ASIC and the New Digital Assets Framework 2026

VARA at 5x, Kenya at $3.86M, FSCA at 300: Middle East and Africa Build Four Distinct Crypto Regulatory Frameworks

Between January and April 2026, four MEA
jurisdictions advanced separate digital asset regimes, positioning the region
as a regulatory contender alongside the EU MiCA, the US SEC/CFTC framework, an...

From SCA to CMA: The Essential Framework for Foreign FX & CFD Brokers Entering the UAE Mainland

In recent times, another CFD broker received Category 1 and 2 licences in the UAE from the CMA. This occurred just over a year after the firm obtained a Category 5 licence. What do these categories...

FCA Proposes 2026/27 Fee Changes. What Does It Mean for UK Companies?

400 Platforms, 13 Million Accounts, Four Deadlines: APAC Rewrites Digital Asset Rules in a Single Quarter

Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea are simultaneously overhauling their digital asset regulatory
frameworks between April and June 2026, creating the most concentrated period
...

Fraud Watch: March 2026

Towards Integrated Financial Supervision: An Analysis of the SEC–CFTC Memorandum of Understanding

The SEC and CFTC signed a new agreement to better coordinate oversight across securities, derivatives, and digital markets, aiming to streamline supervision as financial products increasingly span ...

ESMA Targets Simpler Retail Investing Journey. What MiFID Changes Could Mean for Brokers.

ESMA aims to simplify retail investing by reducing regulatory friction and making rules more user-friendly and aligned with how investors engage with financial services.

FCA Squares the Circle on UK CFD Sector, Adding Resilience Rules to a Growing Compliance Stack

New incident and third-party reporting requirements, confirmed today, land on top of Consumer Duty enforcement, client categorisation reform, and an escalating finfluencer crackdown. FM Intell...

AMF Study Finds AI Is Now Mainstream in French Financial Markets. What Does It Mean for The industry?

An AMF study shows AI is rapidly becoming standard in the French financial sector, with most firms already using or planning to use it, while regulators focus on how these systems are governed, sup...

Welcome to Your New Compliance Intelligence Hub

Welcome to the FM Intelligence Portal, your go-to hub for compliance updates, market intelligence, and regulatory insights, helping you stay ahead of trends and make confident strategic decisions.

ESMA Says Crypto Perpetual Futures Are CFDs, Targeting a $60 Trillion Market

ESMA's February 2026 public statement classified perpetual futures as contracts for difference under existing EU law, applying 2:1 leverage caps and the full CFD compliance framework to a product...

The Industrialization of Deception: Regulators Pivot as AI-Enabled Fraud Hits Record $17B

IOSCO and the FCA have launched a global initiative to combat AI-enabled fraud in retail capital markets, signaling a shift toward technology-driven tools to protect investors as fraud techniques e...

FCA’s AI Review: What Could Change in Financial Markets and Why Fintech Firms Should Care

ESMA’s New Digital Strategy: What Changes in 2026 and Why Industry Should Care

ESMA’s Digital Strategy signals a shift toward digitally driven supervision, with the regulator increasingly shaping the technological infrastructure underlying EU financial market oversight.

CFD Brokers Face Reckoning as India's $34 Billion Retail Loss Triggers Global Regulatory Blueprint

SEBI's 20-month crackdown offers preview of data-driven enforcement coming to Western markets. Major brokers already exited India as 91% loss rate prompts unprecedented intervention with...

Half of Australia’s CFD Sector Broke the Rules. Now ASIC Wants Its Money Back.

Australia's financial regulator uncovered widespread rule-breaking across its entire CFD industry.

Why Bad Data, Not Bad Intentions, Is Behind Most Compliance Failures

An analysis of five years of FCA enforcement actions reveals a systemic blind spot. Financial institutions keep getting fined not for lacking compliance frameworks, but for failing to verify, updat...

UK CFD Brokers Face Biggest Regulatory Shake-Up Since 2019

The Financial Conduct Authority is pushing for unified risk-based regulation across all speculative products, with the March 6, 2026 consultation deadline fast approaching.

CFD Broker Costs May Rise 60-80% Under CySEC 2026 Proposals

CySEC's 2026 fee overhaul - if in force - might increase CFD broker compliance costs by 60-128% across licensing, supervision, and regulatory categories, with typical operators facing...