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TOPIC・Business — All Issues

📈 Business: every issue, one page

Every Business item from all 28 issues — central bank decisions, earnings, M&A, and IPOs — newest first. (55 items total, each with its original source and verification note; click through to the full issue.)

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Business

55 items

UAE banks post record Q2 profits across the board; ADCB hits 20 straight quarters of growth

Major UAE banks reported record Q2/H1 earnings across the board: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) posted Q2 pre-tax profit up 26% year-on-year to AED 3.83 billion, its 20th consecutive quarter of profit growth; First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) posted H1 pre-tax profit up 3% to AED 13.2 billion; Emirates NBD posted H1 pre-tax profit up 5% to AED 16.2 billion; Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) posted pre-tax profit up 9% to AED 4.3 billion.

Verification note: Figures compiled from financial media coverage and public earnings reports; check each bank's official investor relations pages for exact figures.

Brent crude tops $92/barrel as Middle East tensions raise supply concerns

Brent crude prices have risen recently, touching $92.54 a barrel on August 11 — up nearly $5 from the prior day and about $25 above year-ago levels. Markets are watching developments around the Strait of Hormuz, while US Strategic Petroleum Reserve inventories have fallen to their lowest level since 1983 — supply concerns that continue to support prices and feed into broader inflation outlooks.

Verification note: Price is a market snapshot at time of reporting and moves intraday; this site states events as reported without taking a position.

RBI holds rate at 5.25%, raises GDP growth forecast

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its repo rate at 5.25% this week, in line with market expectations. The central bank also raised its GDP growth forecast and lowered its inflation outlook, reflecting confidence in India's economic momentum — a move that also shaped regional investor sentiment across Asia.

Verification note: From a weekly finance roundup article; for the official decision and figures, check the Reserve Bank of India's own announcement.

Once-hot no-code unicorn swallowed in a $2.25 billion deal

A formerly high-flying no-code development platform was acquired for $2.25 billion, one of the largest tech M&A deals reported this period.

Verification note: Deal value is from a media roundup; for the company name and deal terms, check the official acquisition announcement.

Oil prices tumble as Trump holds off Iran attack, talks set to resume

Brent crude futures had earlier spiked to $90.74 a barrel on U.S.-Iran tensions, before Trump announced he was holding off on military action and that talks would resume — sending prices sharply lower, with October Brent falling as much as 7.3% to $81.55 a barrel.

Verification note: Price figures are from financial media; for live quotes, check official futures exchange data. The geopolitical situation remains highly fluid.

AI infrastructure boom spills over: memory shortages push up consumer hardware prices

This period's tech roundup reports that the AI infrastructure investment boom has begun spilling into consumer electronics, with tight memory-chip supply pushing up general hardware prices, while chip startups are drawing heavy investment.

Verification note: Industry-trend roundup reporting; actual price increases vary by brand and region — check each manufacturer's own announcements.

Meta Q2 revenue up 28% to $60.8B, but net income falls 14%

Meta reported second-quarter revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year — but net income fell 14% to $15.85 billion as legal expenses, severance costs, and rising R&D spending weighed on profitability. Legal charges ran about $2.4 billion and severance costs about $1.18 billion, pushing total expenses up 55%.

Verification note: Figures are from media reporting; for official results, check Meta's investor-relations page.

Fed holds rates steady in a divided 9-3 vote, three dissents

The Federal Reserve voted 9-3 to hold its federal funds rate steady at 3.5%–3.75%, with three regional bank presidents dissenting — a rare split — as inflation has stayed above the Fed's 2% target for more than five years. The Dow sank 1,153 points that day, and the 30-year Treasury yield hit its highest level since 2007.

Verification note: The vote result and rate range are from the Fed's own announcement; market-reaction figures are from financial media.

OpenAI nearly doubles federal lobbying spend to a record $2.22M

OpenAI reported federal lobbying expenditures of $2.22 million for the first half of 2026, nearly double the prior year and a company record — a sign of the AI industry's deepening influence over U.S. policymaking.

Verification note: Lobbying figures are from media reporting; for official filings, check the U.S. Congress's lobbying disclosure database.

Alphabet raises 2026 capex forecast to $195-205B, Google Cloud revenue up 82%

Google parent Alphabet raised its 2026 capital spending forecast to between $195 billion and $205 billion, and reported second-quarter revenue of $119.8 billion, with Google Cloud revenue up 82% year over year to $24.8 billion. The company said it's testing Gemini 3.5 Pro and has begun pretraining Gemini 4, described by executives as its most ambitious training effort yet.

Verification note: Figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official results, check Alphabet's investor-relations page.

Meta recruits senior AWS talent as it weighs a bigger cloud push

Meta has reportedly been actively recruiting senior talent from Amazon Web Services (AWS), believed to be tied to the company weighing a larger cloud-computing push — a personnel move worth watching amid the three-way cloud rivalry.

Verification note: Personnel moves and strategic intent are from media reporting; for official organizational changes, check Meta's own announcements.

TSMC Q2 net profit up 77% to a record NT$706.6 billion

TSMC reported second-quarter net profit up 77% year over year to a record NT$706.6 billion, with revenue climbing 34% to $40.2 billion — a sign of continued strong demand for advanced process nodes.

Verification note: Figures are from media reporting; for official results, check TSMC's investor-relations page.

IBM warns Q2 revenue may fall short of Wall Street expectations as clients redirect budgets to AI

IBM preliminarily forecast second-quarter revenue below Wall Street expectations, as enterprise customers redirect technology budgets toward AI projects at the expense of traditional IT spending.

Verification note: Preliminary figures are from media reporting; for official results, check IBM's investor-relations page.

SK Hynix completes one of the largest foreign listings ever on Nasdaq

South Korean memory-chip giant SK Hynix completed one of the largest foreign listings in Nasdaq history — the same period OpenAI, following US government clearance, released its most advanced model family yet, and Meta green-lit production of its own custom AI chip.

Verification note: Listing size is from a tech-news roundup; for the official figures, check Nasdaq's own disclosures.

European startups post strongest VC quarter in 4 years, ~$24B raised

European startups recorded their strongest venture-funding quarter in four years during Q2 2026, raising approximately $24 billion — a sign of renewed regional tech investment momentum.

Verification note: Funding figures are from a tech-news roundup; for full methodology and data sources, check the relevant venture-research reports.

European Systemic Risk Board warns AI-enhanced cyber threats could hit financial stability

The European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) issued a warning on July 7 that AI-enhanced cyber threats are no longer only a security issue but could threaten financial-system stability, urging relevant institutions to strengthen their response.

Verification note: Warning details are from media reporting; for the full report and official recommendations, check the ESRB's own announcement.

Coinbase secures UK FCA authorization to offer investment services

Coinbase secured authorization from the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to offer investment services, clearing the way for a broader push into derivatives and equities trading in the UK.

Verification note: Scope of authorization is from media reporting; for official regulatory details, check the UK FCA's own announcement.

Global startup funding hits a record $510B in H1 2026, led by AI

Global startups raised a record $510 billion in the first half of 2026, with AI dominating the surge — OpenAI and Anthropic alone accounted for a substantial share of total capital raised.

Verification note: Funding figures are from a tech-news roundup; for full methodology, check the original venture-research report.

China pours ~$900M into its AI chip champion, OpenAI quietly floats US government equity stake

China's government poured nearly $900 million into its homegrown AI chip champion, while OpenAI was reported to have quietly floated the idea of giving the US government a multibillion-dollar ownership stake — both signs of the tightening links between the AI industry and national strategy.

Verification note: Investment figures and the proposal are from a tech-news roundup and not yet fully confirmed officially; follow the source for updates.

Google loses final appeal against €4.1 billion EU antitrust fine

Google lost its final appeal against a €4.1 billion European Union antitrust fine, with the EU's top court upholding findings that Google used Android licensing practices to limit competition.

Verification note: Fine amount and ruling are from a tech-news roundup; for the official ruling, check the EU court's own records.

SK Hynix plans to raise up to $29.4B via secondary Nasdaq ADR listing to scale production

South Korea's SK Hynix announced plans to raise up to $29.4 billion through a secondary listing of American Depositary Receipts on Nasdaq, with trading expected to begin in July — proceeds earmarked for expanding production capacity in South Korea and the US to meet surging AI chip demand.

Verification note: Funding figures and timeline are from a tech-news roundup; for the official announcement, check SK Hynix's own disclosures.

Qualcomm strikes a nearly $4 billion deal to strengthen its AI software layer

Qualcomm struck a deal worth nearly $4 billion to strengthen its AI software layer, the same period memory maker Micron posted record-shattering results on the back of what it called insatiable memory demand.

Verification note: Deal value is from a tech-news roundup; for official deal terms, check Qualcomm's own announcement.

SpaceX preps $20B+ bond sale as AI data center boom hits a "reality check"

SpaceX's bankers were preparing to meet investors about a potential bond sale of at least $20 billion to fund the company's AI expansion, as the broader AI data center investment boom faced what market watchers called a "reality check" moment.

Verification note: Funding scale is from a tech-news roundup; for official terms, check SpaceX's own announcements.

SpaceX acquires Anysphere, parent of AI coding tool Cursor, in $60B all-stock deal

SpaceX announced it would acquire Anysphere, parent company of AI coding tool Cursor, in an all-stock deal valued at $60 billion, expected to close in Q3 2026 — the same period SpaceX's market value rocketed past Amazon's.

Verification note: Deal value and timeline are from a tech-news roundup; for official terms, check SpaceX's own announcement.

Apple reportedly preps iPhone price increases as memory costs rise over 50%

Apple was reportedly preparing for iPhone price increases as AI-driven memory shortages rippled through supply chains, with memory costs up more than 50% year over year and the company's quarterly memory bill running into the billions of dollars.

Verification note: Price-increase scope and cost figures are from media reporting; Apple has not officially confirmed this — check for future official announcements.

SpaceX prices the largest IPO in recorded history at a $1.77 trillion valuation

SpaceX priced its initial public offering at a $1.77 trillion valuation, the largest IPO in recorded history — reflecting high market expectations for its space and AI businesses.

Verification note: Valuation figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official listing and pricing details, check SpaceX's own announcements.

2026 tech layoffs approach 1,000 a day, with AI efficiency the common rationale

This period's tech roundup reports that even as many tech companies post record profits and revenue, 2026 tech-sector layoffs are running at nearly 1,000 a day, with AI-driven efficiency repeatedly cited as the primary driver — a sign of real cracks forming in how AI is reshaping the job market.

Verification note: Layoff-pace figures are from a tech-news roundup; for individual company layoff scope and reasons, check each company's own announcements.

SpaceX's IPO oversubscribed, institutional and sovereign-fund orders top $10B

SpaceX's IPO attracted massive investor interest, with orders reportedly exceeding available shares by multiples and totaling well over $10 billion from institutional and sovereign wealth funds, as the company advances Starship development and prepares for expanded commercial missions.

Verification note: Order figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official listing numbers, check SpaceX's own announcements.

Microsoft, Alphabet and a third cloud giant plan $725B combined 2026 capex

Microsoft, Alphabet, and another cloud giant collectively plan $725 billion in capital expenditures for 2026, much of it tied to custom silicon — a sign the AI infrastructure arms race among the three cloud leaders keeps intensifying.

Verification note: Capex figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official guidance, check each company's investor-relations page.

China steps up recruitment of AI experts from the US to build domestic "super-apps"

China continued ramping up recruitment of AI experts from the United States to bolster its domestic technology sector and accelerate development of next-generation "super-apps" integrating advanced AI capabilities.

Verification note: Recruitment scale is from a tech-news roundup; for details on individual talent moves, check public statements from those involved.

Alphabet announces $80B stock sale, SpaceX unveils $75B space-AI data center IPO

Alphabet announced plans to raise $80 billion through new stock sales — its first since 2005 — explicitly earmarked for AI compute infrastructure amid surging customer demand; the same period SpaceX announced a $75 billion IPO to fuel space-based AI data centers.

Verification note: Funding figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official terms, check both companies' announcements.

France courts over €110B in AI investment as Europe's tech-sovereignty push heats up

France is actively courting more than €110 billion in AI-related investment, part of Europe's broader push for tech sovereignty as the continent seeks to avoid over-reliance on the US and China in the AI infrastructure race.

Verification note: Investment figures are from a tech-news roundup; for the official investment agreements, check the French government's own announcements.

Anthropic closes $65B Series H at $965B valuation, surpassing OpenAI in private markets

Anthropic closed a $65 billion Series H round at a $965 billion post-money valuation with a $47 billion annualized revenue run rate, surpassing OpenAI's private-market valuation — the headline deal in this period's AI funding race.

Verification note: Funding figures are from a tech-news roundup; for the official valuation methodology, check Anthropic's own announcements.

Dell's Q1 revenue hits $43.84B, up 88% YoY, powered by AI servers

Dell reported Q1 revenue of $43.84 billion, up 88% year-over-year, with its AI server business as the main growth driver; the company forecasts fiscal 2027 AI server revenue reaching $60 billion.

Verification note: Earnings figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official numbers, check Dell's investor-relations page.

Wix.com cuts about 1,000 jobs, citing AI efficiency gains and currency impacts

Website-building platform Wix.com announced layoffs of roughly 1,000 positions, citing both efficiency gains from AI and financial impacts from currency fluctuations.

Verification note: Layoff scale is from a tech-news roundup; for the official statement, check Wix's own announcement.

Cognition AI raises $1B+, valuation triples from $10.2B to $26B in eight months

Cognition AI, maker of the autonomous software engineer "Devin," raised over $1 billion at a $26 billion valuation, up sharply from $10.2 billion just eight months earlier, underscoring continued investor appetite for AI coding agents.

Verification note: Funding figures are from a tech-news roundup; for the official valuation methodology, check Cognition AI's own announcements.

IBM and Red Hat commit $5B to open-source security, mobilizing 20,000 engineers for "Project Lightwell"

IBM and its Red Hat subsidiary announced a $5 billion commitment to an open-source security initiative called "Project Lightwell," mobilizing as many as 20,000 engineers to strengthen security across the open-source software ecosystem.

Verification note: Investment scale is from a tech-news roundup; for official program details, check IBM's own announcements.

EU fines Temu €200 million over illegal products on its platform

The European Union fined Chinese e-commerce platform Temu €200 million over illegal products listed on its platform, the latest move in the EU's tightening scrutiny of e-commerce marketplaces.

Verification note: Fine amount is from a tech-news roundup; for the official ruling, check the EU's own announcement.

OpenAI's Q1 revenue reaches ~$5.7B, driven by enterprise adoption and Codex

OpenAI reported Q1 revenue of approximately $5.7 billion, driven by rising enterprise adoption, ChatGPT's advertising business, and contributions from its Codex coding agent.

Verification note: Revenue figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official financials, check OpenAI's own announcements.

Anthropic on track for first profitable quarter, in talks near a $900B valuation

Anthropic is on track for its first profitable quarter, with projected Q2 revenue of $10.9 billion and operating profit of $559 million, while reportedly in talks for a new funding round near a $900 billion valuation.

Verification note: Financial projections are from a tech-news roundup; for official figures and valuation, check Anthropic's own announcements.

Meta's workforce reorganization affects 15,000 employees amid AI push and cost cuts

Meta launched a new round of organizational restructuring affecting 15,000 employees, which the company said is aimed at accelerating its AI initiatives and reducing operating costs.

Verification note: Scope of impact is from a tech-news roundup; for official restructuring details, check Meta's own announcement.

SpaceX files for a historic IPO under ticker "SPCX," targeting a $1.7T valuation

SpaceX filed its S-1 for an IPO on May 20, planning to list under ticker "SPCX" and targeting a $1.7 trillion valuation. The company posted $18.7 billion in 2025 revenue (+33% YoY), Starlink posted a $1.2 billion quarterly profit, and Musk retains about 85% voting control via Class B shares.

Verification note: IPO details are from a tech-news roundup; for official listing terms, check SpaceX's own S-1 filing and subsequent announcements.

Google-Blackstone AI infrastructure venture could reach $25B with leverage

Google and Blackstone formed an AI infrastructure joint venture with an initial $5 billion investment from Blackstone that could scale to $25 billion with leverage, targeting 500 megawatts online by 2027.

Verification note: Joint-venture scale is from a tech-news roundup; for official deal terms, check both companies' announcements.

Meta cuts 8,000 jobs (10% of workforce), raises capex to $145B

Meta announced layoffs of 8,000 positions, about 10% of its workforce, while raising its capital expenditure budget to $145 billion; the company said further cuts are planned for August and the fall.

Verification note: Layoff and spending figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official numbers, check Meta's own announcement.

Nvidia announces $80B stock buyback

Nvidia announced an $80 billion stock buyback program, part of its capital-allocation moves amid an optimistic revenue outlook and strong share performance.

Verification note: Buyback scale is from a tech-news roundup; for the official program details, check Nvidia's own announcement.

US regulators investigate Kalshi and Polymarket over geopolitical event betting

US regulators opened an investigation into prediction-market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket, focusing on betting activity tied to geopolitical events in Iran and Venezuela.

Verification note: Scope of the investigation is from a tech-news roundup; for official findings, check the relevant US regulator's own announcement.

Nvidia leads $20M funding round in Indian startup Simplismart, valuing it near $100M

Nvidia led a $20 million funding round in Indian AI startup Simplismart, valuing the company at close to $100 million.

Verification note: Funding figures are from a tech-news roundup; for the official valuation, check Simplismart's own announcement.

Cerebras raises $5.55B in Nasdaq debut, valued at ~$56.4B

AI chip startup Cerebras debuted on Nasdaq under ticker CBRS, raising $5.55 billion at a fully diluted valuation of roughly $56.4 billion, positioning it as a major Nvidia rival in wafer-scale AI processors.

Verification note: Listing figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official numbers, check Cerebras' own announcement.

Defense startup Anduril raises $5B at a $61B valuation, lands $20B Army deal

Defense tech startup Anduril raised $5 billion led by Thrive Capital and Andreessen Horowitz at a $61 billion valuation, while also securing a $20 billion US Army deal for its Lattice AI platform.

Verification note: Funding and contract figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official contract terms, check Anduril's own announcement.

General Motors cuts about 500-600 IT jobs, seeking stronger AI skills

General Motors announced layoffs affecting roughly 500-600 IT workers, saying it is seeking employees with stronger AI and emerging-technology skills.

Verification note: Layoff scale is from a tech-news roundup; for the official statement, check GM's own announcement.

Blackstone and Halliburton invest $1B in VoltaGrid's gas-powered microgrids

Blackstone and Halliburton jointly invested $1 billion in Houston-based VoltaGrid, funding gas-powered microgrids to enable rapid data center deployment.

Verification note: Investment figures are from a tech-news roundup; for official deal terms, check VoltaGrid's own announcement.

SoftBank launches AX Factory and GX Factory at its Sakai, Osaka battery plant

SoftBank began large-scale battery-cell manufacturing at its Sakai, Osaka plant, launching "AX Factory" (AI data center operations) and "GX Factory" (batteries, solar, and related products), targeting several GWh of capacity with global expansion plans.

Verification note: Capacity targets are from a tech-news roundup; for the official plan, check SoftBank's own announcement.

Samsung, Hyundai, and LG back Config Robotics as the "TSMC of robot data"

Samsung, Hyundai, and LG jointly backed robotics startup Config Robotics, which positions itself as the "TSMC of robot data," building AI systems for manufacturing robots.

Verification note: Investment scale is from a tech-news roundup; for official deal terms, check Config Robotics' own announcement.
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