The Banking Commission of the Central African Republic published the successful candidates for its middle management recruitment examination.
Indonesia's Financial Services Authority installed Triyoga Laksito as head of its North Sumatra office and completed the main structure of a new seven-story regional building. The changes are intended to strengthen supervision, consumer protection, financial access and coordination with local stakeholders.
The Thailand Office of Insurance Commission is overseeing a potential THB 5 million travel insurance claim following Hlun Solo’s death in Georgia. Coverage applies to accidental death or murder, but not illness, so payment awaits the official cause of death and complete claim documents. Sompo Insurance will also cover costs associated with repatriating the body to Thailand.
The Parliament of Montenegro has reappointed Zorica Kalezić as vice governor of the Central Bank of Montenegro. Her work has focused on payment system modernization, including SEPA accession and instant payment infrastructure, as well as negotiations on European integration.
Hong Kong has prohibited licensed money lenders from requesting loan referees and introduced debt servicing ratio caps of 35% or 40% for unsecured personal loans to lower-income borrowers. From June 1, 2027, affected lenders must submit borrower information to Credit Data Smart and meet specified requirements to access credit data for loan assessments.
The Central Bank of Nicaragua reported that public deposits grew 14.4% and gross credit rose 11.2% year over year through June 2026. Capital adequacy stood at 19.3%, while the past-due loan ratio increased to 1.4% from 1.1% a year earlier.
The Central Bank of Costa Rica has published an interactive monthly index for analyzing residential unit starts and changes in the country’s residential construction activity.
El Salvador’s Economic Activity Volume Index grew 5.6% year over year in May 2026, its fifth consecutive month of growth of at least 4%. Construction led the expansion at 9.7%, while agriculture contracted 0.7% amid adverse climatic conditions.
The Central Reserve Bank of Peru reported that private-sector liquidity grew 16.4% year over year and 0.3% month over month in June 2026. Private-sector deposits increased 16.8% annually, led by demand and savings deposits.
Argentina plans to submit legislation allowing insurers to offer products without prior regulatory approval. The Superintendency of Insurance would focus on insurer solvency and protecting policyholders from fraud.
Federal Reserve Board analysis finds that a commodity boom can make monetary policy more restrictive even when the policy rate falls, if lower sovereign risk premiums reduce the neutral rate by more. In the baseline simulation, the natural rate falls about 50 basis points and the policy rate declines about 20 basis points, while removing the commodity-spread channel produces a roughly 30-basis-point rate increase.
Eight Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee opposed the Trump administration’s proposed Community Reinvestment Act rule. They argued that it would undermine housing development, community investment and efforts to combat redlining.
The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission urged MSMEs to incorporate and access capital-market financing, supported by guidance on registration, governance and compliance. It also highlighted discounts of 75% on corporate document requests, 20% on registration fees and 25% on certain capital increase amendments.
U.S. federal banking agencies will provide temporary BSA enforcement relief for authorized financial services supporting humanitarian relief and economic recovery in Venezuela from July 31, 2026, through Jan. 29, 2027. Relief is conditional on continued reasonable BSA compliance, no relevant final enforcement action in the prior 24 months and compliance with applicable OFAC sanctions and authorizations.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Agricultural Advisory Committee reviewed Basel III, potential gaps in agricultural risk management tools and developments in round-the-clock and emerging markets. Discussions also covered the Commitments of Traders Report and perpetual futures, with no formal policy action announced.
The Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission created a Financial Technology Division and formalized internal responsibilities for advanced analytics and ethical, responsible AI use. The division will initially support the 2026-2027 securities tokenization project, the next regulatory sandbox round and engagement with international fintech discussions.
The Moroccan Capital Market Authority approved Veolia Environnement’s employee-only offering of up to 14,834,468 new shares. Eligible employees in Morocco may subscribe from Aug. 1 to Aug. 4, 2026, at EUR 31.33 per share, equivalent to MAD 335.25.
The Bank of Greece reported that average rates on new loans and deposits were broadly unchanged in June 2026 at 4.65% and 0.36%, respectively. The average rate on outstanding loans rose by 11 basis points to 4.74%, widening the spread over outstanding deposit rates to 4.39 percentage points.
The Central Bank of Barbados revised its 2026 growth forecast to about 2 percent after first-half growth of 1.4 percent fell short of expectations. A second-half pickup in tourism and investment is expected, but weaker U.S. demand, elevated external costs and project delays remain risks. Near-term inflation is forecast at 2 percent to 3 percent, while reserves and banking-sector buffers are expected to remain strong.
The Angola Capital Markets Commission reviewed domestic capital market developments through the second quarter of 2026 at the launch of an advanced training program. It highlighted growth in supervised entities, collective investment undertakings and the investor base, alongside measures under its 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) held its monetary policy rate at 5.25% in July, citing robust domestic activity and oil-driven inflation pressures, with inflation expected to return to its 4.0% ± 1.0% target range in the fourth quarter. Annual inflation reached 5.67% in June, while 2026 growth was projected near the upper end of the 4.0%-4.5% range.
The Central Bank of Malta reported that economic activity moderated but remained broadly in line with its historical average, supported by strong tourism and consumer confidence. Inflation fell to 2.0% in June, while the May fiscal balance moved into deficit because of tax-receipt timing and higher capital spending. Residents’ deposits grew 6.7% and credit expanded 7.6% year over year in May.
The National Credit Union Administration permanently prohibited former Educators Credit Union employee Jordan L. McCarthy from participating in the affairs of any federally insured depository institution. The order follows convictions for misappropriating identification information and financial institution fraud involving USD 10,000 to USD 100,000.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem responded to Canadian Labour Congress President Bea Bruske regarding the central bank’s ongoing labor dispute with the union representing its Security Officers.
The Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency of Türkiye clarified that claims investigators are limited to examining insurance abuse and suspicious claims. Determining the amount, causes or characteristics of losses and performing related appraisal work remain the exclusive remit of insurance adjusters.
The Central Bank of Paraguay’s BCP Educa program trained 1,690 students, teachers and members of the public during May, June and July. Sessions across seven areas covered banking, personal finance, insurance and capital markets.
The Central Bank of Luxembourg reported an 8% decline in total assets to EUR 240 billion and a EUR 58.1 million loss before provisions for 2025. A matching provision release produced a balanced result, while net interest income fell sharply to EUR 204 million and statutory pension funding contributions rose to EUR 66 million.
The National Bank of Georgia has warned that companies promising returns from cryptoasset trading may be operating financial pyramid schemes. Investors should assess each company’s reliability and solvency and verify its regulatory status, as financial terminology in a company name does not indicate authorization by the central bank.
The Central Bank of Russia received nearly 211,000 consumer and investor complaints in the first half of 2026, up 15.7% year on year, mainly because of a 63% increase in complaints against microfinance organizations and more matters outside its remit. Complaints about bank transaction denials and account restrictions rose 32.7%, while complaints declined across car and mortgage lending, cyberfraud, insurance and investment services.
The National Bank of Moldova reported that financial-sector risks remained contained as of March 31, 2026, although bank lending continued to outpace GDP growth. The assessment supported the previously announced 2.5% countercyclical capital buffer, while liquidity, market and systemic institution risks remained low. The National Bank also strengthened anti-fraud controls and issued recommendations to financial-sector participants.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation published 15 administrative enforcement orders issued in June 2026, including penalties, prohibitions and insurance terminations. No administrative hearings are scheduled for August 2026.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation proposed raising key insider lending caps to USD 400,000 for specified executive officer credit and USD 2 million for credit requiring prior board approval. The limits would remain subject to capital-based thresholds, be indexed to nominal GDP every five years and align with the Federal Reserve Board’s Regulation O proposal.
The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan revoked Bank BTB’s banking license and licensed its successor, T-Kredit, as a non-bank credit institution. Bank BTB’s assets, liabilities, deposits and loan portfolio were transferred to the International Bank of Azerbaijan without changing customer contract terms.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency proposed CRA changes that would focus evaluations on lending and raise the large-bank threshold to more than USD 10 billion. Banks with USD 10 billion or less would generally avoid CRA data requirements, while large-bank grants would face a 15% cap on recipients’ indirect costs. Comments are due 60 days after Federal Register publication.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation proposed Community Reinvestment Act changes focused on lending, targeted community development funding and reduced bank burden. Banks with USD 10 billion or less in assets would be exempt from data-related requirements, while deposit services would be excluded from retail banking service evaluations.
The Federal Reserve Board proposed modernizing rules for depositor-owned mutual banking organizations. The changes would clarify eligible regulatory capital instruments, reduce procedural burdens and give certain mutual banks greater capital-raising flexibility. Comments are due 60 days after Federal Register publication.
The Federal Reserve Board has proposed modernizing Regulation O by updating and indexing thresholds for credit extended to bank insiders. The proposal would simplify the rule and address passive investment fund interests while retaining safeguards against preferential treatment. Comments are due 60 days after Federal Register publication.
The Superintendency of Banks of Panama reported that International Banking Center deposits rose 7.69% year over year to USD 121.866 billion in the first half of 2026, while net lending increased 3.81% to USD 103.512 billion. External activity drove much of the expansion, and liquidity and capital ratios remained above regulatory minimums.
The Portuguese Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisory Authority introduced registration of meetings and hearings with legitimate interest representatives from July 28, 2026, and adopted the applicable statutory code of conduct.
The Portuguese Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisory Authority is recruiting a permanent insurance mediation supervision technician, with applications due by the end of Aug. 19, 2026.
The Central Bank of Colombia will gradually accumulate up to USD 4 billion in international reserves through monthly put-option auctions. The first auction, capped at USD 400 million, is scheduled for Aug. 3, 2026, with exercise conditional on the market exchange rate falling below its 20-business-day moving average.
The G7 Cyber Expert Group concluded a cross-border exercise simulating a large-scale cyberattack across all G7 jurisdictions. It also adopted a long-term strategy to increase the frequency and consistency of simulations involving financial authorities.
The Brazil Securities Commission reported BRL 420 billion in first-half securities issuance, up 10.8% year over year, with equity offerings reaching BRL 25.5 billion and the first initial public offering since 2021. Its second-quarter risk assessment also showed higher liquidity risk, driven mainly by wider bid-ask spreads amid weaker foreign equity inflows.
The European Supervisory Authorities called for consistent, risk-based supervision of cyber risks arising from frontier AI models. Financial entities should maintain robust governance and risk management frameworks, while DORA oversight of critical ICT third-party providers will also address these risks.
The European Banking Federation urged the removal of the Fees and Commissions KPI and the Trading Book KPI from EU Taxonomy disclosures in its response to an European Banking Authority consultation.
Uganda's Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development brought institutional leaders together to address the country's private climate finance gap. Participants agreed to pursue a CEO declaration, form a private sector taskforce, and prioritize financing opportunities and regulatory barriers.
Uganda’s Ministry of Finance said the economy had reached about USD 70 billion and would need to grow roughly sevenfold to meet the USD 500 billion target within 15 years. It identified weak domestic revenue mobilization as the main risk and outlined reforms covering tax collection, procurement, project delivery, concessional borrowing and value-added production.
Kazakhstan's financial regulator held talks with Chinese authorities and major banks on closer cooperation in banking, insurance, digital assets and central bank digital currencies. Discussions also covered expanding Chinese banks' activities and increasing financing, investment and capital market activity in Kazakhstan. The country's three banks with Chinese participation hold KZT 2.8 trillion in assets, equal to 3.8% of banking system assets.
The regulator reissued Kazakhstan Housing Company JSC's license to conduct certain types of banking operations.
Kazakhstan’s financial market regulator outlined a preventive conduct supervision framework focused on responsible lending, transparent sales and protection from unwanted services. The measures prohibit preselected consent, protect borrowers’ choice of insurer and require firms to revise sales-based remuneration. The agency will monitor implementation of its guidance and may introduce additional legal requirements.
The Reserve Bank of India has required banks to strengthen counterfeit-note controls after finding inadequate efforts at some institutions. Banks must train cash-handling staff, equip branches in international-border districts with authentication or sorting machines and use counterfeit-note data to identify hotspots. Key compliance deadlines run from Sept. 15 to Nov. 7, 2026.
The Reserve Bank of India issued 64 consolidated supervisory Master Directions covering 11 categories of regulated entities and repealed 628 circulars with immediate effect. The directions consolidate existing requirements on an “as is” basis and will serve as the Department of Supervision’s sole instruction library. Prior actions under repealed instructions remain governed by those provisions.
The Malta Financial Services Authority is consulting on governance, eligibility, due diligence and reporting rules for notified aircraft financial leasing companies. The framework would require approved due diligence providers, ongoing fit and proper assessments, and anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism controls.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission approved Dalian Commodity Exchange coke options and will oversee preparations for their launch and operation.
The Angola Capital Markets Commission trained Agricultural Development Support Fund employees on Angola’s capital market structure, financial instruments and investor risk profiles. The workshop also covered the licensing, supervision, regulation and tax treatment of collective investment undertakings.
The Angola Capital Markets Commission discussed capital market financing for small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs at a national youth employment conference. It outlined available financing mechanisms and explained how individuals and businesses can participate in the capital market.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas updated its list of cancelled and replaced registration documents as of the first quarter of 2026. Authorized Agent Banks and their affiliated foreign exchange corporations must not honor listed documents for foreign exchange purchases related to capital repatriation or remittance of earnings.
The Market Misconduct Tribunal found Sir Dickson Poon and Equity Advantage culpable of insider dealing in Dickson Concepts shares and found the listed company in breach of inside information disclosure requirements. The case involved 2,756,500 shares purchased before disclosure of a transaction that entitled Dickson Concepts to about HKD 1.15 billion in cash. Sanctions will be determined later.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority published an HKICL warning about fraudulent websites purporting to provide buyer protection services for FPS transactions. HKICL is not affiliated with the sites and urged the public to remain alert and report suspected fraud.
The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan discussed artificial intelligence adoption and digitalization challenges with banking executives. Feedback from the roundtable will inform the future direction of the banking sector’s digital development.
The Central Bank of Russia reported that the monitored maximum ruble deposit rate rose during July 2026. The rate increased from 12.79% in the first 10 days to 12.85% in the final period.
The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic is consulting on regulatory amendments covering lending processes, remote financial services and credit risk management. The proposals seek to improve financial access for individuals and businesses, with comments due by Aug. 17, 2026.
The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic fined a Kyrgyz citizen KGS 17,500 for conducting unlicensed cash foreign exchange operations.
The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic fined one commercial bank KGS 13.6 million for failing to meet legal requirements for its internal control system.
The National Bank of Moldova has opened registration for a free financial education camp for people over age 16, with applications due by Aug. 6, 2026. The program will cover financial decision-making, digital services and payment security, and will introduce mentoring by senior women in the financial and banking sector.
The Central Bank of Cyprus published sector-level financial assets and liabilities for the quarter ended March 2026.
The South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority imposed ZAR 2.8 billion in penalties on 76 people and entities during 2025/26, up from ZAR 119.8 million in the previous reporting period. The increase largely reflected sanctions for material financial services law breaches, market abuse and anti-money laundering compliance failures.
The European Supervisory Authorities called on financial entities to strengthen proportionate prevention, detection and management controls for cyber risks from frontier AI models. Firms should establish clear governance, update risk appetite and resilience arrangements, and enhance continuous monitoring and incident response. AI-related risks will also inform oversight of critical ICT third-party providers in 2027.
The South African Reserve Bank reported that annual private-sector credit growth slowed to 7.80% in June, while M3 money supply declined by ZAR 12.012 billion during the month. Gross foreign reserves fell to USD 74.115 billion.
The National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine warned investors about fraud involving high-return promises, pressure tactics, remote device access and fake investment platforms. It urged investors to understand the product and risks before transferring funds and to check its public list of questionable investment projects.
The National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine said the virtual assets bill is nearing completion and undergoing final interagency and European compliance reviews. The MiCA-based framework will allocate responsibilities between the commission and the National Bank of Ukraine and establish licensing, supervisory and client asset protection requirements.
The Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency of Türkiye published written entrance examination results and identified candidates eligible for the oral stage, whose date and venue will be announced separately.
The EBA-ECB-EIOPA Data Point Model Alliance is consulting on DPM 2.1 enhancements to support integrated EU statistical and supervisory reporting. The proposal strengthens metadata versioning and adds support for logical data models, while new naming conventions seek to improve consistency across reporting frameworks. Comments are due by Sept. 30, 2026.
The European Central Bank found that oil price increases pass through rapidly and fully in absolute terms to euro area pre-tax pump prices, while fixed taxes moderate the percentage impact on consumers. Refining constraints linked to the Middle East conflict amplified the 2026 shock, helping lift diesel prices from EUR 1.63 per litre in late February to EUR 2.18 in early April. Renewed escalation pushed prices higher again in July.
The Latvian Ministry of Finance has proposed allowing AML-regulated entities to access customer due diligence data from multiple state registers through the DAGR platform. Existing access channels and fees would remain unchanged, and the consultation closes on Aug. 15, 2026.
The Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway has adopted regulations implementing supplementary EU crowdfunding requirements and Norway’s Crowdfunding Act from Aug. 1. The rules address authorization, governance, investor information, credit and risk assessment, reporting and supervisory cooperation.
The Reserve Bank of Australia reported total assets and liabilities of AUD 360.844 billion as of July 29, up AUD 646 million. Australian dollar investments increased by AUD 4.045 billion, while gold and foreign exchange declined by AUD 3.062 billion.
The Reserve Bank of India has introduced an immediately effective cybersecurity, technology risk and resilience framework for commercial banks. It strengthens board and management accountability, mandates continuous security monitoring and detailed controls over systems and third parties, and requires cyber incidents to be reported within six hours. Critical systems are subject to vulnerability assessments at least every six months, annual penetration testing and half-yearly disaster recovery drills.
The Single Resolution Board found that Banking Union banks improved across all seven resolvability dimensions, although gaps remain in areas including valuation, separability and transferability, and communication. Testing will become the primary assessment tool, with 214 tests planned across 78 banks in 2026 under multiannual programs running through 2028.
The Central Bank of Oman opened an exhibition tracing the development of the country’s monetary system and national currency. Running through Sept. 3, 2026, it features historical banknotes and coins and displays on successive currency issues and their security features.
The Central Bank of Seychelles has revoked Best Exchange’s bureau de change licence with effect from April 5, 2026, requiring it to cease all foreign exchange activities. The central bank’s board upheld the decision on July 21 following an appeal.
The Guernsey Financial Services Commission has directed businesses to review relationships following UN amendments to five Taliban sanctions entries. The individuals remain subject to an asset freeze, arms embargo and travel ban, with affected assets requiring immediate freezing and findings requiring prompt reporting.
European Central Bank Banking Supervision found that most of the 110 participating banks could model geopolitical shocks meaningfully, but identified gaps in scenario sensitivity, solvency-liquidity interactions and the realism of mitigating actions. Bank-specific deficiencies may affect Pillar 2 requirements through the supervisory review, while Pillar 2 guidance will remain unchanged.
The agency approved senior appointments at KMF-Demeu Corporate Fund and Alatau City Bank on July 29 and 30, respectively.
The European Central Bank reported that the composite cost of new corporate borrowing rose 15 basis points to 3.79% in June 2026, while the household mortgage rate was broadly unchanged at 3.51%. Term deposit rates increased to 2.21% for corporations and 2.09% for households.
The Bank of Central African States is seeking suppliers of banknote counting and valuation machines for its centers through an open international tender.
The Bulgarian National Bank set 2025 supervisory and resolution fees totaling EUR 20.609 million, including EUR 16.319 million for banking supervision.
Taiwanese banks’ derivatives turnover rose 20.48% from May to TWD 26,065.8 billion in June 2026, mainly because of higher foreign exchange swap activity. Foreign exchange contracts represented 83.67% of turnover, while domestic banks accounted for 71.58%.
The Bulgarian National Bank will require credit institutions and credit purchasers to file reports even when no non-performing loan claims were transferred during the reporting period.
The National Bank of Georgia launched an economic data portal and an interactive inflation report. The tools provide customizable time series, charts and tables covering key economic statistics and inflation trends, with options to download the results.
The South Korea Financial Services Commission approved rules bringing all electronic financial business operators within financial conglomerate internal control and risk management requirements. The change covers operators outside the financial and insurance category under the Korean Standard Industrial Classification, closing a regulatory gap.
South Korea's Financial Services Commission suspended Lotte Card's new-customer card business from Aug. 1 to Sept. 15, 2026, and imposed a KRW 5 billion fine after a breach affecting 2.97 million customers. Existing customers may continue using most services, while the authorities pursue tougher penalties and stronger security governance for financial firms.
South Korea's Financial Services Commission approved stricter duplicate-listing rules and guidelines effective August 3. Shareholder approval will be mandatory for listings of subsidiaries created through spin-offs, while other subsidiary listings without approval will face stricter review. The framework retains the 3% voting cap and strengthens parent board special committee independence.
South Korea's Financial Services Commission imposed KRW 1.2534 billion in penalties on two companies, former officers and audit firms for accounting violations and inadequate audit procedures. Separate sanctions include designated auditors, audit engagement restrictions and additional contributions to damages compensation funds.
South Korea's Financial Services Commission has ordered 10 registered electronic financial businesses that breached prudential standards to raise capital by Jan. 31, 2027, with Travel Wallet also required to improve profitability through business restructuring. The first action under the revised Electronic Financial Transactions Act does not restrict current operations, but noncompliance may lead to partial or full suspension.
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission retained five banks and five bank holding companies as systemically important for 2027. The banks remain subject to an additional 1.0% common equity capital requirement, while designated institutions must submit recovery plans within three months.
The Bank of Thailand reported broadly stable economic activity in June, while the economy slowed in the second quarter of 2026 as higher energy prices and Middle East-related travel disruptions weakened tourism and consumption. Technology-related exports, data center investment and government measures provided support, but manufacturing production declined.
The Bank of Slovenia’s stress tests found that banks would maintain sound capital adequacy and exceed minimum requirements even under an adverse geopolitical and energy shock scenario. Reverse stress tests based on a 300-basis-point decline in capital ratios also found banks’ scenarios generally reasonable and credible.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission has published a joint governance framework for financial institutions that targets clearer responsibilities, stronger controls and stricter risk management by 2029. It tightens oversight of shareholders, boards, remuneration, related-party transactions and internal controls. Regulators will use risk-based, look-through supervision and early intervention for major governance deficiencies.
The National Bank of Moldova reported that MIA Instant Payments has processed more than 31 million transactions worth about MDL 28.5 billion and registered over 985,000 unique users. More than 11,000 businesses use the system, while person-to-government payments exceeded MDL 64 million in their first year. Business-to-business transfers are planned as a further use case.