Public Finance Watch (Philippines): Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian flagged an “unusual trend” in Vice President Sara Duterte’s AMLC-reported transactions, citing about P2.7B from 2009-2013 versus a much lower average in other periods, urging AMLC review. Financial Crime & AI (Malaysia): AICB says AI is increasingly used for fraud, KYC and AML, but only 25% of respondents trust AI outputs enough for key decisions—arguing AI should support, not replace, human judgment. Development Banking (Guyana): Guyana Development Bank launched with up to GUY$3M in zero-interest, zero-collateral financing, aiming to expand credit access for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Alternative Finance Stress (US): True Food Kitchen’s bankruptcy highlights how restaurants leaned on merchant cash advances and other non-traditional funding as debt pressures mounted. Climate Risk Data (Armenia): Armenia’s central bank unveiled a Climate Risk Map with ADB support to turn satellite data into actionable risk tools for finance and planning. Crypto Custody (Global): Bitget Wallet COO Alvin Kan argues self-custody needs clearer spending permissions and recovery controls after a reported exchange breach. Local Finance Flexibility (US): Pennsylvania Senate advanced a bill letting licensed clubs keep up to 50% of small-game proceeds to cover costs while still funding public-interest causes. Market/Corporate Updates (India): Nifty/Sensex extended gains ahead of RBI policy; several firms reported results and financing moves, including Utkarsh Small Finance Bank’s loan growth and Zaggle’s planned Abu Dhabi Global Market subsidiary.