Daily Brief
15 verified stories from global sources
A run of softer US inflation figures, with June consumer and producer prices both undershooting forecasts, has eased expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise rates, leaving policymakers cautious ahead of their late-July meeting.
India's annual retail inflation slowed to about 2.1% in June, its lowest in more than six years, driven by easing food prices and giving the Reserve Bank of India room to keep supporting growth.
The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by a quarter point to 2.75% on July 16, its first hike since January 2023, and signalled further increases could follow as inflation, housing prices and household debt run hot.
The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate at 2.25% on July 15 for a sixth consecutive time, saying growth is resuming and oil-driven inflation should fade, while warning it could still hike if price pressures spread.
Australia's prudential regulator has begun applying revised capital rules for longevity products, letting life insurers use an advanced illiquidity premium, a change designed to encourage more lifetime-income options for retirees.
A persistently weak yen and elevated import costs are keeping pressure on the Bank of Japan to continue raising rates after June's hike to 1%, even as some forecasters warn the currency could weaken further toward 165 per dollar.
Final June inflation data for the eurozone confirmed a cooling in price pressures across Germany, France and Italy as the energy-driven surge from the Middle East conflict began to unwind, though the ECB is expected to stay cautious.
German external trade figures were the highlight of the European economic calendar this week, underscoring how Europe's largest economy is navigating higher energy costs, tariffs and softer global demand.
Payments firm Triple-A has received in-principle approval from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority to offer broker-dealer services, reinforcing the emirate's push to build a regulated digital-asset hub.
Singapore lender UOB has established a board-level technology committee from July as part of wider governance changes, reflecting growing supervisory focus on banks' technology risk and operational resilience.
APRA has released a wide-ranging consultation proposing amendments across 10 prudential standards and 15 reporting standards affecting banks, general, life and health insurers and superannuation funds, with feedback due in August.
The US healthcare liability insurance market is hardening in 2026, with shrinking capacity, more selective underwriting and rising rates making coverage harder to place for hospitals and medical providers, a broker report says.
Major US banks kicked off second-quarter earnings season with robust investment-banking and trading revenue, but faced pressure on lending margins as the Fed's steady rates and cautious borrowers weighed on loan growth.
The Reserve Bank of India has unveiled a technology-heavy agenda for 2026-27, planning a next-generation core banking system, a new alternative payment system and an AI-driven ecosystem, alongside a review of the RBI Act.
US retail sales rose modestly in June, pointing to a resilient but restrained consumer, a combination that supports the economy without adding to the inflation pressures the Federal Reserve is watching.