Digital Payments: Visa says Sri Lanka’s online checkout is hitting a “moment of truth” as consumers expect faster, simpler, more secure payments, with tokenisation and its “Click to Pay” push aimed at reducing abandoned carts. Connectivity & Cloud: Google plans “Digital Exchange Ports” in Africa, with the first in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, linking the region to major subsea routes and boosting cloud resilience; the company also points to connectivity hubs it’s building in the Maldives. Maldives Tourism & Partnerships: The Maldives is sending a high-level delegation to China (1–11 July) to deepen tourism ties, with China already leading source-market arrivals. Digital Heritage: Maldives officials say a nationwide project is nearing completion of a free online digital archive of hundreds of heritage sites to support conservation and research. Digital Finance: Bank of Maldives (BML) wins MMA awards for digital finance innovation and green/sustainable finance. Digital Health: The Maldives launches a 5-year digital health roadmap (2026–2030) to unify island-wide digital health efforts under one framework. AI in Governance (Regional): India’s e-governance push urges “use AI intelligently,” while South Asia’s telecom regulators meet to coordinate policy and services. Conservation Tech: A new study estimates manta ray watching could add billions to Maldives tourism value over time.