Banking & Markets: Armenia Stock Exchange won the “25 Years of Excellence – Capital Market Development Armenia 2026” award, while Moody’s affirmed Converse Bank’s Ba3 ratings and flipped its outlook to positive. Central Banking: The Central Bank raised the countercyclical capital buffer from 1.75% to 2%, effective Feb 1, 2027, citing credit and real-estate momentum. Energy & Russia Tensions: Russian officials said Armenia can’t expect comparable gas prices outside the EAEU and that Armenian supplies are “not critical” for Russia; the rail concession dispute is also heading toward arbitration talk. Politics & Courts: Prosecutors moved to transfer Yerevan Brandy-Wine-Vodka shares tied to Gagik Tsarukyan to state management; searches hit Strong Armenia MP-elect Narek Karapetyan, amid extended detention for Alik Aleksanyan. EU/World Cup Fallout: EU lawmakers plan to summon FIFA chief Infantino over the World Cup investment plan as UEFA-backed boycotts grow. Infrastructure & Water: Armenia plans to start three new reservoirs by end-2026 and is pushing major Armenia-Iran power line work. Tech & Growth: Firebird’s “Firebird” AI project is set to expand compute capacity, and Unibank added imID registration for UNIMobile.