(Bloomberg) -- A key issuer of Hong Kong’s new spot-Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds suggested the products are a step toward more diversified portfolios for Chinese investors.

The launch of the funds on Tuesday “opens the door for a lot of RMB holders” seeking alternative investments, China Asset Management Co.’s Chief Executive Officer Yimei Li said in a Bloomberg Television interview.

She added that she hoped there could be a “new opportunity” for mainland Chinese investors in the future to “participate in this process.”

Read more: Hong Kong Lists Crypto ETFs as City Vies With US for Inflows

Crypto trading is banned on mainland China — driving activity underground — and the fund launches are outside the scope of a program giving Chinese investors access to some Hong Kong ETFs. One key question is whether that program could be widened over time.

“As the opening up progresses, we definitely hope that multi-assets will be available for domestic investors,” Li said. 

China Asset Management’s Hong Kong unit was among a batch of fund firms that listed Bitcoin and Ether ETFs in the city. The others were Harvest Global Investments Ltd. and a partnership between HashKey Capital Ltd. and Bosera Asset Management (International) Co.

In a separate Bloomberg Television interview, Han Tongli, the chief executive officer of Harvest Global, said regulators will closely monitor how Hong Kong’s crypto ETFs develop.

Asked about whether the products could be included in the program giving Chinese investors access to the city’s ETFs, he said: “They want to contain the risk. As long as they’re comfortable with the risks, I think the market will open gradually.”

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