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2026-04-08•United States•New York State Department of Financial Services
The New York State Department of Financial Services has partnered with the New York State Police to run a specialized training symposium to strengthen statewide capabilities to detect, investigate, and prosecute financial crimes, including auto insurance fraud. The programme will train 250 law enforcement personnel on statutes, case studies, and investigative techniques, and will be permanently incorporated into the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation curriculum following the initial session.
Institutional developmentCooperation & capacity buildingFraud and scams
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2026-04-08•Palestine•Palestine Monetary Authority
The Palestine Monetary Authority and the Capital Market Authority, through the National Financial Inclusion Committee, approved the 2026–2028 action plan for the National Financial Inclusion Strategy, focused on small enterprises, marginalized groups, financial technology, digital infrastructure, and the legislative and consumer protection framework. The committee will propose adding the Ministry of Labor to strengthen coordination, while ongoing initiatives include digital financial infrastructure and e-payments linked to the Reduction Use of Cash Law, incentives for electronic payment of insurance premiums, and development of agricultural insurance and microinsurance.
Policy & regulationReform agendas & prioritiesFinancial inclusion
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2026-04-08•Canada•Ontario Securities Commission
The Ontario Securities Commission will host OSC Dialogue 2026: Competitive edge, a full-day Toronto event bringing together policy and regulatory experts to discuss how Canada’s capital markets can remain resilient, competitive and adaptive. The programme features remarks from Ontario’s Representative in Washington, DC, a keynote from the Secretary General of IOSCO, and sessions on digital asset regulation, capital formation and competitiveness, next-generation investors’ impact on market structure, and cross-border approaches to financial crime risks.
Policy & regulationCooperationAML and CFTMarket development
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2026-04-08•Canada•Ontario Securities Commission
The Ontario Securities Commission has opened applications for its new Capital Markets Advisory Committee, a pilot senior-level forum to provide strategic insight on trends in Ontario’s capital markets and consolidate advisory input. The committee will advise on proposed rules, guidance, regulatory initiatives and strategic priorities, with membership from a broad range of participants and a focus on diversity. During the 12‑month pilot, several existing advisory committees will be paused, while the Securities Advisory Committee and Registrant Advisory Committee will continue.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsHiring and recruitment
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2026-04-08•Chile•Chile Financial Market Commission
The Chile Financial Market Commission has launched a nationwide financial education campaign to promote more secure digital authentication methods and reduce fraud amid increasingly sophisticated financial crime. The initiative, which began in the Ñuble Region with targeted talks for senior citizens and students, includes training Commercial Engineering students from the University of Concepción to help disseminate practical fraud-prevention guidance across several municipalities.
Financial literacy & educationFinancial literacy and education
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2026-04-08•United States•U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed David Woodcock as Director of the Division of Enforcement, effective 4 May 2026, with Sam Waldon continuing as Acting Director until then. Chairman Paul S. Atkins framed the leadership change within a continued enforcement focus on cases that deliver meaningful investor protection and strengthen market integrity.
Institutional developmentLeadership change & appointmentsLeadership change and appointments
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2026-04-08•Canada•Canadian Bankers Association
The Canadian Bankers Association argues that consumer protection rules for payments should be aligned across banks and newer payment service providers so that similar services are subject to comparable conduct standards. It welcomes the Retail Payment Activities Act as a modernization step focused on oversight and safeguarding, but highlights gaps in areas such as disclosures, complaint handling and error resolution compared with the Financial Consumer Protection Framework under the Bank Act.
Policy & regulationReform agendas & prioritiesPayments and payment systems
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2026-04-08•Estonia•Central Bank of Estonia
Economists at the Central Bank of Estonia reported no strong improvement in Estonia’s labour market in 2025, with the prolonged recession and firms’ labour reserves weighing on hiring and the war between the United States and Iran flagged as a key risk via energy prices and corporate sentiment. Employment was broadly flat as public sector hiring in healthcare and social care offset a 0.6% decline in private sector employees, unemployment averaged 7.5% with youth joblessness at 20.7%, and wage growth slowed to 5.6% from 8.1%, though public sector wages are expected to accelerate in 2026.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•United States•Federal Reserve Board
The Federal Reserve Board published a FEDS Notes article on 2025 stablecoin developments, highlighting rapid market growth, deeper links with decentralised and traditional finance, and emerging financial stability risks. It flags increasingly complex intermediation chains, vertical integration and accelerating retail adoption via digital wallet and payments partnerships as new vulnerabilities, including greater contagion and operational risk. It contrasts reserve practices at major issuers, associating safer, more liquid reserves with stronger adoption, and clarifies the analysis reflects staff views, not official policy.
ResearchStablecoins
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2026-04-08•United States•Federal Reserve Board
The Federal Reserve Board published a FEDS Note analyzing India’s expanding role in the global economy, contrasting its services-led growth with the manufacturing export-led paths of earlier high-growth Asian economies. It highlights demographic strengths alongside constraints such as low female labor force participation, trade barriers, a difficult business environment and weak inward foreign direct investment, while noting recent gains in smartphone exports and policy support for electronics and semiconductors. It also underscores the limits of a services-led model for absorbing largely unskilled labor and the potential impact of generative artificial intelligence.
Research
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2026-04-08•Cyprus•Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission
The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission issued an investor warning that the websites obsidian-group.org, ext-ltd.com and harindale.trade are not authorised to provide investment services or perform investment activities under Article 5 of Law 87(I)/2017. The authority urged investors to verify firms’ licensing status on its website before engaging in investment services or activities.
SupervisionAlertsUnlicensed or unauthorized activity
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2026-04-08•United Arab Emirates•Central Bank of the UAE
The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates and the Central Bank of Bahrain have established a bilateral currency swap agreement between the UAE dirham and the Bahraini dinar with a nominal value of AED 20 billion (BHD 2 billion) and a five-year tenor. The swap is intended to deepen financial and monetary cooperation, support trade and investment, promote the use of local currencies, and contribute to financial stability and regional financial integration.
Monetary policyMonetary policy instruments & operationsCross-border cooperation
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2026-04-08•Portugal•Portuguese Insurance Regulator (ASF)
The Portuguese Insurance Regulator (ASF) has issued Circular No. 3/2026 updating multiple reporting templates and instructions (ContasES, Contas SGFP, FResponsabilidades, the Look-through file and AtivosFP) to reflect new EIOPA regular information requests for occupational pension schemes, changes to Portugal’s pension funds regime and the NACE 2.1 classification. Key changes include a new “Sales and services rendered” worksheet for ContasES and Contas SGFP, revised FResponsabilidades and Look-through reporting from end-2025, and an additional NACE 2.1 issuer sector field in AtivosFP from Q1 2026.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsRegulatory reporting
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2026-04-08•Azerbaijan•Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan
The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan has restored the licences of 12 individual insurance agents after the circumstances leading to their suspension were resolved, in accordance with Article 111.1 of the Law on Insurance Activity. The notice lists each agent together with licence issue date, licence number and taxpayer identification number.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsLicence withdrawal
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2026-04-08•United States•Council of Economic Advisers
The U.S. Council of Economic Advisers published a model-based assessment finding that a binding prohibition on stablecoin yield, as contemplated in the GENIUS Act and some CLARITY Act variants, would have negligible impact on bank lending under an ample-reserves framework while imposing net welfare costs by removing competitive returns for stablecoin holders. Eliminating stablecoin yield raises bank lending by USD 2.1 billion (0.02% of total loans) but generates a net welfare cost of USD 800 million, with large banks capturing 76% of the additional lending and community banks about USD 500 million. The paper notes issuer-focused yield bans may not fully bind where intermediaries offer rewards funded by issuer revenue-sharing, and that even under stacked “worst-case” assumptions the largest lending effect is USD 531 billion (4.4% of projected 2025Q4 bank loans).
ResearchStablecoins
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2026-04-08•Global•International Monetary Fund
The heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group and World Food Programme warned that the Middle East war has caused one of the largest disruptions to global energy markets in modern history, with higher oil, gas and fertilizer prices and transport bottlenecks expected to raise food prices and worsen food insecurity. They cautioned that low-income, import-dependent economies with high debt burdens will be hardest hit and said the institutions will monitor developments, coordinate tools and provide support within their mandates to protect vulnerable populations and support recovery.
OtherEconomic data and developmentsFinancial stability and systemic risk
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2026-04-08•India•Securities & Exchange Board of India
The Securities and Exchange Board of India issued a circular amending the SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2018, allowing specified securities that cannot be formally locked in to be recorded by depositories as “non-transferable” for the lock-in period. Depositories have introduced an issuer-facing framework, updated systems and processes, and SEBI has directed stock exchanges, depositories, merchant bankers and issuers to ensure compliance with the new lock-in mechanism.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCorporate governance
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2026-04-08•South Africa•South African Reserve Bank
The South African Reserve Bank’s Financial Surveillance Department has amended the Currency and Exchanges Manual for Authorised Dealers to double the single discretionary allowance for South African residents aged 18 and over to ZAR 2 million per calendar year and the travel allowance for residents under 18 to ZAR 400,000. The amendments update the definition and use of the single discretionary allowance, including for travel-related transactions, offshore share incentive and rights-related transactions, and transfers of domestic listed securities abroad up to ZAR 2 million without a TCS PIN letter where a Financial Surveillance Department confirmation letter is viewed. Current transfers above ZAR 2 million require Financial Surveillance Department verification.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCross-border payments
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2026-04-08•Philippines•Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission
The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission ordered Melot’s Catering Services and associated persons to stop offering unregistered investments promising 10% monthly interest. The order also halts the scheme’s online presence and restricts transactions and asset transfers to preserve funds for investors.
EnforcementInvestigations & enforcement actionsUnlicensed or unauthorized activitySecurities offerings and listingsFraud and scams
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s Nepal Development Update projects Nepal’s growth to slow to 2.3% in fiscal 2026 from 4.6% in 2025, before recovering to an average of 4.4% in 2027–2028, with services most affected amid a highly uncertain outlook. The report highlights risks from a prolonged Middle East conflict and domestic unrest, and calls for improving the business environment, infrastructure, private finance mobilisation and support for tourism, IT and agribusiness. As a companion to the South Asia Economic Update, it situates Nepal in a region where growth is projected to ease to 6.3% in 2026 before rebounding to 6.9% in 2027, and urges more effective industrial policy and stronger regulatory predictability.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s South Asia Economic Update projects regional growth to slow to 6.3% in 2026 from 7% in 2025 amid global energy market disruptions, before recovering to 6.9% in 2027, and calls for policy reforms to sustain growth and jobs. The outlook is highly uncertain given reliance on imported energy and downside risks from Middle East conflict spillovers, global financial turbulence, climate shocks and potential artificial intelligence impacts on service exports, with growth still led by India’s robust domestic demand and recent trade agreements, including a free trade agreement with the EU. The report also highlights intensive, mixed-use industrial policy in South Asia and includes development updates for Bangladesh and Nepal.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s biannual Africa Economic Update warns Sub-Saharan Africa’s recovery is stalling, with 2026 growth cut by 0.3 points to 4.1% and inflation seen rising to 4.8%. It cites mounting risks from geopolitical tensions, high debt-service burdens and structural constraints, noting public investment is about 20% below 2014 levels and the external public debt service-to-revenue ratio will double to 18% in 2025. The report urges protecting vulnerable households while preserving macroeconomic stability and backing targeted industrial policy for more productive, diversified, private-sector-led growth and deeper regional integration.
ResearchEconomic data and developmentsGeopolitical risk
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s Bangladesh Development Update warns of slowing growth, persistent inflation, rising poverty and elevated financial-sector vulnerabilities, with growth projected at 3.9% and inflation at 8.5% in FY26. It cites a non-performing loan ratio of 30.6% in December 2025, bank capital adequacy below regulatory minimums, a tax-to-GDP ratio under 7% in FY25, and urges urgent macroeconomic, financial-sector, revenue and business-environment reforms. Released alongside the South Asia Economic Update, it says regional growth will slow to 6.3% in 2026 from 7% in 2025 before recovering to 6.9% in 2027, and that South Asia’s industrial policy has yielded mixed results.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•South Africa•South African Reserve Bank
The South African Reserve Bank has amended its Currency and Exchanges manuals for Authorised Dealers and those with limited authority, updating permissions, conditions and reporting expectations for foreign exchange transactions. The revisions reaffirm quantitative limits on discretionary, capital and travel allowances, tighten controls on import advance payments and merchanting settlement, and clarify card and cash provisions, including caps on small cross-border card payments, restrictions on funding international trading accounts and limits on exporting Rand notes.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsForeign exchange policy and markets
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2026-04-08•India•Securities & Exchange Board of India
The Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority held the sixth Niveshak Shivir in Bhubaneswar to facilitate recovery of unpaid dividends and unclaimed shares and reduce unclaimed investor assets. Conducted with market infrastructure institutions and registrar and transfer agents, the camp provided support on long-outstanding claims, know-your-customer and nomination updates, and direct interaction with officials. Similar events are proposed in other cities with significant unclaimed investor assets.
Financial literacy & educationConsumer and investor protection
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2026-04-08•United States•U.S. Department of the Treasury
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and Office of Foreign Assets Control have jointly proposed a rule to implement the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act for payment stablecoins. The proposal would classify permitted payment stablecoin issuers as financial institutions under the Bank Secrecy Act, subjecting them to anti-money laundering obligations and requiring a “fit for purpose” sanctions compliance program aligned with broader Bank Secrecy Act modernization efforts.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsStablecoinsAML and CFT
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2026-04-08•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has issued draft Directions for the Trade Receivables Discounting System to rationalise and harmonise existing guidance for platforms that facilitate financing of trade receivables of micro, small and medium enterprise sellers. The draft follows a comprehensive review announced in the Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsSME financing
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2026-04-08•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has issued draft amendments to its governance directions for banks, proposing to rationalise items requiring board consideration and to replace the existing theme-based framework for board engagement with principle-based guidance. The proposals follow a comprehensive review intended to help boards focus more effectively on strategy and risk governance and apply to commercial banks, small finance banks, payments banks and local area banks.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCorporate governance
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2026-04-08•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has issued draft Amendment Directions revising Investment Fluctuation Reserve (IFR) requirements under its investment portfolio framework and related prudential and disclosure norms. The proposals would remove IFR for banks that maintain a capital charge for market risk and follow revised investment portfolio norms, and otherwise shift IFR compliance from a continuous requirement to measurement at balance sheet dates, with harmonised instructions across commercial, small finance, payments, local area, urban and rural co-operative, and regional rural banks.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsPrudential risksAccounting and financial reporting
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2026-04-08•United Kingdom•HM Treasury
HM Treasury and the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a joint statement on the 12th U.S.–UK Financial Regulatory Working Group meeting, covering economic and financial stability, the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future, digital finance, innovation, and regulatory modernisation. They reported progress on the Taskforce after a joint industry roundtable, and exchanges on digital assets regulation (including supporting stablecoins for payments), the UK’s Digital Securities Sandbox, payments modernisation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and operational resilience, non-bank financial intermediation, domestic banking regulation, and UK capital markets reform, including a move to a T+1 settlement cycle in October 2027.
Policy & regulationCooperation
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2026-04-08•Serbia•National Bank of Serbia
The National Bank of Serbia published its weekly overview of global financial market developments for 30 March to 3 April 2026, highlighting elevated cross-asset volatility linked to shifting expectations around the Middle East conflict. The report notes a marginally stronger euro against the US dollar, lower core government bond yields in the United States and Germany, rising US and European equity indices, higher gold prices and lower Brent crude prices, alongside key US labour and euro area inflation data. It also observes steadier conditions in selected developing markets, including broadly stable or stronger Central and Eastern European currencies and easing local-currency bond yields, and records Romania’s EUR 1.2bn foreign exchange reserves sale in March to support the leu.
Data & statisticsFinancial and market indicatorsForeign exchange policy and markets
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2026-04-08•Jersey•Financial Services Unit (Jersey)
The Financial Services Unit (Jersey) has announced a second annual allocation of GBP 1.5 million from the Jersey Reclaim Fund to support local charitable and voluntary organisations, with grants distributed via the Jersey Community Foundation. The allocation forms part of a three-year package of at least GBP 4.5 million for 2025–2027, funded from dormant bank accounts where customer contact has been lost for more than 15 years.
Other
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2026-04-08•Isle of Man•Isle of Man Financial Services Authority
The Isle of Man Financial Services Authority issued its April 2026 stakeholder bulletin outlining priorities and regulatory and financial crime prevention updates, including progress on legislative changes and support for firms ahead of the MONEYVAL mutual evaluation. The bulletin covers a revised bill following consultation, plans to modernise the pensions framework, a revised fee structure, minor AML/CFT Handbook updates, updated AML/CFT country lists, Travel Rule changes, and forthcoming questionnaires.
Policy & regulationReform agendas & prioritiesOther
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2026-04-08•Georgia•National Bank of Georgia
The National Bank of Georgia reported an official visit by its delegation to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan under their memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation and information exchange, particularly on financial stability and sustainable finance. Representatives from the Financial Stability Department shared expertise on macroprudential policy, financial stability analysis, financial sector stress testing and the sustainable finance framework.
Policy & regulationCooperationCross-border cooperationFinancial stability and systemic risk
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2026-04-08•Netherlands•De Nederlandsche Bank
De Nederlandsche Bank statistics show a shift in the Dutch securitisation market from predominantly residential mortgage-backed securities to a broader mix of loans, with non-mortgage loans rising from 12% to 29% and volumes nearly doubling to EUR 8.5 billion between 2020 and 2025. Growth was mainly driven by non-banking entities, while mortgage securitisations declined amid stricter regulation and alternative funding. Overall outstanding securitisations sold to investors fell from EUR 38.0 billion in 2020 to EUR 29.6 billion in 2025 but rose 14% between end-2023 and end-2025.
Data & statisticsFinancial and market indicatorsSupervisory data
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2026-04-08•Iceland•Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (Iceland)
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs reported that Iceland’s Financial Stability Council held its first 2026 meeting to review financial system conditions, key risk factors and the broader economic outlook. The Council discussed real estate and housing market developments, preparations to shorten the securities settlement cycle to T+1, deposit insurance legislation, offline card payment capabilities to enhance payment resilience, and recent work by the resolution authority.
SupervisionRisk monitoring & watch pointsOperational risk and resilience
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2026-04-08•Malta•Malta Financial Services Authority
The Malta Financial Services Authority has launched a public-private partnership to enhance national coordination in detecting, preventing and disrupting financial fraud, initially focusing on consumer retail payment fraud. The partnership brings together key public authorities and selected private sector institutions to enable systematic information sharing, guidance, policy development and targeted supervisory efforts, subject to confidentiality and data protection safeguards.
Policy & regulationCooperationFraud and scams
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2026-04-08•Denmark•Danish Finanstilsynet
The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority issued a sector update on its dialogue with major credit institutions on geopolitical credit risks, concluding that geopolitical turbulence is now a structural driver of credit risk requiring enhanced monitoring, scenario analysis, stress testing and greater management judgement in loan loss allowances. Supervisory discussions focused on exposures to export-reliant sectors, global supply chains and energy- and commodity-dependent firms, highlighting disruptions after the United States and Israel’s 28 February 2026 attacks on Iran and the risk that a prolonged conflict could tighten credit conditions. Larger institutions have expanded quantitative risk analyses but face data gaps on indirect value chain exposures, while smaller institutions rely more on qualitative assessments and customer dialogue, with some clients already experiencing material losses or elevated loss risk, including certain renewable energy producers.
SupervisionRisk monitoring & watch pointsGeopolitical risk
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2026-04-08•Sweden•Finansinspektionen
Sweden's Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen, FI) has appointed industry participants to a reference group for its first Innovation Compass guidance project on the reliability of automated and AI-based methods for ESG data. Through workshops, the project will identify practical questions and challenges in using such data for external sustainability reporting and for assessing and managing sustainability risks, with participants including Climate Tracker Initiative, Metria AB, SEB, Handelsbanken, SBAB Bank, Norion Bank and Länsförsäkringar AB.
SupervisionInnovation & testingArtificial intelligenceESG
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2026-04-08•Pakistan•State Bank of Pakistan
The State Bank of Pakistan reported workers’ remittances of USD 3.8 billion in March 2026, up 16.5% month on month but down 5.5% year on year. Cumulative remittances for July to March FY26 increased 8.2% to USD 30.3 billion, with March inflows mainly from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Data & statisticsBalance of payments and other external statistics
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2026-04-08•Peru•Superintendencia de Banca, Seguros y AFP del Peru
The Superintendency of Banking, Insurance and Private Pension Funds of Peru has updated the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework for legal entities operating casino games and slot machines supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. Resolution SBS No. 01015-2026 clarifies the scope and core components of AML/CFT prevention systems and extends the infringements and sanctions regime to entities offering remote games and sports betting, enhancing the Ministry’s sanctioning powers and aligning the regime with Financial Action Task Force standards.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsAML and CFT
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2026-04-08•Seychelles•Seychelles Financial Services Authority
The Seychelles Financial Services Authority has announced that the accreditation of Mr. Paris Evros Stylianides (SDR247) as a Securities Dealer’s Representative of BLUEPINE LTD has been terminated, effective 3 September 2025. The notice, issued under Section 4(1)(m) of the Financial Services Authority Act, 2013, is for informational and public awareness purposes only and does not constitute an enforcement action or adverse determination.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsLicence withdrawal
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s latest Latin America and the Caribbean Economic Update projects regional growth of 2.4% in 2025, 2.1% in 2026 and 2.4% in 2027, amid high borrowing costs, weak external demand and geopolitical uncertainty. The report says modest consumer spending, subdued investment, elevated public debt and higher energy prices are constraining growth and fiscal space, and identifies four priorities to raise productivity: closing skills gaps, expanding access to finance, strengthening insolvency frameworks, deepening trade integration, and building institutional capacity.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia Economic Update forecasts growth in developing economies to slow to 2.1% in 2026, reflecting the Middle East conflict, broader geopolitical tensions, higher energy costs and trade fragmentation. It projects Russia’s growth at 0.8%, Central Asia at 4.9%, Central Europe at about 2.4%, the Western Balkans at 3.1%, and Ukraine at 1.2%, and flags an escalation of the Middle East conflict as a key downside risk via energy and food price shocks. The report also notes growing reliance on industrial policies, mostly targeting agriculture and food, and recommends more narrowly targeted, temporary interventions that support dynamic private firms, competition and structural reforms.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s Economic Update for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan warns the latest Middle East conflict is weakening the region’s 2026 growth outlook by disrupting markets, increasing financial volatility and damaging infrastructure. Excluding Iran, regional growth is now projected to slow from 4.0% in 2025 to 1.8% in 2026, with the downgrade concentrated in Gulf Cooperation Council economies and Iraq, where GCC growth is expected to fall from 4.4% to 1.3%. The update also highlights downside risks from a prolonged conflict and reviews the region’s mixed industrial policy efforts, often implemented through sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific Economic Update projects regional growth to slow to 4.2% in 2026 from 5.0% in 2025, driven by an energy shock linked to the Middle East conflict, elevated trade barriers, global policy uncertainty, and domestic challenges. China’s growth is forecast at 4.2% in 2026 and 4.3% in 2027, while the rest of the region is expected to grow 4.1% in 2026 and rebound to 5.0% in 2027. A sustained 50% fuel price increase could cut household incomes by 3% to 4%. The update highlights AI-related exports and investment as near-term support but notes limited adoption, and calls for targeted support to households and SMEs plus renewed structural reforms.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s biannual Africa Economic Update revises its 2026 Sub-Saharan Africa growth projection down by 0.3 percentage points from October 2025, while keeping growth at 4.1% for both 2025 and 2026, and warns that recovery from a decade of shocks is stalling amid rising downside risks. It cites conflict in the Middle East, high debt-service burdens, structural constraints, rising fuel, food and fertilizer prices, tighter financial conditions, and declining external financing, with inflation projected at 4.8% in 2026, public capital investment about 20% below 2014 levels, and external public debt service rising from 9% of revenue in 2017 to 18% in 2025. The report highlights industrial policy as a special focus, recommending it be used sparingly and anchored in learning, clear performance benchmarks, credible exit strategies, and stronger regional integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank Group’s South Asia Economic Update projects regional growth to slow to 6.3% in 2026 from 7% in 2025 due to global energy market disruptions, before recovering to 6.9% in 2027, with India’s domestic demand and trade agreements as the main driver. The report highlights risks from imported energy dependence, global financial turbulence, climate shocks, and AI’s impact on service exports. It finds South Asia uses industrial policy at roughly twice the rate of other emerging economies, with mixed results, and recommends more targeted measures in urban development, tourism, and digital services, backed by a better business environment and stronger state capacity.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s Bangladesh Development Update projects growth slowing to 3.9% in FY26 and warns that persistent inflation, rising poverty, weak revenue mobilization, subdued private investment, and banking-sector stress are undermining resilience to external shocks. It cites elevated vulnerabilities, including a 30.6% non-performing loan ratio in December 2025, capital adequacy below regulatory minimums, and a tax-to-GDP ratio under 7% in FY25, and urges reforms to restore macroeconomic stability, strengthen the financial sector, boost revenues, and improve the business environment.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•World Bank
The World Bank’s Nepal Development Update projects growth to slow to 2.3% in FY26 from 4.6% in FY25, then average 4.4% in FY27–FY28, driven by reconstruction, hydropower expansion and election-related consumption. It flags heightened uncertainty, with downside risks from a prolonged Middle East conflict affecting tourism and remittances, and upside risks from improved political stability, macroeconomic management and structural reforms. Regionally, the World Bank Group’s South Asia Economic Update forecasts South Asia growth easing to 6.3% in 2026 from 7% in 2025, then rising to 6.9% in 2027.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Singapore•Monetary Authority of Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore told Parliament it is reviewing safeguards for GIRO billing, working with the Association of Banks in Singapore and member banks to strengthen protections against errors and misuse. The review will consider allowing customers to set monthly limits on the value and number of GIRO deductions for individual arrangements, and enhancing transaction monitoring and due diligence on billing organisations, taking into account suggestions from Members of Parliament and the public.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretationKYC
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2026-04-08•Singapore•Monetary Authority of Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore, in a parliamentary reply on the 19 March 2026 DBS and POSB digital banking disruption, outlined its supervisory expectations on system resilience and confirmed that investigations identified the root cause. MAS reiterated that banks must limit unscheduled downtime for critical systems to four hours over any rolling 12-month period and restore services swiftly and safely, and will follow up with DBS Bank to strengthen its change management process after an erroneous step during a system change caused the outage.
SupervisionInterventionsOperational risk and resilience
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2026-04-08•Singapore•Monetary Authority of Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore outlined safeguards, including interest rate floors in Total Debt Servicing Ratio calculations and Housing & Development Board loan affordability assessments, to pre-empt over-borrowing for property purchases and bolster resilience to rising interest rates. The Housing & Development Board offers concessionary loans to eligible buyers and pegs its mortgage rate to the Central Provident Fund Ordinary Account rate, while the authority said domestic interest rates remain stable but urged borrower prudence amid global uncertainty.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretationLendingMacroprudential policy and tools
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2026-04-08•China•China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission issued its 2026 notice on financial support for rural revitalisation, directing banks and insurers to expand and better target agriculture- and rural-related credit and insurance while tightening controls on misuse. Priorities include more finance for key agricultural sectors, continued standalone agriculture credit plans at major banks, and stronger insurance coverage for staple crops and distinctive local products. The notice also calls for improved rural financial infrastructure and stricter monitoring to prevent credit diversion, hidden local government debt, fraud, and illegal fundraising.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretation
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2026-04-08•India•Reserve Bank of India
India’s Monetary Policy Committee left the policy repo at 5.25 %, the Standing Deposit Facility at 5.00 % and the Marginal Standing Facility/Bank Rate at 5.50 %, retaining a neutral stance after last year’s 75 bp of cuts. The MPC cited February’s 3.2 % CPI print but warned of energy and food price pressures and pledged continued vigilance.
Monetary policyPolicy rate decisionsMonetary policy decisions and developments
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2026-04-08•Brazil•Central Bank of Brazil
The Central Bank of Brazil’s 2025 Ombudsman Report notes reduced demand, high digital uptake and strong service and transparency indicators, including a 2.5‑day average response time versus a 30‑day legal deadline. It highlights leading performance on Access to Information Law requests and operational changes driven by citizen feedback, such as enhancements to Pix’s Special Return Mechanism, the BC PROTEGE+ blocking system and Registrato accessibility, plus publication of 4,107 datasets on the Brazilian Open Data Portal. The Bank also revised its Transparency Policy, issued its 2025–2027 Open Data Plan and conducted its 2025 Active Transparency Survey.
Institutional developmentGovernanceOperational excellence
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2026-04-08•Bermuda•Ministry of Finance (Bermuda)
The Ministry of Finance of Bermuda has issued a public warning about a rise in fake, artificial intelligence-generated social media accounts and posts impersonating local public figures and organisations to mislead and potentially defraud individuals. The Government highlighted an increase in fake videos using the likeness of Premier David Burt and other officials, and reiterated that no government official will use social media to promote an investment.
SupervisionAlertsFraud and scams
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2026-04-08•United States•Federal Reserve Board
The Federal Reserve Board proposed allowing U.S. banks and credit unions to use intermediaries to transfer funds through the FedNow Service, expanding the current two-bank model. The Board said this added flexibility would support new private-sector use cases, including enabling U.S. banks to use FedNow to transact with correspondent banks for the international portion of cross-border payments.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCross-border payments
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2026-04-08•New Zealand•Reserve Bank of New Zealand
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s Monetary Policy Committee left the Official Cash Rate unchanged at 2.25 percent, judging conflict-driven oil price increases will push inflation above target (to 3.0 percent in 2026 Q1 and 4.2 percent in Q2) while restraining a fragile recovery. It signalled readiness to tighten “decisively and timely” should core inflation, wage growth or expectations endanger the 2 percent midpoint, but would normalise more gradually if the shock proves transitory.
Monetary policyPolicy rate decisionsMonetary policy decisions and developments
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2026-04-08•Global•ISDA
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association announced that Natixis CIB has adopted ISDA’s Digital Regulatory Reporting solution, which uses the Common Domain Model to translate a single interpretation of reporting rules into machine-executable code to improve efficiency and accuracy. ISDA noted that the solution has been applied to eight sets of reporting rules globally, with plans to support 14 core regulatory reporting regimes across nine jurisdictions, and that London Stock Exchange Group recently integrated it into its TradeAgent platform.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsRegulatory reporting
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2026-04-08•Sweden•Riksbank
Sweden’s Riksbank published an Economic Commentary on how demographic shifts and slowing population growth could increase housing vacancies and lenders’ credit risk, particularly in smaller municipalities. Using collateral values for rental residential property as a proxy, it estimates that 3% (SEK 27 billion) to 10% (SEK 85 billion) of SEK 837 billion in total collateral is in municipalities with moderate or elevated risk, while most collateral remains in low-risk areas. The commentary concludes that current risks to the banking system are limited, though local imbalances could intensify and generate broader socio-economic costs.
ResearchMarket risk and volatility
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2026-04-08•Europe•European Central Bank
The European Central Bank published a working paper analysing why Swedish non-financial firms draw only a small fraction of their available bank credit lines, arguing that low utilisation reflects tight dynamic credit constraints rather than abundant slack, with financial uncertainty from liquidity shocks playing a larger role than real uncertainty from cash-flow shocks. Using monthly loan-level data from December 2019 to December 2022, the paper links utilisation to uncertainty proxies, including lower use in high cash-flow volatility industries and when remaining credit-line maturity is one year or less, with structural estimates indicating borrowing responds to inferred credit limits and that financial shocks account for most of the low utilisation.
ResearchLending
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2026-04-08•Tajikistan•National Bank of the Republic of Tajikistan
The National Bank of the Republic of Tajikistan published the results of a foreign exchange purchase auction held on 8 April 2026. Nine participants had requests satisfied in amounts between USD 1,000,000 and USD 10,000,000 at a weighted-average exchange rate of 9.5473 TJS per USD.
Monetary policyMonetary policy instruments & operationsOther
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2026-04-08•Spain•Bank of Spain
The Bank of Spain published updated Supervisory Statistics on Credit Institutions through Q4 2025, confirming that Spanish credit institutions remain in a favourable position across solvency, liquidity, profitability and asset quality. Common Equity Tier 1, Tier 1 and total capital ratios reached 13.94%, 15.48% and 18.10% respectively, the liquidity coverage ratio stood at 171.83%, the non-performing loan ratio declined to 2.62%, and annualised return on equity was 14.04%. Based on data received up to 5 March 2026, the statistics will continue to be released quarterly.
Data & statisticsActivity and performance reporting
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2026-04-08•United States•The White House
The White House released an executive summary modelling the impact of prohibiting interest or yield on stablecoins under the GENIUS Act, finding a yield ban would marginally increase bank lending but impose net welfare costs. Under the Council of Economic Advisers model, eliminating stablecoin yield raises bank lending by USD 2.1 billion (0.02%) at a net welfare cost of USD 800 million, with large banks capturing 76% of the additional lending and community banks 24%. Even under “worst-case” assumptions, substantial lending gains require a stablecoin market about six times its current size, reserves held in unlendable cash, and changes to the Federal Reserve’s monetary framework.
ResearchStablecoins
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2026-04-08•Indonesia•Ministry of Finance (Indonesia)
Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance outlined priorities for an adaptive, measurable fiscal strategy to safeguard the 2026 economic outlook amid geopolitical-driven volatility in commodity prices, exchange rates and energy subsidies. Deputy Finance Minister Juda Agung highlighted four revenue pillars: fair tax base expansion and new economic sources, risk- and data-based compliance supported by Coretax and cross-institution data integration, investment- and jobs-supportive revenue design, and upgraded human resources and coordination.
Policy & regulationReform agendas & prioritiesEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Comoros•Central Bank of Comoros
The Central Bank of Comoros and the Central Bank of Tunisia signed a cooperation agreement to formalize collaboration across key central banking functions. The arrangement covers monetary policy, financial stability, banking supervision, payment systems, financial inclusion and fintech, alongside training, expert exchanges and technical assistance.
Policy & regulationCooperationDomestic cooperation
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2026-04-08•Qatar•Qatar Financial Centre
The Qatar Financial Centre reported 57% year-on-year growth in Q1 2026, licensing over 800 new firms and citing strong economic and regulatory momentum. The update highlighted Fitch’s reaffirmation of Qatar’s ‘AA’ sovereign rating with a stable outlook and Doha’s 14-place rise in the Global Financial Centres Index 39 to rank third in MENA. QFC’s priorities include attracting wealth, developing financial services, supporting diversification, and maintaining uninterrupted services, backed by initiatives to build on Q1 results.
Institutional developmentOtherMarket development
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2026-04-08•Cyprus•Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission
The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission issued an investor warning that a number of named websites are not associated with any entity authorised to provide investment services or perform investment activities under Article 5 of Law 87(I)/2017. The authority urged investors to verify on its website whether a firm is licensed before engaging with it.
SupervisionAlertsUnlicensed or unauthorized activity
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2026-04-08•Cyprus•Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission
The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission announced that the investment compartment CYPE PRIVATE FUND of FIDESCORP VENTURES AIFLNP V.C.I.C. LTD has been dissolved and placed into voluntary liquidation following the total redemption of its units under the Alternative Investment Funds Law of 2018. The dissolution was notified to the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with article 63(8) and is referenced as occurring pursuant to article 132(1)(d) of the law.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsRecovery and resolution
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2026-04-08•Cyprus•Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission
The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission announced that the investment compartment M-RINGR1 of Monterock Investments AIF V.C.I.C. Plc (license number AIF47/2018) has been dissolved and placed into voluntary liquidation following the total redemption of its units, in line with Article 63(1)(d) of the Alternative Investment Funds Law 2018. The dissolution was notified to the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission by the external manager, Byron Capital Partners Ltd, pursuant to Article 52(6) of the law.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsLicence withdrawal
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2026-04-08•Vietnam•State Bank of Vietnam
The State Bank of Vietnam’s Party Committee has launched a training programme on information technology and digital transformation in Party work to modernise internal processes and strengthen data governance. The course focuses on standardising and digitising party-member data, enhancing digital document management, applying data analytics and artificial intelligence, and improving cybersecurity to support more coordinated and effective digital transformation across the central bank’s Party organisations.
Institutional developmentTechnology & data transformationFintech and insurtechArtificial intelligence
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2026-04-08•Vietnam•State Bank of Vietnam
Vietnam’s 16th National Assembly has approved the Prime Minister’s proposal to appoint Pham Duc An as Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam. His term will run for the 2026–2031 government period.
Institutional developmentLeadership change & appointmentsLeadership change and appointments
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2026-04-08•Norway•Norwegian Finanstilsynet
The Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority published a supervisory report on KPMG AS identifying shortcomings in the identification of fraud risk related to revenue. The report also found deficiencies in documentation of the audit of capitalised development costs for a public interest entity.
SupervisionReviews, inspections & stress testsAccounting and financial reportingSupervision process and methodologies
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2026-04-08•Norway•Norwegian Finanstilsynet
The Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority has published an on-site inspection report on Odal Sparebank, highlighting rising credit risk, especially in corporate lending, and material weaknesses in internal control, credit assessment practices, collateral management and risk limit monitoring. The supervisor identified deficiencies in debt-servicing capacity assessments, documentation, stress testing, forbearance practices and monitoring of larger and high-risk exposures. Odal Sparebank has begun updating its credit handbook and plans further enhancements to credit approval criteria, covenant use, reporting of syndicated loans and follow-up of vulnerable and forborne exposures.
SupervisionReviews, inspections & stress testsCredit riskAsset quality
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2026-04-08•Global•International Monetary Fund
The IMF staff mission resumed discussions with Malagasy authorities on the combined third and fourth reviews of Madagascar’s programmes under the Extended Credit Facility and Resilience and Sustainability Facility, with potential disbursements of SDR 134.4 million (about USD 183 million) subject to Executive Board approval. The mission highlighted weaker activity and eroded policy buffers from domestic and external shocks, underperformance in tax revenue despite a lower-than-expected 2025 fiscal deficit, and underscored priorities including tighter monetary policy, exchange rate flexibility, resumption of automatic fuel pricing with targeted social measures, and structural reforms to address state capture and corruption.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-08•Jordan•Jordan Securities Commission
The Jordan Securities Commission has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission to enhance cooperation on combating corruption and economic and financial crimes, and to strengthen national integrity, compliance and governance standards. The memorandum provides for information exchange, reporting of suspected corruption, mutual training, technical and technological cooperation, and joint studies to support the national integrity framework, while the Securities Commission also highlighted raising awareness of risks linked to virtual assets.
Policy & regulationCooperationDomestic cooperation
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2026-04-08•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has issued draft amendments to its capital adequacy frameworks, changing how banks may include current-year quarterly profits in Common Equity Tier 1 capital for calculating the Capital to Risk-weighted Assets Ratio. The proposal removes the condition that quarterly profit recognition is allowed only if incremental non-performing asset provisions in each quarter of the previous financial year did not deviate by more than 25 per cent from the four-quarter average, and updates capital adequacy directions for commercial, small finance and payments banks.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCapital adequacy
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2026-04-08•Middle East•Arab Monetary Fund
The Arab Monetary Fund inaugurated the fifteenth meeting of the Arab Regional Fintech Working Group, held virtually with Arab central banks, monetary authorities, finance ministries, capital market authorities, and international institutions. Participants are discussing regulatory frameworks for stablecoins and central bank digital currencies, the use of artificial intelligence in financial supervision, and the implications of emerging technologies such as quantum computing, data sovereignty, cloud governance, and financial infrastructure resilience to support aligned regulatory and supervisory frameworks across Arab countries.
Policy & regulationCooperationFintech and insurtechStablecoinsCBDCArtificial intelligence
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2026-04-08•Czech Republic•Ministry of Finance (Czech Republic)
The Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic published a conference speech outlining the government’s economic policy strategy for Cyprus under the theme “Economy in Transition: Strategies for Stability, Growth and Competitiveness,” structured around resilience, sustainable growth and social cohesion. The speech emphasised fiscal discipline, public-debt reduction, stronger financial-sector supervision, green and digital transition measures, and a EUR 200 million package to address spillovers from the conflict involving Iran. It cited 2025 growth of 3.8%, low inflation, full employment and public debt falling to around 50% of GDP, highlighted tax reform to support competitiveness and investment, and flagged 2026 priorities including water scarcity, public-administration reform, workforce skills and attracting “quality” foreign investment.
Policy & regulationReform agendas & prioritiesOther
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2026-04-08•South Korea•Bank of Korea
The Bank of Korea’s March 2026 Financial Market Trends report records a sharp rise in Korean Treasury and corporate bond yields and a steep fall in equity prices amid heightened volatility, driven by inflation concerns linked to higher global oil prices, shifting monetary policy expectations in major economies, and a stronger global risk-off backdrop. The KOSPI dropped to 5,052 from 6,244, with foreign investors recording a record monthly net sell-off of KRW 40.5 trillion, while bank lending and deposits increased. Funds under management at asset management companies fell by KRW 29.1 trillion, led by stock-type funds.
ResearchFinancial and market indicatorsMonetary data
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2026-04-08•Oman•Oman Financial Services Authority
The Oman Financial Services Authority, in collaboration with Idrak, hosted a dialogue on Sharia compliance in fintech platforms, addressing practical implementation and compliance issues. The session highlighted a coordinated regulatory approach with the Central Bank of Oman to develop the fintech ecosystem, including licensing six payment service providers for digital wallets and payment gateways, launching an open banking framework, and reviewing key Sharia principles and Islamic finance market metrics in Oman and globally.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretation
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2026-04-08•United Kingdom•Financial Conduct Authority
The Financial Conduct Authority has confirmed restrictions on Bazar Money Transfer Limited, preventing it from providing regulated payment services, through a Second Supervisory Notice. The authority concluded Bazar Money Transfer Limited no longer meets conditions for registration as a small payment institution and advised customers to use alternative authorised or registered payment services firms, noting the firm is not registered to carry on cryptoasset business and must not provide such services.
SupervisionInterventionsAML and CFTUnlicensed or unauthorized activity
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2026-04-08•Ukraine•Ukraine National Commission on Securities and Stock Market
The Ukraine National Commission on Securities and Stock Market held an inter-agency meeting with key government and market infrastructure bodies to discuss introducing distributed ledger technology in capital markets, including potential real-world asset tokenisation and DLT-based market infrastructure. Participants stressed that innovation must align with regulatory requirements and infrastructure readiness and agreed to continue technical work on a coordinated approach to DLT implementation.
Policy & regulationCooperation
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2026-04-08•Saudi Arabia•Saudi Arabia Capital Markets Authority
The Saudi Arabia Capital Market Authority approved Taiba Investments Company’s capital increase from SAR 2,604,574,830 to SAR 5,000,000,000 through the issuance of one bonus share for every 1.09 existing shares. The increase, funded by transfers from the statutory reserve and share premium, will raise the number of outstanding shares from 260,457,483 to 500,000,000, subject to approval by the company’s extraordinary general assembly and compliance with applicable regulations.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsLicence approval
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2026-04-08•Ireland•Central Bank of Ireland
The Central Bank of Ireland has amended its mortgage measures to exempt certain principal home bridging loans from the loan-to-income limit, while maintaining loan-to-value limits and all other framework elements. The exemption covers short-term facilities of up to 18 months used to purchase a new principal home before selling the existing one, subject to conditions including no capital repayment during the term and application of the relevant first-time buyer or second and subsequent buyer loan-to-value limit. The Central Bank will monitor the exemption as part of its regular mortgage measures review.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsLending
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2026-04-08•Ireland•Central Bank of Ireland
The Central Bank of Ireland issued a warning that Parus ICAV (Clone) is an unauthorised firm falsely presenting itself as an Irish collective asset-management vehicle and has been flagged as a scam cloning the identity of a legitimately authorised ICAV. The Central Bank stressed there is no connection between the authorised fund and the scam entity and noted the warning is published under section 53 of the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2013.
SupervisionAlertsUnlicensed or unauthorized activity
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2026-04-08•Ireland•Central Bank of Ireland
The Central Bank of Ireland’s annual Financial Conditions of Credit Unions report for the year ended 30 September 2025 highlights continued balance sheet growth, stable new lending, improving profitability, and strong reserves and liquidity. The sector recorded 5% asset growth to EUR 22.5bn, an 8% increase in gross loans to EUR 7.7bn, further diversification into house and business lending, and a higher return on assets of 1.05%, with arrears at 2.2%. The Registrar of Credit Unions announced targeted changes to the regulatory lending framework from 30 September 2025 to expand house and business lending, with expectations for phased, prudent adoption supported by enhanced skills and asset-liability management.
Data & statisticsLendingAsset quality
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2026-04-08•Solomon Islands•Central Bank of the Solomon Islands
The Central Bank of the Solomon Islands, in collaboration with Australia, has launched nationwide consultations on a unified QR code payment standard to improve interoperability and expand access to electronic payments. Supporting the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 3 and the Payment Systems Act 2022, the initiative aims to enable interoperable government, person-to-person and merchant payments across banks, mobile and e-money providers. The central bank is assessing the technical feasibility and market usability of the standard to inform potential implementation.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsPayments and payment systemsFinancial inclusion
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2026-04-08•Liechtenstein•Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority
The Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority has amended its information sheet “Information About Mandatory Provisions in Liechtenstein Law”. The updated document is relevant for insurance undertakings and insurance intermediaries.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretationOther
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2026-04-08•Denmark•National Bank of Denmark
The National Bank of Denmark published an analysis concluding that artificial intelligence is likely to support higher productivity in the Danish economy, but with highly uncertain magnitude and timing, so no separate AI contribution is included in its latest three-year forecast. The analysis notes rapid AI adoption, with 42 per cent of Danish companies using at least one AI technology in 2025, and estimates that 39–61 per cent of work tasks are exposed to AI. It finds AI could raise annual total factor productivity growth by around 0.1–1.0 percentage points over ten years, compared with about 0.5 per cent over the past five years, and highlights potential second-round effects via investment, labour market reallocation, unit costs and energy demand from data centres.
ResearchArtificial intelligence
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2026-04-08•Italy•Italian Institute for Insurance Supervision (IVASS)
The Italian Institute for Insurance Supervision released its 2024 bulletin on general civil and healthcare liability insurance, highlighting modest growth in general liability premiums but higher average claims costs and a weaker technical result. Healthcare liability premiums declined, particularly from public facilities, which continued to rely heavily on self-retention, while the market remained highly concentrated and average claim costs were significantly higher for public facilities than for private providers and healthcare personnel.
Data & statisticsBalance of payments and other external statistics
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2026-04-08•France•France Autorite des marches financiers
France’s Autorité des marchés financiers has published a bilateral consultation agreement with the Financial Markets Standards Board establishing a framework for consultation to reinforce collaboration between the two bodies. The agreement document is available in English only.
Policy & regulationCooperationCross-border cooperation
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2026-04-08•Laos•Bank of the Lao
The Bank of the Lao PDR convened a steering committee meeting to review implementation of two 2023–2025 credit policies to expand local funding and stimulate the economy, ahead of reporting to the government after 2025. Across 18 provinces, 1,350 business units received LAK 2,382.71 billion in loans under the local funding policy, while 56 units benefited from interest subsidies on LAK 3,644.14 billion of lending under the economic stimulus policy, with the central bank paying LAK 174.84 billion in subsidised interest. Participants also discussed forward work for government consideration.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsOther
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2026-04-08•Malaysia•Malaysia Securities Commission
The Malaysia Securities Commission has appointed Datuk Manoj Kurup as Executive Director, Enforcement, effective 8 April 2026, succeeding Budiman Lutfi Mohamed following his appointment as a judicial commissioner of the High Court of Malaya. Kurup brings over three decades of judicial and public prosecution experience, including senior roles at the Attorney-General’s Chambers and participation in the Malaysian prosecution team for the Malaysia Airlines MH17 investigation.
Institutional developmentLeadership change & appointmentsLeadership change and appointments
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2026-04-08•Thailand•Thailand Securities & Exchange Commission
The Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission has advanced amendments to its regulatory framework to enable issuance and offering of Transition Bonds and Thailand Taxonomy-aligned amber bonds, while strengthening disclosure requirements for sustainability-related debt instruments. The measures aim to broaden fundraising and investment options for transition and amber activities with appropriate investor protection and to enhance clarity and consistency of disclosures across sustainability-related debt categories.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsClimate risk and sustainable financeDisclosures
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2026-04-08•Thailand•Thailand Securities & Exchange Commission
The Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed guidelines to strengthen Know Your Customer and Customer Due Diligence standards for securities and derivatives business operators, expected to take effect in April 2026. The package introduces Enhanced Customer Due Diligence, ongoing monitoring and additional review for customers with unusual behaviour, tighter controls on withdrawals and trading limits, restrictions on deposits and withdrawals to bank accounts in the customer’s own name, and closer coordination with the Anti-Money Laundering Office.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretationKYC
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2026-04-08•Kazakhstan•Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of Kazakhstan issued a financial literacy advisory urging borrowers to assess the true cost of loans using the effective rather than nominal interest rate. The note explains that the effective rate must include all mandatory costs such as commissions, insurance premiums and other fees, and reminds consumers that banks are required to disclose it. It also outlines key contract elements and risks to check before signing, and encourages borrowers to seek advice and ensure repayment capacity.
Financial literacy & educationLendingPrudential risks
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2026-04-08•Australia•Australian Securities & Investments Commission
The Australian Securities & Investments Commission has banned Benjamin Godfrey, former director and responsible manager of ACN 114 733 569 Limited (in liquidation), from providing or controlling financial services, or performing any function in a financial services business, for 10 years from 31 March 2026. ASIC found he failed to comply with financial services laws, was involved in another person’s contravention, was not fit and proper or adequately trained or competent, may be likely to contravene financial services law, and is insolvent under administration; he may seek review of the decision before the Administrative Review Tribunal.
EnforcementSanctions & designationsFitness and propriety
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2026-04-08•Australia•Australian Securities & Investments Commission
The Australian Securities & Investments Commission has cancelled The Silverfern Group Pty Ltd’s Australian financial services licence after determining the firm had ceased carrying on a financial services business. The cancellation, made with Silverfern’s consent, followed ASIC enquiries into earlier non-compliance with statutory reporting and audit requirements and unpaid ASIC fees, which were resolved prior to cancellation.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsComplianceAccounting and financial reporting