Banking Leadership: Beacon Financial named Sean A. Gray as CEO, replacing Paul A. Perrault, as the bank signals a fresh push on strategy and capital discipline. Regulatory Pressure: The UK FCA moved to block Hunter Jones from operating without authorisation and seeks investor money back, spotlighting risks in loan-note marketing. Consumer Protection: The FCA is tackling the UK “protection gap,” saying 58% of adults lack key coverage and many have never even considered it, with new partner-led awareness work. Corporate Finance Moves: Avantor appointed Todd Garner as CFO; Magnite promoted Brian Gephart to CFO; Rubico will shift to quarterly reporting. Capital Markets & Deals: Priority Technology agreed to be taken private in a $1.6bn deal; Osisko Gold launched a $500m senior secured notes plan to refinance and fund Cariboo. Student Lending Stress: New US limits on Parent PLUS loans are leaving some families scrambling for final-year funding. Digital Finance & Payments: Banqup and Post Business Solutions teamed up for Austria’s e-invoicing push; Bank of Korea launched a 24-hour won settlement pilot for foreign investors. Personal Finance Tech: ProCap’s finance-focused AI agent Silvia says it outperformed rivals on tax, mortgage and credit-card tasks. Crypto Legal/Market: X sued Bitcoin account operators over alleged £207k creator-revenue fraud; separate reporting says the US is preparing sweeping ICC financial sanctions.