November 05, 2025
By Our Correspondent
Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters has predicted a future in which almost every financial transaction in the world takes place on a digital blockchain network.
Speaking at Hong Kong FinTech Week on Monday, Winters told attendees that both the bank and Hong Kong’s leadership share the view that “pretty much all transactions will settle on blockchains eventually, and that all money will be digital.”
“Consider what that entails: a total rewiring of the financial system,” Winters said, emphasizing that significant experimentation is required to determine how this transformation will unfold.
Standard Chartered, listed in both Hong Kong and London, has been steadily increasing its involvement in digital assets, from tokenized products and trading platforms to digital custody infrastructure. Winters appeared alongside Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan, praising the city’s leadership in regulation and innovation around digital assets.
Hong Kong has been working to cement its position as a regional digital asset hub with a licensing regime for crypto platforms and government-supported tokenization pilots—areas in which Standard Chartered is an active participant.
Tokenized assets—digital representations of real-world assets such as bonds, equities, or commodities—are recorded and traded on distributed ledgers. One early and widely traded tokenized form is the stablecoin, which is pegged to traditional currencies.
Under a new regulatory framework introduced in August, Standard Chartered plans to launch a Hong Kong-dollar-backed stablecoin in partnership with Animoca Brands and telecom operator HKT. Winters said he sees strong potential for HKD-stablecoins to become a digital medium for cross-border trade.
