28-11-203 (HONG KONG) Following the recent JPEX cryptocurrency fraud case, authorities and regulatory bodies have ramped up their investigations, shifting their focus to a platform called HOUNAX. It is suspected that HOUNAX was involved in a fraudulent scheme amounting to HK$148 million. The platform claims to be registered and licensed in the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, it has come to light that the company was originally named NINE COIN BLOCK CHAIN GROUP LIMITED (Company registration number: 2582868) in Hong Kong, established as early as 2017. Subsequently, the company underwent a name change to “NC Block Chain Group Limited”. These related companies operate cross-border e-commerce ventures in Singapore, Malaysia, and Cambodia. Unfortunately, the HOUNAX website is currently inaccessible.
The director of the Canadian and Hong Kong companies is identified as “DENG Shijie,” reportedly residing in a rural area of Hunan province.
HOUNAX specifically targeted customers in Hong Kong and claimed to be registered in Singapore. However, there are no similarly named companies registered in either Hong Kong or Singapore. Nonetheless, the company had sponsored articles on blockchain media platforms, promoting itself as “HOUNAX GLOBAL CRYPTO PTY LIMITED” with licenses from the United States, Canada, and Australia.
According to Canadian business records, “HOUNAX GLOBAL CRYPTO PTY LIMITED” was established on 2nd February 2021, under the original name “NC Block Chain Group Limited.” The name change to the current one occurred on 25th April 2023. The registered address of the company is in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, with “DENG Shijie” listed as a director.
A search of records from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the United States Department of the Treasury reveals that “HOUNAX GLOBAL CRYPTO PTY LIMITED,” registered with an address in Melbourne, Australia, has held a license for money services business since May of this year.
Further investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission shows that “HOUNAX GLOBAL CRYPTO PTY LIMITED” was established in May 2023, with ANDREA PARLAGRECO listed as a director, born in Italy.
“DENG Shijie” has been identified as a shareholder and director of NC Block Chain Group, registered at a rural address in Qiyang County, Hunan Province. The company secretary, Chan Yiu-fai, is also a director of Unimall Group (HK) Limited. HOUNAX’s associated company, NC Block Chain Group Limited, has a connection with Unimall Group.
Local media outlet HK01 conducted further online research and discovered a YouTube channel named “Unimall.” This channel uploaded a video titled “NC Block Chain Exchange 1st Anniversary.” The video quality was poor and featured the exchange, allegedly founded by a Malaysian individual named Datuk Seri Gaven Feng.
The YouTube channel also introduced Unimall as a Hong Kong-based company involved in blockchain, insurance, finance, and other businesses. They claimed to have organized cross-border e-commerce summits in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Cambodia, and Singapore. However, the website shown in the video is currently inaccessible.
