Asia-Pacific
Banking and finance news from China, Japan, India, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific
China sees record panda bond issuance in 2026
China's onshore market saw 26.64 billion yuan of panda bonds sold in May, pushing issuance in the first five months to a record, with 11 foreign entities issuing 14 yuan-denominated securities as foreign borrowers increased activity.
HKMA says banks have implemented new account rules for mainland investors
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said mainland customers can still open accounts after banks put in place a May circular tightening checks on mainland Chinese investment accounts.
DBS enables Singapore users to top up Weixin Pay RMB wallets
DBS enabled Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and foreigners residing in Singapore to transfer funds to Weixin Pay through DBS Remit on digibank, allowing them to fund the RMB e-wallet used in Weixin and WeChat.
Indian brokers seek market-maker carve-out after RBI tightens bank lending norms
Broker associations asked the RBI and the Industry Standards Forum for a carve-out for hedged liquidity providers after the RBI required 100% cash collateral for bank facilities used for proprietary trading.
CBI searches officials' premises in ₹661 crore IDFC First and AU Small Finance Bank funds case
The CBI searched premises of senior Haryana officials and a Noida consultancy in its probe into the alleged diversion of government funds held at IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank.
India exempts foreign investors from tax on government securities income
An ordinance promulgated on 5 June removes tax on interest and capital gains from government securities for foreign institutional investors and the BIS, backdated to income from 1 April 2026.
Pakistan's SECP fines 36 state-owned firms over governance non-compliance issues
Pakistan's securities regulator fined 36 state-owned enterprises a total of Rs3.175 million for non-compliance and governance violations, imposing penalties for breaches of corporate governance and regulatory requirements.
Kazakhstan central bank cuts base rate to 17 percent in first cut since 2024
Kazakhstan's central bank cut its base rate to 17 percent, its first cut since 2024, as inflation slowed to 10.4 percent in May.
Gold overtakes US Treasuries in global official reserves on price gains, ECB says
Gold made up 27% of official reserves at end-2025 against 22% for US Treasuries, largely because of higher prices, the ECB said; China has bought over 350 tonnes since 2022.
China and Russia's shift from the dollar exposes payment frictions, banker says
China and Russia had largely shifted bilateral trade settlement out of the US dollar, but cross-border payment bottlenecks persisted as Chinese banks managed exposure to US sanctions, Sberbank first deputy chairman Alexander Vedyakhin said, according to the South China Morning Post.
India's RBI proposes more flexibility for banks pricing rupee bulk deposits
The Reserve Bank of India issued draft directions that would give banks greater flexibility to price rupee bulk deposits, while ensuring uniformity in the disclosure of interest rates on deposits.
India's forex reserves stand at $682.3 billion, RBI governor says
India's foreign exchange reserves were $682.3 billion as of May 29, 2026, the Reserve Bank of India governor said, adequate to cover about 11 months of imports and 89.1 percent of external debt.