A consortium of 10 central European banks has established a new company, Qivalis, to develop and issue a euro-pegged stablecoin, targeting a launch in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
The initiative seeks to offer a European alternative to US dollar-dominated digital payment systems and strengthen the region’s strategic autonomy in digital finance.
The participating banks include BNP Paribas, ING, UniCredit, KBC, Danske Bank, SEB, Caixabank, DekaBank, Banca Sella, and Raiffeisen Bank International, with BNP Paribas joining after the initial announcement.
Former Coinbase Germany chief executive Jan-Oliver Sell will lead Qivalis as CEO, while former NatWest chair Howard Davies has been appointed chair. The Amsterdam-based company plans to build a workforce of up to 50 employees over the next two years.
Initial use cases will focus on crypto trading, enabling fast, low-cost payments and settlements, with broader applications planned later. The project emerges as stablecoins grow rapidly, led by dollar-backed tokens, while limited € alternatives drive regulatory interest and ECB engagement.
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Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced Senate Bill 2064, proposing a legal framework that allows businesses, state employees, and residents to receive payments in Bitcoin without designating it as legal tender.
The bill recognises Bitcoin as a financial instrument, aligning with constitutional limits while enabling its voluntary use across payroll, procurement, and private transactions.
Under the proposal, state employees could opt to receive wages in Bitcoin, US dollars, or a combination of both at the start of each pay period. Payments would be settled at prevailing market rates and deposited into either self-hosted wallets or approved custodial accounts.
Vendors contracting with the state could also choose Bitcoin on a per-transaction basis, while crypto-native firms would benefit from reduced regulatory friction.
The legislation instructs the State Treasurer to appoint a payment processor and develop operational rules, with contracts targeted for completion by early 2027.
If approved, the framework would take effect in November 2026, positioning Oklahoma among a small group of US states exploring direct Bitcoin integration into public finance, alongside initiatives already launched in Texas and New Hampshire.
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The Telangana government has launched Aikam, a new autonomous body aimed at positioning the state as a global proving ground for large-scale AI deployment. Unveiled at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, the initiative is designed to consolidate state-led AI efforts and support the development, testing, and scale rollout of AI solutions.
State leaders framed the initiative as a shift away from pilot projects towards execution-focused implementation, emphasising transparency, governance, and public trust. The platform is designed to operate with agility while remaining anchored within government structures, reflecting Telangana’s ambition to rank among the world’s top 20 AI innovation hubs.
Aikam will focus on ecosystem building, including mass upskilling to create an AI-ready workforce, supporting AI startups, and strengthening collaboration among academia, research institutions, industry, and government. The state will back these efforts with access to large public datasets, enhanced computing infrastructure, and a dedicated AI Fund-of-Funds to help translate ideas into deployable solutions.
Alongside Aikam, Telangana launched the Responsible AI Standard and Ethics (RAISE) Index, a framework to measure responsible AI practices across the full AI lifecycle. Several international partnerships were also announced, covering skilling, applied research, healthcare, computing, and design, reinforcing the state’s emphasis on globally collaborative and responsible AI deployment.
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Indonesia is promoting blended finance as a key mechanism to meet the growing investment needs of AI and digital infrastructure. By combining public and private funding, the government aims to accelerate the development of scalable digital systems while aligning investments with sustainability goals and local capacity-building.
The rapid global expansion of AI is driving a sharp rise in demand for computing power and data centres. The government views this trend as both a strategic economic opportunity and a challenge that requires sound financial governance and well-designed policies to ensure long-term national benefits.
International financial institutions and global investors are increasingly supportive of public–private financing models. Such partnerships are seen as essential for mobilising large-scale, long-term capital and supporting the sustainable development of AI-related infrastructure in developing economies.
To attract sustained investment, the government is improving the overall investment climate through regulatory simplification, licensing reforms, integration of the Online Single Submission system, and incentives such as tax allowances and tax holidays. These measures are intended to support advanced technology sectors that require significant and continuous capital outlays.
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At the World Economic Forum, scientists warned that deaths from drug-resistant ‘superbugs,’ microbes that can withstand existing antibiotics, may soon exceed fatalities from cancer unless new treatments are found.
To address this, companies like Basecamp Research have developed AI models trained on extensive genetic and biological data to accelerate drug discovery for complex diseases, including antibiotic resistance.
These AI systems can design novel molecules predicted to be effective against resistant microbes, with early laboratory testing showing a high success rate for candidates suggested by the models.
The technology enables a user to prompt the system to design entirely new molecular structures that bacteria have never encountered, potentially yielding treatments capable of combating resistant strains.
The approach reflects a broader trend in using AI for biomedical discovery, where generative models reduce the time and cost of identifying new drug candidates. While still early and requiring further validation, such systems could reshape how antibiotics are developed, offering new tools in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.
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AI education start-up Sparkli has raised $5 million in seed funding to develop an ‘anti-chatbot’ AI platform to transform how children engage with digital content.
Unlike traditional chatbots that focus on general conversation, Sparkli positions its AI as an interactive learning companion, guiding kids through topics such as math, science and language skills in a dynamic, age-appropriate format.
The funding will support product development, content creation and expansion into new markets. Founders say the platform addresses increasing concerns about passive screen time by offering educational interactions that blend AI responsiveness with curriculum-aligned activities.
The company emphasises safe design and parental controls to ensure technology supports learning outcomes rather than distraction.
Investors backing Sparkli see demand for responsible AI applications for children that can enhance cognition and motivation while preserving digital well-being. As schools and homes increasingly integrate AI tools, Sparkli aims to position itself at the intersection of educational technology and child-centred innovation.
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Scientists and clinicians have created an AI model that can analyse routine abdominal imaging, such as CT scans, to identify adults at increased risk of future falls.
By detecting subtle patterns in body composition and muscle quality that may be linked to frailty, the AI system shows promise in augmenting traditional clinical assessments of fall risk.
Falls are a leading cause of injury and disability among older adults, and predicting who is most at risk can be challenging with standard clinical measures alone.
Integrating AI-based analysis with existing imaging data could enable earlier interventions, targeted therapies and personalised care plans, potentially reducing hospitalisations and long-term complications.
Although further validation is needed before routine clinical adoption, this research highlights how AI applications in medical imaging can extend beyond primary diagnosis to support predictive and preventative healthcare strategies.
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A growing unease among writers is emerging as AI tools reshape how language is produced and perceived. Long-established habits, including the use of em dashes and semicolons, are increasingly being viewed with suspicion as machine-generated text becomes more common.
The concern is not opposition to AI itself, but the blurring of boundaries between human expression and automated output. Writers whose work was used to train large language models without consent say stylistic traits developed over decades are now being misread as algorithmic authorship.
Academic and editorial norms are also shifting under this pressure. Teaching practices that once valued rhythm, voice, and individual cadence are increasingly challenged by stricter stylistic rules, sometimes framed as safeguards against sloppy or machine-like writing rather than as matters of taste or craft.
At the same time, productivity tools embedded into mainstream software continue to intervene in the writing process, offering substitutions and revisions that prioritise clarity and efficiency over nuance. Such interventions risk flattening language and discouraging the idiosyncrasies that define human authorship.
As AI becomes embedded in publishing, education, and professional writing, the debate is shifting from detection to preservation. Many writers warn that protecting human voice and stylistic diversity is essential, arguing that affectless, uniform prose would erode creativity and trust.
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A multi-faceted phishing campaign is abusing LinkedIn private messages to deliver weaponised malware using DLL sideloading, security researchers have warned. The activity relies on PDFs and archive files that appear trustworthy to bypass conventional security controls.
Attackers contact targets on LinkedIn and send self-extracting archives disguised as legitimate documents. When opened, a malicious DLL is sideloaded into a trusted PDF reader, triggering memory-resident malware that establishes encrypted command-and-control channels.
Using LinkedIn messages increases engagement by exploiting professional trust and bypassing email-focused defences. DLL sideloading allows malicious code to run inside legitimate applications, complicating detection.
The campaign enables credential theft, data exfiltration and lateral movement through in-memory backdoors. Encrypted command-and-control traffic makes containment more difficult.
Organisations using common PDF software or Python tooling face elevated risk. Defenders are advised to strengthen social media phishing awareness, monitor DLL loading behaviour and rotate credentials where compromise is suspected.
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A new analysis found Grok generated an estimated three million sexualised images in 11 days, including around 23,000 appearing to depict children. The findings raise serious concerns over safeguards, content moderation, and platform responsibility.
The surge followed the launch of Grok’s one-click image editing feature in late December, which quickly gained traction among users. Restrictions were later introduced, including paid access limits and technical measures to prevent image undressing.
Researchers based their estimates on a random sample of 20,000 images, extrapolating from these results to more than 4.6 million images generated during the study period. Automated tools and manual review identified sexualised content and confirmed cases involving individuals appearing under 18.
Campaigners have warned that the findings expose significant gaps in AI safety controls, particularly in protecting children. Calls are growing for stricter oversight, stronger accountability, and more robust safeguards before large-scale AI image deployment.
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