Digital Wealth in Kuwait: InvestGB (Gulf Bank’s investment arm) went live with Avaloq, unifying wealth, portfolio and fund administration on one platform—its first Avaloq deployment in Kuwait. EU Third-Party Risk Rules: The EBA issued final guidelines updating how banks manage third-party risk for non-ICT services, replacing 2019 outsourcing rules. Payments Without Borders: Swift’s community is pushing a cross-border consumer payments experience by matching familiar identifiers (phone, email, virtual addresses) securely over Swift. Stablecoins Move Closer to Mainstream: Volante and Circle teamed up to let financial institutions integrate USDC workflows into existing multi-rail payments, while Cosmos is building connectivity so banks can participate in Swift’s ledger for 24/7 cross-border payments. Bank Funding & Regulation: FDIC proposed a rule to align host-state law preemption for out-of-state state banks with national banks. M&A: Valley National Bancorp agreed to buy Bluevine for $340M to boost small-business deposits and tech. AI Deposit Risk: An economist warned AI agents could quietly shift households from low-yield bank deposits to higher-yield alternatives, pressuring bank funding. Local Banking Access: NBT Bank opened an onsite student banking center with Norwich High School, expanding financial literacy through hands-on services.