Mining Deal: St Barbara has signed a binding agreement to sell its remaining stake in PNG’s New Simberi Gold Project to China’s Lingbao Gold Group for A$410m cash, plus A$43m to cover construction capital—leaving St Barbara with royalties (2.75% NSR on gold/silver and 1.5% on future minerals) and cash of about A$453m; completion is targeted for the March quarter of 2027 pending approvals. Energy & LNG: TotalEnergies confirmed it will hand operatorship of Papua LNG to ExxonMobil and sell a 9.1% interest to partners, lifting ExxonMobil’s stake to 34.1% (with Santos 21%, Eneos Xplora 2.4% and Kumul 22.5%) as the project heads toward a 2026 FID. Central Banking: BPNG set out its 2026 economic priorities—price stability, Kina foreign exchange reform, financial sector strengthening and better economic governance—warning of risks from higher global energy/food prices and weaker commodity demand. Payments Security: BSP deactivated all legacy Kundu magnetic strip cards and urged customers to upgrade to the more secure Kundu Chip Card after migrating 890,000 customers. Ports & Trade: ICTSI South Pacific is investing K8.1m in Lae port equipment to boost cargo-handling capacity, with more cranes planned to improve storage density and truck turnaround times. Finance Protection: BPNG launched the PNG Empower Finance Code with 15 institutions to help prevent and respond to financial abuse. Transport & Connectivity: Ok Tedi completed its first direct charter flight from Tabubil to Brisbane, cutting travel delays by 3–4 hours and creating a new FIFO hub. Public Finance Tech: PNG signed a K26m, three-year TechnologyOne deal to modernise the Integrated Financial Management System across provinces and government entities. Roads for Growth: PM Marape told Eastern Highlands communities that road and bridge spending should translate into more coffee, businesses, jobs and household incomes. Sports & Branding Risk: New Zealand Rugby is threatening legal action over the PNG NRL team’s “Chiefs” name, putting the 2028 launch branding at risk. Regional Geopolitics: A report says the US is being urged to increase its presence in the Pacific, citing limited resident diplomatic engagement as China expands influence.