Minimum Wage Pressure on Exporters: Philippines’ Philexport urged caution on another Metro Manila minimum wage hike, warning higher labor costs could squeeze exporters, micro enterprises and jobs amid inflation and weaker global demand. Earthquake Recovery Costs: In Hawai‘i, South Kona residents met county officials after a 6.0 quake; hundreds reported property damage and many are navigating insurance gaps, including earthquake coverage. MSME Digital Push at BRICS: India hosted a BRICS SME working group meeting focused on widening MSME technology access. Recycling Capital for SMEs: Circulate Capital committed $150m to India’s recycling sector, backing profitable SME and family businesses with long track records. Credit Access Bottleneck in Kenya: A Kenya finance expert said prudential rules effectively block smallholder farmers from formal credit despite low default rates. Nepal Women’s MSME Finance: BII and Laxmi Sunrise Bank signed a $25m facility to expand MSME lending, with 30% earmarked for women-led firms. Pacific SMEs Get New Fund: EU, UN Capital Development Fund and UNDP launched the Sustainable Pacific Blue Circle Fund in Suva to help micro, small and medium businesses access finance in blue/green/climate resilience sectors. Electricity Bills Jump in Uttar Pradesh: UPPCL will add a 10% fuel surcharge to power bills from June, hitting households and businesses already under cost pressure. AUKUS Undersea Tech: AUKUS launched its first Pillar 2 underwater tech project, aiming to develop shared payloads for uncrewed undersea systems across Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic.