Ep #72 with Ritu Bhasin and Jeiz Robles 🎧

At a time when DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts are being challenged in parts of the world, our guests in this episode make a compelling case for why inclusion still matters - and how it must adapt to remain relevant. Through two rich, regionally grounded conversations, this episode explores how DEI is not just a moral imperative, but also a strategic investment in building workplaces - and societies - where people can truly thrive.

Together, the conversations examine:

• Why DEI work is more than a checkbox - it's a strategic and cultural investment
• How cultural values in Asia shape a different, often more resilient, approach to inclusion
• What’s driving the pullback in the U.S. - and how organizations can respond
• Why belonging is not just a personal goal, but an organizational responsibility

In our Spotlight segment, Jeiz Robles, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Community Business in Hong Kong, shares how DEI strategies are developed and implemented across Asia. She discusses why support for inclusion remains strong in the region - despite growing backlash in the West - and how communitarian cultural values like collectivism and harmony play a key role in sustaining long-term DEI commitments. Jeiz also reflects on her own advocacy journey and what it means to build inclusive spaces in workplaces that may appear homogenous on the surface.

In our main segment, Ritu Bhasin, a global DEI expert and founder of bhasin consulting inc., offers a North American perspective. Drawing from her personal experiences as a daughter of Sikh immigrants in Canada and a former lawyer turned leadership coach, Ritu dissects the psychological roots of the backlash: fear, loss of privilege, and the scarcity mindset. She calls for a cultural shift - toward belonging, authenticity, and abundance - and explains how inclusion isn’t just a feel-good goal, but essential to innovation, talent retention, and social progress. Her insights are grounded in her bestselling book, We've Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Belonging.

The Regulatory Ramblings podcast is brought to you by The University of Hong Kong's Reg/Tech Lab (Building Better Financial Systems), HKU-SCF FinTech Academy, Asia Global Institute, and HKU-edX Professional Certificate in FinTech, with support from HKU Law. The program is led by Douglas Arner and hosted by Ajay Shamdasani.

🔗 For more details about the authors and links, please visit: hkufintech.com/rr

HKU FinTech is the leading fintech research and education in Asia. Learn more at www.hkufintech.com.

Episode #71 with Joshua Chu, Melizza Anievas, and Lucas Har 🎧

In this episode, we explore the intersecting challenges of financial regulation, geopolitics, and the evolving crypto landscape.

The initial Spotlight segment features Lucas Har (Risk & Compliance Product Manager, Dow Jones), joining us from Singapore to discuss the shifting dynamics of trade compliance, export controls, and sanctions—especially amid escalating US-China tensions. Lucas outlines how fragmented global trade networks, enforcement asymmetries, and regulatory blind spots have enabled evasion tactics—citing, for instance, the convoluted journey of Mercedes-Benz limousines into North Korea—as geopolitical pressures increasingly undermine coordinated compliance efforts. He also shares what legal and compliance professionals need to know about dual-use goods, the role of shell companies, and how firms can improve due diligence to navigate today’s fractured trade environment.

The main segment brings in Hong Kong-based fintech lawyer Joshua Chu (Lecturer, HKU Space | Director, China Information Technology Development) and Web3 strategist Melizza Anievas (Co-founder & Executive Director, Women in Web3 Hong Kong) to dissect Hong Kong’s newly passed Stablecoin Ordinance and the broader push for clarity in global crypto regulation. Passed on May 21, 2025 - just one day after the U.S. Senate approved the GENIUS Act - the new law creates a licensing regime for fiat-referenced stablecoin issuers under the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). It requires issuers to hold high-quality reserves, guarantee par-value redemption, undergo audits, and comply with AML/CFT measures.

The ordinance is part of a wider Asian effort to shape trustworthy, rules-based decentralized finance (DeFi) and tokenized infrastructure, supported by initiatives like Hong Kong’s Stablecoin Sandbox with participants including Standard Chartered and Animoca Brands.

The discussion expands to the under-regulated world of meme coins and contrasts their speculative risks with the regulatory burdens facing stablecoin issuers. Joshua and Melizza weigh in on how the U.S. GENIUS and STABLE Acts may reshape the stablecoin market globally - prompting some issuers to consider avoiding U.S. dollar references to sidestep extraterritorial reach.

As the conversation turns to innovation and compliance, Joshua argues that regulation mainly offers legal guardrails in a crypto space that has yet to deliver truly transformative products beyond early token models. Melizza reframes the "regulation hampers innovation" trope as a matter of communication strategy, emphasizing that much of the challenge lies in how projects present themselves publicly and to investors in different jurisdictions.

The Regulatory Ramblings podcast is brought to you by The University of Hong Kong's Reg/Tech Lab (Building Better Financial Systems), HKU-SCF FinTech Academy, Asia Global Institute, and HKU-edX Professional Certificate in FinTech, with support from HKU Law. The program is led by Douglas Arner and hosted by Ajay Shamdasani.

For more details about the authors and links, please visit: hkufintech.com/rr

HKU FinTech is the leading fintech research and education in Asia. Learn more at www.hkufintech.com.

Episode #70 with Mark Nuttal and Steve Vickers 🎧

In this episode of Regulatory Ramblings, two distinguished guests offer rare, experience-based insights into the global forces shaping today’s regulatory, security, and compliance environments.

The first segment features Steve Vickers, former head of the Criminal Intelligence Bureau of what was then the Royal Hong Kong Police Force and now CEO of Steve Vickers & Associates. He delivers a stark assessment of the geopolitical risks across the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China. Vickers outlines how U.S. retrenchment and China’s expanding assertiveness are contributing to a breakdown in the post-Cold War security framework, raising the risk of proxy conflicts, maritime tensions, and economic realignment.

For corporates and financial institutions in hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore, he warns of increased insurance costs, disrupted supply chains, and a patchwork of regulations that complicate cross-border operations. Yet, amid these challenges, Vickers emphasizes the need for strategic flexibility and risk preparedness rather than panic—highlighting that uncertainty, while dangerous, also opens space for opportunity.

In the second segment, Mark Nuttall, a former London Metropolitan Police detective and now a geopolitical and compliance advisor, reflects on the human-centered lessons from his years in law enforcement and how they apply to today’s world of financial compliance. From bouncing in nightclubs to leading serious criminal investigations and advising financial institutions across Asia, MENA, and Europe, Nuttall’s journey offers a compelling narrative of personal resilience and professional evolution.

Drawing from his policing experience, he stresses the value of pragmatism, discretion, and situational awareness—particularly in regulatory roles like suspicious activity reporting and risk assessment. Nuttall critiques the overuse of AI and automation in due diligence, warning that while technology has its place, it cannot replace human judgment in contexts where cultural nuance and real-world experience matter most. He also shares his concerns about overregulation, cautioning that excessive compliance burdens can stifle economies, fuel inequality, and even provoke instability.

Together, these two conversations offer a rich, dual perspective: one zoomed out on the geopolitical stage and its implications for economic systems; the other grounded in the day-to-day decisions of compliance professionals navigating complexity and consequence. Whether you're a regulator, risk officer, or just trying to make sense of a fractured world, this episode offers grounded, actionable insights from two veterans who’ve lived the reality of risk.

The Regulatory Ramblings podcast is brought to you by The University of Hong Kong's Reg/Tech Lab (Building Better Financial Systems), HKU-SCF FinTech Academy, Asia Global Institute, and HKU-edX Professional Certificate in FinTech, with support from HKU Law. The program is led by Douglas Arner and hosted by Ajay Shamdasani.

For more details and links, please visit: hkufintech.com/regulatoryramblings

HKU FinTech is the leading fintech research and education in Asia. Learn more at www.hkufintech.com.