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Chipmaker AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) has unveiled a range of innovative AI solutions spanning from data centers to personal computers. The AMD Instinct MI300 Series features data center AI accelerators, while the ROCm 6 open software stack introduces new features supporting Large Language Models (LLMs). Additionally, the Ryzen 8040 Series processors come equipped with Ryzen AI capabilities.
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Venture Capital: Indian Meat Delivery Startup FreshToHome Raises Amazon-Backed $104M Funding
FreshToHome, a Bengaluru-based fresh fish and meat retailer, has raised $104 million in a Series D funding round led by Amazon’s Smbhav Venture Fund. Existing investors, including Iron Pillar, Investcorp, Investment Corporation of Dubai, Ascent Capital, and others, also participated in the funding round, while new investors like E20 Investment Ltd, Mount Judi Ventures, and Dallah Albaraka joined in.
FinTech: Dutch Challenger Bank bunq Pivoted To A Profit In Q4 Of 2022
Bunq, the second largest neobank in the European Union, has achieved a significant milestone by reporting a pre-tax profit of €2.3 million in the final quarter of 2022. This achievement marks the first time the challenger bank has recorded a quarterly profit and is expected to fuel its future growth and expansion as it aims to become the world’s first neobank for location-independent people and businesses.
Alternative Investments/ESG: BNY Mellon To Launch ETF Focused On Empowerment Of Women
BNY Mellon (NYSE: BK), a leading investment management company, has announced plans to launch an actively managed exchange-traded fund (ETF) that invests in companies supporting women’s empowerment. The BNY Mellon Women’s Empowerment ETF will focus on investing in companies that aim to improve women’s quality of life, with a particular focus on gender equity in the workplace and products or services that enhance women’s productivity.
Digital Assets: Another Casualty From The FTX Saga – Crypto Hedge Fund Galois Capital Shuts Down
Quantitative hedge fund Galois Capital has decided to close down and return remaining money to investors after half of its assets were trapped on the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, according to documents seen by the Financial Times.
Artificial Intelligence: AI To Transcribe, Live, Hearings At The Supreme Court Of India
Using AI tools and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology, the Supreme Court of India implemented a live transcription system for oral arguments for the first time in its history on Tuesday.
Digital Assets: Hong Kong Releases ‘Consultation Paper’ On Digital Assets; Beijing Looks On
The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong has proposed new regulations for the cryptocurrency industry (“virtual asset trading platforms”), and has requested feedback from the public. The proposed rules are set to go into effect on June 1, 2023, and include stricter guidelines for cryptocurrency trading platforms, such as licensing and investor protection measures.
FinTech: Israeli Fintech Liquidity Group Turns Unicorn After $40M Investment By MUFG
Israeli-founded fintech company Liquidity Group has raised $40 million from Japanese banking giant MUFG Bank (NYSE: MUFG), valuing the company at $1.4 billion and pushing it into unicorn status.
Venture Capital: Chinese EV Maker Geely Nabs $750M Series ‘A’ For Its Zeekr Brand
On February 13th, 2023, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding), the largest private-owned automotive group in China, announced a successful fundraising of USD 750 million for its premium pure play electric mobility brand, ZEEKR Intelligent Technology (Zeekr), based in Hangzhou, China.
Alternative Investments/Digital: BlackRock Unveils Metaverse Themed ETF
BlackRock, one of the largest ETF issuers in the US, has launched a thematic equity fund targeting companies worldwide that are shaping the development of the metaverse, a future iteration of the internet comprising persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces linked into a perceived virtual universe. The iShares Future Metaverse Tech and Communications ETF (NYSEARCA: IVRS) has been listed with an expense ratio of 0.47%.
Artificial Intelligence: FRIDA, An AI-Powered Robotic Painter, Creates Art On Demand!
Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute has developed a new project called FRIDA, which stands for Framework and Robotics Initiative for Developing Arts. FRIDA is an AI-powered robotic painting system that collaborates with humans to create works of art.
Digital Assets: Amidst Crypto Winter, Singapore’s DBS Bank Enjoyed Robust Growth At Its DDEx Digital Exchange
Singapore-based DBS Bank has revealed impressive growth at its DBS Digital Exchange (DDEx) during 2022. It reported an 80% increase in the number of Bitcoin (BTC) traded on DDEx in 2022 compared to the previous year, and a doubling in the number of BTC custodized with the bank. The number of Ether (ETH) traded on DDEx was also up by around 65%.
Venture Capital/Real Estate: Dreamscape Lands $850M For Gaming And Entertainment Platforms, Revamp Of Rio
Dreamscape Companies, a real estate development and investment firm founded by Eric Birnbaum, has completed an $850 million capital raise. Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) and Raymond James led the debt syndicate and equity private placement, respectively.
FinTech: Revolut May Report A Profit In Audited 2021 Accounts
Revolut, a UK-based fintech, is expected to finalize its 2021 financial accounts next week after months of delay, according to people familiar with the matter. The company’s audit committee will meet on Thursday to approve the accounts, which are then expected to be signed off by auditor BDO on Friday.
Artificial Intelligence: Woolworths Australia Expands AI-Powered Self-Checkouts
Woolworths (ASX: WOW) is expanding the use of its self-checkouts with cameras and artificial intelligence in over 250 stores in New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria, Australia. The system uses camera vision and AI to detect when items are not scanned correctly, and if an item is missed, a short video is replayed for the customer to rescan it.
Alternative Investments/ESG: Four New ETFs From DWS Themed On UN Sustainable Development Goals
DWS, the German asset manager, has launched four new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the London Stock Exchange, the Xetra market and the Borsa Italiana, as part of its suite of products that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Three of the new ETFs target Goals three, six and seven and one delivers diversified exposure across multiple SDGs.
Digital Assets: Abu Dhabi Creates $2B Warchest For Web3, Blockchain, And Metaverse Startups
Abu Dhabi is committing over $2 billion to a new program, “Hub71+ Digital Assets,” aimed at financing startups in the Web3, blockchain, and metaverse application fields. This ecosystem will be located at Hub71 in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).
FinTech: Visa, Froda, And Lunar Tie-Up For Global SME Lending Solution
Fintech company Froda has partnered with Visa (NYSE: V) and Nordic digital bank Lunar to create a new, global loan solution for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The solution will utilize push-payment technology to reduce transaction times to a few seconds (instead of months, as now), aiming to offer easy access to financing and instant payouts for entrepreneurs.
Venture Capital/AI: MDI Health Nabs $20M Series A For Its Medication Management Platform
MDI Health has raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Intel Capital to further develop their AI-powered platform that automates personalized medication treatment at scale. Maverick Ventures Israel and existing investors Hanaco Ventures, Welltech Ventures, Arc Impact, Basad Ventures, Fresh.Fund, Jumpspeed Ventures, and former SVP of Optum Richard Montwill also participated. The round brings MDI Health’s cumulative financing to $26 million.
Alternative Investments/ESG: Calamos Launches ETF For Global Sustainable Stocks
Calamos Investments LLC, in partnership with NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo, has listed the Calamos Antetokounmpo Global Sustainable Equities ETF (NYSEARCA: SROI) on NYSE ARCA.
Artificial Intelligence: After Users Flag Creepy Interactions With The New Bing, Microsoft Mulling Tweaks
Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) release of a new version of Bing search engine that includes the artificial intelligence (AI) of a chatbot has led to the company considering tweaks and guardrails. The tech giant is looking at adding tools for users to restart conversations and limit conversation lengths before they veer into strange territory.
Digital Assets: Berkshire Hathaway’s Charlie Munger Delivers Fresh Diatribe Against Crypto
Charlie Munger, the Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A), has referred to people who oppose banning cryptocurrencies as “idiots” and said that anyone buying crypto is “ridiculous.” He was speaking during a live-streamed interview with CNBC at the Daily Journal’s annual shareholders meeting.
FinTech: Aspire, The All-In-One Finance OS, Snags $100M
Aspire, a Singpaore-based financial services provider founded in 2018, has closed an oversubscribed Series C round at $100 million. The round included investments from Lightspeed, Sequoia Capital SEA, Paypal Ventures, LGT Capital Partners, Picus Capital, and Mass Mutual Ventures. (Aspire)
Venture Capital: AI+Quantum Computing Focused Startup SandboxAQ Lands $500M
Sandbox AQ, a company that develops software for post-quantum cryptography, quantum sensing, and quantum simulations, raised $500 million in a funding round. Breyer Capital, T. Rowe Price funds, and TIME Ventures, as well as former CEO of Google and current Sandbox AQ Chairman Eric Schmidt, all participated in the round.
Artificial Intelligence: The US Military Tests AI-Powered Target Acquisition And Attack On Its M1 Abrams Tank
The US military has mounted an experimental AI-driven target recognition system on an M1 Abrams tank, as part of the Advanced Targeting and Lethality Aided System (ATLAS) program. The system is designed to help detect and neutralize threats, by automating human tasks during passive target acquisition using machine learning algorithms.