
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

Capital / Liquidity
Final Basel III Reforms Provided Benefits to APAC Banks – Report
24/03/2025
The positive impact on APAC banks’ capital ratios is attributed to their lower reliance on internal models.

Sanctions
US Sanctions Chinese Oil Refinery for Buying Iranian Oil
21/03/2025
8 vessels and 12 additional entities were also sanctioned, including the owner of an oil storage terminal in China’s Huizhou Port.

Market Infrastructure
Hong Kong Passes Cybersecurity Law to Protect Critical Infrastructure
20/03/2025
The law establishes requirements for operators of critical infrastructure, including in banking and financial services, to safeguard their computer systems from cyberattacks.

Capital / Liquidity
Singapore Banks to Take Steps to Reduce Excess Capital – Report
19/03/2025
S&P Global Ratings says the Basel reforms raised capital ratios at Singapore banks, and they are now likely to take steps to cut back on this excess capital.

Sanctions
OFAC Imposes New Sanctions Targeting Iranian Oil Deliveries to China
14/03/2025
Targets include entities in Hong Kong, Mainland China, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

Capital / Liquidity
BCBS to Study Bank Practices on ICT Risk Management, SRTs
14/03/2025
BCBS will analyse banks’ ICT risk management practices and, separately, how they use SRTs to transfer credit risk to NBFIs.

Crypto / Digital Assets
GDF Warns ASIC Against Overregulating Digital Assets
14/03/2025
ASIC should create a dedicated regulatory framework instead of primarily lifting from existing requirements, GDF says.

Fintech / Regtech
IOSCO Proposes Recommendations to Address “Neo-broker” Risks
13/03/2025
The recommendations aim to protect retail investors by enhancing the transparency, fairness, and integrity of neo-brokers’ operations.

Crypto / Digital Assets
KSD to Launch Security Token ‘Testbed’ Platform in June
10/03/2025
Once legislative amendments are implemented, the testbed platform will be converted into an operating environment.

AML / KYC
US, EU Authorities Shut Down Russian Crypto Exchange Garantex
09/03/2025
The takedown operation came after the EU sanctioned Garantex, prompting Tether to block wallets on the platform holding more than $26mn.
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