Bitkub exchange eyes Hong Kong IPO as Thai markets slump to 5-year lows: Report

Bitkub, one of Thailand’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, is reportedly considering an initial public offering (IPO) abroad amid a downturn in the local stock market.

Bitkub is planning to raise $200 million as part of its potential IPO in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

Founded in 2018, Bitkub is the largest crypto exchange in Thailand, trading around $66 million daily, according to CoinGecko data.

The exchange previously considered an IPO in Thailand, targeting a public launch in 2025, which has reportedly been stalled with volatility and uncertainty on the Thai stock market.

Thailand’s benchmark index fell to five-year low in 2025

Thailand’s equity market has emerged as one of the most volatile Asian markets in 2025 amid political disputes with Cambodia and looming trade threats.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), the country’s sole stock exchange, has seen its index drop 10% this year, reportedly slumping to a five-year low in the first half of the year, making it one of the worst-performing markets in Asia.

Performance of Asian stock exchanges in the first half of 2025. Source: Thailand Business News

Despite two consecutive months of stock market gains, foreign investors reportedly continued to offload Thai equities later in the year, with net selling positions totaling more than 100 billion Thai baht ($3 billion) in the first 10 months of 2025.

On the other hand, a majority of Asian stock exchanges saw robust gains in H1 2025, with South Korea and Hong Kong topping the trend with growth of 27% and 20%, respectively.

Hong Kong IPOs booming with $28 billion raised

Bitkub’s potential listing would expand the Hong Kong exchange’s attempts to attract more listings by non-Chinese companies amid an ongoing IPO boom.

According to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hong Kong raised $216 billion Hong Kong dollars ($27.8 billion) from IPOs in the first 10 months of 2025, an increase of 209% compared to the same period last year.

Hong Kong, Thailand, Stocks, IPO, Companies
Thailand’s top crypto exchanges by trust store/trading volumes. Source: CoinGecko

Hong Kong has become a rapidly expanding market for digital assets, attracting a number of crypto companies, including the world’s largest Bitcoin ATM operator, Bitcoin Depot.

Related: Crypto bank AMINA gets Hong Kong license to launch institutional trading

In October, HashKey Group, the owner of Hong Kong’s top licensed crypto exchange, reportedly filed for an IPO, planning to raise $500 million for a listing expected in 2026. The potential listing would mark one of the first public listings by a crypto company locally.

Cointelegraph approached Bitkub for comment regarding its potential IPO listing in Hong Kong, but had not received a response by the time of publication.