Asia-Pacific
Banking and finance news from China, Japan, India, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific
Kazakhstan's central bank signs memorandum with Binance to build regional settlement hub
The National Bank of Kazakhstan said on 7 September it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Binance Investments Co. to develop a regional settlement hub serving Central Asia, the CIS and Eastern Europe.
China's finance ministry leads 360 billion yuan capital injection into eight state banks, insurers
Eight state-owned Chinese financial institutions disclosed plans to raise or receive a combined 360 billion yuan, roughly $53.6 billion, with 300 billion yuan funded by special treasury bonds.
Hong Kong Monetary Authority releases taxonomy phase 2B prototype for public consultation
The HKMA published a Phase 2B prototype of the Hong Kong Taxonomy for consultation, adding 10 new activities and 24 adaptation measures, 11 of them whitelisted.
Philippine SEC clears GCash parent Mynt's PHP 92.3 billion IPO ahead of October listing
The Philippine SEC approved Mynt's registration statement for an IPO of up to PHP 92.32 billion, with listing planned for 20 October under the ticker GCASH.
Barclays launches Singapore booking centre, plans to more than double Singapore private banker headcount by 2030
Barclays said on Friday it would more than double the banker headcount in its Singapore private bank by 2030, launching a booking centre in the city-state as Asia-Pacific client assets head towards $154.3 trillion.
Japan's FSA to inspect roughly 400 shinkin banks and credit cooperatives over government bond paper losses
Japan's Financial Services Agency is launching inspections of about 400 shinkin banks, credit cooperatives and other regional lenders over unrealised losses on government bond holdings, with the review targeted for completion by March 2027.
Bank of Thailand approves draft BNPL licensing rules for fourth-quarter 2026 rollout
Thailand's central bank said its financial institutions policy board has approved draft rules requiring buy-now-pay-later lenders to hold a licence, capping credit lines at 20,000 baht per borrower.
Asian banks resume Gulf lending in August as borrowers seek over $6.8 billion
Asian lenders resumed financing Gulf borrowers in August, backing deals for borrowers including Qatar National Bank, Boubyan Bank and Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund, with Gulf financing requests totalling more than $6.8 billion.
ICBC lists USD 713 million dual-currency green bond on Nasdaq Dubai
ICBC has listed a dual-currency green bond on Nasdaq Dubai comprising a USD 300 million three-year FRN and a CNH 2.8 billion fixed tranche, together worth USD 713 million.
APRA imposes A$50 million capital add-on and licence conditions on ING Bank Australia over liquidity breaches
Australia's APRA has imposed a A$50 million operational risk capital add-on and new licence conditions on ING Bank Australia after material breaches of liquidity requirements.
Destry Damayanti sworn in as Bank Indonesia's first woman governor for 2026-2031 term
Indonesia's Parliament has approved Destry Damayanti as the first woman Governor of Bank Indonesia; she was sworn in on 2 September 2026 for the 2026-2031 term.
RBNZ raises official cash rate 25 bp to 2.75% as fuel-driven inflation lingers
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand lifted the OCR to 2.75% on 2 September, its second consecutive increase, and said rates may need to rise further.