The Law of Digital Assets in Hong Kong (1st Edition)

Tony Ko is a barrister practising at Plowman Chambers in Hong Kong with extensive experience in commercial litigation, financial regulation and digital assets.

Tony regularly acts in digital asset disputes and enforcement actions.  He has acted in landmark securities enforcement and market misconduct proceedings, including the first misfeasance proceedings brought by the SFC under section 214 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance, and the first criminal jury trial brought by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) for false trading in the High Court.  He acted for the liquidators of  Lehman Brothers Securities Asia Limited in Hong Kong in relation to the collapse of the Lehman Brothers group, in major winding up and restructuring cases involving Cayman, Bermuda and Mainland incorporated listed companies, and in substantial investment and joint venture disputes. His experience extends to banking and financial services litigation, claims involving derivatives and structured products, and disputes at the intersection of civil and regulatory regimes.  

Tony has also acted in landmark probate and constitutional cases, including the administration proceedings for the Estate of the late Nina Wang, and Junior Police Officers' Association of the Hong Kong Police Force and Anor v Electoral Affairs Commission and Ors [2020] 3 HKLRD 39, [2020] 3 HKC 628, [2020] 2 HKLRD 631, [2020] 3 HKC 305, [2019] 5 HKLRD 291, in which the constitutionality of election regulations were successfully challenged in view of the phenomenon of doxxing.

Tony is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and sits as arbitrator in international investment and Mainland-related disputes under major institutional rules with appointments to multiple PRC arbitration commissions.  Tony also maintains a notable practice in sports law and governance. He is among the first batch of practitioners appointed to both the Sports Arbitrators Panel and the Sports Mediators Panel under Hong Kong’s Pilot Scheme on Sports Dispute Resolution. He has advised and represented national sports associations, sponsors, athletes and event organisers in disputes concerning sponsorship, venue and infrastructure arrangements, disciplinary matters and sports governance, and has sat as arbitrator in sports-industry investment disputes.

Tony is admitted as a Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) lawyer and is the Vice-President of the GBA Lawyers Orginazation, formed in accordance with the HKSAR Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address with the support of the PRC Ministry of Justice and HKSAR Department of Justice.  He acts in disputes with significant Chinese Mainland elements, frequently working with PRC counsel and appearing in litigations and arbitrations seated in or involving Chinese Mainland.

Tony serves in various public roles, including as Temporary Deputy Registrar of the High Court, Deputy District Judge, and Chairman of the Buildings Appeal Tribunal.  He served as External Examiner in Commercial Dispute Resolution for the University of Hong Kong, and as an Adjunct Professor at the Shandong University of Political Science and Law.