Posts by Mark Darwin
ASX hit with A$150 million capital charge, regulatory reforms
The exchange operator will also revamp its internal transformation programme with new targets and commit to stronger leadership [SYDNEY] Australia’s corporate regulator will impose a A$150 million (S$129 million) capital charge on ASX as part of a package to safeguard the nation’s financial markets amid an ongoing probe into the embattled exchange operator. The charge…
Read MoreWall Street sees an AI bubble forming and is gaming what pops it
Looking to 2026, investors debate cutting AI exposure or doubling down to ride a potentially game-changing boom [NEW YORK] It has been three years since OpenAI set off euphoria over artificial intelligence with the release of ChatGPT. And while the money is still pouring in, so are the doubts about whether the good times can…
Read MoreServiceNow nears up to US7 billion deal for cybersecurity startup Armis
[NEW YORK] ServiceNow is in advanced talks to buy the cybersecurity startup Armis in a deal that may be valued at as much as US$7 billion and would represent the tech company’s largest acquisition to date. A deal may be announced in the coming days, according to people familiar with the situation, asking not to…
Read MorePakistan to allow Binance to explore ‘tokenisation’ of up to US$2 billion of assets
The move comes as other countries expand formal licensing rules for crypto exchanges amid broader global regulatory tightening [KARACHI] Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding with crypto exchange Binance to explore the “tokenisation” of up to US$2 billion in sovereign bonds, T-bills and commodity reserves to boost liquidity and attract investors, the finance ministry…
Read MoreChina is ‘rejecting’ Nvidia’s H200 chips, outfoxing US strategy, David Sacks says
The Asian nation is weighing a package of incentives worth as much as US$70 billion to support its local chipmaking industry [WASHINGTON] China has figured out the US strategy for allowing it to buy Nvidia’s H200 and is rejecting the AI chip in favour of domestically developed semiconductors, White House AI czar David Sacks said,…
Read MoreBitcoin hoarding company Strategy remains in Nasdaq 100
[BENGALURU] Bitcoin hoarding giant Strategy clung to its place in the Nasdaq 100 on Friday (Dec 12), continuing its year-long stint in the benchmark at a time where analysts have raised questions over its business model. Some market watchers have suggested Strategy’s pioneering business model of buying and holding bitcoin, which has spawned dozens of…
Read MoreGoogle faces 110 million euros French asset freeze after Russian ruling, documents show
[PARIS/MOSCOW] The administrator of Google’s defunct Russian business has obtained a temporary freeze on some 110 million euros (S$167 million) of the Alphabet-owned company’s assets in France, official orders seen by Reuters show. The move represents a rare attempt by Russian authorities to use legal channels to target assets of western companies overseas, amid rising…
Read MoreOil posts weekly loss on oversupply concerns
IEA forecasts published on Thursday indicated that global oil supply will exceed demand by 3.8 million barrels per day next year [HOUSTON] Oil prices closed lower on Friday (Dec 12), marking a 4 per cent weekly decline as a supply glut and a potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal outweighed worries about any impact from the US…
Read MoreUltragreen.ai’s stabilising manager buys 2.3 million shares in fifth stabilising action since IPO
Citigroup Global Markets Singapore has now bought around 17.7 million shares of the medical technology company’s shares [SINGAPORE] The stabilising manager of Ultragreen.ai purchased about 2.3 million shares of the counter on Wednesday (Dec 10), marking the fifth stabilising action it has taken since the medical technology company’s initial public offering (IPO) on Dec 3.…
Read MoreIf You Can’t Budget Marketing, Don’t Start
I’ve scaled brands from zero to millions, and I’ve seen the same painful mistake repeat. Companies try to buy growth before they’ve earned it. Paid marketing is not a magic wand. It’s a force multiplier. If there’s nothing to multiply, you’ll just burn cash. Here’s my stance: if you can’t invest about $10,000 a month…
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