October brings a dense compliance calendar for financial institutions worldwide. Horizon Scanning’s Regulatory Deadlines Calendar tracks 66 deadlines this month.
According to Vixio, of these, 21 are consultation periods closing and awaiting industry responses, and 39 are actionable requirements taking effect. For compliance teams, the message is clear: the window for preparation is narrowing across payments, crypto and anti-money laundering.
In Australia, the Treasury released Compilation No. 4 of the standard governing interchange fees in designated credit card schemes on October 1, 2026, and it applies immediately to the MasterCard and VISA systems. Domestic interchange fees are now 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%.
Fees must be set as a fixed amount or a single percentage rather than a range. The standard also bars direct issuer participants from receiving net compensation, so rebates and incentives cannot exceed the payments made to scheme administrators for core services.
India’s central bank has also acted. On October 2, 2026, the Reserve Bank of India issued a Master Direction on note sorting machines that merges earlier guidance into one framework. Banks must now apply strict authentication and fitness standards across ten criteria, including soiling, tears, holes, stains, graffiti and repairs. For example, any note with a hole larger than 8 square millimetres must be classed as unfit. The direction is already in force.
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