⚡️🤑 Travelex Bank launches instant global payments using XRP

Travelex Bank has implemented the Ripple Payments system, targeting faster and more cost-effective international transfers. This innovative step aims to offer instant processing and flexible access for both corporate clients and individual users.

Travelex Bank is recognized for its more than 40 years of expertise in global currency services. Holding the distinction of being the first local foreign exchange bank approved by the Central Bank of Brazil 🇧🇷, the institution holds a strong position in the industry.

The transformation launched by Travelex Bank and Ripple stands out as an example not only for the company itself, but also for other financial institutions across Latin America. Blockchain technology is becoming an essential part of mainstream financial infrastructure.

#Stellar

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💊 Motif Neurotech Receives FDA Approval to Begin First Clinical Trial of its Therapeutic BCI for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Motif Neurotech, a BCI company developing technologies for mental health, announced that the FDA has approved an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) for the RESONATE Early Feasibility Study. The trial will evaluate the Motif XCS System, a small wirelessly powered implant that delivers gentle electrical stimulation to a brain region clinically shown to reduce the symptoms of depression in adults who have not found relief from two or more medications.

“We founded Motif to build neural devices that give everyone suffering from a mental health condition the opportunity at a better life,” — said Jacob Robinson, Co-founder and CEO of Motif Neurotech.

Central to that mission are the nearly 3 million Americans living with treatment-resistant depression, most of whom have exhausted available treatments without finding lasting relief.

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🎵 Spotify announced its next big category: fitness content.

Workouts will be accessible from a new “Fitness” hub within the app, or by typing in the term “fitness” in the search box. Both free and Premium users will be able to access dozens of playlists and instructional workout content.

Spotify also has partnered with a number of established wellness creators and the exercise equipment maker, Peloton. The partnership brings over 1,400 ad-free, on-demand workout classes from many of its well-known instructors to Spotify’s Premium users in select markets.

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🇯🇵 World’s largest: Japan plans 1 GW floating offshore wind farm to power Tokyo

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has announced an ambitious plan to build the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm off the Izu island chain. Aiming for completion by 2035, the project is designed to produce at least 1 gigawatt (GW) of power to supply both the islands and mainland Tokyo.

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🤖 DeepMind’s David Silver just raised $1.1B to build an AI that learns without human data

Ineffable Intelligence, a British AI lab founded a mere few months ago by former DeepMind researcher David Silver, has raised $1.1 billion in funding at a valuation of $5.1 billion. The round was led by Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Index Ventures, Google, Nvidia, and others.

“If successful, this will represent a scientific breakthrough of comparable magnitude to Darwin: where his law explained all Life, our law will explain and build all Intelligence,” — its site claims.

Ineffable aims to create a “superlearner” capable of discovering knowledge and skills without relying on human data by leveraging reinforcement learning — a technique in which AI systems learn through trial and error rather than studying human-generated examples.

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⚡️🇦🇪 UAE to Leave OPEC and OPEC+ in May to Pursue New Strategy

The United Arab Emirates has decided to leave the OPEC and OPEC+ oil producer groups as it plans a strategic realignment in the wake of the Iran war. The UAE’s exit May 1 will help it meet changing demand, the Energy Ministry said, adding that the country will gradually ramp up production.

#BRICS

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⚡️🇮🇷 Iran eases internet curbs for businesses as blackout enters third month

Iran's top security body has approved a temporary scheme for businesses to access the global internet with fewer restrictions after the authorities had imposed a blackout.

"The Supreme National Security Council approved the 'Internet Pro' scheme to preserve businesses ​during times of crisis," — said government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani.

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🤝 T-Mobile US Inc. is creating two joint ventures in fiber in an effort to bring high-speed internet to more US users.

The company will form a 50-50 partnership with private equity firm Oak Hill Capital to buy and combine GoNetspeed and Greenlight Networks — and a separate equal-share joint venture with Wren House to acquire i3 Broadband.

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🇺🇸 SEC, CFTC Chiefs Signal ‘New Day’ for U.S. Onshore Crypto, Tokenization and Future‑Proof Rules

SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Mike Selig used back‑to‑back chats on the Nakamoto Stage at The Bitcoin 2026 Conference to signal a reset in Washington’s approach to digital assets, tokenization, and market structure. Atkins described it as “a new day at the SEC,” while Selig said regulators are “turning over a new page” and need to harmonize their efforts.

🟠Atkins: an “innovation exemption” is coming, designed to give crypto projects room to build within a defined regulatory lane instead of staying in a gray area or moving offshore.

🟠Atkins: legislators need to speak clearly on digital assets so there are durable rules and so entrepreneurs can pursue their goals in the U.S.

🟠Atkins: President Donald Trump’s GENIUS Act on stablecoins is an example of a principles‑based regulatory model that leaves room for innovation while drawing firm boundaries around risk.

🟠Atkins on the Clarity Act: there could be movement on that package in May, with the possibility of passage in June, but he cautioned that nothing is guaranteed.

🟠Atkins: crypto and blockchain technology are the most exciting aspect of the current transition. He highlighted the prospect of instantaneous settlement and said faster settlement can reduce risk in the financial system.

❗️Atkins previewed the agency’s next step: an initiative that will allow firms to experiment on‑chain with tokenized and securitized instruments over the next few weeks.

⚫️Selig: the CFTC is “turning over a new page” in its approach to digital assets and emphasized the need to harmonize the agency’s work with the SEC. Two agencies need a coordinated framework instead of overlapping or conflicting rules. 🤝

⚫️Selig: a coherent crypto market structure for digital assets should respect property rights and give market participants predictable rules, rather than drive activity into less regulated jurisdictions.

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🇭🇺 Hungary Ruling Party Leaders Reject Orban’s Resignation Offer

Viktor Orban, who led Fidesz to a landslide defeat two weeks ago that ended the party’s 16-year rule, has vowed to revive his nationalist movement while deciding against taking up his seat in parliament for the first time since 1990. The Fidesz leadership rejected it for now.

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🤝 Google Allows Pentagon to Use Its AI in Classified Military Work

Google has reached an agreement with the US Defense Department to allow its AI systems to be used for classified military work, according to a Pentagon official. It makes Google the third major AI company to reach such a deal in recent weeks, following OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI.

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🧠 BCI startup Neurable looks to license its ‘mind-reading’ tech for consumer wearables

Neurable specializes in “non-invasive” BCI. It works through a combination of EEG sensors and signal processing that can scan a user’s brain activity, analyze it with AI, and provide information about a person’s cognitive performance.

💡 The idea is that mind-reading tech (which can provide detailed data about how a person’s brain works while they’re engaged in various activities) could be integrated into wearables across a number of industries — including health and athletic products, productivity tools, and gaming.

“Through Neurable’s licensing platform, OEMs can directly integrate its AI-powered brain-sensing technology into existing hardware, such as headphones, hats, glasses, and headbands,” — the company said.

Neurable has already fostered partnerships with HP Inc.’s HyperX, a gaming brand, with which it created a headset designed to help gamers, and iMotions, a software platform that specializes in human behavior research, to assist with the company’s research initiatives.

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🇺🇸 State Dept. Finalizing Plan to Put Trump Picture on U.S. Passports

The State Department us cloze to finalizing a radical redesign of the U.S. passport to include a picture of President Donald Trump. The redesign is ostensibly part of a larger celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The State Department is planning a “limited run” of 25,000 Trump-emblazoned passports. As of now the new design is still awaiting approval.

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🤖 Gemini rolls out Agentic Trading allowing AI bots to directly manage crypto exchange trading accounts

Gemini is looking to make it easier for users to let AI guide their trades. The crypto exchange rolled out Agentic Trading, which lets users connect AI models like Claude and ChatGPT to their trading accounts.

"We believe we're at the beginning of a fundamental shift in how people interact with financial markets," — Gemini wrote. "Agentic trading isn't just a feature. It's a new paradigm where AI handles the execution, patterns, and discipline, while you focus on strategy and goals."

This will make it easier for AI to autonomously monitor markets, place trades, and even execute trades and manage risk based on predefined trading strategies. Gemini referred to the feature as “the first agentic trading tool to be available directly through a regulated US-based exchange.”

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