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The World Bank has trimmed its projection for South Asia’s economic expansion in 2026, citing elevated U. S. tariffs on Indian exports as a key drag. The region’s growth is now forecast at 5.8 percent, down from 6.6 percent this year.

The updated “South Asia Development Update” flags the U. S. trade measures as a major headwind, especially given India’s size and its integration into regional supply chains. The report sets India’s growth for fiscal year 2025–26 at 6.5 percent, up from its earlier estimate of 6.3 percent, but warns of a drop to 6.3 percent in 2026–27 as tariff pressures intensify.

The U. S. has imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on a broad swath of Indian goods—impacting sectors such as textiles, gems and jewellery and seafood—affecting nearly $50 billion in exports. These are among the highest duties levied on any U. S. trading partner. The World Bank notes that these tariffs will particularly bite in 2026 as initial buffers from public spending fade.

Franziska Ohnsorge, chief economist for South Asia at the World Bank, asserted that the toll from trade restrictions reflects “a reversal of the gains” India had made in integrating into global value chains. She urged structural adjustments: lowering tariffs and signing free trade agreements to support export competitiveness.

Beyond India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka show varying trajectories. The Bank upgrades forecasts for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, citing easing fiscal strain and improving external balances. Meanwhile, Nepal and the Maldives bear the brunt of tighter global conditions, with their outlooks revised downward.

Policy responses in India are already in motion. The government launched sweeping tax cuts spanning consumer goods to automobiles, one of the largest fiscal interventions in recent years. Concurrently, infrastructure spending is being boosted to drive domestic demand and counterbalance export headwinds. The Reserve Bank of India held its repo rate at 5.50 percent in October, citing subdued inflation and leaving open room for a future cut.

Indian officials remain confident. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called the economy “resilient,” expressing faith it could absorb external shocks while targeting an ambitious 8 percent growth. The Chief Economic Adviser affirmed earlier forecasts of 6.3–6.8 percent GDP growth, downplaying long-term damage from trade friction.

International institutions have also flagged downside risks. The Asian Development Bank cut India’s FY 26 forecast to 6.5 percent from 6.7 percent, pointing to duty pressures and policy uncertainty. The IMF earlier trimmed India’s 2025-26 prediction to 6.2 percent, citing heightened global trade tensions.

The World Bank’s report emphasises that over the medium term, trade liberalisation combined with labour flexibility and investment in digital infrastructure could help South Asia reclaim momentum. Within the document, a scenario of tariff cuts and deeper trade integration is modelled to yield significant gains in productivity, employment, and output per capita.

Still, the path ahead is fraught. The report cautions that the region is vulnerable to a global slowdown, geopolitical shocks and labor market disruptions from artificial intelligence. In particular, it warns that weaker export growth from India will spill over across the region via trade, financial and migrant-worker channels.

Dubai Investments has revealed that its wholly owned subsidiary, Emirates Float Glass, will expand its float-glass manufacturing capacity by launching a second production line that will raise output from 600 tonnes per day to 1,200 tonnes. The upgrade is slated to introduce Ultra Clear low-iron glass—marketed as a first in the MENA region—with advanced automation and energy-efficient systems, and is scheduled for commissioning between late 2027 and early 2028.

Under the plan, the second line will incorporate next-generation process control technology to ensure consistent product quality while curbing energy consumption and lowering the environmental footprint. Dubai Investments emphasises that this aligns with its broader industrial growth strategy and the UAE’s ambitions in high-value manufacturing.

Abdulaziz Bin Yakub Al Serkal, CEO of Dubai Investments’ Industrial Platform, described the move as crucial for strengthening regional competitiveness. He said the introduction of Ultra Clear glass will allow EFG to penetrate premium markets, give clarity advantages over conventional float glass, and support growing demand from architectural, infrastructure and design sectors. The project involves a collaboration with Germany’s HORN Glass Industries, which will supply glass-melting furnaces and associated systems, while local civil-works contractors and international project teams will oversee implementation.

EFG currently operates out of its float plant in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi, where its capacity now stands at 600 tonnes per day. The expansion marks the second phase of investment in the plant. Dubai Investments’ announcement underlines its commitment to scaling up industrial assets and achieving technological differentiation in its manufacturing portfolio.

The expanded capacity is seen as a response to rising demand across the Gulf and broader regional markets, where premium architectural glass is gaining traction, driven by growth in high-rise construction, sustainability mandates and demand for energy-efficient façades. Analysts note that the move helps EFG hedge against rising competition from international glass producers by offering higher-clarity, value-added products.

Fight Fight Fight LLC, the company behind the TRUMP memecoin, has launched a capital-raising campaign of at least $200 million with ambitions that could scale up to $1 billion to establish a dedicated digital asset treasury that would accumulate holdings of the token, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The undertaking is led by Bill Zanker, a long-time promoter and Trump ally, and signifies one of the most aggressive attempts yet to stabilise a creator-driven token through internal backing. The funds would be deployed primarily to purchase TRUMP tokens from the open market, an effort to shore up price and signal confidence in what has become a volatile asset.

TRUMP, launched just before Donald Trump’s second inauguration, operates on the Solana blockchain under two joint issuers—Fight Fight Fight LLC and CIC Digital—together controlling 80 percent of its total supply. The public tranche was released in January 2025, and the token rapidly gained speculative traction before encountering steep declines.

Insiders caution that the fundraising process is ongoing and not guaranteed to succeed in full. They also note that structuring such a treasury around a politically branded memecoin carries substantial market, regulatory and reputational risks.

Cryptocurrency analysts observe that the move is consistent with broader trends in 2025: increasingly, token issuers are creating “treasury models” to backstop flagging price action. Yet few of those are tethered so explicitly to a political figure or narrative, making the TRUMP case unique.

The token’s price trajectory has been volatile. After peaking earlier in the year, it has fallen sharply—losing more than 80 percent of its value from highs—attracting scrutiny about its speculative nature and sustainability. Meanwhile, TRUMP maintains strong social media backing and occasional high-visibility events, such as a dinner hosted by Trump in May for top token holders, which had triggered a notable price bump.

In June, plans were floated by the issuer to launch an “Official Trump Wallet” to facilitate trading and custody, but disputes emerged with World Liberty Financial. Those tensions underscored internal complexity and fragmented control within the broader Trump crypto ecosystem.

Analysts underline that for the treasury plan to have long-term impact, it must go beyond buybacks. Critics argue that stockpiling tokens may serve only short-term price support, lacking sustainable utility or integration into broader infrastructure. There is a risk that concentrated control over token issuance and vesting schedules could invite regulatory scrutiny or undermine confidence among external investors.

Institutional curiosity is emerging: Canary Capital Group has reportedly filed paperwork with U. S. regulators to launch a spot ETF tied to TRUMP. Yet the Securities and Exchange Commission’s cautious posture toward meme coins, and obstacles in listing a futures-based derivative market, could impede progress.

The broader Trump-adjacent crypto strategy has already stretched into multiple verticals. Trump Media & Technology Group announced a $2.5 billion initiative to build a bitcoin treasury, and World Liberty Financial has launched a $1.5 billion self-buy programme in its own token, WLFI. In that case, about half the funding is to be in WLFI itself, with the rest directed to debt settlement and resale.

By Sushil Kutty Rare minerals included lots of ores, this was something we were taught in school and we learned about stone age, copper age and iron age, the last of which remains to this day the most basic of minerals, out of which was born steel and the term steely strength, like in ‘Superman […]

The article Pakistan Is The Dearest To Trump In Asia As Islamabad Exports Rare Earth Minerals appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

More than 70 percent of H-1B visa recipients are citizens of India, underscoring the country’s dominant role in the U. S. skilled-worker pipeline. According to U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data, in fiscal year 2024, India accounted for 71 percent of approved H-1B petitions. China followed distantly with 11.7 percent.

The H-1B visa programme allows U. S. companies to employ foreign nationals in “specialty occupations,” typically requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, over periods of up to six years. The annual statutory cap is 65,000 new visas plus 20,000 reserved for holders of advanced U. S. degrees.

The Indian concentration in the H-1B cohort has persisted over decades, yet its scale is striking under renewed policy pressure. A recent presidential proclamation raised the cost for new H-1B petitions to $100,000—a move critics say targets exactly the cohort with the greatest concentration in India.

Industry analysts warn the fee hike could shrink participation in the programme or push firms to avoid new petitions, particularly when the number of new visas is strictly limited. The policy excludes existing visa holders and those whose petitions were filed before the proclamation.

The Indian government has cautioned that such steep increases in visa costs may have “humanitarian consequences” for workers and families. It has also expressed concern about disruption to bilateral skilled labour mobility and urged U. S. authorities to reconsider the policy in light of its broader economic implications.

Indian IT firms such as Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys have historically been among the top sponsors of H-1B workers. But recent years have seen U. S. tech firms like Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta increasingly dominate the list of petitioners, reflecting evolving dynamics in who hires global talent.

Critics of the visa fee hike argue that Congress—not the executive branch—retains authority to impose fees and that the move could contravene statutory limits on visa allocation. A coalition of industry groups, unions and educational organisations has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the policy’s legality.

Supporters of the change frame it as a measure to prioritise domestic wage levels and reduce abuse of the H-1B system by contractors hiring at low rates. They contend the increased barrier will press firms to invest more in U. S.-based workforce development, though critics counter that American companies rely heavily on foreign technical talent to stay globally competitive.

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust has overtaken all other funds in its suite to become its most profitable exchange-traded product, generating approximately $244 million in fee revenue over the past year, analysts estimate. Its assets under management are approaching the $100 billion mark, driven by massive capital inflows into the spot Bitcoin ETF space.

IBIT has pulled in surging investor interest, with around $970 million flowing into it in a single trading session — the largest share of the $1.2 billion that U. S. spot Bitcoin ETFs collectively attracted that day. The fund now sits about $2.2 billion short of the $100 billion milestone, a level it is on track to cross more rapidly than any ETF in history.

That speed is notable: IBIT has amassed nearly $98–$100 billion in under 435 days, compared to Vanguard’s flagship S&P 500 ETF, which required over 2,000 days to reach the same threshold. This acceleration reflects investor appetite for regulated, exchange-traded access to digital assets.

BlackRock’s fee structure — currently 0.25% of AUM on IBIT — means that each incremental inflow directly boosts revenue. Analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart have identified IBIT as now bringing in more income than long-established heavyweights in BlackRock’s portfolio, such as the iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF and iShares MSCI EAFE ETF.

The inflow pattern underscores a broader shift. Since the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission authorised spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024, the category has seen multiple single-day inflows exceeding $1 billion. In several past instances, such inflow spikes have coincided with short-term peaks in Bitcoin’s price, raising questions among market watchers whether these are signs of a turning point.

Bitcoin itself has responded: it pushed past $125,000 this month, buoyed by demand for regulated crypto exposure and safe-haven demand amid macroeconomic pressures. This run-up in price further amplifies IBIT’s appeal, because asset growth happens both through net inflows and valuation gains on its holdings.

BlackRock is also deepening its Bitcoin product strategy. It has filed to create a Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, which would generate yield by selling covered call options on Bitcoin futures — a move aimed at appealing to yield-focused investors seeking regulated crypto exposure. BlackRock has avoided entering the altcoin ETF arena for now, focusing its efforts on Bitcoin-linked products where regulatory clarity is more established.

Still, the meteoric rise of IBIT carries risks. Fee compression remains a structural challenge across the ETF industry, and competitors are poised to launch rival crypto products. The volatility inherent in Bitcoin could reverse gains sharply. Moreover, regulatory shifts — whether through tax treatment, disclosure mandates, or limits on crypto exposure — could reshuffle the competitive landscape.

Edgecore Networks will reveal its latest open infrastructure solutions at the OCP Global Summit in San Jose and GITEX Global in Dubai, with demonstrations of next-generation AI, networking, and compute platforms designed to ease deployment and boost performance.

The Taiwanese firm plans four flagship showcases: new Tomahawk 6–based data centre switches, a proof-of-concept for co-packaged optics, its Nexvec™ turnkey AI solution, and an upgraded Nous infrastructure controller offering composable compute management. The exhibitions will take place during the week of 13 October: at the OCP Summit from 13–16 October and at GITEX from 13–17 October.

Edgecore emphasises that the Tomahawk 6 switches can deliver more than 100 Tbps of bandwidth, supporting AI cluster demands with low latency and high density. The company adds that its CPO concept demonstrates integration of optical elements directly into switch silicon, reducing power and footprint. Its Nexvec™ offering is a pre-validated stack combining open networking with GPU compute, while Nous enables dynamic allocation of GPU, memory and compute resources.

Mingshou Liu, President of Edgecore, is quoted as saying that as AI workloads accelerate, simplifying deployment is crucial, and that the firm seeks to lead in the open infrastructure community with turnkey and scalable offerings.

Edgecore’s push comes at a time when hyperscale data centre operators are under pressure to manage burgeoning AI compute demands without ballooning costs or power draws. Industry trends point to co-packaged optics, disaggregated architectures, and composable resource frameworks as priorities for the next wave of infrastructure evolution. At the OCP Summit, the AI HW/SW co-design and open systems tracks will explore modular compute, memory architectures and photonic interconnects for AI clusters.

In parallel, GITEX Global has become a high-stakes stage for showcasing AI infrastructure, especially in the UAE’s drive to scale AI capabilities and attract global tech investment. With over 45 editions, the event draws global vendors and governments presenting AI, semiconductors, networking, and startup innovation. Edgecore’s presence signals its intention to engage key markets in the Middle East, where data centre growth, AI deployment, and regional cloud expansion are strong levers.

Edgecore is not alone in spotlighting AI infrastructure at these events. Major networking suppliers, chip vendors, and cloud players are expected to present competing solutions, particularly around optical integration, disaggregation, and hardware-software co-design. Observers will closely track how well Edgecore’s offerings stack up in power efficiency, interoperability, and ease of deployment.

Within its broader strategic frame, Edgecore continues to emphasise open, standards-based infrastructure. Its public messaging highlights disaggregated networking, composable compute, and software-defined manageability. The timing of product demonstrations at both OCP and GITEX gives the company a dual audience of deeply technical integrators and regional enterprise buyers.

At the OCP Summit, Edgecore’s participation also coincides with evolving community priorities—AI, sustainability, modular compute, and photonics interconnect are central tracks. During the event, Edgecore’s representative Tim Zhou will present on simplifying large-scale “agentic AI” deployments in a session scheduled for 16 October.][5])

A dramatic wave of forced liquidations has swept the crypto derivatives market, with around $160 million in long positions closed automatically in just 60 minutes. The event underscores the fragility of leverage-driven trading in volatile markets.

Data from major derivatives platforms points to sudden upward swings in key assets—chiefly Bitcoin and Ethereum—as the trigger. When prices move sharply against leveraged long positions, margin protocols step in to liquidate them to prevent further losses, compounding price moves in the process.

According to platform-level monitors, the lion’s share of the liquidation volume was concentrated in large longs on Bitcoin, with estimates suggesting individual trades as big as $8–10 million being liquidated in one go. Ethereum longs also saw heavy hits, as speculators betting on further upside were forced out. Metrics such as open interest and funding rate imbalances spiked just before the cascade, signalling a regime shift in market sentiment.

Insiders point to a cluster of cascading margin calls amplified by tight funding conditions. Some hedge funds and high-leverage retail positions lacked sufficient buffers against rapid price swings. As each liquidation pushes prices further, it creates a feedback loop that forces more delinquencies. Traders on social media flagged what they called “liquidation cascades” targeting illiquid zones and stop-loss clusters—areas where multiple orders are programmed to execute in close proximity.

Several trading desks observed that for every $1 million in liquidation, the price impact was amplified by slippage and widened spreads, particularly on derivatives contracts with low depth. One senior derivatives strategist remarked that the aggressiveness and sudden clustering of these liquidations suggest algorithmic triggers—bots scanning for vulnerable clusters and executing en masse.

The timing aligned with fresh macro data that hinted at stronger-than-expected economic indicators, which lifted risk appetite broadly and boosted crypto flows. Simultaneously, institutional participants monitored rising retail inflow indicators—such as large deposits moving on-chain into exchanges—which can foretell directional stress. With leverage high and positions tightly wound, the market was primed for this flush.

This is not the first time such mass liquidations have occurred. In mid-September, more than $149 million of crypto positions were liquidated within an hour, nearly all from longs, with a top single order of $9 million on a leading platform. That event and the current one both reflect how fragile leveraged markets are when macro sentiment shifts sharply.

Market watchers are parsing whether this is a short-term squeeze preparatory move or part of a deeper regime change. Some argue it clears out weak hands and sets the stage for fresh momentum. Others warn that forced liquidations may just be the start of a larger reversal, as residual leverage and alignment of hedge-fund strategies make markets prone to repeat stress.

On-chain and order-book signals are under scrutiny. Rising Token flows from wallets to exchanges, shifts in funding curves, and concentrated seller clustering in spot markets might shape the near-term path. Some algorithms already have “sniffers” for these stress events built in; in days following a liquidation cascade, trading volumes and volatility tend to stay elevated.

ASUS has confirmed that it will spotlight a broad suite of AI-enabled products and infrastructure at GITEX Global 2025, framing its participation around the theme “Ubiquitous AI. Incredible Possibilities.” The corporation aims to demonstrate how artificial intelligence can permeate devices, enterprise systems and urban environments.

The company’s exhibit will cover four core domains: AI-first design, cloud integration, sustainability and education technology. On the hardware front, ASUS plans to showcase the B5405 ergonomic laptop, the P5405 with a 47 TOPS NPU, and the B9403 weighing under 1 kg with all-day battery life. Chromebook models such as the CX5403 Plus and Windows devices like the BR1204 will cater to education users.

In its infrastructure tier, ASUS will highlight its AI POD, HGX servers and the Ascent GX10 platform powered by the NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell superchip. Workspace innovation will include compact offerings such as the NUC 15 Pro and NUC 14 Pro AI. On the edge side, embedded systems for smart cities and autonomous systems—such as the PE2200U, PE6000G, and PE2100N—are also in the lineup.

ASUS emphasises the role of partnership in its vision. It plans to accentuate cooperation with NVIDIA via its “Enterprise AI Factory” programme, which supports AI-ready racks and POD designs tuned for large language models and immersive workloads. The company will also underline measures in security, durability and ease of maintenance across its product line.

Tolga Özdil, Regional SYS Commercial Director for META at ASUS, remarked that the Middle East is positioned at a digital inflection point, with AI shaping institutional and economic evolution. He framed GITEX as a platform to bring the company’s latest innovations into conversation with regional stakeholders. ASUS’s Regional Director for Middle East & Africa, Senic Chiu, added that the event offers opportunity to show how intelligent tools can reshape industries and daily life.

ASUS’s timing comes against the backdrop of an intensifying global push for AI infrastructure. GITEX 2025 is expected to draw more than 6,800 tech firms and 2,000 startups from 180 countries. Key event themes include advancements in quantum, biotech, data centres and robotics.

Beyond individual exhibitors, the show underscores the rapid expansion of the global AI economy. According to organisers, investment in data centres alone is forecast to surpass US$500 billion in 2025. Meanwhile, GITEX’s startup track, Expand North Star, will run in parallel and feature over 1,200 investors managing US$1.1 trillion in assets.

ASUS’s introduction of its AI roadmap at this scale signals that device manufacturers are no longer content to remain at the periphery of the AI stack. As more process layers—from silicon to application—are exposed to AI optimisation, hardware firms are positioning themselves to own more of the value chain. However, challenges remain: power efficiency, thermal constraints, ethical AI integration and data security are frontlines ASUS must navigate.

MetaMask is rolling out a new on-chain rewards programme that will allocate more than $30 million worth of LINEA tokens during its first season, offering “special benefits” to long-time users and bridging the move with the launch of its own token.

The wallet’s parent, Consensys, confirmed over the weekend that this initiative is not merely a farming scheme but a dedicated rewards system aimed at recognising consistent user engagement. The rewards package will include referral bonuses, incentives denominated in mUSD, exclusive partner rewards, and early token access. MetaMask emphasised that the campaign is built to reward habitual on-chain activity, not speculative intervention.

LINEA, the native token of Consensys’ Layer 2 network, was launched in September via a token generation event distributing roughly 9.4 billion tokens. By tying the MetaMask rewards system to LINEA, the firm aims to channel wallet activity toward its own roll-up infrastructure. The rewards plan positions MetaMask not just as an interface but as an active participant in building the Layer 2 ecosystem.

Joseph Lubin, CEO of Consensys and co-founder of Ethereum, described the rewards drive as a step toward redefining the MetaMask experience. He stated that the programme is a “genuine method of regularly giving back to our community” and stressed that long-time users—whom the team terms “OGs”—will receive priority consideration. This linkage is also viewed as a precursor to the upcoming MetaMask token, tentatively known as MASK, which Lubin first publicly referenced in September.

The broader strategy links three core components: MetaMask’s wallet, the mUSD stablecoin, and the LINEA network. The mUSD token, issued by Bridge, reportedly has a circulating supply of nearly $88 million. Participation in the rewards scheme is expected to stimulate usage across these components: swapping, bridging, stakes, and portfolio activity within MetaMask.

While the announcement lays out the broad contours of the rewards campaign, it leaves critical details unspecified. MetaMask has not yet revealed eligibility criteria by jurisdiction, and no clear anti-Sybil or bot-prevention measures have been announced. The absence of such safeguards has drawn scrutiny from observers concerned about gaming of reward systems.

Community reaction on X has been mixed. Some users welcomed the move as a long-awaited monetisation of loyalty, while others questioned whether the structure might favour larger holders or those in jurisdictions with favourable access. Some pointed to past programs in the crypto space that allowed special participants to disproportionately benefit.