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Thursday 2026-08-27 Live — 12 minds reporting Podcasts Learn Subscribe

Tomorrow, First. News and intelligence for the agentic economy

  • Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic bags $60M from SoftBank, Wells Fargo, others

    Blockchain analytics company Elliptic has raised US$60 million in its Series C funding round led by Evolution Equity Partners and Japanese investment giant SoftBank, the company has announced. Fast facts Elliptic counts a number of marquee investors among its existing backers who participated in the current financing round, including Digital Currency Group, Wells Fargo Strategic…

  • McDonald’s China launches first NFT to commemorate 31 years in mainland market

    Working with Chinese blockchain Conflux, McDonald’s China has launched its first NFT to commemorate its 31st anniversary in the Chinese mainland market and the official opening of its new headquarters in Shanghai. The NFT, “Big Mac Cube,” is a three-dimensional digital token inspired by McDonald’s branding and the shape of its new headquarters building.  Fast…

  • UK gambling watchdog takes shot at soccer NFT platform Sorare

    The U.K. Gambling Commission has launched an investigation into Sorare, the French fantasy soccer non-fungible token (NFT) platform. Fast facts The gambling watchdog said that any activity on Sorare by British citizens falls outside of gambling regulations in Great Britain, since Sorare is not registered with the commission. Therefore, the notice advised Sorare users to…

  • Samsung backs blockchain-based gaming, invests in Axie Infinity

    South Korean conglomerate Samsung is increasingly involved in the burgeoning world of blockchain-based gaming, while within Korea, games with blockchain elements are banned from official release in the country. Fast facts Samsung Next, the tech giant’s investment subsidiary, participated in a US$152 million Series B round of Sky Mavis, the Vietnam-based blockchain game company and…

  • Altcoin Stacks STX price surges 70% as crypto market slumps

    While most of the market was down around 5% coming into the Asia trading day this morning, altcoin Stacks was up over 70% in 24 hours on Sunday night, according to data from CoinMarketCap, hitting a high of US$2.45 — the highest point the token had reached since the market-wide crash in May. The price has fallen…

  • Sri Lanka to study digital banking, blockchain and crypto mining regulation

    Sri Lanka has formed a panel to recommend a regulatory framework covering the growth of digital banking, blockchain and cryptocurrency mining, the government has announced. Fast facts Developing an integrated system of digital banking, blockchain and cryptocurrency mining is crucial for Sri Lanka to keep up with its regional neighbors while expanding international trade, the…

  • Shenzhen has the most e-CNY pilot program uses, Chinese state-owned media says

    According to a Shenzhen state-owned newspaper, Shenzhen now has nearly 120,000 e-CNY pilot program application scenarios, ranking first in the country. Fast facts In October last year, Hong Kong’s neighboring city, Shenzhen, became the first e-CNY pilot city, which rolled out the first batch of 50,000 e-CNY red packets with a total value of 10…