Asia News

The Financial Intelligence Unit–India (FIU-IND) remains a pivotal force in safeguarding the integrity of the country’s financial system, playing a central role in efforts to combat money laundering and related illicit activities. Established under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, FIU-IND serves as the national agency tasked with receiving, analysing, and disseminating financial intelligence linked to suspicious financial behaviour. Its core mandate is to detect a

China’s economy expanded more rapidly than analysts had predicted in the first quarter of the year, even as the global economy grappled with the fallout from the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran.   Official figures show that gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 5% compared to the same period last year, exceeding economists’ expectations of around 4.8%.   The stronger-than-anticipated performance comes despite significant disruption caused by the Middle East conflict, whic

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has raised concerns over the growing impact of escalating oil prices on the country’s gaming industry, pointing to ongoing tensions in the Middle East as a key driver behind the surge in fuel costs. According to PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco, these developments are already influencing both operational performance and consumer spending patterns, two critical pillars of the sector’s stability. Addressing att

Authorities in Taiwan have brought charges against 20 individuals accused of participating in a large-scale money laundering operation that allegedly channelled more than TWD33 billion (approximately $1.03 billion) through casinos in Macau. Prosecutors described the operation as the “nation’s first cross-border casino money laundering case”. According to investigators, the scheme involved directing illicit gambling proceeds into credit accounts assigned to designated intermed

On March 17, 2026, the Monetary Authority of Singapore took decisive enforcement action against two former relationship managers implicated in a sprawling three-billion-dollar money laundering scandal, issuing strict prohibition orders that underscore the city-state’s zero-tolerance stance on financial misconduct. Wang Qiming was handed a sweeping sixteen-year ban, while Liu Kai received a seven-year prohibition, both following their criminal convictions in late 2025. These s

Banking institutions in Hong Kong are increasingly turning to advanced automated technologies to manage the growing complexities of corporate oversight. A notable example of this shift is the collaboration between DBS Bank Hong Kong and Know Your Customer Limited, which illustrates how anti-money laundering frameworks are being modernized in a rapidly evolving financial environment. By embedding artificial intelligence into its onboarding systems, the bank is working to remov

Central Bank of Sri Lanka has issued a significant warning through a newly released national report highlighting a sharp rise in the risks associated with money laundering and terrorism financing during the 2024 and 2025 period. The update, prepared by the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit of Sri Lanka, concludes that Sri Lanka now faces a high level of threat from illicit proceeds generated by drug trafficking, while the risk related to extremist financing has been eleva

Authorities in Jakarta, Indonesia, have intensified their efforts to combat illegal online gambling, announcing a major crackdown on 132 online casino websites and freezing hundreds of billions of rupiah in related financial transactions.   According to officials, law enforcement agencies have temporarily blocked bank transactions totaling 255.75 billion rupiah, equivalent to about $15.2 million, as part of an ongoing campaign against digital gambling networks.   In an offici