Mark Johnston
Based in Singapore, Mark is an experienced journalist and editor with over a decade of experience reporting on technology and business trends throughout Asia. Mark got his start as an engineer, graduating from the UK's Queen's University of Belfast with a Master's degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. As senior reporter for Regulation Asia, Mark focuses on regulatory changes impacting financial markets, with particular interest in fintech, cybersecurity and crypto markets.
Articles by Mark Johnston
Securities / Derivatives
Philippines Finalises New Regulatory Framework for Umbrella Funds
14/04/2026
The new framework allows a single investment company to offer multiple, segregated sub-funds, aiming to boost market growth and efficiency.
Enforcement
Bithumb Pursuing Legal Action to Recover Assets Lost in BTC Payout Error
13/04/2026
Some users argue that they have no obligation to return bitcoin that was distributed to them as a result of Bithumb's operational failure.
Market Infrastructure
China Establishes New Bureau to Centralise Supervision of State Assets
13/04/2026
The new body will centralise supervision and risk management for state-owned enterprises as they expand their global footprint amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.
ESG / Sustainability
Chinese Banks Claw Back Bonuses Amid Regulatory Pressure and Economic Strain
13/04/2026
Lenders are recovering performance pay and cutting salaries as Beijing's "common prosperity" drive and tight profit margins force a sector-wide belt-tightening.
Capital / Liquidity
China Targets Harmful Competition in New Rural Finance Rules
13/04/2026
NFRA shifts focus from rapid growth to sustainable lending quality and is cracking down on harmful price wars in rural finance.
Japan's FSA Probes Banks' Private Credit Exposure Amid Global Strains
13/04/2026
FSA conducting checks on major financial institutions as concerns mount over transparency and stability in the USD 2 trillion global private credit industry.
Fintech / Regtech
Korea Deploys AI to Proactively Block Financial Spam
13/04/2026
Financial regulators will use NLP to automatically identify and block evolving fraudulent investment and loan-related text messages.
Securities / Derivatives
Japan Seeking to Further Develop Corporate Bond Market - Reports
13/04/2026
Policymakers are encouraging new corporate financing methods as rising government bond yields create systemic risks for the country's largest financial institutions.
Enforcement
Japan FSA Expands Prudential Fraud Probe to Domestic Parent Entity
11/04/2026
The regulator will conduct an on-site inspection of Prudential Holdings of Japan, examining supervisory failures linked to a decades-long fraud.
ESG / Sustainability
Japan Finalises Roadmap for Mandatory ESG Disclosure and Assurance
11/04/2026
Regulators have set a phased timeline for Prime-listed firms, starting with financial years ending in March 2027, and outlined a 'profession-agnostic' framework for assurance providers.
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