Risk & Compliance

With the majority of chief financial officer appointments at firms listed in Apac going to first-timers, Paul Golden examines the key issues such as technology and strategy that these newcomers need to address to hit the ground running.

With a new PCC framework for captive insurance and the launch of the SAFR AI governance toolkit, Singapore's regulator is moving aggressively to reinforce the city-state's financial infrastructure against emerging risks.

The Reserve Bank of Australia said the cash rate remains its primary policy tool, but new guidance sets out how it could deploy additional monetary tools to respond and prepare for future crises, such as another pandemic on the scale of Covid-19.

Asian corporates are looking beyond preconceptions about the role of fractional chief financial officers amid a global talent shortage and, in particular, among smaller firms with a close eye on costs. Paul Golden reports.

Amid a strong bond market, the government is prioritising taxes, tax agreements and talent, to encourage more firms, including from Belt and Road countries, to set-up treasury centres in the SAR; proposals will be sent to LegCo in 2027.

As the war in Iran drags on, the Small Industries Development Bank of India has been handed a capital infusion to improve credit flow to MSMEs in rural areas, support technology initiatives and to partner with local banks.

Philip Kam, APLMA's CEO, believes that SLLs shouldn't "drown businesses in paperwork".

The central bank has tightened rules on cash purchases of foreign currency to help stabilise the rupiah; government spending in Q1 helped spur the country's strongest GDP in several years.

As geopolitical shocks compress planning horizons and AI reshapes finance, Asia's finance professionals are rebuilding and reassessing their functions, said an expert panel from Henderson Land, Chai Tai Fook Enterprises and SF Supply Chain.

From supply chain disruptions, shifting assumptions around rates and tenant fragility, CFOs and treasurers are dealing with the ripple effects of uncertainty across balance sheets, according to a panel at CTWeek.

As oil prices soar, one senior economist argues the currency is "adjusting to a new global equilibrium". Foreign investors pulled over $10bn from Indian shares in March and the RBI is introducing controls on banks' FX positions.

The war in the Middle East is causing market volatility leaving Apac treasurers and finance professionals needing to check a large number of variables.