Banking M&A: Arrow Financial and Adirondack Bancorp won OCC approval to proceed with their merger, with a July 1 close targeted pending other regulators and shareholder votes. Digital Resilience & Compliance: AROBS and Thot IT Solutions teamed up to sell DORA-as-a-Service across Europe, aiming to help banks and other financial firms meet operational resilience and third-party oversight demands. AI in Finance: Huawei’s HiFS 2026 in Shanghai pushed “agentic banking” and new financial AI/data intelligence and digital core upgrades for financial institutions. Crypto Deals: Keyrock is set to acquire bankrupt Blockfills for $3.25m, pending court approval, as crypto lending and liquidity services consolidate. Banking Risk Watch: A report warns bank stocks may be masking rising private credit and shadow-banking exposure if liquidity tightens. Enforcement & Fraud: India’s ED arrested Vikram Wadhwa in the ₹645 crore IDFC First Bank fraud probe, alleging siphoning of government and school funds; separate ED action also targets a ₹145 crore Panchkula municipal funds scam. Middle East Finance & Payments: Macau banks joined Project mBridge for CBDC settlement, while Saudi Central Bank licensed two new finance companies to expand consumer finance and finance aggregation. Scams & Consumer Protection: Police in Malaysia reported RM908k losses from online investment and job scams, highlighting ongoing retail fraud risks.