Seychelles Tourism Governance: The Government has reinstated the Seychelles Tourism Board and appointed Vesna Rakic as CEO from 15 May 2026, aiming to strengthen tourism governance, promotion and long-term competitiveness. Energy Leadership in the Region: South Africa’s Eskom has appointed telecoms veteran Junaid Munshi as Group Executive for Distribution effective 1 June, with a mandate to support a stable grid and accelerate digital, customer-focused reforms after a year without rotational load shedding. Crypto Regulation Watch: South Africa’s Standard Bank and the SARB are in a legal/regulatory fight over whether crypto fits exchange-control rules after a court ruling said cryptocurrencies aren’t money or capital under existing definitions; SARB has appealed and draft regulations are being prepared. Digital Assets & Identity Platforms: Beldex launched the BNS Marketplace, letting users buy, sell and manage blockchain-based names peer-to-peer, while Bitget rolled out “Reality” for tokenised real-world assets and a new “UEX Traders’ Secret” video series. Visa Moves for Tourism and Trade: Sri Lanka introduced free 30-day tourist visas (via online ETA) for citizens of 40 countries including Oman, as part of efforts to boost arrivals and economic growth. Maritime Finance: India’s Sagarmala Finance Corporation plans the country’s first “blue bond” to fund ocean and coastal projects, targeting up to 10 billion rupees. Security & Business Risk: UK sanctions target digital-asset networks used to evade Russia-related restrictions, including Seychelles-based exchange HTX. Regional Defence Industry Linkages: India’s PRAGATI 2026 concluded with a defence equipment expo and procurement talks involving delegations including Seychelles, highlighting growing defence manufacturing and export ambitions.