GREATER CHINA
* Chen Dexian, chief investment executive officer of Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. of China Ltd., said the company plans to raise its real estate investment percentage to 10% from the current 2%, Caixin reported. The company's real estate investment stood at 47.53 billion yuan in the first half while its return rate stood at 7.4%, above the investment portfolio's average return rate.
* The People's Bank of China said it launched tri-party repo transactions in the interbank bond market as part of efforts to prevent risks, China Securities Journal reported. Such transactions are administered by custodian banks, which act as third-party agents.
* China Insurance Security Fund Co. Ltd. said the country's insurance protection fund reached 125.20 billion yuan as of Sept. 30, Xinhua News Agency reported. The fund was set up as a nongovernment industry risk relief fund, which completed its capital injection into Anbang Insurance Group Co. Ltd. in the first half.
* Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission denied allegations that local banks have imposed stricter supervision on remittance to and from China, saying their anti-money-laundering practices are based on risk appraisal reports on other countries, Taiwan's Liberty Times reported.
JAPAN AND KOREA
* Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is set to release the country's small and midsize businesses' M&A-related information to overseas enterprises, Tokyo's The Nikkei reported. Out of 24,000 pieces of M&A-related information, about 3,000, which have been released on an anonymous basis, will be provided to foreign capital through the Japan External Trade Organization by the end of fiscal 2018.
* Nomura Holdings Inc. agreed to pay US$480 million to resolve civil claims by the U.S. Department of Justice alleging that Nomura misled investors in marketing residential mortgage-backed securities, The Nikkei reported.
* The Bank of Korea is expected to hold the policy rate for October amid stagnant domestic demand and weak employment, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing a number of local brokerage firms.
* South Korea's Financial Services Commission said the regulator will ease guidelines imposed on internet-only bank shareholders by first allowing nonfinancial and IT-based shareholders to have the largest shares and veto power when possessing more than 50% of shares, The Chosun Ilbo reported.
ASEAN
* Thailand's Bank of Ayudhya PCL is collaborating with Japan-based Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. to provide quick response code payment services for Thai travelers in Japan, Manager Daily reported. The services are expected to be available in December.
* The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is set to define stricter standards for nonstock savings and loan associations by capping service fees and requiring risk management protocols to enhance oversight, the Philippines' BusinessWorld reported.
* Indonesian lender PT Bank Bukopin Tbk plans to issue subordinated debt in 2019 to refinance its 1.5 trillion-rupiah sub-debt, which will mature in March 2019, Bisnis Indonesia reported, citing M. Rachmat Kaimuddin, the bank's finance director.
* AFFIN Bank Bhd. signed a memorandum of understanding with PMB Investment Bhd., an Islamic fund management company, to distribute and promote the latter's six unit trust funds through its bank branches in Malaysia, Bernama reported.
SOUTH ASIA
* IIFL Holdings Ltd. unit IIFL Home Finance Ltd. raised 10 billion Indian rupees from National Housing Bank and another US$50 million from State Bank of India through the external commercial borrowing route.
* The Reserve Bank of India said it canceled the certificates of registration of 30 nonbanking financial companies, including Magnus Finance Private Ltd. and Skylark Leasing Ltd., among others.
* ICICI Bank Ltd. obtained approval from the Reserve Bank of India to appoint Sandeep Bakhshi managing director and CEO for a three-year term, The Hindu Business Line reported.
* Federal Bank Ltd.'s net profit for the quarter ended September increased to 2.66 billion Indian rupees from 2.64 billion rupees in the prior-year period. For the fiscal first half, the bank's net profit grew to 5.29 billion rupees from 4.74 billion rupees.
* India's central bank unveiled rules to allow seamless payments between different mobile wallets as part of efforts to further boost the use of digital payments in the country, The Business Times reported.
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
* The Australian Securities and Investments Commission will probe financial institutions, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., National Australia Bank Ltd. and Westpac Banking Corp., after receiving a number of breach notices disclosing failures to send financial advice customers either a fee disclosure statement due every year or a renewal notice due every two years, The Australian reported.
* Identitii Ltd, a developer of enterprise and blockchain software for the financial sector, is set to list on the Australian Securities Exchange, The Australian Financial Review reported. KTM Capital and Canaccord Genuity are joint lead managers of the float.
* Australia-based Firetrail Investments Pty. Ltd. has shelved the IPO of its listed investment company, Firetrail Absolute Return Ltd., citing concerns over increased market volatility and a number of similar issues since January, The Australian reported, citing a company statement.
IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
Middle East & Africa: Old Mutual cuts Nedbank stake; Masraf Al Rayan posts YOY rise in Q3 profit
Europe: Santander, Blackstone in Popular talks before resolution; Slovenia to float NLB
Latin America: Stone sets price range for IPO; Bancolombia fined
North America: Goldman Q3 EPS climbs YOY; Robinhood earns rebates from high-speed traders
Global Insurance: UnitedHealth ups guidance; FedNat's Michael loss; Florida freezes rate hikes
R Sio, Sally Wang, Sarun Saelee, Cathy Hwang, Emi White and Aditya Suharmoko contributed to this report.
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