New Zealand Budget 2026: The government is shifting the cost of the Reserve Bank’s regulatory functions onto the financial sector via a new prudential levy on banks, non-bank deposit takers, insurers and financial market infrastructure providers. Corporate Restructuring: Creditors have formally adopted the corporate rescue plan for Inclusive Financial Services (Private) Limited, keeping the firm operating under a legally binding restructuring framework. India Fiscal Pressure: Morgan Stanley says Indian states are leaning more on welfare and cash transfers, with revenue spending crowding out long-term investment capacity. Eurozone Stability Watch: The ECB warns euro area financial stability risks are elevated amid geo-economic stress, energy shocks, rising volatility and weaker debt-servicing conditions. AI, Fraud & Payments: DataVisor appoints Patrick Harr as CEO to scale AI-native fraud and financial crime prevention; Experian Link adds real-time debit card verification with Fiserv to cut fraud without adding friction. Big Finance Deals: Core42 secures US$550m from HSBC for AI cloud expansion; Vulcan reaches financial close on a €2.2bn ($3.9bn) Lionheart lithium project in Germany. SME Credit in Liberia: LIFT-P financing is expanding SME access to credit, supporting growth and job creation across sectors. Ghana Digital Regulation: Bank of Ghana urges regulators to focus on managing risks from emerging technologies, not the technologies themselves, as it reframes digital finance oversight. Corporate Moves: PhysicsWallah invests ~Rs 120 crore into its NBFC arm FinZ Finance; Fluidra appoints Juan Graham as CFO.