Dive into the latest groundbreaking developments in technology that are shaping the future, from AI integration to the Internet of Things revolutionising our daily lives.
Fintech
1. Hong Kong regulators approve launch of spot bitcoin and ether ETFs
Hong Kong regulators on Monday approved the launch of spot bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs), asset managers said.
ChinaAMC, Harvest Global and Bosera International are among those that have been given the green light to issue ETFs. (CNBC)
Blockchain
2. Blockchain for Good Alliance launches at Blockchain Life Dubai
The alliance is joined by Bybit Web3, Solana Foundation, Aptos, Moledao, Harvard Blockchain Club, and numerous other organisations. (Cointelegraph)
Internet governance
3. New working group aims to make spotting unwanted trackers easier
A newly formed IETF working group has taken on the task of standardising a protocol that protects people against being unknowingly tracked. (IETF)
IT infrastructure
4. US awards Samsung $6.4 billion in grants to boost Texas chip output
The Biden administration will award up to $6.4 billion in grants to South Korea’s Samsung to expand its chip production in central Texas as part of a broader effort to boost U.S. chipmaking, the Department of Commerce said on Monday. (The edge Malaysia)
5. Open source groups say more software projects may have been targeted for sabotage
The recent attempt by an unknown actor to sabotage a widely used software program may have been one of several attempts to subvert key pieces of digital infrastructure across the internet, two open source groups said in an alert published on Monday. (Channel News Asia)
6. NASA needs a cheaper, faster way to bring Mars dirt back to Earth
NASA’s plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth is on hold until there’s a faster, cheaper way, space agency officials said Monday. (ABC News)
Tech trends
7. Top Wall St brokerages start Reddit coverage with doubts over user growth
Top Wall Street brokerages, whose investment banking units helped Reddit prepare for its public issue, started coverage of the social media company with doubts over its user growth while staying bullish on ad revenue and its use of artificial intelligence (AI). (Yahoo)
8. Meta to temporarily shut down social media platform Threads in Turkey
Threads, Meta’s social media platform, will be shut down from April 29 to comply with a decision by the Turkish Competition Authority, TRK, Meta announced on Monday. “To comply with an interim order of the Turkish Competition Authority, TRK we will shut down Threads in Turkey from Monday 29 April,” Meta wrote. (Meta)
9. Apple loses top phonemaker spot to Samsung as iPhone shipments drop, IDC says
Apple Loses Top Phonemaker Spot to Samsung as iPhone Shipments Drop, IDC Says. Apple’s smartphone shipments dropped about 10% in the first quarter of 2024, hurt by intensifying competition by Android smartphone makers aiming for the top spot, data from research firm IDC showed on Sunday. (NST)
10. YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown now includes third-party apps
YouTube is bringing its ad blocker fight to mobile. In an update on Monday, YouTube writes that users accessing videos through a third-party ad blocking app may encounter buffering issues or see an error message that reads, “The following content is not available on this app.” (The Verge)
AI
11. Adobe explores OpenAI partnership as it adds AI video tools
Adobe is in the early stages of allowing third-party generative artificial intelligence tools such as OpenAI’s Sora and others inside its widely used video editing software, the U.S. software maker said on Monday. (Reuters)
12. UK mulling potential AI regulation
Officials at the UK’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology have started drafting legislation to regulate AI models, Bloomberg reports. It’s unclear how any future regulation will intersect with the UK’s already-extant AI Safety Institute, which already conducts safety tests of the most powerful AI models. (The Verge)
IoT
13. Trident IoT raises $10M; welcomes Vivint founder Todd Pedersen to the Board
Trident IoT, a silicon provider and RF technology company focused on decreasing time-to-market for connected device manufacturers, today announced the completion of a $10 million fundraising round. (Security INFOWATCH)
