Tabitha Saw joins MoFo from White & Case and brings experience advising investors and owner operators on complex real estate and data centre transactions – a sector the law firm sees as offering ample opportunity.

The significance of private Chinese property developers on the global real estate scene will continue to dwindle in the next few years, as they are overshadowed by their state-owned counterparts. Rating agencies and analysts note the rapid decline of offshore dollar bond issuance by Chinese property participants.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) plans to introduce licensing requirements for firms operating in stablecoins, by 2024.

The bank is the first to set up a 100% foreign-owned securities firm via greenfield investment in the Mainland, since the market scrapped foreign ownership limits.

Stephanie Chain joins from Reed Smith Richards Butler.

Following the stellar performance of his Japan Macro Fund in the early 2000s, Soon Hock Chua has opened access to his most recent hedge strategy through tokenisation on the ADDX digital securities platform.

Experts expect a possible revival of investor interest in China, which lost favour among US investors last year. Across APAC, consumer, manufacturing and industrials are sectors to watch.

Xin Fang joins DLA Piper from Mayer Brown, where she was counsel.

The expansion will boost inflows to Hong Kong and mainland China stock markets, but the real game changer will be when mainland investors can invest in secondary-listed Chinese companies in Hong Kong.

All the very best for the Lunar New Year – an update on publication plans.