Mega Event Economy: Hong Kong's Largest Trading Card Event "Grade10 Festival" Launches This Month

• MemeStrategy Leads the Charge, Teams Up with Global Exhibitors to Help Local Brands Go International

• Asian Collectors Organisation Established Simultaneously, Building a Networking Platform for the Collecting Community

12 November 2025, Hong Kong - As anime, sports culture, and collectibles continue to surge in popularity globally, trading card games and collecting culture have swept the world in recent years. Leveraging its geographical and tax advantages, Hong Kong is attracting collectors from across the globe and is emerging as Asia's hub for cultural collectibles and trading card transactions.

Grade10, an Asia-renowned trading card brand, will host its fourth edition of "Grade10 Festival" on 22-23 November this year at the Hopewell Hotel in Wan Chai. The event is set to become Hong Kong's largest trading card showcase, with over 120 exhibitors from around the world and locally converging on Hong Kong, drawing an anticipated 20,000+ attendees.

Launching an AI-Powered Trading Card Information Platform, Establishing an Asian Collectors Organisation to Boost Promotion

Cultural collectibles and trading cards represent a massive market with tremendous potential. Grade10 will use this event to connect Hong Kong collectors with those from around the globe, leveraging Hong Kong's unique advantages in cultural exchange to promote its standing as a cultural hub on the international stage. Grade10 will establish an Asian Collectors Organisation to deepen engagement among collectors, and plans to set up a vault – a professional trading card storage service, as well as develop an AI-powered information platform called "Grade10 AI", providing real-time price inquiries and card background analysis to help card enthusiasts stay on top of market trends. The platform will be officially launched on the opening day of the card show.

This edition of "Grade10 Festival" brings together heavyweight representatives from the industry globally and locally, representing the largest scale yet. With over 120 exhibitors from the Chinese Mainland, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan, China, the event encompasses many renowned card issuers and trading platforms. Driven by rapid growth in the collectibles market, Hong Kong, with its free-market environment and tax advantages, is emerging as Asia's trading card and collectibles trading centre and hub.

Ray Chan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MemeStrategy (stock code: 2440), co-founder of 9GAG, and Chief Executive Officer of Grade10, said: "MemeStrategy's investment in Grade10 is based on our confidence in the potential of the cultural industries and the emotional value market. Currently, major trading card events are primarily concentrated in the United States or overseas regions. As Hong Kong's largest trading card show, Grade10 is committed to investing more resources to take Grade10 Festival to the international stage, striving to become the largest trading card and cultural collectibles event in Asia.

As a leading wealth management centre, Hong Kong has long attracted a substantial and affluent collector base, whilst benefiting from low-tax advantages. Leveraging this foundation, Grade10 plans to establish Hong Kong as its headquarters for building a collectors association spanning Chinese Mainland and across Asia, seamlessly integrating pop culture with trading cards. According to industry insiders, Hong Kong is home to the largest collector community in Asia's trading card sector. Combined with the recent rise of cross-disciplinary collecting and younger collectors—including Millennials and Generation Z—the establishment of the collectors organisation will more effectively unite the community and create synergistic effects with Grade10's exhibition programmes across different regions, further strengthening community connections.

Trading Cards and Brand Collaborations: Embracing Diverse Pop Culture

The trading card culture and market have expanded rapidly in recent years, with many high-end brands and enterprises entering the market to engage with younger audiences. Examples include Louis Vuitton's collaboration with artists to release trading cards, the highly sought-after collectible character Labubu partnering with Topps to launch card series, and renowned local and international celebrities, including Stephen Chow, who recently launched A Chinese Odyssey-themed cards. Additionally, the art market has begun embracing trading cards, with some artworks releasing limited edition cards for collectors. Rappers, sportswear brands, tourist attractions, and even financial institutions have all joined this cultural movement, progressively releasing various categories of card products.

The event venue will showcase new trading cards and various types of card collectibles for appreciation. The venue will be divided into six themed zones, including grading, gaming, networking, trading, auction, and special card showcase areas, creating a fully immersive experience. The "Ten Cards, Ten Stories" programme will feature ten collectors sharing their card-collecting journeys, including father-and-son enthusiasts who deepen their emotional connection through the hobby whilst encouraging their children to reduce screen time. Speakers from diverse sectors, including athlete and artist Alex Fong, Chairman of Hong Kong Trading Card Club Hin Hin Chan, commercial pilot, illustrator, and other distinguished individuals, will share their unique experiences and insights.

The showcase will feature collectibles across multiple categories, including anime IP-centred offerings such as Pokémon, Dragon Ball, and One Piece, which are highly popular in the market. Sports cards feature professional athletes across basketball (NBA), baseball (MLB), American football, and soccer.

Notably, with support from MemeStrategy and 9GAG, Grade10 is bringing fresh innovations to the event, including a collaboration with Meta's Threads, debuting the world’s first "Threads Wall" on-site, which will stream real-time discussions from Threads featuring trading card enthusiasts engaging and sharing Grade10 Festival highlights, alongside the latest trading card industry updates.

Carvin Chan, Managing Director of Grade10, said: "We have witnessed the rapid rise of Asia's trading card collecting culture through the past three editions of Grade10, and deeply felt the passion of this community. Grade10 is more than just a gathering place for trading card enthusiasts; we are committed to driving industry development. We are thrilled to have MemeStrategy and 9GAG’s support in blending pop culture with trading card collecting, creating new possibilities, and expanding the reach and impact of collecting culture. Moving forward, we are dedicated to offering collectors worldwide more diverse experiences, and we believe this is just the beginning of our journey into new frontiers. Grade10's future is full of possibilities and well worth the wait."

Grade10 Trading Card Event is Set to Expand to the International Stage Next Year

According to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's research report¹, the global trading card transaction market was valued at US$15.8 billion (approximately HK$123.2 billion) in 2024, projected to grow to US$23.5 billion (approximately HK$183.3 billion) by 2030, at an annual growth rate of 6.5%. Notably, Pokémon and soccer cards have emerged as new darlings of the alternative investment market. The global collectibles market is anticipated to reach US$489.48 billion (approximately HK$3,818 billion) by 2033, with adult collectors known as “Kidults” emerging as the primary driving force, accounting for one-third of global toy sales.

Grade10 was established in 2023 to promote trading card culture and events, and has become the preferred platform for local and international trading card enthusiasts and industry professionals. In September 2025, Grade10 officially became a brand under MemeStrategy (stock code: 2440). MemeStrategy was founded by the team behind 9GAG, a globally renowned meme platform with over 200 million users, which will help Grade10 promote trading card and cultural collectibles events internationally.

In the collecting industry, "Grade10" refers to a perfect 10-point grading score—the highest rating in authentication and grading standards, representing flawless perfection. This perfectly captures Grade10's mission to inject vitality and opportunity into Hong Kong's collectibles and trading card market. Looking ahead, beyond Hong Kong, Grade10 is already planning to expand into Chinese Mainland and other countries and regions across Asia next year, taking this event and showcase to the international stage.

¹ Hong Kong Trade Development Council "Orchestrating the Adult Collectibles Ecosystem" (September 2025)

Past Event Highlight

Grade10 has hosted numerous trading card showcase events in Hong Kong. This November's "Grade10 Festival" is anticipated to draw the highest number of exhibitors and participants to date, marking a historic milestone for Hong Kong.

Beyond trading, Grade10's trading card showcases feature a vibrant array of on-site activities, including collector talks and sharing sessions, live card breaking, auctions, and more, creating an electrifying atmosphere that brings the community together.

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About Grade10

Grade10 was founded in 2023 to unite Hong Kong's trading card industry and collector community. Over the years, it has grown into the city’s premier platform for card enthusiasts and industry professionals. Grade10 is a division of MemeStrategy (2440.HK), a publicly listed company founded by the team behind 9GAG, a global social platform with over 200 million users worldwide. Since becoming part of MemeStrategy in September 2025, Grade10 has embarked on a new phase of growth, positioning Hong Kong as the festival's annual home and establishing Grade10 as the leading touring event for collectible trading cards and related cultural treasures across Asia.  In the collecting world, "Grade 10" signifies the highest standard of excellence. True to its name, the Grade10 Card Show brings fresh energy and opportunities to Asia's collectibles market - offering passionate enthusiasts a vibrant platform to connect, exchange, and showcase their prized collections, while exploring new horizons together with fellow collectors.

About MemeStrategy

MemeStrategy (stock code: 2440) is Asia's first publicly listed digital asset company, founded by the team behind 9GAG, a globally renowned meme platform with over 200 million users. Leveraging the team's expertise in social media and Web3, the company is committed to a people-first approach, focusing investment on three future growth drivers: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain and Culture. It aims to build a bridge between innovative economy and traditional finance, advancing decentralised technology development.

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