Banking & Markets: Chime has agreed to buy Stride Bank for $590m in cash, creating a wholly owned Chime Bank charter and aiming to speed up AI-era product development. Digital Assets Regulation: Archax says its US unit has gained FINRA approval and SEC broker-dealer registration, enabling tokenised real-world asset private placements for US accredited and institutional investors. Fintech M&A: FinQuery has acquired Innervision from IRIS Software Group to establish FinQuery UK and expand support for FRS 102 and IFRS 16 accounting. Energy Grid & Infrastructure: Ofgem-backed NESO grid-connection queue reforms were mishandled, with missed deadlines and inaccurate offers flagged after efforts to move to “first ready, first served” for battery storage. Consumer Finance: The Bank of England warns UK mortgage rates are rising faster than in the rest of the G7, hitting remortgagers with higher monthly costs. Payments/Tech: Ofcom changes Openreach’s copper retirement pricing threshold, allowing copper price controls to be lifted earlier in some areas. Aviation Disruption: NATS technical failures have cancelled 1,900+ flights over two days, with Heathrow hit hardest. Deal/Jobs: McLaren plans a £450m tech investment and 1,000 UK jobs. Biotech Funding: SCI Ventures backs ViaNautis to expand its CNS pipeline into chronic spinal cord injury. Geopolitics & Trade: The UK, France and Canada move to ban imports from Israeli West Bank settlements, triggering Israel’s order to close the UK consulate in East Jerusalem.