Sanctions

US Includes Asia-Based Firms in New Iran Shadow Fleet Sanctions

28/01/2026

OFAC designated entities in India, the UAE and Oman as well as nine vessels for their role in transporting Iranian oil.

Securities / Derivatives

FIX Tackles 24-Hour US Trading Impact on Global Investors

28/01/2026

A new working group will address regulatory and operational hurdles for APAC firms as US exchanges move towards round-the-clock trading.

Enforcement

Taiwan FSC Fines Shin Kong Life for Control and Data Breaches

27/01/2026

The insurer was penalised for significant internal control failures in its real estate operations and for violating data protection laws.

Fintech / Regtech

Vietnam Tests Cross-Border Stablecoin Payments in New Regulatory Sandbox

27/01/2026

Payment firm 9Pay is piloting stablecoin and QR-based solutions for foreign users under the new Vietnam International Financial Centers framework.

Enforcement

Australian Financial Advisor Jailed for AUD 1 Mln Client Fraud

26/01/2026

Paul Anthony Torre was sentenced to six years for stealing from clients' retirement funds.

Enforcement

CSRC Penalises Fund Managers in Dividend Tax Arbitrage Crackdown

26/01/2026

The CSRC has suspended several firms for helping institutional investors to improperly exploit tax-free dividends from bond funds.

Fintech / Regtech

KakaoBank, SCBX Form Virtual Bank Joint Venture in Thailand

23/01/2026

The Korean internet bank will be the second-largest shareholder in a consortium seeking to launch a virtual bank in Thailand.

Securities / Derivatives

Taiwan FSC Adopts Proposals on RWA Tokenisation, AI Risk

23/01/2026

Regulator greenlights 18 industry proposals, including plans for a real-world asset tokenisation platform and reduced capital charges for infrastructure investment.

Securities / Derivatives

SGX to Launch JGB Futures, Signals Broader Asian Derivatives Push

22/01/2026

SGX is seeking to capitalise on Japan's shifting rate environment and is planning new contracts for other key regional markets.