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The India-Nepal border has begun reopening across several crossings following days of closure caused by violent protests in Nepal. Checkpoints at Sonauli, Rupaidiha, Kheri, Siddharthnagar and Balrampur have resumed partial movement of goods, under enhanced security and supervision by the Nepal Army.

At Rupaidiha’s Integrated Check Post, over 20 tankers loaded with petroleum, diesel, cooking gas and medicines have entered Nepal, helping to curb shortages of essentials. Nearly 1,000 trucks carrying foodstuffs, machinery and medical supplies await clearance amid prioritisation of life-saving and energy supplies. Market traders and transporters, impacted by steep price rises of commodities such as biscuits and cooking gas, have expressed relief. The border reopening comes amid tight controls, with curfews still in place in sensitive areas and heightened security patrols, including drone surveillance. Authorities warn that full restoration of trade and cross-border traffic will be gradual, given damage to infrastructure and logistical disruptions caused during the unrest.

Nepal is now under an interim government led by Sushila Karki, who took office after anti-corruption protests driven by Gen Z activists forced Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli to resign. Her appointment as the first woman to lead the government was confirmed after negotiations involving the president, military leadership and protest representatives. Parliament has been dissolved, and new elections are scheduled for 5 March 2026.

Protesters had demanded transparency, political accountability and an end to nepotism and corruption. The protests were triggered by a controversial social media ban, but escalated rapidly, resulting in more than 50 deaths and over 1,300 injuries in clashes with security forces. Many government buildings, including parliament and the presidential residence, were set ablaze. Curfews were imposed in Kathmandu and neighbouring districts while transport, banking and other services came to a standstill.

With the new government now operating, authorities in Nepal are prioritising restoring law and order and ensuring that those who died or lost property during the unrest receive appropriate investigation and accountability. International reaction has been largely supportive of the transition, with neighbouring countries invoking hopes of stability and peace.

Australia’s Reserve Bank, through Assistant Governor Brad Jones, has warned that the era of stability and integration following the Cold War has given way to a more contested strategic environment that carries elevated risk for governments, financial institutions, and markets. At a FINSIA event in Sydney on 12 September, Jones declared that “the era of the peace dividend is over,” citing geopolitical, technological and operational disruptions reshaping the global financial order.

Jones described the international security and economic system as undergoing “seismic adjustment — on a scale and speed unseen in eight decades.” He flagged multiple forces contributing to instability: rising strategic rivalry, weakening tenets of the rules-based order, frictions in globalisation, and increasing emphasis on self-insurance by nations and firms against a broader set of possible harms.

Technological advances form one front of the risk profile. Jones spoke of an expanding surface for cyber-attacks driven by digitalisation, concerns over concentration risk in cloud services, and quantum computing’s looming threat to encryption systems. Artificial intelligence, while promising productivity gains, poses risks of misinformation, fraud, and systemic instability due to herding behaviour.

Critical infrastructure exposures were cited as especially vulnerable: telecommunications networks, the electrical grid, payment systems, and market infrastructure. Jones referenced a recent example in Europe, where cascading power outages in the Iberian Peninsula disrupted both households and economic activity, pointing out that such disruptions would be far more dangerous if key financial infrastructure were affected.

To respond, the RBA is pressing for what it calls an “anti-fragile” financial system—one not simply capable of withstanding shocks but able to adapt and improve because of them. Innovation, competition, and efficiency are being positioned not as opposing goals to resilience but as complementary. Initiatives under way include work with industry to bolster payments resilience, frameworks to ensure that future payments systems embed reliability and recoverability, migration to quantum-safe encryption standards, and reforms aimed at enabling new entrants in financial market infrastructure to reduce concentration risk.

These concerns build on earlier warnings in the RBA’s Financial Stability Review, which noted that heightened geopolitical tensions, trade uncertainty, and technological vulnerabilities could interact with existing financial system risks. The review flagged operational risks from interconnectedness and dependency on third parties for infrastructure and services.

The shift has implications for monetary policy, regulatory oversight, and business strategy. Regulators are likely to place greater emphasis on risk scenarios involving geopolitics, cyber-threats and supply-chain disruptions; financial institutions will need to review and stress-test against non-traditional threats while ensuring agility; and policy frameworks may need to evolve to address threats outside standard macroeconomic shocks.

SwissBorg has lost about $41 million worth of Solana after a breach in a third-party API linked to its staking partner Kiln, which facilitated its SOL Earn programme. The incident affected fewer than 1% of users and represented roughly 2% of SwissBorg’s total assets under management.

The vulnerability originated in Kiln’s API — the software interface SwissBorg uses to communicate with Solana’s staking network. By exploiting that interface, attackers manipulated staking requests tied to the SOL Earn product and diverted approximately 192,600 SOL to an external wallet. SwissBorg and Kiln stated that the main SwissBorg app and all other Earn products remain secure. SwissBorg has paused Solana staking transactions while investigations continue.

SwissBorg CEO Cyrus Fazel described the event as “a bad day,” assuring customers that operations remain stable. The company pledged to reimburse all affected users, confirmed it has sufficient treasury reserves to cover losses, and is working with law enforcement, white-hat hackers, and security firms to block stolen transactions and trace funds. Some transfers have already been intercepted, according to its statement.

Kiln acknowledged that the breach involved “unauthorised access to a wallet used for staking operations.” SwissBorg and Kiln jointly activated their incident response protocols upon detection, aiming to contain the damage.

Industry experts flag this as yet another example of how dependence on external service providers exposes crypto platforms to infrastructure-level risk. In recent years, comparable API and smart-contract vulnerabilities have been exploited across the sector, prompting calls for more rigorous audits and redundancy in trust relationships.

Bybit has restored full access to its mobile app for users in India, marking a pivotal stage in its compliance efforts and reaffirming its long-term presence in the market. Access to its website is being reinstated in phases and is expected to be fully live within the next three to four days. This marks a strategic relaunch of services including spot trading, derivatives, options and copy trading, supported by enhanced Know Your Customer protocols and security measures.

The exchange began its compliance drive earlier this year by registering with the Financial Intelligence Unit-India as a reporting entity under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in January 2025. That move followed a penalty of approximately INR 9.27 crore imposed for operating without proper registration. Services had trickled back in February for authorised users, but full restoration remained pending until now.

Bybit co-founder and CEO Ben Zhou said the company views this phase Bybit Restores Full Trading Access in India as more than a mere return—it signals a renewed chapter in its India operations. He emphasised India’s potential as a leading digital-asset market and reiterated the company’s commitment to delivering secure, transparent, world-class trading experiences. Vikas Gupta, Country Manager of Bybit India, described the moment as a landmark in providing Indian clients a seamless and compliant trading environment. He also spoke of broader ambitions to nurture India’s crypto ecosystem through education, strategic partnerships and community initiatives.

Legal counsel from Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas led Bybit’s regulatory realignment, navigating months of negotiations and product realignment to meet Indian norms and transaction-reporting requirements. The process has been framed as a model for other offshore platforms seeking a compliant pathway into India’s tightening regulatory environment.

Bybit has intensified its outreach in the Indian market, serving as title sponsor for the India Blockchain Tour 2025 and preparing for the next leg, “Metamorphosis – India Blockchain Tour,” in New Delhi on 27–28 September. The exchange has also unveiled its World Series of Trading 2025, offering welcome bonuses and prizes such as cars and smartphones to attract users.

India remains one of the world’s most dynamic cryptocurrency markets, despite stiff tax and regulatory hurdles—such as a 30 per cent tax on crypto gains and no comprehensive legal framework yet in place. The restoration of Bybit’s services under tighter compliance standards reflects its resilience and underscores the importance of regulatory alignment for offshore platforms.

SriLankan Airlines has suspended services to Kathmandu after authorities closed Tribhuvan International Airport amid nationwide unrest, forcing cancellations on the Colombo–Kathmandu route and disrupting onward travel plans.

Airport officials said flight operations at Kathmandu would remain shut until the evening as security forces moved to stabilise the capital, while armoured patrols and curfews kept streets largely empty following two days of violent demonstrations. Airline pauses Kathmandu services amid escalating unrest.

Protests that began over corruption and economic grievances have turned deadly, with soldiers guarding parliament and key government buildings after arson attacks and clashes. Reuters reported at least 19 fatalities over 48 hours and said the turmoil prompted a nationwide shutdown affecting aviation, retail and public services.

Knock-on effects spread across regional air corridors. Multiple Kathmandu-bound flights were diverted to India, including four routed to Lucknow as the closure took effect, while IndiGo extended a temporary halt of services to and from Kathmandu to the early evening. Other carriers announced cancellations through the day as they assessed security and operational risks.

SriLankan confirmed the cancellation of flights UL181 and UL182 on Wednesday and advised ticketed passengers to contact their booking channels. Local news outlets in Colombo said the airline’s suspension would remain until further notice, aligning with guidance to monitor official updates as authorities reviewed conditions at the airport.

Regional governments urged caution for travellers. India advised its citizens to defer trips to Nepal and for those already in the country to remain indoors, as curfews and transport disruptions left tourists and business travellers stranded across Kathmandu Valley and beyond.

Live updates from Kathmandu indicated authorities were weighing phased resumptions of essential services alongside crowd-control measures. Airports and transport links were prioritised for restoration once security agencies deemed conditions manageable, with the army coordinating road clearance and fire response in affected districts.

Airlines across South Asia adjusted schedules through the afternoon, with Indian and regional carriers cancelling or retiming Kathmandu rotations while offering waivers. Public statements from operators noted the situation remained fluid and that customer notifications would follow as airspace and airport status changed.

SriLankan’s decision underscores how quickly a single-airport closure can ripple through a network heavily reliant on narrow time buffers and daylight slots into high-altitude hubs. For passengers booked to or through Kathmandu, carriers advised monitoring flight status pages and staying in contact with travel agents as curfew orders and airport operating hours evolve.