Finance
Piero Cipollone, a member of the European Central Bank’s Executive Board, has underlined the importance of a digital euro in safeguarding Europe’s financial autonomy. Speaking at Rome’s annual New Year’s Forum, Cipollone emphasized that Europe’s reliance on non-European payment providers, such as Visa, Mastercard, and
Finance
Alt5 Sigma Corp., a Las Vegas-based financial technology company with connections to a Trump family-backed crypto venture, has unveiled plans for a share buyback of up to $100 million. The program could see the company repurchase as many as 50 million shares—representing roughly 40% of its outstanding shares, or
Innovation
Cao Renxian, the low-profile founder of Sungrow Power Supply Co., has become one of China’s wealthiest industrial leaders by quietly shaping the world’s energy future. As the company gears up for a major Hong Kong IPO that could raise nearly $2 billion, Sungrow’s success is thrusting Cao—
AI
Tandem Technology Inc., a healthcare tech startup focused on streamlining medical prescriptions through artificial intelligence, has reached a $1 billion valuation after its latest funding round. According to people familiar with the matter, Tandem secured $100 million in new investment, led by venture capital firm Accel. Based in New York,
AI
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has led a $2.3 million pre-seed funding round for Dentio AB, a Swedish startup aiming to modernize dental clinics with its AI-powered software platform. Founded in 2024 by Stockholm high school classmates Lukas Sjögren, Anton Li, and Elias Afrasiabi, Dentio was inspired
Politics
China’s President Xi Jinping has launched a high-profile investigation into Zhang Youxia, a top general and long-time ally, in what marks the most sweeping military shakeup in the country in decades. The probe, focused on alleged corruption and breaches of political loyalty, has stunned observers and cast a spotlight
AI
Singapore is making a major push to cement its place as a leader in artificial intelligence, committing over S$1 billion (US$786 million) to public AI research over the next five years. The investment, announced by Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo, is aimed at building up research
Finance
UBS Group AG, one of the world’s largest wealth managers, is planning to offer cryptocurrency trading to select private banking clients—a significant move for the Swiss banking giant as digital assets continue to gain mainstream attention. According to people familiar with the matter, UBS is currently in talks
DeFi
A ruble-backed stablecoin designed to help Russia bypass international sanctions has processed more than $100 billion in transactions within its first year, according to new data from blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. Known as A7A5, the token operates on both the Ethereum and Tron blockchain networks and was created to enable
AI
PayPal Holdings Inc. has announced plans to acquire Cymbio, a Tel Aviv-based platform that helps merchants list and sell products across various AI-powered chatbots. While the financial details remain undisclosed, the acquisition is expected to close in the first half of this year. This move is PayPal’s latest step
AI
Anthropic, the artificial intelligence startup behind the popular Claude chatbot, is drawing major interest from global investors as it reports a revenue run rate topping $9 billion at the end of 2025. The company’s latest funding round is seeing participation from Coatue Management, Singapore’s GIC, and Iconiq Capital,
Markets
BitGo Holdings Inc., a well-known name in cryptocurrency custody, has set the price for its US initial public offering at $18 per share—higher than the originally targeted range of $15 to $17. The decision comes after strong investor demand, with the IPO reportedly several times oversubscribed, according to sources