Compliance & Ethics

The HKMA has issued a public alert regarding fraudulent websites, phishing emails, and spoofed internet banking login screens impersonating five Hong Kong banks: Bank of East Asia, Shanghai Commercial Bank, Chong Hing Bank, Chiyu Banking Corporation, and Ele Bank. Compliance teams should note this as part of an ongoing pattern of scam activity targeting the banking sector and ensure customer communication and fraud response protocols remain current.

The HKMA's September 1, 2026 Exchange Fund Bills tender results show average accepted yields of 2.84% and 2.96% for the 91-day and 182-day papers respectively, with demand significantly outstripping supply, particularly for the shorter tenor. Compliance and treasury teams at licensed institutions should note the tightening pro rata allotment ratios, which signal strong market demand for short-term HKD liquidity instruments and may affect balance sheet and liquidity management strategies.

The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet) has appointed Rune Fuglsang Smet as Head of the Credit Risk Office, effective September 1, 2026. This is a routine leadership appointment with limited direct regulatory impact, though it signals continuity in the regulator's supervisory approach to credit risk at banks and mortgage credit institutions.

The European Central Bank has released its routine consolidated financial statement of the Eurosystem for the reporting period ending 28 August 2026. This is a standard disclosure reflecting the weekly financial position of the Eurosystem and does not introduce new regulatory requirements for financial institutions.

The CFTC has recorded certification of a new Designated Contract Market (DCM) product from FEX, a binary option-style event contract tied to copper futures price forecasts. This filing is relevant to compliance teams at firms trading, clearing, or offering access to CFTC-regulated derivatives, as it expands the universe of certified products subject to CFTC oversight.

MAS has published a consultation paper proposing amendments to the Payment Services Act 2019 to formalize its Single-Currency Stablecoin (MAS-SCS) framework, covering licensing, value stability, capital, redemption, and disclosure requirements. Compliance teams at financial institutions engaging with stablecoins, digital payment tokens, or tokenized asset markets in Singapore should review the proposals closely, as they will determine who can market stablecoins as "MAS-regulated" and set new safeguards for issuers and intermediaries. Comments are due by October 16, 2026.

EIOPA has published its technical advice to the European Commission on harmonizing minimum standards for insurance guarantee schemes (IGS) across the EU. The advice aims to strike a balance between targeted harmonization of policyholder protection mechanisms and preserving national flexibility, which will shape future EU legislative proposals affecting insurers' contingency planning and cross-border risk management.