PostFinance, Sygnum Bank and UBS, under the Swiss Bankers Association, have successfully tested a deposit token on a public blockchain. For the first time, banks completed a legally binding cross-bank payment with tokenised deposits, a breakthrough for Switzerland’s financial sector.
The proof of concept (PoC) explored how bank deposits can be represented on blockchain to enable faster, programmable and fully automated payments. Smart contracts on the system allow transactions to be triggered only when agreed conditions are met, reducing risk while increasing efficiency.
Use cases tested included payments between customers of different banks and escrow-style settlements for tokenised assets.
Results confirm that deposit tokens are technically and legally feasible across banks when combined with a public blockchain and permissioned applications. Such infrastructure could enable automated insurance settlements, instant securities trading, and machine-to-machine payments.
Industry leaders stressed that while the PoC proves feasibility, scaling will require broader cooperation with other institutions, regulators and infrastructure providers.
Project representatives described the work as a decisive step toward digital money innovation in Switzerland, reinforcing the country’s role as a pioneer in blockchain-based finance.
The Swiss Bankers Association confirmed that the project aligns with its strategic focus on digital currencies, though the results do not yet mean deposit tokens will be formally launched.
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American Express has introduced a suite of digital tools designed to make travel easier, smarter, and more personalised for Card Members. The new Amex Travel App™ brings planning, booking, and trip management into one platform.
It offers curated destinations, smart planning tools, and easy booking for flights, hotels, and car rentals. The app will be available to iOS users from 18 September, with Android following shortly after.
The company has also launched Amex Passport, enabling US Card Members to collect digital Stamps commemorating international trips. Each Stamp is stored on a public blockchain, allowing users to preserve and share their travel history as unique digital keepsakes.
The feature caters to travellers seeking new ways to celebrate past journeys and share highlights with friends and family.
Enhancements have also been made to Centurion Lounge services, including estimated wait times on the Digital Waitlist, allowing Card Members to plan visits more efficiently.
These updates form part of American Express’ commitment to evolving the premium travel experience, ensuring every stage of the journey, from inspiration to post-trip memories- is smoother, personalised, and more memorable.
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The service integrates seamlessly with existing investments, removing the need to transfer funds to other platforms. It also provides the protection of MiCA regulations and the backing of Santander.
Competitive fees of 1.49% per trade apply, with no custody charges, and the service will soon be available to customers in Spain. Over the coming months, Openbank plans to expand its portfolio and introduce new features, such as direct conversion between different digital assets.
The launch strengthens Openbank’s investment offerings in Germany, complementing its Robo Advisor and thousands of stocks, funds, and ETFs. It also includes an AI-powered broker platform providing target prices for European and US stocks.
Grupo Santander emphasises that the new crypto trading service responds to customer demand while broadening the bank’s range of innovative, technology-driven investment products.
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The Indonesia Investment Authority (INA), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, is sharpening its focus on digital infrastructure, healthcare and renewable energy as it seeks to attract foreign partners and strengthen national development.
The fund, created in 2021 with $5 billion in state capital, now manages assets worth around $10 billion and is expanding its scope beyond equity into hybrid capital and private credit.
Chief investment officer Christopher Ganis said data centres and supporting infrastructure, such as sub-sea cables, were key priorities as the government emphasises data independence and resilience.
INA has already teamed up with Singapore-based Granite Asia to invest over $1.2 billion in Indonesia’s technology and AI ecosystem, including a new data centre campus in Batam. Ganis added that AI would be applied first in healthcare instead of rushing into broader adoption.
Renewables also remain central to INA’s strategy, with its partnership alongside Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Clean Energy in Pertamina Geothermal Energy cited as a strong performer.
Ganis said Asia’s reliance on bank financing highlights the need for INA’s support in cross-border growth, since domestic banks cannot always facilitate overseas expansion.
Despite growing global ambitions, INA will prioritise projects directly linked to Indonesia. Ganis stressed that it must deliver benefits at home instead of directing capital into ventures without a clear link to the country’s future.
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Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) and Digital Realty have launched the first quantum-AI data centre in New York City at the JFK10 facility, powered by Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips. The project combines superconducting quantum computers with AI supercomputing under one roof.
OQC’s GENESIS quantum computer is the first to be deployed in a New York data centre, designed to support hybrid workloads and enterprise adoption. Future GENESIS systems will ship with Nvidia accelerated computing and CUDA-Q integration as standard.
OQC CEO Gerald Mullally said the centre will drive the AI revolution securely and at scale, strengthening the UK–US technology alliance. Digital Realty CEO Andy Power called it a milestone for making quantum-AI accessible to enterprises and governments.
UK Science Minister Patrick Vallance highlighted the £212 billion economic potential of quantum by 2045, citing applications from drug discovery to clean energy. He said the launch puts British innovation at the heart of next-generation computing.
The centre, embedded in Digital Realty’s PlatformDIGITAL, will support applications in finance, security, and AI, including quantum machine learning and accelerated model training. OQC Chair Jack Boyer said it demonstrates UK–US collaboration in leading frontier technologies.
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Advertising is heading for a split future. By 2030, brands will run hyper-personalised AI campaigns or embrace raw human storytelling. Everything in between will vanish.
AI-driven advertising will go far beyond text-to-image gimmicks. These adaptive systems will combine social trends, search habits, and first-party data to create millions of real-time ad variations.
The opposite approach will lean into imperfection, featuring unpolished TikToks, founder-shot iPhone videos, and authentic and alive content. Audiences reward authenticity over carefully scripted, generic campaigns.
Mid-tier, polished, forgettable, creative work will be the first to fade away. AI can replicate it instantly, and audiences will scroll past it without noticing.
Marketers must now pick a side: feed AI with data and scale personalisation, or double down on community-driven, imperfect storytelling. The middle won’t survive.
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Google’s Gemini latest update has sparked a social media craze by allowing users to transform 2D photos into lifelike 3D figurines. The feature, part of Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, has quickly become the standout trend from the update.
Instead of serving as a photo-editing tool, Gemini now helps users turn selfies, portraits, and pet photos into stylized statuettes. The images resemble collectable vinyl or resin figures, with smooth finishes and polished detailing.
The digital figurine trend blends personalisation with creativity, allowing users to reimagine themselves or loved ones as miniature display pieces. The playful results have been widely shared across platforms, driving renewed engagement with Google’s AI suite.
The figurine generator also complements Gemini’s other creative functions, such as image combination and style transformation, which allow users to experiment with entirely new aesthetics. Together, these tools extend Gemini’s appeal beyond simple photo correction.
While other platforms have offered 3D effects, Gemini’s version produces highly polished results in seconds, democratising what was once a niche 3D modelling skill. For many, it is the most accessible way to turn memories into digital art.
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Ghana has launched the National Privacy Awareness Campaign, a year-long initiative to strengthen citizens’ privacy rights and build public trust in the country’s expanding digital ecosystem.
Unveiled by Deputy Minister Mohammed Adams Sukparu, the campaign emphasises that data protection is not just a legal requirement but essential to innovation, digital participation, and Ghana’s goal of becoming Africa’s AI hub.
The campaign will run from September 2025 to September 2026 across all 16 regions, using English and key local languages to promote widespread awareness.
The initiative includes the inauguration of the Ghana Association of Privacy Professionals (GAPP) and recognition of new Certified Data Protection Officers, many trained through the One Million Coders Programme.
Officials stressed that effective data governance requires government, private sector, civil society, and media collaboration. The Data Protection Commission reaffirmed its role in protecting privacy while noting ongoing challenges such as limited awareness and skills gaps.
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Babbel’s chief executive, Tim Allen, said the aim is not instant fluency but helping learners move from first words to confident conversations.
Called Babbel Speak, the AI feature guides users through 28 real-life scenarios, such as ordering coffee or describing the weather. It provides personalised feedback and uses a calming design with animations to ease anxiety while learning.
The trainer is available in open beta on the App Store and Play Store for English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German.
Subscribers can try it as part of the standard plans of Babbel, which start at $107.40 per year, with a lifetime option also offered.
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A new interdisciplinary study from Bielefeld University and other leading institutions explores why humans excel at adapting to new situations while AI systems often struggle. Researchers found humans generalise through abstraction and concepts, while AI relies on statistical or rule-based methods.
The study proposes a framework to align human and AI reasoning, defining generalisation, how it works, and how it can be assessed. Experts say differences in generalisation limit AI flexibility and stress the need for human-centred design in medicine, transport, and decision-making.
Researchers collaborated across more than 20 institutions, including Bielefeld, Bamberg, Amsterdam, and Oxford, under the SAIL project. The initiative aims to develop AI systems that are sustainable, transparent, and better able to support human values and decision-making.
Interdisciplinary insights may guide the responsible use of AI in human-AI teams, ensuring machines complement rather than disrupt human judgement.
The findings underline the importance of bridging cognitive science and AI research to foster more adaptable, trustworthy, and human-aligned AI systems capable of tackling complex, real-world challenges.
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