Singapore, 14 August 2025 – Matrixport, the world’s leading all-in-one hub for crypto financial services, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Institute for Finance Research, marking the beginning of a strategic partnership. The collaboration will focus on cutting-edge research in digital assets and real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation, tackling real-world challenges and promoting the sustainable development of the fintech ecosystems in both Hong Kong and globally.
The partnership will centre its research on XAUm — a physical gold-backed token issued by Matrixdock, Matrixport’s dedicated RWA tokenisation platform. The two institutions will jointly investigate the global adoption and distribution of tokenised gold products, with a focus on user behaviour, market access mechanisms, and channel strategies. By examining the role of gold-based RWA assets in portfolio construction, macroeconomic hedging, and financial system resilience, the research aims to provide academic support and practical insights for innovative integration between digital assets and traditional financial markets.
In parallel, the collaboration will advance research into on-chain RWA data analytics and visualisation. By examining on-chain asset flows, transaction architectures, and decentralised lending behaviours, the study aims to uncover structural dynamics between blockchain-based and traditional financial systems. Leveraging the technological strengths of the HKUST Institute for Financial Research, the collaboration will focus on research into intelligent monitoring systems, optimizing market dynamics tracking models, and innovating risk modeling frameworks, enabling institutional investors to more efficiently grasp the operational patterns of the digital asset market and enhance their risk management strategies.
John Ge, CEO of Matrixport, stated, “RWA tokenisation, as an emerging bridge between traditional finance and Web3, offers a technological solution to two fundamental challenges—asset transparency and liquidity. In the context of Hong Kong’s continued efforts to build a robust, compliant fintech ecosystem, the strategic partnership between Matrixport and HKUST Institute for Finance Research represents more than just a convergence of expertise and technology. It reflects a deeper integration of industry, academia, and research, working in tandem to shape the future of tokenised finance. This collaboration aims to establish a new benchmark for the RWA sector and inject fresh momentum into the ongoing innovation of Hong Kong as a financial hub.”
Bo Tang, Head of HKUST Institute for Financial Research, said, “Asset tokenization is redefining the way traditional financial markets operate. This collaboration will leverage the academic strengths of HKUST Institute for Financial Research and Matrixport’s industry expertise in the digital asset space to explore how blockchain technology can enhance asset liquidity, transparency, and accessibility. Through in-depth collaboration between academia and industry, we aim to produce research outcomes that combine academic rigor with practical guidance, contributing to the development of the RWA market and helping to build a more open and inclusive digital financial ecosystem.”
Matrixport is an early player in the RWA tokenisation space. Through its dedicated platform Matrixdock, it was the first in Asia to launch a tokenised US Treasury product — STBT, and subsequently introduced XAUm, a physical gold-backed token, in late 2024. XAUm has since risen to become one of the top three gold tokens by on-chain adoption globally. As research collaboration with HKUST Institute for Finance Research progresses, XAUm — the foundation of this joint study — is poised to become a benchmark for tokenised gold products and a reference model for the broader tokenisation of precious metals.
About Matrixport
Founded in 2019, Matrixport is the world’s leading all-in-one hub for crypto financial services. The platform is committed to providing every user with a personalized Super Account that integrates crypto trading, investment, loan, custody, RWA, research and more. With $6 billion in AUM (assets under management), Matrixport offers global users diverse crypto-financial solutions designed for optimal capital efficiency and sustainable returns.
As a Group and through its local subsidiaries, Matrixport has received the Trust or Company Service Provider / Money Lender Licenses in Hong Kong, and the FINMA Asset Management License in Switzerland. The company operates as an Appointed Representative in the UK, is registered as an MSB in the US, and is a member of Switzerland’s FINMA SRO-VFQ. Additionally, Matrixport’s subsidiary, Fly Wing, has received the MPI License from MAS in Singapore. It was also recognized by CB Insights as one of the “50 Most Promising Blockchain Companies”, featured in the Hurun “2024 Global Unicorn List“ and recognised as a Fintech Unicorn in Singapore in 2025.
Matrixdock is a premier platform under Matrixport Group that offers access to high-quality Real World Assets (RWA) through advanced tokenization technology. As the first in Asia to introduce a tokenized short-term treasury bill product, STBT, Matrixdock earned the Ecosystem Excellence TADS Award in 2023 for Trading & Liquidity Solutions. In 2024, Matrixdock launched XAUm, a tokenized gold asset fully backed by 99.99% purity gold, providing investors with a trusted and transparent digital asset linked to LBMA-accredited gold.
Matrixport official website: https://www.matrixport.com
About HKUST Institute for Finance Research
The institute’s mission is to address critical social and economic issues of our time by combining and leveraging knowledge and resources across different intellectual disciplines and fields, as well as from different schools and universities.
By collaborating with colleagues in finance, economics, and other disciplines, as well as industry practitioners and policymakers in Hong Kong, mainland China, Europe and the US, we aim to create an interdisciplinary, international platform that a) fosters communication and corporation across different stakeholders; b) promotes cutting-edge research that tackles practical issues; c) informs industry practitioners and policymakers for better decision making.
Our proposed research activities and programs will focus on tackling some of the most important challenges and opportunities in Hong Kong today. The institute has four main research themes: a) Technological Innovations; b) Environmental and Social Responsibility; c) Wealth Management; d) Macro-finance and Geo-economics.
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