1.Eased Criteria for Branches of International Financial Institutions to Issue International Bonds

In a measure aimed at encouraging outstanding foreign issuers to issue bonds in Taiwan, enriching the roster of bonds in Taiwan, and spurring sound development of Taiwan’s bond market, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) on December 28th, 2017, approved the amendments of the “Taipei Exchange Rules Governing Management of Foreign Currency Denominated International Bonds.” These amendments eased the criteria by which branches of either foreign financial institutions, or of parent companies listed on a securities exchange that is a member of the World Federation of Exchanges, that meet the relevant criteria may issue international bonds in Taiwan.

2.Announced that the Categories of Futures and the Exchanges on Which FCMs May Be Engaged to Trade Varies by Traders Type

To boost the financial import-substitution policy, and expand the scope of products and services that domestic futures commission merchants (FCMs) provide, on November 27th, 2017, and in accordance with Article 5 of the Futures Trading Act, the FSC announced that the exchanges and futures categories on which futures firms may be engaged to trade will be open to different identities of the traders. Securities firms, securities investment trust enterprises, securities investment consulting enterprises, and futures enterprises meeting the FSC’s laws and regulations for trading on foreign futures exchanges are allowed to go through domestic FCMs to trade futures contracts listed on foreign exchanges that have been established under the authorization of their domestic competent authorities. Other traders are allowed to trade foreign future contracts on prescribed exchanges and futures categories.