The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have announced a joint effort to clarify spot cryptocurrency trading. Regulators confirmed that US and foreign exchanges can list spot crypto products- leveraged and margin ones.
The guidance follows the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets recommendations, which called for rules that keep blockchain innovation within the country.
Regulators said they are ready to review filings, address custody and clearing, and ensure spot markets meet transparency and investor protection standards.
Under the new approach, major venues such as the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, CME Group and Cboe Global Markets could seek to list spot crypto assets. Foreign boards of trade recognised by the CFTC may also be eligible.
The move highlights a policy shift under President Donald Trump’s administration, with Congress and the White House pressing for greater regulatory clarity.
In July, the House of Representatives passed the CLARITY Act, a bill on crypto market structure now before the Senate. The moves and the regulators’ statement mark a key step in aligning US digital assets with established financial rules.
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Reports that Gmail suffered a massive breach have been dismissed by Google, which said rumours of warnings to 2.5 billion users were false.
In a Monday blog post, Google rejected claims that it had issued global notifications about a serious Gmail security issue. It stressed that its protections remain effective against phishing and malware.
Confusion stems from a June incident involving a Salesforce server, during which attackers briefly accessed public business information, including names and contact details. Google said all affected parties were notified by early August.
The company acknowledged that phishing attempts are increasing, but clarified that Gmail’s defences block more than 99.9% of such attempts. A July blog post on phishing risks may have been misinterpreted as evidence of a breach.
Google urged users to remain vigilant, recommending password alternatives such as passkeys and regular account reviews. While the false alarm spurred unnecessary panic, security experts noted that updating credentials remains good practice.
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China has introduced a sweeping new law that requires all AI-generated content online to carry labels. The measure, which came into effect on 1 September, aims to tackle misinformation, fraud and copyright infringement by ensuring greater transparency in digital media.
The law, first announced in March by the Cyberspace Administration of China, mandates that all AI-created text, images, video and audio must carry explicit and implicit markings.
These include visible labels and embedded metadata such as watermarks in files. Authorities argue that the rules will help safeguard users while reinforcing Beijing’s tightening grip over online spaces.
Major platforms such as WeChat, Douyin, Weibo and RedNote moved quickly to comply, rolling out new features and notifications for their users. The regulations also form part of the Qinglang campaign, a broader effort by Chinese authorities to clean up online activity with a strong focus on AI oversight.
While Google and other US companies are experimenting with content authentication tools, China has enacted legally binding rules nationwide.
Observers suggest that other governments may soon follow, as global concern about the risks of unlabelled AI-generated material grows.
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A top European regulator has warned that tokenised stocks could mislead investors and undermine confidence in financial markets. Natasha Cazenave of ESMA said many tokenised stocks, like voting or dividends, lack shareholder rights.
Unlike traditional equities, tokenised stocks are typically issued through intermediaries and merely track share prices. Cazenave cautioned that retail investors may wrongly believe they own company shares, exposing them to a risk of misunderstanding.
Her warning follows the expansion of tokenised stock services on platforms like Robinhood and Kraken.
The World Federation of Exchanges recently echoed these concerns, urging regulators to strengthen oversight. Without intervention, the group warned that tokenised products could threaten market integrity and heighten investor risks.
Although advocates say tokenisation could cut costs and widen access, Cazenave noted most projects remain small, illiquid, and far from delivering promised efficiency. Regulators, she added, remain focused on balancing innovation with investor protection.
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OpenAI has confirmed that ChatGPT conversations signalling a risk of serious harm to others can be reviewed by human moderators and may even reach the police.
The company explained these measures in a blog post, stressing that its system is designed to balance user privacy with public safety.
The safeguards treat self-harm differently from threats to others. When a user expresses suicidal intent, ChatGPT directs them to professional resources instead of contacting law enforcement.
By contrast, conversations showing intent to harm someone else are escalated to trained moderators, and if they identify an imminent risk, OpenAI may alert authorities and suspend accounts.
The company admitted its safety measures work better in short conversations than in lengthy or repeated ones, where safeguards can weaken.
OpenAI is working to strengthen consistency across interactions and developing parental controls, new interventions for risky behaviour, and potential connections to professional help before crises worsen.
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Alibaba’s Hong Kong shares rose over 15%, their most significant single-day gain since early 2023, following strong AI revenue growth. AI-related sales surged triple digits, and the cloud division grew 26% to 33.4 billion yuan ($4.7 billion), exceeding expectations and driving expansion.
The results underline Alibaba’s transformation from a retail-heavy company into a diversified technology player. Analysts say AI is now a central growth driver, with cloud and AI offerings boosting investor confidence despite price war pressures from JD.com and Meituan.
Alibaba is investing in AI hardware and developing proprietary chips to reduce reliance on foreign semiconductors. The strategy aims to build faster, cheaper, and more secure AI systems for domestic and international markets, including Lazada and AliExpress.
Experts view this calculated self-reliance and strong cloud and AI services as a long-term growth driver.
While retail rivals continue to struggle with profit pressure, Alibaba’s leadership has emphasised AI as a core strategic focus.
CEO Eddie Wu emphasised ambitions in artificial general intelligence, with analysts noting AI could protect Alibaba from price wars and support growth across multiple business areas.
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Pakistan plans to roll out AI-driven cybersecurity systems to monitor and respond to attacks on critical infrastructure and sensitive data in real time. Documents from the Ministry for Information Technology outline a framework to integrate AI into every stage of security operations.
The initiative will enforce protocols like secure data storage, sandbox testing, and collaborative intelligence sharing. Human oversight will remain mandatory, with public sector AI deployments registered and subject to transparency requirements.
Audits and impact assessments will ensure compliance with evolving standards, backed by legal penalties for breaches. A national policy on data security will define authentication, auditing, and layered defence strategies across network, host, and application levels.
New governance measures include identity management policies with multi-factor authentication, role-based controls, and secure frameworks for open-source AI. AI-powered simulations will help anticipate threats, while regulatory guidelines address risks from disinformation and generative AI.
Regulatory sandboxes will allow enterprises in Pakistan to test systems under controlled conditions, with at least 20 firms expected to benefit by 2027. Officials say the measures will balance innovation with security, safeguarding infrastructure and citizens.
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Walmart has unveiled four AI agents to ease the workloads of shoppers, employees, and suppliers. The tools, revealed at the company’s Retail Rewired event, include Marty for suppliers, Sparky for customers, an Associate Agent for staff, and a Developer Agent.
The retailer is leaning on AI as inflation, tariffs, and policy pressures weigh on consumer spending. Its agents cover payroll, time-off requests, merchandising, and personalised shopping recommendations.
Sparky is set to eventually handle automatic reordering of staples, aiming to simplify everyday restocking for households.
Walmart is also investing in ‘digital twins,’ virtual replicas of stores that allow early detection of operational issues. The company says this technology cut emergency alerts by 30% last year and reduced refrigeration maintenance costs by nearly a fifth.
Machine learning is further being applied to improve delivery-time predictions, helping to boost efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Rival retailers are making similar moves. Amazon reported a surge in generative AI use during its Prime Day sales, while Google Cloud AI has partnered with Lush to cut training costs.
Analysts suggest such tools could reshape the retail experience as companies search for ways to hold margins in a tighter economy.
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China has pledged to rein in excessive competition in AI, signalling Beijing’s desire to avoid wasteful investment while keeping the technology central to its economic strategy.
The National Development and Reform Commission stated that provinces should develop AI in a coordinated manner, leveraging local strengths to prevent duplication and overlap. Officials in China emphasised the importance of orderly flows of talent, capital, and resources.
The move follows President Xi Jinping’s warnings about unchecked local investment. Authorities aim to prevent overcapacity problems, such as those seen in electric vehicles, which have fueled deflationary pressures in other industries.
While global investment in data centres has surged, Beijing is adopting a calibrated approach. The state also vowed stronger national planning and support for private firms, aiming to nurture new domestic leaders in AI.
At the same time, policymakers are pushing to attract private capital into traditional sectors, while considering more central spending on social projects to ease local government debt burdens and stimulate long-term consumption.
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Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious plan to assemble a dream team of AI researchers at Meta has instead created internal instability.
High-profile recruits poached from rival firms have begun leaving within weeks of joining, citing cultural clashes and frustration with the company’s working style. Their departures have disrupted projects and unsettled long-time executives.
Meta had hoped its aggressive hiring spree would help the company rival OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic in developing advanced AI systems.
Instead of strengthening the company’s position, the strategy has led to delays in projects and uncertainty about whether Meta can deliver on its promises of achieving superintelligence.
The new arrivals were given extensive autonomy, fuelling tensions with existing teams and creating leadership friction. Some staff viewed the hires as destabilising, while others expressed concern about the direction of the AI division.
The resulting turnover has left Meta struggling to maintain momentum in its most critical area of research.
As Meta faces mounting pressure to demonstrate progress in AI, the setbacks highlight the difficulty of retaining elite talent in a fiercely competitive field.
Zuckerberg’s recruitment drive, rather than propelling Meta ahead, risks slowing down the company’s ability to compete at the highest level of AI development.
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