Middle East & Africa Reg Desk
Thursday, 2026-10-08 · covering the last 24h
Gulf
No update to the Saudi CMA's open consultations on algorithmic-trading restrictions (comments due 24 Oct), mandatory twice-yearly earnings calls (due 29 Oct), offshore-dealing (closes 27 Oct) or IPO book-building/underwriting (closes 22 Oct) — checked against the CMA newsroom and Tadawul coverage. No other material new rules, consultations or circulars from Tadawul/Saudi Exchange, the UAE's CMA (formerly SCA)/DFSA/ADGM-FSRA/DFM/ADX, Qatar's QFMA/QSE, Kuwait's CMA/Boursa Kuwait, Bahrain's CBB/Bahrain Bourse, or Oman's CMA/MSX in the window, checked by name via targeted dated search against each. No new rulemaking from SAMA, CBUAE or QCB in the window.
Israel
ISA opens comment on a new draft directive covering one-off investment advice and "restricted asset" marketing. The Israel Securities Authority's draft, under the Investment Advice Law, sets defined procedures for two previously unaddressed situations: a single one-time piece of investment advice or marketing, and advice or marketing relating to non-prospectus, non-exchange-traded "restricted assets" — including a new requirement to record service provision in the latter case. Comments are due 13 October 2026. The ISA's own site did not render for direct confirmation of the issue date; flagged via law-firm coverage rather than a primary filing. Shibolet summary
No other material new rules from TASE or the Bank of Israel's Banking Supervision Department — checked by name; the Department's most recent rulemaking item remains its February 2026 draft directive on a supervisory framework for small and new banks, not material to this window.
Africa
Bank Al-Maghrib's card-interchange fee cap took effect 1 October. The central bank's July decision caps domestic card-interchange fees at 0.50% generally and 0.15% for e-government and proximity-commerce payments, down from 0.65%; it entered into force at the start of this month. No primary BAM text was locatable — reported via Moroccan business press. fnh.ma
Kenya's CBK/National Treasury consultation on the draft National Payment System Policy and National Payment System Bill 2026 (payment-switch interoperability mandate, new PSP capital thresholds, expanded CBK supervisory powers) closes tomorrow, 9 October 2026, with no extension found; worth checking for an outcome in the next edition. No other material new rules, consultations or circulars from South Africa's FSCA/JSE or the SARB, Egypt's FRA/EGX or the CBE, or Nigeria's SEC/NGX or the CBN — each checked by name via dated search.
Informational only — summaries of public regulatory and central bank sources; not advice.