Digital business models Archives | Page 400 of 581

Russian Central Bank data shows Bitcoin as top performer

Bitcoin has emerged as Russia’s top-performing investment over the past year, beating out gold, stocks, and bonds, according to the Central Bank of Russia. The report shows that Bitcoin generated a 38% return over 12 months, placing it ahead of all other assets evaluated.

Despite a sharp dip of 18.6% between January and April 2025, Bitcoin recovered strongly in April with an 11.2% gain. It regained the top spot while traditional markets struggled.

Over the longer term, Bitcoin delivered a cumulative return of 121.3% since 2022—far outpacing other asset classes, including the S&P 500.

The bank’s findings reflect Bitcoin’s shift from a niche speculation to a serious contender in global finance. Bitcoin’s rise from under $20,000 to nearly $110,000 was driven by regulation, adoption, and political backing.

Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance has helped drive this momentum, with several governments and firms now eyeing Bitcoin as a potential reserve asset or financial tool.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Mastercard partners with MoonPay to boost stablecoin payments

Mastercard is expanding its digital asset services through a new collaboration with MoonPay to simplify stablecoin payments worldwide. The partnership will let 150 million businesses accept stablecoin payments, advancing Mastercard’s push to mainstream cryptocurrency.

Central to this initiative is MoonPay’s Iron technology, which offers stablecoin payment APIs. These allow merchants and fintech companies to quickly add crypto payment options using virtual Mastercards.

MoonPay, acquired by Mastercard earlier this year, aims to boost stablecoin adoption by making crypto payments as easy as traditional card transactions.

Stablecoins have grown into a $245 billion market, with transfer volumes in 2024 reaching $27.6 trillion—surpassing combined Visa and Mastercard transactions.

Meanwhile, regulatory progress continues in the US, where Congress considers two bills aimed at stabilising the stablecoin market. Despite ongoing classification uncertainties, recent regulatory actions suggest growing acceptance of the sector.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

CoreWeave shares rebound after $4B OpenAI partnership announcement

Shares of AI cloud infrastructure company CoreWeave recovered on Thursday, gaining around 3% after the firm announced an expanded partnership with OpenAI worth up to $4 billion.

The deal helped ease investor concerns following the company’s earlier dip in trading.

CoreWeave stock had fallen as much as 9.1% earlier in the day after the company projected annual capital expenditures for 2025 would be roughly four times higher than expected revenue.

The forecast was included in CoreWeave’s first earnings report since going public in March.

The expanded agreement with OpenAI appears to have lifted investor sentiment, offsetting concerns about the company’s aggressive spending strategy as it builds out its AI-focused cloud infrastructure.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

OpenAI launches AI safety hub

OpenAI has launched a public online hub to share internal safety evaluations of its AI models, aiming to increase transparency around harmful content, jailbreaks, and hallucination risks. The hub will be updated after major model changes, allowing the public to track progress in safety and reliability over time.

The move follows growing criticism about the company’s testing methods, especially after inappropriate ChatGPT responses surfaced in late 2023. Instead of waiting for backlash, OpenAI is now introducing an optional alpha testing phase, letting users provide feedback before wider model releases.

The hub also marks a departure from the company’s earlier stance on secrecy. In 2019, OpenAI withheld GPT-2 over misuse concerns. Since then, it has shifted towards transparency by forming safety-focused teams and responding to calls for open safety metrics.

OpenAI’s approach appears timely, as several countries are building AI Safety Institutes to evaluate models before launch. Instead of relying on private sector efforts alone, the global landscape now reflects a multi-stakeholder push to create stronger safety standards and governance for advanced AI.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Pi Network launches $100 million fund to back startups

Pi Network has launched a $100 million venture fund to boost its ecosystem and promote real-world adoption of its crypto. The fund, named Pi Network Ventures, aims to invest in startups that integrate Pi tokens or use Pi Network technology.

It targets a broad range of sectors including generative AI, gaming, fintech, ecommerce, payments, marketplaces, and social networks.

Operating like a traditional Silicon Valley venture capital firm, the fund will follow standard sourcing, selection, and vetting processes. Investments will cover startups at all stages, from early seed rounds to later Series B and beyond.

However, unlike most funds focused solely on profit, Pi Network Ventures emphasises value creation and ecosystem utility.

The initiative aims to drive demand for the Pi token by supporting projects that add real-world value and foster innovation. Pi Network hopes to expand its reach beyond purely crypto-native companies and grow adoption across multiple industries.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

TikTok adds AI tool to animate photos with realistic effects

TikTok has launched a new feature called AI Alive, allowing users to turn still images into dynamic, short videos. Instead of needing advanced editing skills, creators can now use AI to generate movement and effects with a few taps.

By accessing the Story Camera and selecting a static photo, users can simply type how they want the image to change — such as making the subject smile, dance, or tilt forward. AI Alive then animates the photo, using creative effects to produce a more engaging story.

TikTok says its moderation systems review the original image, the AI prompt, and the final video before it’s shown to the user. A second check occurs before a post is shared publicly, and every video made with AI Alive will include an ‘AI-generated’ label and C2PA metadata to ensure transparency.

The feature stands out as one of the first built-in AI image-to-video tools on a major platform. Snapchat and Instagram already offer AI image generation from text, and Snapchat is reportedly developing a similar image-to-video feature.

Meanwhile, TikTok is also said to be working on adding support for sending photos and voice messages via direct message — something rival apps have long supported.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Tether unveils new AI platform to challenge Big Tech

Tether challenges Big Tech’s AI control with QVAC, a platform that runs AI agents on personal devices. Unlike traditional AI using centralised data centres, QVAC runs directly on devices like smartphones and brain-computer interfaces.

The company plans to release an open-source software development kit later this year to support developers.

Named after the AI in Isaac Asimov’s 1956 story The Last Question, QVAC aims to create a decentralised AI ecosystem. Tether’s CEO Paolo Ardoino said the platform gives users control over their data and computation, not large corporations.

The system can potentially support trillions of AI agents functioning autonomously and transacting in Bitcoin and USDT.

Tether positions QVAC as a framework to break the centralised dominance of tech giants such as Google and Meta.

The release date and price are unknown, but Ardoino says QVAC aims to be an ‘infinite intelligence platform’ that runs independently, boosts privacy, and ushers in a new AI era.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Tencent sees strong Q1 growth as gaming rebounds, AI ads boost sales

Tencent Holdings, China’s largest tech company by market capitalisation, reported a 13% year-on-year revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by strong growth in gaming and AI-powered advertising.

The company posted revenue of 180 billion yuan ($24.97 billion) for the quarter ending March 31, surpassing analysts’ expectations of 174.6 billion yuan. Net profit reached 47.8 billion yuan, slightly below the forecast of 52.2 billion yuan, according to LSEG data.

Tencent’s domestic gaming revenue surged 24% to 42.9 billion yuan, while international gaming revenue rose 23% to 16.6 billion yuan. Key titles driving the growth included Dungeon & Fighter Mobile and Delta Force.

Advertising revenue climbed 22% year on year, helped by the rollout of AI-driven ad tech upgrades, delivering more targeted and efficient marketing tools across platforms.

The company’s Fintech and Business Services division, which covers cloud services, loans, and wealth management, also grew 16% to 27.6 billion yuan.

Tencent continues to invest heavily in AI. In March, the company said it would devote a low double-digit share of its 2025 revenue to AI-related capital expenditures. That follows 39 billion yuan spent on AI in Q4 2024.

Its proprietary large language model, Hunyuan, received a public release as version T1 in March. Tencent also became the first major Chinese firm to integrate technology from DeepSeek, a fast-rising AI startup.

DeepSeek’s models now power features within Tencent’s core services, including WeChat and its AI assistant, Yuanbao.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

NatWest hit by 100 million cyber attacks every month

NatWest is defending itself against an average of 100 million cyber attacks each month, according to the bank’s head of cybersecurity.

Speaking to Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee, Chris Ulliott outlined the ‘staggering’ scale of digital threats targeting the bank’s systems. Around a third of all incoming emails are blocked before reaching staff, as they are suspected to be the start of an attack.

Instead of relying on basic filters, NatWest analyses every email for malicious content and has a cybersecurity team of hundreds, supported by a multi-million-pound budget.

Mr Ulliott also warned of the growing use of AI by cyber criminals to make scams more convincing—such as altering their appearance during video calls to build trust with victims.

Police Scotland reported that cybercrime has more than doubled since 2020, with incidents rising from 7,710 to 18,280 in 2024. Officials highlighted the threat posed by groups like Scattered Spider, believed to consist of young hackers sharing techniques online.

MSP Rona Mackay called the figures ‘absolutely staggering,’ while Ben Macpherson said he had even been impersonated by fraudsters.

Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are now working together to tackle o n line crime. Meanwhile, Age Scotland warned that many older people lack confidence online, making them especially vulnerable to scams that can lead to financial ruin and emotional distress.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

BlackRock flags quantum computing risk in Bitcoin ETF filing

BlackRock has highlighted quantum computing as a potential risk to Bitcoin’s long-term security in its recent Bitcoin ETF filing. The inclusion marks a rare mention of quantum risk in mainstream finance.

Bitcoin has been trading strongly, recently surpassing $105,000 before a slight pullback to around $103,000.

Quantum computing could theoretically break the cryptography that protects Bitcoin wallets, but experts stress this threat remains decades away. Bitcoin developers have been preparing for quantum resistance with upgrades like Taproot, and emerging cryptographic alternatives are already under testing.

The risk disclosure by BlackRock mainly follows SEC filing requirements rather than signalling imminent danger.

Bitcoin’s price momentum remains robust after breaking key resistance levels near $97,700. However, technical indicators like the RSI suggest the asset is approaching overbought conditions, which might lead to a short-term correction.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!