Credit Risk

Thailand to Regulate 'Buy Now, Pay Later' as Debt Concerns Mount

05/06/2026

BOT is drafting rules for the fast-growing BNPL sector, citing concerns over surging household debt and the risk of young consumers incurring debt unnecessarily.

Credit Risk

Korea Tightens Scrutiny on Business Loans as NPLs Rise

05/06/2026

Financial authorities are lowering the inspection threshold for business loans and pushing banks to manage bad debt as NPLs, particularly from the self-employed, tick up.

Payments & Settlements

Philippines Approves Merger of Key Payment System Operators

04/06/2026

Philippine regulators have cleared the merger of BancNet and PCHC, creating a single entity to oversee the country's key payment systems and drive digital transformation.

Structural Regulation

New Zealand to Allow All Licensed Deposit Takers to Use ‘Bank’ Title

04/06/2026

RBNZ to permit all licensed deposit takers, including non-bank entities, to call themselves ‘banks’ under a new, unified regulatory regime.

Payments & Settlements

New Zealand Proposes Interchange Fee Caps for Commercial Cards

04/06/2026

The Commerce Commission has released draft proposals to cap commercial credit card interchange fees, aiming to save businesses an estimated NZD 40 million annually.

Cybersecurity

Anthropic Extends Access to Powerful AI Cyber Tool in APAC

04/06/2026

US AI firm Anthropic is giving select organisations in Australia, India, Japan and other APAC nations access to its powerful cyber-defence model.

Credit Risk

APRA Finalises More Flexible Pathway to IRB for Mid-Sized Banks

04/06/2026

APRA has finalised a new, more flexible pathway to internal ratings-based accreditation, including capital concessions to incentivise uptake by medium-sized banks.

Tokenisation

Hong Kong Launches First Tokenised Money Market Fund

04/06/2026

Hong Kong’s largest ETF issuer has partnered with HSBC and OSL to launch an unlisted, tokenised class for its money market ETF.

KYC & CDD

New Zealand Finalises New AML Identity Verification Code

04/06/2026

The updated code introduces digital identity pathways and a more risk-based approach, aiming to reduce compliance burdens for low-risk customers and modernise verification methods.