
Manesh Samtani is the Editor at Regulation Asia, where he leads the regional news desk from Hong Kong, directing coverage of critical regulatory developments impacting financial services across APAC. Manesh specialises in analysing how new rules and technologies are reshaping banking, capital markets, and the fight against financial crime, providing finance professionals, compliance leaders, and policymakers with the intelligence they need to navigate risk and understand the impact of regulatory change in the region. manesh@regulationasia.com

Market Data & Technology
ICMA Publishes New Definitions for Bond Price Distribution
17/07/2026
The updated taxonomy reflects the market's evolution towards greater electronification and automation and provides a basis for assessing dealer behaviour.

Structural Regulation
Korea Halts New Single-Stock ETFs, Tightens Trading Rules
17/07/2026
Authorities will halt new listings, triple cash deposit requirements, and tighten trading rules to cool speculative fervour and protect investors.

Trading & Investment
World Bank, ISDA Partner to Bolster EMDE Derivatives Markets
17/07/2026
The collaboration will focus on building the legal, regulatory and institutional foundations needed for well-functioning derivatives markets.

Clearing & Post-Trade
Asian Firms Aware of EU T+1 Transition, But Lag in Action - Report
17/07/2026
Awareness of Europe's planned move to T+1 is high among firms in Asia, but a significant portion are yet to translate this into concrete action.

Anti-Money Laundering
FATF Urges Action as Crypto-Enabled Illicit Finance Grows in Complexity
17/07/2026
New report highlights persistent gaps in global enforcement which are being exploited by increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.

Emerging Prudential Risks
BIS Paper: Geopolitical Threats, Not Just Acts, Raise Sovereign Risk in EMEs
17/07/2026
New paper finds that anticipated geopolitical risks have a larger and more prolonged impact on emerging market sovereign risk premia than realised events.

Tokenisation
DTCC Completes First Major Test of New Tokenisation Infrastructure
16/07/2026
The exercise processed live trades to validate that tokenised assets can maintain identical legal protections while testing new, more efficient settlement models.

PEPs & Sanctions
US Sanctions 50+ Targets in Crackdown on Iran-Linked Shipping Network
16/07/2026
The action targets individuals, entities, and vessels spanning the UAE, Singapore, India, Hong Kong, Marshall Islands and St Kitts and Nevis.

Tokenisation
UK Convenes Major Banks to Accelerate Asset Tokenisation
16/07/2026
A 54-firm taskforce will develop live use cases, aiming to boost UK competitiveness and generate significant economic growth through the adoption of tokenised assets

Stablecoins
Korea Unveils Sweeping Financial and Digital Asset Reforms
16/07/2026
The H2 economic growth strategy includes the new Digital Asset Basic Act, measures for the internationalising the won, and a strategic overhaul of the national sovereign wealth fund.
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