
Manesh Samtani is the Editor at Regulation Asia, where he leads the regional news desk from Hong Kong, directing coverage of critical regulatory developments impacting financial services across APAC. Manesh specialises in analysing how new rules and technologies are reshaping banking, capital markets, and the fight against financial crime, providing finance professionals, compliance leaders, and policymakers with the intelligence they need to navigate risk and understand the impact of regulatory change in the region. manesh@regulationasia.com

Operational Risk
Independent Review Highlights Supervisory Failures In SVB Collapse
21/09/2026
Independent review commissioned by the Fed challenges the established narrative surrounding Silicon Valley Bank’s 2023 collapse.

Anti-Money Laundering
Meta Settlement Offers Lessons for Illicit Wildlife Trade: GI-TOC
21/09/2026
The recent multibillion-dollar settlement over child safety highlights how social media product designs facilitate illicit markets, including wildlife trafficking.

Structural Regulation
Australia Amends Merger Regime to Remove Automatic Voiding
21/09/2026
The Australian parliament has passed amendments to its merger control regime, providing greater certainty for dealmakers and investors.

US Enacts Law Providing Additional Tools to Sanction Russia
21/09/2026
US President signed a broad sanctions bill targeting Russian FIs and threatening tariffs on major Asian energy buyers.

Structural Regulation
Hong Kong, Taipei Climb Financial Hub Competitiveness Rankings
18/09/2026
The latest Global Financial Centres Index shows APAC hubs leading. Hong Kong retained its top Asian spot and Taipei's ranking surged.

PEPs & Sanctions
US Treasury Sanctions Iranian Digital Asset Exchange BitBank
18/09/2026
The US has sanctioned crypto exchange BitBank and its operators for facilitating hundreds of millions of dollars in transfers to the Iranian regime.

US SEC Advances Plans for 24-Hour Trading Market
18/09/2026
The US SEC is preparing equity markets for round-the-clock trading, highlighting overnight surveillance, liquidity risks, and blockchain integration.

Structural Regulation
ASEAN Central Banks to Restructure Financial Cooperation Framework
17/09/2026
ASEAN central banks are preparing to merge key committees and implement regional climate-risk stress testing under a major structural reform.

PEPs & Sanctions
Multinational Sanctions Watchdog Warns of DPRK Illicit Finance Risks
17/09/2026
The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team has released a new report detailing how North Korea evades international sanctions using overseas labour.

Structural Regulation
UK Pledges $6.5bn to Develop Vietnam Financial Hub
17/09/2026
Vietnam is accelerating regulatory reforms, including a central clearing counterparty mechanism and a dedicated court, to support its new international financial centre.
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
An exclusive weekly selection of top stories from the Regulation Asia editorial team.