Financial Crime

Anti-Money Laundering

SEBI and FIU-IND Sign Pact to Fight Money Laundering

By Nithya Subramanian | 19/04/2026

The agreement establishes a formal framework for data sharing to strengthen the implementation of AML rules in the securities market.

Payments & Settlements

Japanese Firm to Launch QR-based Payments in Taiwan

By Mark Johnston | 19/04/2026

Japanese mobile payments giant PayPay will enable QR payments at 400,000 locations, integrating with Taiwan's unified "TWQR" standard in a regulated expansion.

CBDCs

BOK Nominee’s Confirmation Stalls, Overshadowing Policy Vision

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 19/04/2026

Shin Hyun-song’s appointment is in doubt after his confirmation hearing was delayed, prompting concerns about a potential leadership vacuum at BOK.

Fraud, Scams & Cybercrime

Philippines SEC Seeks to Transfer Oversight of Lending Firms to BSP

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 17/04/2026

The SEC wants to cede control of financing and lending companies to the BSP, citing widespread scams and resource constraints.

Fraud, Scams & Cybercrime

SEBI and Telecom Regulator to Collaborate Against Securities Fraud

By Nithya Subramanian | 17/04/2026

India’s securities and telecom regulators will share real-time intelligence to proactively detect and disrupt financial scams and protect investors.

Cybersecurity

Vietnam Taps Australian Expertise for International Financial Centre

By Nithya Subramanian | 17/04/2026

The partnership aims to leverage Australian regtech and cybersecurity expertise to build a robust regulatory framework for Vietnam’s ambitious IFC project.

PEPs & Sanctions

US Warns APAC Banks of Sanctions Risk Over Iran Transactions

By Manesh Samtani | 17/04/2026

US Treasury warns banks in China, Hong Kong and the UAE they risk secondary sanctions for handling illicit Iranian funds.

Anti-Money Laundering

AUSTRAC Puts Wealth Sector on Notice for ‘Unacceptable Blind Spot’

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 17/04/2026

AUSTRAC has warned wealth managers over failures to report suspicious transactions, creating significant financial crime risks.

Market Abuse

Korea Grants Investigators Powers to Launch Self-Initiated Probes

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 16/04/2026

Regulators have amended rules to allow financial watchdogs to directly convert any market abuse investigation into a criminal probe, bypassing prosecutors.