RBI & India Banking: RBI approved LIC to lift its stake in HDFC Bank to 9.99%, a major signal for foreign inflows and ownership reshaping. FX & Fundraising: Indian private lenders are racing to lock in overseas dollar bond deals as RBI’s FX swap incentives and a soon-to-close swap window drive demand, with HDFC Bank targeting at least $500m and possibly topping $1bn. Banking Infrastructure & Tokenisation: Maybank completed a RM1.0m live pilot for tokenised supply chain financing using NexA under Malaysia’s regulatory sandbox, aiming for faster, more transparent working-capital flows for MSMEs. Digital Identity & Compliance: The Philippines’ BSP is proposing mandatory use of PhilSys National ID authentication (NIDAS) for banks’ customer due diligence via real-time biometric checks. Cross-border Fintech: BOCHK and Ant International signed a strategic partnership to build AI-driven treasury and cross-border payment services for enterprises and SMEs. Risk & Controls: Korea’s four major banks reported nearly 550bn won in financial incidents over the past decade, renewing scrutiny on internal controls. Retail Banking Access: UK policy pressure is growing to protect face-to-face banking as bank branch closures leave customers needing in-person support. Security Incident: Ghana police arrested a suspect and killed two others in a foiled bank robbery plan targeting GCB, Ecobank and Zenith Bank.