In this recording of our introductory workshop, Baker McKenzie FinTech Legal Accelerator: Cracking the Legal Code, held as part of the Hong Kong FinTech Week 2020, our lawyers across Asia Pacific give an overview of key fintech issues that start-ups or scale-ups need to know as they grow and expand…

A series of briefings that take a “bite-size” look at international trends in different jurisdictions, drawing on Baker McKenzie’s expert financial services practitioners.

In brief On 3 November 2020, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (“FSTB”) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region launched a consultation1 (“Consultation”) on proposals to enhance anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (“AML/CTF”) regulation in Hong Kong under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (“AMLO”).…

Regulators around the world are responding quickly to the rapidly evolving financial technology, or fintech, landscape. As new or emerging financial products, services or delivery channels may not meet all regulatory requirements, financial regulators internationally have implemented fintech regulatory sandbox regimes as a solution. A sandbox allows financial institutions (FI)…

COVID-19 is making physical meetings more difficult or undesirable, and all of us are regularly using virtual communications. However, in adopting virtual channels to deliver products and services, financial institutions need to work through issues touching on financial regulation, data privacy and technology.

Against the backdrop of an environment of rapid legal changes, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued a Policy Statement and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) published an article in its official column inSight, setting out their respective ongoing approach to regulation. We discuss the Policy Statement and inSight article and their genesis.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has released a Consultation Paper on Enhancing the Regulation and Supervision of Trust Business (Consultation Paper). The HKMA plans to introduce a Code of Practice for Trust Business (Code) to be incorporated into a new Supervisory Policy Manual (SPM) applicable to all authorized institutions (AIs) and local subsidiaries of locally incorporated AIs (AI subsidiaries) conducting trust business in Hong Kong. The aim of the Code is to enhance protection of client assets held on trust and better align with international standards and practices to promote the fair treatment of customers and a customer-centric culture in the trust business. We discuss some of the HKMA’s proposals and their potential application.

A series of briefings that take a ‘bite-size’ look at international trends in different jurisdictions, drawing on Baker McKenzie’s expert financial services practitioners. Global financial regulators are maintaining their focus on the way that fees are disclosed to clients and factors, particularly compensation structures and conflicts of interest, which may…

Business models and consumer patterns have changed substantially in the financial services market driven by and driving digital transformation. Opening accounts online, without physically attending offices or branches, has become part of a new norm and is an essential rather than an additional channel to offer customers convenience. Money laundering and other fraud risks relating to remote customer onboarding have been topics of considerable debate over the past few years. With ongoing technological advances, the risk levels and risk appetites in the online environment are no longer the same. We will highlight a few key developments and trends in Hong Kong.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a profound impact on businesses, companies have started to focus on navigating the medium- to long-term implications of this crisis. While disruption may pose challenges, we have also seen how various sectors are embracing and accelerating digital transformation as a way to achieve…