Fintech
1. Trump cites China competition in vowing to create bitcoin ‘stockpile’
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told a bitcoin conference on Saturday that the U.S. must dominate the sector or China would, his latest move to court advocates of cryptocurrency, which Beijing has restricted and which he once dismissed as a “scam.” (Economics Times)
2. Michigan pension fund discloses $6.6M investment in Bitcoin ETFs
The State of Michigan Retirement System reported investments in a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, or ETF, offered by ARK 21Shares. In a June 30 filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Michigan’s state pension fund disclosed holding 110,000 shares of the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF under the ticker ARKB. The approximate value of the shares at the time of filing was roughly $6.6 million, a small percentage of the fund’s billions of dollars in assets. (Cointelegraph)
3. Bitcoin price dips as Trump addresses crypto audience
The price of bitcoin eased on Saturday as U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told an audience of cryptocurrency enthusiasts that bitcoin was going to the moon and he wanted the U.S. to lead the way. (Investing)
IT Infrastructure
4. ECB cyber security test reveals ‘room for improvement’
The European Central Bank says there is “room for improvement” after conducting its first thematic stress tests on cyber resilience to determine how well individual banks would respond to and recover from a cyber attack. (Finextra)
Tech Trends
5. Greece’s former spy boss tells judges service did not use illegal malware in 2019-22
The former head of Greece’s EYP intelligence service has denied allegations that the state agency used illegal phone malware from 2019 to 2022 to spy on targets, court documents show. (SCMP)
6. Google to blame for slower YouTube speeds in Russia, says senior lawmaker
YouTube speeds in Russia are set to sharply decline on desktop computers due to Google’s failure to upgrade its equipment in Russia and its refusal to unblock channels of Russian media, a senior lawmaker close to the authorities said on Friday. (Reuters)
7. New Regulatory Licence for Social Media Platforms in Malaysia to Fight Cyber Offences
Malaysia will require social media services to apply for a licence if they have more than 8 million users in the country from August 1, in an attempt to combat increasing cyber offences, said the government. (USNews)
AI
8. Apple’s artificial intelligence features to be delayed, Bloomberg News reports
Apple’s upcoming artificial intelligence features will arrive later than anticipated and will miss the initial launch of upcoming iPhone and iPad software overhauls, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. (Yahoo! Finance)
9. JPMorgan launches in-house chatbot as AI-based research analyst: Report
JPMorgan Chase has begun rolling out a generative artificial intelligence (AI) product, telling employees that its own version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT can do the work of a research analyst, the Financial Times reported on Friday. (The Hindu)
10. Paris Olympics broadcasters diverge on AI approach
The Paris Olympics will be a showcase of generative AI for American viewers but European audiences won’t see a similar approach, a contrast that reflects how global media companies are deliberating over the use of the technology. (Rappler)
11. Apple signs on to voluntary US scheme to manage AI risks, White House says
Apple has signed U.S. President Joe Biden’s voluntary commitments governing artificial intelligence (AI), joining 15 other firms that have committed to ensuring that AI’s power is not used for destructive purposes, the White House said on Friday. (Reuters)
IoT
12. HaiLa Technologies licenses backscatter tech from University of Washington
HaiLa Technologies licenses backscatter tech from University of WashingtonHaiLa Technologies has announced that it has entered into a licence agreement with the University of Washington to develop and commercialise its backscatter technology used to reduce the power consumption of wireless communications. (IoT Now)
