News related to
Tech

eToro Group Ltd is poised to pursue bolder acquisitions after securing a substantial liquidity base, according to one of its co-founders. At the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italy, Ronen Assia, executive director and co-founder, confirmed that the firm “has cash and cash equivalents of around $1.2 billion at the end of the first half of the year, with a cash position of $988 million, with no debt.” He added: “We’re looking to do more ambitious stuff involving acquisitions,” emphasising that eToro aims to broaden both asset classes and its geographic footprint.

eToro’s deliberate pivot into more aggressive mergers and acquisitions comes on the heels of its listing on Nasdaq in May 2025, where it raised $620 million in its initial public offering. The company’s robust cash war-chest endows it with flexibility to explore new verticals and markets in a dynamic fintech landscape.

Beyond financial strength, eToro is deepening its product offering. The platform recently rolled out tokenisation and artificial intelligence tools targeted at retail investors, along with expanding its global reach. Meanwhile, preliminary selected business metrics for July and August reveal continued operational momentum: assets under administration rose to $19.7 billion, funded accounts approached 3.69 million—both reflecting high year-on-year growth—while crypto trading volumes surged by nearly 50 percent.

The company’s healthy balance sheet is grounded in a successful IPO and product innovation. In Q1 2025, eToro reported $736 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, alongside growth in user accounts and assets under administration. The firm also expanded its trading products, launching options in the UK and futures in Europe, while diversifying geographic access to include exchanges in Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong.

This marks a clear signal that bold acquisitions are on eToro’s horizon—a phrase that captures the firm’s evolving strategic ambition and its capacity to act decisively in a competitive market.

The timing of this announcement is significant. Mergers and acquisitions within fintech and crypto sectors have become tools for scale, innovation, and regulatory navigation. With its substantial liquidity and no leverage, eToro may look to acquire firms offering complementary capabilities—whether in tokenisation, AI-driven trading, wealth management, or regional expansion.

Ronen Assia’s stance highlights both intent and preparedness. The expressed goal to take on “more ambitious” deals indicates a readiness to move beyond smaller bolt-ins, aiming instead for transformative moves that could reshape the firm’s product and regional scope. The emphasis on adding asset classes and locales suggests potential targets might include firms with niche offerings or solid footprints in under-penetrated markets.

At a time when many fintech companies are consolidating or recalibrating amid macroeconomic shifts and evolving regulation, eToro’s proactive posture sets it apart. With backing of a strong balance sheet and public market credibility, the platform is well placed to capitalise on strategic M&A opportunities as they arise.

Oil prices edged higher after OPEC+ approved a modest production increase of 137,000 barrels per day from October, signalling a deliberate shift from propping up prices to recapturing market share even as the possibility of oversupply looms.

A rapid, 11-minute virtual meeting resulted in the decision by eight key alliance members to introduce a restrained output lift, clearly OPEC+ inches production upward amid surplus risk. That modest hike marks the start of unwinding an additional tranche of voluntary cuts—around 1.65 million barrels per day—that were originally scheduled to remain in place until the end of 2026.

Brent crude gained approximately 34 cents to trade at $65.84 per barrel, while U. S. West Texas Intermediate rose about 30 cents to $62.17 a barrel, trimming losses incurred last week following a soft U. S. jobs report. Analysts see the price rebound as partly driven by relief over the modest hike and technical factors, alongside concerns that looming U. S. sanctions on Russian oil may curb supply.

OPEC+ members—including Saudi Arabia, Russia and several Gulf producers—have been gradually rolling back earlier cuts since April, with previous monthly increases topping 550,000 barrels. This latest move, while smaller in volume, is seen as a strategic signal that the group is prioritising global market positioning over immediate price support. Jorge Leon of Rystad Energy commented, “The barrels may be small, but the message is big,” underscoring the symbolic weight of the alliance’s decision.

Not all members can raise output equally—only Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have sufficient spare capacity to make notable additions. Others face physical and contractual limitations to boost deliveries.

Despite the gradual rollback of cuts, analysts warn that the ramp-up, combined with rising non-OPEC+ output, could push the oil market into surplus territory by early 2026. Goldman Sachs, while holding its 2025 price forecast steady, flagged muted price risks for 2026, with expected average Brent and WTI prices in the mid-$50s.

The alliance has reaffirmed its flexibility to adjust future output, including the ability to accelerate, pause or even reverse course as market conditions evolve. Members will meet again on 5 October to review developments and determine whether to extend or amend the output ramp.

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi unveiled the EAD Avatar at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2025, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 30 August to 7 September. This AI-powered initiative aims to revolutionise public interaction with environmental information, offering a lifelike digital interface that bridges cultural authenticity with technological innovation.

Developed in collaboration with Accord Business Group, the EAD Avatar introduces two digital personas, Souheil and Dana, designed to reflect Emirati heritage. Fluent in both Arabic and English, these avatars provide real-time, interactive communication, delivering accurate, AI-generated responses drawn from verified data sources. This approach ensures that users receive reliable information on environmental topics, enhancing public understanding and engagement.

Ahmed Baharoon, Executive Director of Environment Information, Science and Outreach Management at EAD, highlighted the significance of the launch, stating, “By merging cultural authenticity with cutting-edge AI, we are enhancing how the community interacts with EAD and transforming how they understand and connect with the environment.” The avatars’ natural voice modulation, facial expressions, and body language contribute to a more human-like interaction, fostering trust and encouraging deeper engagement.

The integration embeds Ripple Payments into Thunes’s Direct Global Network, spanning 130 + countries and over 80 currencies. This union leverages Ripple’s global payout infrastructure—serving 90 + markets and covering more than 90 % of daily FX flows, with over US $70 billion processed—bringing real-time, cost-efficient, and transparent transactions to Thunes’s vast network.

Chloe Mayenobe, President and COO of Thunes, emphasised that the partnership bridges traditional finance and digital assets, enabling seamless, compliant cross-border payments at scale. She stressed the importance of real-time settlement and robust local integrations in scaling financial access globally. Fiona Murray, Managing Director for Asia-Pacific at Ripple, underscored how combining Thunes’s payment reach with Ripple’s digital asset infrastructure enhances speed, accessibility, and compliance.

This move extends Thunes’s capability to deliver payouts in local currencies in regions with limited banking access, particularly through its SmartX Treasury System. Ripple Payments is now integrated into SmartX, bolstering liquidity management and last-mile delivery in underbanked markets.

Analysis from BeInCrypto notes that this alignment enables faster settlement and improved compliance, especially where mobile wallets like GCash, M-Pesa, and WeChat Pay dominate. For enterprises, the collaboration promises efficient global transfers with lower friction. Crowdfund Insider adds that the partnership broadens payout reach while streamlining money movement across key markets.

Electronic Payments International confirms the integration into SmartX, reinforcing Thunes’s treasury capabilities and enhancing its services. CryptoBriefing highlights the joint effort to improve speed, transparency and compliance across Thunes’s global network by incorporating Ripple Payments.

This development reflects an industry shift: traditional payment networks increasingly adopt blockchain infrastructure to reduce costs and boost efficiency. Thunes, with its “Smart Superhighway” platform covering billions of mobile wallets, bank accounts, and cards, stands well-positioned to harness Ripple’s tools for expanding financial inclusion.

Thunes, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Singapore, already partners with PayPal, Uber, Grab, Paytm, and others, serving a global footprint that includes more than 3 billion accounts across 130 countries. The integration with Ripple strengthens its proposition to these and other clients seeking faster, more transparent cross-border transfers.

du has unveiled its Envision 2025 agenda, signalling a decisive push towards an AI-first future. The event is scheduled for 9 September 2025 at Atlantis, The Royal, and is designed to mobilise public and private sector leaders around AI-enabled smart communities and sovereign digital innovation.

The Envision 2025 blueprint brings together a distinguished roster of sponsors and partners. Oracle is confirmed as Host Sponsor, contributing expertise in cloud and sovereign AI capabilities. Cisco, as Platinum Partner, reinforces commitments to digital advancement. Gold Partners include HPE, Huawei, Akamai Technologies and CyberKnight, while Silver Partners—Dell Technologies, Fortinet, Accenture, Hexaware and Palo Alto Networks—support AI and cybersecurity resilience. Equinix and Joy Smart Technologies join as Bronze Partners, emphasising a collaborative approach to transformation. du charts AI-first future with Envision 2025 echoes this collaborative vision, emphasising alignment between leadership and technological innovation.

The threefold Envision platform will host both an exhibition and a conference, spotlighting cutting-edge domains: AI Data Centres, Sovereign Cloud, Generative and Agentic AI, GPU-as-a-Service, Industry 4.0, Advanced Robotics, and Cloud Computing. It seeks to provoke strategic alliances and stimulate discourse aligned with the UAE’s National AI Strategy and National Digital Government Strategy 2025.

Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Executive Officer of du, underscored the alignment with national vision, referencing the leadership of H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who asserted that “future is not something we wait for, but something we make.” Al Hassawi emphasised that converging leadership with advanced technology will underpin the creation of a scalable, secure, and AI-first UAE.

Jasim Al Awadi, Chief ICT Officer at du, described Envision 2025 as more than a technology event—but as a national platform uniting future shapers to align vision, innovation and execution. He stressed that the collaborators are vital to delivering secure, scalable, sovereign digital solutions that enhance smart communities, economic growth and quality of life.

Miguel Vega, Senior Vice President for Database Platform & Cloud Infrastructure at Oracle for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, said Oracle’s participation will centre on advancing sovereign AI and cloud functions, aiming to help public and private sectors unlock greater levels of innovation, security and efficiency.