Securities / Derivatives

StanChart Inaugurates Investment Banking Unit in China

26/03/2024

Standard Chartered applied for the licence in 2021 and was granted approval to commence operations in December last year.

Sanctions

OFAC Unveils More Sanctions Over Iran Commodity Shipments

26/03/2024

The sanctions target a Lebanon-based financial facilitator, two vessels, and entities registered in Liberia, India, Vietnam, and Kuwait.

Enforcement

China’s Largest Brokerage Under Scrutiny for IPO Sponsor Role

26/03/2024

Citic Securities did not “directly reply” to a query from the SZSE  on whether an IPO applicant it was sponsoring had overly concentrated shareholdings among a few individuals.

AML / KYC

Netherlands: Trial Against Tornado Cash Co-founder is Underway

26/03/2024

Alexey Pertsev is accused of participating in Tornado Cash’s money laundering activities. A verdict is expected six weeks after the trial concludes this week.

AML / KYC

Bring Environmental Crime Back into Policy Spotlight: World Bank

26/03/2024

World Bank blog post calls for increased coordination between money-laundering prevention and environmental protection agencies.

ESG / Sustainability

Hong Kong Reinforces Commitment to ISSB-aligned Sustainability Disclosures

26/03/2024

The HKICPA will lead the work to develop local sustainability reporting standards along with complementary application and implementation guidance.

Fintech / Regtech

Malaysia SC Enhances PLC Surveillance With AI Technology

26/03/2024

An internally developed AI-powered tool called ‘PLC360’ can predict the likelihood of misconduct and identify emerging trends and supervisory concerns.

Crypto / Digital Assets

OFAC Sanctions Crypto Targets Over Russia Sanctions Evasion

26/03/2024

The sanctioned entities either helped build or operate blockchain-based services or enabled virtual currency payments in the Russian financial sector, enabling potential sanctions evasion.

Market Infrastructure

China Relaxes Rules on Cross-border Data Transfers

26/03/2024

The new rules allow businesses to transfer certain types of data overseas without declaration or security reviews, addressing concerns from foreign businesses.