UK law firm Simmons & Simmons has announced the appointment of Kenneth Hui as its regulatory head for Hong Kong and Greater China. He was most recently a counsel at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Hui brings over 14 years of experience in financial services regulation. His expertise spans fintech, digital assets, and transaction structuring, with a focus on advising banks, broker-dealers, and fintech companies.

He previously worked at Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, and the legacy Allen & Overy.

The move comes as Hong Kong pushes to establish itself as a virtual asset hub, having recently introduced a new regulatory regime for digital asset exchanges.

In a statement, Jason Valoti, partner in Simmons' Financial Markets group in Singapore, said Hui's expertise in artificial intelligence and digital assets would "significantly bolster" the firm's capabilities in Hong Kong.

The firm recently hired tech and financial disputes expert Lijun Chui as a partner in Singapore from Bird & Bird.