Bloomberg: “Stablecoin-powered neobanks [are] startups that offer dollar-denominated digital banking services to customers based anywhere in the world. While the US has a vast banking industry, which includes fintechs like Chime Financial Inc. and Mercury Technologies Inc., these companies are mostly vying for customers in countries where options are more limited and currencies are inflation prone. The model relies on stablecoins to serve as rails powering faster and cheaper services such as dollar accounts, payments and cross-border transfers…“Stablecoins are one set of primitives on top of which you can build and then serve people in any region so it takes your audience from just being in one country to the whole world,” Zach Abrams, co-founder of Bridge, said in an interview. These banking startups are growing as the stablecoin market booms, fueled by fresh US legislation and backing from President Donald Trump’s administration. The total market value of stablecoins has grown about 50% since the start of the year to reach $309 billion, of which roughly 99% is dollar-denominated.”
FT: “In an era when the currency in the entertainment world is the ability to hold the attention of an audience, YouTube has become one of the few essential platforms able to knit together new content that appeals to an online generation with the sort of programming that was once the backbone of cable TV. For Broski and some of her fellow creators, the key to success has been delivering fresh takes on old TV formulas — in her case the late-night chat show — for audiences raised on memes, TikTok videos and YouTube itself. YouTube, which turned 20 this year, is already the dominant podcast platform, a major force in music and a growing presence in live sport. Almost by stealth, it has also conquered the American living room. Since 2024, Americans have been watching YouTube primarily on TVs, not their phones or other devices. YouTube now has the lead in all TV and streaming consumption in the US — above Netflix, Disney and Amazon Prime Video.”
CNBC: “Morgan Stanley expects that by 2030, nearly half of American shoppers will use AI agents and the technology could add up to $115 billion in U.S. e-commerce spending. “We believe agentic commerce — in effect the ability to have a personal digital interactive shopper — is set to be the best next substantial GenAI-enabled unlock,” Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a report in November. They noted that a mid-single-digit percentage of consumers currently start their “purchase journey” through AI, but that could increase over time as roughly 40% to 50% of Americans currently use AI for product research.”
Business Standard: “While Uber and Ola battle for India’s metros, Rapido has penetrated 400 cities, reaching deep into Tier-III and -IV towns where it’s often the only transport option. The company now draws 30 million monthly active users and counts three million active captains, making it among India’s biggest gig-economy employers. It has created nine million jobs to date, with over one million captains active daily. The secret weapon? A zero-commission model and intimate knowledge of India’s diversity — from problems of inconsistent place names to varying literacy levels — that Guntupalli and his team gain by constantly experiencing the service themselves.”
