Credit Card Rules Shake-Up: Australia’s Reserve Bank move to ban surcharges from October is forcing banks to rethink credit card economics, with frequent flyer points like Qantas potentially taking a hit as rewards and sign-up bonuses are adjusted. Merchant Lending in Pakistan: LogiServe’s fintech unit partnered with Mobilink Microfinance Bank to offer digitally enabled working capital for merchants in the SLGTrax ecosystem, including financing up to PKR 250,000 plus added health coverage and vendor deals. Open Banking Recognition in Qatar: QNB won ABF Wholesale Banking Awards for its domestic open banking and cash management push, highlighting secure API access for transfers, bill payments and intraday reporting. Crypto Market Watch: CryptoQuant flagged rising exchange deposits across Bitcoin and other coins as a volatility risk signal, even as prices stabilize. Bangladesh Cashless Push: IFIC Bank, Pubali Bank and NRBC Bank rolled out Bangla QR awareness drives, while Southeast Bank held an AML/CFT compliance conference. Central Banks and Gold: New research says gold is strengthening as a reserve asset as central banks keep buying, even with higher rates weighing on spot prices. Banking in the Spotlight: A long-running legal fight ended with an Edinburgh couple winning permission to convert a former North Berwick bank into a home.