The Hong Kong Monetary Authority plans to launch a wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) by the end of this year to facilitate interbank settlement of tokenized government bonds. Part of Project EnsembleTX, the wCBDC will enable 24-hour settlement for tokenized deposit transactions, addressing current limitations where cross-bank settlements rely on the RTGS system that operates only during business hours. The initiative entered real transaction pilot phase in late 2025 and aims to extend wCBDC utility to off-hours derivatives trading settlement at the Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX). Real-money transactions for HKEX derivatives settlement are also targeted for implementation within the current year.