Tech
SoftBank posts ¥4.99 trillion net profit; Japan's highest ever
Investment giant Softbank Group on Wednesday reported an annual net profit of 4.99 trillion yen ($45.8 billion), the best ever for a Japanese company, reaping the rewards of tech share rallies to recover from last year's record loss. The telecoms-firm-turned-investment-behemoth has poured money into some of Silicon Valley's biggest names… Read
New U.S. electric car chargers are a green leap of faith
It has been a long road for electric cars in the United States, but myriad announcements by major automakers signal they are at last moving towards the mainstream. With more electrical models set to hit showrooms, the focus will shift to consumers' willingness to pivot to electric cars at a… Read
Accenture, Shiseido establish joint venture to accelerate Shiseido’s digital transformation
Accenture and Shiseido are establishing a joint venture to accelerate Shiseido's digital transformation. The joint venture, called Shiseido Interactive Beauty, will include approximately 250 digital, information technology (IT) and other skilled resources from both Shiseido and Accenture. Accenture will also provide training to help the venture’s employees enhance their digital… Read
Tech giants join call for funding U.S. chip production
Some of the world's biggest chip buyers, including Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp and Alphabet Inc's Google, are joining top chip-makers such as Intel Corp to create a new lobbying group to press for government chip manufacturing subsidies. The newly formed Semiconductors in America Coalition, which also includes Amazon.com's Amazon Web… Read
Dogecoin: 'Joke' virtual currency touted by Elon Musk
Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency originally created as a joke, has grabbed the headlines thanks to repeated interest from tech billionaire Elon Musk -- and despite doubts in the financial community. The price of the virtual unit hit a record high over the weekend ahead of Musk's hosting of popular U.S. sketch… Read
SoftBank targeting IPO for payment app PayPay
SoftBank wants to list payment app PayPay, the CEO of its wireless unit said on Tuesday, adding that subsidiary SB Payment Service could also be a candidate for listing, as he seeks to illustate growth potential at Japan's No.3 carrier. QR code payment app PayPay has acquired almost 40 million… Read
Cryptocurrency ethereum hits new record high again; dogecoin slumps
Cryptocurrency ethereum climbed to a new peak for a third straight day on Monday on continued optimism about further growth in decentralized finance or "DeFi", although some analysts said it was overvalued at current levels. Ethereum has soared this year, fueled by the boom in DeFi, which are platforms that… Read
Opimas estimates that over $190 billion worth of Bitcoin currently at risk due to subpar safekeeping
Safekeeping of cryptocurrencies presents a challenge for institutions holding cryptocurrencies on their clients' behalf. Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible and anyone with full access to a wallet's private key controls the cryptocurrencies that reside within it. Frighteningly, a number of institutional participants and even some large cryptocurrency exchanges rely on subpar… Read
Japanese startup to carry UAE lunar rover to moon in 2022
Japanese startup Ispace Inc will deliver a lunar rover under development by the United Arab Emirates to the moon next year in what will be the Arab world's first lunar mission. Under the contract recently announced by the Tokyo-based space company and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai's governmental… Read
Is Epic Games' showdown with Apple turning into a mismatch?
If Epic Games hopes to dismantle the fortress surrounding Apple's iPhone and its app store, the video game maker probably will need to roll out some heavier artillery heading into the second week of a trial threatening Apple's $2 trillion empire. So far, at least, Epic has been having trouble… Read
