Compliance teams heading into October 2026 face a crowded calendar, with 66 regulatory deadlines spanning payments, banking operations, sanctions and crypto oversight.
According to a monthly horizon scanning roundup, 21 consultation periods close this month, while 39 actionable requirements take effect. Several of the most significant developments carry immediate obligations, leaving firms little time to adjust, said Vixio.
In Australia, the Treasury released Compilation No. 4 of the standard governing interchange fees for designated credit card schemes, covering the MasterCard and VISA systems, on October 1.
The rules, effective immediately, aim to improve transparency, efficiency and competition across the country’s payments system. Domestic interchange fees are capped at 0.300% of transaction value for consumer credit cards and 0.800% for commercial cards. From April 1, 2027, international interchange fees paid by acquirers will be limited to 1.000% of the transaction value.
Fees must also be set as a fixed amount or a single percentage rather than a range. In addition, direct issuer participants are barred from receiving net compensation, meaning their receipts, including qualifying rebates and incentives, cannot exceed what they pay scheme administrators for core services within a reporting period.
India’s central bank has also acted swiftly. On October 2, the Reserve Bank of India published a Master Direction on Note Sorting Machines, bringing earlier guidelines and circulars together into one document.
The direction sets out authentication and fitness sorting standards across ten criteria, including soiling, limpness, tears, holes, stains, graffiti and decolouration. Notes with holes larger than 8 square millimetres, for example, must be classified as unfit. The rules apply immediately.
Sanctions exposure is rising in Liechtenstein, where the government amended its Belarus measures on September 22. Firms are now prohibited from taking part in crypto-asset or central bank digital currency transactions linked to Belarus, dealing with Belarusian crypto service providers or exchange platforms, and doing business with entities listed in Annex 28. The digital Belarusian ruble is explicitly covered. Most provisions apply from September 22, although Article 25b(1)(i) takes effect on October 20.
In the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority’s Policy Statement PS26/13, published in June, confirms that firms conducting regulated cryptoasset activities will fall under core Handbook obligations. These include the Consumer Duty, COBS, SYSC, SM&CR, CASS, dispute resolution, Financial Ombudsman Service access, ESG requirements and regulatory reporting. The rules come into force on October 25, 2027, giving firms a defined but demanding runway.
South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre has issued Directive 12, requiring specified accountable institutions, including banks, financial services providers and crypto-asset service providers, to submit their risk management and compliance programmes each year. Institutions under items 1, 2, 9 and 11 must file by October 9, while those under items 3, 14, 20, 21 and 22 have until October 31, with the same dates applying annually.
Read the full Vixio post here.
Copyright © 2026 RegTech Analyst
Copyright © 2026 RegTech Analyst
