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
Trading & Investment
China Opens Bond Futures Market With First QFI Trade
30/05/2026
The move allows qualified foreign investors to hedge onshore bond exposures, with Standard Chartered facilitating the inaugural transaction as the only approved foreign bank.
Conduct, Culture & Accountability
Korea Pushes for Deeper Reforms as Value-Up Programme Matures
30/05/2026
Regulators are calling for a cultural shift and greater board accountability as the two-year-old initiative shows early signs of success in tackling the ‘Korea discount’.
DeFi & Web3
Korea Prosecutes First DEX ‘Rug Pull’ in Landmark Case
29/05/2026
Prosecutors have applied the new Virtual Asset User Protection Act for the first time to a decentralised exchange, charging five in a memecoin scheme.
Credit Risk
China's Huaxia Bank Under Scrutiny for Widespread Loan Control Failures
29/05/2026
A regulatory probe into property-linked loans and a lawsuit over a multi-million yuan fraud have exposed significant internal control deficiencies at the Chinese lender.
Clearing & Post-Trade
PBOC Overhauls Regulations for Interbank Bond Market
27/05/2026
Amendments aim to standardise terminology, enhance issuer disclosure, and bolster data sharing for "penetrating supervision" across the market.
Cybersecurity
APAC Financial Sector Hit by Surge in AI-Driven and API-Targeted Cyberattacks
27/05/2026
A new report finds APAC is a top target for application-layer attacks, while EMEA sees the most persistent network attacks, driven by AI-bots and API vulnerabilities.
Structural Regulation
Thailand Issues First Virtual Bank Licence to Clicx Consortium
27/05/2026
The digital bank is set to launch next month pending a final readiness assessment, while two other approved applicants have requested operational extensions.
Payments & Settlements
Taiwan Considers Rule to Limit Dividend Currency Choice
27/05/2026
Taiwan’s central bank is drafting rules that would restrict foreign investors to a once-a-year dividend currency choice to manage foreign exchange volatility.
Cybersecurity
Cambodian Banks Pledge to Boost Cyber Defences Amid New Rules
26/05/2026
Industry leaders have committed to strengthening cyber defences in response to new, comprehensive technology and cyber risk guidelines issued by the central bank.
Conduct, Culture & Accountability
Korea FSS Warns Asset Managers on Accountability, ETF Risks
26/05/2026
FSS shares pilot inspection failures and targets a July deadline for over 1,000 firms to submit accountability frameworks, known as 'duty maps'.
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