This week’s featured stories 24 August – 30 August 2026…
The state of AI in 2026: on the road to ROI
The latest McKinsey Global Survey on the state of AI finds that organizations are scaling AI across the enterprise—deploying it in more business functions and using tools ranging from chatbots to coding agents and agentic systems that can act autonomously across workflows
Citi report highlights AI-driven supply-chain shift
AI adoption in trade finance up 18%; Latin American exports to South Asia/ASEAN surged 82%; firms diversifying to Vietnam/Mexico amid tariff volatility and data-centre capex boom
ETG expands sustainability-linked loan to $600 million
Kenyan agribusiness secures larger DFI-backed facility (FMO, TDB Group + others) tied to deforestation, farmer training, and gender metrics, boosting working capital for African smallholders and intra-African trade
IFC-Kazakh bank partnership expands SME trade finance
New facility under Global Trade Finance Program targets risk hurdles to unlock financing for SMEs in emerging markets amid tighter liquidity
Exports to ASEAN surge; regional hub role solidifies
China’s exports to ASEAN rose ~25% YoY in first seven months; bloc now top market ahead of US/EU, with strong gains to Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand amid diversification around (not away from) China
G20 merchandise trade accelerates in Q2
OECD data shows imports +6.7%, exports +5.9% (current USD); strong US/China/services contributions signal resilience despite geopolitical and tariff headwinds
Mercosur engagement renews amid deal implementation
South American bloc pushes dealmaking; EU-Mercosur interim trade provisions (provisional since May) continue shaping agricultural and industrial flows despite internal quota and political frictions
Tariffs remain top risk to global trade outlook
EIU notes renewed protectionism (Section 301 forced-labour duties, overcapacity probes, polysilicon/drones) after Supreme Court rulings, eclipsing Iran-war effects; AI upcycle still supports baseline
DEFA digital economy pact advances toward November signing
Negotiations concluded; framework targets interoperable digital trade, payments, data flows, and e-commerce, potentially doubling regional digital economy toward $2 trillion by 2030. Indonesia eyes major share
China trade boom reinforces centrality
Strong export growth from China supports ASEAN as manufacturing/diversification hub while bloc balances US reciprocal deals
Europe’s corporate tax trilemma
The EU’s implementation of global anti-tax avoidance rules and the global minimum tax is widely regarded as a success. Madalena Barata da Rocha, Roel Dom, Pascal Saint-Amans and Bo Sangers consider the trilemma between tax sovereignty, revenue protection and investment neutrality that has emerged
Why the Taxation Omnibus Is a model for EU regulatory reform
Chris Mantas examines the European Commission’s Taxation Omnibus, a flagship simplification package that streamlines EU tax reporting obligations, withholding procedures, and crossborder compliance rules as part of the Commission’s broader competitiveness agenda
Why the EU right to consent to personal data processing doesn’t work
Bertin Martens argues that consent banners for the collection of personal data under the European Union’s GDPR are, in practice, a legal and technical fiction
Once again, the EU utters fine words on the Middle East… but where’s the beef?
Israel moves ahead with its controversial ‘E1’ settlement plans that would split the West Bank and effectively end prospects for a two‑state solution. James Moran argues that EU inaction only reinforces Netanyahu’s belief that the EU is a ‘paper tiger’
Did the 2022 energy inflation surge dent ECB and Fed credibility? Evidence across horizons
Inflation expectations show that the ECB and Fed stayed credible after the 2022 energy shock, despite euro area short-term weakness and US drift
Where to for the Pacific’s Ocean of Peace?
Sandra Tarte looks at the fortunes of the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration since it was adopted by leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum’s member states in Honiara in 2025
