INTERNATIONAL

AML / KYC

World Leaders Pledge to Collectively Act Against Financial Crime

By Thisanka Siripala | 25/09/2024

The Pact for the Future, agreed by 143 nations, includes a commitment to ramp up efforts to combat the growing sophistication of financial crime.

Crypto / Digital Assets

HKMA Commences Phase 2 of e-HKD Pilot Programme

By Manesh Samtani | 24/09/2024

Over 20 firms were selected to explore innovative use cases for e-HKD and tokenised deposits across three themes.

Sanctions

New Zealand Sanctions New Russian and Belarusian Targets

By Editors | 24/09/2024

The sanctions target the Russian SOE operating Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant and its director general, among others.

Sanctions

US Arrests Russian Man for Illicit Microelectronics Exports

By Editors | 23/09/2024

Several Hong Kong companies were used to purchase microelectronics from US distributors and export them to Russia.

Sanctions

Lebanese Man Pleads Guilty to Sanctions Evasion Conspiracy

By Editors | 23/09/2024

The man, designated as a specially designated global terrorist in May 2018, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and agreed to forfeit $830,000.

Sanctions

EU Plans €35b Loan for Ukraine, Backed by Russian Assets

By Editors | 23/09/2024

The EU was initially planning to contribute about €18bn out of the total €45bn the G7 was planning to raise for Ukraine.

Sanctions

Russia Considers Raising ‘Exit Tax’ for Foreign Firms – Report

By Editors | 23/09/2024

Russian authorities are reportedly considering raising the exit tax from the current 15 percent to as high as 40 percent.

Market Infrastructure

BIS Paper Examines Central Clearing in Government Bonds

By Manesh Samtani | 22/09/2024

New BIS paper says centrally clearing could help mitigate risks and improve intermediation but introduce different challenges.

Crypto / Digital Assets

HSBC Tests Post-Quantum Cryptography With Tokenised Gold

By Manesh Samtani | 21/09/2024

HSBC pilot-tested the ability to move gold tokens across different ledgers while protecting against quantum computing attacks.