Gulf Finance Tensions: Saudi banks have reportedly blocked or delayed payments to UAE accounts since May, escalating a quiet rift that could disrupt cross-border business across the region. Crypto Legal Fallout: Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse says the SEC nearly forced the company to shut down in 2020, arguing regulators applied old rules to new tech. Regulatory Digital KYC: Pakistan’s SECP enabled IBAN-based digital verification for KYC, aiming for faster onboarding while restricting transactions to verified accounts in customers’ own names. Fintech Meets Banking: A US BNPL firm is among fintechs pushing for bank charters as the OCC sees a surge in applications, signaling a new push to become regulated lenders. On-Chain Dev Infrastructure: SolForger launched as a non-custodial Solana developer platform for token creation and on-chain verification without custody. Clean Energy Finance: Quaise Energy raised $134m in a Series B to advance superhot geothermal tech, while Africa secured $900m in clean cooking commitments to expand access to safer fuels. Public Money Flow Glitch: Malawi’s reformed Constituency Development Fund released K7.8bn, but councils say they still haven’t received actual project funds. AI + Finance Policy: The Philippines promoted a US-backed AI hub in New Clark City, framing it as a jobs-and-supply-chain “generational” project. Crypto Investing UX: Kraken rolled out an AI-powered mobile app to improve the crypto investing experience.