Avenue Secures Comprehensive Uplift for Virtual Asset Management and OFC Custodianship

Aligned with Hong Kong’s strategic vision of establishing itself as a premier global hub for digital assets, Avenue Investment Management Limited (“Avenue”) is pleased to announce a significant milestone in its corporate history.

Building upon our existing Type 1 (Dealing in Securities), Type 4 (Advising on Securities), and Type 9 (Asset Management) licenses issued by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Avenue has officially obtained regulatory approval to expand its capabilities into three major areas:

1. Virtual Asset Portfolio Manager (VA Fund Manager)

2. Virtual Asset Investment Advisor (VA Advisor)

3. Eligible Custodian for Open-ended Fund Companies (OFC)

This comprehensive regulatory uplift marks Avenue as one of the elite multi-family offices in Hong Kong capable of offering a dual-track wealth management framework spanning both traditional finance and virtual assets. By seamlessly integrating Asset Management, Investment Advisory, and Fund Custodianship, Avenue delivers a fully unified, closed-loop operational ecosystem.

Core Business Scenarios: A Seamless Bridge from Traditional to Digital Frontiers

Amid an increasingly volatile global macroeconomic landscape, ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families and institutional investors demand higher standards of security, diversification, and foresight in asset allocation. Through this license upgrade, Avenue translates conceptual strategic ideas into robust, compliant solutions across the following practical scenarios:

Securing Virtual Assets in Family Portfolios: From "Opaque Waters" to Structured Compliance

• The Former Challenge: Historically, when family offices or UHNW individuals sought exposure to virtual assets (such as Bitcoin or Ethereum) to hedge against global inflation, they had to rely on unregulated or offshore platforms. This exposed them to severe counterparty risks, security vulnerabilities (such as private key losses), exchange insolvencies, and banking fiat-on/off-ramp bottlenecks.

• The Avenue Solution: Under the SFC’s stringent regulatory framework, Avenue now provides institutional-grade virtual asset portfolio management and bespoke advisory services. Client assets can be legally and transparently incorporated into their consolidated family balance sheets. By utilizing SFC-licensed platforms for fiat-crypto clearing and secure, segregated custody, clients can allocate to "digital gold" with absolute peace of mind.
  

Custom OFC Fund Setup with In-House Segregated Custody and Enhanced Privacy

• The Former Challenge: Establishing an Open-ended Fund Company (OFC) in Hong Kong to manage global assets has traditionally been highly fragmented. Families had to coordinate separately with external asset managers, investment advisors, and third-party custodians. This multi-party coordination resulted in excessive operational drag, high overhead costs, and potential exposure of sensitive beneficial ownership details.

• The Avenue Solution: Avenue now offers a fully in-house, integrated suite encompassing asset management, advisory, and OFC custodianship. As an SFC-eligible custodian, we act not only as your investment manager but also as the direct safeguard of your fund assets. Eliminating the need for third-party custodians minimizes the risk of structural data leakage, enhances operational efficiency, and significantly elevates privacy for the family.

Cross-Asset Hedging: Bridging TradFi and Web3

The Future Outlook: By bridging the boundaries of Type 1, 4, and 9 licenses with virtual asset capabilities, Avenue is uniquely positioned to design bespoke, multi-asset hedging portfolios. We can construct strategies that combine traditional defensive instruments (e.g., US Treasuries and Physical Gold) with regulated virtual assets, shielding the core portfolio while capturing both the technology Beta and Alpha of the Web3 economy.

Strategic Vision: Guarding Multi-Generational Wealth

Compliance is the lifeline of wealth preservation; innovation is the engine of capital growth. Securing these virtual asset management, advisory, and OFC custodianship qualifications reflects the regulator's recognition of our robust risk management framework and corporate governance. It also marks a pivotal step in our strategic preparation for the paradigm shift toward digital finance. 

Traditional financial assets form the bedrock of family wealth, while digital assets pave the way for a new era of global diversification. Avenue will remain steadfast in upholding regulatory compliance, implementing granular look-through risk controls, and designing resilient, all-weather asset allocation strategies. We are committed to safeguarding and achieving steady, long-term wealth appreciation across generations.