News
Each day, DailyAlts tracks major developments across the alternative investment world. Our content is procured from primary contacts in the industry and secondary sources across the web. Our goal is to give readers the most up-to-date news and engaging experience to open new doors and areas of knowledge. Our stories cover nine separate verticals of the alternative investment industry.
Top Story
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.
Get Daily Updates
Subscribe to DailyAlts Today to get Alternative Investment news, insight, and commentary delivered straight to your inbox every day.
More Stories on News
Venture Capital: Prime Brokerage Clear Street Scores $270M Series B Investment
New York-based independent prime broker, Clear Street, has announced a $270m investment from Prysm Capital, which is the second tranche of a $435m Series B funding round. The investment values the company at $2.0 billion.
FinTech: Visa+ Enables Person-to-Person Payments Across Digital Platforms
Visa (NYSE: V) has partnered with PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) and Venmo to launch a new service called Visa+, aimed at enabling people to transfer money quickly and securely between different person-to-person digital payment apps. Users will be able to send and receive payments between PayPal and Venmo by setting up a personalized payment address linked to their accounts, without requiring a Visa card.
Alternative Investments/AI: A New ETF From VanEck Will Seek Opportunities In Robotics
VanEck has launched a new thematic equity exchange-traded fund (ETF) called the VanEck Robotics ETF (IBOT), which offers global exposure to the leading companies in the robotics industry. The ETF tracks the performance of MarketVector Index’s BlueStar Robotics Index, which provides pure play exposure to the robotics industry.
Digital Assets: CryptoGPT, A Startup Focused On AI Development Using Blockchain Technology, Nabs $10M
CryptoGPT, a layer 2 blockchain that uses zero-knowledge (ZK) technology, has raised $10 million in funding through a Series A round. The funding, which was led by DWF Labs, a market maker known for its investments during bearish market conditions, garnered a valuation of $250 million for CryptoGPT.
FinTech: UK Digital Bank Tandem Acquires Money Sharing App Loop
Tandem Bank is working towards becoming the UK’s leading digital and sustainable bank with the acquisition of Loop, a fast-growing money sharing app. Loop offers a platform for borrowing and lending money among friends and family, allowing users to avoid expensive bank overdraft charges. With approximately £12.5 billion being shared informally each year in the UK, and £10 billion of overdrafts outstanding, Loop’s platform has the potential to revolutionize the way people manage their finances.
Venture Capital: Precision Heart Care Startup HeartFlow Lands $215M Funding
HeartFlow, a company that is revolutionizing precision heart care, has recently announced the closure of a Series F funding round worth $215 million. The funding was led by Bain Capital Life Sciences and saw participation from new investor Janus Henderson Investors, as well as existing investors including Baillie Gifford, Capricorn Investment Group, Hayfin Capital Management, HealthCor, Martis Capital, USVP, and Wellington Management.
Artificial Intelligence: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Calls On Japanese P.M. Fumio Kishida
Japan is considering the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for government use, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. However, the government is only willing to consider such technology if privacy and cybersecurity concerns can be resolved.
Digital Assets: Why Did Apple Hide A Copy Of The Bitcoin White Paper In The macOS?
On April 5th, 2023, Andy Baio, an independent blogger, published a blog post on his website, Waxy Blog, revealing that every version of macOS from Mojave 10.14.0 to the current version contains a copy of the Bitcoin white paper written by Satoshi Nakamoto. The discovery was made while fixing his printer, and Baio cross-checked his findings with over a dozen of his Mac-using friends.
FinTech: ANZ And Grollo Carbon Ventures Test Trading In Tokenized Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) On The Blockchain
ANZ (ASX: ANZ), one of Australia’s largest banks, has partnered with Grollo Carbon Ventures to successfully trade Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) using digital tokens. ANZ issued its stablecoin, A$DC, to tokenise existing ACCUs, enabling Grollo to purchase them using smart contracts on a public, permissionless blockchain with settlement occurring in near real-time.
Venture Capital: Indian Electric Mobility Solutions Provider Magenta Mobility Lands $22M
Magenta Mobility, an electric mobility solutions provider based in Mumbai, has secured $22 million (approximately Rs 180 crore) in Series A1 funding from bp Ventures and Morgan Stanley’s India-focused infrastructure fund. The investment will be used to expand the number of electric vehicles from 750 to 4,000 by March 31, 2024, as well as to expand operations in 15 cities and enhance tech capabilities.
Alternative Investments/ESG: DWS Xtrackers Launches $2B Climate Equity ETF Anchored By Finland Insurer
DWS, a leading asset manager, has announced the launch of Xtrackers MSCI USA Climate Action Equity ETF (NYSE: USCA), which aims to provide investors exposure to large and mid-cap companies in the US that are taking the lead in climate positive steps in their industry group.
Venture Capital: Kaszek VC Raises About $1B For LatAm Investments
Kaszek Ventures, the largest venture capital firm in Latin America, has secured almost $1 billion for two new funds to invest in the region, despite a recent decline in financing for the tech industry.
FinTech: SoFi Acquires Wyndham Mortgage In All-Cash Transaction
SoFi Technologies, a digital financial services company, has announced its acquisition of Wyndham Capital Mortgage, a fintech mortgage lender, in an all-cash deal. Although the deal is not expected to significantly impact SoFi’s 2023 results, it is expected to be accretive within six months.
Digital Assets: PostFinance Ropes In Sygnum For Crypto Services Rollout
PostFinance, a leading Swiss financial institution and retail bank, has partnered with Sygnum Bank, the world’s first digital asset bank, to offer customers a range of regulated digital asset banking services through Sygnum’s B2B banking platform.
Artificial Intelligence: Bill Gates Rejects “Pause” On AI Development Such As GPT
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), has responded to an open letter signed by over 1,000 AI experts, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, calling for a pause in the development of more powerful AI systems.
Venture Capital: Cure Ventures Closes $350M Fund For Innovative Life Science And Biotech Startups
Cure Ventures has raised $350 million in its inaugural fund to provide funding to biotech startups. The fund was backed by city and state pension funds, a U.S.-based sovereign fund, foundations, endowments, and hospital systems.
FinTech: Aeropay And Onfleet Tie Up To Smoothen Online Transactions For Cannabis Consumers And Retailers
Onfleet, a delivery management software company, and Aeropay, a digital payments provider for the cannabis industry, have joined forces to integrate Aeropay’s payment solutions with Onfleet’s delivery management software.
Alternative Investments/Digital: ETC Group Unveils Crypto Basket ETP Tracking An MSCI Index
ETC Group, a specialist in crypto ETPs, is launching a new product on Deutsche Börse Xetra that will provide investors with physically backed exposure to a basket of leading digital assets. The ETC Group MSCI Digital Assets Select 20 ETP (DA20 GY) is expected to launch in April and will be the first crypto-linked ETP to be based on an MSCI index.
FinTech: In Tech Overhaul, Liberty Bank Picks Alkami’s Digital Banking Platform
Connecticut-based Liberty Bank has adopted Alkami’s digital banking platform for its business, retail, and mobile banking. Liberty Bank aims to provide an innovative user experience to its customers and position itself for future growth.
Venture Capital: Accel-KKR Wraps Up $5.3B For Two New Funds
Accel-KKR, a technology-focused private equity firm, has raised $5.3 billion in new capital commitments for two funds: Accel-KKR Capital Partners VII LP and Accel-KKR Emerging Buyout Partners II LP. Accel-KKR invests in technology companies through various funds and strategies, including Buyout, Emerging Buyout, Growth Capital, and Credit, and has $19 billion in cumulative capital commitments.
Alternative Investments/ESG: MKS PAMP Launches ETF Backed By Carbon-Neutral Gold Bars
Swiss gold trading house MKS PAMP has partnered with UBS to launch the world’s first carbon-neutral gold ETF, which is backed by carbon-neutral gold bars sourced from MKS PAMP and certified by the Carbon Trust. The initiative will allow climate risk-oriented clients to invest in certified gold that meets strict environmental criteria and reduce the carbon footprint of their portfolios.
Artificial Intelligence: Now, An AI Mattress Designed For “Sleep Tourism”
Hotels are incorporating mattresses with artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the sleep experience for their guests. These mattresses, like the one developed by Bryte, have 90 cushions that adapt to individual needs, detect discomfort and adjust firmness and position accordingly. They also detect heart rate and respiratory movements to track sleep cycles and adjust texture and temperature.
Digital Assets: Ledger, Maker Of Crypto Security Hardware, Raises Nearly All Of $100M Series C Round
Paris-based startup Ledger, which makes hardware wallets for cryptocurrency investors, has raised €100m ($109m) in funding, valuing the company at €1.3bn. The round was led by investors including Digital Finance Group, True Global Ventures and Cité Gestion SPV.
FinTech: Cogo And Eliq Partner To Help Banking Customers Enhance The Energy Efficiency Of Their Homes
Cogo, a fintech which collaborates with banks to assist customers in decreasing their carbon footprint as a carbon footprint management firm, is partnering with Eliq, a company that specializes in making sense of energy data. The partnership aims to provide information and support for banking customers as they deal with the challenges posed by climate change and energy crises.