Briefing Desk
Latest Briefings
Concise reporting on the developments shaping internet governance and infrastructure. Browse each area for recent news, context and watchpoints.
Coverage
Market / Trends / Global Trends / Global Cloud Services Trends
In this section: 23 briefingsWhy is private credit growing? Key factors behind its rise
Private credit grows as the changing market and the demand for higher yields rises. Investors seek alternatives to bank loans.
Key differences between private credit and private equity
Learn the key differences between private credit and private equity, including their risks, returns, and role in your investment strategy.
Is private credit an alternative investment? Learn why it’s growing
Why private credit is gaining attention? Private credit is becoming a prominent alternative investment. As traditional investment opportunities, such as stocks and bonds, offer lower returns, more investors are looking to private credit as a viable option. But, is private credit truly an alternative…
What is the law on internet privacy?
As the internet has become integral to daily life, concerns about personal data privacy have risen dramatically. From browsing the web to using social media and e-commerce platforms, users are constantly sharing personal information, often without fully understanding the risks. The law on internet p…
What is the biggest threat to internet privacy?
In today’s digital age, internet privacy is a growing concern for users worldwide. While many are aware of the risks, the biggest threat to internet privacy lies in the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks and the vast amounts of personal data being collected. This article explores the main thr…
TRUMP memecoin launch ignites crypto market frenzy
TRUMP memecoin frenzy boosts search interest for “buy crypto” and “Solana.” Solana rallies to $270 billion.
Trump Crypto Project buys $48M ETH amid market fluctuations
Trump-backed World Liberty Financial buys $48M in Ether, boosting holdings to over $107M as ETH gains against Bitcoin.
Freshwave launches portable 5G for robotics at Scottish research centre
What happened: Private 5G robotics network launched in Scotland Freshwave, a UK-based tower company, has set up a portable private 5G network at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh, Scotland. This network supports research for commercial robotics solutions for Industry 4.0, with a focus on developi…
Virgin Media Wholesale launches high-bandwidth Ethernet and DIA services
What happened: Virgin Media Wholesale launches high-bandwidth Ethernet services Virgin Media Business Wholesale has launched high-bandwidth National Ethernet and Direct Internet Access (DIA) services through its advanced metro network. This improvement boosts delivery speed and enhances the experien…
Barclays to wind down Rise fintech accelerator by mid-2025
What happened: Barclays announces closure of Rise fintech accelerator by mid-2025 Barclays has announced plans to wind down its Rise fintech accelerator program by mid-2025. Launched in 2015, Rise was designed to foster innovation in financial technology by providing startups with mentorship, resour…
Recharge secures approximately $48M to boost M&A plans
Recharge secures €45 million from ABN AMRO to accelerate its M&A strategy, with a target of €1bn in sales by 2025.
Finom appoints Kristjan Kaar as new CPO
Finom hires Kristjan Kaar as CPO to drive innovation and growth, replacing Ivo Dimitrov, who becomes Chief Venture Officer.
PNY and Canonical partner on AI infrastructure in EMEA
What happened: PNY and Canonical sign strategic partnership PNY Technologies and Canonical have entered into a strategic partnership to deliver state-of-the-art AI infrastructure solutions across the EMEA region. Under the new distribution agreement, the two companies will combine their strengths to…
Failed fintech startup Bench revealed to have $65M in debt
What happened: Fintech startup Bench left with $65M debt after collapse Newly surfaced documents have revealed that fintech startup Bench, which recently ceased operations, left behind a staggering $65 million in debt. The debt includes outstanding loans, unpaid vendor bills, and losses borne by inv…
Top tech news today: January 20, 2025
Tech News Roundup News Summaries 1. Wefox closes $187M refinancing deal Wefox, a European insurtech leader, has successfully closed a €170 million refinancing deal to support its growth in the insurance market. Source 2. Regnology secures investment for global expansion Regnology has received a majo…
Klearly secures $6.42M to disrupt payments
Klearly raises €6m to revolutionise in-person payments with seamless SaaS and mobile-based solutions for SMBs.
Q*Bird unveils scalable quantum key distribution for secure multipoint networks
What happened: A new era in scalable quantum key distribution Q*Bird has introduced its Falqon MQS4000 Quantum Switch, a breakthrough in scalable multipoint quantum key distribution (QKD). This technology allows quantum links for hundreds or thousands of users to be set up at the same time, without …
Merit Systems raises $10 million from a16z and Blockchain Capital
What happened: Merit Systems raises $10 million from a16z and Blockchain Capital Merit Systems, a blockchain-based technology platform, has raised $10 million in a new funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Blockchain Capital. The funds will be used to accelerate the development and exp…
Southern Cross and Ciena claim first 1TB/s transpacific cable link
What happened: Southern Cross and Ciena achieve first 1TB/s transpacific cable link Southern Cross, in collaboration with Ciena, has successfully established the first 1TB/s transpacific cable link. This groundbreaking achievement represents a significant leap in global connectivity, offering unprec…
Top tech news today: January 17, 2025
Tech News Roundup Tech News Summaries 1. Merit Systems Raises $10M Seed Funding Merit Systems completes a $10 million seed funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto fund and Blockchain Capital to address the compensation issue for open-source developers. Source 2. Klearly Secures $6M Seed Fu…
Cisco launches AI defence to secure enterprise transformation
What happened: Cisco unveils AI Defence to secure enterprise AI adoption Cisco has introduced AI Defence, an technology service designed to protect enterprises in their AI transformation journey. The announcement was made on 15 January 2025 in San Jose, California. AI Defence focuses on addressing …
Chainalysis acquires AI fraud detection firm
Chainalysis acquires AI fraud detection firm Alterya to enhance blockchain security and combat scams in the crypto industry.
Brex secures $235M credit facility
Brex secures $235M revolving credit facility with Citi and TPG Angelo Gordon to expand its corporate card and expense management services.
Coverage
Governance / RIR Watchdog / ARIN / Story
In this section: 4 briefingsARIN updates TAL for RPKI compatibility
ARIN updates the TAL for better compatibility with RPKI validators, adding new remarks on disclaimers, exclusions, and limitations.
ARIN adds IRR Auto-Manager to ARIN Online
What happened: ARIN introduces IRR Auto-Manager in ARIN Online updates On January 13, 2025, ARIN announced the addition of new features to ARIN Online, with the highlight being the IRR Auto-Manager. This new functionality allows organizations to selectively create auto-managed IRR route entities base…
ARIN highlights top blog content from 2024
What happened: ARIN highlights most popular blog posts of 2024 ARIN has released a roundup of its top blog content from 2024, highlighting the most-read articles and key topics that resonated with its community. The blog posts covered a variety of subjects, including the progress of IPv6 adoption, b…
ARIN updates Trust Anchor Locator for improved RPKI validation
What happened: ARIN updates TAL to enhance RPKI verification process ARIN has announced a change to its Trust Anchor Locator (TAL), which is crucial for verifying certificates and Route Origin Authorizations (ROAs) in ARIN’s Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) repository. This update is design…
Coverage
Market / Trends / North America Trends / North America Cloud Services Trends
In this section: 1 briefingSEE 13 opens registration for 2025 event
Register for SEE 13, the leading event for internet professionals. Join us in Sofia for two days of networking and innovation.
Coverage
Market / Trends / Global Trends / Global Institutional Trends
In this section: 3 briefingsHashgraph partners with Taurus for global HBAR custody
Hashgraph Association teams up with Taurus to expand secure custody and tokenization of HBAR across EMEA regions.
Top tech news today: January 21, 2025
Tech News Roundup 1. Barclays to wind down fintech accelerator Barclays announces plans to shut down its fintech accelerator programme, Rise, by mid-2025, citing strategic realignment. Source 2. Hashgraph Association partners with Taurus The Hashgraph Association teams up with Taurus to advance secu…
iCapital acquires Parallel Markets to enhance investor onboarding
iCapital acquires Parallel Markets to streamline investor onboarding and improve compliance with reusable KYC/AML technology.
Coverage
Market / Trends / Asia-Pacific Trends / Asia-Pacific Cloud Services Trends
In this section: 3 briefingsAirtel partners with Bajaj Finance to expand digital finance access
What happened: Airtel Bajaj Finance partnership expands digital finance access Bharti Airtel has formed a partnership with Bajaj Finance to create one of India’s largest digital platforms for financial services. This collaboration combines Airtel’s extensive customer base of 370 million and its netw…
Amazon to acquire Indian BNPL firm Axio
Amazon is set to acquire Indian fintech Axio, a BNPL provider, to expand its credit offerings and enhance services for customers in India.
Southeast Asia FinTech funding declines in 2024
Southeast Asia’s FinTech funding declines in 2024 due to economic challenges, but resilience remains as investment continues in key sectors.
Coverage
Market / Trends / Europe and Middle East Trends / Europe and Middle East Cloud Services Trends
In this section: 3 briefingsNOS and iBASIS renew and expand strategic partnership
What happened: NOS and iBASIS renew and expand global connectivity partnership NOS, a leading telecom provider in Portugal, and iBASIS, a global communications enabler, have renewed and expanded their strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to enhance international voice, mobile, and IoT conn…
Unicaja partners with Fiserv to boost payments
Unicaja partners with Fiserv to develop advanced payment solutions in Spain, focusing on omnichannel and multi-currency tools for merchants.
Three UK chooses Ericsson to replace Nokia in core network
What happened: Three UK’s network overhaul Three UK has announced a significant shift in its network infrastructure, choosing Ericsson to replace Nokia as its core network provider. This decision marks a pivotal moment in the company’s strategy, as it transitions to a new partner to enhance its netw…
Coverage
Market / Trends / Global Trends / Global Regional ISP Trends
In this section: 2 briefingsWhat Is the Primary Purpose of the Border Gateway Protocol
Discover the primary purpose of the Border Gateway Protocol and its role in ensuring efficient, reliable routing of data across networks.
FTTH Council highlights challenges with copper network holdouts
What happened: FTTH Council urges telecom providers to transition from copper to fiber networks The FTTH (Fiber to the Home) Council has called attention to telecom providers still relying on outdated copper networks, urging them to make the switch to fiber-optic infrastructure. The Council emphasiz…
Coverage
Governance / ICANN
In this section: 2 briefingsICANN seeks input on community ethics code
ICANN seeks community input on a new Code of Conduct to improve transparency and ethical disclosures within its broader ethics framework.
2024 Review: ICANN’s global tech collaborations
In 2024, ICANN’s Technical Engagement team held 207 events to boost internet stability, DNS best practices, and partnerships.
Coverage
Market / Trends / Asia-Pacific Trends / Asia-Pacific Regional ISP Trends
In this section: 1 briefingGlobalConnect joins Arctic fiber cable project
What happened: GlobalConnect joins Nordic-led Arctic fiber project connecting Europe, Asia, and the US GlobalConnect, a leading connectivity provider, has announced its participation in a groundbreaking Arctic fiber cable project. This Nordic-led initiative aims to establish a global subsea fiber op…
Coverage
Market / Trends / Asia-Pacific Trends / Asia-Pacific National Telecom Trends
In this section: 1 briefingSingapore agency partners with Singtel for network slicing
What happened: Network slicing revolutionizes defence communications Singapore’s defence agency has entered into a strategic partnership with Singtel, a leading telecommunications provider, to implement network slicing technology. This collaboration aims to enhance the agency’s communication capabil…
Coverage
Governance / CASE FILE
In this section: 1 briefingTrump nominates Olivia Trusty for FCC commissioner, securing Republican control
What happened: Olivia Trusty nominated for FCC commissioner by Trump President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Olivia Trusty for a commissioner position at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Trusty, a seasoned Republican Senate aide, currently serves as a professional staff member on the …
Coverage
Governance / RIR Watchdog / RIPE NCC / Story
In this section: 1 briefingRIPE NCC 2025 invoices and payment extensions
RIPE NCC will issue 2025 invoices in January and provide payment extensions for members affected by crises.
Coverage
Market / Trends / Europe and Middle East Trends / Europe and Middle East National Telecom Trends
In this section: 1 briefingOfcom plans to cut telco complaint resolution times
What happened: Ofcom proposes to shorten telco complaint resolution times Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has proposed new rules to reduce the time telecommunications companies take to resolve customer complaints. Under the new guidelines, telecom providers will be required to resolve issu…
Coverage
Governance / RIR Watchdog / APNIC / Story
In this section: 1 briefingNominations open for four APNIC Executive Council positions
Nominations for four APNIC Executive Council positions must be submitted by 6 February 2025 via the official form
Coverage
Governance / IETF
In this section: 1 briefingIETF LLC takes over RFC production center
IETF LLC takes over RFC Production Center management from AMS to drive RFC Series evolution, with new roles and cost savings.
Coverage
Market / Trends / Global Trends / Global National Telecom Trends
In this section: 1 briefingBT Group trials 5G SA network slicing at Christmas market
What happened: 5G slicing trial enhances mobile payments BT Group has successfully tested 5G Standalone (SA) network slicing for the first time in a real-world scenario at the Belfast Christmas Market. The trial took place at Lavery’s Beer Tent, one of the market’s busiest areas. During the two-week…
Coverage
Market / Trends / Europe and Middle East Trends / Europe and Middle East Institutional Trends
In this section: 1 briefingNokia and Ericsson urge bold action for Europe’s digital future at Brussels summit
What happened: Tech giants call for action at Brussels summit Nokia, Ericsson, ASML, and SAP have united to host the “New Industrial Ambition for Europe” summit in Brussels. The event brings together key European political figures, such as Henna Virkkunen, European Commission executive vice presiden…