Japan's holdings of overseas securities fell $75.6 billion in May from April, implying the government sold foreign assets, including US Treasuries, to help finance last month's record foreign-exchange intervention. Finance Ministry data showed foreign reserves dropped to $1.09 trillion at end-May, while foreign-currency deposits — another potential funding source — were largely unchanged at $162 billion. Separately, intervention in the month through May 28 totaled a record ¥11.73 trillion (about

Several private banks have recently removed 3‑year and 5‑year term deposits from sale, a move concentrated among a small number of private lenders. Banks say the delistings are part of cutting high-rate deposits and rebalancing deposit mixes in response to new assisted‑lending rules; as internet-originated lending has been curtailed, liability bases have been reduced in parallel. MyBank president Feng Liang said the prior internet‑finance playbook—growth driven by traffic and hit products—no longer works as new user additions and usage have peaked.

UK business and trade secretary Peter Kyle declined to set a timetable for a UK‑India free trade agreement after New Delhi warned London’s proposed steel safeguards could prompt it to reconsider tariff concessions. Kyle, returning from a one‑day visit to India, said talks have moved at “great speed” and that “these things take time,” adding that implementing the deal this autumn would be the fastest such rollout in UK history. When asked if that timetable reflected government policy he said “that was not my intention.” He described talks with Indian commerce minister Piyush Goyal as constructive.