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

Hong Kong is in talks with South Korea on mutual ETF listings that would allow exchange-traded funds tracking each other’s stock markets, highlighting Hong Kong’s role as a gateway to global capital. Financial Secretary Paul Chan said about half of stock market capital comes from global institutional investors, with mainland China’s southbound flows and local investors each accounting for around a quarter. He added that more than 400 companies are in Hong Kong’s IPO pipeline,

Hong Kong yuan financing received fresh support after the People’s Bank of China said it will deepen financial market links between the mainland and Hong Kong to facilitate global investment and financing in renminbi. PBOC Deputy Governor Zou Lan said more than 800 overseas institutional investors have accessed China’s onshore bond market via Bond Connect through Hong Kong, with holdings exceeding RMB810bn (USD113bn), about a quarter of total foreign bond holdings. Bond tradi

Hong Kong’s MPF Authority has suspended eKYC registration on the eMPF platform after fraudsters used forged smart identity cards to impersonate scheme members, chairwoman Ayesha Macpherson Lau said. She said no personal data was leaked from the system. The suspension of Hong Kong MPF eKYC registration follows the discovery that about 80% of users had registered via the government’s iAM Smart digital identity app, with the remainder using eKYC. With enhanced authentication bei

Hong Kong has approved 14 company re-domiciliation applications under its new regime, signalling growing interest from global financial institutions, Financial Services and the Treasury Secretary Christopher Hui said. The approvals include French insurer AXA, which has completed the transfer of its regional insurance unit from Bermuda to Hong Kong. AXA Hong Kong and Macau said AXA China Region Insurance Company (Bermuda) has re-domiciled to the city and been renamed AXA China

SGX board lot reform has been welcomed by market participants as a step towards improving accessibility, though challenges remain. Singapore Exchange has proposed cutting standard board lot sizes for higher-priced securities to lower minimum investment thresholds and broaden participation. Under the proposal, board lots would be reduced from 100 units to 10 units for securities priced above SGD10 and up to SGD100, and to one unit for those priced above SGD100, with the smalle

HKMA inclusive banking guidance is being updated as Hong Kong’s banking industry moves to strengthen support for elderly customers and people with impairments, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Association of Banks said. A refreshed “Guideline on Elderly-friendly Banking Services” sets practical standards aligned with government efforts to promote the “silver economy” and aims to improve financial literacy and digital adoption through enhanced financial educa

Thailand tokenised funds and digital assets are set to take centre stage under the securities regulator’s 2026 capital market roadmap, as oversight is tightened to protect investors. The Securities and Exchange Commission said the plan will prioritise tokenised funds and bonds, crypto exchange-traded funds including spot products, and upgraded digital market infrastructure. Secretary-General Pornanong Budsaratragoon said the roadmap aims to cut costs for intermediaries and br

China national M&A fund planning is under study as authorities seek to sharpen the strategic direction of government-backed investment vehicles, the state planner said. Wang Changlin, a vice head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said the proposed national mergers and acquisitions fund would support innovation and entrepreneurship and accelerate the development of so-called new quality productive forces. He added that building a modern industrial system requi

China has tightened stock-market regulation as authorities seek to curb excessive speculation and engineer a more sustainable rally. The China Securities Regulatory Commission said it wants to prevent sharp market swings after turnover and margin financing surged to new highs in January. Chinese exchanges will raise the minimum margin requirement for new margin-financing borrowings to 100% from 80% from Jan 19, a move approved by the watchdog and aimed at reducing leverage in

Hong Kong is accelerating a paperless trade finance push as regulators seek to modernise documentation and improve credit access for small and medium-sized enterprises. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has released a 20-measure roadmap under Project CargoX to expand paperless trade finance across the city. The plan focuses on using cargo and trade data to speed up automation, upgrading digital infrastructure to enable paperless documentation, and strengthening connecti

Hong Kong is accelerating plans to build a Hong Kong gold central clearing system and aims to launch a pilot this year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said. Chan said demand to diversify away from U.S. dollar assets has lifted gold’s role as a reserve and hedge. Spot trading on the Hong Kong Gold Exchange more than doubled year on year to HKD2.9bn (USD372m) a day by November 2025, but many deals still settle bilaterally over the counter, creating inefficiencies, he said. At th

HKU urged Hong Kong to reposition itself as a “super value-adder” by deepening integration with mainland industry while expanding overseas networks, according to its 2026 economic policy green paper. HKU dean Cai Hongbin said the city must better understand mainland strategic priorities and support Chinese firms expanding abroad, while strengthening higher education to attract global talent. Economist Tang Hei-wai said geopolitical shifts are opening opportunities in regions

MAS-linked GFTN plans a USD200m fund to support growth-stage fintechs navigating the gap between late-stage venture funding and IPO markets, deputy chairman Neil Parekh said. Global Finance & Technology Network, a nonprofit set up by Singapore’s central bank in 2024, will partner with Japan’s SBI Holdings and SBI Ven Capital to back fintechs with proven traction seeking to expand into new jurisdictions or extend product offerings. The MAS-linked GFTN fintech fund is targeting

Thailand has indicted members of the Phornprapha family in a high-profile Thailand stock manipulation case involving More Return Plc. Prosecutors said Akapat “Kim” Phornprapha, Athipat Phornprapha and Orapin Phornprapha were charged over alleged coordinated trading that distorted MORE’s share price and volume between July and November 2022. The court denied bail, citing the seriousness of the allegations, estimated investor losses of THB4.5bn (USD127m) and flight risk after t

Taiwan has ended its longest-ever market-support operation after the Taiwan stabilization fund intervention concluded, citing improved trading conditions and restored investor confidence. The Taiwan stabilization fund intervention deployed a cumulative NTD12.25bn (USD387m) since April 9, 2025, generating a return rate of 52.56% and an unrealised profit of NTD6.44bn as of last month, its executive committee said. The 279-day programme was launched to stabilise markets amid glo

South Korea FX market reform is set to accelerate after authorities said the country will open its onshore foreign-exchange market to 24-hour trading from July, loosening long-standing restrictions as it seeks an upgrade to developed-market status from MSCI. Since the late-1990s Asian Financial Crisis, South Korea has maintained tight currency controls, with MSCI citing limited FX market access as a key obstacle to reclassification. Vice Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il said of

China offshore income tax enforcement is being stepped up as authorities seek to shore up strained public finances by targeting undeclared overseas income, Bloomberg News reported. Tax officials in multiple cities have contacted individuals identified through “big data” analysis and asked them to self-declare offshore income for 2022–2024, calculating back taxes typically at a 20% rate on capital gains and dividends, plus late-payment charges. A new rule due in March would al

Vietnam’s central city of Da Nang is positioning itself as a new regional finance hub after granting membership certificates to 16 organisations and financial institutions for its planned international financial centre. City authorities also issued letters of interest to three commercial banks and an international holding group, and approved investment proposals worth VND37.8tr (USD1.5bn), local media reported. The announcements were made at an investment promotion event link

Singapore is seeking to streamline cross-border listings as part of plans for a Global Listing Board linking SGX and Nasdaq, with reforms that could appeal to global issuers and long-term investors. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has proposed legal and regulatory changes that would allow companies to use a single prospectus for dual listings, speed up prospectus registration to better align IPO timelines with the United States, and introduce US-style safe harbour provisi