The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) spearheaded discussions among Asia-Pacific securities regulators to forge broad consensus on the future pathways to address key capital market issues at the regional committee meetings of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

Chaired by the SFC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ms Julia Leung, the IOSCO Asia-Pacific Regional Committee (APRC) met in Sydney, Australia, this week to discuss a wide range of market issues, including the public and private markets, as well as supervisory and enforcement priorities in the region (Note 1). Members also welcomed regional efforts in tackling online scams, and explored the regulatory impact and opportunities from tokenisation and artificial intelligence.

Prior to that, the SFC’s senior executives participated in the APRC Enforcement Directors’ Meeting and the Supervisory Directors’ Meeting on Monday, exchanging experiences and perspectives on various issues, including enforcement and supervisory challenges arising out of technologies (Note 2).

During the EU-Asia Pacific Regulatory Forum yesterday, which was co-chaired by Ms Leung and Ms Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, Deputy Director-General, DG FISMA of the European Commission, regulators discussed regulatory simplification to bring regimes up-to-date and fit-for-purpose while enhancing market efficiency. They also discussed jurisdictional efforts in advancing sustainable finance and the rapid technological transformation in the financial sector.

In her keynote speech at the EU-Asia Financial Services Dialogue of ASIFMA Annual Conference today (Note 3), Ms Leung emphasised that the best approach to address challenges and seize opportunities from growing global fragmentation is to strengthen market resilience by broadening regional markets, embracing technology responsibly, and enhancing cross-border partnerships to spur efficient capital flows. With technological innovation and extreme weather events, she called for closer regional cooperation to tackle common challenges including online scams, digitalisation of finance and sustainable finance.

“The response to today’s shifting global landscape is to double down on market resilience. We must rethink how we build resilience. Resilience is not being passive – it is not only about defence against risks, but also a proactive strategy to build bigger, more sustainable and interconnected market platforms,” said Ms Leung. “For Asia-Pacific, resilience in these times means broadening our markets, embracing technology responsibly, and strengthening cross-border partnerships that enable efficient capital flows even in stressed conditions.”

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Notes:

1. The APRC meetings were hosted by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in Sydney, Australia, from 2 to 4 March 2026. Joining the three-day APRC meetings were Heads of Delegation from 22 jurisdictions in the region as well as IOSCO Board Chair Mr Jean-Paul Servais and IOSCO Secretary General Mr Rodrigo Buenaventura.
2. Dr Eric Yip, Executive Director of Intermediaries Division, and Mr Michael Duignan, Executive Director of Enforcement Division, were the Chairs of the APRC Supervisory and Enforcement Networks, respectively.
3. ASIFMA refers to the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. Ms Leung’s speech can be downloaded from the SFC website.