Our Scans · (LF.16) Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

• [New] Signs of progress for a potential peace deal in the Iran war have helped cool oil prices and, in turn, have eased inflation worries that could prompt a Fed rate hike and pushed Treasury yields lower. ST
• [New] Oil prices eased due to peace talks in Iran, lowering inflation fears and Treasury yields, while stocks like SpaceX and Airbnb surged after positive reports. ST
• [New] Financial institutions will come under closer scrutiny in the UAE under the new National Strategy for Anti-Money Laundering unveiled recently. Khaleej Times
• [New] Regulation should focus on capability, risk and enforceable controls rather than model openness alone, while recognising that resilient institutions must adapt to a world where powerful AI tools are widely available. Mishcon de Reya LLP
• [New] AI is being adopted across the UK justice system faster than its impact on the public can be independently evaluated, a new report has warned. UKAuthority
• [New] The U.S. Department of Justice has characterized ransomware as an emerging professionalized cybercrime model, and the White House cybersecurity strategy designates crypto ransomware as a National Security Threat. SpringerLink
• [New] In Canada, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs warned of foreign state interference and the exploitation of domestic institutions by extremist networks. The Jerusalem Post
• [New] Concurrently, Iran is contending that it has the right to control shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, with the fate of the peace agreement at risk as a ceasefire becomes increasingly difficult to maintain. sdwia.com
• [New] A faltering peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran has become a critical indicator of where oil and energy prices might be headed. sdwia.com
• [New] More than 200 economists and AI researchers - including 16 Nobel laureates and senior figures from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic - have issued a coordinated statement urging governments and institutions to act immediately on the economic disruption that artificial intelligence is expected to cause. Renascence
• [New] The willingness to refine targets instead of stepping back from coverage signals that Novo Nordisk remains firmly on the radar for institutions that are actively reassessing risk and reward across the healthcare sector. Yahoo! Finance
• Hamas will hand over its weapons to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a new body established by the Board of Peace to oversee day-to-day affairs in the Palestinian territory. The Guardian
• Algeria reaffirms its steadfast attachment to the principle of African solutions to African problems and the strengthening of joint African action to consolidate peace, security, and stability in line with the aspirations of African nations and the goals of AU Agenda 2063. Africa news eng
• A one system, global coverage approach to on-chain risk monitoring will become a major competitive advantage for institutions entering regulated markets. ChainUP Trustformer KYT
• Renewed US strikes on Iran for 12 days in a row, and new attacks on Saudi oil tankers by Yemen's Houthis, have put paid to any hopes of peace in the near term. The Guardian
• The Civil Justice Council is to continue exploring proportionate transparency on the use of AI in preparing witness statements for trial but will not extend it to other documents. Legal Futures
• Under Storyline B by 2300, some major public institutions, such as the Welsh parliament building in Cardiff, now lie within the 200-year flood zone, along with major UK infrastructure such as Glasgow airport, Teesside chemical works and the port of Dover. Nature
• Fraud remains a major challenge for global financial institutions, with corporate and wholesale fraud presenting far greater risks and losses than retail fraud. Fraud Deep Dive 2026
• RBS is increasingly important in highly interconnected financial systems, where risks emerge not only at the institution-level but also across networks that span financial institutions, payment providers, cloud service providers, and third-party data intermediaries. CGAP
• The Ocean of Peace alliance, which will in the future be open to other Pacific nations to join, aims to bolster regional security and limit China's influence. The Week
• China may support the UN, the SCO and other multilateral institutions, but its selective adherence to common rules risks turning its multilateralism into a vehicle to compete with US rather than constraining great-power rivalry. Merics
• Institutions such as UNAM, IPN, UAM, and UNADM will face cuts of between 2% and 8% in 2026, in addition to a real 7.2% cut for state universities. BNamericas
• The U.S.-brokered deal envisions an Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon and an eventual peace agreement between the two countries - which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel's establishment. Counter Extremism Project

Last updated: 10 August 2026