Hong Kong five-year plan finance strategy is being accelerated as the city prepares to complete its first blueprint this year, aligning with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. Financial Secretary Paul Chan said Hong Kong will leverage strengths in finance and professional services to support technology innovation and cross-border integration in the Greater Bay Area. The Hong Kong five-year plan finance framework includes expanding full-chain financing, intellectual property service

Hong Kong money lending rules will be tightened to curb excessive borrowing, with new caps on debt-servicing ratios set at 35% for borrowers earning HKD6,000(USD770) or less monthly and 40% for those earning HKD6,001 to HKD12,000. Authorities will also ban loan referee requirements and mandate clearer risk warnings in contracts. From June next year, lenders must upload loan data every 30 days to the Credit Data Smart platform. Officials said the Hong Kong money lending rules

Hong Kong stablecoin licence regime could include Standard Chartered, HSBC and crypto exchange OSL in the first batch of issuers under new digital‑asset rules. Local media reported the licences could be announced as early as next week under a framework introduced in August 2025. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has said only a limited number of licences will initially be granted. Reuters previously reported Standard Chartered’s Hong Kong unit was preparing a joint venture wit

Singapore Capital Asia investigation has resulted in the arrest of two directors of fund manager Capital Asia Investments as authorities intensify financial‑sector enforcement. Police and the Monetary Authority of Singapore seized more than SGD160m(USD119m) in assets during the probe into suspected money laundering and regulatory breaches. MAS said it identified serious control failings in the firm’s anti‑money laundering compliance. The Singapore Capital Asia investigation h

Hong Kong MPF contribution review is under way for the first time in more than a decade as authorities assess whether current income thresholds still reflect economic realities. MPF Schemes Authority chairwoman Ayesha Macpherson Lau said the minimum monthly income level of HKD7,100(USD910) and maximum threshold of HKD30,000(USD3,840) no longer reflect rising wages and living costs. The authority has consulted more than 30 stakeholder groups and plans to submit recommendations

Hong Kong budget family offices initiatives aim to strengthen the city’s appeal to global investors through tax expansion, infrastructure upgrades and digital finance development, according to IQ-EQ managing director Clare Chang. She said widening eligibility to include funds-of-one and recognising assets such as digital tokens and precious metals reflects how wealthy families structure portfolios combining private equity, private credit, real assets and co-investments. The H

Hong Kong and Macau financial infrastructure cooperation has expanded after the two regions’ monetary authorities signed a revised memorandum of understanding covering broader collaboration. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said the updated pact extends beyond banking supervision to include financial infrastructure linkages, information exchange on currency and statistics, and industry training. HKMA Chief Executive Eddie Yue said the agreement deepens collaboration as both c

Indonesia outlook negative Fitch decision reflects rising concerns about policy credibility and fiscal risks even as the rating agency affirmed the country’s BBB long-term foreign-currency rating. Fitch said increasing policy uncertainty and more centralised decision-making could weaken fiscal guardrails, including the 3% of GDP deficit cap. The agency also highlighted risks from a review of the State Finance Law in the government’s 2026 legislative priorities. The Indonesia

Hong Kong family office tax exemptions could widen as authorities seek to strengthen the city’s position as a global wealth hub. Financial Services and the Treasury Secretary Christopher Hui said the government plans to expand profits-tax exemptions for eligible family offices and funds to include assets such as private credit, gold and commodities, carbon credits, insurance-linked securities and certain digital assets. The Hong Kong family office tax exemptions proposal will

South Korea banks emergency support programmes were activated after escalating Middle East tensions increased risks for financial markets and companies. Hana Financial Group said it would provide KRW12tr (USD8.2bn) in assistance including emergency liquidity of up to KRW500m per firm, loan-maturity extensions, grace periods and rate reductions. Woori Financial also tightened monitoring and strengthened cybersecurity checks. Regulators said broader market stabilisation steps w

China tax crackdown unified market efforts intensified in 2025 as the State Taxation Administration investigated 389 leads related to illegal tax practices linked to local investment incentives and corrected confirmed violations. Authorities also strengthened tax information reporting rules for internet platforms, with more than 8,000 platforms now complying in a move aimed at improving competition between online and offline businesses. The China tax crackdown unified market

Hong Kong MPF gold ETF investment may become possible as the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority studies expanding permitted asset classes. Chair Ayesha Macpherson Lau said regulators are reviewing whether MPF schemes can invest in gold exchange‑traded funds as Hong Kong seeks to develop a gold trading hub. The Hong Kong MPF gold ETF proposal follows a completed review of REIT investments including those listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, while the eMPF platform rollout

Singapore South Korea FTA upgrade talks will begin as both countries deepen cooperation on supply‑chain resilience, digital trade and the green transition, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said during a summit with President Lee Jae Myung. The Singapore South Korea FTA upgrade will modernise the 2006 agreement and strengthen collaboration in areas including artificial intelligence and civil nuclear energy. Leaders also witnessed the signing of memorandums covering technology and

Hong Kong Shanghai digital trade finance cooperation advanced after the two cities signed a memorandum of understanding to research digital technologies for cross‑border trade and cargo data integration. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said partners will study electronic bills of lading and test digital solutions under Project Ensemble. The Hong Kong Shanghai digital trade finance initiative involves the Shanghai Data Bureau and the National Technology Innovation Center for

The Financial Services Development Council welcomed the Hong Kong budget Finance+ agenda, saying measures in the 2026-27 Budget will deepen market liquidity and strengthen the city’s role as a global financial centre and international gateway for cross-border capital. Chairman Benjamin Hung said the multipronged approach supports building a fuller debt market and a more efficient yield curve, while executive director Rocky Tung praised plans to modernise capital markets, incl

Hong Kong will transfer about HKD52.8bn(USD6.8bn) back to government accounts in 2026-27 to better fund its capital account amid heavy infrastructure spending, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said. The Hong Kong fiscal transfer includes about HKD15.8bn from funds set up outside government accounts after reviewing 36 purpose-specific funds, with some vehicles to be closed or consolidated. Another HKD37bn of accumulated surplus from the Bond Fund, created in 2009 to support Silve

Raffles Family Office welcomed Hong Kong’s 2026-27 Budget, saying proposed enhancements to the family office tax regime would help cement the city’s position as a global wealth hub, while urging policies to cover both single- and multi-family offices in tandem, Group CEO Chi Man Kwan said. He pointed to a government-backed market study showing Hong Kong had more than 3,380 single-family offices by end-2025, up over 25% in two years. The budget includes plans to legislate this

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission has eased IPO free-float rules for large listings, introducing a tiered public ownership framework aimed at unlocking mega-IPOs as the market struggles to absorb big deals. Under SEC Memorandum Circular No. 11, issuers expecting market capitalisation above PHP50bn (USD890m) at listing must sell at least 15% to the public, subject to a minimum offer size of PHP10bn, versus the previous flat 20% requirement. For firms valued at

China urged the US to scrap unilateral US tariffs after the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, struck down many of President Donald Trump’s levies as beyond his authority under a 1977 emergency-powers law. Trump responded by unveiling a flat duty on imports worldwide, lifting the rate from 10% to 15% under a separate legal provision. China’s commerce ministry said it was conducting a comprehensive assessment of the decision and called on Washington to quickly end tariff measures

Bursa Malaysia said it will overhaul how it reports who is trading its shares, splitting investors using nominee accounts into ‘large’ and ‘small’ categories from April 6, as it seeks to improve market transparency. Nominee structures separate legal from beneficial ownership and are widely used by online platforms, meaning some retail orders have been showing up in data as institutional or foreign activity. Bursa said the change followed market feedback seeking clearer measur