EU Funding Watch: Spain’s NextGenerationEU Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan hits a key deadline as the Aug 31 EU milestone window closes, moving the country into final verification while last payments can still be requested through September. SME Compliance Pressure: Ireland-based small sellers are complaining that EU packaging rules are already forcing costly registrations and fees across markets (often €300–€1,100 per country per year), even before full rules bite in 2028–2030. UK Cashflow Crunch: A UK study says small tradespeople are owed £26bn in unpaid invoices by big businesses, with calls for a strict 60-day payment deadline. Energy & Competitiveness: Bangladesh’s energy import bill surged to $10.63bn and pending gas connections are piling up, with outages and informal payments still hurting firms. Payments & Fintech: India’s UPI turns 10, raising the question of who pays for the “free” infrastructure behind real-time payments. Banking Rules: The BIS warns stablecoins can’t yet credibly handle payments at scale, while tokenized deposits could fit better into central-bank money. Local Growth & Tourism: Northern Latvia launches “taste trail” routes linking small producers to visitors, aiming to boost sales and customer reach.