Wall Street Earnings & AI: Big banks’ first-half profits hit record levels, with AI-linked trading, dealmaking and financing driving a surge in capital markets revenue, while executives warn the momentum may be hard to repeat. Crypto Market Structure: The SEC approved higher options limits for BlackRock’s IBIT, giving institutional traders more room to hedge and take larger positions as spot Bitcoin ETF activity matures. Bitcoin ETF Options: The rule change lifts IBIT options limits from 250,000 to 1,000,000 contracts, signaling deeper ETF-linked liquidity. Mortgage Lending Loophole: A California brokerage says it can qualify homebuyers using pre-IPO shares as income, challenging lenders’ usual refusal to count private equity. Islamic Banking Growth (Oman): Oman’s Islamic banking assets rose to about OMR9.8bn by end-May 2026, with deposits and financing also climbing. Iraq Banking Access: Iraq’s PM welcomed a CBI–US Treasury agreement clearing seven banks to resume correspondent banking in foreign currencies, aiming to restore broader dollar access. EU Capital Rules: The EU plans a temporary tweak to Basel III trading-book capital requirements instead of full removal, to keep competitiveness while others delay implementation. Uniswap Governance: Uniswap founder Hayden Adams proposed expanding protocol fees across Uniswap v4 and new deployments, reigniting the value-capture debate. UK Retail Banking: Lloyds and Bank of Scotland scrap foreign debit card fees for student customers from July 30.