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2026-04-01•Global•International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund, International Energy Agency and World Bank Group have formed a coordination group to align support for policymakers addressing the energy and economic impacts of the war in the Middle East, focusing on highly exposed, high-debt countries. The group will share data on energy markets, trade, fiscal and balance of payments pressures, inflation, export restrictions and supply chain disruptions, and coordinate responses including targeted policy advice, assessment of financing needs, concessional financing, risk mitigation tools and engagement with other partners.
Policy & regulationCooperationGeopolitical risk
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2026-04-01•Global•International Monetary Fund
The IMF Executive Board concluded its Article IV consultation with Kosovo, noting moderating growth, rising inflation, and a positive but risk-laden outlook amid political uncertainty, weaker external conditions, and spillovers from the Middle East conflict. Directors called for recalibrating fiscal policy as the deficit and current account imbalance widen, including containing current spending, scaling up quality public investment, enhancing revenue, and improving social spending efficiency and fiscal risk management. They deemed the banking sector sound but urged stronger oversight, close monitoring of credit and real estate exposures, readiness to deploy targeted macroprudential measures, safeguarding liquidity buffers, and further AML/CFT alignment with EU and FATF standards.
ResearchEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-01•Mexico•Central Bank of Mexico
The Central Bank of Mexico has launched a public consultation on draft amendments to expand operating levels for demand deposit accounts in national currency for credit institutions, certain regulated multiple-purpose financial companies linked to banks, and the National Agro, Rural, Forestry and Fisheries Development Finance institution. The proposal introduces a new “level 3 Bis” account for Mexican residents, allowing cumulative monthly credits of up to 15,000 UDIS and cash credits capped at 3,000 UDIS per month.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsPayments and payment systemsFinancial inclusion
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2026-04-01•Russia•Central Bank of Russia
The Central Bank of Russia has brought buy now, pay later (BNPL) operators under its supervision under a new law that establishes a register of admitted operators and requires BNPL services to be free for consumers, with no price differentiation versus non-BNPL purchases. BNPL plan terms are capped at six months from 1 April 2026, shortening to four months from 1 April 2028, while BNPL debt above RUB 50,000 per operator must be reported to credit bureaus and late-payment penalties are capped at 20% per annum of arrears.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsBNPL
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2026-04-01•Russia•Central Bank of Russia
The Central Bank of Russia announced a statutory reduction in the cap on total interest, penalties and other charges on certain consumer loans and microloans from 130% to 100% of the principal from 1 April 2026. The cap applies to new loans of up to one year issued by banks, microfinance organisations, pawnshops and consumer credit cooperatives, after which further accruals must stop and the cap must be disclosed on the first page of agreements.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsLending
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2026-04-01•Russia•Central Bank of Russia
The Central Bank of Russia has begun publishing an implied interest rate on CNY/RUB overnight foreign exchange swaps, derived from actual transactions in the Russian market. The benchmark is calculated on business days as the weighted average of yuan interest rates on individual on-exchange and over-the-counter transactions under covered interest rate parity, with the calculation methodology published in the Databases section of the Bank’s website.
Data & statisticsForeign exchange policy and markets
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2026-04-01•Russia•Central Bank of Russia
The Central Bank of Russia published March 2026 monitoring results showing the average maximum interest rate on RUB household deposits at the 10 largest credit institutions declined from 13.87% to 13.56% over the month. The data, based on indicative maximum rates for standard public offers, show average maximum rates by maturity of 13.04% (up to 90 days), 13.41% (91–180 days), 12.84% (181 days to one year) and 11.67% (over one year).
Data & statisticsFinancial and market indicatorsSupervisory data
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2026-04-01•Russia•Central Bank of Russia
The Central Bank of Russia has started publishing quarterly statistics on the household saving rate, including a seasonally adjusted time series, within its “Financial assets and liabilities of the households sector” materials. The data show the share of household income saved and are intended to serve as an indicator of saving propensity and consumer activity.
Data & statisticsFinancial and market indicatorsSupervisory data
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2026-04-01•United States•U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
U.S. Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren has asked Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Acting Director Russell Vought for information on “zombie” second mortgages intended to be extinguished under the National Mortgage Settlement. The letter alleges banks may have received settlement credit for cancelling second mortgages and then sold the loans to debt collectors, and questions the bureau’s records, supervision and consumer-protection approach in this area.
SupervisionOtherConsumer and investor protection
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2026-04-01•Moldova•National Bank of Moldova
The National Bank of Moldova published provisional Q4 2025 international accounts data showing a current account deficit of EUR 944.8 million (19.4% of GDP), net capital account inflows of EUR 16.9 million and net financial account inflows of EUR 1,053.4 million. As of 31 December 2025, the net international investment position was a net debtor position of EUR 6,873.6 million (38.1% of GDP) and gross external debt stood at EUR 10,110.6 million (56.0% of GDP), with 42.6% public and 57.4% private.
Data & statisticsBalance of payments and other external statistics
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2026-04-01•Moldova•National Bank of Moldova
The National Bank of Moldova published provisional fourth-quarter 2025 international accounts data showing gross external debt of EUR 10,110.6 million as at 31 December 2025, equivalent to 56.0% of GDP. Gross external debt rose 2.4% from the start of 2025, while the debt-to-GDP ratio declined by 2.7 percentage points year-on-year, with public external debt at EUR 4,310.9 million (42.6% of total, up 4.4%) and private external debt at EUR 5,799.7 million (57.4% of total, up 0.9%).
Data & statisticsBalance of payments and other external statistics
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2026-04-01•Moldova•National Bank of Moldova
The National Bank of Moldova said Governor Anca Dragu used the Romania Government Roundtable 2026 in Bucharest to outline how financial-sector development and infrastructure integration support investment and growth in Moldova. She cited IMF projections of strong GDP per capita gains from structural reforms and foreign direct investment, and highlighted benefits from Single Euro Payments Area accession, the MIA instant payments system, and capital market initiatives to connect to European infrastructures and modern trading platforms.
Policy & regulationReform agendas & prioritiesMarket developmentPayments and payment systems
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2026-04-01•Libya•Central Bank of Libya
The Central Bank of Libya has opened subscription for Issue No. 10-2026 of unrestricted Mudaraba Deposit Certificates for commercial banks. The issuance follows the procedures and controls used in previous offerings and the tenors and maturity dates specified in the subscription announcement.
Monetary policyMonetary policy instruments & operationsOther
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2026-04-01•Moldova•National Bank of Moldova
The National Bank of Moldova published provisional data showing Moldova’s net international investment position as at 31 December 2025 at a debtor position of EUR 6,873.6 million, equivalent to -38.1% of GDP and 3.5 percentage points higher than end-2024. The net debtor position widened by 18.2% year-on-year as external assets fell 7.4% to EUR 6,967.0 million and external liabilities rose 3.8% to EUR 13,840.7 million, reducing the assets-to-liabilities ratio to 50.3%.
Data & statisticsBalance of payments and other external statistics
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2026-04-01•United States•U.S. Department of the Treasury
The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a notice of proposed rulemaking on its first regulation to implement the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act. The proposal sets broad principles for assessing when a state-level regulatory regime is “substantially similar” to the federal framework, enabling payment stablecoin issuers with consolidated total outstanding issuance of no more than USD 10,000,000,000 to opt for state-level oversight.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsStablecoins
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2026-04-01•Canada•British Columbia Financial Services Authority
The British Columbia Financial Services Authority announced that First West Credit Union has received federal Letters Patent to continue as a federal credit union under the Bank Act as Tru Cooperative Bank, effective 1 April 2026, and is no longer provincially regulated. From the same date, eligible member deposits will cease to be insured by the Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corporation of British Columbia and will instead be covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsLicence withdrawal
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2026-04-01•Global•Financial Action Task Force
The Financial Action Task Force’s follow-up review of Lao PDR’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework finds progress but maintains a partially compliant rating on Recommendation 19 on higher-risk jurisdictions, with Lao PDR remaining on enhanced expedited follow-up and 16 Recommendations rated Compliant or Largely Compliant. The report notes new enhanced due diligence and countermeasure requirements for customers from FATF-listed high-risk jurisdictions but highlights gaps in defining and calibrating countermeasures domestically and in mechanisms to systematically inform reporting entities of foreign AML/CFT weaknesses.
Policy & regulationPeer reviews and country evaluationsAML and CFT
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2026-04-01•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has issued a consolidated Master Direction on incentives and penalties for banks’ currency distribution and exchange activities, covering branches, currency chests and ATMs, and extending certain penalties to White Label ATM Operators. It sets out reimbursement and performance-based service charges for currency chest operations and note and coin services, plus monetary penalties for service deficiencies, counterfeit note dispensing, ATM cash-outs and delayed or incorrect reporting through the CyM-CC portal. The Direction is effective upon publication on the RBI website and supersedes previous instructions.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCurrency and cash management
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2026-04-01•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has issued an updated Master Direction consolidating and revising banks’ obligations to provide note and coin exchange facilities, while withdrawing earlier instructions. All branches must issue fresh notes and coins, exchange soiled, mutilated and imperfect notes within specified limits, maintain minimum coin stocks, and ensure authenticity checks and proper handling of counterfeit notes. The direction also requires enhanced monitoring of ATM cash availability, sets out customer grievance escalation to the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021, and provides for supervisory monitoring and penalties for non-compliance.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCurrency and cash management
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2026-04-01•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has directed Authorised Dealer Category I banks to route overseas investment-related references to designated Regional Offices via the PRAVAAH portal, replacing centralised processing at the Foreign Exchange Department, Central Office. Allocation to Regional Offices will be based on the Unique Identification Number prefix of the foreign entity, and the Master Direction – Overseas Investment dated 24 July 2024 is being amended accordingly, with banks to inform affected customers.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCross-border payments
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2026-04-01•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has issued revised reporting instructions for guarantees under the Foreign Exchange Management (Guarantees) Regulations, 2026, introducing standardised returns and quarterly submissions via the Centralised Information Management System. Persons required to report guarantees under Regulation 7 of FEMA 8 (R) must use prescribed forms for issuance, modification and invocation, while authorised dealer banks must assign a unique Guarantee Transaction Number, file returns within 30 days of quarter-end, and compute late submission fees based on the liability created on invocation.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsRegulatory reporting
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2026-04-01•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has tightened foreign exchange derivative rules for authorised dealers by prohibiting non-deliverable derivative contracts involving the Indian rupee and imposing new constraints on rebooking and related-party transactions. Deliverable foreign exchange derivative contracts may still be offered for hedging if users do not maintain offsetting non-deliverable positions, while rebooking of cancelled INR-related contracts is barred and INR derivative contracts with related parties, as defined under Ind AS 24, IAS 24 or equivalent standards, are prohibited.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsForeign exchange policy and markets
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2026-04-01•Malta•Malta Financial Services Authority
The Malta Financial Services Authority and the Central Bank of Malta have set up a T+1 National Coordination Group to oversee Malta’s transition to a T+1 securities settlement cycle in line with the EU programme and the pan-European cutover by 11 October 2027. Chaired by the Authority, with the Central Bank as vice-chair and Malta Stock Exchange plc as permanent technical member, the group will coordinate legal, operational, technological and liquidity workstreams. Existing rules remain unchanged for now, with draft amendments and consultations to follow.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsMarket infrastructure
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2026-04-01•Czech Republic•Czech National Bank
The Czech National Bank’s quarterly survey of average daily foreign exchange market turnover for 20–24 April 2026 reported a 4.5% increase from January 2026 to USD 10,074.5 million. Spot transactions fell 16.9% to USD 1,055.0 million, forwards and swaps rose 9.5% to USD 8,839.5 million, and options declined 39.0% to USD 180.0 million.
Data & statisticsForeign exchange policy and markets
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2026-04-01•South Korea•Ministry of Economy & Finance (South Korea)
South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance issued an alert rejecting as unequivocally false online claims that the government plans to force the sale of US dollars, stating the idea has not been discussed. The ministry warned that spreading such unfounded claims in an emergency context can destabilise markets and undermine policy confidence, and said it will respond strictly, including by seeking a police investigation into the dissemination of the misinformation.
SupervisionAlertsFraud and scams
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2026-04-01•Oman•Oman Financial Services Authority
The Oman Financial Services Authority intensified oversight of the accounting and auditing profession, resulting in more than 45 supervisory and enforcement actions, including four firm deregistrations, three warnings and two suspensions. Inspections identified unlicensed practice, audit reports signed by unauthorised persons, failures to retain audit documentation for ten years, and breaches of International Standards on Auditing. The authority also engaged a specialist consultancy to review and align the legal framework with global practices and government direction.
SupervisionReviews, inspections & stress testsAuditing
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2026-04-01•United States•Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael S. Selig, in a statement marking his first 100 days, highlighted rolling back climate-focused work, including dismantling the Climate Risk Unit, and shifting from “regulation through enforcement” toward expanded stakeholder engagement and market transparency. The agency is advancing initiatives on crypto assets, prediction markets and agricultural markets, including de minimis threshold exemptions for commodity swaps, more frequent Commitment of Traders reporting, the SEC-CFTC “Project Crypto” initiative, a crypto asset taxonomy, and early-stage work on potential new prediction market regulations.
Policy & regulationReform agendas & prioritiesFintech and insurtechRegulatory burden
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2026-04-01•Global•World Bank
The World Bank has approved USD 25 million for Bhutan’s First Growth and Jobs Development Policy Financing operation to strengthen policies for private sector-led job creation and economic resilience. The operation supports reforms to improve the business environment and access to finance, modernize tax and public investment management, enhance the foreign direct investment framework, advance agriculture reforms, and improve pension sustainability and working conditions for women, youth and vulnerable groups. It is the first in a planned series of three operations, with financing split equally between a grant and concessional funding on a 40-year term.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-01•Pakistan•State Bank of Pakistan
The State Bank of Pakistan has revoked M/s Al Sahara Exchange Company (Pvt.) Ltd.’s authorisation to conduct foreign exchange business at the company’s request. The revocation is effective from the date the company closed its operations, and the firm is no longer authorised to carry out any type of foreign exchange activity.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsLicence withdrawal
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2026-04-01•Pakistan•State Bank of Pakistan
The State Bank of Pakistan has launched a Teenagers Account framework allowing individuals aged 13 to 18 to independently own and operate bank accounts and digital wallets in a regulated environment. Targeting an estimated 26 million teenagers previously limited to joint or parent-controlled accounts, the initiative aims to expand early access to the formal and digital financial system and forms part of the State Bank’s Strategic Plan 2023–28 and the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2024–28.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsFinancial inclusion
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2026-04-01•Ukraine•Ukraine National Commission on Securities and Stock Market
The Ukraine National Commission on Securities and Stock Market published decisions covering rulemaking, supervisory actions, and approvals for capital markets participants. Measures include draft rules on 2026 financial reporting and ratings, restrictions on securities of collective investment institutions, sanctions-related actions on assets and market access, classification of certain projects as dubious investments, and multiple bond and share registrations and senior control function appointments.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsAccounting and financial reportingSupervision process and methodologies
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2026-04-01•Ukraine•Ukraine National Commission on Securities and Stock Market
The Ukraine National Commission on Securities and Stock Market approved a draft decision granting a one-off extension to 1 June 2026 for certain capital market and organised commodity market participants to submit their first quarter 2026 and 2025 annual financial statements, including consolidated reports and auditor’s opinions. The measure applies to asset management companies, non-state pension fund administrators, collective investment institutions and non-state pension funds, and is linked to martial law to ease compliance burdens and support operational stability.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsRegulatory reporting
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2026-04-01•Peru•Central Bank of Peru
The Central Bank of Peru reported that credit for home purchases reached PEN 75,796 million in March 2026, up 7.2 percent year on year and 0.5 percent month on month, driven by continued growth in local-currency mortgage lending. PEN-denominated mortgage credit rose 7.9 percent year on year to PEN 71,681 million, while foreign-currency mortgage loans declined 4.9 percent, with dollarization remaining low at 5.4 percent of housing loans in United States dollars.
Data & statisticsFinancial and market indicators
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2026-04-01•Peru•Superintendencia de Banca, Seguros y AFP del Peru
The Superintendency of Banking, Insurance and Pension Fund Administrators of Peru has created the Executive Coordination for Organisation of Companies as a centralised unit to process applications for new entities entering the financial, insurance and private pensions systems. The unit will act as a single entry point for the organisation stage, coordinate with line departments for operating-stage assessments, and is expected to improve consistency, accountability and responsiveness for hybrid business models.
Institutional developmentMandate & organizational structureOrganizational structure
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2026-04-01•Germany•BaFin
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has published Consultation 02/2026 on a draft circular xx/2026 setting out the Minimum Requirements for Risk Management (MaRisk) in consultation form. The draft circular outlines updated supervisory expectations for institutions’ risk management frameworks.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsRisk management
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2026-04-01•Germany•BaFin
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has launched Consultation 02/2026 on a draft circular to revise the Minimum Requirements for Risk Management (MaRisk). The consultation package includes a comparison version highlighting changes between the current MaRisk text and the draft.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsRisk management
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2026-04-01•Germany•BaFin
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority has issued a circular on when primary insurers may underwrite ransom insurance, consolidating existing expectations without changing their substance. It applies to all insurers authorised for direct non-life business in Germany, including EU/EEA insurers operating under freedom of services or establishment. The circular defines ransom insurance and sets conditions including a ban on advertising, restrictions on product bundling, a one-year maximum term with proportionate sums insured, mandatory preventive security advice, strict confidentiality and reporting duties, centralised encrypted administration and claims handling, and classification as risk type 16k (other financial losses) under the German Insurance Supervision Act. It takes effect on 1 April 2026 and replaces Circular R 3/1998 (VA).
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretationOther
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2026-04-01•Georgia•Insurance State Supervision Service of Georgia
The Insurance State Supervision Service of Georgia held a working meeting with the Akhmeta Municipality Mayor’s Office to explain its supervisory mandate, insurance consumer protection mechanisms, and issues affecting agroinsurance products. The session focused on consumer rights throughout the insurance lifecycle, key contract considerations, available legal remedies, and challenges and potential solutions in agroinsurance, with the aim of strengthening communication and public awareness.
SupervisionCooperationHiring and recruitment
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2026-04-01•Europe•European Association of CCP Clearing Houses
The European Association of CCP Clearing Houses published a position paper on the European Commission’s draft Settlement Finality Regulation, supporting a more harmonised EU framework but warning that certain provisions could increase procedural complexity, duplicate requirements and weaken legal certainty for central counterparties, including in third-country contexts. EACH proposes simplifying designation and withdrawal processes, aligning settlement finality protections with EMIR, clarifying and extending protections for third-country systems, indirect participants, CCP default management and collateral (including DLT and tokenised assets), and narrowing some ESMA and EBA technical standards mandates.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretationCCPs
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2026-04-01•Indonesia•Bank Indonesia
Bank Indonesia reported Indonesia’s trade surplus widened to USD1.27 billion in February 2026 from USD0.95 billion in January, supporting external resilience. The surplus was driven by a USD2.19 billion non-oil and gas surplus from natural-resource-based and manufacturing exports to China, the United States and India, while the oil and gas trade deficit narrowed due to lower imports. The central bank will continue strengthening policy synergies with the Government and other authorities to reinforce external resilience and support sustainable growth.
Data & statisticsBalance of payments and other external statistics
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2026-04-01•Europe•European Banking Federation
The European Banking Federation has responded to the European Commission’s call for evidence on guidance for applying the Do No Significant Harm principle under the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, supporting simplification and closer alignment with existing EU and national laws. It calls for reduced duplicative checks, greater reliance on existing regulation, recognised certifications and public data, clearer and more quantifiable DNSH criteria, and proportionate evidence requirements that reflect financial institutions’ intermediary role and the constraints faced by smaller clients, including in third-country contexts.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretation
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2026-04-01•Trinidad & Tobago•Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago
The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago issued a Year 5, Half Year 1 update on its 2021/22–2025/26 Strategic Plan, highlighting progress on payment-system and digital-finance initiatives, supervisory reforms, and the transition to currency bearing the new national Coat of Arms. Key developments include full registration of WamNow Technologies Limited as an e-money issuer, commencement of the Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers Act with a temporary prohibition on most virtual-asset business, implementation of an updated risk-based supervision framework for banking and insurance, and initiation of liquidation proceedings for British American Insurance Company (Trinidad) Limited. Priorities through 2026 include finalising the Payments Systems and Services Bill and Regulations, further rollout of the CARICOM Payment and Settlement System, a phased currency transition with a new Series 2026 TTD 100 note, and pilot testing of a new supervisory technology platform.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsOther
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2026-04-01•Aruba•Central Bank of Aruba
The Central Bank of Aruba published its Monthly Tables for February 2026, updating monetary survey and balance-sheet statistics for the central bank, commercial banks and the government. Broad money rose to AWG 7,056.0 million, driven by net domestic money creation and a net inflow of foreign funds, while net foreign assets reached AWG 3,924.9 million and domestic credit AWG 4,785.4 million. Commercial banks reported total assets of AWG 8,707.2 million, capital/risk-weighted assets of 29.1%, a loan/deposit ratio of 65.3% and liquidity of 31.6%.
Data & statisticsEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-01•United States•Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency published its list of Community Reinvestment Act performance evaluations made public between March 1 and March 31, 2026, for national banks, federal savings associations, and insured federal branches of foreign banks. The OCC reiterated that CRA examinations assess how institutions meet community credit needs, including in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, using ratings from outstanding to substantial noncompliance, and maintains a searchable archive of evaluations and a list of institutions scheduled for upcoming examinations.
Data & statisticsOther
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2026-04-01•China•China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the Monetary Authority of Macao discussed strengthening cross-jurisdiction supervisory cooperation and deepening financial market connectivity in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The meeting also focused on supporting Macao’s economic development.
SupervisionCooperationCross-border cooperation
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2026-04-01•Greece•Ministry of National Economy and Finance (Greece)
Greece’s Ministry of National Economy and Finance launched the fourth funding cycle of the TEPIX III Loan Fund for SMEs, raising the programme’s total loan budget to over EUR 1.2bn. Funding is provided nationwide via two subprogrammes offering investment and working capital loans with partial interest-free financing, interest-rate subsidies, capped collateral requirements, early repayment options and free access to the Hellenic Development Bank’s ESG Tracker, with applications submitted through the Bank’s Know Your Customer platform and the Integrated Information System of State Aid.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsSME financing
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2026-04-01•China•Central Bank of the Republic of China
The People’s Bank of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Financial Regulatory Administration and the China Securities Regulatory Commission held a joint technology finance work exchange to strengthen inter-agency and central-local coordination and advance technology finance policies. Authorities reviewed progress in expanding credit, insurance, bond market support and private investment for technology firms, and set a forward agenda to enhance coordination mechanisms, information sharing, specialised products and use of targeted tools such as re-lending facilities, equity investment pilots, merger and acquisition loans and the bond market “technology board” to better channel finance to innovation.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsFintech and insurtechMarket development
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2026-04-01•Sweden•Riksbank
The Riksbank published an Economic Commentary mapping bilateral domestic large exposures among 109 Swedish credit institutions, identifying a concentrated network where the largest banks act as key intermediaries and could rapidly transmit shocks. Based on 734 unique exposures totalling SEK 674 billion over 2021Q2–2025Q3, interconnectedness is mainly driven by debt exposures, especially cross-holdings of covered bonds, and centrality metrics consistently rank large banks as the most important nodes. The Commentary is an initial step in a broader project that will incorporate foreign exposures and contagion analysis, and reflects the authors’ views rather than the Riksbank’s official position.
ResearchPrudential risksFinancial stability and systemic risk
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2026-04-01•Europe•European Central Bank
The European Central Bank published a Macroprudential Bulletin article on the rapid growth of tokenised assets and the Eurosystem’s policy response to support an integrated European digital capital market while safeguarding financial stability. It outlines plans to enable settlement of distributed ledger technology asset transactions in central bank money via the Pontes project by the third quarter of 2026 and to develop an integrated digital financial ecosystem blueprint under Appia by 2028, addressing regulatory frictions and lessons from the European Union DLT Pilot Regime. The article also notes the Eurosystem’s March 2026 decision to accept certain DLT-based collateral for credit operations and ongoing work on potential eligibility of other DLT-issued assets.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsTokenization
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2026-04-01•Europe•European Central Bank
The European Central Bank published a Working Paper analysing how the 2025 escalation in US‑China tariffs affects the euro area and how outcomes change if protectionism extends to euro-area goods, using a trade model with incomplete asset markets and asymmetric monetary regimes. It finds large, asymmetric welfare losses for the US and China, with the euro area initially benefiting from trade diversion and only marginally affected, but once tariffs hit euro-area goods, euro-area welfare turns negative, the Chinese downturn deepens, and welfare‑maximising euro-area retaliation yields only modest domestic gains at the cost of materially larger US and Chinese welfare losses.
Research
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2026-04-01•Europe•European Central Bank
The European Central Bank published research finding that improving public investment efficiency, particularly in transport infrastructure, could help EU governments meet rising strategic investment needs despite constrained fiscal space. Using data envelopment and stochastic frontier analysis, it estimates median efficiency scores of around 50–65% for transport networks and potential annual savings of about EUR 46–50 billion, and highlights policy levers such as stronger project management, better planning-budget integration and enhanced governance.
Research
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2026-04-01•Thailand•Thailand Securities & Exchange Commission
The Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission issued an enhanced supervisory package of five measures for the capital and digital asset markets to curb illicit funds, combat mule accounts, and address technology-enabled investment scams. The measures strengthen Know Your Customer and customer due diligence requirements, tighten ownership and control reviews of licensed operators, enhance digital asset monitoring and Travel Rule implementation, and reinforce transparency and disclosure obligations. The authority will also intensify integrated work with other agencies through the “Connect the Dots” task force to link data and trace fund flows.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsAML and CFTSupervision process and methodologies
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2026-04-01•Hong Kong•Hong Kong Monetary Authority
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority issued a public alert on phishing emails targeting DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited and fraudulent websites and internet banking login screens targeting Chiyu Banking Corporation Limited. It reiterated that banks will not send embedded hyperlinks for transactions or request sensitive information such as login or one-time passwords by phone, email or SMS, and advised affected individuals to contact the relevant bank and report incidents to Hong Kong Police.
SupervisionAlertsFraud and scams
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2026-04-01•Spain•Bank of Spain
The Bank of Spain published its March 2026 official reference interest rates for variable-rate mortgage loans, with the one-year Euribor, the main benchmark for Spanish mortgages, at 2.565%, up from 2.221% in February and 0.167 percentage points higher than a year earlier. The release also detailed other Euribor, euro short-term rate (€STR) and five-year interest rate swap benchmarks, and confirmed that while the one-year Mibor continues for legacy contracts, discontinued indices fall back to the average rate on mortgages over three years for home purchase in Spain plus a historical differential.
Data & statisticsFinancial and market indicatorsMonetary data
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2026-04-01•Chile•Chile Financial Market Commission
The Chile Financial Market Commission has ordered the suspension of quotations and transactions in the shares and bonds of Clínica Las Condes S.A. until 15 April 2026 or until the company submits its audited financial statements as of 31 December 2025. The enforcement action follows the issuer’s failure to file this financial information by the 31 March 2026 deadline, which the authority said has left investors and the market without accurate and timely information on the company’s financial situation and its securities.
SupervisionInterventionsAccounting and financial reporting
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2026-04-01•Africa•Inter Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA)
The Inter Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa awarded the audit contract for its CD4AML/CFT project for 2024 to 2026 to PYRAMIS Audit et Conseil SAS of Mali. The contract is valued at FCFA 22,500,000 excluding VAT and runs for three years. PYRAMIS was selected after achieving the highest combined technical and financial score among three bidders.
Institutional developmentProcurement
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2026-04-01•Chile•Central Bank of Chile
The Central Bank of Chile reported that the Monthly Economic Activity Indicator (Imacec) fell 0.3% year on year in February, with the seasonally adjusted series down 0.3% month on month and up 0.6% over twelve months. The annual decline was driven by a 3.7% contraction in goods production, partly offset by a 1.6% rise in services and a 0.2% increase in trade, while non-mining Imacec also fell 0.3% year on year.
Data & statisticsEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-01•Estonia•Finantsinspektsioon
Estonia’s Financial Supervision Authority (Finantsinspektsioon) has granted Heimondo Estonia OÜ a licence to operate as a debt collection agency for credit contracts of banks and other creditors. The licence authorises the firm to collect overdue payments, negotiate credit terms with borrowers, handle related complaints, and inform borrowers of creditor requirements and changes to interest rates, fees or payments.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsLicence approval
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2026-04-01•Slovakia•National Bank of Slovakia
The National Bank of Slovakia’s Bank Board kept the countercyclical capital buffer rate unchanged and approved the March 2026 Macroprudential Commentary. It adopted amending decrees transposing elements of Directive (EU) 2024/1619 to introduce new requirements for banks’ management of ESG risks and crypto-asset exposures under the Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation, and to allow professional examinations in financial intermediation and advisory services to be conducted in other languages.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsMacroprudential policy and toolsESG
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2026-04-01•Serbia•Republic of Serbia Securities Commission
The Republic of Serbia Securities Commission will hold an examination session in the last week of April 2026 for candidates seeking the titles of broker, investment adviser and portfolio manager. Applications must be submitted with all prescribed documentation by post or email, and the Commission will publish the exact exam dates for each title on its website.
SupervisionAuthorisations & approvalsLicence approval
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2026-04-01•North Macedonia•Securities and Exchange Commission of the Republic of North Macedonia
The Securities and Exchange Commission of North Macedonia’s chair, Bujaré Abazi, highlighted a forthcoming capital markets legal framework to align with European standards, strengthen regulation and enhance investor protection. She cited European Commission support for a three-year strategy for regulatory and institutional strengthening and plans to sign a Memorandum on Coordinated Regulation and Supervision with several European regulators. Abazi acknowledged persistent challenges such as low liquidity and a limited issuer and institutional investor base, which reforms and regional integration are expected to help address.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsMarket development
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2026-04-01•Luxembourg•Central Bank of Luxembourg
The Central Bank of Luxembourg published provisional end-February 2026 banking statistics showing credit institutions’ aggregate balance sheet total declined by 0.62% month on month to EUR 1,000,949 million, but remained 2.07% higher year on year, mainly due to lower interbank positions, while loans to non-bank customers and resident deposits continued to grow. It set the minimum reserve requirement for the 25 March to 5 May 2026 maintenance period at EUR 6,649 million, EUR 201 million higher than in the previous period.
Data & statisticsBalance of payments and other external statistics
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2026-04-01•United Arab Emirates•National Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism and Financing of Illegal Organisations Committee (NAMLCFTC)
The UAE National Committee for Anti-Money Laundering, Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing discussed closer cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Talks covered the September 2026 UN crime prevention congress and regional work through the UAE-chaired Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force.
Policy & regulationCooperationAML and CFTCross-border cooperation
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2026-04-01•Isle of Man•Isle of Man Financial Services Authority
The Isle of Man Financial Services Authority has issued minor updates to its Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Handbook, revising guidance on financial inclusion and de-risking, simplified due diligence, and implementation timelines for National Risk Assessment-related changes. It highlights the Handbook, Supplemental Information Document and sector-specific guidance as key AML/CFT compliance tools and encourages regulated entities and designated businesses to review the updates and adjust their risk-mitigation measures.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretationAML and CFT
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2026-04-01•Isle of Man•Isle of Man Financial Services Authority
The Isle of Man Financial Services Authority has updated its online At-a-Glance calendar to set out dates for planned outreach activities in the coming months. The timetable covers forthcoming events, data requests, thematic reviews, inspections, newsletters, consultations, reports, and key milestones in the MONEYVAL mutual evaluation process to support firms’ forward planning and compliance resourcing.
SupervisionOtherAML and CFTRegulatory burden
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2026-04-01•Guernsey•Ministry of Finance (Guernsey)
The Ministry of Finance (Guernsey) reported on a roundtable with defence, regulatory and industry stakeholders on how private capital could support resilience, security and long-term stability, including potential alignment with the proposed multilateral Defence, Security and Resilience Bank. Discussions covered capital-raising opportunities, the role of international finance centres in governance and structuring, and noted three defence funds authorised in the past year to invest in defence technology aimed at rebuilding NATO capabilities. The roundtable forms part of Guernsey’s Finance Sector Growth Strategy 2035, which seeks to integrate defence, infrastructure and sustainability into its core funds offering.
Policy & regulationCooperationOther
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2026-04-01•Slovenia•Central Bank of Slovenia
In a Reuters interview, Central Bank of Slovenia Governor Primož Dolenc discussed inflation developments and near-term scenarios, stating that the European Central Bank Governing Council will calibrate future measures according to the duration and intensity of the current shock. He reiterated the Governing Council’s commitment to maintaining inflation at 2 percent over the medium term.
Monetary policyMonetary policy assessments & outlooksMonetary policy decisions and developments
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2026-04-01•Guernsey•Guernsey Financial Services Commission
The Guernsey Financial Services Commission has issued a consumer warning after identifying counterfeit documents in its name being used to support an advance fee fraud scheme. The fake “Financial Regulatory Due Diligence / Financial Provenance Clearance” documents are linked to a sham law firm, Flaven Law Chambers, and a sham bank, ApexKrest Bank, both falsely claiming to be Guernsey-based, and the Commission is taking steps to close related websites.
SupervisionAlertsFraud and scams
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2026-04-01•Bosnia and Herzegovina•Banking Agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Banking Agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina reported that Director Jasmin Mahmuzić represented the authority at international Central Banking Meetings in Kuala Lumpur, where he spoke on regional and international cooperation to prevent fraud and combat cross-border financial crime. The event gathered central banks, regulators and industry participants to discuss foreign-exchange interventions, reserve management, coordination with sovereign wealth funds, and the digital transformation of payment systems, including central bank digital currencies, stablecoins, instant payments and related cyber risks.
Policy & regulationCooperationCross-border cooperationAML and CFT
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2026-04-01•Kyrgyzstan•National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic
The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic’s Osh regional office fined 10 Kyrgyz citizens KGS 17,500 each for conducting cash foreign currency exchange operations without a National Bank licence. The violations occurred in the city of Osh and the Aravan district of the Osh region.
EnforcementInvestigations & enforcement actionsUnlicensed or unauthorized activity
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2026-04-01•Kyrgyzstan•National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic
The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic reported that its Issyk-Kul regional office conducted educational and cultural activities during Global Money Week 2026 to promote financial literacy and awareness of the Kyrgyz som. Activities included guest lectures for senior students on financial planning, QR code payments, countering dropper activity, and the history of the som, as well as a numismatic exhibition showcasing collectible coins and currency security features.
Financial literacy & educationFinancial literacy and education
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2026-04-01•Global•Bank for International Settlements
The Bank for International Settlements published a working paper demonstrating a proof-of-concept quantum algorithm for Bayesian posterior sampling in Qiskit, encoding a discretised posterior distribution into an n-qubit quantum state and estimating posterior expectations via repeated measurement. The paper finds no current computational speedup over classical methods such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo, importance sampling or particle filtering, and highlights quantum state preparation and hardware limitations as key challenges for scalable and hybrid classical-quantum techniques.
ResearchQuantum computing
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2026-04-01•Thailand•Thailand Office of Insurance Commission
The Thailand Office of Insurance Commission has launched a 2026 travelling seminar programme on complaints handling and insurance dispute resolution, targeting at least a 15% reduction in complaints and a shift toward “upstream” prevention. Non-life insurers are expected to strengthen claims assessment, internal complaint review, KPIs and service-level agreement monitoring. Supervisory follow-through will include deeper on-site inspections, potential capital increases, product and branch growth limits, administrative fines, and publication of a public “Rating Score” dashboard on customer-care performance. Feedback will inform discussions with the Thai General Insurance Association and regional roll-out, with legal action envisaged where firms fail to meet stated KPIs and service standards.
SupervisionSupervision approach, priorities & toolkitComplaints and dispute resolution
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2026-04-01•Romania•National Bank of Romania
The National Bank of Romania reported that foreign exchange reserves rose to EUR 67.032 billion at 31 March 2026 from EUR 65.023 billion at end-February, with total international reserves including gold increasing to EUR 80.278 billion from EUR 79.639 billion. March inflows of EUR 9.424 billion were mainly driven by changes in credit institutions’ foreign currency minimum reserve requirements and Ministry of Finance eurobond funding, while outflows of EUR 7.415 billion reflected reserve requirement changes and foreign-currency public debt service.
Data & statisticsBalance of payments and other external statistics
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2026-04-01•Vietnam•State Bank of Vietnam
The State Bank of Vietnam has appointed Do Giang Nam, previously a member of the Members’ Council of the Vietnam Asset Management Company, as a member and acting head of the Members’ Council of the National Banknote Printing Factory for a five-year term effective 1 April 2026. The appointment, under Decision No. 462/QD-NHNN, was announced at a conference at the National Banknote Printing Factory attended by Deputy Governor Pham Tien Dung and representatives from State Bank of Vietnam departments and units.
Institutional developmentLeadership change & appointmentsLeadership change and appointments
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2026-04-01•Vietnam•State Bank of Vietnam
The State Bank of Vietnam has appointed Hoang Minh Tien as Deputy Director General of its Information Technology Department for a five-year term starting 01 April 2026. He previously served as Head of the Division for Information Technology Policy Management, Innovation and Digital Transformation within the same department.
Institutional developmentLeadership change & appointmentsLeadership change and appointments
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2026-04-01•Azerbaijan•Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan
The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan has announced the exam schedule for individuals seeking an actuary certificate under the insurance sector attestation framework. Exams will be held at the Central Bank in June 2026 across four subject areas, with applicants required to submit documents at least 30 days in advance in accordance with the Rule on the organisation and conduct of attestation in the insurance field.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsOther
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2026-04-01•Jordan•Jordan Securities Commission
The Jordan Securities Commission signed a memorandum of understanding with Princess Sumaya University for Technology to deepen cooperation on financial supervision and capital markets innovation through digital transformation. The agreement provides for joint training, a programme to develop finance and financial technology ideas, and technical collaboration on advanced supervisory systems, including tools for monitoring foreign trading and virtual assets.
SupervisionCooperationCross-border cooperation
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2026-04-01•Azerbaijan•Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan
The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan held a training session for financial leasing service providers and pawnshops on the application of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing legislation. The session focused on organising internal AML/CFT control programmes, implementing customer due diligence, and identifying suspicious transactions, and included a question-and-answer segment with participants.
Policy & regulationGuidance & interpretationAML and CFT
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2026-04-01•Azerbaijan•Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan
The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan has approved an Instruction on organising underwriting by investment companies, setting methodological foundations for underwriting securities placed through public offerings and related internal rules. The Instruction aims to ensure comprehensive disclosure to potential investors on issuers’ financial position, corporate governance, risks and risk management, and structures underwriting into four stages with approaches aligned to international practice and domestic legal requirements.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCredit ratings
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2026-04-01•Europe•European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority
The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority published its annual report on costs and past performance of retail insurance-based investment and personal pension products in the EU for 2020–2024, noting that 2024 market conditions supported positive net returns. Unit-linked and hybrid products delivered average 2024 net returns of 7.5% for low-to-medium risk and 16.9% for higher-risk products, while profit participation products returned 2.3% and largely guaranteed at least 90% of capital. Average unit-linked costs fell by 8 basis points in 2024, but EIOPA flagged wide cost dispersion and structurally higher pricing in some markets, calling for further EU-level work to ensure consistent consumer outcomes.
ResearchActivity and performance reporting
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2026-04-01•Global•United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative
The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative has launched the Climate Pathways Navigator, a free tool giving financial institutions access to climate scenario data to support science-based decarbonisation pathways, transition plans, and client and investee engagement. Developed with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and tested with financial institutions, it consolidates Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and industry-designed emissions scenarios into accessible sectoral and regional data for finance and policymakers.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsClimate risk and sustainable finance
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2026-04-01•Middle East•Union of Arab Securities Authorities
The Union of Arab Securities Authorities reported that the IOSCO Regional Committee for Africa and the Middle East held its 2026 annual meeting virtually, focusing on IOSCO’s 2026 work programme and regional activities. Participants reviewed regional market developments, capacity-building initiatives, and survey results on members’ priorities, and discussed measures to enhance market resilience, combat online fraud, strengthen investor protection, and address supervisory challenges including technology, artificial intelligence, and cross-border cooperation.
SupervisionCooperationSupervision process and methodologiesArtificial intelligenceCross-border cooperation
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2026-04-01•Canada•Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada has published its Strategic Plan for 2026–2029, setting three priorities: protecting financial consumers and merchants, improving financial literacy and resilience, and advancing consumer interests in a fast-changing marketplace. The plan is underpinned by stronger data and technology, ecosystem partnerships, and a diverse, adaptable workforce, and positions consumer protection, resilience and public confidence as shared responsibilities across the ecosystem.
Policy & regulationReform agendas & prioritiesConsumer and investor protectionFinancial literacy and education
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2026-04-01•India•Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India has issued a consolidated Master Direction updating requirements for banks on detecting, impounding, reporting and monitoring counterfeit banknotes, withdrawing earlier instructions. Banks must machine-authenticate notes of INR 100 and above, impound and report counterfeit notes under a transaction-based regime, implement controls for ATMs including White Label ATM Operators, and establish a head office Forged Note Vigilance Cell with specified monitoring, reporting and record-keeping obligations to the RBI and other authorities.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsCurrency and cash management
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2026-04-01•Europe•European Central Bank
The European Central Bank’s Piero Cipollone used a public lecture to present the digital euro and the Eurosystem’s payments strategy as tools to cut reliance on non-European payment infrastructures and offer a euro area-wide digital payment option in central bank money. He cited dependence on international card schemes and rising merchant service charges despite interchange fee caps. He outlined the digital euro’s planned legal tender status, online and offline usability, cash-like privacy for offline use, and absence of Eurosystem scheme or processing fees. Cipollone also described next steps on legislation and piloting, plans to provide tokenised central bank money via the Pontes project, build an integrated tokenised ecosystem through the Appia project, and explore interoperability with private settlement assets such as tokenised deposits and euro-denominated stablecoins.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsCross-border paymentsPayments and payment systems
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2026-04-01•United Kingdom•HM Treasury
HM Treasury has published the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation Strategy 2026-29, setting out how it will keep UK financial sanctions effective and resilient amid evolving circumvention threats. The strategy centres on four pillars and three outcomes, including more data-led threat understanding, higher-quality licensing and enforcement supported by modern digital and AI-enabled tools, and stronger domestic and international partnerships, underpinned by performance indicators and ongoing public reporting and engagement.
Policy & regulationReform agendas & prioritiesOther
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2026-04-01•Czech Republic•Czech National Bank
The Czech National Bank has published a working paper on inflation forecasting in the Czech Republic that develops a quantile regression forest model, finding that a time-varying weighting scheme using the full predictive distribution improves point forecasts relative to standard benchmarks. The research also models individual inflation subcomponents to identify drivers of future inflation and risks, incorporates a Shapley-value decomposition to enhance interpretability, and tailors predictors to the features of a small open economy.
Research
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2026-04-01•South Korea•South Korea Financial Services Commission
The South Korea Financial Services Commission has released the government’s 2026 household debt management plan, targeting household debt growth of 1.5% in 2026 and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 80% by 2030, while tightening mortgage rules and expanding loan regulation coverage to curb leveraged real estate investment. Measures include reduced reliance on policy-based loans, zero growth targets and penalties for certain cooperatives, new caps and loan-to-value limits for online peer-to-peer mortgage lending, and stricter treatment of multi-home owner mortgage extensions in regulated areas. Enforcement will be reinforced through inspections, retrospective reviews of business loans since 2021, immediate collection of misused loans, and referrals to investigative agencies.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsOther
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2026-04-01•Ireland•Central Bank of Ireland
The Central Bank of Ireland has issued an indefinite Prohibition Notice against Nicholas Buckley, barring him from performing any controlled or pre-approval controlled functions for any regulated financial service provider from 25 February 2026. The action follows his admission that he directed clients to pay fees into his personal account instead of his employers’ accounts, misrepresented his professional qualifications while at two retail intermediaries, and has a related criminal conviction.
EnforcementSanctions & designationsOther
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2026-04-01•Ireland•Central Bank of Ireland
The Central Bank of Ireland published a speech by Governor Gabriel Makhlouf on how conflict-driven disruption at a major energy chokepoint is feeding into the European Central Bank’s meeting-by-meeting monetary policy after the Governing Council kept rates at 2 per cent in March. He outlined ECB staff baseline, adverse and severe energy price scenarios, with 2026 inflation between 2.6 and 4.4 per cent and GDP growth falling to 0.4 per cent in the severe case, stressing these are tools to assess uncertainty, not a pre-committed rate path. Makhlouf said he is monitoring energy and freight costs, European gas storage, producer and wage data, inflation expectations and the latest Eurostat flash estimate showing March headline inflation at 2.5 per cent and core inflation at 2.3 per cent.
Monetary policyMonetary policy assessments & outlooksMonetary policy decisions and developments
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2026-04-01•Kuwait•Central Bank of Kuwait
The Central Bank of Kuwait has launched the first cohort of its “Cybersecurity Leaders – Advanced” program under the Kafa’a initiative to strengthen national banking-sector cybersecurity capabilities, focusing on cloud infrastructure security. Targeting experienced Kuwaiti cybersecurity professionals, the program offers advanced practical training in cloud security, threat detection and security engineering leading to internationally recognised GIAC certifications, and is run by the Institute of Banking Studies with Kuwaiti banks and the SANS Institute.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsCyber resilience
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2026-04-01•Indonesia•Bank Indonesia
Bank of Indonesia and the Bank of Korea have launched the Indonesia–South Korea QR Cross-Border Payment Linkage, allowing Indonesians to make QRIS-based payments in South Korea via domestic applications with transactions settled in local currencies. Implemented with domestic payment system associations, infrastructure providers and financial institutions, it builds on existing QRIS cross-border links and initially involves a broad set of Indonesian banks and payment service providers, with further participants to be added in phases.
Policy & regulationImplementation, projects & pilotsCross-border payments
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2026-04-01•United Kingdom•Open Banking Limited
Open Banking Limited has published version 4.0.1 of the Open Banking Standard as a targeted update to improve clarity, consistency and ease of use, including changes to technical specifications, Customer Experience Guidelines and Operational Guidelines. Key changes include additional international payments data, refinements to Variable Recurring Payments for sweeping, confirmation of field treatments, and the introduction of Cryptoassets (CRYP) as a Transaction Risk Indicator, alongside refreshed guidance and an updated Dynamic Client Registration specification.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsOpen banking and finance
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2026-04-01•Sweden•Finansinspektionen
The Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority has invited the eight largest mortgage banks to a roundtable on sound mortgage lending following the entry into force of a new law limiting mortgage loans through amortisation and loan-to-value requirements. The law is largely based on the authority’s existing amortisation regulations and guidance, and supervision will continue to focus on banks’ mortgage credit assessments, lending terms and how they safeguard customers’ interests.
SupervisionSupervision approach, priorities & toolkitLending
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2026-04-01•Singapore•Monetary Authority of Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore published an overview of key public enforcement actions from January to March 2026, including prohibition orders against former relationship managers Wang Qiming and Liu Kai. The release reiterates MAS’ enforcement toolkit, ranging from reprimands and composition penalties to prohibition orders, civil penalties and criminal referrals, and highlights its focus on deterrence and safeguarding the integrity of Singapore as a financial centre.
EnforcementEnforcement statistics
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2026-04-01•Australia•Parliament of Australia
Australia’s Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has begun reviewing the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2026, which would extend AUSTRAC’s powers and update Australia’s AML/CTF framework. The Bill would let AUSTRAC’s CEO restrict or ban high-risk mechanisms for designated services, broaden the definition of terrorism financing to include financing a state sponsor of terrorism, and make related technical amendments responding to evolving transnational organised crime and emerging technologies.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsAML and CFT
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2026-04-01•Europe•European Payments Council
The European Payments Council has launched a public consultation on proposed change requests for version 2.0 of its VOP scheme rulebook and related documents as part of its regular change management process for payment-related schemes. The VOP scheme rulebook is intended to help payment service providers meet new obligations under the EU Instant Payments Regulation, which amended the Single Euro Payments Area Regulation and took effect in October 2025.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsPayments and payment systems
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2026-04-01•Australia•Reserve Bank of Australia
The Reserve Bank of Australia released preliminary March estimates for its Index of Commodity Prices, showing a 2.6 per cent monthly increase in Special Drawing Rights terms and 2.1 per cent in Australian dollar terms, with all three subindices higher. Year-on-year, the index rose 12.8 per cent in Special Drawing Rights terms and 3.8 per cent in Australian dollar terms, driven by higher prices for gold, lithium, coking coal and rural commodities, partly offset by lower iron ore and alumina prices. Using spot prices for bulk commodities, the index increased 3.5 per cent in March in Special Drawing Rights terms and was 16.5 per cent higher over the year.
Data & statisticsEconomic data and developments
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2026-04-01•Philippines•Central Bank of the Philippines
The Central Bank of the Philippines’ Peso Real-Time Gross Settlement Management Committee amended Section 1401.15 of the Manual of Regulations for Payment Systems to update incident management requirements for connectivity and system-availability issues affecting Peso RTGS operations. The rules clarify coordination with the Bangko Sentral to identify incident origin, impose stricter timelines and reporting obligations on participants, and set conditions for using alternative settlement mechanisms. The memorandum details available alternatives, including bilateral and multilateral netting, paying-agent arrangements, and business continuity procedures, while allowing the Bangko Sentral to refuse or defer processing of suspicious or non-compliant files.
Policy & regulationRules & requirementsOperational risk and resilience