The Central Bank of Iraq stated it has met all banks’ and exchange companies’ requests for USD allocations to Hajj pilgrims, travellers and external transfers. It added that its website lists the exchange companies authorised to sell USD to travellers and pilgrims under the applicable controls.
The Moroccan Capital Markets Authority, together with ANRF and CNASNU, held an anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing awareness seminar for capital market participants as Morocco prepares for its MENAFATF mutual evaluation, presenting updated sector risk findings and a handbook on implementing a risk-based approach. The authority also shared updated sectoral risk mapping and assessments of AML/CFT compliance and effectiveness across supervised activities, as part of its broader AML/CFT strategy and 2026 priorities.
Greece’s Ministry of National Economy and Finance published remarks by Minister and Eurogroup President Kyriakos Pierrakakis indicating that final 2025 fiscal results, to be announced on 22 April 2026, are expected to show a stronger-than-anticipated surplus, creating additional fiscal space under the EU’s new fiscal rules for targeted support. He linked the macroeconomic outlook to the Middle East energy shock and stressed the need for temporary, targeted national measures aligned with ECB monetary policy and the European Commission’s framework. He also outlined priorities on a Savings and Investment Union, AI governance, and accelerating work on the digital euro, envisaged for 2029, to bolster the euro’s international role.
The National Financial Regulatory Administration reported that Party Secretary and Director Li Yunze met with a delegation led by Prudential Group Chair Shriti Vadera. The parties exchanged views on domestic and international economic and financial conditions, high-quality development of the insurance sector, and Prudential’s business in China.
The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic announced that the Monetary Board has approved a comprehensive revision of the Regulation on Operational Risk, updating governance, risk management, control and capitalisation standards for financial and foreign exchange intermediation entities. The reform expands the regulatory perimeter to include exchange agents and remittance and exchange agents, which must maintain proportionate frameworks to prevent, detect and mitigate incidents affecting operational continuity and information integrity.
The French Financial Markets Authority and the Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority issued a public warning against unauthorised providers offering investments in unregulated foreign exchange and crypto-asset derivative products in France and updated their blacklists. Since the start of 2026, 16 unauthorised sites have been added to the forex category and 15 to the crypto-asset derivatives category, with the authorities urging the public to check firms’ authorisation status in official registers and avoid unlisted intermediaries.
The mediator of the French Financial Markets Authority held that successive orders used for a client “arbitrage” can be legally interdependent when they form a single overall transaction clearly expressed by the client. Applying Article 1186 of the French Civil Code, the mediator found that a sale order linked to a time‑limited subscription should have lapsed when the subscription period ended, requiring the account keeper to cancel the executed sale at its expense and reinvest the proceeds into the original fund.
The National Credit Union Administration has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking under its Deregulation Project to clarify guidance and remove burdensome, duplicative requirements for insured credit union mergers into banks. The proposal would relax disclosure and publication requirements, streamline due diligence reporting, and eliminate prescriptive formatting, plain-language factors, and voting guidelines from merger communications.
The Financial System Supervisory Authority of Bolivia issued an alert on fraudulent website asfi-renta.com, which unlawfully uses the authority’s name, image and AI-generated content to deceive the public and capture funds through pyramid schemes promising guaranteed returns. ASFI stressed the platform is neither licensed nor registered to provide financial intermediation or investment services in Bolivia, warned of imminent risk of total loss and potential criminal penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for unauthorised financial intermediation, and reminded that its official channels operate only under .gob.bo domains.
The European Central Bank published an ECB Blog post on its use of an artificial intelligence-based quantile regression forest model to monitor euro area inflation risks in near real time, complementing baseline ECB/Eurosystem projections. In use since end-2022, the model processes indicators such as wage developments and selling price expectations to generate point and density forecasts, and has highlighted upside risks to core inflation (HICPX) in 2025 that aligned with outcomes 20 basis points above projections. The post concludes that such machine learning tools can provide more timely information on inflation risks and may play a growing role in forecasting and monitoring inflation and output.
The European Central Bank’s Occasional Paper No 386 assesses whether EU prudential guidance and Pillar III disclosure rules effectively embed climate change adaptation to physical risks in banks’ risk management, finding adaptation remains blurred with mitigation and inconsistently incorporated into stress tests, transition plans and disclosures. The authors call for systematic integration of physical risk adaptation, including explicit adaptation targets and reflection of adaptation measures in credit risk parameters, and recommend recalibrating proportionality based on vulnerability rather than bank size, plus more harmonised scenario assumptions and modelling approaches across the EU.
The National Bank of the Republic of Tajikistan reported the results of its foreign exchange intervention purchase auction held on 21 April 2026, which attracted seven participants. Satisfied bids ranged from USD 600,000 to USD 5,000,000 at a weighted average exchange rate of 9.4526 TJS per USD.
The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited reported an audited consolidated loss after tax of HKD 109 million for 2025 (2024: HKD 418 million) and an adjusted profit after tax of HKD 1,497 million (2024: HKD 787 million), driven by higher income from placements with the Exchange Fund, increased net interest income, a recovering local property market and revaluation gains on USD exposures. HKMC remained the most active issuer in the domestic HKD corporate bond market, issuing HKD 70.5 billion of corporate debt and a multi-currency benchmark transaction totalling HKD 25.3 billion, while maintaining a capital adequacy ratio of 18.1% and strong solvency ratios at its annuity and insurance subsidiaries.
The Central Bank of Iraq has announced a set of training courses for May 2026 under its training programme plan to strengthen staff capabilities and improve performance quality. All licensed banks and licensed non-bank financial institutions are requested to submit participant nominations, with course details provided in accompanying tables.
The Central Bank of Russia has amended its procedures for removing information on fraudulent transactions, adding a step requiring banks to re-confirm with clients whether they still consider a transaction fraudulent before removal. The ordinance also revises the submission route for applications filed by representatives under a power of attorney, allows online applicants to provide invalid passport details to aid identification, and formalises the procedure for providing information on refusals to accept funds received via fraudulent transfers, effective 2 May 2026.
The Central Bank of Russia published April 2026 monitoring results for maximum interest rates on RUB deposits at the ten largest household deposit-taking banks, showing an average maximum rate of 13.43% for the first 10 days of April and 13.39% for the second 10 days. By maturity, average maximum rates were 13.04% for up to 90 days, 13.24% for 91–180 days, 12.68% for 181 days to one year and 11.61% for over one year, based on indicative maximum rates on standard, unrestricted deposit products.
The Central Bank of Montenegro reported that in the first six months of Montenegro’s participation in the Single Euro Payments Area, cross-border euro payments became faster and cheaper, generating estimated savings of more than EUR 3.8 million on 82,213 transactions worth over EUR 1.6 billion. Average international transaction fees fell by 92%, and the central bank estimates that full digitalisation and migration to SEPA electronic channels could raise annual savings to more than EUR 14.6 million. The central bank also highlighted the planned launch of an instant payments system (TIPS Clone) on 20 July to further improve payment speed and accessibility.
The Central Bank of Slovenia’s April 2026 Review reports continued GDP growth in Q1 2026 but slowing domestic consumption, weak industrial production and easing inflation, with HICP at 2.4% in March. It highlights wage pressures from a 16% minimum wage increase, external risks from weaker foreign demand and Chinese competition, and inflation expectations linked to the Middle East war. It notes a wider 2025 general government deficit of 2.5% of GDP, lower debt at 65.7% of GDP, and urges temporary, targeted energy support to safeguard fiscal sustainability.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair outlined an “A-C-T” strategy to modernize regulation, clarify jurisdiction with other regulators, and refocus rules on materiality and capital formation. He highlighted Project Crypto, including a five-category crypto-token taxonomy, a forthcoming “innovation exemption” for on-chain tokenized securities trading, and a March 2026 Memorandum of Understanding with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on digital assets. Staff have been directed to pursue an “aggressive” rulemaking agenda, including an expanded IPO on-ramp, broader shelf registration access, and optional quarterly or semiannual reporting.
The Isle of Man Financial Services Authority has de-registered Affinity (Accounts) Limited under the Designated Businesses (Registration & Oversight) Act 2015 pursuant to section 12(1)(a). The de-registration takes effect from 21 April 2026.
The Bank of Greece’s provisional data show the travel services surplus rose to EUR 284.8 million in February 2026 from EUR 89.0 million a year earlier, driven by an 83.2% increase in travel receipts to EUR 533.4 million on higher inbound flows and spending per trip. Net travel receipts accounted for 85.9% of total net services receipts, with strong growth from both EU27 and non-EU27 residents, while receipts from the United States declined. Publication of balance of goods data and related travel-to-goods deficit metrics is delayed pending February 2026 commercial transactions data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority.
The Dubai Financial Services Authority has granted a licence to Sahm Financial Limited, allowing it to establish regulated operations in the Dubai International Financial Centre. The authorisation covers advising on financial products, arranging and dealing in investments as agent, and permits servicing of retail clients and holding or controlling client assets.
The Dubai International Financial Centre reported a strategic partnership between Stake and ACE & Company to develop secondary market infrastructure enhancing liquidity, pricing transparency and flexibility for investors in Stake’s UAE real estate portfolio via DIFC Prescribed Companies. The initiative will enable secondary transfers of fractional real estate exposures on Stake’s platform under its existing Dubai Financial Services Authority-approved permissions, leveraging ACE & Company’s private markets expertise and DIFC’s private markets framework.
Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance reported on Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti’s participation in the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, including G7 and G20 discussions on the global outlook and shared macroeconomic challenges. The IMF’s Southeast Europe Technical Assistance Center was awarded to Rome, with operations to begin on 1 January 2027 to support fiscal reforms in seven EU candidate countries, and Italy signed a EUR 140 million co-financing agreement with the African Development Bank for priority projects in Africa aligned with the Mattei Plan.
The Thailand Office of Insurance Commission has launched the 2026 phase of its “Road Safety model province” initiative, expanding a pilot into a four-province programme with Prachinburi, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Sawan and Suphan Buri to develop “safe road model communities” using insurance for victim protection and accident prevention. Implemented with the insurance sector and the Thailand Development Research Institute, the project applies a data-driven “four strategies, seven measures” and Data-Knowledge-Measure framework to address persistently high road casualties and economic losses of over THB 500bn annually.
The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan approved five senior appointments in the securities market, including a governing body role at JSC Centras Securities. The approvals cover Talgat Kamarov, Dias Ayubaev, Darhan Smailov, Nariman Alibayev and Andrei Kozhokaru, with the decisions recorded in protocols No. 299/RCB dated 14 April 2026 and Nos. 300/RCB to 303/RCB dated 16 April 2026.
The Central Bank of Azerbaijan has amended compulsory motor vehicle civil liability insurance rules, replacing the “Bonus-Malus” system with an individual Insurance History Coefficient to simplify and maintain risk-based pricing. Drivers receive a 5% premium discount for accident-free periods and a 30% surcharge for each insured event causing damage, with surcharges applied to the at-fault driver and the highest-risk driver’s coefficient used where multiple drivers are authorised. Legal entities are exempt from the coefficient, but surcharges still apply to at-fault drivers’ premiums, and existing treatment of taxi operators is maintained.
The National Bank of Moldova published March 2026 foreign exchange statistics showing that net foreign currency supply from individuals covered 92.0% of economic agents’ net foreign currency demand, down from 95.0% in February, with no central bank interventions. Month on month, net supply from individuals rose 11.6% to EUR 270.9 million and net sales to legal entities increased 15.2% to EUR 294.6 million, while for January to March 2026 the coverage ratio improved to 92.4% from 85.0% a year earlier.
The National Bank of Moldova has launched an “Experimental statistics” section and published initial experimental financial accounts indicators for the third quarter of 2025, showing a net financing requirement of MDL 16,708 million, MDL 265 million lower year on year and equivalent to 16.4% of GDP. The release includes “from-whom-to-whom” matrices, time-series data, sectoral breakdowns, charts and methodological information, with the bank noting that these experimental statistics may differ from official data and are intended to be incorporated into official statistics after further refinement.
The National Bank of Moldova reported on its participation in the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, where Governor Anca Dragu highlighted assessments confirming Moldova’s resilient financial sector and prudent monetary policy. The delegation discussed a potential new IMF programme to bolster macroeconomic stability and reforms, World Bank support for digitalisation, financial inclusion, green transition and resilience, and MONEYVAL’s decision to cease monitoring Moldova after improvements in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing frameworks. Dragu added that recent stress tests show Moldovan banks remain resilient, with capital above regulatory thresholds even under adverse scenarios.
The National Bank of Moldova published March 2026 aggregated statistics on licensed banks’ foreign currency assets and liabilities, including the banking system’s aggregate open foreign exchange position. Foreign currency assets at month-end were MDL 58.36 billion versus liabilities of MDL 58.00 billion, with the aggregate open FX position showing long positions of MDL 449.29 million and short positions of MDL 93.13 million, and a long euro open-position ratio of 1.69% against regulatory capital of MDL 23.92 billion.
The Advisory Board on AI in Finance of Luxembourg’s Ministry of Finance has issued its first recommendations on integrating artificial intelligence in the financial sector, reflecting AI’s growing impact on financial services and competitiveness. The forward-looking guidance outlines strategic perspectives on AI-related opportunities and risks to support Luxembourg’s position as an international financial centre.
The Montenegro Capital Market Authority is expanding its Kapital educational board game workshops beyond Podgorica in 2026 to broaden financial literacy training for primary school pupils across additional municipalities including Zeta, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi and Ulcinj. Now in its fourth year, the programme uses an interactive game to teach basic capital market concepts and will continue in May with further city expansions and a final competition for participating schools.
HM Treasury has published a draft statutory instrument and policy note proposing targeted amendments to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2026 to give greater certainty to firms using UK-issued qualifying stablecoins for payment services while keeping key activities under Financial Conduct Authority authorisation and supervision. The draft would carve out most transactions in UK-issued qualifying stablecoins from new dealing and arranging activities, adjust the financial promotions and safeguarding perimeters, and clarify that some firms may still require registration under the Money Laundering Regulations Gateway.
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada published a readout of Commissioner Shereen Benzvy Miller’s fireside chat with Ontario Securities Commission CEO Grant Vingoe at the OSC’s Dialogue 2026 conference, outlining coordinated oversight to support competition, consumer and investor protection, and trust in Canada’s financial markets. Benzvy Miller emphasized that competition must operate within strong, consistent consumer protection frameworks and highlighted the importance of clear disclosure of fees and key product features.
The Uganda Capital Markets Authority held a stakeholder meeting on the development of REITs in Uganda and the supporting legal and policy framework. It highlighted REITs' potential to expand access to capital and mobilize long-term financing for housing and infrastructure. Participants said any framework will also need strong commercial viability and adaptation to local market conditions.
HM Treasury announced measures to modernise the UK payments services regulatory framework, integrating payment services and electronic money into a single regime covering traditional and tokenised payments, including stablecoins and tokenised deposits. The plan includes new regulation for stablecoins used for payments, potential adaptation of rules for AI-enabled payments, expanded FCA powers over Open Banking, and legislation to reduce administrative burdens for stablecoin providers, plus a forthcoming consultation on wider reforms. HM Treasury also appointed Chris Woolard CBE as Wholesale Digital Markets Champion, allocated an additional GBP 1 million to the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology, and confirmed he will lead implementation of the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy.
The South African Reserve Bank’s Financial Stability Department briefed on how trade-policy uncertainty and geopolitical fragmentation can transmit risks to South Africa’s financial system, including weaker investor sentiment, exchange-rate volatility, capital outflows, and disruptions to cross-border capital flows and payment rails. Using a structural vector autoregressive model, it finds a 10% trade-policy uncertainty shock has modest short-term effects on activity, bond yields, the real effective exchange rate, non-resident bond purchases and financial conditions, and warns that growing use of financial infrastructure as a geopolitical tool could raise compliance, valuation, liquidity and cybersecurity risks. It recommends trade diversification, stronger macroprudential monitoring and stress testing of cross-border exposures, and better cross-border regulatory coordination and interoperability planning.
The Saudi Arabia Capital Markets Authority has approved Berain Company’s application to register and offer 66,000,000 shares, representing 30% of its share capital, in an initial public offering. The authority stated that approval confirms compliance with the Capital Market Law and Implementing Regulations but does not constitute a recommendation to subscribe, and that the prospectus will provide detailed financial, management and risk information for investors.
The Saudi Arabia Capital Markets Authority approved Atlas Elevators General Trading and Contracting Company’s capital increase from SAR 60 million to SAR 90 million through issuing one bonus share for every two existing shares, funded by transfers from retained earnings and share premium. Outstanding shares will rise from 6 million to 9 million, with approval conditional on holding an extraordinary general assembly within six months and complying with applicable regulatory requirements and laws.
Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority approved Multi Business Group Company’s capital increase from SAR 15,000,000 to SAR 45,000,000 by issuing two bonus shares for each existing share, funded by transferring SAR 30,000,000 from the share premium account and raising outstanding shares from 15,000,000 to 45,000,000. Bonus shares will be allocated to shareholders registered at the Securities Depository Center as of the close of the second trading day after the eligibility date, subject to an extraordinary general assembly within six months and compliance with regulatory requirements.
The Saudi Arabia Capital Market Authority has opened a public consultation on draft amendments to Article Five and Article Eighteen of the Capital Market Law. The proposed changes aim to strengthen international cooperation between the authority and foreign counterpart regulators in line with international best practices.
The Saudi Arabia Capital Market Authority has launched a consultation on draft amendments to its securitization framework, including the Rules on the Offer of Securities and Continuing Obligations, the Rules for Special Purposes Entities, and the Glossary of Defined Terms. The proposals would permit public offerings of asset-backed debt instruments via securitization, strengthen disclosure requirements, and are intended to deepen the sukuk and debt instruments market and diversify the investor base, supported by new guidelines for periodic reports.
The Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK) has launched initial export shipments of coconut-derivative products and other commodities from South Sumatra under the Sultan Muda XporA 2026 programme, part of its Regional Economic Development agenda to connect local producers and young entrepreneurs to global markets through improved access to finance. The initiative is backed by trade finance, letters of credit and insurance, including IDR 869,291,307,790 in commodity financing and USD 209,723 in export LCs from five banks. OJK will continue the programme with expanded geographic coverage and priority commodities aligned to regional characteristics.
The Central Bank of Cyprus published the results of its Ship Management Survey for the second half of 2025.
De Nederlandsche Bank has appointed Marije Louisse as General Counsel and Head of Legal Services with effect from 1 May 2026, succeeding Frits-Joost Beekhoven van den Boezem. Louisse currently heads the Supervision – Advice Department in DNB’s Legal Services Division and has prior experience as a banking and finance lawyer and academic in financial law and bank resolution.
The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority has issued a sector update and report on its 2023–2026 inspections of banks and mortgage credit institutions, highlighting cases where supervisory orders were issued to remedy weaknesses in compliance functions. Recurring deficiencies included inadequate procedures, incomplete compliance risk assessments, weak testing and follow-up, unclear responsibilities vis-à-vis risk management, insufficient independence and resourcing, and inadequate reporting to boards and executive management. The Authority cited sections 17 and 23 of the Executive Order on Management and Governance of Banks as key compliance function requirements.
The Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority joined the 2026 IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., with the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Finance and the Liechtenstein Embassy to discuss economic and financial developments and strengthen international cooperation. Led by Chairman Mario Gassner, the delegation stressed that geopolitical tensions, fragmented trade policy and increased market volatility heighten risks for open, highly internationally connected economies such as Liechtenstein, and highlighted the IMF’s role in supporting a stable, rule-based multilateral system.
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) used its 2025 Annual Report to highlight a more intensive, proportional and risk-based supervisory approach, including expanded stress testing, 176 targeted on-site inspections and institution-specific capital add-ons, business restrictions and takeover bans. It reported heightened focus on cyber and outsourcing risks, client protection, and record investigations into unauthorised activities. FINMA also noted higher staffing and costs and reiterated its call for stronger legal tools, including fining powers, an accountability regime, earlier intervention powers and greater ability to communicate on concluded proceedings.
The Norwegian Department of Finance has launched a consultation on proposals from the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway to implement expected EEA rules amending Solvency II and introducing the Insurance Recovery and Resolution Directive. The Solvency II changes focus on enhancing insurers’ role as institutional investors, proportionality, risk sensitivity of capital requirements, sustainability risk management, group supervision and systemic resilience, while the Insurance Recovery and Resolution Directive proposals would establish a national crisis-management framework for insurers and address interaction with Norway’s existing non-life insurance guarantee scheme.
The Bank of Italy published three Working Papers and two Occasional Papers covering education choices after the Great Recession, the macroeconomic role of time-varying asset safety, innovation policy, and household income measurement. The research also introduces a composite indicator of cyclical systemic risk for the Italian financial cycle intended to support financial stability monitoring and macroprudential policy.
The Bank of Italy published the text of a speech by Deputy Governor Sergio Nicoletti Altimari on “The Italian Financial System: Stability, Innovation, and the Road Ahead.” The speech was delivered at the Villa Firenze Talks series in Washington, D.C. on 20 April 2026.
The European Banking Federation published preliminary views on the European Commission’s Market Integration Package, backing efforts to simplify EU capital-markets rules and reduce fragmentation while stressing that a functioning Savings and Investments Union also requires demand-side reforms. It called for reduced complexity and national gold-plating, a more harmonised Single European Rulebook with clearer Lamfalussy-based separation between Levels 1, 2 and 3, and a secondary competitiveness objective for the European Securities and Markets Authority, alongside clearer distinctions and safeguards for financial market infrastructures.
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has published on its website the Chinese-language text of a speech by Dr Kelvin Wong titled “Unleashing Golden Momentum to Deepen Product Diversity in Global Financial Hub.” The speech was delivered at the listing ceremony of the CSOP Gold Exchange Traded Fund.
The Treasury (Isle of Man) reminded employers and contractors that tax returns for the year ended 5 April 2026 must be submitted by the statutory due date, with late filings incurring an initial GBP 250 penalty and an additional GBP 50 per day thereafter while outstanding. It stressed that penalties do not remove the obligation to file and that non-compliance may lead to prosecution, and noted that smaller employers not yet registered for online services can still register and file online.
The Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered Filter Vision Public Company Limited to clarify and publicly disclose information on its proposed sale of a 53.08 percent stake in KT Medical Service Public Company Limited to a related person, citing concerns over incomplete disclosure, pricing and transaction terms. The regulator highlighted the independent financial advisor’s view that the THB 1.10 per share price is significantly below KTMS’s fair value and market price, and questioned the necessity and reasonableness of the disposal and payment structure.
The Central Bank of Brunei Darussalam has updated its Alert List, adding eight companies and individuals that it states are not licensed, authorised or regulated and warning the public against assuming they are supervised. The authority reiterated that activities such as money remittance, money changing, money lending and pawn broking require its licence, and that consumers do not benefit from its regulatory protections when dealing with unlicensed providers.
The Dubai International Financial Centre plans to become the world’s first AI-native financial centre, embedding artificial intelligence across its legal and regulatory frameworks, business environment, talent development, infrastructure and urban design. Building on its five-year AI strategy and AI-specific data governance under the DIFC Data Protection Law, the programme will establish ethics and governance frameworks for AI agents and robotics, provide firms with advanced AI tools, and develop an AI Campus, with DIFC estimating USD 3.5bn in economic benefits and 25,000 new jobs.
The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic has suspended the licence of Kut Valyuta LLC’s currency exchange bureau (licence No. 6934 dated 13 September 2024) from 21 to 28 April 2026 for breaches of Kyrgyz legislation and the National Bank’s regulatory acts. The suspension applies to the outlet at 185 Manas Street, Talas, Talas region.
The Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway reported findings from its review of Nordic Mining ASA’s 2024 annual financial statements and third-quarter 2025 interim report, identifying deficiencies in accounting for borrowing costs under the Orion royalty financing, mine closure and rehabilitation provisions, and going concern and covenant disclosures. The authority will not pursue previously notified corrective orders; Nordic Mining has committed to address the issues in its 2025 annual report and must later provide written detail on the corrections.
The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan has approved the appointment of Stanislav Vladimirovich Levin as managing director and deputy chief financial officer of ForteBank JSC.
The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan issued consumer guidance on how to respond when a bank account is blocked, outlining typical reasons and steps to restore access. The guidance highlights causes such as suspected fraud, requests from public authorities, technical errors and card issues, and advises customers to contact their bank, verify possible arrears and provide documents evidencing the source of funds, while recommending measures to reduce the risk of future blocks.
National Bank of Moldova Governor Anca Dragu outlined the central bank’s gradual approach to artificial intelligence adoption and oversight, highlighting current financial sector uses in credit risk assessment, liquidity management, forecasting and fraud detection. She detailed the bank’s internal AI governance framework, AI-based assistant, automation and SupTech data capabilities, and noted forthcoming regulations on AI use, cloud services and electronic customer identification, underpinned by a “human-in-the-loop” principle to mitigate cybersecurity, data protection and third-party risks.
The Central Bank of Paraguay’s Monetary Policy Committee unanimously left the monetary policy rate unchanged at 5.50% in April 2026, after cuts in January and February, citing continued economic expansion, low inflation, and anchored expectations alongside elevated external uncertainty tied to geopolitical tensions and energy prices. The Committee maintained its 2026 gross domestic product growth projection at 4.2% and its inflation forecast at the 3.5% target, noting March headline inflation of 1.9% year on year and saying it will keep monitoring external risks to ensure inflation converges to target.
In his inaugural address, Governor Hyun Song Shin set the Bank of Korea’s four-year priorities: prudent, flexible monetary policy amid inflation and growth uncertainty; a revamped financial stability framework covering non-bank and cross-market risks; and upgraded payment, settlement and FX infrastructure for a more international, digital won. The Bank will reassess policy tools, enhance market-based early warning, pursue 24-hour FX trading and offshore won settlement, and advance CBDC and tokenized deposits via Project Hangang and related international work, while breaking down internal silos, strengthening research–policy feedback, improving digital and data capabilities, and deepening international engagement.
The Bank of Korea’s Q1 2026 Loan Officer Survey indicates that domestic banks and non-bank financial institutions expect tighter lending standards in Q2, particularly for household credit, alongside rising credit risk for both corporate and household borrowers. Banks anticipate stronger demand for corporate loans, especially from small and medium-sized enterprises, but weaker demand for household mortgages, while non-banks foresee tighter standards, higher credit risk (except at life insurers) and firmer loan demand except at mutual credit cooperatives.
De Nederlandsche Bank has appointed Marije Louisse as General Counsel and Director of its Legal Affairs Division, effective 1 May 2026, succeeding Frits-Joost Beekhoven van den Boezem. Louisse currently heads Supervision Advice within the division and previously served as senior legal counsel at the bank and as a banking and finance lawyer at Loyens & Loeff in Amsterdam.
The Monetary Authority of Macao held a promotional session in Shenzhen to showcase Macau’s Investment Funds Law, complementary measures and business environment, aiming to attract qualified fund managers. AMCM highlighted Shenzhen–Macau cooperation in the bond market, green finance and talent development, positioning Macau as a financial services platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. It has conducted similar outreach in other mainland cities since January 2026 and plans to continue promoting Macau’s investment funds sector.
The South Korea Financial Services Commission has approved revisions to the Enforcement Decree of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act to permit domestically listed single-stock exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes, including 2x leveraged, inverse and covered call structures, subject to eligibility criteria and a 200 percent exposure cap. Related Korea Exchange and Korea Financial Investment Association rule changes introduce new single-stock and ETF options, extend base deposit requirements to overseas leveraged products, and mandate enhanced pre-trade education and clearer product labelling to strengthen investor protection.
The Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU) kept the policy rate (TPM) at 5.75 % on 21 April, saying the current expansionary stance—after 350 bp of cuts since April 2025—remains adequate to steer headline inflation (2.94 % in March, near the 3–6 % band floor) back to the 4.5 % target even as core inflation edged up. Pointing to global uncertainty, commodity and FX volatility and higher oil prices, BCU expects inflation to stay within the band and will monitor risks to guide future decisions.
The National Reserve Bank of Tonga issued a public warning on rising Ponzi and pyramid schemes, stressing these are offences under the Banking Act 2020 and may only be run by entities it licenses. It highlighted red flags such as promises of high, fast, guaranteed returns, pressure to recruit others, vague profit explanations, and requests for payment via cash, remittances, mobile money, or cryptocurrency. The authority warned that involvement can attract penalties of up to a 1,000,000 fine and 30 years’ imprisonment and urged the public to report suspected schemes or unauthorised banking business to the Bank or Tonga Police.
The Moroccan Capital Markets Authority held an awareness seminar on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, including terrorism- and proliferation-related financial sanctions, in coordination with the National Financial Intelligence Authority and the national committee implementing UN Security Council sanctions, ahead of Morocco’s upcoming mutual evaluation by the FATF for the Middle East and North Africa. Authorities highlighted suspicious transaction reports, shared findings from the third national money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment, presented an updated capital-markets sector risk map and risk-based guidance, and announced further awareness activities for capital market participants as part of its 2026 priority measures.
The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank published a keynote by Governor Timothy N.J. Antoine warning that demographic shifts and widening deficits threaten the long‑term sustainability of the Saint Christopher and Nevis Social Security Fund, with actuarial guidance indicating possible exhaustion by 2040 without reform. He urged comprehensive reforms, including a credible funding policy, higher retirement age, adjusted contributions, stronger compliance, improved investment performance, and regional coordination. Under its “Big Push” agenda, the Bank will convene reform dialogue, support stronger investment governance and regional capital market development, and expand analytical and advisory work on demographic and fiscal pressures.
The Financial System Supervisory Authority of Bolivia issued an alert against “asfi-renta.com”, a fraudulent website misusing the supervisor’s name and image to solicit funds and operate pyramid-style scams promising guaranteed returns. ASFI stressed that the platform lacks any licence or registration, that unauthorised financial intermediation is a criminal offence under Financial Services Law No. 393 and the Criminal Code, and urged the public to avoid sharing data or transferring funds and rely only on ASFI channels under .gob.bo domains.
The Central Bank of Belize has contracted Montran Corporation, with World Bank support, to design and implement a new Instant Payment System as part of its domestic payments modernization agenda. Positioned as a flagship initiative following the 2016 Automated Payments and Securities Settlement System, it will support real-time settlement and features such as alias-based payments, QR code merchant transactions and request-to-pay functionality, with an 18‑month implementation phase including testing and stakeholder engagement.
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee released Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren’s questioning of Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh, centering on his ethics disclosures and the Fed’s independence. Warren pressed Warsh on over USD 100 million in undisclosed investments and possible ties to Trump-affiliated, Chinese-controlled, money-laundering-related, or Jeffrey Epstein-linked entities. Warsh said he had an ethics agreement with the Office of Government Ethics and would divest all assets if confirmed. Warren also challenged his independence from President Trump’s agenda; Warsh declined to address Trump’s 2020 election loss or cite a specific policy disagreement, while insisting the Fed must keep politics out of monetary policy.
The Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia held a workshop on “Infrastructure Bonds as a Strategic Financing Tool, Not Just a Financial Product,” chaired by Director General Sou Socheat. The event gathered officials from the regulator and the Cambodia Securities Exchange, as well as experts and market participants including underwriting, auditing and legal firms, credit rating agencies, listed companies and potential issuers.
The Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia, together with ACLEDA Securities Plc and Banjaran Asset Management (Cambodia) Plc, organised an “Intelligence Investment” training programme for professors and students at ACLEDA University of Business. The event, presided over by SERC Director General Sou Socheat and attended by about 150 participants, aimed to promote securities trading by raising awareness of Cambodia’s securities sector among a key human-resource pipeline for market development.
The Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia, together with the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia, held a workshop to promote awareness of joint rules for telecommunication operators conducting public offerings of securities. The event also highlighted a joint statement warning against the promotion of securities sector-related products and services without a licence or approval from the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia.
The Japan Financial Services Agency published materials from an online opinion exchange between disability organizations and financial institution-related groups on promoting disability-inclusive practices at financial institutions. The documents include the meeting summary, participants list, submissions from disability organizations, and materials from the Japan Bankers Association and Japan Association of Credit Unions, and the agency said it will continue encouraging measures to remove social barriers.
The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo reported on its participation in the 2026 IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, highlighting new reserve and asset management cooperation agreements with the World Bank Group Treasury and Banque de France and the transition of its World Bank Treasury partnership to an active portfolio management phase. Discussions with the IMF, World Bank, IFC, US Treasury and Clearstream covered macro-financial developments, financial stability, supervisory and crisis-management reforms, IT and cyber-risk supervision, financial inclusion, payments modernisation including Kosovo’s SEPA integration and the planned TIPS Clone fast payments platform, as well as support on AML/CFT, proliferation financing, capital market infrastructure, and securities custody and settlement.
The Central Bank of Luxembourg published results from the fifth wave of the 2023 Luxembourg Household Finance and Consumption Survey, based on a weighted sample of 3,699 resident households, showing that real assets accounted for 81% of total household assets and financial assets 19%. Half of households were indebted, predominantly via mortgages, with average debt falling to EUR 150,000, while median net wealth declined to EUR 676,000 and wealth inequality remained broadly unchanged, with the top 5% holding about one-third of total net wealth.
Mexico’s National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users of Financial Services handled 1,521 complaints in Coahuila in the first quarter of 2026, up 14.4% year-on-year and representing 2.1% of national complaints, with MXN 12.5 million recovered for users and a 40.1% user-favourable outcome rate. Multiple banking generated 61.0% of complaints, mainly unrecognised purchases and electronic transfers, with credit cards, debit cards and personal loans accounting for 79.5% of product-linked complaints and 29.8% of all complaints linked to possible fraud.
The Angola Insurance Authority has published its 2025 national and sectoral risk assessment report covering money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing. The report sets out the authority’s assessment of related risks across the Angolan insurance sector.
The Bank of Japan published results from its 105th survey of public views, showing improved perceptions of current economic conditions and household circumstances compared with late 2025, although respondents continued to report widespread price increases and expect further rises over the next year. The diffusion index for current economic conditions rose to -45.5 and the one-year outlook to -18.5, while 95.0% reported prices had risen versus a year earlier and 83.7% expected further increases.
Ireland’s Department of Finance reported on progress at a Home Building Finance Ireland-funded mixed-tenure residential development in Drogheda, which has delivered 425 homes to date, with 76 under construction and a further 162 in the pipeline. The update also noted HBFI’s broader activity since 2019, with over EUR 3.3 billion in approved funding to support nearly 17,000 homes across 233 developments nationwide, over 40% of which are social and affordable, and an additional EUR 200 million in funding secured for 2026.
The Italian Securities Commission (Consob) published its 2025 report on sustainability reporting by Italian listed companies, calling 2025 a transition year and the first under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and mandatory European Sustainability Reporting Standards. The report notes broad uptake of the new reports, more structured ESG governance and remuneration practices among companies expected to remain in scope from 2027, and widespread stakeholder and board involvement in double materiality assessments, although climate transition plans remain limited. An annex covering 2018–2024 shows rising stakeholder and board engagement, more sustainability committees and greater integration of ESG objectives into executive pay.
The Japan Financial Services Agency has published a report and datasets prepared by the QUICK Asset Management Research Institute on key performance indicators for domestic asset management companies and issues related to domestic public investment trusts. The materials provide end-2025 data on fund performance, fees, expenses and 10-year averages by fund type and management company, including comparative reference data for 2025 versus 2020 for active and index products.
The Board of Directors of the Bank of Canada has appointed Marc-André Gosselin and Nicolas Vincent as Deputy Governors, effective 25 May and 3 August 2026. Gosselin will join the Governing Council to oversee analysis of domestic economic developments, while Vincent will become a full-time Deputy Governor responsible for international economic analysis and serving as the Bank’s G7 and G20 Deputy. The Bank will launch a recruitment process to fill the resulting vacancy for an external Deputy Governor.
Peru's Superintendency of Banking, Insurance and Private Pension Fund Administrators has begun deposit repayments to customers of Caja Rural de Ahorro y Crédito Del Centro under the Deposit Insurance Fund following its liquidation. The first payout, via Caja Municipal de Ahorro y Crédito Arequipa branches, covers natural persons’ savings and term deposits, with foreign-currency deposits paid in PEN at an exchange rate of PEN 3.3740 and insured coverage capped at PEN 117,200 per depositor.
The National Reserve Bank of Tonga has published a draft National Credit Register Bill 2026 to establish a national credit register within the central bank, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank. The bill would make membership mandatory for all licensed lenders, define the credit data to be collected, and assign operational responsibility to the central bank under its Board’s oversight. It also introduces borrower consent requirements, confidentiality and consumer protection measures, and enforcement powers for non-compliance.
The Dominican Republic’s Pensions Superintendency (SIPEN) outlined measures to ease access to pension assets, including simplified procedures for survivors, a single notarised heirship certificate for all Pension Fund Administrators, and removal of inheritance tax on pension disbursements, with over DOP 11,000 million already paid to heirs. SIPEN also highlighted pension literacy initiatives and work with the Association of Multiple Banks to incorporate social security contribution histories into credit scoring, and reiterated three legal options at age 60 for late entrants who will not reach 360 contributions: programmed withdrawals, annuities where savings exceed 1.5 times the minimum pension, or partial or full withdrawals.
The Pensions Superintendency (SIPEN) outlined its strategy to strengthen the Dominican Pension System through pension education initiatives, regulatory enhancements and expanded citizen service channels, including the “Know Your Future” programme and the “Tu Futuro” service centre with the R.I.T.A. chatbot. SIPEN reported 259,253 late-entry refunds totalling DOP 59,573 million, DOP 9,545 million paid to legal heirs and DOP 766 million in terminal-illness refunds, as well as survivor, disability, old-age and severance pensions. It also highlighted Complementary Pension Plans allowing tax-free voluntary contributions with options for early use for housing, education or medical emergencies.
Bank of Greece Deputy Governor Christina Papaconstantinou participated in the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, including International Monetary and Financial Committee proceedings on global economic prospects amid Middle East-related uncertainty. She also joined a Sveriges Riksbank roundtable on geopolitical instability, attended a side event on supervisory culture, and met central bank, supervisory and IMF representatives on international developments, cooperation, Greek economic resilience and the 2025 FSAP mission to Greece.
The Moroccan Capital Markets Authority published its March 2026 disclosure of transactions by listed companies under share buyback programmes, including trades executed via liquidity contracts, in line with Decree No. 2-02-556. The disclosure details, for each programme, the authorised volume as a percentage of share capital, the cap of up to 20% for execution via liquidity contracts, price limits, and monthly purchases and sales, with examples including two ongoing programmes by Maroc Telecom.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has opened the 2026 virtual spring session of its International Fellows Program, with record participation of more than 200 insurance regulators from 42 jurisdictions. The intensive course is designed to deepen foreign regulators’ understanding of the United States state-based insurance regulatory system and the association’s role in supporting state regulators through engagement with its technical experts.
The Ontario Securities Commission, Québec’s Autorité des marchés financiers and France’s Autorité des marchés financiers have agreed a new collaborative procedure to support initial cross-listings of securities on Canadian and French exchanges by prospectus. The arrangement facilitates regulator-to-regulator dialogue and information sharing during prospectus reviews, while requiring full compliance with each country’s regulatory and exchange requirements and providing no regulatory relief.
The Bank for International Settlements’ Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures has published a staff brief on practical considerations for migrating payment messaging to ISO 20022, highlighting how harmonised implementation can reduce cross-border payment frictions through structured data, reduced message truncation and improved processing, compliance and fraud controls. The brief outlines a three-stage migration process, compares big bang and phased approaches with examples from several jurisdictions, and situates these lessons within the G20 cross-border payments programme and the Committee’s 12 ISO 20022 harmonisation requirements.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission jointly proposed amendments to Form PF to reduce private fund reporting burdens while preserving data needed for systemic-risk monitoring and investor protection. The proposal would raise the Form PF filing threshold from USD 150 million to USD 1 billion and the “large” hedge fund adviser threshold from USD 1.5 billion to USD 10 billion, simplify or eliminate multiple reporting items, introduce a mechanism to identify funds active in private credit, and require SEC review of Form PF thresholds about every five years.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposed amendments to Form PF to remove certain private fund adviser filing and reporting obligations and streamline others, refocusing the form on its systemic risk purpose. The proposal would raise filing thresholds for private fund advisers and large hedge fund advisers and reduce some data elements introduced by the 2024 amendments, with the Commissions seeking feedback on further threshold updates, periodic adjustments, additional reductions including possible removal of questions 42 and 43, and the balance between systemic risk monitoring and reporting costs.