United States

Capital / Liquidity

Philippine Markets Shut, Central Bank Promises Regulatory Relief

By Editors | 17/03/2020

The Philippines has halted stock, bond and currency trading ‘until further notice’. The BSP is urging banks to provide financial relief to customers and employees.

S. Korea Cuts Key Interest Rate to Record Low

By Editors | 17/03/2020

Bank of Korea has cut its key rate by 50 basis points to 0.75 percent, joining other central banks unveiling emergency measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

Capital / Liquidity

US Fed Cuts Rates, Relaxes Regulatory Requirements to Boost Lending

By Editors | 15/03/2020

The Fed is cutting interest rates by 100bps and will buy $700bn in assets. Banks will no longer have to meet reserve requirements and can use capital and liquidity buffers to lend.

Securities / Derivatives

SET Tightens Short Selling Rule After Second Trading Halt

By Editors | 14/03/2020

Short selling orders can now only be executed at prices higher than the last traded price, the SET said after its circuit breaker was triggered for the second day in a row.

Securities / Derivatives

Thailand Set for Launch of New ‘Super Savings Fund’ Scheme

By Editors | 05/03/2020

The new mutual fund scheme was initiated by the Finance Ministry, offering tax incentives to encourage investors to save and invest.

Market Infrastructure

Central Banks Act to Mitigate Covid-19 Economic Threat

By Editors | 04/03/2020

The HKMA has responded to the US rate cut with a cut of its own. The RBA and BNM have also cut their key policy rates, while the BOJ focuses on asset purchases.

AML / KYC

OFAC Sanctions Two Chinese Nationals Over Stolen Cryptocurrency

By Editors | 03/03/2020

OFAC has linked two Chinese nationals to the 2018 theft of $250mn in cryptocurrency by the Lazarus Group, a US-designated North Korean cybercrime group.

AML / KYC

Financial Secrecy Index Ranks Hong Kong, Singapore in Top Five

By Manesh Samtani | 02/03/2020

The Tax Justice Network has released its 2020 rankings of jurisdictions according to their secrecy and the scale of their offshore financial activities.

Crypto / Digital Assets

Thailand SEC Sets Out Three Year Strategic Plan for Capital Market

By Editors | 28/02/2020

The strategic plan includes greater integration of ESG factors in the market, enhancing SME and startup access to capital, promoting the use of digital and e-KYC technologies, among others.