Regulatory Levy Consultations (NZ): New Zealand’s central bank opened a consultation on a prudential levy aimed at banks, non-bank deposit takers and insurers, with the NZ Banking Association calling for fairness. Banking Litigation (US): The OCC weighed in on a class action accusing Bank of America of unlawfully sharing customer information with law enforcement after Jan. 6, 2021. Mortgage Pressure (Australia): Westpac’s results and a slump in mortgage applications tied to Labor’s May tax changes pushed investors to sour on banks, dragging sentiment across the sector. Digital Payments Push (Fiji): BSP launched BSP eDollar, a bank-backed interoperable e-wallet using Fiji’s national QR standard, enabling transfers and QR payments across participating wallets and banks. Customer Experience Benchmark (Vietnam): Vietcombank topped Vietnam’s 2026 bank satisfaction rankings, edging rivals in a tight top tier. Loan Write-offs (India): India’s Parliament was told banks have written off about Rs 9.95 lakh crore of large-corporate and services loans over 12 years, with write-offs described as accounting moves rather than borrower relief. Fraud Trend (India): Jammu & Kashmir saw fewer fraud cases but a sharp rise in amounts involved, with recoveries remaining low. AI + Banking Hiring (Asia): JPMorgan said it will keep Asia-Pacific corporate banking hiring at a similar pace in 2027 as AI and data-centre demand lifts growth. AI Infrastructure Funding (Global): Nvidia secured a reported $500bn push from major banks and investors to fund AI compute and data-centre buildouts. Trusted Calling Numbers (India): TRAI expanded the 1601-series trusted numbering framework beyond BFSI to curb impersonation and fraud in service and transactional calls.