
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

Fintech / Regtech
BOJ Paper Outlines Role of Verifiable Credentials in Digital Finance
16/03/2026
New report details how verifiable credentials could streamline KYC and secure transactions, highlighting the new vLEI standard for corporate identity.

Securities / Derivatives
India, EU Still Disagree on CCP Oversight Despite MoU Signing - Report
16/03/2026
The January agreement is contingent on the EU addressing India’s concerns over the extraterritorial oversight of its CCPs in the next EMIR review.

Capital / Liquidity
Cambodian Bank Suspension Stokes Fears of Deeper Regulatory Issues
16/03/2026
APD Bank’s five-day service freeze has drawn analyst scepticism, while Phillip Bank has moved to quell market rumours amid heightened regulatory scrutiny.

Securities / Derivatives
US SEC Considers Exempting Foreign Firms from Treasury Clearing Rule
15/03/2026
The SEC is seeking public comment on a proposal to ease the extraterritorial reach of its new mandate.

Securities / Derivatives
SGX RegCo Chief Details Enhanced Framework to Attract China Listings
13/03/2026
The head of SGX's regulatory arm has outlined new rules and cross-border cooperation aimed at preventing a repeat of past scandals.

Crypto / Digital Assets
HSBC, StanChart Tipped to Win Hong Kong Stablecoin Licences
13/03/2026
Standard Chartered has participated in the HKMA sandbox for stablecoin issuers, but HSBC's inclusion is seen as noteworthy as it did not.

Capital / Liquidity
BIS Report Warns on Foreign Currency Funding Risks, Data Gaps
13/03/2026
A new CGFS report highlights banks' reliance on internal capital markets and derivatives, urging enhanced monitoring and currency-specific liquidity rules.

Sanctions
US Sanctions North Korea IT Worker Network in Vietnam and Laos
13/03/2026
The action targets facilitators using cryptocurrency to launder funds, heightening secondary sanctions and due diligence risks for financial institutions in Southeast Asia.

ESG / Sustainability
New Zealand Finalises Sustainability Assurance and Ethics Standards
13/03/2026
New Zealand's XRB is aligning with global standards, setting a permanent framework for sustainability assurance effective from December 2026.

Market Infrastructure
BIS Paper Calls for Public Sector Push to Fix Cross-Border Payments
12/03/2026
New paper highlights slow speeds and high costs, pointing to APAC initiatives as models for improving global payment systems.
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