Compliance managers across Asia-Pacific are staring down a year that will redefine the way organisations operate. Major reforms are coming online at once, from AML, data protection, AI governance, cybersecurity, ESG reporting, whistleblowing, and cross-border enforcement.
The region has always been diverse in its regulatory expectations. But in 2026, the patchwork turns into a stress test. Teams responsible for compliance will be measured not only on whether they understand what is changing — but whether they have moved fast enough to implement, train, and evidence controls that regulators will soon assume are standard.
VinciWorks is here to help. Our live webinar is perfect for compliance managers, legal counsel, risk officers and senior leaders working in or with APAC—especially in financial/professional services, real estate, tech and multinational supply chains.
Join our compliance experts for a live, free one-hour webinar, and have your questions answered.
- Sydney / Melbourne – 2:00pm
- Singapore / Hong Kong / Beijing / Manila – 11:00am
- Tokyo / Seoul – 12:00pm
- Jakarta / Bangkok – 10:00am
- Mumbai – 8:30am
Register here.
Australia’s Tranche 2: The big bang moment for AML
Australia is finally bringing forward Tranche 2 AML/CTF reforms, extending reporting obligations to around 90,000 newly regulated entities — especially law firms, accountants, real estate agents and trust service providers. For many, this is their first real exposure to AUSTRAC scrutiny. They will need governance, risk assessments, transaction monitoring, suspicious matter reporting, and documented “reasonable procedures” — from scratch.
This single change shifts the region’s AML risk profile. Firms must now be confident they can detect criminal activity that moves through professional services into the financial system.
The new data & AI compliance patchwork
Where Europe and the US talk about data and AI reforms, Asia-Pacific is already enforcing.
- Vietnam’s Personal Data Protection Law enters full effect in early 2026
- India’s Digital India Act introduces comprehensive digital and data governance obligations
- Indonesia and Thailand are escalating enforcement under their own privacy laws
Each country has different rules, different enforcement cultures, and different reporting requirements. Multinationals operating across several jurisdictions must now build parallel compliance structures, or face conflicts between national regimes.
If your data flows across borders, so does your risk.
Cybersecurity: Infrastructure and liability on the line
Hong Kong and Singapore are pushing forward with tighter cybersecurity and critical infrastructure regulation. Boards are being pulled into direct accountability for resilience. Incident reporting, mandatory audits, and government oversight are no longer reserved for the largest financial institutions but are becoming the operating standard across industries.
ESG & supply chains: Compliance moves beyond company walls
Governments in Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are advancing mandatory climate disclosure and modern slavery rules, with teeth. ESG compliance is a defensive requirement driven by investor expectations, enforcement powers and supply-chain liability.
If your suppliers fall short on ethics or emissions, you will be asked to prove that you acted.
Bribery, whistleblowing & cross-border enforcement
Anti-corruption authorities across APAC are partnering more closely with US and UK investigators. Parallel enforcement in cases of fraud and bribery is becoming common — and whistleblowing laws are strengthening, increasing the number of internal reports compliance teams must manage, and the stakes for delayed or ineffective action.
The message from prosecutors is consistent: Cooperate early, respond fast, and document your decisions — or risk being treated as part of the problem.
Join us and get ahead of the change
To help compliance leaders prepare with clarity, VinciWorks is hosting a live webinar:
Asia-Pacific compliance 2026: The big shifts to prepare for
Wednesday 26 November
1pm Sydney / 11am Singapore & Hong Kong / 12pm Tokyo / 10am Bangkok / 8:30am Mumbai
Our compliance experts — Nick Henderson-Mayo, Naomi Grossman, and Ruth Cohen — will break down the biggest regulatory shifts, what enforcement is likely to look like, and what “good” compliance will mean in 2026 across APAC.
