What is Decentralised Finance (DeFi)? October 11, 2021 | City Talk The blockchain-based form of finance everyone’s talking about “Decentralised Finance (DeFi) is a movement that aims to bypass traditional financial intermediaries by putting financial services on the blockchain.” DeFi supporters believe that smart contracts will form the nuts and bolts of future financial infrastructure, on the premise that banks, brokers and other financial institutions will [...]
US spy couple accused of selling nuclear secrets October 11, 2021 US nuclear engineer Jonathan Toebbe and his wife Diana were arrested on espionage-related charges on Saturday, announced the US Department of Justice. The couple, who was apprehended by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, stands accused of selling restricted data regarding the design of nuclear-powered warships. The Toebbes will appear in a West [...]
Mental health startup BetterUp trebles value to $4.7bn since hiring Prince Harry October 10, 2021 BetterUp, the mental health startup which hired Prince Harry earlier this year, has raised $300m from investors, trebling its valuation to $4.7bn (£3.5bn) in just eight months. The company’s recent funding round was led by Iconiq Capital – an investment fund who have managed Mark Zucherberg – Wellington Management and Lightspeed Venture Partners, The Sunday [...]
Apple pushes to delay court ruling forcing its hand on app store payments October 9, 2021 Apple is calling for a US judge to pause an order which would change app store rules as it appeals the latest judgement in an ongoing antitrust case. The Tech giant has been embroiled in a globe-spanning set of legal disputes with Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, after it kicked the company off the [...]
Nick Clegg says Facebook is ‘pleased’ with historic tax deal, even if it means paying more October 9, 2021 Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president for global affairs, said today the social media giant welcomes the corporate tax agreement that 140 countries around the world agreed this week. “We are pleased to see an emerging international consensus,” Clegg said in a statement sent to City A.M. this afternoon. Under the agreement, countries would enact a [...]
Elon Musk to move Tesla HQ from Silicon Valley to Texas October 8, 2021 Elon Musk has announced that Tesla is moving its headquarters from California’s Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas after 18 years in the Golden State. The move comes after Musk butted heads with Californian politicians earlier this year when he branded lockdown restrictions “fascist” after his factories were forced to close. While Silicon Valley is considered [...]
Apple plays it safe with the new 9th generation iPad October 7, 2021 I remember clearly the release of the first iPad back in 2010. Coming just three years after Apple had reinvented the mobile phone, the iPad seemed to create an entirely new product category. While there had been tablets before it, they lacked that sprinkle of Apple magic that drove the iPad into millions of homes, [...]
UK not under consideration by Intel for chip factory October 7, 2021 Intel boss has said the chipmaker is not considering UK anymore for setting up its factories because of Brexit. The island nation was clearly an option for setting up of chip building units, but post-Brexit the idea was dropped in favour of Europe, Pat Gelsinger said. “Post-Brexit… we’re looking at EU countries and getting support [...]
‘Historic achievement’ as world’s first malaria jab approved by WHO October 6, 2021 The widespread rollout of the RTS,S malaria vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in what Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) chief executive Dr Seth Berkley called “a historic achievement.” The vaccine will be rolled out across much of Africa and will be vital in the ongoing fight against malaria, which kills more [...]
UK scientist David WC MacMillan wins Nobel Prize in chemistry October 6, 2021 Scottish scientist David MacMillan was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry this afternoon. Professor MacMillan, of Princeton University in the US, wins the prize jointly with German scientist Benjamin List. MacMillan and Professor List, of Germany’s Max Planck Institute, were given the prize for developing a new way of building molecules, according to the Royal [...]