Hong Kong plans to launch a wholesale central bank digital currency by year-end and test tokenized government notes.

TechFlow reported on September 18 that, according to Ledger Insights, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority plans to launch wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) through the EnsembleTX project by the end of 2026 for interbank settlement of tokenized deposits, enabling round-the-clock payments. The project already initiated real-transaction pilots at the end of 2025, but initially continued to rely on traditional instant payment and settlement systems, with settlement times constrained by the systems' operating hours.

Hong Kong also plans to utilize wCBDC for after-hours derivative trade settlement at the Hong Kong Exchange, and will conduct additional real-value transaction tests and tokenized government bill trials within the year.