Daily Brief
15 verified stories from global sources
US stocks stabilised on Friday as Brent crude fell below $100 a barrel, easing inflation worries, with investors bracing for a packed week of Federal Reserve policy, second-quarter GDP and inflation data, and megacap tech earnings.
The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by a quarter point to 2.75%, its first increase since early 2023, as a semiconductor-led growth surge and housing and inflation risks tilted the central bank toward tightening.
The European Central Bank kept its three key interest rates unchanged, saying it is closely monitoring the inflationary impact of the Middle East energy shock while remaining committed to returning inflation to its 2% target.
The Bank of England's July Financial Stability Report flags intensifying cyber risk, with 82% of surveyed firms citing cyberattacks as a top-five systemic threat, while keeping the countercyclical capital buffer at 2%.
India's insurance regulator has registered a Prudential-HCL Group joint venture as the country's eighth standalone health insurer, its third new insurance registration of 2026, signalling continued expansion in the fast-growing health segment.
The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate at 2.25% for a sixth consecutive meeting, signalling growing comfort with holding steady as growth rebounds and it looks through the energy-driven spike in inflation.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Bank of Thailand signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation on cybersecurity and digital fraud protection, strengthening cross-border defences as scams and cyber threats rise.
Most economists expect the Monetary Authority of Singapore to leave its exchange-rate-based policy unchanged at its July 27 review, with core inflation still running below the top of the official forecast range.
Australia's banking regulator has opened consultation on changes to bank credit-risk capital rules, including lower risk weights for certain infrastructure, corporate and residential development lending, aiming to support growth while preserving stability.
Investors head into the Federal Reserve's late-July meeting weighing signs of a cooling US labour market against sticky inflation, with second-quarter GDP and the Fed's preferred price gauge due right after the decision.
UK financial regulators have started overseeing the first designated Critical Third Parties, extending resilience supervision to major technology and cloud providers whose services underpin banks, insurers and markets.
India's insurance regulator has proposed revising the order of preference for placing reinsurance business, a change that could reshape state-owned GIC Re's right of first refusal and open the market to more competition.
The European Central Bank revealed ten shortlisted designs for future euro banknotes across two themes and opened a public survey until September, as it works toward more secure cash with a final design expected by year-end.
US households face fresh cost pressures as a temporary blanket import tariff nears a scheduled expiry amid legal challenges, leaving businesses and consumers uncertain about how trade policy will feed into prices later in 2026.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has flagged that worsening home insurance affordability could raise underinsurance and, over time, erode the credit quality of mortgages, with a regulator's climate assessment due to quantify the risk.