Retail & Consumer Spending: Ayala’s retail arm ACX Retail is set to scale overseas fashion, lifestyle and specialty brands in the Philippines, using Ayala’s real-estate, logistics and consumer data to speed rollouts. Consumer Protection & Recalls: South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission says product recalls rose ~5% in 2025, driven by more hazardous imported goods showing up on online marketplaces; regulators plan to suspend sales and push marketplace blocks. Bills & Everyday Costs: UK PM Andy Burnham will bring forward rules on subscription cancellations and clearer pricing, plus a consultation on banning deceptive “discount” practices. Energy Bills: Meralco customers get a small August rate dip as a regulator-approved refund offsets pass-through increases. Retail Tech & Loss Prevention: London’s Edgify raised €7.7M to deploy edge AI for physical retail shrink reduction. Food Safety: Bengaluru saw restaurant closures and seized spoiled/expired items after food-safety raids. Payments: India’s finance ministry says UPI stays free for consumers, with any MDR limited to select merchants. Fashion & Sustainability: Levi’s is expanding in-store repairs and sewing workshops to help Gen Z “fix it, don’t ditch it.” Telecom Customer Value: Consumer Cellular markets lower bills by using AT&T/T-Mobile networks, with trade-offs like busy-tower slowdowns and data limits.