Public Perception of Virtual Assets and Tokenized Money

20 SURVEY FINDINGS PART I: VIRTUAL ASSETS To hold virtual assets, 51.39% of respondents plan to use crypto exchanges. Approximately 20% would opt for traditional brokerages if they offer virtual assets. Software wallets (21.13%) and hardware wallets (11.96%) are also popular choices among respondents. The most important criteria for choosing a platform to invest in virtual assets are: whether the platform is regulated or licensed in Hong Kong (58.13%), ease of transfer and withdrawal (41.75%), low trading fees and high rewards (32.39%), and the platform’s reputation (39.19%). When considering investing in virtual assets, respondents are most concerned about fraud by the investment platform (53.66%) or the virtual asset issuer (45.37%), and the lack of regulation for virtual assets (52.84%). Other concerns include the high volatility of virtual asset values (38.80%), the absence of actual assets or cash flows backing virtual assets (31.21%), and that virtual assets are too complicated to understand (32.66%). Figure 16. Places where Respondents Plan to Hold Virtual Assets Figure 17. Criteria for Choosing a Platform for Virtual Assets Investments Crypto exchange Traditional brokerages (if they offer virtual assets) Hardware wallet Software wallet Others I don't know 0% 20% 10% 30% 40% 60% 50% Note: Only respondents who would like to hold virtual assets in the future or not sure at this point were asked where they planned to hold virtual assets. Is regulated or licensed in Hong Kong Is regulated or licensed in other countries (e.g., USA, UK, Singapore) Reputations Celebrity endorsement Advertisements Recommendation from friends and relatives Low trading fees and high rewards Number of available virtual assets Ease of usage Can also invest in other products such as stocks and bonds The platform owns physical stores/branches in Hong Kong that you can visit Easy to transfer and withdraw Others 1.71% / 1.59% / 2.30% 1.64% / 1.72% / 2.13% 3.09% / 5.22% / 5.90% 3.21% / 3.89% / 3.70% 3.80% / 5.70% / 7.45% 4.90% 7.28% 9.62% 5.05% 8.10% 8.63% 0.10% /0.03% /0.07% 36.23% 11.87% 10.03% 9.40% 13.24% 9.07% 7.42% 11.75% 13.22% 10.11% 15.64% 16.00% 13.35% 13.97% 11.87% The most important 2nd most important 3rd most important 51.39% 21.64% 11.96% 21.13% 0.14% 17.51% 0% 20% 10% 30% 40% 60% 50%