Markets Rally: India’s Sensex and Nifty rose for the week as six of the top-10 most valued firms added over ₹1 lakh crore in market value, led by Bharti Airtel (+₹36,529 crore) and Bajaj Finance (+₹33,060 crore), with support from strong GST collections and improving industrial activity. Banking Regulation: The RBI slapped Bank of Baroda with a ₹63.60 lakh penalty for Fair Practices Code and KYC lapses, and fined GIC Housing Finance ₹3.10 lakh for KYC non-compliance. Digital Payments: Bank of Maldives CEO said the country is moving toward an “invisible” payments model over five years, using connected APIs and biometric identity to automate payment flows. Crypto & DeFi: Aave’s Monad deployment crossed $100M in deposits within two days, while Bitcoin sentiment stayed pressured as spot ETF outflows hit about $8.9B since May 6. Public Finance & Aid: Egypt expects €1.5B from the EU as part of a €5B macro-financial package, with the rest due in tranches later this year. Governance & Credit Access: Malaysia’s move to end support letters for entrepreneur financing targets cronyism, while Agrobank expanded hawker and micro-entrepreneur financing outreach in Sabah. Corporate & Policy Watch: Trump’s 2025 disclosure showed 21,000+ securities trades and major crypto earnings, renewing conflict-of-interest scrutiny.