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Katayama said Tokyo would continue operating under its existing understanding with Washington regardless of the election outcome, maintaining a common commitment to orderly foreign exchange markets while each government pursues its own economic objectives.

“We issued a joint statement together, and we will act in line with that,” she told a regular news conference. “If there are disorderly moves or excessive speculative movements, we will take action.”

Her comments came as investors assessed the implications of Tuesday’s American elections for the dollar, US government bond yields and the yen. The vote will determine control of the House of Representatives and Senate, potentially altering President Donald Trump’s legislative prospects.

Katayama stressed that Japan’s engagement with the US Treasury was continuing and that a change in congressional control would not automatically alter the officials responsible for currency discussions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is her American counterpart.

“We have been in constant talks with them and will continue to do so,” she said, emphasising the importance of preventing disruptive movements rather than defending any particular exchange rate.

The yen traded around 157.8 against the dollar on Monday, remaining under pressure as traders weighed the possibility of renewed official efforts to support the currency. Katayama declined to judge whether the prevailing exchange rate was appropriate or to identify a threshold that might trigger official action.

She said market conditions had improved compared with the period when the Japanese currency weakened beyond 160 per dollar. Nevertheless, the government remained concerned about excessive volatility and transactions driven by speculation.

“I believe there is absolutely no wavering on either side in seeking to prevent excessive volatility, speculative moves and disorderly market developments, while pursuing our respective policy objectives,” Katayama said.

The distinction between exchange rate levels and the speed of currency movements is important for Japan’s intervention policy. Officials have repeatedly avoided committing themselves to a fixed dollar-yen rate, leaving room to respond when trading conditions threaten broader financial stability.

Monday’s remarks did not constitute an announcement of fresh intervention. They instead reiterated that the authorities retain the option of action and intend to consult Washington when necessary to preserve confidence in the functioning of international currency markets. Neither government disclosed a new operation or a revised bilateral arrangement on Monday.

Japan and the United States carried out coordinated yen-buying intervention on 31 July after persistent currency weakness raised concerns about market instability. Subsequent discussions between Katayama and Bessent reaffirmed their intention to discourage disorderly trading and maintain communication between their financial authorities.

At a meeting in North Carolina in August, the two finance chiefs agreed to continue cooperating on orderly currency movements. Katayama subsequently repeated that the policy stance established following their joint market action had not changed.

That understanding provides the immediate context for her latest assurances. It does not mean that every fluctuation in the yen will prompt intervention, or that the two governments necessarily share identical preferences about the currency’s value.

The approaching US elections add uncertainty because shifts in expectations for American fiscal policy can affect Treasury yields and the dollar. A change in the outlook for government borrowing or spending could influence the interest rate differential that helps shape demand for yen-denominated assets.

Such market responses remain contingent on the election result and subsequent policy decisions. Katayama offered no forecast for the vote or specific projection for the yen, concentrating instead on the established mechanism for communication with Washington.

Japan’s authorities also face domestic concerns surrounding the currency. A weaker yen can increase the local cost of imported fuel, food and other goods, complicating efforts to contain household expenses. Exporters, meanwhile, can benefit when overseas earnings are translated into yen, although the effects differ across businesses.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has acknowledged problems associated with an undervalued yen. Katayama referred to shared concerns expressed by Takaichi and Trump during their September discussions, while making clear that maintaining orderly trading remained the operational priority.

The finance minister also addressed fiscal administration on Monday, saying the government would seek greater precision and transparency in its estimates of tax revenue. Her comments on the budget came separately from the currency assurances.

Introduced at Hong Kong FinTech Week, KY-AI™ brings a structured approach to AI oversight, aligned with the accountability, resilience and trust principles of the HKMA’s ART Framework.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 November 2026 – iCOMPASS, the developer of ULTRA™, an AI-powered Compliance Operating System, today introduced KY-AI™ (Know Your Artificial Intelligence) to the Hong Kong market at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026. The announcement follows the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) introduction of its ART Framework on 15 October, sharpening attention on how banks establish accountability, operational resilience and trust as artificial intelligence becomes more autonomous.

Financial institutions are moving beyond AI experiments towards tools that analyse sensitive data, recommend decisions and increasingly act across connected systems. Yet a basic governance question remains: can an institution identify where AI is operating, what it is permitted to do, who is accountable and whether its behaviour remains acceptable over time?

KY-AI™ turns these questions into a continuous, evidence-based governance process. Built around its Know–Approve–Test–Watch lifecycle, the solution enables financial institutions to identify and understand the AI systems they use, including third-party tools, assess their risks and potential impact, establish clear ownership and accountability, and ensure appropriate approvals and ongoing monitoring are in place.

As AI systems evolve, KY-AI™ enables institutions to track material changes, detect emerging risks and intervene when necessary. This transforms AI oversight from a one-time assessment into a continuous, evidence–based governance process that strengthens accountability and builds lasting trust in AI outcomes.

“The question is no longer simply whether a financial institution uses AI, but whether management truly understands what each AI system does, the risks involved, who is accountable and when intervention is needed,” said Raymond Moh, CEO of iCOMPASS. “With KY-AI™, we are applying the same discipline of knowing your customer to knowing your artificial intelligence. By making AI oversight an ongoing, documented process rather than a one-off exercise, we help financial institutions build greater confidence and trust in how AI is used and the outcomes it delivers.”

The introduction builds on iCOMPASS’ 6-in-1 ULTRA KYC™ solution, which brings onboarding & identity verification, screening, customer due diligence, risk assessment, ongoing monitoring and change management into a connected, evidence-linked AML/KYC workflow. Having focused on making customer-risk decisions traceable, iCOMPASS is extending the same emphasis on clear ownership, documented decisions and lifecycle monitoring to AI governance.

Alongside the KY-AI™ introduction, iCOMPASS is collaborating with Cambridge Advisers Hong Kong under a Memorandum of Understanding to deliver digital compliance training through UltraLearn™. Cambridge Advisers Hong Kong provides regulatory training content while iCOMPASS supplies the learning platform powered by AI, including training records, assessments, reminders and CPT tracking. Courses cover areas including AML, cybersecurity, data protection and professional conduct.

iCOMPASS serves more than 100 financial institutions across the region and holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification and a SOC 2 Type II attestation covering all five Trust Services Criteria.

Meet iCOMPASS at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026, 2–3 November, Hall 5BC, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Hashtag: #iCOMPASS

https://www.icompass.ai/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/i-compass/

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About iCOMPASS Limited

iCOMPASS Limited is an award-winning RegTech company transforming how financial institutions manage regulatory compliance through artificial intelligence. With ISO/IEC 27001 certification and SOC 2 Type II attestation, iCOMPASS combines technological innovation with rigorous security standards to deliver intelligent, secure and scalable compliance solutions.

At the heart of its innovation is ULTRA™, an AI-powered Compliance Operating System that brings together regulatory intelligence, policy governance, end-to-end 6-in-1 AML/KYC lifecycle management, compliance training and AI risk management. By connecting traditionally fragmented processes into a unified, intelligent platform, ULTRA™ helps institutions reduce manual work, strengthen accountability and turn regulatory obligations into demonstrable compliance outcomes.

The Foreign Ministry disclosed on October 30 that approximately 3,600 sets of personal information might have been compromised through unauthorised access to its network. The records included names and email addresses, with around 900 belonging to people outside the ministry. Officials said confidential information was held on a separate network and had not been affected.

The ministry detected the intrusion on July 27, blocked access and invalidated credentials. An external investigation subsequently identified possible exposure. Authorities said there was no evidence that the information had been misused, and pledged stronger authentication and monitoring.

The disclosure followed an October 28 announcement by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry concerning unauthorised access to the website of the Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission. The incident added another government service to the expanding list of targets, although its full consequences remained unclear.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi convened a ministerial cybersecurity meeting on October 26 and ordered urgent countermeasures. She highlighted large-scale information leaks and the danger of stolen records being exploited for further attacks. The government also instructed agencies to improve assistance for affected organisations through the police and the Information-technology Promotion Agency.

Financial markets have faced direct losses from intrusions. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama identified five foreign-exchange brokers whose customers experienced unauthorised transactions apparently connected to compromised servers operated by GMO Internet. The companies were Goldenway Japan, Oanda Japan, Ava Trade Japan, Gaitame Finest and Dukascopy Japan.

The brokers restricted affected accounts, blocked suspicious overseas orders and reset passwords. Katayama said on October 27 that regulators had received no reports of additional fraudulent transactions. The Financial Services Agency asked trading firms to strengthen surveillance and encourage customers to change credentials.

GMO shut down an affected cloud trading service on October 21 after discovering unauthorised access. The company subsequently acknowledged that material purportedly belonging to customers had been published online, while investigators continued checking its authenticity and the extent of exposure.

The company promised compensation for losses associated with fraudulent trading and offered affected users alternative services. It also rejected an extortion demand. Tokyo police opened an investigation into suspected violations of legislation governing unauthorised computer access.

Separately, IwaiCosmo Securities disclosed that an attack on technology provider Trade Works resulted in unauthorised orders involving seven customer accounts. Transactions were executed through five accounts, while personal information concerning 4,975 people was exposed. The brokerage said the leaked information could not itself be used to access trading accounts.

The National Cybersecurity Office has warned that intrusions are affecting organisations across numerous industries. Its October guidance emphasised protecting web applications, monitoring suppliers and controlling access to sensitive information. Financial regulators separately instructed institutions to examine third-party exposure and incident-response arrangements.

Artificial intelligence is complicating those efforts. Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology warned on October 13 that attackers were using increasingly sophisticated vulnerability discovery techniques, including methods that analyse mobile applications to identify weaknesses in connected servers.

GMO’s information-security division separately said its investigation had identified the use of a Chinese-developed artificial intelligence security tool called Artex in attacks directed predominantly at Japanese targets. That finding does not establish that artificial intelligence was involved in every breach or identify the operators responsible for individual incidents.

Cybersecurity company TrendAI counted 331 unauthorised-access incidents among Japanese organisations during January through September, representing 54.5 per cent of the incidents in its analysis. The classification covers different methods and does not necessarily indicate the same perpetrators or a coordinated campaign.

The growing exposure has also prompted scrutiny of authentication practices and outsourced infrastructure. Regulators have urged organisations to review vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them, strengthen access controls and prepare procedures for containing breaches. Particular attention has been directed towards information stolen from service providers that could subsequently enable attacks against their customers.

The Japan External Trade Organization disclosed on October 27 that its e-Venue business-matching platform had suffered unauthorised access on three dates between September and October. It said up to 133 personal-information records might have been exposed and suspended the service while specialists investigated.

JETRO had separately confirmed exposure of 743 records after attacks on other websites beginning October 14. The organisation notified affected businesses and contacts and established temporary online facilities while reviewing security arrangements.

By K Raveendran The conditions are all ripe for the Supreme Court of India to take a position similar to the doctrine of the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution. Luckily, the court has before it a case that will warrant such an approach without being blamed for judicial activism. For, the crisis confronting the Election […]

The article Supreme Court Must Apply ‘Basic Structure’ Doctrine To Election Commission Row appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

By Ashok Nilakantan Ayers WASHINGTON: With exactly 60 hours remaining until Election Day on November 3, 2026, the battle for control of the United States Congress has reached a fever pitch. Driven by plunging approval ratings for President Donald Trump—which hit a historic low of 37% in the October 30 Emerson College Poll—the political landscape […]

The article Democrats Still Maintaining Edge Over Republicans Two Days Before Polling appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

QuantumCompute Solutions indirectly owns approximately 85.94% equity interest in Shanghai Tianjing Fulian. Shanghai Tiangjing Fulian is also 5.56%-owned by Foxconn Industrial Internet, the shares of which are listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (stock code: 601138.SH). The Shanghai Tianjing Fulian Group is principally engaged in the design and development of AI SoC products and integrated solutions, with a particular focus on low-power, cost-effective AI computing and edge computing applications. Through its chip design capabilities and comprehensive technology solutions, the Shanghai Tianjing Fulian Group has established a solid technological foundation in AI inference and edge-side computing infrastructure. The Shanghai Tianjing Fulian Group is an officially authorised independent chip design house for MediaTek Inc., a leading global semiconductor company.

The Directors believe that the Acquisition will enable the Group to expand its business scope from its existing fintech and computing power services into AI chip design and edge computing infrastructure, thereby strengthening its technology capabilities and building a comprehensive ecosystem encompassing computer infrastructure, AI chips and AI application solutions. This strategic expansion aligns with strong growth in the AI semiconductor, edge computing, and digital infrastructure sectors, driven by rising demand for low-latency, real-time AI solutions as well as supportive government policies promoting semiconductor innovation and digital infrastructure investment.

The Group has appointed Dr. Tang Tianshen as its chief strategic consultant to advise on the the strategic development and operations of the Group’s fintech-related businesses. Dr. Tang holds a doctorate in electronic engineering from Texas A&M University and possesses extensive expertise spanning academic research, advanced chip design, and executive leadership in the semiconductor industry. Dr. Tang has served in senior roles of various leading technology companies, including Intel, Shanghai Hua Hong and SMIC.

The Board considers that the transaction represents an opportunity to acquire immediate access to AI chip design capabilities, specialised technical talent, established technology assets, and growth opportunities in the AI industry. Compared with developing such capabilities internally, the Acquisition is expected to accelerate the Group’s entry into the AI semiconductor and edge computing sectors, shorten development time, and strengthen its competitive position in the evolving digital economy. In the long term, the Acquisition is expected to support the establishment of an ecosystem covering computing infrastructure, AI chips, and AI application solutions, creating sustainable growth drivers and delivering long-term value to shareholders.

Hashtag: #IBS

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.