南非央行加息25个基点，将政策利率上调25个基点至7.25%。

Microsoft President Brad Smith said the company backs independent safety-assessment bodies for AI deployments, arguing AI safety should not depend on a small number of model firms. He acknowledged OpenAI and Anthropic as important but said software firms that control and monitor AI agents are equally critical. Microsoft participates in safety assessments via a committee set up with OpenAI and supports human-operated shutdown mechanisms for advanced AI systems. Smith said AI safety requires multi-layered defenses and that key controls should not be centralized. He confirmed Microsoft still plans to deploy 200 MW of compute at a UAE AI data center and views the Middle East as a timely investment destination. On its carbon-negative-by-2030 target, he said the company may need to adjust its previously set pathway.

Japan's finance minister Katayama said the principles behind the July US-Japan joint FX intervention remain in effect, signaling the government is prepared to act again with the United States if needed. The remarks helped the yen end a four-day losing streak. Last week's Bank of Japan rate hike to a 31-year high has not convinced investors the central bank will accelerate tightening, leaving sentiment fragile. HSBC senior FX strategist Daragh Maher said the yen may struggle in coming weeks but the persistent threat of intervention should help limit USD/JPY upside. He added that early-September's yen spike has reversed and, with positions less extreme, another large short-covering squeeze is unlikely.