
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

Securities / Derivatives
China Further Clamps Down on Quantitative Trading Strategies
29/02/2024
Quant funds are asked to stop offering Direct Market Access products to external clients and to reduce their use of leverage for proprietary trades.

Securities / Derivatives
MAS Updates Guidelines for Fund Management Companies
29/02/2024
The main amendment concerns compliance arrangements FMCs should have in place. MAS also reminded auditors of their FMC-related obligations.

AML / KYC
Singapore Issues First Designation Under Foreign Interference Law
28/02/2024
Businessman Philip Chan was designated as a “politically significant person” for his “susceptibility to be influenced by foreign actors.”

Crypto / Digital Assets
HK Budget Promises Financial Sector Development, Boost for Property Market
28/02/2024
Restrictions on property transactions removed. Property lending requirements eased. HK$100mn pledged to promote financial services.

Capital / Liquidity
More Progress Needed to Address MMF Vulnerabilities: FSB
28/02/2024
Since 2021, only China has improved the ability of MMFs to absorb losses, and only India can impose the use of swing pricing.

ESG / Sustainability
HKMA to Roll Out Physical Risk Assessment Platform “Soon”
28/02/2024
The cloud-based platform will enable banks to assess physical risk for specific property exposures over different time horizons and climate scenarios.

Fintech / Regtech
EU Council Adopts New Rules Mandating Instant Payments
27/02/2024
Banks and other payment service providers will be required to offer instant payments to consumers and businesses.

AML / KYC
FATF Consults on R.16 Changes to Improve Payment Transparency
27/02/2024
The revisions would help guard against fraud by requiring beneficiary FIs to check the alignment of beneficiary information in payment messages.

AML / KYC
AUSTRAC Issues Draft Guidance on AML/CTF Outsourcing Arrangements
27/02/2024
The guidance is intended to help reporting entities comply with their AML/CTF obligations when outsourcing to external providers.

Big Picture
FSB Warns of ‘Challenging Outlook’ for Global Financial Stability
27/02/2024
The FSB is analysing the financial stability implications of tokenisation and AI, and taking stock of regulatory initiatives on nature-related financial risks.
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