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A prediction market investor banked more than $400,000 by wagering on the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro shortly before U. S. forces captured him, thrusting opaque online betting platforms into the spotlight and renewing debate over insider trading and regulatory oversight. The anonymous trader placed significant bets on Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market, in the days leading up to the dramatic U. S. intervention in Venezuela’s […]

JPMorgan Chase has played down claims that stablecoins pose a systemic threat to the banking sector, diverging from warnings issued by banking trade groups that argue the growth of yield-bearing digital tokens could drain deposits and undermine credit creation across the United States. The debate intensified after the American Bankers Association sent a letter to the U. S. Senate cautioning that certain stablecoins, particularly those offering interest […]

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has warned that decentralised stablecoins, long promoted as a trust-minimised alternative to fiat-backed tokens, continue to suffer from deep structural weaknesses that have yet to be resolved. His assessment underscores persistent concerns around price benchmarks, oracle security and incentive design, at a time when stablecoins are becoming more central to crypto markets and policy debates. Buterin’s comments centre on the challenge of maintaining […]

Senate Republicans are accelerating plans to bring a sweeping cryptocurrency bill to a vote, betting that momentum and industry pressure can overcome lingering Democratic reservations even as bipartisan talks remain unsettled. The move was confirmed late on Friday by the chair of the Senate Banking Committee, who said the panel would press ahead with scheduling despite parallel efforts by the Senate Agriculture Committee to refine a cross-party […]

Robinhood Markets has set out plans to build an Ethereum layer-2 network as part of a broader push to deepen its role in crypto trading, tokenised equities and on-chain yield products, arguing that anchoring the project to Ethereum’s security is central to winning user trust and regulatory confidence. The brokerage, best known for commission-free equity trading, says the layer-2 is designed to handle higher transaction volumes at […]

Federal regulators have approved a major expansion of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network, clearing the company to deploy up to 7,500 additional second-generation spacecraft and lifting the authorised constellation to about 15,000 satellites, a decision that deepens the company’s lead in the fast-growing satellite broadband market while tightening safeguards around orbital congestion and interference. The Federal Communications Commission’s order allows SpaceX to activate the first tranche of its […]

  Changpeng Zhao, the former chief executive of Binance, has drawn attention to what he describes as a widening divide in the Bitcoin market, with large United States banks and institutional players accumulating the cryptocurrency while many retail investors sell amid price volatility and regulatory uncertainty. His remarks, circulated widely across market circles, have intensified debate about whether another structural shift is under way in the digital […]

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By Nitya Chakraborty U.S. commerce secretary Howard Lutnick’s stunning podcast on Thursday claiming that the bilateral India-US trade deal was almost ready but was not signed as Prime Minister did not call the U.S. President Donald Trump as was expected by the Americans. This lack of proper gesture on the part of the Indian PM […]

The article Modi Mustn’t Rush To Appease Trump On Trade Deal, Explore Options appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

  Polygon Labs has rolled out a new financial infrastructure initiative branded the Open Money Stack, positioning it as a foundational layer for what the company describes as the next stage in the evolution of Polygon’s blockchain ecosystem. Announced on January 8, the framework is designed to bring together payments, decentralised finance and tokenised assets into a unified, open system aimed at both developers and institutions seeking […]

African policymakers and market operators are accelerating efforts to deepen trade within the continent by leaning on digital payment systems that promise faster settlements, lower costs and broader access for businesses of all sizes. The push comes as governments and private players seek to convert the African Continental Free Trade Area from a legal framework into a functioning commercial ecosystem that moves goods, services and capital more […]

President Donald Trump pressed executives from major oil companies on Friday to commit at least $100 billion of private capital to rebuild Venezuela’s depleted oil industry, but several leaders voiced deep reservations about the risks and structural barriers to doing business in the South American country. The meeting, held in the East Room of the White House and attended by representatives from ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and other […]

RAKBANK has secured in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE to issue a dirham-backed stablecoin, marking a significant step in the country’s effort to anchor digital finance within a regulated banking framework. The approval places the Ras Al Khaimah-based lender among a widening circle of UAE financial institutions seeking to deploy tokenised money for payments, settlements and treasury use as demand accelerates across regional and […]

Bank of New York Mellon has outlined plans to offer tokenised deposit accounts to institutional clients, marking a significant step by the world’s largest custodial bank into blockchain-based settlement infrastructure. The initiative is designed to mirror traditional deposit balances on a private blockchain, allowing large investors to move cash and securities with greater speed while remaining within the perimeter of regulated banking. BNY said the proposed structure […]

Crypto exchange OKX has cut a significant portion of staff from its institutional business as part of a wider global restructuring, people familiar with the matter said, marking one of the most substantial internal overhauls at the company since it began expanding beyond retail trading. According to one source with knowledge of the changes, roughly one-third of the institutional sales team has exited, either through redundancies or […]

Riyadh is moving to sideline Abu Dhabi’s influence in Yemen as strains deepen between the two Gulf neighbours, according to people familiar with the matter, marking a sharper turn in a rivalry that has simmered alongside years of cooperation. The push centres on bringing armed factions backed by the Emirates under Saudi control while reshaping the balance of power along vital shipping lanes stretching from the Red […]

Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company occupies a pivotal place in the UAE’s insurance sector, combining longevity with scale as it navigates a market shaped by regulatory tightening, rising claims costs and growing demand for specialised cover. Founded in 1972 and headquartered in the capital, the company was the first insurer licensed in the emirate, a distinction that continues to inform its market stature more than five decades […]

Donald Trump has said he will not grant a presidential pardon to Sam Bankman-Fried, the former chief executive of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, making clear that the disgraced entrepreneur will continue to serve his prison sentence if Trump returns to the White House. Speaking in an interview, Trump dismissed speculation that he might intervene on behalf of Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years in federal […]

Binance has revised how it presents proof of reserves data, changing the display to show a clearer one-to-one backing of customer balances after incorporating platform-held assets and liabilities into its calculations. The update addresses long-running questions from users, analysts and regulators about how reserve ratios are derived and whether headline figures accurately reflect the exchange’s ability to meet withdrawals under stress. The crypto exchange said the revised […]

China’s consumer prices climbed at their fastest pace in nearly three years in December while factory-gate deflation eased, adding to evidence that price pressures are stabilising even as demand remains uneven across the economy.

China prices show firmer momentum

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed annual consumer price inflation accelerating to its strongest level since early 2022, driven by higher food costs and a gradual recovery in some service categories. At the same time, producer prices fell at a slower pace, marking a further moderation in factory-gate deflation that has weighed on corporate margins for much of the past year.

The figures offer a nuanced picture for policymakers in Beijing. Households have faced prolonged price weakness amid a sluggish property sector and cautious consumer spending, while manufacturers have struggled with excess capacity and weak external demand. December’s readings suggest those deflationary forces may be losing intensity, though not disappearing altogether.

Food prices were a key driver of the headline consumer inflation increase. Pork prices rose on a low base after earlier declines, while seasonal demand pushed up costs for fresh vegetables and other staples. Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy components, also edged higher, pointing to tentative improvement in underlying demand rather than a one-off spike.

Economists noted that service prices, including travel and leisure, showed firmer momentum as domestic tourism and entertainment spending improved toward the year-end. However, discretionary retail categories remained mixed, reflecting ongoing household caution and the lingering impact of earlier job-market softness.

On the production side, the producer price index stayed in negative territory but posted a smaller year-on-year decline than in previous months. The easing was linked to stabilising commodity prices, modest improvement in industrial demand and policy efforts to curb destructive price competition in sectors facing overcapacity. Heavy industries such as steel and chemicals continued to face pressure, while technology manufacturing showed more resilience.

The data come as authorities seek to balance growth support with financial stability. The government has rolled out targeted fiscal measures, including infrastructure spending and tax relief for smaller firms, while encouraging banks to channel credit toward advanced manufacturing and green industries. Monetary policy has remained accommodative, with the central bank signalling readiness to fine-tune liquidity conditions if deflation risks persist.

Officials at the People’s Bank of China have repeatedly stressed the need to avoid both deflation and excessive stimulus that could inflate asset bubbles. The December inflation readings strengthen the argument that incremental measures are gaining traction, though the pace of recovery remains modest by historical standards.

Market reaction to the data was measured. Equity investors focused on the prospect of improving corporate pricing power, while bond yields remained anchored by expectations that policy support would continue. Currency markets showed little volatility, reflecting the broader view that China’s recovery will be gradual rather than abrupt.

Structural factors continue to shape the inflation outlook. Demographic changes, a high household savings rate and productivity gains have all contributed to subdued price growth over the past decade. Analysts argue that reversing entrenched deflationary expectations will require sustained income growth and clearer signals of confidence in the labour market.

At the same time, external factors could influence the trajectory. Global energy prices have been volatile, and geopolitical tensions have the potential to disrupt supply chains. Any renewed surge in commodity costs would feed into producer prices first, with a lagged effect on consumers.

  President Donald Trump has unveiled a proposal to bar large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes from 2026, framing the move as a bid to ease housing affordability pressures and tilt the market back towards owner-occupiers. The announcement, delivered during a campaign-style address, triggered immediate market reactions and reopened a contentious debate over the role of corporate capital in the US housing market. Under the plan […]

  Discord has taken a decisive step towards becoming a publicly traded company, confidentially filing paperwork for an initial public offering that could come as early as March and valuing the platform at about $15 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The move places one of the world’s most influential online communities at the centre of a tentative revival in technology listings after a prolonged […]

SharpLink has moved $170 million worth of Ether into restaking arrangements on Linea, using Anchorage Digital as its custody and staking partner, signalling a calculated effort to extract yield from a growing corporate Ethereum treasury while leaning on regulated infrastructure to manage risk. The deployment represents a defined slice of SharpLink’s wider Ethereum holdings, which the company has disclosed at about $2.7 billion in value. By placing […]

Investment to expand robotics research and development, strengthen production readiness, and advance Primech Holdings’ facilities management operations

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 January 2026 – Primech Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: PMEC), a technology-driven facilities services and robotics company, today announced a $4.0 million strategic investment from WELLE Environmental Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE: 300190), reinforcing Primech’s acceleration into autonomous robotics, AI-powered cleaning systems, and scaled global facilities operations.

The investment highlights growing market confidence in Primech Holdings’ long-term growth strategy and its expanding role at the intersection of autonomous robotics and technology-enabled facilities services. Leveraging the deep operational expertise of its facilities services subsidiary, Primech A&P Pte. Ltd., alongside its robotics subsidiary, Primech AI Pte. Ltd., the capital will support accelerated robotics development, enhanced production capabilities, and the continued commercialization of Hytron, Primech’s flagship autonomous restroom cleaning robot.

“This investment validates the momentum we are building across autonomous robotics and intelligent facilities operations,” said Ken Ho, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Primech Holdings. “Partnering with WELLE strengthens our ability to scale faster, deploy more broadly, and execute on the growing demand for AI-powered automation in real-world environments. We are entering 2026 with a clear strategy, strong execution capabilities, and the capital to accelerate growth across international markets.”

Proceeds from the investment are expected to be deployed to expand robotics research, development, and production capacity, strengthen operational and manufacturing readiness, and support broader deployment of Hytron across commercial environments. The investment will also bolster working capital to support the continued expansion of Primech Holdings’ core facilities management business.

The transaction further deepens the strategic alignment between Primech Holdings and WELLE, building on their previously announced cooperation initiatives in robotics and intelligent operations. By combining Primech’s autonomous robotics platform and facilities expertise with WELLE’s environmental technology footprint and operational scale, the collaboration is positioned to accelerate intelligent automation and sustainable infrastructure solutions across industrial and commercial markets.

Additional details regarding the investment are included in Primech Holdings’ Form 6-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 6, 2026.

Hashtag: #Primech

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About WELLE Environmental Group Co., Ltd.

WELLE Environmental Group Co., Ltd. (300190.SZ) is a technologically advanced enterprise specializing in energy conservation and environmental protection. With strong core technical capabilities and continuous innovation, WELLE operates across environmental governance and bioenergy sectors, including food waste and kitchen waste resource utilization, high-concentration wastewater treatment, biogas and biomethane development, and biofuel production. With extensive project experience and diversified application scenarios, WELLE is committed to promoting energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and circular resource utilization.

About Primech AI

Primech AI is a leading robotics company dedicated to pushing the boundaries of innovation in technology. With a team of passionate individuals and a commitment to collaboration, Primech AI is poised to revolutionize the robotics industry with groundbreaking solutions that make a meaningful impact on society. For more information, visit .

About Primech Holdings Limited
Headquartered in Singapore, Primech Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: PMEC) is a leading provider of comprehensive technology-driven facilities services, predominantly serving both public and private sectors throughout Singapore. Primech Holdings offers an extensive range of services tailored to meet the complex demands of its diverse clientele. Services include advanced general facility maintenance services, specialized cleaning solutions such as marble polishing and facade cleaning, meticulous stewarding services, and targeted cleaning services for offices and homes. Known for its commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology, Primech Holdings integrates eco-friendly practices and smart technology solutions to enhance operational efficiency and client satisfaction. This strategic approach positions Primech Holdings as a leader in the industry and a proactive contributor to advancing industry standards and practices in Singapore and beyond. For more information, visit .

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, for example, statements about completing the acquisition, anticipated revenues, growth, and expansion. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are also based on assumptions regarding the Company’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure that such expectations will be correct. The Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has intensified pressure on the Federal Reserve to expand interest rate reductions as policymakers and markets grapple with divergent views on the path of monetary policy. Bessent has framed his stance around concerns that ongoing high borrowing costs are weighing on key sectors of the economy and that more aggressive rate cuts are necessary to support growth and stability, a perspective that […]

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