[Hong Kong's First Batch of Regulated Stablecoin Licenses Delayed, HKMA Responds with Full Effort to Push Forward] Odaily Planet Daily News: Hong Kong's first batch of issuer licenses, originally scheduled to be issued in March 2026, has not been implemented as planned. A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) responded, stating that the HKMA is making every effort to advance the licensing process and will announce updates at an appropriate time. Regarding who will secure Hong Kong's first stablecoin licenses, the market has previously focused on the two major Hong Kong dollar note-issuing banks, HSBC and Standard Chartered. HSBC has not publicly disclosed whether it has submitted an application for a stablecoin license. However, as early as mid-January this year, market rumors suggested that HSBC had a significant chance of obtaining one of the first licenses. Currently, there has been no official disclosure explaining why the issuance of stablecoin licenses has been delayed beyond the anticipated timeline. Sources close to the stablecoin license application process revealed that the HKMA has recently been in close contact with the first batch of potential compliant licensees and has proposed further revisions regarding issuance matters. Additionally, the second batch of Hong Kong's regulated stablecoin licenses is also under application. Reliable sources indicate that Futu Securities and OSL Group are strong contenders for the second batch of licenses. (Caixin)