Nike has sold its digital collectibles subsidiary RTFKT, marking a full retreat from its blockchain ambitions. Separately, President Trump directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds to lower housing costs ahead of the midterms.
Zhipu AI has become the first major Chinese generative AI startup to go public, raising $558 million in a Hong Kong IPO. The stock saw massive retail demand and a big pre-debut pop, testing investor faith in China’s ability to challenge U.S. AI leaders.
According to a new report, Revolut is in talks to acquire the Turkish fintech bank FUPS. This move aligns with the company’s aggressive strategy to expand its global banking footprint.
The popular chat platform Discord has taken a major step toward going public. After years of consideration and a rejected $10 billion takeover offer from Microsoft, the company is now navigating a tricky market and its own complex reputation.
Amazon has begun issuing $1.5 billion in refunds to Prime subscribers following an FTC lawsuit. The settlement alleges the company used “manipulative” designs to enroll users and made cancellation difficult. Millions of customers could get around $51 back.
Tombot’s emotional support robot dog, Jennie, was a surprise hit at CES, leading to over 5,000 pre-orders. That success directly fueled a $6.1 million Series A round and has the company planning for a massive $100 million raise in 2027.
Early-stage VC firm Antler is going all-in on a high-volume investment strategy, making over 400 bets in 2025. With a new $160 million U.S. fund, it plans to hit roughly 500 investments this year, betting that spreading capital wide in the AI era is the best path to returns.
Flutterwave has acquired open banking infrastructure firm Mono in a move to deepen its alternative payments stack. The deal highlights a strategic shift towards bank-based payments in Africa, even as open banking struggles for awareness in the US.
Palo Alto Networks is in advanced talks to acquire Israeli cybersecurity company Koi Security for roughly $400 million. The deal would be a significant win for a startup that has raised only $48 million and focuses on AI-driven detection of malicious code in developer tools.
South Korean startup FuriosaAI is gearing up to mass-produce its RNGD AI chip this month. The company, founded in 2017 by ex-Samsung engineer June Paik, claims the chip can run Meta’s Llama model at twice the power efficiency of Nvidia’s top GPUs. After turning down an acquisition offer from Meta, t
