Australia

Credit Risk

Australian Home Loans Tighten as Regulator Issues Warning

By Editors | 18/05/2015

Australian banks’ lending for investment properties has tightened after regulators cautioned against aggressively funding the sector.

Credit Risk

APRA Cautions Banks Against Increased Home Lending

By Editors | 14/05/2015

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) chairman Wayne Byres warns that authorities will step up scrutiny and monitoring of banks that will continue to lend aggressively to the housing sector.

Supervision & Enforcement

ASIC Calls for Tougher Penalties Against White-Collar Crimes

By Editors | 12/05/2015

Australia’s chief securities regulator wants to introduce tougher criminal penalties for financial crimes so market participants are forced into following the law.

Credit Risk

RBA Paper Cautions on Bank Lending Standards

By Editors | 11/05/2015

Regulators should pay close attention to banks’ lending standards and risk profile of borrowers to avert massive credit losses in banks in times of economic shocks, a Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) paper revealed.

Structural Regulation

ASIC Repeals Certain Market Integrity Rules

By Editors | 04/05/2015

Australian Investments & Securities Commission has refined its market integrity rules by removing certain unnecessary compliance requirements on market participants.

Trading & Investment

Dollar Spikes Reflect ‘Normal Market’, Says ASIC in Preliminary Report

By Editors | 03/05/2015

Spikes in the Australian dollar ahead of Reserve Bank interest rates decisions were the result of lower liquidity in the market before announcements are made, Australian Securities & Investments Commission said in a preliminary finding.

Capital Adequacy

Australian Government Debt Rating to Impact Banks

By Editors | 28/04/2015

Australia’s Financial System Inquiry has urged local banks to boost their capital position amid risk that the federal government could lose its triple-A credit rating.

Conduct, Culture & Accountability

ASIC Expands Investigation on UBS over NSW Privatization Report

By Editors | 19/04/2015

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s investigation on UBS, a key adviser on the privatisation of NSW Coalition, now involved interviews with top officials at the bank including its Australia chief executive Matthew Grounds.

Fraud, Scams & Cybercrime

Australia’s ASIC Investigates Wealth Managers over Advice Fees

By Editors | 16/04/2015

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is investigating some of the country’s biggest wealth managers for charging clients for financial advice even when no advice has been provided.