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Binance, the world’s largest digital asset exchange, has secured a historic $2bn investment from Abu Dhabi-based AI and advanced technology investor MGX.This deal represents the first institutional investment in Binance, the largest single investment ever made into a digital asset company, and the biggest transaction settled in digital asset (stablecoin).The investment grants MGX a minority stake in Binance, marking its first foray into the digital asset and blockchain sectors. MGX aims to support blockchain’s transformative impact by partnering with Binance, a leader in the digital asset industry. The firm sees this as an opportunity to foster innovation at the intersection…

Mimo bags $8.5m equity round, unveils $125m embedded funding deal with FrodaMimo, a platform that streamlines global payments, cash flow, and financial management for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and accountants, has secured $8.5m in fresh investment.The funding round was led by Project A, with participation from returning investors Northzone and Seedcamp.Alongside this investment, Mimo has formed a strategic embedded funding partnership with SMB financing provider Froda. This agreement will enable Mimo to provide over $125m in flexible working capital solutions to UK-based SMBs in the coming years, with the potential to expand across Europe.Founded in 2023, Mimo offers a…

Synctera, a leading provider of banking-as-a-service (BaaS) and embedded finance solutions, has secured $15m in fresh funding.The company, which helps firms build and scale banking products, also announced a major customer win with Bolt, an industry leader in one-click online checkouts.The funding round was co-led by Fin Capital and Diagram Ventures, with additional participation from First & Main, Evolution, and True Equity. This latest investment brings Synctera’s total funding to date to $94m.Synctera offers a platform that enables companies to develop and integrate financial services while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.With the fresh capital, the company aims to accelerate its…

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform financial crime compliance, a new industry benchmark is emerging: compliance-first AI.In a landscape where balancing cutting-edge technology with compliance has never been more vital, adopting AI the right way can enhance efficiency, mitigate risks, and prevent financial crime.Napier AI, a next generation intelligent compliance platform, recently delved into the compliance-first AI and what firms need to know. Financial institutions face immense pressure to implement AI-driven anti-money laundering (AML) systems to combat financial crime effectively. However, the challenges of regulatory compliance, risk assessment, and model testing can push compliance officers toward opaque, ‘black-box’ AI solutions.…

ROME (AP) — Gucci announced Thursday that the Balenciaga artistic director Demna will take over the creative direction of the Italian luxury fashion house, starting in July.Gucci and its French parent Kering said in a statement that Demna “has redefined modern luxury, earning global recognition and cementing his authority on the industry.’’Demna, who goes by one name, has been at Kering-owned Balenciaga for a decade. He brings with him the title of artistic director.“I am truly excited to join the Gucci family,’’ he said in a statement. ‘’It is an honor to contribute to a house that I deeply respect…

6 Monks (6M) has partnered with Zeidler Group to leverage its Swiss Representative Service, streamlining the distribution of its first Luxembourg Reserved Alternative Investment Fund (RAIF) in Switzerland.Under the agreement, Zeidler’s dedicated Swiss Representative team, based in Winterthur, will collaborate with 6M’s internal team to ensure full compliance with Swiss regulatory requirements, including adherence to the Swiss Collective Investment Schemes Act (CISA). This partnership aims to facilitate efficient fund distribution and maintain regulatory obligations within the Swiss market.6M is an Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM) that specialises in Private Equity and Web3 investments.Quentin Werlé, head of portfolio management and marketing…

WASHINGTON (AP) — There sat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, at a Steak ’n Shake with Fox News host Sean Hannity, raving about the fries.“Steak ’n Shake has been great, we’re very grateful for them,” Kennedy said, in between nibbles of fries that the Midwestern franchise recently announced would be cooked in beef tallow instead of common cooking oils that Kennedy says are bad for Americans’ diet.It’s the kind of endorsement that doctors have implored him to make about the childhood vaccines used to prevent deadly diseases, like measles as outbreaks worsened in Texas and New…

Universities across the U.S. have announced hiring freezes, citing new financial uncertainty as the Trump administration threatens a range of cuts to federal contracts and research grants.In February, the administration announced deep cuts to National Institutes of Health grants for research institutions, a shift that could reduce the money going to some universities by over $100 million. Some schools already have shelved projects because of the cuts, which have been delayed temporarily by a court challenge. Recently, President Donald Trump has shown appetite for targeting colleges’ funding more directly. His administration has vowed to take federal money from colleges that…

A rush of agentic AI solutions is hitting the enterprise market, and now one of the bigger players in automation has scooped up a startup in the space in hopes of taking a bigger piece of that market. UiPath, as part of its quarterly results report last night, said it had acquired Peak.ai, a startup out of Manchester that builds “decision-making” pricing and inventory management AI solutions for companies in retail and manufacturing. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources familiar with the deal told TechCrunch that Peak.ai was not looking for a buyer, nor was it at…

Researchers at security firm Tenable have analyzed the ability of the Chinese gen-AI DeepSeek to develop malware such as keyloggers and ransomware. The DeepSeek R1 chatbot was released in January and it has made many headlines since, including regarding its susceptibility to jailbreaks. Just like all major LLMs, DeepSeek has guardrails designed to prevent its use for malicious purposes, such as creating malware. However, these guardrails can be fairly easily bypassed using jailbreak methods.  When directly asked to write the code for a keylogger or a piece of ransomware, DeepSeek refuses to do so, arguing that it cannot assist users…