The Regulatory Landscape In February 2026

The first 2 months of 2026 were eventful in the financial regulatory landscape. Regional governments and institutions are busy prepping their industries with sufficient readiness to align their resources and priorities to further digital resilience.

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong is pushing for harsher crypto and digital asset reporting rules, with penalties up to HKD 10,000 (USD 1,280) for failures in conducting proper due diligence. The Hong Kong government also plans to increase licensing fees for money service operators by up to 15%. These pushes in legislation reflect Hong Kong’s shift towards protecting consumer rights when using monetary services.

Thailand

In Thailand, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a new mandate requiring securities and derivatives business operators to disclose real-time, digital access to investment data for all clients by July 2026 with the goal to support long-term planning. Meanwhile, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) is putting a cap on individuals planning to buy or sell gold online, with a limit of THB 50 million (USD 1.58 million) to curb market volatility in their national currency.

Singapore

Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) is enforcing new rules which would see private organisations phase out the use of NRIC as a means of authentication to lower the risk of unauthorised access to personal data. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is also aiming to boost investor education in trade-offs between risk and return during market volatility as part of their multi-year plan towards market revival.

Indonesia

Lastly, in Indonesia, Bank Indonesia (BI) has officially joined the Nexus project with hopes to achieve more seamless and accessible cross-border transactions. Indonesia's financial intelligence unit (PPATK) also detected IDR 2 quadrillion (USD 134 billion) in STR, particularly in illegal mining, tax evasion and corruption, while also reporting a 20% drop in online gambling. 

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