M&A in Payments: BMO and RBC agreed to sell Moneris to Francisco Partners for about C$2.0B, with both banks keeping long-term exclusive referral deals—another sign of consolidation in Canadian commerce tech. Fintech Fraud Crackdown: The SEC charged Netcapital with securities fraud, alleging it overstated revenue via shams tied to Napster co-founder John Fanning. Crypto Regulation Pressure: South Korea’s opposition wants to delay a 22% crypto tax start to 2030, arguing rules for reporting and deductions aren’t ready, while the government says taxation begins in 2027. Crypto Market & Policy Crosswinds: Bitcoin’s trading stayed tightly linked to macro data and ETF flows as traders weighed CPI and Fed expectations, while the BIP-110 fork drama continued to rattle holders. Banking & Compliance Tech: AWS said it’s embedding security checks into AI coding tools via Continuum integrations, aiming to catch vulnerabilities earlier in development. Corporate Finance Moves: Strategy boosted its USD reserve by $650M and repurchased $109M of STRC preferred stock after selling 1,690 BTC—fueling a cash-buffer strategy. Retail Fraud Focus: Utah lawmakers pushed for better cross-state information sharing to fight online scams, especially those targeting older Americans. EWA Competition: Earned wage access providers are expanding distribution as banks and credit unions move in, intensifying competition in short-term liquidity. Market Movers: Keel Infrastructure (ex-Bitfarms) sank over 12% after results tied to its AI data-center pivot and shrinking legacy mining revenue.