The Briefing.

The archive

Every issue, on the record.

The full archive is public. Filter by tag to see how a theme developed — enforcement patterns rarely start with the fine.

005

24 August 2026

You send the request, so you own the authorisation

Circular 26EC51, issued 20 August, tells licensed corporations, SFC-licensed VASPs and associated entities that where a payer bank does not ask the account owner to confirm a simplified eDDA setup, the firm that initiated it carries primary responsibility for proving that authorisation — and should verify who owns the account before the money moves.

AMLConductTechnology

004

17 August 2026

Nothing new off the wire — and one mandatory Saturday left

No SFC circular has landed since 29 July, but HKEX's Post Release Test 2 on Saturday 22 August is still mandatory for Exchange Participants and China Connect Exchange Participants under Circular 26EC44 — and it is the last compulsory rehearsal before the backbone cutover.

TechnologyConductAML

003

3 August 2026

Four regulators mapped the system's cyber wiring — and the vendors kept repeating

Joint Circular 26EC45 reports the first run of the HKMA–SFC–IA–MPFA Cyber Mapping exercise: no new systemic surprises, but recurring reliance on the same specialist third-party providers — and the Authorities will now use that map in day-to-day supervision.

TechnologyAll licencesConduct

002

27 July 2026

HKEX's mandatory network tests: two August Saturdays you can't skip

Circular 26EC44 sets HKEX's Post Release Test dates for the securities-market backbone upgrade — PRT 1 on 8 August and PRT 2 on 22 August are mandatory for Exchange Participants.

TechnologyConductProducts

001

13 July 2026

Phishing-resistant logins are now the SFC's baseline

Circular 26EC35 sets the SFC's expected standards for internet brokers and VASPs: robust login authentication, device binding, and surveillance for hijacked accounts.

TechnologyType 1VAAll licences