News Centre

Bank Of England: Bank Rate Held At 0.25%, Government Bond Purchases At £435bn And Corporate Bond Purchases At Up To £10bn

Date 16/03/2017

Monetary policy summary

Available as: PDF

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target, and in a way that helps to sustain growth and employment.  At its meeting ending on 15 March 2017, the Committee voted by a majority of 8-1 to maintain Bank Rate at 0.25%.  The Committee voted unanimously to continue with the programme of sterling non-financial investment-grade corporate bond purchases, financed by the issuance of central bank reserves, totalling up to £10 billion.  The Committee also voted unanimously to maintain the stock of UK government bond purchases, financed by the issuance of central bank reserves, at £435 billion.

Japan's Financial Services Agecy And National Association Of Insurance Commissioners Held The Seventh Meeting Of The Insurance Regulatory Dialogue

Date 16/03/2017

On March 13, 2017, the Financial Services Agecy (FSA) and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) held the seventh Insurance Regulatory Dialogue in Tokyo to discuss the common regulatory issues and facilitate regulatory cooperations.

Middle East Sustainable Investment Forum (SIF) Launch Event Round Table

Date 16/03/2017

EEX Launches Swiss Day Futures With First Trades

Date 16/03/2017

The European Energy Exchange (EEX) successfully extended its product offering on the power derivatives market by launching Swiss Power Base Day and Weekend Futures on Wednesday.

HKFE Announces Revised Margins For Futures Contracts

Date 16/03/2017

Please be advised that pursuant to Exchange Rule 617(d) and HKCC Rule 402, the Exchange and the Clearing House have determined that with effect from the commencement of trading on Monday, 20 March 2017, the margin levels of the following Futures Contracts shall be as follows:

FIA Inducts 14 Individuals Into FIA Futures Hall Of Fame

Date 16/03/2017

Today, FIA announced the induction of 14 members into the FIA Futures Hall of Fame. They join 131 other honorees in the Hall of Fame, which was established in 2005 on the occasion of FIA’s 50th anniversary. The 14 new members were honored at an awards ceremony during the 42nd annual International Futures Industry Conference in Boca Raton, Fla.

HKEX To Introduce Options On Three More Blue Chips On 10 April

Date 16/03/2017

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) will introduce options on Hang Seng Index constituents AAC Technologies, Geely Automotive and Link REIT on Monday, 10 April 2017 to further strengthen its options market.

Card Supplements Vouchers: SIX Payment Services Allows Easy Acceptance Of Sodexo Cards In Restaurants

Date 16/03/2017

SIX Payment Services is the first Austrian acquirer to accept Sodexo cards at its POS-Terminals.

Hong Kong's Securities And Futures Commission Reprimands And Fines DBS Vickers (Hong Kong) Limited $2 Million For Regulatory Breaches And Internal Control Failures

Date 16/03/2017

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has reprimanded DBS Vickers (Hong Kong) Limited (DBSVHK) and fined it $2 million for regulatory breaches and internal control failings relating to under-segregation of client money.

Culture In Financial Institutions: It’s Everywhere And Nowhere - Speech By Andrew Bailey, Chief Executive Of The FCA, At The HKMA Annual Conference For Independent Non-Executive Directors

Date 16/03/2017

Highlights

• A firm’s culture emerges in large part from inputs that are its responsibility.
• It is for firms to ensure that their desired culture is consistent with appropriate conduct outcomes, to identify the drivers of behaviour within the firm and control the risks that these drivers create.
• Culture change in itself is a challenge, and we know it takes time.