Superintelligence refers to a future stage of artificial intelligence where machines surpass human intelligence across all fields, potentially solving humanity’s greatest challenges or creating unprecedented risks. The article explores how AI evolves from narrow systems to advanced intelligence, highlighting the importance of ethics, alignment, and responsible development to ensure AI benefits society rather than harms it.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has released an updated version of its Guide to Internal Models, introducing significant changes to the way banks manage and validate credit risk under the Internal Ratings-Based (IRB) approach. The revisions align with the Capital Requirements Regulation III (CRR3) and incorporate elements from the EBA Supervisory Handbook, signalling a stronger and more detailed supervisory framework.

The updated guide places greater emphasis on governance, internal validation, and accountability, clarifying the responsibilities of senior management when submitting model applications and ensuring institutions maintain robust internal control frameworks. It also introduces more granular requirements for estimating key credit risk parameters such as Probability of Default (PD) and Loss Given Default (LGD), alongside clearer definitions of default and stricter validation procedures.

Overall, the revised framework aims to promote more conservative, transparent, and harmonised modelling practices across the euro area. As banks prepare for model reviews and regulatory approvals, understanding these changes will be critical to ensuring compliance, improving risk management processes, and avoiding supervisory challenges.

Grant Thornton’s Women in Business 2026 report shows that gender equality initiatives are becoming a key factor in attracting talent. 91.9% of mid-market leaders say they consider a company’s gender equality policies when applying for roles, and many candidates now ask about the gender balance of senior leadership teams during recruitment.

The findings also reveal that mid-market firms are increasingly attracting experienced female talent from larger organisations, demonstrating the competitive advantage of inclusive leadership cultures.

However, progress remains fragile. With the global share of women in senior management slightly declining to 32.9%, and some organisations relaxing diversity initiatives, the report stresses that maintaining visible commitments to gender equality is essential for attracting talent, strengthening leadership pipelines and supporting sustainable business growth.

Cyprus has taken a bold step forward in cementing its position as a credible fund jurisdiction with the adoption of the new Investment Fund Administrators (IFA) Law. Passed quietly in July 2024, this new framework may not have made international headlines, but it closes a longstanding gap in the country’s financial services ecosystem and signals a more mature, forward-looking approach to fund regulation.

In this article, we unpack what the law does, why it matters, and how it completes a puzzle that’s been slowly coming together over the past decade.

The article The Use of Machine Learning Techniques in Internal Models discusses the European Central Bank’s updated Guide to Internal Models published in July 2025, which reflects expanded regulatory expectations under CRR3 and revised Basel standards. A standout focus of the update is the integration of Machine Learning (ML) techniques within internal risk models, particularly for credit risk, market risk, and counterparty credit risk.

While machine learning holds promise for enhancing predictive performance and data-driven insights, the ECB emphasises that such models must be developed with robust methodologies, strong governance, and clear documentation. They must also maintain transparency and explainability, aligning with risk management frameworks and avoiding unnecessary complexity unless justified by measurable performance improvements. The guidance aims to balance innovation with prudence, promoting supervisory harmonisation and improved model risk management practices across financial institutions.