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] If Suriname can combine its new petroleum wealth with accessible digital finance, stronger institutions and modern payment infrastructure, fintech could help ensure that the coming boom reaches considerably further than the offshore platforms where it begins. The Fintech Times
• [New] The Bank for International Settlements is warning that near-record public debt and the growing role of hedge funds and other nonbank financial institutions have created what it calls a fiscal-financial stability nexus. Armstrong Economics
• [New] Financial institutions have long been at a structural disadvantage when it comes to fraud, as they can only see threats once they arrive. FinExtra
• [New] Institutions will begin receiving program-level earnings data in 2027, with most programs potentially facing the loss of federal student loan eligibility as early as 2028 if they fail the metric in two of three consecutive years. Default
• [New] Taurus, a leader in digital asset infrastructure, is enabling financial institutions to connect to Swift's blockchain-based shared ledger, with the first live clients expected in a couple of days. FinExtra
• [New] Experts at institutions ranging from Zurich Insurance to Tavoni's think-tank estimate 2026's flash drought is likely to deal a short-term economic blow to Europe of at least €50bn, which could rise significantly if the water shortages drag on. Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen
• [New] Insider threats cost financial institutions USD 16.2 million per event on average. Mordor Intelligence
• [New] The Asia Pacific region is likely to be the fastest-growing region, driven by rapid digitalization, expanding cloud adoption, and increasing cyber threats targeting enterprises and government institutions. Persistence Market Research
• [New] The US Department of War has ordered 30 major research universities, including Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to audit and report on their financial and research collaborations with foreign institutions by the end of the month or risk losing federal funding. Chemistry World
• [New] The United Kingdom will continue to support Ukraine in its legitimate self-defence, and in the pursuit of a just and lasting peace, for as long as it takes. GOV.UK
• [New] Worldwide, regulators and financial institutions have sought to encourage stronger speak-up cultures, recognising that concerns raised by employees can provide an early indication of misconduct, control failures and emerging risks. Risk.net
• [New] Institutional and tokenized-asset adoption: Cardano's compliance-focused positioning could become more relevant if institutions adopt public blockchain settlement. CoinStats
• [New] SWIFT's current global dominance across banking institutions is significant and will not be overthrown in the short term. Braumiller Law Group
• [New] A durable peace on the Korean Peninsula will not come from accepting permanent division or validating the sovereignty claims of the Kim family regime. UPI
• [New] The Australia-Solomon Islands pact will be an interesting case to see whether new pacts are actually about local peace and security priorities, or just bilateral aid negotiations by another means, with a side serving of Australia's strategic denial. Lowy Institute
• [New] The latest security pact, between Fiji and Australia makes mention of peace in the title and UN norms of seeking peaceful settlements to disputes but does not explain what peace is and how it might be achieved. Lowy Institute
• The Department of State's Bureau of Counterterrorism will send a Department of Justice team to Peru to improve bilateral coordination and information sharing on efforts to combat the Tren de Aragua, which President Trump designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Mirage News
• Together with international financial institutions, the EU plans to mobilize approximately €2 billion for infrastructure development in the Black Sea region and the South Caucasus. The Astana Times
• Thirty US universities could lose federal funding unless they review and cut foreign academic partnerships the Pentagon considers a national security risk within the next two weeks, under a Pentagon directive aimed largely at ties to Chinese institutions. The Guardian
• Black communities should not be expected simply to trust official conclusions when American institutions have a long history of minimizing, mischaracterizing, or failing to investigate violence against Black people. Race, Racism and the Law
• South Korea's SSN project threatens regional peace by causing a regional nuclear race. American Enterprise Institute - AEI

Last updated: 31 August 2026