AI
Agentic payments on x402 moved $24 million in 30 days. That is tiny beside a global e-commerce market expected to reach $6.88 trillion this year, yet stablecoin firms are treating it as a preview. Circle and Stripe are building payment rails for agents today. A Citrini Research scenario about
AI
Anthropic is launching an enterprise marketplace with a 0% commission. The shift turns Claude from a model contract into a software checkout lane, as defense-linked work faces fresh uncertainty. By bundling partner apps into Anthropic billing, the company is trying to keep annual commitments sticky and reduce procurement friction for
Regulation
The US Securities and Exchange Commission said it will end its lawsuit against crypto billionaire Justin Sun. A firm affiliated with him, Rainberry Inc., agreed to pay a $10 million civil penalty under a settlement that still needs a judge’s approval. The SEC said it would drop all claims
Markets
Opinion Labs clocked nearly $2 billion in notional wagers during the week ending Jan. 25, vaulting the Asia-centric prediction market past Polymarket and within striking distance of Kalshi. That eruption of volume hinted at a new centre of gravity for retail speculators—until the incentive engine sputtered six weeks later.
AI
OpenAI will deploy its AI models inside the Pentagon’s classified network. The deal lands hours after the Defense Department labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk, detonating one of the government’s most prominent AI vendor relationships. Sam Altman said late Friday the agreement reflects OpenAI’s principles, including prohibiting “domestic
Markets
Spain wants the digital euro live in 2028, not 2029. Madrid is framing the schedule as a market-structure issue as US stablecoins expand their role in payment intermediation. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez set the goal in a competitiveness “non-paper” sent to European Council President António Costa. It calls for a
Finance
Morgan Stanley has applied for a de novo national trust bank charter, a move that would allow the Wall Street firm to custody digital assets directly under federal oversight. The Feb. 18 filing with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency signals a structural shift: crypto services are moving
AI
Demis Hassabis says artificial intelligence risks need urgent action. The Google DeepMind CEO is pressing governments to coordinate on baseline safety rules as models become more autonomous and more widely deployed. The warning lands as “agent” systems move from demos into workflows. Hassabis, speaking to Bloomberg Television from an AI
DeFi
World Liberty Financial plans tokens tied to a Trump resort loan. The offering targets accredited investors seeking fixed yield plus loan revenue from a Maldives project, extending tokenization into an illiquid slice of private real estate. Sales could start within the next 30 days. WLFI’s own token has lost
AI
The Trump administration is planning a “Tech Corps” inside Peace Corps. The goal is up to 5,000 deployments over five years, aimed at pushing US artificial intelligence (AI) tools abroad and reducing uptake of Chinese alternatives. That would turn technical implementation into a foreign-policy lever. A US official said
AI
ByteDance is recruiting for nearly 100 US roles in its artificial intelligence unit. The push signals the TikTok owner is still building frontier-model capacity on US soil, even after years of national security pressure. The hiring also widens the talent fight with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. The openings sit within
Innovation
TRISO-X just won a rare nuclear fuel license. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved commercial fabrication of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, opening a domestic pathway for advanced-reactor supply chains. The decision lands as US power demand rises for data centers, electric transport, and cryptocurrency mining. X-Energy