Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. reported its electronic brokerage metrics for March, showing continued growth in client activity and accounts, a key indicator of retail participation.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).Daily Average Revenue Trades reached 4.329 million. This was 25% higher than a year earlier and 1% lower than the previous month. The firm ended the month with 4.754 million client accounts, up 31% year-on-year and 2% higher than February.Retail Trading Activity Remains Steady MonthlyEnding client equity stood at $789.4 billion. This was 38% higher than a year earlier but 4% lower than the prior month. Client margin loan balances totaled $86.0 billion, rising 35% year-on-year but declining 4% month-on-month.Client credit balances reached $168.8 billion, including $6.5 billion in insured bank deposit sweeps. This was 35% higher than a year earlier and 4% higher than the previous month.Activity per account remained steady. The annualized average cleared DARTs per client account stood at 199. The average commission per cleared commissionable order was $2.74, including exchange, clearing, and regulatory fees.Execution Costs Remain Low, Trades ElevatedThe company also reported a small mark-to-market loss on its U.S. government securities portfolio for the quarter. Its internal currency basket, known as the GLOBAL, declined slightly during both the month and the quarter.Execution data showed the average U.S. stock trade size remained elevated in March. The firm said the “total cost of executing and clearing U.S. Reg.-NMS stocks” for its professional clients was low, measured against a VWAP benchmark, with a similarly modest cost over the longer term.Broker Integrates Digital Assets Multi-PlatformBeyond traditional securities, Interactive Brokers has also been expanding its platform to include digital assets. The broker has made crypto-asset trading available to eligible individual investors in the European Economic Area through Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited, an authorised crypto-asset provider. The platform supports 11 crypto-assets alongside stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, and mutual funds. The firm said the launch is intended to simplify trading and improve transparency.Clients can now transfer existing cryptocurrency holdings into accounts linked to the platform, allowing trading of digital assets without prior liquidation. The broker has gradually expanded its crypto offering over recent years, including launches via Paxos and in the UK, integrating digital assets into its broader multi-asset platform. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

The Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) has disclosed details of a new phishing campaign in which the cybersecurity agency itself was impersonated to distribute a remote administration tool known as AGEWHEEZE. As part of the attacks, the threat actors, tracked as UAC-0255, sent emails on March 26 and 27, 2026, posing as CERT-UA to distribute a password-protected ZIP archive

The World’s 20 Largest Arms Companies by Revenue This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways Lockheed Martin generated $64.7B in arms sales in 2024, the highest of any company. The top 20 defense firms brought in a combined $438.4 billion in arms revenue. 14 of the top 20 companies are based in the U.S. or China. A small group of companies dominates the global arms industry, with a clear leader at the top. This chart, created by Iswardi Ishak using data from SIPRI, ranks the top 20 defense companies by arms sales in 2024. Lockheed Martin stands well ahead of its peers, highlighting the industry’s concentration among a handful of major contractors. U.S. firms play an outsized role at the top of the ranking, while China and Europe continue to expand their presence, pointing to a gradually shifting global landscape. Why U.S. Firms Dominate Global Arms Sales U.S. companies account for six of the top 10 firms by arms revenue, reflecting their scale in high-cost, long-cycle defense programs. From fighter jets to missile defense systems, these projects create steady, long-term revenue streams. RankCompanyArms Revenue ($B)Arms Revenue as % of Total Revenue 1 Lockheed Martin Corp.64.6591.0 2 RTX Corporation43.6054.0 3 Northrop Grumman37.8592.2 4 BAE Systems33.7995.4 5 General Dynamics33.6370.4 6 Boeing30.5545.9 7 Rostec27.1269.7 8 Aviation Industry Corp.20.3225.0 9 China Electronics Technology Group18.9234.3 10 L3Harris Technologies16.2176.0 11 NORINCO13.9722.7 12 Leonardo13.8372.0 13 Airbus13.3717.9 14 China State Shipbuilding Corp.12.3324.8 15 Thales11.8053.0 16 Huntington Ingalls Industries10.2889.1 17 China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.10.2330.0 18 Leidos9.3756.2 19 Amentum8.3360.1 20 Rheinmetall8.2478.1 Together, these companies generate hundreds of billions in arms sales, but revenue is concentrated among the top players. Lockheed Martin leads with nearly $65 billion in arms revenue, well ahead of RTX and Northrop Grumman. General Dynamics, Boeing, and L3Harris Technologies also rank in the top 10, giving U.S. firms six of the top spots. Europe and China Keep Building Influence European firms remain major players, though their revenues trail the largest U.S. contractors. BAE Systems ranks fourth overall, while Leonardo, Airbus, Thales, and Rheinmetall also appear in the top 20. Chinese state-owned enterprises feature prominently, including AVIC, CETC, NORINCO, China State Shipbuilding Corporation, and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Together, they reflect China’s expanding defense industrial base across aerospace, electronics, and shipbuilding. Learn More on the Voronoi App Where do the world’s nuclear warheads reside? Check out this visualization to learn more.

Qover, a Belgian fintech that specializes in “Insurance-as-a-Service,” has raised $12 million in a capital extension from CIBC Innovation Banking. The company, which made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2018, reported that its total funding now tops $100 million. The investment comes as the embedded insurance orchestration firm marks its 10th anniversary of serving customers throughout Europe. At a time when the international embedded insurance market is expected to grow from $176 billion in 2026 to more than $1.46 trillion by 2034, Qover currently protects 15 million customers via its insurtech platform and expects to reach 55 million users by the end of this year. “We started with a simple conviction: insurance could be simpler and truly accessible across borders,” Qover CEO and Co-Founder Quentin Colmant said. “Ten years and 15 million users later, that conviction has become a platform, and with AI now accelerating what’s possible, we are more ambitious than ever. Our goal is to protect 100 million people by 2030, building the infrastructure that makes a global safety net real.” Qover said that the funding from CIBC will support the company’s continued investment in its orchestration platform, AI capabilities, and operational infrastructure. Qover’s API-first platform orchestrates embedded insurance for businesses and insurers across Europe. Adaptable to any product, partner, country, or risk carrier, Qover’s platform gives institutions greater control with less complexity, covering the full insurance lifecycle, from design to claims. Organizations using the platform benefit from a configurable setup that enables them to tailor the solution to their needs, as well as a modular approach that allows users to select from different platform modules and how they are implemented. “The next decade of insurance will be defined by the companies that can operate at scale without sacrificing precision,” Qover General Counsel Caroline Hanotiau said. “AI gives us the opportunity to make compliance by design the standard, not the exception, allowing us to expand into more products and more regions with the confidence that we are always operating at the highest level. That’s how Qover will grow responsibly and at the scale our vision demands.” Founded in 2016, Qover made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2018. Today, the company protects 15 million people in more than 32 countries and boasts revenue growth of 3x and more than $173 million in gross written premiums over the past four years. Qover has orchestrated embedded insurance programs for a number of major international brands including fellow Finovate alums Revolut and Mastercard; as well as Monzo, bunq, and BMW. Qover’s fundraising news comes just a few days after the company announced that it had forged a strategic partnership with Willis, a WTW business. Together, the two companies will offer a product-agnostic solution that helps companies launch tailored insurance programs quickly and at scale. Photo by Viktoria Alipatova The post Insurtech Qover Secures $12 Million in Growth Funding appeared first on Finovate.       

BaFin warns against offers on the website calculusinv(.)com and on social media channels such as the “Calculus Investment Academy VIP Y” group. According to information available to BaFin, Calculus Investments Ltd, which claims to be domiciled in New York and Frankfurt/Main, is providing financial, investment and cryptoasset services without the required authorisation.

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) marks a major change in how the European financial sec...

Das Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft (SECO) hat eine Änderung der Liste der sanktionierten natürlichen Personen, Unternehmen und Organisationen der Verordnung vom 21. März 2025 über Massnahmen gegenüber Personen und Organisationen, die mit den Organisationen ISIL (Da'esh) und Al-Kaida in Verbindung stehen (SR 946.231.08), publiziert. 

Financial trading comes with real risk, especially when it comes to losing hard earned money, but other risks can creep up too.

As France  and Germany push digital sovereignty up the policy agenda, a more practical question is emerging: who actually owns the data driving Europe’s AI systems?  As models become increasingly commoditised, competitive advantage is shifting to the data layer, thereby raising the stakes around who owns and controls it. In an AI-driven economy, proprietary data — not models — creates an opportunity for competitive advantage.   Analytics startup Countly is a product analytics and customer engagement platform built on an open-source, self-hosted foundation.   The company helps organisations reduce reliance on third-party platforms by enabling them to capture, analyse, and act on their own user data—while maintaining full control over it. It operates on the belief that data privacy and actionable insights are fundamentally interconnected. I spoke to Onur Alp Soner, CEO and co-founder of Countly, to learn more.  The business opportunity Embedding data sovereignty into a company’s commercial strategy can strengthen product differentiation, build regulatory trust, and unlock new partnership opportunities, particularly in sectors where data control is critical, such as healthcare, finance, and public services. Countly’s platform is built on an open-source, self-hosted foundation that helps companies collect and process operational and usage data from their software products, essentially enabling them to understand how users interact with apps and services and improve those experiences.  Soner sees his company as an early mover. Founded in 2013, Countly was built around self-hosted analytics long before data sovereignty became a defining issue in Europe.  According to Soner: “Basically, our main focus is data control and data ownership. We want companies to have complete control over the data they collect — that’s why we’ve existed since day one.” He contends that the conversation has simply evolved in waves. When he founded Countly, he started from a simple idea: if you don’t control your data, you don’t control your systems.  From GDPR to AI: how the data ownership debate evolved Long before AI regulation entered the conversation, Soner was already working with European organisations in finance, telecoms, healthcare, and the public sector that needed to know precisely where their behavioural data lives, who can access it, and how it’s used. “Right now, the spotlight is on AI. Before that, it was GDPR. Even when we started, the issue was that products in the market were collecting your data and giving you free analytics in exchange for using that data for their advertising business. I’m not just talking about Google — there were other competitors too. One of the most prominent was Flurry. That model was fundamental at the time. What’s changed is that different events — whether regulation or growing concerns about US companies using your data — have brought more attention to the importance of ownership. So we started Countly with the idea that businesses should control their own data. We didn’t want a third party using that data for purposes the business doesn’t even know about.” AI is making data ownership economically viable There’s been a long-standing idea that people or companies should own and monetise their data by extracting economic value from data assets, but that model never fully materialised in earlier innovation waves like IoT and website browsing (Gener8 is an interesting outlier).   But AI is now changing the equation, with the data that fuels machine learning systems, as a highly valuable company asset, whether directly (selling data) or indirectly (using data to generate revenue).  However, for Soner, that positioning around data ownership hasn’t always been straightforward. Of the big themes — data monetisation, regulation, and AI — he believes AI is the most promising for helping businesses understand the importance of the data layer and data control. “Before that, it was really hard to market concepts like privacy, data ownership, and data control. It always ended up being framed as a regulation issue. But it’s not just about regulation. Your data is the only truly unique thing about your business.” “Your data is your only moat”: the challenge for startups. However, the challenge is that large players give away so much for free. How do you compete with that? Soner admits that for large companies, it might be easier, but for startups, it’s very difficult to say: ‘We won’t use all these free tools — we’ll stick to our principles.’ That’s a hard stance to maintain.” AI doesn’t create value in isolation. Rather, it amplifies the quality of the data it is trained on. Without control over that data, companies risk outsourcing their long-term competitive advantage. The missing layer in Europe’s AI debate So what are we talking about when we talk about a sovereign data layer? At the heart of Soner’s argument is a simple framework where the AI ecosystem exists as three layers: First, compute: GPUs, infrastructure, and physical machines. Second, models: LLMs like OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral. Third, the data layer. “The first two layers get most of the attention. But the data layer is just as important and arguably more so — and it’s not being discussed enough.” He contends that conversations with large companies, this often becomes a regulation issue:  “Because of GDPR, we can’t do this.” But the real question is — why are you sending that data to external tools in the first place? This is operational data that feeds your AI models. It’s what makes AI valuable. AI amplifies whatever you already have — or don’t have — as a business. But because everyone is afraid of missing out on AI, they focus on the exciting parts and ignore the “boring” ones: data control, data cleaning, and organisation-wide tracking strategies. Those are actually the critical conversations.” Making sovereignty sell: from regulation to user value So how do you incentivise companies to prioritise data ownership while still staying competitive? Soner points to Apple as a rare example of successfully turning privacy into a product feature. “They communicate clearly: your data stays on your device. That’s the right approach. It’s not about saying, “We’re a German company, we follow strict regulations.” Customers don’t care about that. They care about what’s in it for them.” So you need to translate data sovereignty into tangible user benefits: “This is how we protect your data. This is how we keep it in our infrastructure. And you still get great functionality.” That’s a much more understandable story.” Europe wants control but runs on foreign tech But can a European company really claim digital sovereignty if it relies on US infrastructure, analytics, or models? Soner admits that even Countly, which is building infrastructure for this purpose, still relies on technologies from US or Chinese companies.  This creates a paradox. He admits: “There’s no way around it. Take databases — almost all major ones are US-based. So the question isn’t whether you use external technology—it’s how you use it. It’s about layering.” Rather than full independence, data sovereignty becomes a deliberate architectural strategy, deciding what stays in-house and what can be outsourced. For example, you can control your data flows, decide what leaves your system and build proprietary datasets. He suggests that while you can use tools like Google Analytics, you should be mindful of what data you are sending and why.  “Maybe you intentionally only use such a tool for high-level metrics, while keeping detailed user data in your own infrastructure. Because data is where long-term competitive advantage comes from. Companies like Instagram, Amazon, Uber, and Airbnb are all data businesses. If you blindly use tools without thinking about your data flows, you lose that advantage.” Make data ownership part of your company culture Soner suggests that even for small companies, if you build data ownership into your story early, it becomes part of your culture. “At Countly, every decision goes through that lens of data ownership. You can’t just say, “Let’s use this SaaS tool” or “Let’s plug in this AI." There’s always a level of mindfulness. That becomes part of how the organisation grows.” Europe can build, but can it keep its companies? Europe’s challenge is not building companies, but keeping them. Looking ahead, I wanted to understand what a truly sovereign European digital infrastructure would look like. Soner explained that in the first instance, Europe needs strong infrastructure: data centres, electricity, and networking. "Everything else depends on that." However, this can not be considered in isolation from European talent.  He asserts that while Europe is already building strong companies, the migration of companies to the US for capital and a broader ecosystem is a bigger issue, admitting, “We almost did the same ourselves." "So the key question becomes: how do you make it attractive for founders to stay? That comes down to funding, incentives, and ecosystem support. If Europe can strengthen that, it can retain talent and companies—and that’s probably the most strategic investment it can make right now.” Stop benchmarking the US and China and start building leverage In terms of competitiveness, Soner asserts that we’re focusing on the wrong thing and that, while the debate often becomes "the US is ahead, China is ahead," the real race right now is about AGI and who gets there first. “Still, that doesn’t mean Europe should wait. We can’t wait for others to define the future,” he says. “We need to build our own systems, support our own companies, and retain our talent. If we do that, it’s perfectly fine to use global technologies—but on our own terms. Control of the data layer — not just the models — will define who captures value in AI.” The real opportunity for Europe lies not in competing on models, but in owning the data layer that underpins them.

A new whistleblower dossier strengthens FinTelegram’s earlier reporting on GammaG, the Georgian payment processor operating as GammaG. The new material does not prove common ownership with CoinsPaid, CryptoProcessing, or the wider Dream Finance ecosystem. But it does show something operationally important: a merchant relationship that allegedly began through CoinsPaid appears to have been routed into GammaG, then collapsed into a prolonged funds dispute, opaque “bank return” claims, and a notice that the servicing entity would be shut down. In the post-Lithuania environment, that is exactly the kind of pattern compliance professionals should pay attention to. Key Findings A whistleblower says a merchant seeking crypto payouts was onboarded through CoinsPaid but ultimately signed to GammaG. The merchant says it topped up its wallet with $30,000, after which the funds effectively disappeared for months. Uploaded emails show GammaG repeatedly claiming the money had been returned by the bank, while failing to provide documentary proof. In a separate email chain, GammaG informed the same client that the servicing legal entity would be closed and the contract terminated due to “operational and compliance requirements across various jurisdictions.” This sequence strengthens FinTelegram’s working hypothesis that GammaG may have served as a continuity or substitute rail for parts of the CoinsPaid / CryptoProcessing / Dream Finance orbit. The Merchant Trail Is the Real Story According to the whistleblower, the affected business is a YouTube creator payment network that pays partners a revenue share. Some clients wanted to receive their payouts in crypto, so the company used CoinsPaid. But instead of remaining in a clearly branded CoinsPaid relationship, the merchant says it was ultimately contracted through GammaG. It then topped up its wallet with $30,000, and the money allegedly became stuck for almost a year. That matters because this is not just another support complaint. It goes to the compliance core: who actually contracted the merchant, who controlled the wallet, who touched the funds, and which entity carried the AML and conduct obligations. The Emails Add Evidentiary Weight The uploaded correspondence materially supports the whistleblower’s account. In one thread, GammaG told the merchant that the funds had been returned by the bank and asked the client to verify receipt. When the merchant replied that nothing had arrived, GammaG said it had requested formal payment confirmation and would forward it once received. But in the materials provided to FinTelegram, no such proof appears. Instead, the merchant repeatedly escalated, stating: “We’ve received nothing yet,” then demanding proof, and later warning that the matter would become public and criminal complaints would follow. That is a serious red flag. If a processor claims that funds were returned through a banking partner, it should be able to produce a clear documentary trail. The Shutdown Notice Is Even More Telling A second email thread may be even more revealing. There, GammaG told the merchant that the legal entity providing services would be formally closed and would cease operations. As a result, the contractual relationship would need to be terminated. GammaG attributed this to a review of “operational and compliance requirements across various jurisdictions.” That is not routine language. It suggests an entity under stress, whether due to restructuring, banking pressure, jurisdictional risk, or migration into another vehicle. Combined with the unresolved funds issue, the message points to something larger than a single merchant dispute. It suggests an unstable servicing chain at the very moment the legal entity itself appears to have been in flux. The GammaG emails — citing “ongoing review of operational and compliance requirements across various jurisdictions” — mirrors the language used by Dream Finance UAB in its Lithuanian suspension notice and the liquidation notices in El Salvador and Poland. This is a recurring playbook: regulatory pressure triggers entity closure, but client funds are not returned — they are “in transit from the bank” indefinitely, and communications degrade into automated ticket responses with no substance. Why This Fits the Existing FinTelegram Hypothesis FinTelegram has already reported on the apparent proximity between GammaG, CoinsPaid, CryptoProcessing, and the wider Dream Finance / SoftSwiss ecosystem. The new whistleblower material does not prove formal integration, but it does reinforce the functional closeness FinTelegram had already identified. That is especially relevant because Dream Finance’s Lithuanian route came under pressure as the regulatory perimeter tightened. In that context, a Georgian processor assuming a more prominent role would make obvious operational sense. If one structure becomes impaired, another node in the network may pick up the flow. This is why GammaG matters. The issue is not whether the public-facing brands look separate. The issue is whether GammaG functioned as a continuity rail when older structures became less usable. Why GammaG Fits the Existing FinTelegram Hypothesis FinTelegram’s earlier reporting already placed GammaG in the same investigatory field as CoinsPaid, CryptoProcessing, Dream Finance, and the broader SoftSwiss payment orbit. The new whistleblower information does not overturn that reporting. It reinforces it. The critical point is this: the source says it came to GammaG through CoinsPaid. That alone does not prove common ownership. But it does strongly support the view that GammaG was not operating in isolation. Rather, it appears to have been functionally close enough to the CoinsPaid channel to serve as a contracting or operational endpoint for a merchant relationship that originated there. That is precisely the kind of arrangement investigators need to scrutinize. In high-risk sectors, especially those touching crypto, gambling, offshore merchants, and cross-border processing, the real structure often only becomes visible when a merchant relationship breaks down. And when it breaks down, the most important question is usually not what the public-facing brand says. It is which entity actually held the risk, touched the funds, and dealt with the banks. The Dream Finance Context Makes GammaG More Important This case cannot be viewed in isolation from the regulatory backdrop. As FinTelegram has reported, the Dream Finance Group, associated with CoinsPaid and CryptoProcessing, was forced to retreat from Lithuania at the end of 2025 as the regulatory perimeter tightened. That matters because Lithuania had long been a favored jurisdiction for crypto and payment structures serving cross-border business. Once those structures became impaired or politically costly, any ecosystem dependent on them would need alternatives. That is where GammaG becomes strategically interesting. A Georgian company stepping into a more prominent role would make obvious operational sense. Georgia sits outside the tightening EU crypto perimeter, offers geographic and structural distance, and can function as a useful alternative base for higher-risk payment activity if Lithuanian channels become unavailable or commercially toxic. This is why the new whistleblower material matters so much. It adds a concrete merchant-side example to a broader pattern FinTelegram has already been documenting: when one legal route closes, another node in the network appears to pick up the flow. The GammaG–CoinsPaid–SoftSwiss Triangle The wider context is what gives the GammaG material its investigative significance. CoinsPaid and CryptoProcessing sit within the Dream Finance cluster, while SoftSwiss is not just a gaming software name in the background. SoftSwiss publicly said that FinteqHub was developed by its PSP team, and Ivan Montik’s official SoftSwiss biography states that he serves as an adviser and mentor at CoinsPaid. Those are not rumor-level associations; they are public statements from SoftSwiss itself. Read more about the Dream Finance Group here. FinTelegram’s prior investigations establish the structural context: GammaG LLC (Georgia) surfaces behind the “CoinsPaid” deposit button at offshore casinos such as Vegadream (Starscream Group), where the merchant descriptor explicitly reads “STARDUST GLOBAL CCS LTD (Starscream)”. GammaG and CoinsPaid are presented jointly as a combined rail in iGaming support documentation (“Coinspaid / GammaG”), confirming operational integration rather than coincidence. The Dream Finance Group (CoinsPaid / CryptoProcessing) is controlled by beneficial owners Max Krupyshev (CEO, Ukraine) and Alexander Horst Riedinger (Austria), with entities spanning Estonia, Lithuania (now shut), El Salvador (liquidated), Poland (liquidated), Delaware, and Canada. Dream Finance UAB (Lithuania) suspended all crypto services at the end of 2025 following the expiry of MiCA transitional arrangements and the Bank of Lithuania’s enforcement wave. FinTelegram’s hypothesis — confirmed by the whistleblower — is that GammaG serves as a Georgian jurisdictional escape hatch: when EU/Baltic entities face regulatory closure, client funds and processing activity are routed through GammaG, which operates outside MiCA’s reach and with minimal Georgian VASP oversight. The whistleblower’s own reference to maxkrupyshev.com in his March 5 email to GammaG confirms that clients themselves have connected the dots between GammaG and CoinsPaid’s CEO. Conclusion: Another Piece of the Same Puzzle The new whistleblower information is not the whole story. But it is another meaningful piece of the same puzzle. It confirms that GammaG was not just a name surfacing in technical breadcrumbs or side references. It was a real operational and contractual counterparty in a merchant relationship that, according to the whistleblower, originated through CoinsPaid. It also confirms a disturbing pattern: missing funds, unverified claims of a bank return, evasive communication, and a sudden notice that the servicing entity itself would be closed. In FinTelegram’s assessment, this materially strengthens the working hypothesis that GammaG sits closer to the CoinsPaid / CryptoProcessing / Dream Finance ecosystem than public branding alone suggests. In the shadow world of offshore gambling, crypto processing, and high-risk merchant flows, that is exactly how the real payment chokepoints tend to reveal themselves. GammaG now deserves to be treated not as a peripheral Georgian curiosity, but as a priority node in the continuing investigation into the real payment infrastructure behind the CoinsPaid and SoftSwiss orbit. Summary Data CategoryDetails CategoryDetailsEntityGammaG LLC (Georgia)Domaingammag.geContactaccounts@gammag.geRelated BrandsCoinsPaid, CryptoProcessingParent GroupDream Finance Group (CoinsPaid / CryptoProcessing)Beneficial OwnersMax Krupyshev (CEO), Alexander Horst RiedingerKnown Casino ConnectionsVegadream, Rant Casino (Starscream Group); merchant descriptor “STARDUST GLOBAL CCS LTD (Starscream)”Whistleblower Incident$30,000 frozen (Enfinity/enfinity.com); funds not returned; contract terminated March 2, 2026Regulatory ContextDream Finance UAB (Lithuania) shut down Q1 2026 (MiCA); El Salvador and Poland entities liquidated; GammaG (Georgia) appears to serve as offshore continuation vehicleRisk Rating Critical Whistle42 Call If you have contracts, onboarding packs, bank correspondence, wallet screenshots, transaction hashes, settlement records, KYB files, internal chats, or compliance memos involving GammaG, CoinsPaid, CryptoProcessing, Dream Finance, or SoftSwiss-linked payment structures, contact FinTelegram securely via Whistle42. We are particularly interested in material showing: the actual contracting entity behind merchant onboarding, which entity held or controlled merchant funds, banking partners involved in returns or settlements, and any evidence of migration from Lithuanian structures into Georgian or other substitute vehicles. Share Information via Whistle42

Sumsub has introduced an automated Satoshi Test to help virtual asset service providers verify unhosted wallet ownership as regulatory scrutiny increases. The feature has been added to its Unhosted Wallet Verification solution, allowing users to prove control of a self-hosted wallet by sending a small preset amount within a set timeframe. Sumsub then verifies the transaction on-chain and confirms the originating wallet before allowing the deposit or withdrawal to proceed. With the addition, Sumsub now supports four commonly accepted methods for proving ownership of unhosted wallets. The others are digital signature, self-declaration and screenshots. The company said this gives firms more flexibility to apply risk-based checks across markets. The move comes as the Financial Action Task Force has warned that unhosted wallets and stablecoins can increase exposure to money laundering, sanctions evasion and other illicit activity because transfers often take place peer-to-peer without the oversight of intermediaries such as exchanges. The Satoshi Test can also be integrated into Travel Rule workflows. Sumsub said the solution supports any wallet and more than 100 blockchain networks. Andrew Novoselsky “Crypto has entered an era of regulated maturity. Firms now need to demonstrate that their control frameworks stand up to real scrutiny, without sacrificing conversion or scalability. That’s why we support all four commonly accepted unhosted wallet verification methods for VASPs—fully automated and embedded into transaction flows keeping the user journey fast and intuitive.” said Andrew Novoselsky, Chief Product Officer at Sumsub.     Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by Sumsub The post Sumsub Adds Automated Satoshi Test for Unhosted Wallet Verification appeared first on Fintech Singapore.

OpenAI has closed its latest funding round with US$122 billion in committed capital, valuing the company at US$852 billion post money. The round was anchored by strategic partners Amazon, NVIDIA, and SoftBank, with continued participation from Microsoft, alongside a diverse group of global institutional investors. For the first time, OpenAI also raised over US$3 billion from individual investors via bank channels. The company recently launched GPT‑5.4, its most capable model to date, and expanded Codex into a flagship coding agent. ChatGPT now reaches more than 900 million weekly active users, with over 50 million subscribers. Enterprise accounts for over 40% of revenue and is on track to reach parity with consumer by the end of 2026. API usage processes more than 15 billion tokens per minute, while Codex serves over 2 million weekly users. Compute remains central to OpenAI’s strategy. The company runs its infrastructure across multiple cloud and chip platforms, including NVIDIA GPUs, AMD, AWS Trainium, Cerebras, and its own chip in partnership with Broadcom. More compute enables more intelligent models, which drive better products, faster adoption, and higher revenue. OpenAI is also building a unified AI superapp, combining ChatGPT, Codex, browsing, and agentic capabilities in a single platform. Users are increasingly seeking a single system that can understand intent, take action, and operate across applications, data, and workflows. The funding provides OpenAI with resources to continue investing in research, infrastructure, and product development at global scale.     Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik The post OpenAI Secures US$122B to Scale AI Infrastructure, Products, and Enterprise Services appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - FintechNewsCH.

USDJPY is down this week after the bulls got discouraged by the resistance just above the 160.00 mark. Can they still come back to break it in April? Read in our latest Elliott Wave update. To access this article you need to have an active subscription The post Elliott Wave Update of USDJPY – April 1st, 2026 appeared first on EWM Interactive.

UnauthorizedThis firm may be providing or promoting financial services or products without our permission. You should avoid dealing with this firm and beware of scams. Almost all firms and individuals must be authorised or registered by us to carry out or promote financial services in the UK. This firm is not authorised by us and may be targeting people in the UK. Search our Warning List for other unauthorised firms and individuals we're aware of. Unauthorised firm details Name: Prysm Trading Email: info@prysm.co.uk Website: www.prysmtrading.com Some firms may give incorrect contact details including postal addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses. They may change these contact details over time. They may also give you details that belong to another business or individual, so the information looks genuine. What this means for you If you deal with this firm, you won't have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you want to complain. You also won't be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if things go wrong. This means it's unlikely you'd get your money back if the firm goes out of business. If you sent money to a fraudster on or after 7 October 2024, you may be covered by protections introduced by the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). Find out what to do if you've been tricked into making a payment to a scam account. How to protect yourself You should only deal with financial firms that are authorised by us. If a financial firm is authorised by us, it gives you greater protection if things go wrong. You can use the FCA Firm Checker to make sure a financial firm is authorised by us and has our permission to provide the services you're looking for. You'll also be able to find: information on how you're protected contact details for authorised firms If you're contacted unexpectedly by a financial business, make sure you reply using the contact details on the Firm Checker. Find out more about how to protect yourself from scams. Report an unauthorised firm If you think you've been approached by an unauthorised firm, call us on 0800 111 6768, or use our contact form.

Collaboration aims to enhance LSEG’s cloud capabilities for financial services. Highlights: LSEG partners with Dell to create a private cloud platform. New platform aimed at enhancing financial services infrastructure. Collaboration supports LSEG’s digital transformation goals. London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has announced a partnership with Dell to develop a private cloud platform. This initiative is designed to improve LSEG’s cloud services, enabling more efficient and flexible solutions for its financial services. The collaboration is part of LSEG’s ongoing digital transformation efforts, which include leveraging cloud technology to enhance operational capabilities. The new cloud platform is expected to streamline infrastructure and provide better services to LSEG’s clients.

UnauthorizedThis firm may be providing or promoting financial services or products without our permission. You should avoid dealing with this firm and beware of scams. Almost all firms and individuals must be authorised or registered by us to carry out or promote financial services in the UK. This firm is not authorised by us and may be targeting people in the UK. Search our Warning List for other unauthorised firms and individuals we're aware of. Unauthorised firm details Name: Aspire Capital Hub Address: High Street, Westbury On Trym, Bristol, BS9 3BY Email: support@aspirecapitalhub.com Website: www.aspirecapitalhub.com Some firms may give incorrect contact details including postal addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses. They may change these contact details over time. They may also give you details that belong to another business or individual, so the information looks genuine. What this means for you If you deal with this firm, you won't have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you want to complain. You also won't be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if things go wrong. This means it's unlikely you'd get your money back if the firm goes out of business. If you sent money to a fraudster on or after 7 October 2024, you may be covered by protections introduced by the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). Find out what to do if you've been tricked into making a payment to a scam account. How to protect yourself You should only deal with financial firms that are authorised by us. If a financial firm is authorised by us, it gives you greater protection if things go wrong. You can use the FCA Firm Checker to make sure a financial firm is authorised by us and has our permission to provide the services you're looking for. You'll also be able to find: information on how you're protected contact details for authorised firms If you're contacted unexpectedly by a financial business, make sure you reply using the contact details on the Firm Checker. Find out more about how to protect yourself from scams. Report an unauthorised firm If you think you've been approached by an unauthorised firm, call us on 0800 111 6768, or use our contact form.

Good morning and welcome to Central Bank of Ireland. Thank you for joining us for this inaugural gathering of the Savings and Investment Forum. I want to extend a particular welcome to the Tánaiste.Today marks an important milestone.  The Department of Finance's 2024 Funds Review recognised the importance of enabling more retail investment in Ireland.  It recommended establishing this Forum to address that challenge and today provides a timely opportunity to do so.Let me place this initiative within a broader European context. Last week I spoke about the fact that European households and institutions collectively held substantial savings.  In the euro area alone, the stock of deposits is nearing €10 trillion.  Yet investment has not kept pace with the growth in savings.  European Central Bank survey data shows that only a fraction of EU household wealth is held directly in capital markets instruments.  This matters because in order to fund the investments our European economies need – be that for innovation, infrastructure, or the digital and green transitions – we need strong capital markets to complement a strong banking sector in financing a more productive and competitive Europe.The Savings and Investments Union agenda speaks directly to this challenge.  It recognises that unlocking retail participation in capital markets is not merely a financial services matter. It is central to Europe's economic and financial resilience and the welfare of our people.Ireland's position within this narrative is distinctive.  Irish household wealth is heavily concentrated in housing, accounting for roughly two-thirds of total net wealth.  Where households do hold financial assets, these are indirectly in occupational pensions and life insurance and, most importantly, approximately €170 billion sit idle in deposits in Irish banks.The result is that Irish retail participation in financial markets is very limited, even compared to our European peers.  As outlined in our research on retail investor participation, published at the end of last year, Irish households hold just 2.3% of their financial assets in direct investments such as listed equity and debt securities, compared to the EU average of 7.5%.  And Ireland has one of the lowest levels of direct holdings in investment funds in the EU at just above 2.2%, despite being an international financial hub and one of the largest global centres for investment funds, with over €5 trillion in assets under management domiciled here.This low level of direct retail participation reflects a complex interplay of historical, cultural, and structural factors that have shaped how we think about savings and investment.  Yet our research shows that Irish consumers are motivated to invest. They recognise the importance of securing retirement income, providing for their children's futures, and building long-term financial security. However, significant barriers persist.  Psychological and emotional barriers are deeply rooted, perhaps in Ireland's economic history and the financial crises we have experienced. There are knowledge and understanding gaps, including a perception that investment is complex, the preserve of the wealthy and a sense that the investment ecosystem does not serve the full spectrum of potential retail investors.Given the complexity of the issue, no one intervention is enough and it probably requires multiple and sustained efforts from many stakeholders. From my point of view there are three important ingredients to enhancing retail investor participation in Ireland: first, the availability of suitable products; second, that retail investors have the financial education, autonomy and advice to invest; and, third, that retail investors are protected when they do invest, with strong consumer protection frameworks and firms securing their interests.I am heartened by the efforts of policymakers and regulators – domestically and in the rest of Europe – to progress and reinforce these ingredients.  The Central Bank supports efforts to reduce barriers to retail investment.  Products to encourage investment need to be flexible enough to allow product producers to design bespoke offerings that meet genuine consumer needs whilst maintaining sufficient standardisation to ensure comparability and reduce administrative burdens.In my view such endeavours should be accompanied by sustained efforts to improve financial literacy and investment knowledge.  Consumers need to understand not only what they are investing in, but how any investment aligns with their financial goals, and what risks they are taking.  In short, I suggest it must be part of a broader effort to build financial literacy, foster a positive investment culture, and restore public trust and confidence in capital markets.The Government's National Financial Literacy Strategy, launched just over a year ago, recognises this challenge and commits to building the financial capability of Irish citizens. That strategy will be essential to the success of any initiative aimed at broadening retail participation.  Research has shown that financial literacy levels can play an important role in shaping household financial behaviour.  The Central Bank is committed to playing its part, including through our consumer protection framework and supervisory engagements. This Forum is the right place to work through these considerations, bringing together policymakers, regulators, consumer advocates, and industry participants, all of whom have a role to play in contributing to this initiative. We will play our role in supporting the Savings and Investments Union agenda, in line with our mission to ensure the financial system is operating in the best interests of consumers and the wider economy.  For me this means that the regulatory framework supports retail investment, that consumer protections are robust and that trust and confidence in capital markets are restored and sustained.  And, to that end, we are committed to working collaboratively with our colleagues at home and abroad.I am sure today’s discussions will make a valuable contribution to the delivery of better outcomes for our citizens and our economy. Thank you. 

The previous week in the financial markets was pressured down by rising inflation expectations. The hawkish monetary policy shift across the globe boosts demand for the US dollar. As there are no significant economic publications this week, traders pay attention mostly to geopolitical agenda and changing market conditions. According to the Fedwatchtool from CME group, probabilities for the interest rate to be kept at the same level until the end of 2026, have increased substantially.  That pressures major currencies against the US dollar, keeping volatility above the threshold value of 20. SOFR futures (overnight swap rate futures), which are visible on the CME group’s website, display some convexity in expectations. Literally it shows that expected yields of 30 year treasury bonds of the US are now higher than the predicted level, and the borrowing cost on the interbank market is higher than it was expected to be. That situation explains the elevated capital flows to the US dollar at the moment, and fragile position of stocks, Gold and crypto currencies.   SOFR watch indicator. Source: https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html  As a result, EURUSD and other currencies get under pressure against the Greenback, while yields of 30 year bonds of the US continue growing close to 5%. It’s worth noting that the similar dynamics is observed across other regions, but the US dollar has a greater weight than, for example, Australian dollar in terms of capital flows. What would be in focus this week? This week, traders will continue to monitor the development of the US-Iran confrontation, which doesn’t seem to reach a resolution soon, as the US moves troops to potentially start the on-site operation. Houthis from Yemen joined the war on Iran’s side, complicating the situation. Brent oil has hit $116 on Monday, so we can expect oil prices to stay elevated for an indefinite period of time, with inflation expectations continuing to increase. That might create a downside pressure for major currencies against the US dollar, including Gold. Metals display weak performance even after three weeks of initial volatility spike, which might not be a bearish signal per se, but not a bullish one either. The NFP publication on Friday, April the 3rd, would be the main publication throughout the week. Let’s go to charts now and try to project any possible trading opportunities for the upcoming week. CADJPY  The Canadian dollar, as a crude oil related currency, might rebound early in the week against Japanese Yen, as it’s positioned right inside of the dynamic support area between 20 and 50 moving averages, and might follow the bullish pressure of Crude oil. The price is locked in a coil (a short-term trading range). If it is broken to the upside, it’s possible to observe CADJPY going up toward 116 area and higher. CADJPY, D1. Source: Exness.com  XAUUSD  Gold continues to consolidate at the bottom of the trading range, not displaying any signs of recovery. The strength of the US dollar makes the price action vulnerable, especially if it tries to break through key resistance areas of borders of formations. Testing $4600 would be indicative for the further price action of Gold. If it fails to break through, it might stay locked in a trading range for a longer period of time.   XAUUSD, H4. Source: Exness.comThe post The US dollar strikes back first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.