via the HSBC Orion platform, and operate within the Digital Securities Sandbox of the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority.
Orion
UK plans to issue first G7 digital sovereign bond by early 2027
the UK plans to issue its first digital sovereign bond by early 2027, becoming the first G7 country to issue government debt on a distributed ledger. The bond will be listed on HSBC’s Orion platform and included in the digital securities sandbox of the Bank of England (BoE) and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to test shorter settlement times and lower costs. BoE Governor Andrew Bailey stated that the BoE plans to make the bond eligible as collateral for market operations, allowing banks to use the bond in central bank funding transactions.
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Strategy Bitcoin Banking Adoption Index: Fidelity Leads at 71%, BNY and Goldman Sachs Rank Second and Third
Strategy's newly launched Bitcoin Banking Adoption Index shows Fidelity leading at 71%, followed by BNY at 46% in second place, and Goldman Sachs at 45% in third. JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup each stand at 43%. The index evaluates the adoption of Bitcoin-related services across trading, custody, digital asset products, financing, and corporate participation among 25 major global institutions, with an overall adoption rate of 32%.The remaining institutions scored between 13% and 38%, with Wells Fargo at 38%, Banco Santander and Société Générale both at 35%, Charles Schwab and TD Bank both at 32%, BNP Paribas, HSBC, Crédit Agricole, and UBS each at 30%, Bank of America, Barclays, and Standard Chartered each at 28%, State Street at 27%, Mizuho and Deutsche Bank both at 22%, MUFG at 18%, Lloyd’s at 17%, and SMBC and Royal Bank of Canada both at 13% (Bitcoin.com News).
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BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and 54 other institutions join the UK tokenized financial markets working group
the UK government is accelerating the tokenization of its financial markets. 54 financial institutions, including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, and UBS, have joined the Wholesale Digital Markets Working Group supported by HM Treasury.Backed by the City of London Corporation, the working group will explore real-world tokenization use cases in the UK financial markets over the next year, with an initial focus on tokenised repurchase agreements (tokenised repo).Chris Woolard, the HM Treasury’s lead on wholesale digital markets, stated in a report that the tokenized financial market represents a "network race" and that the UK must move at the fastest possible pace, or risk missing the opportunity to participate in the global digital financial infrastructure buildout. (CoinDesk)
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HSBC Completes First Digital-Native Structured Product Issuance in Hong Kong
According to The Defiant, HSBC completed the first private placement of a digital-native structured product in Hong Kong, with USD-denominated notes issued directly on the blockchain (rather than digitized after issuance). Marketnode served as the tokenization agent and digital payment agent, responsible for managing the flow of funds between the issuer and investors. This issuance was positioned as a pilot project aimed at verifying the application potential of tokenization technology throughout the product's full lifecycle (issuance, settlement, ongoing servicing). It is a continuation of HSBC's multi-year strategic layout in the digital asset sector. Previously, the bank launched the HSBC Orion tokenization platform and retail gold tokens, and participated in the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Project Guardian alongside Marketnode and UOB.
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Swift Teams Up With 17 Global Banks to Launch Blockchain Ledger Pilot, Enabling Round-the-Clock Cross-Border Payments
According to CoinDesk, Swift announced that its blockchain-based shared ledger platform is ready and will launch real-time transaction testing with 17 major banks. Participating institutions include HSBC, UBS, BNP Paribas, Citi, BNY, and Wells Fargo, among others, covering six continents. The platform aims to enable 24/7 cross-border payments through tokenized deposits, allowing banks to transfer funds for customers during nights and weekends, and providing liquidity support before final settlement is completed in existing payment systems. Swift clearly stated that the ledger system is positioned as a complement to existing payment rails, not a replacement.
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汇丰预计 2027 年底黄金价格将达到每盎司 5025 美元
汇丰银行发布最新预测，预计 2027 年年底黄金价格将达到每盎司 5025 美元。