Russia’s recent messaging crackdown is the cleanest real-world stress test of decentralization in years, and it produced an awkward result. Roskomnadzor began throttling Telegram on Feb. 10, citing “non-compliance.” Two days later, authorities fully blocked WhatsApp, removing its domains from Russia’s national registry and forcing users toward VPNs or MAX, a state-backed messenger that critics
Key Takeaways Gold and precious metals have validated long-term investment strategies as their prices rise. Precious metals mining stocks are currently undervalued despite recent gains in their profits. Gold and silver prices are expected to continue rising, not reverting to previous lower levels. Inflationary monetary policies are prompting a shift from dollars to hard assets.
Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure firm owned by Stripe, said Tuesday it has received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to form a national trust bank. The charter would let Bridge National Trust Bank issue stablecoins, custody digital assets and manage reserves under direct federal oversight. It’s the latest
Federal Reserve Board member Michael Barr made important statements regarding monetary policy, the inflation outlook, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy. Barr stated that AI investments, in particular, were “extremely indifferent” to the Fed’s interest rate targets, adding that the wave of technology-driven investment was proceeding largely independently of the current monetary
U.S. stocks are trading lower at midday Feb. 17, 2026, as artificial intelligence (AI) jitters weigh on tech giants, pulling down the Nasdaq and S&P 500 while the Dow shows relative resilience. S&P 500 Tests Support as AI Volatility Pressures Wall Street U.S. equity markets are trading with a defensive tone on Tuesday, extending last
Tether said Tether Gold XAU₮ has reached a milestone for the gold industry, becoming the first publicly listed gold company structure to offer shareholders the option to receive dividends in tokenized gold. Elemental Royalty Corporation announced that investors can elect to receive dividends denominated in XAU₮ rather than cash, linking traditional royalty payouts directly to
Amazon, the e-commerce and cloud computing giant, has shed roughly $450 billion in market value since early February during a losing streak that could match the company’s longest run of daily declines on record. Should the stock close lower, it would mark a tenth consecutive negative session, matching a streak last seen in 1997. The