Climate Finance Push for Nepal: Nepal’s finance minister asked the COP-backed Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage for urgent help after the Aug. 26 Bhotekoshi flash floods, citing mass deaths, displacement, and damage to infrastructure and services. Critical Minerals Deal: The U.S. DFC approved financing for Harena Rare Earths’ Madagascar ionic clay rare-earth project, part of a broader push to diversify supply chains beyond China. AI Security for Finance: Fasoo AI says it’s closing a key gap in document sharing by keeping persistent control over sensitive financial files even after they’re downloaded or reformatted by third parties. G20 Friction Over Russia: European officials protested Russia’s finance minister being invited to the U.S.-hosted G20 talks; U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the move as necessary for dialogue. Banking and Funding Tech: OCBC, Visa and Doxa launched Singapore’s first deep-tier financing workflow to give subcontractors faster working capital via digital approvals and virtual purchasing cards. South Korea Growth Agenda: Finance minister nominee Lee Hyung-il promised “mega projects” for AI investment and faster policy coordination, with inflation and housing still front and center. Household Tax Relief Debate (Philippines): Sen. Mark Villar urged raising the income tax exemption ceiling to boost take-home pay and consumption. Market Watch (Australia): Rising long-dated yields pressured Australian financials, while Zip Co stood out on record cash earnings and North America expansion.