Aurelia Butler

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  • 188 Shares159 Views

    in Economy

    Israel cyber firms raise $4 billion in 2024 on surge of cloud, AI security needs

    JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli cybersecurity firms raised $4 billion in 2024, more than double that of 2023, led by firms seeking to protect the cloud along with a surge in artificial intelligence, global venture capital firm YL Ventures said on Tuesday.Cybersecurity has become a fast-growing segment of Israel’s high-tech sector, which is a key economic growth driver accounting for 20% of economic activity, 16% of jobs and more than half its exports.In its State of the Cyber Nation Report, YL said that despite geopolitical instability, it foresees Israel’s cybersecurity influence expanding “from a hotbed of exceptional security solutions to widespread recognition of Israeli cybersecurity startups as dominant global market leaders”.YL noted that there were 89 funding rounds in Israel in 2024 and 50 of them were seed, or early stage rounds, raising a total of $400 million. The report said global VCs more than doubled their funding rounds in 2024.In growth stages – so-called C and higher rounds – there were 16 rounds raising $2.9 billion, up 300% from $888 million in 2023, YL said. In all, Israeli cyber firms raised $1.89 billion in 2023.”The changes we’re observing in 2024 — global VCs investing earlier in companies, an opening up of the seed and growth round markets and more acquisitions, especially by Israeli companies —signal a rising tide for 2025,” says Andy Ellis, partner at YL Ventures.”While the floodgates aren’t going to crash open, expect to see more activity across the board: A and B rounds should become more accessible, C and later rounds larger and an increase in seed rounds.”Ofer Schreiber, senior partner and head of YL’s Israel office, credits Israel’s elite military intelligence units for its success by creating “a no-nonsense, hands-on entrepreneurship culture”.He added that the war that began after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 had forced cyber founders into a new reality as many in the tech sector had been called into military service.”Founders needed to rally to ensure business and operational continuity in uncertain economic conditions and with a concerned customer base,” Schreiber said. More

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    in Economy

    Tencent and CATL consider legal action over inclusion on Pentagon blacklist

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  • 150 Shares119 Views

    in Economy

    Trump’s second term: what will it mean for America and the world?

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    in Economy

    FirstFT: US corporate bankruptcies hit 14-year high

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  • 188 Shares189 Views

    in Economy

    UK economy seen growing by 1.5% in 2025, up from 0.9% last year – UBS

    In a note to clients, the analysts suggested that “less contractionary fiscal policy” could provide the British economy with a “decent amount of momentum” this year.However, the country’s private sector may struggle under the weight of elevated taxes, borrowing costs and wage expenses, the analysts flagged.In December, official figures showed that the UK economy failed to grow in the July-to-September period, marking a tepid beginning to the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Office for National Statistics said it now expects gross domestic product output during the three months of 0.0%, down from its prior estimate of 0.1% expansion.Starmer’s government, which came into power in July, has unveiled fresh tax bumps for companies, fueling concerns among many businesses. The negative sentiment was particularly noticeable in the UK’s manufacturing sector, the UBS analysts noted, adding that this “has continued to deteriorate as firms plan for the prospect of a steep increase in taxes.”Meanwhile, the Bank of England has predicted that UK economy will not grow in the final quarter of 2024, although policymakers chose to leave rates unchanged at their latest meeting due to concerns over lingering inflationary pressures.However, the UBS analysts said they believe the “recent slump” in the British economy is “unlikely to persist,” citing the impact of public spending plans announced in the latest UK budget put forward by Starmer and his finance minister Rachel Reeves in late October. The proposal is “likely to result in a fiscal stimulus” that could add an estimated 0.5% to GDP in the coming year, the UBS analysts said, citing forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility.Still, the first budget from Starmer and his in-power Labour party has “laid bare the precarious state of the UK’s public purse,” the analysts warned. The decision to press ahead with increased spending — and only offset it partially with higher taxes — “has […] heightened these concerns,” they added.”So, despite large tax increases last year, the outlook for public finances remains challenging,” the analysts said. “How the government will deal with this is yet unclear, but few of the options available are appealing.” More

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    in Economy

    Eurozone inflation jumps to 2.4% in third consecutive rise

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  • 188 Shares99 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Bybit Launches Fixed Rate Loan Service: A Brand-New Offering for Stability, Flexibility, and Predictable Returns

    Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, proudly announces the launch of its Fixed Rate Loan service empowering users with greater control and predictability in managing their crypto assets. For the first time ever at Bybit, users can access a peer-to-peer (P2P) loan service with fixed interest rates and terms. This latest offering reflects Bybit’s ongoing commitment to delivering unparalleled value to its global community.What Sets Bybit’s Fixed Rate Loan Apart?Bybit offers several advantages for both borrowers and lenders:Why Choose Bybit’s Fixed Rate Loan?This new service represents Bybit’s continued evolution as a leading innovator in the crypto finance space. Whether the user is a borrower seeking predictable costs or a lender aiming for steady returns, Fixed Rate Loan offers the ideal solution to navigate the dynamic world of cryptocurrency.#Bybit / #TheCryptoArkAbout BybitBybit is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 60 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open, and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit PressFor media inquiries, please contact: [email protected] updates, please follow: Bybit’s Communities and Social MediaContactHead of PRTony [email protected] article was originally published on Chainwire More

  • 125 Shares199 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    To Catalyze AI Infrastructure – Open launches WEBisOpen Point System

    On-chain interaction with selected Open ecosystem projects will now grant users $OPEN points. The list of the first batch of eligible projects that can earn users $OPEN points includes AISweat.Shop, Overlord.bot, Gameboi.ai, OpenDeSci Platform, with more incoming to be disclosed at https://webisopen.com/ The points from the previous @owlonmusk_ campaign will be automatically bridged/converted to $OPEN points. Check the previous campaign here: https://x.com/Owlonmusk_/status/1856245362870411344The exact calculation of $OPEN points and utilities are yet to be disclosed. Details should soon be available at https://webisopen.com/ In addition, all Open ecosystem projects such as AiSweat.Shop (ASS), Open DeSci Platform, Overlord.bot, Follow and more are expected to generate long term incentives for Open stakeholders.What is Open?The core technology of Open is the Open Virtual Machine (OVM). OVM powers blockchains with limitless, scalable, decentralized, and verifiable compute power, giving rise to possibilities of compute-intensive applications such as AI training, scientific simulations (DeSci) and complex financial algorithm executions, all done on-chain, in an immutable, transparent and verifiable manner.OVM as the Wormhole for Complex ComputeOVM serves as a bridge between blockchain’s on-chain immutability and the scalability of decentralized compute, enabling blockchain networks to run sophisticated applications like decentralized AI and scientific simulations (DeSci). By leveraging OVM, blockchains can now support advanced computations, unlocking new possibilities for high-performance, decentralized ecosystems.This architecture supports a broad range of use cases, from AI-driven decentralized apps to complex financial models, all while preserving the immutability, verifiability, scalability, high performance computability, and decentralization of on-chain operations.OVM – Verifiable AI InfrastructureOn-Chain AI and Machine Learning: OVM enables resource-intensive AI and ML computations on-chain, supporting advanced applications and agents like autonomous trader AI agents, sentient sentiment agents, predictive models and personalized execution assistants while maintaining verifiability.For example, AiSweat.Shop:AiSweat.Shop (A.S.S.) is built with the AI infrastructure of Open (also known as webisOpen on X, collective includes RSS3). It allows Easy deployment of autonomous AI Agents with various decentralized financial abilities (DeFi) and the tokenization of DeAI-Fi Agents. Verifiable DeSci The Open Virtual Machine (OVM) offers a high-performance, decentralized, and verifiable compute layer, designed to democratize access to advanced computational resources. Its implementation begins with a demonstration and experimental applications on-chain analysis of genetic similarities between two viruses: SARS-CoV-2 (sequenced in Wuhan, 2019) and SARS-CoV (sequenced in Toronto, 2003) on the Open DeSci Platform, showcasing its capabilities in bridging decentralized computation with the immutability of blockchain technology. By bridging powerful decentralized computation with blockchain immutability, OVM is a Data Wormhole for innovations like verifiable and transparent AI and DeSci. This analysis is performed fully on-chain using Open’s Open Virtual Machine (OVM) within a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) (together known as Open’s Compute Wormhole) utilizing and bridging decentralized compute from Hyperbolic Labs, to ensure integrity, immutability, determinism, and resistance to tampering. Additionally, OVM guarantees verifiability through on-chain transactions, promoting transparency and trust in the results.This demo and experiment of Open Desci Platform Alpha and its record on-chain (on Open Chain) has also been released to the public to showcase the power of OVM to the public. Users can check out this link for more information.OVM – Compute LegoOVM extends blockchain’s functionality by enabling verifiable decentralized compute, allowing blockchains to securely harness limitless high performance computing power while preserving blockchain immutability and verifiability. Through its modular and scalable design, OVM enables different blockchains to be combined and integrated with decentralized compute like Lego blocks, whether for AI models or decentralized science (DeSci).OVM – Institutional DeFi InfrastructureComplex Financial Modeling: Ideal for DeFi applications, OVM allows for on-chain risk assessments, yield optimizations, and real-time derivatives pricing with verifiable and scalable compute, bringing institutional-grade modeling to on-chain decentralized finance.OVM – Gaming & Metavere SimulationsOVM provides the sufficient decentralized and verifiable computational power for real-time simulations, NFT generation, and complex in-game economies on-chain, enhancing the trust and security of assets in decentralized gaming and virtual worlds.Open EcosystemApart from the experiments and initiatives mentioned, the Open Ecosystem has projects ranging from AI, information, socials, infrastructure, middleware, finance, data sources, creatives and media. Together Open accelerates the course of the open web. About Open (aka webisOpen on X)Open is a series of endeavors aimed at propelling the Open Web forward. Collectively, Open is the Data and Compute Wormhole for innovations like verifiable and transparent AI and DeSci. The Open ecosystem includes @RSS3_ @_RSSHub & @openinfo_. webisOpen.ContactMarketing LeadKM KMOpen [email protected] article was originally published on Chainwire More