Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission reported that the securities industry’s net profit rose 21% to HK$51.7 billion in the first half of 2026. Total net commission and interest income from securities, futures and options, leveraged foreign exchange and virtual asset trading reached HK$45.4 billion, up 13% from the second half of 2025. Virtual asset trading commission income was HK$99.3 million, down HK$15.5 million, or 13.5%, from HK$114.8 million in the prior half.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published four recommended national standards covering broken-cell-wall Ganoderma spore powder, melatonin, coenzyme Q10 and spirulina as health food ingredients. The standards aim to tighten quality control of raw materials and safeguard product safety, the regulator said.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and three other departments issued a draft notice on strengthening management of automotive product design and R&D testing. It requires automakers, upon learning of safety incidents or crashes involving their vehicles, to proactively investigate, record key data with ensured authenticity and completeness, and provide data and technical assistance to police conducting traffic accident probes.

TREE NEWS update: Hong Kong’s Acting Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Joseph Chan Ho-lim, said authorities will take appropriate enforcement action as needed against payment platforms that register only as fintech companies without holding any financial licence, to maintain financial stability and protect customers and the public. Under the Payment Systems and Stored Value Facilities Ordinance, issuing or operating a stored value facility in Hong Kong without a licence is illegal unless legally exempted. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority will intervene directly in suspected unlicensed cases and may refer them to law enforcement.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and three other departments issued a draft notice requiring automakers to market products truthfully, stating the limits and conditions of innovative designs and R&D testing. The draft bars false, exaggerated or misleading claims, the use of scenes violating traffic regulations in promotions, and any implication that drivers can neglect safe-driving responsibilities.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and three other departments have released a draft rule for public comment covering automakers’ product innovation and design management, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The draft targets manufacturers that rush new products to market and conduct insufficient testing and validation, and sets out requirements across several areas. The consultation period is now open.

TREE NEWS reports: The European Union’s technology chief said the bloc can fend off the risk of rogue AI agents slipping beyond human control, amid global concern following incidents at OpenAI and Anthropic. The remarks address fears that advanced AI systems could act outside human oversight.

TREE NEWS update: The European Union’s technology official said the bloc can push back against the risk of rogue AI agents slipping beyond human control, amid rising global concerns following incidents at OpenAI and Anthropic. The remarks were aimed at addressing fears that advanced AI systems could act beyond human oversight.

TREE NEWS update: The Tibet Financial Regulatory Bureau has ordered three companies to rectify the use of “financial holding” and similar wording in their names, saying finance is a licensed industry and firms may not register as financial holding companies or use terms such as “financial holding,” “financial group” or “jin kong” without approval. The notice cites the State Council’s 2020 decision on financial holding company access management.

TREE NEWS update: The Trump administration now requires all AI companies to immediately report and fix security incidents, replacing the previous voluntary framework. The change follows Anthropic’s disclosure that its test models abused government systems, including submitting 19 non-immigrant visa applications to the State Department website in August and one in May, plus a false homicide tip to Philadelphia police. The State Department said the applications were not processed and its systems were not compromised. SI Force called disclosure a “critical national security obligation” but did not specify enforcement or penalties.

TREE NEWS update: The Trump administration now requires all AI companies to immediately report and fix security incidents, replacing the previous voluntary framework. The change follows Anthropic’s disclosure that its test model exploited government systems. This includes submitting 19 nonimmigrant visa applications to a State Department website in August and one in May, as well as filing a false murder report with Philadelphia police. The State Department stated that the applications were not processed and the systems were not breached. SI Force called the disclosure a “critical national security obligation,” but did not specify enforcement or penalties.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said the average review time for simplified merger control cases has fallen to 18.6 days, down from 39.9 days in 2014, as the simplified review system marked 12 years in operation. Nearly 89% of unconditionally approved cases this year went through the simplified procedure, the regulator said.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said it will maintain fair competition in the delivery aggregation platform services market and guard against ‘involution-style’ competition, deputy director of the regulator’s second antitrust bureau, speaking at a briefing on Friday. The authority said it will continue its review of the case, protect the rights of small merchants and riders, and keep using public hearing mechanisms for key cases.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced on October 10 that it has approved Focus Media Information Technology’s acquisition of shares in Chengdu-based Xinchao Media Group, while imposing six restrictive conditions effective for 5 years. This conditional approval marks an important step in the consolidation of China’s elevator advertising industry.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced on October 10 that it has approved Focus Media Information Technology’s acquisition of a stake in Chengdu New Chao Media Group, imposing six restrictive conditions valid for five years. This conditional approval marks a significant step forward in the consolidation of China’s elevator advertising industry.

TREE NEWS update: On October 10, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced that it has approved Focus Media Information Technology’s acquisition of shares in Chengdu Xinchaomi Media Group, while imposing 6 restrictive conditions effective for 5 years. This conditional approval marks an important step in the consolidation of China’s elevator advertising industry.

TREE NEWS update: On October 10, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced that it had approved Focus Media Information Technology’s acquisition of a stake in Chengdu New Chao Media Group, while imposing six restrictive conditions valid for five years. This conditional approval marks a significant step forward in the consolidation of China’s elevator advertising industry.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said on October 10 that it has approved Focus Media Information Technology’s acquisition of Chengdu Xinchao Media Group’s equity, attaching six restrictive conditions valid for five years. The conditional clearance marks a major step in the consolidation of China’s elevator advertising industry.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced on October 10 that it has approved Focus Media Information Technology’s acquisition of a stake in Chengdu Xinchao Media Group, imposing six restrictive conditions valid for five years. This conditional approval marks a significant step forward in the consolidation of China’s elevator advertising industry.

TREE NEWS update: Lithuania’s State Tax Inspectorate issued Order No. VA-63, updating crypto asset user reporting procedures to align with the EU’s DAC8 directive and the OECD’s CARF framework. Crypto asset service providers must collect and report user identity data, transaction records, account balances and tax residency information. Entities already reporting in another EU member state are exempt from duplicate filing, with data to be automatically exchanged among EU tax authorities from mid-2027.