E-commerce and trade Archives | Page 34 of 201

SwissBorg unveils Mastercard-powered crypto card

SwissBorg has formed a strategic partnership with Mastercard to launch the SwissBorg Card, a crypto debit card designed to facilitate everyday digital-asset spending.

Users can spend crypto at over 150 million Mastercard locations worldwide, making digital assets more practical for everyday use.

The card provides real-time crypto-to-fiat conversion via SwissBorg’s Meta-Exchange, which finds the best rates across centralised and decentralised platforms. Users can select a primary asset with backups, and transactions are settled in local currencies such as CHF, GBP, or EUR.

The programme introduces a cashback system that returns up to 90% of exchange-related fees in BORG, with rewards increasing as users progress through SwissBorg’s loyalty ranks. Additional benefits include boosted yields, airdrops, and priority access to selected investment opportunities.

The SwissBorg app lets users manage cards, reorder assets, freeze or block cards, and track conversions. The virtual version will launch in Q1 2026 across 30 countries, with physical cards and expanded features planned for subsequent releases.

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Microsoft commits $17.5 billion to AI in India

The US tech giant, Microsoft, has announced its largest investment in Asia, committing US$17.5 billion to India over four years to expand cloud and AI infrastructure, workforce skilling, and operations nationwide.

An announcement that follows the US$3 billion investment earlier in 2025 and aims to support India’s ambition to become a global AI leader.

The investment focuses on three pillars: hyperscale infrastructure, sovereign-ready solutions, and workforce development. A new hyperscale data centre in Hyderabad, set to go live by mid-2026, will become Microsoft’s largest in India.

Expansion of existing data centres in Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune will improve resilience and low-latency performance for enterprises, startups, and public sector organisations.

Microsoft will integrate AI into national platforms, including e-Shram and the National Career Service, benefiting over 310 million informal workers. AI-enabled features include multilingual access, predictive analytics, automated résumé creation, and personalised pathways toward formal employment.

Skilling initia tives will be doubled to reach 20 million Indians by 2030, building an AI-ready workforce that can shape the country’s digital future.

Sovereign Public and Private Cloud solutions will provide secure, compliant environments for Indian organisations, supporting both connected and disconnected operations.

Microsoft 365 Copilot will process data entirely within India by the end of 2025, enhancing governance, compliance, and performance across regulated sectors. These initiatives aim to position India as a global AI hub powered by scale, skilling, and digital sovereignty.

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Trump allows Nvidia to sell chips to approved Chinese customers

US President Donald Trump has allowed Nvidia to sell H200 AI chips to approved customers in China, marking a shift in export controls. The decision also covers firms such as AMD and follows continued lobbying by Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang.

Nvidia had been barred from selling advanced chips to Beijing, but a partial reversal earlier required the firm to pay a share of its Chinese revenues to the US government. China later ordered firms to stop buying Nvidia products, pushing them towards domestic semiconductors.

Analysts suggest the new policy may buy time for negotiations over rare earth supplies, as China dominates processing of these minerals. Access to H200 chips may aid China’s tech sector, but experts warn they could also strengthen military AI capabilities.

Nvidia welcomed the announcement, saying the decision strikes a balance that benefits American industry. Shares rose slightly after the news, although the arrangement is expected to face scrutiny from national security advocates.

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Canada-EU digital partnership expands cooperation on AI and security

The European Union and Canada have strengthened their digital partnership during the first Digital Partnership Council in Montreal. Both sides outlined a joint plan to enhance competitiveness and innovation, while supporting smaller firms through targeted regulation.

Senior representatives reconfirmed that cooperation with like-minded partners will be essential for economic resilience.

A new Memorandum of Understanding on AI placed a strong emphasis on trustworthy systems, shared standards and wider adoption across strategic sectors.

The two partners will exchange best practices to support sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, energy, culture and public services.

They also agreed to collaborate on large-scale AI infrastructures and access to computing capacity, while encouraging scientific collaboration on advanced AI models and climate-related research.

A meeting that also led to an agreement on a structured dialogue on data spaces.

A second Memorandum of Understanding covered digital credentials and trust services. The plan includes joint testing of digital identity wallets, pilot projects and new use cases aimed at interoperability.

The EU and Canada also intend to work more closely on the protection of independent media, the promotion of reliable information online and the management of risks created by generative AI.

Both sides underlined their commitment to secure connectivity, with cooperation on 5G, subsea cables and potential new Arctic routes to strengthen global network resilience. Further plans aim to deepen collaboration on quantum technologies, semiconductors and high-performance computing.

A renewed partnership that reflects a shared commitment to resilient supply chains and secure cloud infrastructure as both regions prepare for future technological demands.

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Argentina weighs letting banks offer crypto services

Argentina may soon shift its digital-asset policy as the central bank considers rules allowing banks to offer crypto trading and custody services. The proposal marks a move towards integrating a market that has largely operated through exchanges and fintech platforms.

Industry sources say approval could arrive by April 2026 if the process stays on schedule.

Crypto usage in Argentina remains far above regional averages, driven by years of inflation and strict currency controls. Many households use digital assets as a store of value, and regulated banks could provide clearer safeguards and easier access for everyday users.

Regulators are still debating sensitive issues such as custody requirements, capital treatment and which tokens banks would be permitted to handle.

The conversation continues in the shadow of the Libra meme-coin scandal, which left thousands of Argentines with steep losses and highlighted the risks of politically amplified speculation.

Regulators are weighing custody, capital, and token rules while aiming to formalise the market without boosting volatility.

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Instacart deepens partnership with OpenAI for real-time AI shopping

OpenAI and Instacart are expanding their longstanding collaboration by introducing a fully integrated grocery shopping experience inside ChatGPT.

Users can receive meal inspiration, browse products and place orders in one continuous conversation instead of switching across separate platforms.

A service that brings together Instacart’s real-time retail network with OpenAI’s most advanced models to produce an experience that feels like a direct link between a simple request and completed delivery.

The Instacart app becomes the first service to offer a full checkout flow inside ChatGPT by using the Agentic Commerce Protocol. When users mention food, ingredients or recipe ideas, ChatGPT can surface the app immediately.

Once the user connects an Instacart account, the system selects suitable items from nearby retailers and builds a complete cart that can be reviewed before payment. Users then pay securely inside the chat while Instacart manages collection and delivery through its established network.

The update also reflects broader cooperation between the two companies. Instacart continues to rely on OpenAI APIs to support personalised suggestions and real time guidance across its customer experience.

ChatGPT Enter prise assists internal teams, while Codex powers an internal coding agent that shortens development cycles instead of slowing them down with manual tasks. The partnership builds on Instacart’s early involvement in the Operator research preview, where it helped refine emerging agentic technologies.

A renewed partnership that strengthens OpenAI’s growing enterprise ecosystem. The company already works with major global brands across sectors such as retail, financial services and telecommunications.

The Instacart integration offers a view of how conversational agents may act as a bridge between everyday intent and immediate real-world action.

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Claude Code expands automated AI fine tuning for businesses

Anthropic’s Claude Code now supports automated fine-tuning of open-source AI models, significantly widening access to advanced customisation for small-to-medium-sized (SMB) businesses. The new capability allows companies to train personalised systems using their own data without needing specialised technical expertise.

Claude Code’s hf-llm-trainer skill manages everything from hardware selection to authentication and training optimisation, simplifying what was once a highly complex workflow. Early accounts suggest the process can cost only a few cents, lowering barriers for firms seeking tailored AI solutions.

Businesses can now use customer logs, product manuals or internal documents to build AI models adapted to their operations, enabling improved support tools and content workflows. Many analysts view the advance as a major step in giving SMBs affordable access to company-specific AI that previously required substantial investment.

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Pudu showcases next-generation D5 robot dog at Tokyo exhibition

Pudu Robotics’ latest showcase in Tokyo reflects its ambition to strengthen its global footprint with the debut of the D5 robot dog. The four-legged machine demonstrated stable stair-descent, smooth mobility and autonomous obstacle avoidance during the IREX exhibition.

Equipped with Nvidia’s Orin chip, fisheye cameras and dual lidar units, the D5 is engineered for inspection, monitoring and delivery tasks across demanding environments. Pudu highlights the robot’s resilience, crediting its in-house joint modules and motors for improved precision and durability.

Growth across the service-robot sector continues to accelerate, supported by falling manufacturing costs in China and wider industry adoption. Pudu, which has surpassed 100,000 global sales, is now steering development towards specialised and humanoid forms as it prepares for an IPO.

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ASEAN weighs efficiency against sovereignty as e-CNY spreads

The digital yuan’s planned 2025 expansion marks a shift in Asia’s financial plumbing, linking new regional payment channels to settle transactions faster than legacy systems and reduce reliance on the US dollar.

Usage data points to broader ambitions. Renminbi settlements in cross-border trade are rising, signalling that e-CNY has moved beyond domestic trials and is now a tool for currency internationalisation.

Beijing’s strategy becomes clearer in Southeast Asia, where the system promises efficiency while embedding influence. Deeper integration could narrow ASEAN monetary policy options and increase dependence on infrastructure controlled by China.

Responses across the region are uneven. Some states pursue national digital currencies or alternative payment projects, while others engage selectively, reflecting diverging priorities around efficiency, sovereignty and innovation.

Analysts warn that, without coordination, widespread e-CNY adoption could create a structural reliance. ASEAN faces a choice between fragmented pragmatism and collective action to shape its digital financial future.

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Noyb study points to demand for tracking-free option

A new study commissioned by noyb reports that most users favour a tracking-free advertising option when navigating Pay or Okay systems. Researchers found low genuine support for data collection when participants were asked without pressure.

Consent rates rose sharply when users were presented only with payment or agreement to tracking, leading most to select consent. Findings indicate that the absence of a realistic alternative shapes outcomes more than actual preference.

Introduction of a third option featuring advertising without tracking prompted a strong shift, with most participants choosing that route. Evidence suggests users accept ad-funded models provided their behavioural data remains untouched.

Researchers observed similar patterns on social networks, news sites and other platforms, undermining claims that certain sectors require special treatment. Debate continues as regulators assess whether Pay or Okay complies with EU data protection rules such as the GDPR.

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