Artificial Intelligence

May 21, 2026 @ 6:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

PitchBook has indicated in a new research report that French private markets entered 2026 on a subdued note, with private equity (PE) activity reaching its weakest levels in years amid economic pressures and global uncertainty. However, venture capital (VC) showed greater staying power, and analysts… Read More

May 20, 2026 @ 1:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CAIS announced that it has integrated Anthropic’s Claude AI directly into its platform. The partnership equips independent financial advisors with immediate, context-aware intelligence on alternative investments, all accessible from within the familiar tools and systems they already rely on every day. The integration operates through… Read More

May 20, 2026 @ 1:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

London-based fintech company Primer has closed a substantial $100 million Series C funding round, marking a significant milestone in its mission to revolutionize the global payments landscape through artificial intelligence. The oversubscribed round underscores strong market confidence in Primer’s vision of creating a unified, intelligent… Read More

May 19, 2026 @ 8:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A recent report indicates that European venture capital valuations grew robustly in the first quarter of 2026, according to PitchBook’s latest analysis. Median deal values across the region climbed 38.1% year-over-year to €2.9 million, outpacing the US, where they dipped 9.6% to €3.6 million. PitchBook… Read More

May 19, 2026 @ 6:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Sygnum Bank has conducted the first live trials of AI-agent-powered transactions in digital assets by a fully regulated Swiss banking institution. Announced this month, this pilot marks a pioneering step in blending artificial intelligence with blockchain operations while upholding stringent client safeguards and regulatory standards…. Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 10:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Carta has indicated that the early-stage startup ecosystem in the United States showed notable resilience in the first quarter of 2026. This, according to the latest insights from Carta which noted that roughly 3,000 domestic companies secured pre-seed capital during this period, generating more than… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 9:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle (NYSE:CRCL) has indicated that as artificial intelligence agents evolve into independent economic participants, traditional API designs face a fundamental shift. Conventional APIs rely on human-managed API keys and manual approvals, but agents require seamless discovery, pricing transparency, instant payment, and frictionless access to resources…. Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 5:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM) has deepened its collaboration with Google. The partnership integrates Affirm’s flexible pay-over-time solutions directly into Google’s ecosystem, including the Gemini app and Google Search with its AI Mode, all accessible through Google Pay. Announced recently this month, this development aims to address… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 3:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

Elon Musk has lost his legal battle with  Sam Altman and OpenAI (ChatGPT). Musk, a founder of OpenAI who committed funds to launch the artificial intelligence platform, took Altman to court, arguing that a non-profit cannot switch to a for-profit entity and thus have its… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 3:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The prolonged crypto downturn shows little sign of easing as ongoing political uncertainties and macroeconomic headwinds continue to weigh on the sector. Major players are streamlining operations in response, with notable adjustments at leading platforms. Investment platform Kraken‘s parent company, Payward Inc., recently eliminated around… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 6:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) like other Fintech companies in this challenging environment is navigating a strategy of workforce optimization and artificial intelligence integration with key players like Anthropic. This approach aims to enhance operational efficiency while addressing competitive pressures in a digital-first economy. Recent developments highlight how… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 5:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The cryptocurrency and digital tokens market witnessed a rally in HYPE tokens on news of a significant collaboration involving Hyperliquid, Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN),  and Circle (NYSE:CRCL). HYPE climbed to an impressive peak of $46.93, reflecting strong investor enthusiasm for the latest developments in decentralized finance infrastructure…. Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 1:24 am By Michael Wong  |  

US startup Sprouts.ai has raised $9 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by True Global Ventures and Accel, as investors continue backing companies building autonomous tools for enterprise sales and marketing teams. The latest round brings Sprouts.ai’s total funding to $14 million since… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 11:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has chosen UK data analytics and AI specialist Quantexa for a £175 million, ten-year partnership. Announced on 14 May 2026, the agreement represents one of the largest Decision Intelligence projects ever undertaken in government. It will overhaul the tax authority’s… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 7:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A recent report indicates that China’s artificial intelligence venture market is demonstrating notable resilience amid a broader slowdown in venture capital activity, according to a new Q2 2026 analyst note from PitchBook. While overall VC deployment has contracted significantly since its 2021 peak, AI-related investments… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 7:06 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Qatar has launched a $30 million deep-tech venture fund that will invest in early-stage startups headquartered in the country that are developing tech with measurable social or climate impact. The fund adds to a wave of state-backed investment vehicles across the Gulf aimed at attracting… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 6:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The online commerce ecosystem has long centered on human consumers navigating endless feeds, targeted promotions, algorithmic suggestions, search engine tweaks, and casual browsing. Yet a significant shift is said to be currently underway. Stripe co-founder and president John Collison argues that “agentic commerce”—where autonomous AI… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 3:29 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Australia’s NEXTDC has opened a $720 million data center in Malaysia, betting on rising demand for AI infrastructure and cloud services in Southeast Asia as governments and companies race to expand digital capacity. The facility, known as KL1 Kuala Lumpur, marks NEXTDC’s first international expansion and comes… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 11:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN) has unveiled a new initiative to scout the world’s high-potential innovations at the intersection of quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Titled Santander X Global Challenge | The Quantum AI Leap, the program is a collaborative effort with IBM, Bluzec, and the… Read More

May 16, 2026 @ 7:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Amazon’s Finance Technology teams have introduced a generative AI system on AWS that dramatically simplifies the processing of regulatory inquiries from global authorities. The solution addresses longstanding inefficiencies in compliance operations by automating document analysis, information synthesis, and response drafting while preserving strict regulatory standards…. Read More