Azerbaijan Investment Push: President Ilham Aliyev says Azerbaijan has pulled in $350bn in investments over 20 years, with the 2nd Azerbaijan International Investment Forum (AIIF 2026) ending with 23 signed deals worth $10.8bn and fresh talks on the Middle Corridor plus logistics, digital infrastructure and data centres. Energy Dealmaking: SOCAR, TotalEnergies and XRG backed the Absheron gas-condensate expansion with a final investment decision, targeting a major production boost, while SOCAR also signed with ExxonMobil on unconventional resources. AI Fraud Hits Italian Private Banking: Fideuram (Intesa Sanpaolo) lost about €9.5 crore after scammers used AI to clone voices and identities to move money abroad. Sports Finance Fallout: Manchester City is reported found guilty on 114 of 115 Premier League financial charges, with sanctions and appeals still to come. Housing Affordability Pressure in Europe: The EU’s Affordable Housing Act aims to map “housing stress” and speed local interventions, as affordability worsens across major cities. Digital Sovereignty & Data Centres: Europe’s data-centre buildout is raising questions about water use and resource strain as governments push for more local control. Banking M&A Watch: UK challenger Monzo is in “serious” talks about a potential sale to Nubank, valued up to £10bn.