Business units linked to Hong Kong billionaire Henry Cheng’s Chow Tai Fook Group agreed to pay up to HKD1.5bn (USD192m) to Giordano International shareholders after the Securities and Futures Commission found a Hong Kong takeover rules breach tied to the retailer’s ownership structure. The regulator said Chow Tai Fook Nominee and concert parties failed to make a mandatory general offer at HKD3.60 a share in 2016 when their combined stake topped 30%. It also cited a 2022 breac

SBI Coinhako acquisition plans will make the Singapore digital-asset platform a consolidated subsidiary of the Japanese group, as SBI Holdings moves to expand its regional crypto footprint. Under the SBI Coinhako acquisition, SBI’s wholly owned unit SBI Ventures Asset Pte. Ltd. has signed a letter of intent with Holdbuild Pte. Ltd. to inject capital into Coinhako Group and buy shares from existing investors, with the final structure and price still under discussion and subjec

Vietnam credit-quota reform could reshape competition in the banking sector as the country pilots the removal of long-standing growth limits from 2026 and rolls out Basel III-style capital rules, S&P Global Ratings said. S&P said Vietnam credit-quota reform would shift the system away from administrative controls toward more market-based discipline, allowing well-capitalised banks to expand lending based on capacity rather than assigned quotas. However, it called the move a d

Hong Kong regulated crypto trading tools are being expanded as the Securities and Futures Commission loosened rules to allow licensed brokers to provide margin financing for digital-asset trading while setting guardrails for more leveraged products to deepen market liquidity. The SFC said brokers may extend financing to clients with strong credit profiles and adequate collateral, initially limited to bitcoin and ether but potentially expanded later. It also issued a high-leve

South Korea crypto exchange inspections were widened as regulators launched on-site checks of major platforms days after Bithumb mistakenly credited customers with 620,000 so-called ghost bitcoins. An emergency task force comprising regulators and the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance will inspect Upbit, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax, focusing on asset-verification procedures and internal controls, authorities said in a report to the National Assembly. The Financial Supervisory Ser

Vietnam crypto transfer tax proposal would exempt cryptocurrency transfers and trading from value-added tax while imposing a 0.1% personal income tax on the gross value of each transfer, mirroring the levy used for securities transactions, according to a draft circular opened for public consultation by the finance ministry. Individual investors would pay the tax regardless of residency status. For organisations established in Vietnam, income from crypto-asset transfers would

Hong Kong family office tax breaks precious metals coverage will be expanded as the city plans to broaden preferential regimes for funds and family offices to include investments in precious metals, including gold-linked exchange-traded funds, Financial Services and the Treasury Secretary Christopher Hui said. Hui also said Hong Kong and Shenzhen have signed a memorandum to jointly develop gold processing and trading, encouraging collaboration between Hong Kong merchants and

Hong Kong digital finance strategy was in focus at a forum convened by the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit to discuss how the city can support China’s push to become a financial powerhouse by advancing digital finance use cases, balancing regulation with development and linking more closely with mainland infrastructure. The forum brought together participants from Hong Kong and mainland China, including researchers from the People’s Bank of China’s research institute, members o

South Korea crypto regulation crackdown calls intensified after the financial watchdog said Bithumb’s accidental distribution of more than USD40bn worth of bitcoin to customers showed the need for tougher rules to address vulnerabilities in trading systems. Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin said regulators will factor in lessons from the incident as they pursue legislation to bring digital assets under tighter oversight, and flagged concerns including so-cal

China virtual currency restrictions will be tightened further as authorities reiterated that crypto assets lack the same legal status as fiat money and that related business activities amount to illegal financial activities, according to a notice released by the central bank and other agencies. Officials said that without official approval, domestic entities and the overseas entities they control are prohibited from issuing virtual currencies overseas, underscoring Beijing’s

Indonesia listing rules free float requirements are set to tighten after the stock exchange published draft proposals following a sharp sell-off that drew attention from index provider MSCI. Under the plan, companies with pre-listing market capitalisation above IDR50tr (USD3.8bn) would need a minimum free float of 15% at IPO, up from 10%, while smaller issuers would face higher thresholds. The draft also requires issuers to maintain the minimum free float for at least one yea

Hong Kong Fintech 2030 plan initiatives will focus on more advanced applications of artificial intelligence and distributed ledger technology, backed by high-performance computing, as the city seeks to strengthen its fintech ecosystem. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said the blueprint includes four flagship projects covering areas such as quantum computing, risk data, cybersecurity, and skills development, alongside events, competitions, platform upgrades, and hands-on work

Singapore safe-harbour rules are being proposed to make it easier for listed companies to publish earnings guidance, as regulators seek feedback on amendments to the Securities and Futures Act and draft rules for a new Global Listing Board to facilitate dual listings. The proposal would introduce US-style protections for forward-looking statements. Market observers said more projections could improve transparency and narrow information gaps, but warned investors must test ass

Hong Kong Switzerland financial dialogue talks were held in Bern as the two sides convened their eighth Financial Dialogue to deepen cooperation in financial services and discuss policy challenges, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said. Co-organised by the HKMA and Switzerland’s State Secretariat for International Finance, the meeting was chaired by HKMA deputy chief executive Darryl Chan and SIF deputy state secretary Christoph König, with officials from the Swiss National B

Hong Kong OTC clearing periods could be permanently standardised from 2027 under a joint proposal by the Securities and Futures Commission and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. The regulators launched a consultation to fix the annual calculation periods used under the city’s OTC derivatives clearing regime, aiming to reduce frequent rule changes. If adopted, the rules would designate two fixed windows each year—March 1 to May 31 and September 1 to November 30—giving market pa

Hong Kong stablecoin licences are set to debut as early as March, with only a small number of applicants expected to be approved initially, Hong Kong Monetary Authority chief executive Eddie Yue told lawmakers. Yue said vetting of licence applications is nearing completion, with the HKMA assessing proposed use cases, governance and risk controls, anti-money laundering arrangements, and the reserve assets backing each stablecoin. He added that licensed issuers must comply with

Jeonbuk financial hub ambitions are gaining momentum as major Korean lenders move to build asset management and capital markets operations in the province. KB Financial Group said it will develop a KB Finance Town in Jeonbuk Innovation City, bringing together banking, securities, insurance and asset management with about 250 staff. Shinhan Financial Group followed by naming Jeonbuk as its base for asset management and capital markets, targeting 300 professionals. The province

Crypto money laundering surged in 2025, with criminals receiving at least USD82bn in illicit cryptocurrency flows, according to a report by blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. Crypto money laundering volumes rose sharply from about USD10bn in 2020, driven in part by rapid growth among Chinese-speaking networks. Chainalysis said the fastest-growing segment, Chinese-language money-laundering networks that emerged during the pandemic, processed nearly USD40m a day last year.

Hong Kong Asia-Africa investment corridor ambitions are gaining momentum, with the city well placed to link Asian capital with African infrastructure projects, according to a report by the Financial Services Development Council. The FSDC said Hong Kong can serve as a premier gateway connecting long-term capital from institutional investors and family offices with projects across Belt and Road Initiative economies in Africa. It highlighted opportunities for Hong Kong to export

AI trade finance is set to move beyond digitising paperwork towards redesigning end-to-end processes, bank executives said at a Hong Kong forum during International Financial Week 2026. HSBC’s head of global trade solutions Raluca Popa said digitalisation often replicates existing workflows, while the next phase will require rethinking processes to expand access to financing. She said AI trade finance systems could connect directly to clients’ accounting or enterprise resourc