Consumer Finance: Billease secured a ₱1B credit facility from Philippine National Bank, using PPSR-backed consumer loan receivables to expand lending at scale. Healthcare Equipment Financing: Kenya’s private hospitals are increasingly borrowing billions of shillings for MRI, dialysis and other specialist machines as banks grow asset-finance offerings. Power Policy & Costs: Philippine senators pushed to shift the burden of technical system losses from consumers to distribution utilities, arguing outdated infrastructure shouldn’t be passed through. Telco Anti-Scam Scrutiny: Malaysia’s communications minister demanded telcos explain claims that many prepaid lines may be registered under single identities, after MyDigital ID verification steps. Retail Savings Deadline: Florida’s back-to-school tax holiday ends Aug. 20, covering qualifying school supplies, clothing and computers. Tariff Refund Watch: Target disclosed a $994M tariff refund from annulled emergency tariffs, raising questions on whether shoppers will see benefits. New Product Launches: Aptera partners with Launch Design for up to $44M in tooling/testing toward high-volume production; SOLRITE expands its Illinois solar-plus-storage VPP program with a 60 kWh battery; Simple Energy will unveil the Simple Wave family electric scooter on Sept. 2. AI in Customer Service: Deloitte says AI-mature contact centers are seeing better customer and employee experiences and higher profitability, as AI shifts toward autonomous, outcome-based service.