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'Britcoin' digital currency being considered by UK

British authorities are exploring the possibility of creating a new digital currency that Treasury chief Rishi Sunak touted as “Britcoin.” The Bank of England and the Treasury said Monday that they will work together to assess the benefits of a central bank digital currency, at a time when cash payments are generally on the decline, […]

SolarWinds hacking campaign puts Microsoft in the hot seat

The sprawling hacking campaign deemed a grave threat to U.S. national security came to be known as SolarWinds, for the company whose software update was seeded by Russian intelligence agents with malware to penetrate sensitive government and private networks. Yet it was Microsoft whose code the cyber spies persistently abused in the campaign’s second stage, […]

Volvo Cars, DiDi team up for self-driving cars test fleet

Swedish automaker Volvo Cars has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with DiDi Autonomous Driving, the self-driving technology arm of popular ride hailing app DiDi Chuxing to test their self-driving cars test fleet, both companies announced on Monday. According to a joint statement, Volvo Cars will provide DiDi with XC90 cars equipped with necessary backup systems […]

How the Kremlin provides a safe harbor for ransomware

A global epidemic of digital extortion known as ransomware is crippling local governments, hospitals, school districts and businesses by scrambling their data files until they pay up. Law enforcement has been largely powerless to stop it. One big reason: Ransomware rackets are dominated by Russian-speaking cybercriminals who are shielded — and sometimes employed — by […]

Sanctioned Russian IT firm was partner with Microsoft, IBM

The Treasury Department on Thursday slapped six Russian technology companies with sanctions for supporting Kremlin intelligence agencies engaged in “dangerous and disruptive cyber attacks.” But only one of them stands out for its international footprint and partnerships with such IT heavyweights as Microsoft and IBM. That company, Positive Technologies, claims more than 2,000 customers in […]

Consumer confidence hitting record high, but with hangovers left from pandemic

Global consumer confidence soared to record heights in the first quarter of 2021, according to The Conference Board: Global Consumer Confidence Survey, as vaccination campaigns broadened, travel restrictions loosened, and governments and central banks continued to provide robust economic stimulus. These factors are contributing to various geographic regions returning to a “state of normalcy sooner” including increased spending […]

Coinbase soars in market debut, valued near $86 billion

Coinbase made a rousing debut on Wall Street, with shares of the digital currency exchange rising as high as $429, briefly giving it a market value over $100 billion. Coinbase Global Inc.‘s initial public offering happened with cryptocurrency chatter seemingly everywhere, even at the U.S. Federal Reserve. Digital currencies are being incorporated into business plans […]

Mastercard, Geidea team up to bring contactless payments to Saudi Arabia

Global financial services company Mastercard, and Geidea, the largest fintech company in Saudi Arabia by market share, announced earlier this week a strategic partnership agreement to accept Mastercard payments using a Tap-on-Phone solution in Saudi Arabia. Geidea is the first fintech company to roll out contactless payments acceptance technology across the Kingdom, which will enable […]

Japan's Toshiba president steps down amid acquisition talks

The president of Toshiba Corp. stepped down Wednesday, a week after the the Japanese technology and manufacturing giant said it was studying an acquisition proposal from a global fund where he previously worked. Nobuaki Kurumatani tendered his resignation at a board meeting, and the board accepted, effective Wednesday, Tokyo-based Toshiba said in a statement. Kurumatani […]