Business
Forthright Securities and Forthright Capital have secured SFC Virtual Asset Uplift Approval, making them among the few fintech-licensed brokerages to receive simultaneous uplift approval for three types of licenses.
Forthright Securities Company Limited and Forthright Capital Company Limited, subsidiaries of JF SmartInvest Holdings Ltd (9636.HK), have officially received approval from the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (SFC) to add virtual asset-related business capabilities to their existing Type 1 (Dealing in Securities), Type 4 (Advising on Securities), and Type 9 (Asset Management) regulated activities.
About this update from Jf Smartinvest Holdings Ltd
[{"type":"text","content":"HONG KONG, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Forthright Securities Company Limited and Forthright Capital Company Limited, subsidiaries of JF SmartInvest Holdings Ltd (9636.HK), have officially received approval from the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (SFC) to add virtual asset-related business capabilities to their existing Type 1 (Dealing in Securities), Type 4 (Advising on Securities), and Type 9 (Asset Management) regulated activities.","length":454,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"According to public records, this marks the one of few fintech licensed brokerages in Hong Kong has simultaneously obtained virtual asset business qualifications across Type 1, Type 4, and Type 9 licences. This means Forthright now possesses the full regulatory qualification to offer clients a complete suite of virtual asset services encompassing "trade execution + investment advisory + asset management" within a compliant framework.","length":447,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"One Account, One Service, Full Asset Coverage","length":45,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The current licensed virtual asset ecosystem in Hong Kong is primarily composed of two types of institutions: one category consists of virtual asset trading platforms (VATPs) holding dedicated VATP licences, with order matching as their core function; the other comprises licensed institutions that have obtained VA business qualifications on top of their traditional securities licences, enabling them to integrate virtual assets into broader investment services and asset management frameworks.","length":496,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Industry observers note that for investors, mere trading access is no longer a scarce resource. The real pain point lies in how to incorporate virtual assets into overall asset allocation while receiving professional advisory and portfolio management services. With all three qualifications now in place, Forthright has become one of the few licensed institutions in the market capable of simultaneously addressing "how to buy, what to buy, and how to manage."","length":470,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Upon completion of the licence upgrade, Forthright's clients will be able to manage Hong Kong and US equities alongside virtual assets within a single platform and unified acc...