Maldives Public Safety Tech: Maldives plans a “drone-first emergency response” system next year, sending unmanned aircraft to incident scenes ahead of police and streaming live video to command centres, alongside upgrades to the 911 Emergency Response Centre. Maldives Security & Policing: President Muizzu reaffirmed government support for strengthening national security services, backing police upgrades with legislative reforms, modern technology, and expanded training and facilities. Maldives Banking Modernisation: Maldives Premier Bank selected Finastra’s Financial Messaging API for secure, always-on Swift connectivity to boost international payments and add future payment-rail options. Maldives Energy & Microgrids: Flow batteries are being used for microgrid deployments on islands like Himandhoo to cut diesel dependence via solar-diesel hybrid grids and improve reliability during demand swings and extreme weather. Blue Economy Research: A new study says manta ray watching is worth over US$311m annually to the Maldives economy and could reach about US$8.6bn over the animals’ lifetimes. AI in Education (Regional): MAXHUB showcased smart classroom and AI integration plans at a South Asia higher-education policy dialogue that included Maldives National University. Digital Trade & Retail (Maldives angle): Local entrepreneurs discuss how Temu-style cross-border shopping is reshaping everyday buying in the Maldives, even after bank surcharges.