Digital business models

Corporate ETH holdings surpass 10 billion dollars

Entities holding Ethereum treasuries now collectively control over $10 billion worth of ETH. Data from the Strategic ETH Reserve shows 64 organisations hold 2.73 million ETH, accounting for 2.27% of the total supply, highlighting the growing corporate adoption of Ethereum.

Leading the accumulation are Bitmine Immersion Tech, Sharplink Gaming, and The Ether Machine, together holding more than 1.3 million ETH. Most of these acquisitions occurred in under three months, with Bitmine alone now holding over $2 billion worth of ETH.

Public companies continue to plan further purchases, though they are taking a measured approach to limit risks.

Ethereum’s price has steadied around $3,700–$3,800, stalling short of the $4,000 mark investors had hoped to see on the token’s 10th anniversary. Despite this, on-chain activity remains strong, with over 680,000 active wallets and ETH showing significant gains independent of Bitcoin.

DeFi protocols, crypto-native organisations, and even governments also feature among the largest ETH holders. The Ethereum Foundation ranks fourth with 234,600 ETH, while the US government, Michigan State, and Bhutan maintain reserves, demonstrating Ethereum’s broad adoption across sectors.

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Global tech competition intensifies as the UK outlines a £1 trillion digital blueprint

The United Kingdom has unveiled a strategy to grow its digital economy to £1 trillion by harnessing AI, quantum computing, and cybersecurity. The plan emphasises public-private partnerships, training, and international collaboration to tackle skills shortages and infrastructure gaps.

The initiative builds on the UK tech sector’s £1.2 trillion valuation, with regional hubs in cities such as Bristol and Manchester fuelling expansion in emerging technologies. Experts, however, warn that outdated systems and talent deficits could stall progress unless workforce development accelerates.

AI is central to the plan, with applications spanning healthcare and finance. Quantum computing also features, with investments in research and cybersecurity aimed at strengthening resilience against supply disruptions and future threats.

The government highlights sustainability as a priority, promoting renewable energy and circular economies to ensure digital growth aligns with environmental goals. Regional investment in blockchain, agri-tech, and micro-factories is expected to create jobs and diversify innovation-driven growth.

By pursuing these initiatives, the UK aims to establish itself as a leading global tech player alongside the US and China. Ethical frameworks and adaptive strategies will be key to maintaining public trust and competitiveness.

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AI-designed proteins could transform longevity and drug development

OpenAI has launched GPT-4b micro, an AI model developed with longevity startup Retro Biosciences to accelerate protein engineering. Unlike chatbots, it focuses on biological sequences and 3D structures.

The model redesigned two Yamanaka factors- proteins that convert adult cells into stem cells, showing 50-fold higher efficiency in lab tests and improved DNA repair. Older cells acted more youthful, potentially shortening trial-and-error in regenerative medicine.

AI-designed proteins could speed up drug development and allow longevity startups to rejuvenate cells safely and consistently. The work also opens new possibilities in synthetic biology beyond natural evolution.

OpenAI emphasised that the research is still early and lab-based, with clinical applications requiring caution. Transparency is key, as the technology’s power to design potent proteins quickly raises biosecurity considerations.

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Google pushes staff to embrace AI to stay ahead

Google is urging its workforce to adopt AI in everyday tasks instead of relying solely on traditional methods.

CEO Sundar Pichai has warned that falling behind in AI could risk the company’s competitive edge, especially as rivals like Microsoft, Amazon and Meta push their staff to embrace similar tools.

Early trials inside Google suggest a significant boost in efficiency, with engineers reporting a 10% increase in weekly productivity after adopting AI.

The company has launched a training initiative called AI Savvy Google to accelerate the shift. The programme provides courses, toolkits and hands-on sessions to help employees integrate AI into their workflows.

One of the standout tools is Cider, an AI-powered coding assistant already used by half of the engineers with access to it.

Executives believe AI will soon become an essential part of software engineering. Brian Saluzzo, a senior leader at Google, told staff that internal AI tools will continue to improve and become deeply embedded in coding work.

The company stresses the importance of using AI to support rather than replace workers, with the training programme designed to upskill employees instead of pushing them aside.

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Nvidia launches Spectrum-XGS to build global AI factories

American technology company Nvidia has unveiled Spectrum-XGS Ethernet, a new networking technology designed to connect multiple data centres into unified giga-scale AI factories.

With AI demand skyrocketing, single facilities are hitting limits in power and capacity, creating the need for infrastructure that can operate across cities, nations and continents.

Spectrum-XGS extends Nvidia’s Spectrum-X Ethernet platform, introducing what the company calls a ‘scale-across’ approach, alongside scale-up and scale-out models.

Integrating advanced congestion control, latency management, and telemetry nearly doubles the performance of the Nvidia Collective Communications Library, allowing geographically distributed data centres to function as one large AI cluster.

Early adopters like CoreWeave are preparing to link their facilities using the new system. According to Nvidia, the technology offers 1.6 times greater bandwidth density than traditional Ethernet and features Spectrum-X switches and ConnectX-8 SuperNICs, optimised for hyperscale AI operations.

The company argues that the approach will define the next phase of AI infrastructure, enabling super-factories to manage millions of GPUs while improving efficiency and lowering operational costs.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described the development as part of the AI industrial revolution, highlighting that Spectrum-XGS can unify data centres into global networks that act as vast, giga-scale AI super-factories.

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Visa expands stablecoin settlement to new assets and blockchains

Visa is expanding its stablecoin settlement capabilities by supporting new digital assets and blockchains. The payments giant will now include Global Dollar (USDG), PayPal USD (PYUSD), and Circle’s euro-backed EURC.

Settlement will extend to Stellar and Avalanche, broadening its support beyond Ethereum and Bitcoin. A new Paxos partnership aims to improve settlement speed and cut cross-border costs.

Visa executives said stablecoins could help fix inefficiencies in emerging markets. They also argued that trusted, scalable, interoperable assets can transform cross-border payments.

Visa is also pushing into new regions, with plans to expand settlement across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Recent Yellow Card and Bridge deals will enable stablecoin cards for daily use.

The firm stressed that a stablecoin strategy will become essential for institutions moving money globally.

According to Visa, the expansion will improve liquidity management, lower settlement costs, and provide 365-day transaction support. The network has processed over $225 million in stablecoin settlements, cementing its lead in digital payments.

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Celebrity Instagram hack fuels Solana meme coin scam

The Instagram accounts of Adele, Future, Tyla, and Michael Jackson were hacked late Thursday to promote an unauthorised meme coin. Posts showed an AI image of the Future with a ‘FREEBANDZ’ coin, falsely suggesting ties to the rapper.

The token, launched on the Solana platform Pump.fun, surged briefly to nearly $900,000 in market value before collapsing by 98% after its creator dumped 700 million tokens. The scheme netted more than $49,000 in Solana for the perpetrator, suspected of being behind the account hijackings.

None of the affected celebrities has issued a statement, while Future’s Instagram account remains deactivated. The hack continues a trend of using celebrity accounts for crypto pump-and-dump schemes. Previous cases involved the UFC, Barack Obama, and Elon Musk.

Such scams are becoming increasingly common, with attackers exploiting the visibility of major social media accounts to drive short-lived token gains before leaving investors with losses.

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Dell expands AI innovation hub in Singapore to drive regional growth

Dell Technologies has launched a new Asia Pacific and Japan AI Innovation Hub in Singapore, strengthening its role in advancing AI across the region.

The hub extends the company’s Global Innovation Hub, which has already received more than US$50 million in investment since 2019. Its focus is on driving AI transformation, enablement and leadership, in line with Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0.

Instead of offering only infrastructure, the hub delivers end-to-end support, from strategy to deployment, helping enterprises bridge the gap between ambition and practical results. Research shows 62% of Singaporean businesses prefer such holistic partnerships.

Since 2024, the hub has developed about 50 AI prototypes and carried out more than 100 proof-of-concepts, workshops and demonstrations across areas such as generative and predictive AI.

The projects have already influenced multiple sectors. In energy, AI solutions are strengthening infrastructure resilience and enhancing customer engagement with digital humans and chatbots.

In telecommunications, AI is supporting agility and operational efficiency, while in education, cloud-based technologies are empowering research and innovation.

Dell’s AI Centre of Excellence Lab further supports these initiatives by testing solutions for AI PCs and edge computing in collaboration with academic and hardware partners.

A strong emphasis is also placed on skills development. By the end of 2025, the hub aims to train around 10,000 students and mid-career professionals in AI engineering, platform engineering and related fields.

Working with 10 local institutes, Dell is addressing the talent shortage reported by nearly half of Singaporean organisations. Events such as the Dell InnovateFest and the Dell Innovation Challenge provide platforms for students and partners to showcase ideas and create solutions for social good.

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OpenAI to open office in New Delhi

OpenAI has announced plans to open its first office in India later this year, selecting New Delhi as the location. India is now ChatGPT’s second-largest market after the US and continues to experience rapid growth in user activity.

Weekly active users of ChatGPT in India have increased over fourfold over the past year, with students making up the largest global user segment. CEO Sam Altman praised India’s talent pool and government support, stating the new office is key to building AI with and for India.

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed the move, citing India’s AI mission and expanding digital infrastructure as a natural foundation for the partnership. OpenAI will also hold its first Education Summit in India later this month, aiming to further engage with students and educators nationwide.

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Google launches standalone Password Manager app for Android

Google has released its Password Manager as a standalone app for Android, separating the service from Chrome for easier access. The new app allows users to quickly view and manage saved passwords, passkeys and login details directly from their phone.

The app itself does not introduce new features. It functions mainly as a shortcut to the existing Password Manager already built into Android and Chrome.

For users, there is little practical difference between the app and the integrated option, although some may prefer the clarity of having a dedicated tool instead of navigating through browser settings.

For Google, however, the move brings advantages. By listing Password Manager in the Play Store, the company can compete more visibly with rivals like LastPass and 1Password.

Previously, many users were unaware of the built-in feature since it was hidden within Chrome. The Play Store presence also gives Google a direct way to push updates and raise awareness of the service.

The app arrives with Google’s Material 3 design refresh, giving it a cleaner look that aligns with the rest of Android. Functionality remains unchanged for now, but the shift suggests Google may expand the app in the future.

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