Maldives Financial Expo 2026: President Dr Mohamed Muizzu officially launched the three-day Maldives Financial Expo 2026 at Hulhumalé Central Park, bringing together banks, insurers, financial service providers, regulators and government bodies under the theme “Empowering Sustainable Futures: Inclusion, Innovation, and Intelligence.” Banking for merchants: Bank of Maldives (BML) says it has streamlined its Advance Merchant Settlement facility, cutting processing to five working days and raising merchant financing up to MVR 2 million based on card settlement history. New instalment option: BML also launched SplitPay, letting eligible credit cardholders split purchases above MVR 1,500 into 3–24 monthly instalments via participating merchants. Anti-corruption push: Mosques nationwide delivered synchronized Friday sermons warning against corruption and bribery, as authorities step up governance messaging. UN humanitarian support: Maldives pledged USD 50,000 annually to UNRWA at the UN pledging conference, calling for predictable funding to sustain services for Palestinian refugees. Fuel cost relief: India exempted Maldives from two fuel export duties, expected to reduce import costs under its Neighborhood First policy. Tourism procurement digitised: Visit Maldives launched a digital vendor platform to streamline procurement, standardise vendor registration and enable online RFP/RFQ handling. Tourism market push to China: Maldives’ tourism and civil aviation delegation is visiting China (1–11 July) to meet airlines, tour operators and tech firms, with China remaining the top source market.