Anchorpoint Delays Retail Stablecoin Rollout

Anchorpoint, the joint venture of Standard Chartered, Animoca Brands and HKT, is pushing back its retail stablecoin launch. The Hong Kong dollar-backed token, launched to institutions in August, was slated for consumer use by the end of 2026. CEO Dominic Maffei said the firm would take a prudent approach, refusing to confirm the original timeline. He warned that rushing a launch "does not make sense" as the market needs a long-term, sustainable build. The delay comes after HSBC rolled out its Hong Kong dollar-backed RedCoin to 3.3 million PayMe users last Friday. Animoca brings blockchain expertise and Web3 use cases, while Standard Chartered and HKT supply financial and telecom infrastructure. The venture emerged from a February 2025 partnership after testing the sandbox in July 2024. The cautious stance signals that even the most ambitious stablecoin projects may wait to meet regulatory and market readiness.