South Korea’s finance ministry is stepping up oversight as Korea won weakness persists near levels last seen during the 2009 financial crisis, setting up a task force with exporters, securities firms and regulators, officials said. Operating under the international finance bureau, the group will monitor exporters’ currency-conversion behaviour and consider incentives for companies that convert foreign-currency earnings back into won. The won has remained below 1,450 per dolla

China’s securities regulator has urged the country’s roughly 160 mutual fund houses to introduce performance-based pay structures under tightening China mutual fund pay rules, increasing oversight of an industry shaken by recent scandals and Beijing’s “common prosperity” drive to rein in excessive earnings. Draft guidelines issued by the China Securities Regulatory Commission would allow fund performance to account for as much as 80% of managers’ annual pay, the official Secu

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission is accelerating capital market reforms to ease long-standing liquidity constraints and close gaps with ASEAN peers in market depth and product diversity, SEC chairman Francisco Ed. Lim said at a business forum. The regulator has tightened service standards, shortened decision timelines and introduced a deemed-approved mechanism for filings that go unanswered beyond prescribed periods, alongside a standard 45-day review window

Taiwan central bank governor Yang Chin-long said stablecoins may have payment potential but pose stablecoin oversight risks and fall short of Bank for International Settlements standards needed to anchor a monetary system. Speaking in Taipei at a Financial Information Service Co conference, Yang said stablecoins lack unity, elasticity and integrity, and tokens can trade at premiums or discounts depending on reserve quality and issuer risk. He said many stablecoin issuers are

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has proposed a new risk mitigation accounting model that could give investors greater transparency into how banks manage portfolio-level risks such as interest-rate movements. The IASB has opened a public consultation on the proposal, which could result in amendments to IFRS 9 Financial Instruments and related IFRS 7 disclosure requirements. IASB chair Andreas Barckow said the aim of risk mitigation accounting is to better a

China’s central bank has intensified concerns over China stablecoin AML risk, warning that stablecoins fail to meet mainland requirements on customer identification and anti-money-laundering controls. Following a multi-agency meeting, the People’s Bank of China reiterated that virtual-currency activity constitutes illegal financial conduct and can facilitate fraud, money laundering and unauthorised cross-border flows. The statement complicates Hong Kong’s efforts to build a r

A UnaFinancial survey found Southeast Asia fintech trust remains strong, with more than 84% of consumers in Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia expressing confidence in digital financial platforms. Singapore topped the region with 91.8% trust, followed by the Philippines at 88.1%, while Vietnam recorded the highest share of strong trust at 37.2%. The Southeast Asia fintech trust study showed confidence is driven by data security, transparent fees, strong brand r

The HKMA local-currency payments initiative is gaining traction as Hong Kong seeks to expand regional use of local currencies in trade and financing to mitigate geopolitical risk. HKMA CEO Eddie Yue said tariff shocks, supply-chain disruptions and volatile markets highlight the urgency of deeper integration across Asia-Pacific. He urged expanded payments connectivity, broader local-currency settlement, stronger regional bond markets and better hedging tools to reinforce the H

Malaysia capital markets sandbox efforts moved forward as the Securities Commission selected six firms for its first Regulatory Sandbox cohort, enabling 12 months of real‑world testing. Firms include Wahed X and Urban NX for alternative real‑estate investments; Kapital DX and Pitch Platforms for secondary‑market initiatives; and Virtual Economy Technology and PeerHive for alternative financing. Testing will start in January or July 2026 depending on readiness. Chairman Mohamm

Hong Kong safe haven capital flows are strengthening as global investors reassess geopolitical risks, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said. Bank deposits have risen more than 10% this year to above HKD19tr (USD2.43tr) after a 7% increase in 2024. Several major listings drew cornerstone investors from the West and the Middle East, while global financial groups plan to expand operations locally. Chan said Hong Kong is transitioning from a one-way China gateway to a two-way platfo

Thailand central bank SME credit support will expand as new Bank of Thailand governor Vitai Ratanakorn outlines a more hands‑on remit to address low productivity, weak competitiveness and high household debt. Loan growth has contracted for 15 months, while SME credit fell 4% year‑on‑year in Q3, prompting a credit‑guarantee scheme aimed at lifting SME lending by about 100bn baht (USD2.78bn) from early 2026. The bank is also working with the finance ministry, bankers and asset

AI disruption Singapore trends are intensifying, with nine in ten organisations reporting AI-driven role changes or displacement, according to an IDC survey commissioned by Deel. Globally, 99% of firms have adopted AI, and nearly 70% have moved beyond pilots. In Singapore, 66% expect to slow entry-level hiring over the next three years, while 48% recorded the region’s highest displacement rate. The study found 75% of companies say shrinking entry-level pathways make grooming

The DBS Alliance Bank stake proposal has been scaled back, with the Singapore lender reducing its request for approval to acquire up to 30% of Alliance Bank Malaysia, replacing an earlier bid of up to 49%, according to reports. The larger stake required an exemption under Malaysia’s foreign-ownership cap for banks and had not received regulatory clearance. If approved, the revised application will allow DBS to open talks with Alliance’s biggest shareholder, Vertical Theme, a

Swiss lender AMINA Bank has secured Hong Kong’s first full-service crypto approval for an international group after the Securities and Futures Commission granted an uplift to its Type 1 licence for professional investors. The AMINA Bank crypto licence comes as Hong Kong’s trading volumes rose 233% in the first half of 2025, signalling stronger institutional adoption despite strict regulation. AMINA can now support 13 assets including bitcoin, ether, USDC, tether and leading D

Hex Trust and Fireblocks crypto custody collaboration is targeting institutional clients across Asia and the Middle East as regulators tighten rules on how virtual assets are held. Under the strategic deal, Hong Kong-based Hex Trust will act as a qualified, locally licensed custodian on the Fireblocks Custody Network in key markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE. The arrangement allows banks, brokers and fintech firms to combine Fireblocks’ transaction and wallet te

A new Global AI Competitiveness Index flags a widening governance gap as the European Union emerges as the world’s de facto rule setter for artificial intelligence while the United States and China retain an edge in deployment. The Global AI Competitiveness Index, which tracks AI governance and regulation across about 25 jurisdictions and includes Hong Kong’s Financial Services Development Council as an observer, identifies three competing models: the EU’s rights based AI Act

Hong Kong property valuations are under intensified scrutiny as the city’s deepest real estate downturn since the Asian financial crisis prompts the banking regulator to monitor risks more closely. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has increased its oversight of lenders’ refinancing decisions involving stressed developers such as Lai Sun Development, urging continued credit support while reviewing exposure to commercial property loans, which account for about 8% of HKD10tr (US

UBS has partnered with Ant International to trial UBS tokenised deposits and real-time cross-border payments, marking one of Asia’s most prominent bank–fintech collaborations in digital finance. Under an MoU signed in Singapore, Ant will integrate UBS Digital Cash—first piloted in 2024—with its Whale blockchain treasury platform to test multi-currency tokenised deposits enabling instant transfers across Ant’s global entities. The initiative aims to enhance settlement speed, t

Hong Kong has renewed the contract of Securities and Futures Commission chief executive Julia Leung Fung‑yee for a further two years to the end of 2027, ensuring continuity as the markets watchdog advances regulatory and market reforms. Leung, who joined the SFC in 2015 and became CEO in January 2023 after serving as deputy CEO, previously held senior roles at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and as Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury. The government said

The Singapore Exchange will launch Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual futures on Nov.24, offering institutional, accredited and expert investors regulated access to crypto markets as digital assets gain adoption in portfolios. The contracts, benchmarked to iEdge CoinDesk Crypto Indices, will use a funding‑rate mechanism to keep prices aligned with underlying crypto benchmarks while providing continuous, no‑expiry exposure via SGX’s listed‑derivatives clearing and margin system. S