Banking Stability: BEAC and Central African banking supervisors met in Yaounde to discuss how regulators can better handle emerging risks, including digital fraud, cybersecurity, stablecoins, AI, and cross-border banking groups. Startup & Trade Links: The 929 Challenge and 929 Summit will run Dec 3-4 in Macao alongside AIE Expo 2026, with a new acceleration programme aimed at helping startups from Portuguese-speaking countries—including São Tomé and Príncipe—enter the Greater Bay Area market. Justice & Courts: A new Afrobarometer survey ranks Nigeria among Africa’s worst for access to justice, with low public confidence in courts and concerns about fairness and judicial independence; only São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, Comoros and Guinea score worse on some indicators. Maritime Security: Indonesia says it stopped illegal fishing by 1,210 vessels since 2021, citing a case involving a vessel flying the São Tomé and Príncipe flag and warning that illegal fishing is increasingly tied to people smuggling and fish laundering. Regional Finance: Afreximbank appointed Peter Adeshola Olowononi as director of regional operations for Southern Africa, previously covering client relations across Anglophone West Africa including São Tomé and Príncipe. Diplomacy: South Korea’s foreign minister held talks with counterparts from 11 African countries, including São Tomé and Príncipe, to expand cooperation on economy, defense, maritime security, and development.