
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

Securities / Derivatives
CFTC Grants No-Action Relief to KRX for KOSPI 200 Futures
06/02/2025
Relief is provided until KOSPI 200 is certified as broad-based. The index has shifted between the narrow-based and broad-based classifications several times.

Capital / Liquidity
BCBS 2025-26 Work Programme Endorsed by GHOS
05/02/2025
The work programme focuses on Basel III implementation, safeguarding bank resilience, and initiatives related to the digitalisation of finance.

Sanctions
US to Restore “Maximum Pressure” Campaign on Iran
05/02/2025
Presidential memo directs the Treasury to enforce sanctions compliance and rescind any relief provided to Iran through licences or guidance.

Securities / Derivatives
Korea to Formalise Regulations for Fractional Investment Platforms
05/02/2025
Additional regulatory revisions will add ETFs and ETNs to the list of tradable instruments on ATS, and implement improvements to the IPO underwriting process

Sanctions
China Announces Retaliatory Tariffs and New Export Controls
04/02/2025
China announced retaliatory tariffs, new export controls, an investigation into Google, and added 2 US firms to its “unreliable entities” list.

Enforcement
ASIC Commences Investigation into Dec 2024 Market Disruption
04/02/2025
The investigation is looking into whether the market disruption at ASX constituted a breach of its obligations as a CS facility licensee.

Capital / Liquidity
Singapore Banks Well Prepared for Fully Phased-In Basel III Regime
03/02/2025
Analysis from Bloomberg Intelligence shows that Singapore’s major banks face contained capital pressure under the final Basel III rules

Sanctions
US Uses Sanctions Law to Impose Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China
03/02/2025
Canada and Mexico will impose retaliatory tariffs against the US. China also said it would take “countermeasures”.

Fintech / Regtech
HKMA Develops AI-Powered Sentiment Tracker for Mainland Property Market
03/02/2025
The GenAI-driven sentiment index, which uses Chinese social media data, is able to act as a leading indicator for Mainland property sales

AML / KYC
BOT Announces Enhanced Measures to Address Mule Accounts
02/02/2025
The BOT also said it supports a recently approved emergency decree amendment that will establish a shared responsibility framework for FIs, telcos and users.
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