Hearthstone is caught in a Blizzard over Hong Kong protest October 17, 2019 The protests in Hong Kong have featured prominently in the news cycle since kicking off in March. All across the world, we’ve seen extensive coverage of the outbreaks of violence, as well as the excessive use of force by police to suppress the demonstrations. It’s likely that you’ve been following the story, but what you [...]
Hiro Capital launches with €100m fund as it sets sights on gaming boom October 14, 2019 A team of gaming entrepreneurs has set up a brand new venture capital firm to pump €100m (£87.6m) into the booming games and esports industries. Hiro Capital launched today with the aim of targeting what it describes as a funding gap in the market, splitting its investments between creative games studios and industry technology. Read [...]
Blockchain startup Everledger raises $20m in funding round led by Tencent September 24, 2019 UK-based blockchain startup firm Everledger has raised $20m (£16m) in a series A funding round led by Chinese investment firm Tencent. Everledger also received backing from startup funder Graphene Ventures and Fidelity Investments. Read more: Santander issues first end-to-end $20m blockchain bond Founded in 2015 by Australian business woman Leanne Kemp, Everledger uses blockchain technology [...]
Prosus hits European big leagues with 25 per cent jump on debut September 11, 2019 Shares in Prosus, an early investor in Tencent, soared on its Amsterdam debut this morning as the company’s former parent priced it lower than the market. The firm jumped 25 per cent in its Amsterdam stock market debut earlier today, instantly becoming one of the biggest internet companies in Europe. Read more: Tencent posts profit [...]
China’s new digital currency will be similar to Facebook’s Libra, officials say September 6, 2019 China’s proposed new digital currency would be similar to Facebook’s Libra and be able to used across major payment platforms, a senior official from Beijing’s central bank has said. “Why is the central bank still doing such a digital currency today when electronic payment methods are so developed?” said Mu Changchun, deputy director of the [...]
Tencent posts profit boost after China lifts gaming ban August 14, 2019 Tencent has reported a 35 per cent rise in profit for the second quarter as growth in its gaming division returned after a lengthy regulatory ban. The Chinese tech giant has suffered a string of disappointing quarterly results after Beijing imposed a nine-month freeze on licences for new online games. Read more: Tencent in talks [...]
Hipgnosis bags rights to music catalogue of Ed Sheeran songwriter August 7, 2019 Music royalties investment firm Hipgnosis has acquired the music catalogue of Benny Blanco, the songwriter and producer behind top artists including Ed Sheeran. Read more: Hipgnosis snaps up rights to music catalogue of Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart Hipgnosis has secured 100 per cent copyright ownership over Blanco’s portfolio of songs, which includes 29 number ones [...]
Tencent in talks to buy stake in Universal Music Group August 6, 2019 The French media conglomerate behind Universal Music Group (UMG) is in talks to sell a chunk of the music company to Chinese tech giant Tencent. Vivendi said the deal, which would give Universal a total equity value of €30bn (£27.6bn), will help boost the firm’s presence in Asia. Read more: London firm to launch Spotify-style [...]
Nintendo switches it up in profit loss July 30, 2019 Japanese video game manufacturer Nintendo has announced a 10 per cent decline in its quarterly profit. The decline comes amid a troubling period for Nintendo’s older consoles, with the Kyoto-based company aware of the declining sales of the Nintendo 3DS, whose hardware and software sales have fallen almost 50 per cent year-on-year. Nintendo’s net revenue [...]
China’s Nasdaq rival Star Market see shares surge on first day of trading July 22, 2019 Shares shot up on the launch of China’s new Nasdaq rival – the Star Market – today. Shanghai Stock Exchange’s tech-focused stock market aims to use Shanghai’s credentials as a global financial hub as a springboard to success, with 25 firms listed on it already. Read more: Google terminates Project Dragonfly, its censored Chinese search [...]