MIL Email Publisher – Foreign Submissions

Source: ONEKEY GmbH

Adapting their product portfolios to comply with the Cyber Resilience Act requires significant resources from providers of digital devices, machines, and systems connected to the Internet. Over half of them have formed dedicated teams to prepare for CRA compliance, and over 60 per cent are also relying on external assistance.

Düsseldorf, September 9, 2026 – One-fifth of companies in Germany have set up an internal team to adapt their product portfolios to the requirements of the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). Another third has assigned at least some of their employees to this task. These findings come from the latest ‘IoT & OT Cybersecurity Report 2026’ by the Düsseldorf-based cybersecurity company ONEKEY. The report is based on a survey of 200 German industrial companies regarding the CRA. Essentially, the EU regulation stipulates that all manufacturers, distributors, and importers of connected devices, machines, and systems with digital components connected to the Internet must comprehensively protect their products against cyberattacks and be able to demonstrate and document their security.

For companies with a broad portfolio of OT (operational technology) and IoT (Internet of Things) products, this is no easy task. According to the survey by ONEKEY, 28% of companies have assigned a team of up to ten people to the task. 22 % are working with an even larger team to prepare for and implement the Cyber Resilience Act. 16% manage with a maximum of three specialists, and nearly one-fifth (19%) have not assigned anyone to the task.

Jan Wendenburg, the CEO of ONEKEY, said, “The Cyber Resilience Act is having a profound impact on manufacturers of products with digital components.” He referenced the European Commission's impact assessment, which states that the affected European hardware and software market generates approximately EUR1.485 trillion in annual revenue. In total, billions of devices in Europe are likely to be affected. The Commission estimates the direct cost of implementing the CRA to be up to EUR29 billion.*

CRA Responsibilities Are Distributed Across a Wide Range of Functions

According to the “IoT & OT Cybersecurity Report 2026,” most companies are unable to manage the CRA transition using their own staff and in-house resources. 61% of companies have set aside a budget for this transition or are planning to do so. However, only 18 % believe, based on their own assessments, that they do not need external assistance.

According to the ONEKEY Report, responsibility for CRA compliance is shared across different departments within companies. Half of the companies have assigned this responsibility to their IT security department. In more than a quarter (26%) of companies, this responsibility falls to the product development department. 15% each place it under the compliance and legal departments, respectively.

The range of responsibilities is similarly broad when broken down by leadership positions: The five most common positions are product manager (31%), cybersecurity analyst (26%), compliance manager (23%), head of software development (15%), and chief information security officer (13%).

CRA Compliance Should Be a Top Priority

Notably, more than a quarter of all companies (27%) consider strict compliance with the Cyber Resilience Act important enough for it to be handled by top management, i.e., the board or executive management. “Considering that violations of basic cybersecurity requirements or key manufacturer obligations can result in fines of up to EUR15 million or 2.5 percent of global annual revenue, whichever is higher, companies would be well advised to make CRA compliance a top priority,” says ONEKEY CEO Jan Wendenburg.

Significant Implications for Product Development and Market Launch

Depending on the industry, the Cyber Resilience Act can profoundly impact product development and market launch. Specifically, the CRA requires that cybersecurity be firmly embedded in devices “by design and by default,” that risk assessments be documented, that default settings be secure, that vulnerability management be effective, and that security updates be provided throughout the entire intended support period. From December 11, 2027, no devices, machines, or systems with digital components can be sold in EU countries unless they comply with the CRA. While there is temporary grandfathering for existing products, the CRA still applies if significant changes are made. Crucially, this grandfathering applies only to individual product units already placed on the market, not across an entire product series or models.

According to the “IoT & OT Cybersecurity Report 2026,” more than 60% of surveyed companies expect development of new or updated devices, machines, and systems to take longer. 28% expect development times to be “significantly longer.” Meanwhile 21% are still unsure, and 17% do not anticipate any changes.

CRA Fast Start Supports Internal Teams

For companies that have already assigned their own employees or teams to handle CRA implementation, external expertise can simplify and accelerate the process. ONEKEY’s “CRA Fast Start” program enables manufacturers of connected devices, machines, and systems to verify their products’ CRA compliance in a structured manner eliminating lead times. As part of a CRA Readiness Assessment, experts collaborate with relevant teams to review product requirements, existing vulnerability response processes, SBOM documentation, and organizational responsibilities. Based on this review, they identify compliance gaps and prioritize specific action steps. Systematic vulnerability management and continuous monitoring subsequently help uncover vulnerabilities, create transparency across the software supply chain, and detect new security vulnerabilities early on. In this way, CRA Fast Start combines the expertise of ONEKEY’s consultants with the automated analysis capabilities of its platform, helping internal teams maintain compliance with CRA requirements.

* Cyber Resilience Act impact assessment

ONEKEY is the leading European specialist in Product Cybersecurity & Compliance Management and part of the investment portfolio of PricewaterhouseCoopers Germany (PwC). The unique combination of the automated ONEKEY Product Cybersecurity & Compliance Platform (OCP) with expert knowledge and consulting services provides fast and comprehensive analysis, support, and management to improve product cybersecurity and compliance from product purchasing, design, development, production to end-of-life.

Critical vulnerabilities and compliance violations in device firmware are automatically identified in binary code by AI-based technology in minutes – without source code, device, or network access. Proactively audit software supply chains with integrated Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) generation. “Digital Cyber Twins” enable automated 24/7 post-release cybersecurity monitoring throughout the product lifecycle.

The integrated ONEKEY Compliance Wizard already supports compliance with requirements from IEC 62443-4-2, ETSI EN 303 645, UNECE R155, and many other standards and regulations.

As part of the EU-funded CRACoWi (Cyber Resilience Act Compliance Wizard) project, ONEKEY is collaborating with 13 European partners to develop an AI-powered assistant for the automated implementation of the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).

The solution will guide companies through the entire compliance process–from the initial CRA scope assessment to the generation of the required Declaration of Conformity.

The Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is effectively supported by the integrated automatic prioritization of vulnerabilities, significantly reducing the time to remediation.

Leading international companies in Asia, Europe and the Americas already benefit from the ONEKEY Product Cybersecurity & Compliance Platform (OCP) and ONEKEY Cybersecurity Experts.

Source: Morningstar DBRS

September 8, 2026

Overview

For financial institutions, the implications of rising global bond yields are mixed. Firstly, banks with capital markets businesses are clear winners as they benefit from robust underwriting and trading results. Typically, higher yields would slow debt issuance, but hyperscalers and others appear to be less price sensitive, contributing to very high levels of issuance. 

Conversely, noninvestment-grade financial institutions issuers will likely see higher spreads and an increase in overall funding costs, as investors can be more selective while earning an attractive yield on less risky fixed income securities. 

Higher rates are also likely to slow originations as the cost of borrowing increases, which may also pressure asset quality, especially for borrowers with floating-rate loans. Subsequently, earnings will be pressured by lower originations, increased credit costs, and a higher cost of funds. 

Bank and insurance fixed income securities portfolios will also suffer from unrealized losses, whose effects on earnings and capital can, however, be offset by proper asset-liability matching or interest rate hedging in the short to medium term. Moreover, higher yields will also allow banks and insurers to reinvest their maturing securities at better yields going forward. While there will clearly be some winners and losers, we expect the vast majority of our financial institutions coverage universe to remain resilient and maintain credit profiles commensurate with their current credit ratings.

Key Highlights

• Clear winners are those banks with capital markets businesses that are benefiting from robust underwriting and trading results.
• Conversely, non-investment grade financial institutions issuers will likely see higher spreads and overall funding costs, as investors can be more selective while already earning a nice yield on less risky fixed income securities.
• While there will clearly be some winners and losers, we expect the vast majority of our financial institutions coverage universe to remain resilient and maintain credit profiles commensurate with their current credit ratings.

Exhibit 1: 10-Year Government Bond Yields 2026 Year to Date

Series: U.S.; Germany; United Kingdom; France; Japan.

Source: Morningstar, Inc.

Inflation Expectations and Plenty of Debt Financing Needs Result in Rising Yields

The Iran conflict has added inflationary fears over higher rates for longer. Meanwhile, global debt issuance has grown materially, which is also causing yields to rise. According to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), U.S. corporate debt issuance year-to-date through July 2026 was $1,681.0 billion, an increase of 26.9% year over year, with 2025 being a higher-than-average issuance year to begin with. Including treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, municipals, agency, and asset-backed securities, this total jumps to $7,400.6 billion, an increase of 10.8% (see Exhibit 2). With higher costs, businesses typically pull back on issuance. However, hyperscalers have thus far proven somewhat insensitive to yields as they race to be leaders in artificial intelligence. Issuance is likely to stay elevated for a longer period of time—especially if we layer in other needs for investment such as military spending—with the potential to continue putting upward pressure on yields.

Exhibit 2: U.S. Fixed-Income Securities Issuance (USD billions)

Category	H1 2025	H1 2026
U.S. Corporates	1,228.8	1,681.0
U.S. Fixed Income	6,601.3	7,400.6

Source: SIFMA.

Financial Institutions Asset Quality Performing Better Than Expected

Financial institutions globally continue to demonstrate resiliency despite inflation, trade wars, and heightened geopolitical risk. While some jurisdictions have seen increasing levels of delinquencies, nonperforming loans, and net charge-offs, they generally remain very manageable. Overall, asset quality performance has held up better than we anticipated.

Higher interest rates do affect consumers and businesses, especially those with floating-rate loans. Real estate valuations typically suffer as rates increase, but commercial real estate appears to have stabilized, with minimal issues, and home values in many geographies are stable to increasing. Leveraged corporates are most susceptible to higher rates, as well as lower-income households. Additionally, higher rates will likely also subdue demand for loans, especially residential real estate. Nonetheless, we currently view banks globally as adequately reserved with sound capital if their economies do deteriorate. Similarly, most insurance and non-bank financials continue to manage their balance sheet fundamentals appropriately in the current operating environment.

The Impact on Bond Portfolios of Financial Institutions

Higher yields mean lower prices for bonds, which will lead to higher unrealized losses in bond portfolios. Insurers, which often use fixed-income assets to match future claims and benefits cash flows, typically have the largest fixed-income securities portfolios as a percentage of assets, followed by banks. We note that many banks have reduced exposures in recent years by repositioning their portfolios, especially in the U.S.

Since financial institutions typically have some level of interest rate hedges in place, it is hard to generalize the potential impacts. However, higher yields and interest rates did show some weakness in interest rate management in 2023 when there were several high-profile U.S. regional bank failures. Most banks in our coverage universe, however, do incorporate unrealized losses on securities into their capital ratios. On the positive side, financial institutions can reinvest maturing securities into higher yielding ones, as well as put new premiums to work into higher yielding assets that otherwise would have similar risk profiles.

Leverage and Asset Values

Higher interest rates typically make fixed income securities look more attractive relative to stocks, but stocks have remained at near-record highs. Strong earnings growth has been supportive, but there have been plenty of discussions in the media about a potential bubble. Regardless, investors remain exuberant with markets at or near all-time highs, as evidenced by near-record levels of leverage. The Financial Regulatory Authority reported margin balances of $1.417 trillion at the end of July 2026. As a cautionary note, we believe margin calls can lead to heavy forced selling exacerbating losses, as seen recently with Situational Awareness and the South Korean stock market.

Lastly, the wealth and asset management businesses of financial institutions globally have benefitted from rising global markets. If it holds true that higher yields eventually lead to a correction, we expect earnings for these business lines would be hit from lower fees.

Related Research

• Global P&C Reinsurers H1 2026: Solid Earnings Driven by Lower Cat Losses and Resilient Investment Income, August 13, 2026.
• Key Takeaways from European Banks' Q2 2026 Earnings Season, August 10, 2026.
• U.S. Banks Deliver Another Strong Quarter in Q2 2026 as Credit Fundamentals Remain Resilient, August 4, 2026.
• European Banking Midyear Outlook: Middle East Conflict Not Derailing Positive Earnings Dynamics, July 20, 2026.
• Finance Company Debt Issuance Holds Steady in H1 2026 Despite Turbulent Environment, July 16, 2026.
• Japanese Mega Banks' Record F2025 Earnings Reflect a Tailwind from Rising Domestic Rates, July 12, 2026.
• Major Australia Banks H1 2026 Results: Strong Fundamentals Amid Slower Growth and Heightened Uncertainty, July 7, 2026.
• 2026 U.S. Bank Federal Reserve Stress Test Results: Key Takeaways, June 26, 2026.
• Middle East Conflict is Leading to Higher Provisions for Some Global Banks, June 2, 2026.
• Japanese Life Insurers are Managing Mark-to-Market Losses on Bonds While Showcasing Earnings Resilience, May 10, 2026.
• Geopolitical Shock in the Gulf Raises Underwriting Volatility Across Insurance Lines, March 2, 2026.

About Morningstar DBRS

Morningstar DBRS is a leading provider of independent credit rating services and opinions for corporate and sovereign entities, financial institutions, and project and structured finance instruments globally. Rating more than 4,500 issuers and 68,000 securities, we are one of the top four credit rating agencies in the world and a market leader in Canada, the U.S., and Europe in multiple asset classes.

For 50 years, Morningstar DBRS has been committed to bringing greater transparency and a much-needed diversity of opinion in the credit rating industry. Our nimble approach combined with Morningstar’s global scale and resources enable us to respond to customers' needs in their local markets while also empowering investor success worldwide. Learn more at dbrs.morningstar.com.

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Source: U.S. Department of State

Author: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Secretary Marco Rubio departs Miami en route to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, September 8, 2026.

This week, I will travel to Barranquilla, Quito, and Lima to highlight a clear, actionable commitment on behalf of President Donald Trump and the American people: the United States delivers. We are partnering directly with Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to build real security, facilitate economic growth, and ensure that our region’s future remains in the sovereign control of each country.

We deliver on security because narcoterrorist organizations do not only traffic drugs but they also fuel mass illegal immigration and human trafficking, corrupt public institutions, recruit children, destroy families, and drive out honest investment. Together our governments work shoulder-to-shoulder with law enforcement to defeat the criminal cartels that have plagued our hemisphere.

Ending illegal migration has already deprived them of tens of billions of dollars a year; our cooperation on eradicating drug trafficking will further limit their resources to commit evil.

We deliver on prosperity because economic development creates the conditions for lasting security, disincentivizes participation in the illicit economies run by criminal networks, and allows for mutual benefit between our nations.

For too long, foreign state-backed extra-hemispheric actors—specifically from China—have entered our hemisphere with promises that mask their predatory practices. Their involvement too often comes in the form of opaque contracts, unsustainable debt burdens, worker exploitation, and environmental destruction. When critical national assets fall under another nation’s ownership or control, countries lose their sacred right to determine their own destiny and face grave threats to their national sovereignty, data privacy, and economic independence.

The United States offers a clear, transparent alternative. U.S. companies and business leaders invest directly in your national economy, develop your local workforce, and support the communities that surround them.

Colombia: Tangible Investments and Renewed Security

Together, the Trump and De la Espriella Administrations are reinvigorating the 200-year-old U.S.-Colombia friendship to restore it to its rightful place as the lynchpin of security and economic cooperation in our region.

Rather than offering vague promises, our economic engagement focuses on direct investments that improve daily life and create formal employment for the Colombian people. Through our upcoming Bilateral Prosperity Dialogue, we are mobilizing U.S. private sector investment into Colombia’s energy, logistics, and transportation infrastructure. American companies operating in Colombia are actively expanding high-paying jobs, offering a clear economic alternative to the informal and illicit economies that criminal networks exploit, and helping Colombia face the challenges posed by El Niño.

We pair these economic tools directly with security support. U.S. assistance, including training, equipment, and operational support, helps Colombian authorities consolidate territorial control in areas historically dominated by the narcoterrorist groups that terrorize communities in Colombia, the United States, and throughout our region.

The United States shows up because that is what real partners do. Following the devastating August 10 earthquake in Colombia, the Trump Administration immediately delivered more than $27 million in emergency assistance.

Furthermore, Colombia’s new posture on border security and stopping illegal immigration serves as a model for regional cooperation. The partnerships now taking shape in Ecuador and Peru build on a model Colombia has spent two decades helping prove can work.

Ecuador: Direct Action Against Cartels and Economic Growth

In Ecuador, I will meet with President Daniel Noboa to advance our joint campaign against transnational organized crime. President Noboa confronts criminal organizations that once operated as though they were untouchable. They are not.

Following the Trump Administration’s formal designation of Ecuadorian gangs Los Lobos, Los Choneros, and the Chone Killers as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) last year, we have unlocked critical intelligence, law enforcement, and military coordination through the Shield of the Americas and the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.

We are also modernizing our bilateral extradition treaty with Ecuador so that fugitive criminals face swift, inescapable justice.

As security improves, U.S. commercial activity expands. Leading American technology firms, including Google, Palantir, and SpaceX, are establishing operations and digital infrastructure in Ecuador. These investments bring high-speed connectivity, secure data analytics, and technological jobs to Ecuadorian workers without compromising state security or user privacy.

Peru: Two Centuries of Strategic Economic Collaboration

In Peru, we look forward to working with the new Fujimori government to bring our 200 years of shared history into the future. We’re synchronizing efforts to secure our hemisphere against transnational and regional threats by welcoming Peru, now a Major non-NATO ally, into the Shield of the Americas.

Our economic partnership with Peru is built on high-value, transparent investments in key strategic sectors. Following the signing of our Critical Minerals Memorandum of Understanding in February 2026, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) committed $5 million directly into Peru’s mining sector, generating tax revenue and local employment in Peru.

Where Chinese Communist Party-backed projects challenge Peru’s legal frameworks and threaten data security and transparency, the United States’ private sector is delivering open, market-driven investments that preserve Peruvian ownership and protect our hemisphere’s security interests.

Every nation in our region has the sovereign right to select its partners. We ask only that the choice be made in daylight, with the full terms visible to the public.

Where that has not happened, the pattern is clear: foreign state-owned enterprises acquire control over strategic infrastructure, leaving debt, surveillance, worker exploitation, and compromised sovereignty behind.

The American offer is fundamentally different. It is transparent, reliable, and mutually beneficial. Trusted technology. Clear, enforceable contracts. Private sector investments that build local capacity, create real jobs, and respect national independence.

That is a hemisphere that delivers.

Marco Rubio was sworn in as the 72nd Secretary of State on January 21, 2025. The Secretary is creating a Department of State that puts America First.

Source: deVere Group

September 4 2026

The Federal Reserve is likely to make a call it will come to regret, warns the CEO of deVere Group, one of the world's largest independent financial advisory organisations, as fresh employment data lands less than two weeks before policymakers meet to decide on interest rates.

The comments from Nigel Green come as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that US employers added 162,000 jobs in August, comfortably beating forecasts of roughly 53,000 and pushing unemployment to hold at 4.1%.

June and July payrolls were also revised up by a combined 55,000, turning what had briefly looked like a two-month stall into a rebound. Wage growth, however, cooled to 3.1% on the year, its slowest pace in five years and still running below the latest annual inflation reading of 3.4%.

He says: “Look past the top-line number and this isn't the picture of a labour market firing on all cylinders.

“It's a labour market being carried by a handful of sectors while wage growth quietly loses ground to inflation. This is, surely, imbalance dressed up as strength.”

The gains were heavily concentrated. Leisure and hospitality added 62,000 positions after two straight months of losses, local government education reversed a sharp July decline, and healthcare and social assistance kept adding jobs as it has for months.

Meanwhile, the information sector shed workers, average hours ticked only marginally higher, and the share of people stuck in part-time work for economic reasons, while lower than earlier in the year, remains elevated by historical standards.

The deVere comments: “A rebound built on a leisure and hospitality bounce and a swing in local government hiring isn't the same as broad-based momentum.

“Investors and policymakers who treat this print as an all-clear are reading the top line and skipping the fine print.”

Markets widely expect the Federal Reserve to leave its benchmark rate unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75% when the committee meets on September 16, the fourth straight hold since December.

Nigel Green believes that caution, while explainable given still-elevated inflation, is now the wrong call.

He says: “I expect the Fed to sit on its hands again this month, and I think that will prove to be a mistake.

“Wage growth below inflation for workers already stretched thin isn't a sign of an economy that needs more patience from its central bank. It's a sign of one that needs support before the soft patches spread.”

Nigel Green argues that policymakers are at risk of anchoring too heavily on a single stronger-than-expected month rather than the trend beneath it.

He says: “One good month after two weak ones doesn't erase the pattern. Revisions, concentration in a few sectors and wage growth that keeps losing ground to prices all point the same direction.

He warns that the cost of the Fed misjudging this moment won't only be felt in financial markets alone.

“Every month the Fed holds rates higher than the underlying economy can comfortably carry is a month that shows up later in slower hiring, tighter household budgets and more caution from businesses.

“Investors need to be positioning for a central bank that may be behind the curve, not one that has everything under control.”

Nigel Green concludes that the coming weeks will test whether the Federal Reserve is willing to act on what sits beneath one strong month, rather than the print itself.

He says: “162,000 is the figure everyone is repeating today. The figures that should worry policymakers are the ones sitting underneath it.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients. It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

The views expressed in this media release are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cision.

Source: deVere Group

September 4 2026

The world's biggest sovereign wealth fund cutting US Treasury holdings marks a dramatic shift and investors seeking to protect or grow wealth must pay attention.

This is the clear warning from Nigel Green, the CEO of deVere Group, one of the world's largest independent financial advisory organisations, as Norway's $2.3 trillion oil fund confirms plans to slash its government bond exposure and rewrite what “safe” is supposed to mean in a portfolio.

Norges Bank Investment Management, which runs the fund for the Norwegian state, has told the country's finance ministry it wants to cut the government share of its bond holdings from 70% to 50%.

The heaviest reduction falls on US Treasurys, whose weighting would drop from 34.1% to 21.9%.

He says: “One of the most disciplined, longest-horizon investors on the planet is publicly rethinking how much trust it puts in government debt, and US Treasurys above all, to do the job investors have counted on them to do for generations.”

The proposal lands as long-dated borrowing costs sit at levels unseen in years across major economies.

US 10-year Treasury yields have climbed to their highest since early 2025.

French 10-year yields have pushed above Italy's and Germany's to levels last seen before the 2008 financial crisis, while German 30-year yields have hit their highest since 2011.

Dutch and Spanish 10-year yields have reached their own multi-year highs, and Japan's 10-year yield has broken through 3% for the first time in three decades.

Eurozone inflation ran at 3.3% in August, adding fuel to a sell-off already being driven by deeper structural forces.

He says: “When French borrowing costs run hotter than Italy's, and Japanese yields reach levels nobody trading today has ever lived through, there's a genuine repricing of risk running through government debt markets everywhere at once, not a problem contained to one country.”

Nigel Green argues the fund's own logic, that leaning too heavily on one type of government paper no longer buys the safety it once did, should push everyday investors to ask the same question of their own holdings.

He says: “For generations, government bonds were the automatic answer to where you park safe money.

“A fund this size, this careful, and this well-resourced, has just told the world that answer needs rewriting.

“Investors still treating sovereign debt as risk-free purely out of habit are working from an assumption that's aging fast.”

He also points to the fund's parallel shift toward mortgage-backed securities and corporate credit as a signal of where serious long-term capital is heading.

He says: “Diversifying away from a single type of government paper and into a broader mix of credit and fixed income is the direction thoughtful, long-term investors are already moving.

“And, as such, those portfolios still built on old assumptions about what counts as safe are the ones most exposed if this shift keeps gathering pace.”

Nigel Green stresses that the shift underway is about the entire architecture of fixed income investing, not a single asset class falling out of favour.

He says: “This isn't one bad quarter for bonds. Something structural has changed in who's willing to hold government debt, on what terms, and for how long.

“Investors who treat duration, currency exposure and issuer concentration as afterthoughts are the ones who'll feel this hardest.”

The deVere CEO concludes: “Governments everywhere are issuing more debt than the traditional buyer base can comfortably absorb, and the world's most careful long-term investor, Norway's mammoth sovereign wealth fund, has just shown its hand on what it plans to do about that.

“Every investor now needs to ask themselves the same question.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients. It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

The views expressed in this media release are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cision.

Source: Refugee Communities Association of Australia

4 September, 2026

The Refugee Communities Association of Australia (RCAA), together with its member organisations and refugee-led communities, is deeply concerned by reports that the Australian Government is considering changes that could remove work rights, restrict family reunion and reduce access to fair review processes for people seeking asylum, stateless people and other temporary visa holders seeking humanitarian protection in Australia.

While the Government is yet to announce the details, these reports have created fear, anxiety and uncertainty among affected refugee communities. RCAA joins refugee-led organisations, charities, advocacy bodies and human rights organisations in calling on the Government to protect the rights, safety and dignity of people seeking protection. Read the joint letter to the Prime Minister here.

The right to work allows people to support themselves and their families while contributing to Australia. Refugees have made significant contributions across all areas of Australian life, including business, employment, regional communities, health, education, community services and sporting field.

Removing work rights would increase the risk of poverty, homelessness and exploitation, while placing further pressure on charities and community organisations already operating with limited resources.

Australia's protection system faces serious delays. These challenges can be addressed by improving the quality and timeliness of decision-making while ensuring people are treated fairly and with dignity. Access to independent merits review, legal assistance and properly resourced decision-making remains essential, as incorrect decisions can have serious consequences for people seeking protection.

In November 2025, the Australian Government granted its one-millionth refugee visa since the post-war humanitarian program began in 1947, marking one million people given safety and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in Australia. Introducing sweeping restrictions now would contradict the legacy of this achievement and could weaken Australia's international reputation as a compassionate nation, one of the world's most successful multicultural countries and a global leader in refugee resettlement.

RCAA calls on the Australian Government to uphold its commitment to protecting the annual refugee and humanitarian intake of 20,000 places and to ensure the full program is delivered on schedule. Work rights, fair review processes and compassionate family reunion pathways must also be protected for people seeking safety.

As part of this call, RCAA is urging the Australian Government to convene an urgent community roundtable with refugee-led and lived-experience organisations before making any changes. With growing anxiety about the current public discussion surrounding refugees and Australia's humanitarian program, the roundtable would ensure that community knowledge and experience help shape fair, practical and responsive policies.

Refugees, people seeking asylum and stateless people should never become targets of political fear and division. They have come to Australia seeking safety after escaping war, conflict and disaster in their home countries.

RCAA is an independent, membership-based and refugee-led national peak advocacy organisation. It amplifies the voices of grassroots refugee communities, people seeking asylum and stateless people, and works with governments, service providers and other stakeholders across Australia.

Supported by the representatives and members of refugee-led, multicultural, multifaith and grassroots community organisations listed below:

1. Parsu Sharma Luital JP, Chairperson, Refugee Communities Association of Australia
2. Abdulla Arifi, President, Victorian Afghan Youth Association
3. Altaf Hussein, President, Hazara Noorband Association
4. Andrew Gai, Co-Founder, South Sudanese Academic Society of Victoria
5. Assumani Kipala, President, Cairns Congolese Association.
6. Ava Ebrahimi, Public Officer, Launceston Hazara Association
7. Cr John Haddad, President, Beth Narain Assyrian Association
8. Dr Berhan Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer, Africause
9. Dr Mohamed Mohideen OAM JP, President, Islamic Council of Victoria
10. Elijah Buol OAM, Former Refugee and Chair, Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland
11. Farah Warsame, President, Somali Community Inc. Victoria
12. Geeta Gurung, Chairperson, Mountain Mothers Foundation
13. Hanisha Sharma-Luital, Chairperson, Help Himalayan Youth Foundation (HHYF)
14. Jacob Thang, Founder & Chairperson, Chin-Myanmar Community Care
15. Kamal Dahal, President, Adelaide Dragon Sporting Club
16. Khaing Moe Oo, President, Arakanese Association of Australia, Cairns
17. Mabor Chadhuol, Founder, Director, and Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Migrant and Refugee Health
18. Mae Sie Win, Treasurer, The Karenni Federation of Australia
19. Mariella Teuira, ITIKI Sporting Club of Glenroy
20. Meelan Rana, Chairperson, Himalayan Organisation for Multicultural Communities
21. Michael Foldi, Director, Auschin Foundation Ltd
22. Padam Magar, President, Bhutanese Magar Samaj of Cairns
23. Philip Lahpai, President, Kachin Association Victoria
24. Robert Lingtun, General Secretary, Burmese Welfare Association of Australia
25. Subash Chetri, President, GOPIO Cairns (Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin)
26. Tejman Monger, President, Cairns Bhutanese Community
27. Thaw Zin Htun, President, Victoria Arakanese Association (VAA)
28. Tun Maung, President, Mahamuni Buddhist Society of Cairns
29. Venerable Moonieinda Ashin, Director & Chairperson, Karen Culture and Social Support Foundation, Bendigo
30. Yasseen Musa, Chairperson, Eritrean Jeberti Community in Australia
31. Yusuf Liban, Director, Multicultural Youth Group

Source: deVere Group

September 3 2026

A one-hour yen spike just exposed how fragile global markets have become, warns the CEO of global financial advisory deVere Group.

The yen exploded 1.2% higher against the dollar on Wednesday, tearing to 158.22 in a matter of hours during US trading before reversing hard, and by the next morning in Tokyo it had slipped to 158.85, down 0.1%.

deVere's chief executive Nigel Green says the speed of that swing is “a warning global investors can't afford to ignore.”

The spike came after a Bank of Japan board member raised the prospect of an outsized or back-to-back interest-rate increase, with swaps markets now pricing in a hike at this month's policy meeting.

“A currency moving more than 1% in under an hour on a single comment from a policymaker tells you positioning has become incredibly stretched,” says Nigel Green.

“Markets this jumpy don't need a shock to move hard, a rumour is enough.”

The move didn't stay contained to Tokyo. A broad measure of dollar strength slipped as much as 0.3%, emerging-market currencies climbed, and the yen jumped about 1% against the euro within minutes.

“This kind of cross-market reaction is exactly what should worry investors who think their portfolios are spread safely across regions and asset classes,” warns Nigel Green.

“A shock in one currency pair can pull emerging-market bonds, multinational equities and dollar-denominated assets in the same direction at the same time, turning what looked like diversification into one large, concentrated bet.”

He continues: “A lot of investors assume their portfolio is diversified until a shock like this hits, and suddenly their emerging-market bonds, their multinational equities and their dollar exposure are all moving together.

Few portfolios are ever tested against this kind of scenario.

Investors will stress-test a portfolio against a stock market crash but rarely model what happens if a major currency moves 2% in an afternoon.

“This week is proof that this scenario can play out in a single trading session, and it can happen with almost no warning.”

Companies with heavy Japanese revenue, global bond funds holding yen-denominated debt, and emerging-market currencies that move in sympathy with the yen can all be caught by the same afternoon of volatility, Nigel Green adds.

“Currency risk doesn't stay in its own lane. It shows up in earnings, in bond returns, and in every corner of a global portfolio, often before investors have had time to react.”

Officials have already intervened once this year, and investors should not assume they won't again.

Japan spent a record $96.4 billion defending the yen over the past month after it slid to its weakest level in roughly four decades, with a coordinated buying operation clawing back around 5% from that low.

In January, a single phone call from currency officials to banks was enough to send the yen surging 1.75%.

“Authorities have shown they can move a currency with a phone call, never mind an actual rate decision,” explains the CEO.

“Anyone treating currency risk as 'background' instead of a live risk to returns is misreading the situation.”

Behind the volatility is a bigger problem for Japan.

The country is running a wide interest-rate gap with other major economies, and investors are growing uneasy about its fiscal direction under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's aggressive spending plans.

Hedge funds that slashed bearish yen bets after last month's intervention are already rebuilding short positions, betting officials will hesitate to step in again.

He concludes: “Reassessing your currency exposure across your entire portfolio should happen before the next intervention forces the issue, not after.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients. It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

Source: Equinor

3 September 2026 08:00 (CEST)

Citrus Flatts Energy Center in Cameron County, TX

East Point Energy, a wholly owned Equinor company, has completed construction and started operations at Citrus Flatts, a 100 MW/200 MWh energy storage facility in Harlingen, Texas.

With this Equinor has put five battery storage facilities into commercial production in four years. Citrus Flatts is East Point’s second operational project, following the start-up of the 10 MW/20 MWh Sunset Ridge facility last year.

These projects represent a key step in building a competitive, scalable position in onshore power for Equinor. They also mark East Point’s progression from developer to independent power producer (IPP), in line with Equinor’s strategy to capture value across the value chain.

Combined, Citrus Flatts and Sunset Ridge can supply enough electricity to power around 30,000 homes for up to two hours within Texas’ ERCOT power market.

“The start-up of these facilities underscores Equinor’s ambition to grow its integrated power business, delivering flexible and reliable energy solutions in attractive power markets,” said Christian Lie Hansen, Equinor vice president of onshore renewables Americas and chair of the East Point Energy board.

Both projects will operate on a fully merchant basis in ERCOT and benefit from Equinor's integrated approach to power markets, where close collaboration with Danske Commodities helps strengthen operational capabilities, asset management and portfolio optimization.

Together, battery storage assets and Equinor's broader trading capabilities underpin the company's integrated, portfolio-driven power strategy, designed to maximize value across core markets.

Battery storage plays a critical role in strengthening energy security and grid stability. These systems store excess power generated on the grid, releasing it when demand is highest. This helps balance energy supply, improve reliability, and supports affordability for ratepayers.

Texas is simultaneously the US's largest oil and gas state and its largest renewable energy state, generating more wind power than any other US state and rapidly becoming one of the world's biggest solar markets, and therefore benefiting from the flexibility provided by battery storage.

“This project will generate millions in tax revenue to support local priorities. As energy demand surges across Texas, it will strengthen the electrical grid and help keep energy costs affordable for families and businesses,” said Andrew Foukal, CEO of East Point Energy.

Beyond Texas, construction is underway on Equinor’s battery storage portfolio in Virginia’s PJM power market. The portfolio is comprised of four projects totalling 80 MW/160 MWh and is on track to reach commercial operation in early 2027.

Official release: https://www.equinor.com/news/20260903-citrus-flatts-energy-center

Source: deVere Group

September 2 2026

Stablecoins are turning into one of the biggest forces in global
finance, warns the CEO of one of the world's largest independent
financial advisory organisations.

Nigel Green of deVere Group's comments come as the total stablecoin
market cap pushes toward an all-time high above $318bn, led by Tether's
USDT at more than $184bn and Circle's USDC above $78bn.

Forecasts for where the sector goes next are striking: one leading
global bank sees the market reaching $2 trillion by 2028, the US
Treasury has modelled growth of roughly 700% to a similar figure over
the same period, and another major bank's upper-end scenario puts the
market at $4 trillion by 2030.

He says: “Stablecoins have gone from a crypto curiosity to a genuine
pillar of the dollar system, and the scale of it should be turning heads
in every finance ministry and central bank on the planet.

“Every dollar that flows into a stablecoin has to sit somewhere, and
increasingly that somewhere is short-dated US government debt.

“Tether alone now holds more than $100bn in Treasury bills, more than
the reserves held by the likes of Germany or the UAE.

“The stablecoin industry as a whole is already one of the 20 largest
external holders of Treasuries on the planet, and it got there in barely
a decade.”

Nigel Green draws a clear line between the coins themselves and the
opportunity building around them.

“Stablecoins are built to stay exactly at one dollar, not to make anyone
rich,” he says.

“Nobody should mistake this for a bet on the coin's price. Where the
opportunity actually sits is with the businesses and infrastructure
built around them, the issuers and institutions now racing to plug into
that flow of money, and the sheer scale of demand it's creating for
government debt.”

Nigel Green argues the scale of the shift is only just starting to
register in traditional finance and government circles.

“This has stopped being a niche corner of crypto and started becoming
genuine plumbing for the US Treasury market,” he says.

“When one bank talks about a $2 trillion stablecoin market within two
years, and another talks about $4 trillion by the end of the decade,
they're describing a structural buyer of government debt that barely
existed five years ago.”

He points to the wave of institutional money now moving into the space
as confirmation the trend has real momentum.

“A group of major global banks has just moved to build a joint dollar
stablecoin venture of their own, right as US regulators finalise the
rulebook for issuers under the GENIUS Act,” the deVere CEO explains.

“When banks stop fighting a trend and start building infrastructure for
it, that's usually the surest sign the trend has already won.”

Nigel Green says the scale of demand stablecoins could generate for
government debt carries implications well beyond crypto markets.

“Every trillion dollars of stablecoin growth is a trillion dollars of
fresh appetite for short-dated government paper,” he says. “At a moment
when governments across the developed world are struggling to fund
enormous deficits and investors are demanding higher yields for the
privilege of lending to them, a new multi-trillion-dollar buyer showing
up ranks among the more significant shifts in the plumbing of global
debt markets in a generation.”

He concludes: “The market cap numbers are only the surface. The real
question now is how fast regulators, banks and governments adapt to a
buyer of this size, because stablecoins have already let themselves into
mainstream finance.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of
specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass
affluent, and high-net-worth clients. It has a network of offices
around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

The views expressed in this media release are solely those of the sender
and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cision.

Source: Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre

3 September 2026

The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre (FWCC) strongly supports calls for the immediate public release of the Constitution Review Commission's report and recommendations.

FWCC Coordinator Shamima Ali says the Constitution belongs to the people of Fiji, and the people have a right to know what changes are being proposed.

She says that keeping the report secret while urging people not to speculate is contradictory.

“If the Government wants to avoid speculation and misinformation, it should release the report now and allow Fijians to read it for themselves. There is so little information for the public to work with. If anyone needs to remain calm, it is the Prime Minister and his Government,” said Ali.

“What is the secrecy all about? Even the media was not allowed to cover the handover of the report.”

The public should be given access to the report without further delay.