Paramount Skydance has emerged as the probable victor in a high-stakes contest to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, as streaming giant Netflix declined to increase its offer, effectively withdrawing from the pursuit and handing momentum to its rival. Paramount’s revised proposal of $31 per share in cash and commitment to cover substantial termination and regulatory fees was judged superior by the Warner Bros Discovery board, setting the stage […]
OpenAI has disclosed that a ChatGPT account with connections to individuals affiliated with Chinese law enforcement was exploited as part of a multi-faceted cyberattack and influence operation, according to its latest threat report on malicious AI use. The account was used to draft, plan and document activities that included online harassment, covert influence campaigns and operational coordination across hundreds of platforms, prompting OpenAI to ban the associated […]
A ship widely reported to be carrying Russian-sourced oil to Cuba altered its course and pulled away from its planned voyage, underscoring a deepening energy crisis on the Caribbean island that has disrupted daily life and public services. The vessel, identified by maritime intelligence firms as the Sea Horse and believed to be laden with nearly 200,000 barrels of gasoil, a diesel-type fuel essential for transport and […]
Google has unveiled a major advancement in its Gemini artificial intelligence assistant that allows the software to autonomously handle multi-step operations on Android devices, enabling users to command the AI to book rides, order food and manage other everyday tasks without manual execution. The new capability positions Gemini not just as a conversational helper but as an active agent capable of executing instructions across multiple apps in […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Prediction-market operator Kalshi has taken the unusual step of punishing a YouTube creator’s staff member and a political figure for using non-public information to gain an edge on its platform, underscoring regulatory and fairness challenges in a sector growing quickly but still grappling with governance and surveillance weaknesses. Kalshi confirmed that it fined and suspended a video editor associated with MrBeast — one […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Lu Daopei Medical has joined forces with Florence Nightingale Hospital Group in Turkey to establish what the partners describe as the Middle East and North Africa’s first dedicated CAR-T stem cell therapy centre, targeting severe forms of leukaemia including paediatric cases. The initiative, backed by Investcorp through its China Pre-IPO Healthcare Fund, signals a push to expand advanced cellular immunotherapy beyond traditional hubs […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Parkin Company PJSC, Dubai’s principal paid public parking operator, closed the final quarter of 2025 with its strongest earnings performance to date, propelled by an aggressive expansion of paid-for parking spaces and a strategic tariff overhaul that has reshaped the city’s urban mobility revenue landscape. The firm reported a net profit of Dh183.6m for the fourth quarter of 2025, a 53 per cent […]
Adoption of Bitcoin is expanding across institutions, banks, corporations and retail investors even as sharp price fluctuations continue to test market confidence, according to new research from River, a US-based Bitcoin financial services firm. River’s latest report argues that Bitcoin’s long-term trajectory is being shaped less by short-term volatility and more by structural shifts in how capital allocators, payment companies and sovereign actors perceive digital assets. The […]
Marine scientists have identified a sleeper shark gliding through Antarctic waters, a sighting that is reshaping understanding of how some of the ocean’s most elusive predators endure Earth’s harshest marine environments. Footage captured by an international research team operating in the Southern Ocean shows a large, slow-moving shark cruising at depths where water temperatures hover near freezing. Researchers believe the animal belongs to the sleeper shark family, […]
BlackRock has transferred roughly $150 million worth of Bitcoin and Ethereum from wallets linked to Coinbase’s custody platform, prompting fresh scrutiny of how the world’s largest asset manager is structuring its digital asset exposure. Blockchain data tracked by market analysts show that the movements involved a combination of Bitcoin and Ether held in addresses associated with Coinbase Custody, a regulated service widely used by institutional investors. The […]
Meta Platforms has struck a landmark long-term agreement with Advanced Micro Devices to buy tens of billions of dollars’ worth of AI processors and data-centre hardware over the next five years, a deal that could exceed $100 billion and reshape the competitive landscape for artificial-intelligence infrastructure. This multiyear pact will see Meta deploy up to six gigawatts of AMD-based computing capacity, starting with initial shipments in the second […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Red Sea Museum has unveiled an expansive Ramadan programme in Historic Jeddah, bringing together craft workshops, storytelling sessions, performances and community gatherings to mark the holy month against the backdrop of a major maritime exhibition opening this season. The series, running from February through March 2026, is designed to celebrate heritage, creativity and collective memory. Organisers say the initiative seeks to deepen public […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Casio Computer Co., Ltd. has unveiled the GMW-BZ5000, a full-metal addition to its G-SHOCK 5000 line that introduces a high-definition memory-in-pixel LCD designed to improve clarity and viewing comfort. Announced in Dubai on February 23, 2026, the new model retains the iconic silhouette of the original 1983 G-SHOCK while incorporating a display and exterior design shaped through collaboration between human designers and artificial […]
Renault is set to take full control of Flexis, the electric van joint venture it formed with Volvo Group and CMA CGM, marking a decisive shift in the French carmaker’s strategy to consolidate its position in the fast-growing light commercial vehicle segment. The company confirmed it will buy out the stakes held by truckmaker Volvo and shipping group CMA CGM in the venture, which was launched to […]
An automated crypto trading bot transferred tokens worth about $450,000 to a social media user after misreading a post seeking a small sum for medical treatment, triggering debate over the risks of linking artificial intelligence systems directly to blockchain wallets. The bot, known as “Lobstar Wilde”, had been operating on X as an experimental, autonomous trader designed to interact with users, analyse sentiment and execute on-chain transactions. […]
North Korean state-backed hackers are exploiting global technology recruitment channels to plant malware, siphon intellectual property and generate covert revenue, according to multiple cyber security investigations tracking activity since 2022. The operations combine fake IT worker identities with booby-trapped job interviews, turning routine hiring processes into attack vectors aimed at software developers and technology firms. Security analysts say the campaigns form part of a broader strategy by […]
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 February 2026 – Esperanza Fintech (Securities) Limited (“Esperanza Securities“, or “Company“) announced today that, following the granting of the formal permission on its tokenized investment business by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (“SFC“) on 13 February 2026, the Company is introducing an innovative financing and community engagement model for the live entertainment industry.
The tokenized investment model enables Esperanza Securities to issue investment tokens (also known as security tokens) through an investment fund it manages, allowing eligible investors to participate with a significantly lower entry barrier and trade the tokens in secondary markets.
Against the emerging tokenized real-world-asset (RWA) trend worldwide, Esperanza Securities is among the first platforms with a systematic focus on the live entertainment industry. Following the granting of the permission by the SFC, two upcoming tokenized entertainment investments will include the Chris Wong 40th Anniversary Concert which will take place in Hong Kong on 6 to 7 March 2026 and a Korean boy band concert which will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 11 April 2026.
Innovation beyond technology: a focus on product structure
Entertainment industry assets have long benefited from a clear business model and income structure, which include box office receipts, sponsorships and merchandise revenue. Through tokenization, Esperanza Securities offers a new path for asset owners such as concert organizers to access capital without altering their operational models, while enabling investors to directly participate in opportunities linked to real economic activities.
The application of the tokenized investment model spans beyond the live entertainment industry. In fact, opportunities with clear business models and easily valuated underlying assets possess immense potential for tokenization. For instance, cultural and experiential projects with clear community monetization models and assets with stable and predictable cash flows, such as commercial properties, can all benefit from tokenization.
Bridging global investors to Asian assets through a 24×7 platform
Through the proprietary platform, espetopia.com (“Platform“), Esperanza Securities enables eligible investors to back real economy linked Asian projects, anytime and anywhere, without geographical limitations.
Eligible investors from all over the world can access all investment-related information, trade investment tokens and redeem utilities and experiences associated with the underlying assets through the Platform. This infrastructure enhances the visibility of Asian opportunities in global markets and effectively pools global capital to fund real economic developments, across verticals from cultural intellectual properties to the broader experience economies.
Looking ahead: charting a digital financing path for high-quality real assets
Looking forward, Esperanza Securities will continue to advance its asset-backed tokenized investment model under a prudent and compliant framework. The Company aims to progressively build a sustainable digital investment ecosystem centered on real assets with clear economic foundations.
As market acceptance of RWA digitization continues to grow, the Company sees promising potential for asset-backed tokenization to become an integral financing option alongside traditional public listings and private placements.
Hashtag: #EsperanzaFintech
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Esperanza Fintech (Securities) Limited
Esperanza Securities is a licensed corporation under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap 571 of the law of Hong Kong) with permission to carry out Type 4 (advising on securities) and Type 9 (asset management) regulated activities. On 13 February 2026, Esperanza Securities received a “no further comment” letter from the SFC in relation to its proposal to tokenize managed funds, effectively granting formal permission for Esperanza Securities to conduct tokenized investment businesses.
About Esperanza Fintech Group
Esperanza Fintech Group is a fintech group headquartered in Hong Kong. The group’s licensed businesses include (i) gold trading and tokenized gold services operated by Esperanza Fintech (Commodities) Limited, a DPMS (dealers in precious metals and stones) Category A Registrant (No. A-B-25-03-08913) with the Hong Kong Customs with permitted businesses including the issuance, redemption and trading of gold backed instruments on www.espetopia.com; (ii) client asset custodian service operated by Esperanza Fintech (Nominees) Limited, a licensed Trust or Company Service Provider in Hong Kong (Licence No. TC010260), regulated by the Hong Kong Companies Registry; and (iii) tokenized investment services operated by Esperanza Securities, an SFC-regulated asset manager with permission to carry out tokenized investment businesses.
Blockchain ventures built around sport are moving beyond fan tokens towards real-time, onchain markets tied directly to match-day outcomes, marking a new phase for what has become known as SportFi. Developers and investors say the model aims to deepen fan engagement by allowing supporters to trade digital assets linked to specific games, player performances and season milestones, while settling transactions transparently on public blockchains. Proponents argue that […]
ProShares’ first exchange-traded fund designed to hold tokenised cash instruments attracted roughly $17 billion in assets on its market debut, igniting speculation across digital asset markets about whether Circle had shifted part of the reserves backing its USDC stablecoin into the vehicle. The scale of the launch marked one of the largest first-day asset gatherings for a US-listed ETF and underscored the pace at which traditional asset […]
Dubai has moved into the next stage of its real estate tokenisation drive, expanding the initiative onto the XRP Ledger in a bid to widen investor access and streamline property transactions through blockchain technology. The second phase of the emirate’s Real Estate Tokenisation Project allows approved investors to trade fractionalised property interests recorded on the XRP Ledger, a public blockchain associated with Ripple. Officials say the move […]
A sophisticated cyber-espionage group known as Silver Fox has launched a fresh wave of targeted attacks against organisations in Taiwan, deploying advanced techniques designed to evade detection and disable security controls while delivering a remote access trojan known as Winos 4.0, also referred to by researchers as ValleyRat. Cyber security analysts tracking the activity say the campaign combines DLL sideloading with a method called Bring Your Own […]
Bitcoin fell about five per cent, sliding below the $65,000 mark as large holders accelerated transfers to exchanges and short-term investors continued to exit at a loss, underscoring fragile sentiment in the world’s largest cryptocurrency. The decline pushed Bitcoin to levels last seen several weeks ago, extending a pullback from record highs above $73,000 set earlier this year. Market data showed the digital asset trading in the […]
Agentic artificial intelligence is forcing a fundamental reassessment of how enterprise software is sold, bought and priced, with implications for licensing models, cloud economics and the broader SaaS market worldwide. As autonomous AI agents that can plan, execute and optimise complex workflows proliferate across enterprises, traditional per-seat software licensing is coming under pressure, major vendors are redesigning pricing frameworks and investors are recalibrating valuations around AI’s transformative potential.
Industry executives and analysts say that agentic AI – autonomous systems that operate beyond simple generative tasks to perform multi-step functions without constant human direction – is altering the value proposition of enterprise software. Organisations are increasingly demanding pricing that reflects outcome-based performance and consumption rather than fixed seat counts, pushing large software providers to experiment with enterprise licence agreements that bundle AI capacity with predictable costs and shared risk. This shift is expected to reshape cloud economics by altering how revenue and costs are aligned in the era of pervasive AI automation.
The software industry’s long reliance on per-seat or subscription models is facing disruption as AI agents demonstrate the ability to automate work historically done by humans. Gartner forecasts that around 40 per cent of enterprise software applications will feature embedded task-specific AI agents by the end of this year, exponentially up from a fraction only a short time ago. Enterprises are seeking simpler, more transparent pricing arrangements that reflect AI usage and business outcomes, rather than paying for seats that may no longer correspond to human users in traditional roles.
Salesforce and other leading software vendors have moved to reframe their pricing strategies for an agent-centric world. Executives have described new Agentic Enterprise Licence Agreements that offer “all you can eat” access to AI-powered tools and platforms at agreed-upon costs, designed to give customers confidence to scale AI deployments without unpredictable usage charges. These agreements represent a departure from legacy licence structures and a bet that long-term customer engagement will outweigh short-term licence profitability concerns.
Investors are already pricing in uncertainty about how this transition will unfold. Episodes of sharp stock sell-offs in global software equities have highlighted market anxiety about whether traditional enterprise software will maintain its relevance as agentic AI systems gain traction. While some market observers argue that fears of widespread obsolescence are overstated, the volatility reflects genuine debate about how software demand will evolve as autonomous AI agents become more capable of developing, integrating and executing workflows.
The transformation extends beyond pricing into cloud infrastructure economics. AI workloads, particularly those driven by agentic systems, impose heavier and more variable demands on cloud compute and data storage, challenging conventional cost forecasts. Infrastructure expenses tied to training and operating autonomous agents can grow faster than top-line revenue if not carefully managed. Finance teams are rethinking cost allocation, forecasting and real-time billing to provide clearer visibility into consumption by AI agents, a trend that underscores the complexity of cloud economics in an AI era.
Enterprise readiness for agentic AI varies. While adoption continues to expand rapidly, many organisations are cautious about the risks of autonomous decision-making, prioritising data trust, governance and integration challenges. A significant number of leaders report that scaling fully autonomous agents remains an enterprise priority, but that confidence in data integrity and risk controls are the biggest bottlenecks for broad deployment. The interplay between promise and practical reality is shaping cautious but forward-looking strategies.
For software providers, the transition to AI-centric offerings is pushing a broader rethinking of product strategy and business model evolution. Traditional vendors are integrating agentic capabilities into existing platforms, expanding from assistive features to autonomous operations, while newer AI-native firms are building products around AI agents from the ground up. Software incumbents face a dual challenge: reinventing core products to leverage agentic capabilities while maintaining service quality, compliance and continuity for enterprise customers.
Beyond commercial implications, the rise of agentic AI is prompting discussions about its broader impacts on organisational structures, work roles and human-AI collaboration. Proponents argue that autonomous agents can dissolve rigid organisational silos, enhance productivity by taking over repetitive and complex tasks, and free human workers to focus on higher-order decision-making. Skeptics warn of ethical, legal and accountability challenges associated with handing over greater autonomy to AI systems, including liability, bias and governance risks.
Japan’s SBI Holdings has announced plans to issue a ¥10 billion onchain bond that will be settled via blockchain technology and offer XRP rewards to eligible retail investors, marking one of the most prominent efforts by a major financial group to merge traditional fixed-income products with digital asset incentives. The offering, branded as SBI START Bonds, will provide a fixed interest rate and use distributed ledger infrastructure […]
www.espetopia.com
