How Kazakhstan's digital transformation fuels GDP leap
Kazakhstan is building an economy that blends traditional strengths with a focus on technology, underpinned by its growing role as a Central Asian trade and logistics hub. Already the region’s largest economy, the country recorded GDP growth of 6.5 per cent in 2025, driven by expansion in industrial production, transportation and construction. In the international arena, 2025 marked ten years of WTO membership for Kazakhstan, a period which has seen foreign trade grow from $76 billion to $142 bi...
CATL Share Sale Pressures HK Premium in Boost to Popular Trade
A blockbuster share sale by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. is poised to further chip away at the unusually high premium on the company’s Hong Kong-listed shares, potentially bringing them closer in line with its Shenzhen stock, analysts said.
Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores
Critics say Maryland’s new law banning rapidly change product costs based on consumer data is full of carveoutsMaryland has become the first state in the US to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores.Maryland’s law bans grocers and third-party delivery services from using a person’s personal data to set higher prices. Wes Moore, the governor, signed the measure into law on Tuesday. “At a time when technology can predict what we need, when we need it, when we’ll pay for it and also – when we’l...
Trump Signals No Letup of Naval Blockade, Tech Results on Deck | The Opening Trade 4/29/2026
The US signaled it would stick with a naval blockade of Iranian ports, as it tries to choke-off Tehran’s oil exports and force it back to the negotiating table. Stock traders are buying the dip in technology shares as markets get ready for earnings from four juggernauts in a crucial test of whether this month’s rally has room to run. Nasdaq 100 futures rebounded after the index slipped more than 1% in the previous session. Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon.com and Meta Platforms are set to report aft...
Millennium, NBIM Are Said to Invest in CATL’s $5 Billion Share Sale
Hedge-fund firm Millennium Management and Norway’s sovereign-wealth fund Norges Bank Investment Management are among those that participated in battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.’s $5 billion share sale, according to people familiar with the matter.
UAE industrial growth gets boost from new initiatives, says Dr Al Jaber
Dubai: Newly approved government initiatives will reinforce a more resilient and sustainable national industrial model, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said, placing industry among the most important drivers of the UAE’s next phase of growth.Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The measures, approved by the UAE Cabinet, come ahead of the fifth edition of Make it in the Emirates, the country’s larges...
Investments in AI exceed funding of US nuclear weapons technology — Russian official
Investments in generative artificial intelligence in just one year exceeded $450 billion, or about twice the entire expenditure on the Apollo program, Russian Presidential Administration Deputy Chief of Staff Maxim Oreshkin said
Hedge Fund Short Covering Fuels Demand in $5 Billion CATL Deal
Hedge funds bought the bulk of the shares in Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.’s $5 billion placement, with at least some of the demand driven by traders seeking to cover short positions on the battery maker’s Hong Kong-listed shares, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Russian energy supplies to China reach almost $80 bln in 2025 — ambassador
Igor Morgulov said that a number of large-scale joint projects are being implemented, including in nuclear energy, and close cooperation has been established in the technology sector and on the green agenda
Infosys slips out of top 10 valued companies in country
Bengaluru-headquartered Infosys has fallen out of India's top 10 most valued companies, now ranking 11th, while Tata Consultancy Services has dropped to sixth. These shifts have been attributed to artificial intelligence-driven disruptions impacting the business models of major Indian software exporters. The information technology sector saw significant sell-offs on Monday.
Canada's Carney launches a sovereign wealth fund. What is it?
Canada's Carney launches a sovereign wealth fund. What is it?17 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNadine YousifSenior Canada reporterAFP via Getty ImagesCanada is launching a government-owned investment fund to pay for major development projects in the country, Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced. The Canada Strong Fund, a first for the country, will invest in energy, infrastructure, mining, agriculture and technology, with an initial contribution of C$25bn ($18.4bn; £13.5b...
Marketecture Media Taps Jackelyn Keller as Chief Commerical Officer
Marketecture Media, a publishing and live event outfit that focuses on the nexus of media and technology, has recruited Jackelyn Keller to serve as chief revenue officer as the company looks to scale its business events and content operations. The company just completed a $1 million seed funding round designed to help it expand its […]
Pakistan, China sign 3 MoUs to boost desalination, agri technology, tea sector cooperation
Pakistan and China on Monday signed three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to strengthen bilateral cooperation in water desalination, agricultural technology, and the tea industry. President Asif Ali Zardari, who is on a week-long visit to China until May 1, witnessed the signing of the MoUs between Pakistani and Chinese entities. The MoUs reflect a focused effort to advance practical collaboration in key sectors. The first MoU was concluded between the Sindh local government and Lucion Environ...
GA-Backed Acko Is Said to Hire Banks for $350 Million India IPO
Acko Technology & Services Pvt., an Indian digital insurer backed by General Atlantic, has hired investment banks for a potential initial public offering that could raise as much as $350 million, according to people familiar with the matter.
Asian stocks today: Japan’s Nikkei surges to record high as markets stay mixed
Asian markets showed a mixed performance today. Japan's Nikkei 225 reached new record highs, boosted by technology stocks amid the AI boom. However, rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions, particularly concerning Iran, tempered investor sentiment across other regions. Investors are now keenly awaiting key central bank decisions this week.
S.Korea Trade Minister on Trade, Supply-chain expansion
South Korea's stock markets are showing strong gains in the Asia session, with the COSPI index up about 1%, led by technology companies such as Samsung and SK Hynix, which constitute around 40% of the index. The COSPI has surged over 150% in the past year, outperforming many global markets, particularly due to the AI boom. South Korea's trade minister, Yeo Han-Koo, discussed the country's robust export performance despite global headwinds including rising protectionism, energy supply disruptions...
Big Tech’s $16 Trillion Earnings Week Is Make-Or-Break for Rally
Wall Street’s biggest technology stocks have carried the S&P 500 to record highs even as the war in Iran continues. Now, earnings from a handful of them this week will give investors a read on whether this rally’s sustainable.
Women Entrepreneurs Continue to Excel at Orange Jordan’s “Inspiring Change” Award
For the fifth consecutive year, the "Inspiring Change” Award, launched by Orange Jordan in celebration of International Women's Day, continues to empower women entrepreneurs. The award is supported by Capital Bank and in collaboration with the Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (intaj), under the umbrella of the Women Economic Empowerment Unit-SHETECHS. Since its inception, 13 winners have been recognized by the award. During the second phase of the...
The climate tech IPO window could finally be cracking open
Climate tech startups are capital intensive, timelines are long, and the technology is often considered “first of its kind.” What’s more, a key value proposition is addressing pollution — an externality that is, at best, poorly priced by the market. Those aren’t the qualities stock pickers tend to favor. And yet, public markets appear to be warming to climate tech startups — or at least some of them.
Self-service checkouts tempt 'good, honest people' to shoplift, Marks and Spencer boss claims
Archie Norman said unmanned tills needed to be 'easier to use' to help avoid rising rates of thefts, and that the technology had broken the 'human link' between retailers and shoppers.