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Regulatory Watch News

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  FCA and Bank of England set out shared vision for tokenisation in UK wholesale markets

  Bank of England

  May 18, 2026

  UK financial firms can adopt tokenisation and distributed ledger technology (DLT) with greater confidence, as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England set out a shared vision and seek industry views on the future of UK wholesale markets. Tokenisation is the process of creating a digital representation of a real-world asset — such as a share, bond or unit of currency — on a digital ledger. It has the potential to streamline wholesale markets, making everything from issuing securities to managing assets faster and more efficient. Along with greater functionality this could support market efficiency and resilience while lowering costs.

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  Scam alert related to banks

  HKMA

  May 18, 2026

  The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to the press releases issued by the banks listed below relating to fraudulent websites, internet banking login screens, phishing emails or other scams, which have been reported to the HKMA.  Hyperlinks to the press releases are available on the HKMA website.  

  Bank	Type of Scam
  The Bank of East Asia, Limited	Fraudulent website and internet banking login screen
  Shanghai Commercial Bank Limited	Fraudulent website and internet banking login screen
  Chong Hing Bank Limited	Fraudulent website and internet banking login screen
  Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd.	Fraudulent website
  EFG Bank AG	Fraudulent websites and phishing instant messages

   

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  Pacific Police partnerships protecting communities from the harm of organised crime

  Australia Federal Police

  May 18, 2026

  Seventeen tonnes of illicit drugs, mostly cocaine, has been seized by local and international law enforcement in the Pacific since January. That equates to about three tonnes of illicit drugs seized every month since the start of this year. For the entire year in 2025, the total seizure of illicit drugs in the Pacific region was about 4.6 tonnes. The increase is partly because greedy and ruthless narco-gangs are trying to make more money by identifying new ways to traffic illicit drugs. The use of semi-submersible vehicles to cross the Pacific is one example.