Forthright Securities Company Limited has introduced a single-account platform that combines Hong Kong and U.S. securities with virtual asset trading, seeking to give clients direct access to both markets without opening separate accounts or moving funds between applications.
The Hong Kong brokerage presented the expanded service at Bitcoin Asia 2026, where it framed the product as a regulated multi-asset allocation tool for clients who want to hold listed equities and digital assets through one brokerage relationship. Forthright Securities is part of JF SmartInvest Holdings Ltd, which is listed in Hong Kong under the stock code 9636.HK.
The company said its retail clients can trade Bitcoin, Ether and Solana through the in-app virtual asset service launched in July. Professional clients can access a wider set of tokens, including USDT, Chainlink, Uniswap and Litecoin, according to Forthright Securities.
A brokerage account built around direct holdings
Forthright’s approach centres on combining direct virtual asset holdings with conventional brokerage services rather than directing clients toward crypto exchange-traded funds alone. The company said clients can keep virtual assets alongside Hong Kong and U.S. equities in the same account, a structure that could make portfolio rebalancing less operationally complex for users already trading shares through the firm.
That structure places the brokerage in a more competitive part of Hong Kong’s developing virtual asset market. Crypto ETFs provide regulated market exposure through listed fund shares, while direct holdings give clients exposure to the underlying assets themselves. The two routes can produce different outcomes because ETFs carry management fees and may trade at premiums or discounts to their net asset value.
Forthright Securities said rising demand from high-net-worth individuals and family offices for direct virtual asset exposure was among the reasons behind the rollout. The company cited ETF tracking differences and recurring fund fees as factors that can influence how clients choose between listed crypto products and spot holdings.
The firm is pairing the account with three support functions: one-on-one advisory services, cross-asset research and the Forthright AI Investment Terminal. It demonstrated the AI terminal and advisory tools at its conference booth, though the company did not provide performance figures or details on how the system’s recommendations are generated.
Executive points to institutional allocation gap
Richard Zhengwei He, chief executive officer of Forthright Securities, discussed Bitcoin institutionalisation, next-generation crypto ETFs and real-world asset tokenisation during an opening-day appearance on Bitcoin Asia’s Genesis Stage.
He said traditional finance globally allocates less than 1% of assets to crypto, according to Forthright Securities’ account of his remarks. He added that a move by family offices and private wealth-management institutions toward a 5% allocation target would increase demand for digital assets.
The comparison reflects an allocation argument increasingly used by wealth platforms entering the sector: a relatively small portfolio allocation can represent substantial demand when applied across large pools of managed capital. It does not establish that such a move is underway, but it helps explain why brokerages are building services for clients who want both securities and virtual assets under one regulated provider.
He also described Hong Kong as a global offshore wealth hub and focused on the role licensed brokerages could play in connecting conventional wealth-management services with digital asset products.
Licensing framework supports brokerage expansion
Forthright said its virtual asset offering operates through account structures connected to its Type 1, Type 4 and Type 9 licences, together with virtual asset-related business qualifications. Under Hong Kong’s regulatory system, Type 1 covers dealing in securities, Type 4 covers advising on securities and Type 9 covers asset management.
The company said Forthright Securities and Forthright Capital Management Limited completed licence-condition upgrades in May 2026 that added virtual asset-related permissions to relevant regulated activities. It said Forthright Securities holds Type 1, 2, 4 and 5 licences from the Securities and Futures Commission, while Forthright Capital holds Type 1, 4 and 9 licences.
Forthright Wealth Management Limited, another group entity, holds general and long-term insurance licences from the Hong Kong Insurance Authority, according to the company. The group said this collection of licences supports its wider wealth-management offering, although its virtual asset service is being delivered through the regulated brokerage and asset-management entities.
Forthright also said that more than 200 Hong Kong corporations had upgraded conditions attached to Type 1, Type 4 and Type 9 licences by April 2026. The figure was cited by the company in its discussion of the local licensing environment.
Hong Kong competition moves beyond crypto-only platforms
The rollout gives Forthright a product designed for clients who do not want to treat digital assets as a separate account category. For active traders, the practical appeal is the ability to move allocation decisions between equities and supported tokens without relying on external bank transfers or maintaining balances across multiple platforms.
That convenience does not remove the different risks attached to each market. Direct token ownership exposes clients to virtual asset price volatility, while equity holdings carry company, sector and market risks. A unified display may make those positions easier to view together, but it does not make them economically interchangeable.
Forthright’s service also arrives as Hong Kong’s regulatory framework gives licensed financial firms a clearer route to offer virtual asset-related activities. The company is positioning its platform less as a crypto-only trading product and more as a wealth-management account in which digital assets sit alongside existing securities portfolios.
Explore how licensed brokerages bridge TradFi and crypto with tokenised assets in Toobit Academy’s tokenized equities guide.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not represent the views or financial advice of Toobit. We make no guarantees regarding the accuracy or completeness of this information and shall not be held liable for any errors, omissions, or outcomes resulting from its use. Investing in digital assets involves risk; users should independently evaluate their financial situation and the risks involved. For further details, please consult our Terms of Service and Risk Disclosure.
