The Real State of Tokenization: Experts React to the RWA Market’s Liquidity Problem
Tokenized real-world assets reached $60 billion in value, but experts identified thin trading activity, restricted access, and market concentration as persistent challenges. The sector lacks sufficient depth despite its growing valuation, with limited liquidity undermining the RWA market's maturity.
Scientists say Elon Musk’s orbital data centers could blind Earth’s biggest telescopes
Starlink's orbital satellite fleet of roughly 10,400 units scatters light unpredictably and interferes with ground-based telescope imaging. The European Southern Observatory warns that Musk's proposed 1-million-satellite network of orbital data centers could have devastating consequences for space observation from Earth.
eDO Taps Visa to Allow AI Agents to Purchase Travel
AI agents can now initiate travel purchases directly on eDO's platforms through a Visa integration. The collaboration enables transactions across eDO's four travel brands: eDreams, Opodo, GO Voyages, and Travellink.
The AI chip trade cracked this week, and the hunt for what replaces it has begun
GPU-adjacent semiconductor stocks experienced sharp declines, with the PHLX Semiconductor Index dropping 6.3% on Wednesday and 5.4% on Thursday after surging over 80% earlier in 2026. Investors have begun seeking alternative investments beyond the chip trade that dominated the first half of the year.
Failed Blockchain Transition by Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) Ends Up Costing Platform $20.5 Million Penalty
The Australian Stock Exchange abandoned a blockchain-based replacement for its CHESS clearing system and paid a $20.5 million penalty. The technology upgrade project failed due to poor execution despite initial strategic rationale.
The man who built Pegasus now sells governments the antidote, and Latin America is buying
Dream, an Israeli cybersecurity startup that reached a $3 billion valuation, is expanding into Latin America to sell governments AI-powered defenses. The company targets Washington-aligned nations in a region experiencing 25% annual growth in cyber attacks and relatively weak national defenses.
Bitcoin ETFs Record Worst Monthly Outflow in June as Crypto Whales Accumulate Holdings
US spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced record net outflows of 4.5 billion dollars in June 2026, marking their worst monthly performance since launching in January 2024. Meanwhile, cryptocurrency whales continued accumulating Bitcoin holdings during this period of investor withdrawal from the ETF products.
Why building AI for schools is harder than building a chatbot: inside Smartschool’s approach to exam prep
AI systems struggle to teach exam preparation effectively because students require personalized learning paths and adaptive feedback beyond simple information retrieval. Smartschool addresses this by building AI that adjusts to individual student performance on high-stakes tests like the SAT and ACT.
Bitcoin Developers are Fighting Over What the Blockchain is For
Bitcoin developers are debating a proposed anti-spam soft fork called BIP-110 ahead of an August deadline, with disagreements over the blockchain's intended purpose. Ordinals developers say they are prepared for the change as the community disputes whether the network should prioritize its original use case or support newer applications.
A device that revives eyeballs from dead donors could make eye transplants possible
A device preserves dead donor eyes by maintaining their biological functions outside the body, potentially enabling successful whole-eye transplants. Previous transplant attempts failed because transplanted eyes couldn't see, but researchers developed this preservation technology to prevent eye degradation during the transplant process.
Lewis Hamilton delights home crowd with pole position for British GP sprint race
Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for the British Grand Prix sprint race, beating Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes and Max Verstappen's Red Bull. The Ferrari driver's qualifying performance surprised observers given Ferrari's expected disadvantage at the power-focused Silverstone circuit.
Standard Chartered Secures MiCA License as ESMA Adds 37 New Crypto Firms
ESMA added 37 cryptocurrency firms to the MiCA register, bringing the total number of licensed EU crypto service providers to 280. Standard Chartered obtained a MiCA license as part of this regulatory expansion.
Mbappé becomes leader of France’s collective under Deschamps’ regime of trust
Kylian Mbappé hugged Didier Deschamps after scoring in France's 3-0 World Cup victory over Sweden, publicly showing support for the head coach who had stepped back briefly to grieve his mother's death. Deschamps emphasized that Mbappé exemplifies the team's collective strength and united spirit, which he has fostered through a regime of trust that allows France's front four to be both secure and adventurous.
Dazzling Osaka dismantles Kasatkina to reach Wimbledon second week for first time
Naomi Osaka defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 in 66 minutes to reach the Wimbledon second week for the first time. The 14th seed advanced to the last 16 on No. 1 Court.
The Majestic ‘Gloucester Tree’ Reopens to Climbers in Australia After 3 Years of Repair
The Gloucester Tree, the world's second-tallest fire-lookout tree, reopened to climbers in Australia after closing for three years of repairs. The tree serves as a popular climbing destination and rite of passage for locals and visitors in the country's far southwest region.
The chip industry has a warning for Trump: hands off the memory market
SEMI, a semiconductor industry group, warned the Trump administration against intervening in the memory chip market to address shortages. The industry cautioned that price controls or market intervention would worsen the supply squeeze.
Starling Bank Cuts 130 Jobs Amid AI Adoption and Restructuring
Starling Bank is cutting approximately 130 jobs while implementing artificial intelligence across more of its operations and eliminating duplicate roles. The bank completed major projects and restructured its banking and technology operations through automation.
Students trade lecture halls for tree canopies in hands-on forestry course
A professor learned tree-climbing skills at a workshop to teach hands-on forestry education to students. The course takes students out of lecture halls into forest canopies for direct experience with trees.
Simply Add Water to Diesel Fuel to Cut Engine Pollution by 67%–with No Loss in Efficiency
Mixing small amounts of water into diesel fuel reduces engine emissions by up to 67 percent without decreasing efficiency. A research review from Nigeria examined studies showing this water-diesel mixture approach preserves or improves engine performance.
Trunk Tools' stack cut document review from 60 days to 10 by ditching general-purpose models
Document review time for construction projects dropped from 60 days to 10 days using a specialized three-layer architecture with perception, semantics, and agents instead of general-purpose models. The system processes data through an ontology into a knowledge graph, enabling autonomous agents to reason over millions of pages of documentation.
Quantum Systems Doubles Valuation to $8B in New Round
Quantum Systems raised $1.2 billion in funding, doubling its valuation to $8 billion. The German drone startup is benefiting from increased European military spending on unmanned aerial vehicles.
Fintech Adyen Finalizes Acquisitions of Talon.One and Orb
Adyen finalized its acquisitions of loyalty platform Talon.One and billing platform Orb on July 1, 2026. Both deals completed after regulatory approvals were obtained.
AI’s Volatile Power Use Quietly Tests Grid Limits
Data centers supporting artificial intelligence could account for 3 to 4 percent of global electricity consumption within this decade. AI workloads create unpredictable power demand that varies rapidly in time and location, altering grid operating characteristics in ways that differ fundamentally from traditional industrial and residential loads.
Yet More Scrolls Burned by Vesuvius Are Decoded by AI–Revealing Insights by Unknown Stoic Philosopher
AI has decoded previously illegible text from papyrus scrolls buried by Vesuvius, including writings on Stoic philosophy by an unknown author and Book 8 from Philodemus's work On Gods. The recovered texts were made readable through advances in particle acceleration technology combined with artificial intelligence analysis.
The secret AI that could help explain this wild World Cup
Lenovo developed an AI tool called Football AI Pro that provides all 48 World Cup teams access to FIFA's tournament data across 2,000 football-specific metrics and petabytes of tracking information. The system, available on mobile phones and computers, gives every team from tournament veterans to debutants the same data foundation for analysis during matches.
Germany hold Jürgen Klopp talks after Julian Nagelsmann quits as head coach
Julian Nagelsmann resigned as Germany's head coach following the team's World Cup elimination after holding nearly three years in the position. Jürgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, is entering talks to become Nagelsmann's replacement with the German Football Association.
The First Major Law Enforcement Group Just Endorsed the CLARITY Act, And It Could Flip the Senate Vote
NOBLE, a major law enforcement group, endorsed the CLARITY Act, potentially influencing Senate dynamics before an August 10 recess deadline. The endorsement marks the first backing of the bill by a significant law enforcement organization.
AI puts B Corps’ values to the test
Beneficial State Bank extended a pilot using Stratyfy's AI credit decisioning tool to reduce bias in lending, which increased loan approvals within BIPOC communities by 21 percent at partner BetterFi. The bank must weigh AI's environmental and social costs against potential benefits like correcting systemic lending bias and improving capital access for marginalized groups.
36% of Small Businesses Turn to FinTechs for Cross-Border Payments
Small businesses are increasingly adopting fintech companies for cross-border payments, with 36% now choosing them for international transactions. Traditional banks remain the dominant provider, but fintech adoption is growing as businesses seek specialized payment solutions for overseas purchases.
The AI Trade Is Losing One of Its Key Signals
AI inference pricing has declined as markets question whether massive AI investments will generate adequate returns. Computing unit costs are falling at a moment when market uncertainty about AI profitability is increasing.