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The Banking Supervision Department of Israel has introduced new regulatory policies intended to enhance the stability and transparency of payment service providers deemed critical to financial stability.

Myanmar’s government has admitted that online gambling and other cyber-crime is increasing in the Thai border region of Myawaddy, despite months of ethnic militia crackdowns and the deporting of more than 55,000 “illegal residents” since October.

Prediction market Kalshi said in a filing Wednesday that it plans to launch its own sports-event contracts despite an impending review from federal regulators on the legality of the markets.

Brazil’s chief gambling regulator expects to establish a registration system for suppliers and has pledged to work with international authorities to shut out the black market.

On December 19, 2024, the Australian Government’s Treasury published the Regulatory Initiatives Grid (RIG) report, setting out an ambitious roadmap for regulatory reforms in the financial sector over the next two years. The report highlights a series of transformative initiatives in three critical areas: digital asset reforms; payment services modernisation; and the reduction of debit card surcharges. The digital asset reforms seek to establish a comprehensive licensing framework for entities managing or holding digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies, while integrating these platforms into the Australian Financial Services (AFS) framework to ensure robust oversight. These measures are designed to enhance transparency and safeguard consumers and businesses against fraud.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has announced that applications for its new Merchant Acquiring Licence category must now be submitted entirely online.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced several new amendments to regulations on financial accounts held by Indians overseas, in an effort to encourage greater use of the rupee in cross-border transactions.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has provided new clarifications on the application of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation regarding public offerings and trading admissions of asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens.

In an effort to promote "currency competition", a key campaign promise of President Javier Milei, Argentina has officially sanctioned electronic retail payments in US dollars.

The Reserve Bank of India has announced a new set of regulatory measures to combat financial fraud being conducted through voice calls and SMS.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office has signed a five-year, $40m deal with NIP Group, a company jointly run by Macau princeling Mario Ho, to develop esports, game publishing and other entertainment and event ventures.

Lawmakers in several states have crafted bills that would significantly restrict sports betting in their states, borrowing provisions from federal legislation proposed last year.

Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin remains reluctant to legalize skill-game machines, calling on lawmakers to instead pass a bill this session to create a gaming commission before any further expansion is considered.

French gambling interests all agree that the nation is firmly on a path to open its online casino market, but they remain divided on when and how it should happen.

Norway is not debating whether it should follow Finland in licensing online gambling, according to the head of the Norwegian gambling regulator, but a local online trade group disagrees.

Ireland’s largest commercial bank has welcomed a new suite of fraud prevention commitments unveiled by the Irish government last week, including new data-sharing powers for financial institutions.

The European Payments Council has announced the launch of the EPC Directory Service development project, selecting Swift as its supplier.

With President Trump’s nominees for several high-profile roles in the US government coming from the payments and fintech sectors, professionals anticipate favourable conditions and less bureaucracy.

The European Banking Authority has issued a variety of legal clarifications regarding the payments landscape in the EU, responding to queries from both the market and regulators.

The UK Gambling Commission has fired a warning shot to suppliers: stop doing business with unlicensed businesses.