9F Inc., an innovative blockchain-based digital securities brokerage platform and service technology company, announced that it is implementing a series of strategic changes aimed at transforming the Company from a leading financial technology service provider focused on personal credit technology to a cutting-edge digital and blockchain-based securities brokerage company with equity-based securities brokerage services and digital asset technology services at the center of its offerings. Leveraging the decades-long track record of its wholly-owned licensed brokerage firm, and empowered by artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies, the Company is committed to becoming a global platform for the investment in, and trading of, securities and digital assets, providing users worldwide with global investments in stocks, debt securities and digital asset management services, with a primary focus on stocks traded on the U.S. and Hong Kong stock exchanges. The Company’s brokerage operation is headquartered in Hong Kong, supported by branch offices in Mainland China, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.
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Elaborating on the backdrop of the ongoing transition, Mr. Lei Liu, Executive Director and CEO of the Company, commented, “The Company has been around for fifteen years since its inception and has experienced different economic cycles and crises. We have gained a profound understanding of the fact that during economic downturns, internet-based credit facilities increase the overall debt and risk level of society, putting pressure on and weighing down both investors and borrowers. The same holds true for loan facilitation businesses operating in collaboration with financial institutions, especially where direct and indirect guarantee arrangements also give rise to hidden long-term risks, into which we also have deep insights. As part of our strategic transformation, we have decided to shift our focus to provide brokerage services that also allow investors to trade digital securities using blockchain technology centered on equity securities and digital asset products. In doing so, we will be able to better respond to the policy call for deleveraging and stepping up investments in equity assets, as well as to resolve historical issues that are now behind us. The ownership of a licensed brokerage firm that has decades of operating experience, the first-mover advantage of our early deployment in Southeast Asian markets, the 113 million registered users that we have accumulated over time, the blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies that we have amassed, together with the innovation and execution capabilities of our experienced management team, have served and will continue to serve as the cornerstone of our transformation and in the process, will make us a cut above the rest.”
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According to Mr. Raymond Chan, CEO of our subsidiary Ether Securities Hong Kong, “We are a NASDAQ-listed digital and blockchain-based securities brokerage firm. We are based in Hong Kong and we cater to the global markets. Our vision is to provide an intelligent platform for global securities investments and digital asset management for young users around the world, and to make asset allocation on an international scale and wealth appreciation a possibility through licensed and rule-compliant trading of global assets (including digital assets). We have noticed that blockchain technology is disrupting and transforming traditional brokerage services, and many institutions including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Robinhood have included digital asset services in their service offerings. Therefore, we see more demand in this space for the foreseeable future, and have increased resources in our research and development team in Singapore to focus on R&D of NFTs, METAVERSE and other blockchain technology and services. We will incubate a novel ecosystem of ‘new consumption, new technology, new fortune’ around the consumer and technology sectors, to help younger generations grow their affluence from equity-based investments and to benefit directly from the rapid development of the global digital economy. This digital ecosystem will also connect global investors with investment opportunities that come with the vast potential of China’s new consumer economy and the appreciation of global digital assets. We benchmark ourselves against US-based Robinhood and Charles Schwab, and we are working on a series of upgrades to our securities app ‘Ether Benben‘.”
The Company currently holds Type 1 (dealing in securities), Type 4 (advising on securities), Type 5 (advising on future contract) and Type 9 (asset management) Licenses under the Securities and Futures Ordinance in Hong Kong, and offers brokerage, IPO underwriting and distribution, securities investment advisory, futures, public and private equity funds, and asset management services that cater to the U.S. and Hong Kong stock markets. The Company also holds an insurance brokerage license in Hong Kong, financial service licenses in Southeast Asia, insurance brokerage license and fund sales license in Mainland China. Leveraging our pool of licenses and blockchain-based and blockchain technologies, the Company is becoming a “blockchainized” securities brokerage firm.
In addition, the Company is in the process of applying for brokerage and digital assets management licenses in other countries such as Singapore and the United States, so as to continue to expand service offerings and enhance its “one account, global investment” concept and serve as a one-stop service platform.
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