Antitrust Watch: Italy’s antitrust regulator has opened a formal review of Intesa Sanpaolo’s bid to take over Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), checking whether the deal could weaken competition in banking and insurance across multiple provinces, including areas tied to deposits and small-business lending. Fintech & Payments: Salone dei Pagamenti (24-26 Nov, Milan) is expanding its international ecosystem via a partnership with Fintech District, aiming to boost cross-border fintech/techfin collaboration and content under a “Stay Fintech, Stay Tech” track. Cybersecurity Funding: Rome-based Exein, focused on security for industrial devices and Physical AI, raised $270M at a $1.7B valuation, with backing that includes the European Investment Bank. AI in Healthcare: Novo (formerly Novo Nordisk) will test Anthropic’s Claude Science to speed up drug discovery and R&D workflows. SME Tech Ecosystem: WMF – We Make Future opened its 2027 startup Calls, connecting innovative SMEs and founders to investors, corporates, and growth opportunities through its Builders Community. EU Space Industry: Eutelsat says a Belgian startup, Aerospacelab, will build most of the IRIS2 low-orbit satellite infrastructure, challenging expectations that Airbus would dominate.