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• Foreign investors injected a net $11.51 billion into the bond markets of South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and India in June. • This surge represents the strongest monthly inflow since November 2025, driven by falling oil prices and a booming global tech cycle. • The shift occurred as equity market volatility pushed investors toward the relative safety of sovereign debt and improved regional economic outlooks.

• Ken Research released a strategic analysis on July 16, 2026, projecting that the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence (AI) in marketing market will reach USD 305.35 billion by 2030. • The report highlights a growth trajectory of 28.3%, driven largely by the integration of generative AI and evolving marketing technology ecosystems across the region. • This growth is significant as it outlines critical regional investment priorities and strategic imperatives for businesses aiming to remain competitive in the AI-driven landscape.

• SK Automation secured a significant order valued at RMB 4.5 billion from battery giant CATL, while Lingyun Guang reported a nearly six-fold increase in net profit driven by AI investments. • Xingye Silver & Tin, via its subsidiary Xingye Gold (Hong Kong), acquired a 20% stake in Australian-listed Tartana Minerals Limited (TAT) for approximately A$5.1827 million. • These developments, announced after the market close on July 16, highlight a surge in strategic industrial growth and overseas mineral resource expansion for companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges.

Delay seen as move to protect interests of Matthew Moroun, the owner of nearby Ambassador Bridge and a Trump donorThe Trump administration for months blocked a $4.7bn publicly owned bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, a move critics allege is a quid pro quo for a billionaire Donald Trump donor.A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gordie Howe international bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor was initially scheduled for early June but was abruptly cancelled amid dispute between US and Canadian officials. On 10 July, Canada announced it reached a deal with the US, and the bridge will open on 27 July. Continue reading...

• Nordea reported strong Q2 2026 financial results, with total income exceeding 3 billion. • The bank achieved a 14% year-on-year increase in lending growth, driven by contributions from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. • Growth was supported by strategic investments in AI adoption, a new supply chain financing solution, and upgrades to the markets platform.

• Arizton research indicates the Europe data center colocation market is projected to grow from USD 11.65 billion in 2025 to USD 46.51 billion by 2031. • The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 25.94%, with Western Europe dominating the investment landscape at USD 33.17 billion (71.3% of the total). • Growth is primarily driven by the rising infrastructure demands of AI and cloud workloads, alongside 5G deployment and digitalization efforts.

• IBM experienced its worst stock crash in 58 years, resulting in a $70 billion loss in market value following comments from CEO Arvind Krishna regarding the company's AI shortcomings. • The company reported stagnant growth for the quarter ending in June, with revenue increasing by only one percent to $17.2 billion. • The downturn is attributed to a shift in corporate spending, as businesses prioritized immediate cybersecurity defenses over the long-term projects IBM provides.

• Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek is in talks with investors for a new financing round targeting a pre-investment valuation of approximately US$70 billion. • This follows a landmark Series A round closed in June, which raised about US$7 billion and valued the Hangzhou-based firm at nearly US$60 billion. • The rapid surge in valuation reflects intense investor demand to back a national AI champion amidst a global race for frontier artificial intelligence.

• AI startup DeepSeek is reportedly exploring a massive funding round valued at $71 billion to fuel its growth. • In addition to seeking private investment, the company is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) in China. • This move signals DeepSeek's ambition to scale its operations and compete more aggressively in the global artificial intelligence market.

• AI startup DeepSeek is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) as early as 2026, targeting a valuation of US$71 billion. • The company is currently seeking new funding to expand its computing capacity following a previous US$7 billion financing round. • DeepSeek gained global attention in 2025 by developing a high-performance model that requires fewer computing resources than its competitors.

• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is exploring a new funding round only one month after its first external fundraising effort. • The company has begun preparations for an IPO in mainland China, with a potential filing in late 2026 and a target listing date in 2027. • DeepSeek is targeting a valuation of $70.9 billion to support massive capital requirements for proprietary data centers and in-house AI inference chips.

• Chinese AI developer DeepSeek is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) potentially occurring later this year. • The company is targeting a valuation of approximately $71 billion and is seeking to raise $1.5 billion in capital. • This move represents a major market test for the LLM developer following a period of rapid funding growth.

• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is exploring a new funding round shortly after completing its first external fundraising effort of $7 billion. • The company intends to use the additional capital to expand its AI infrastructure, develop proprietary chips, and further increase its overall valuation. • This aggressive fundraising strategy highlights the intense competition and high capital requirements for scaling advanced AI capabilities.

• DataM Intelligence has released a research report forecasting that the United States network security market will grow to US$ 121.16 billion by 2035. • North America is projected to hold a dominant 41.6% market share by 2025, with significant activity across data center, enterprise, and telecom networks. • The report highlights key growth drivers, competitive dynamics, and CAGR forecasts to help stakeholders understand regional opportunities and revenue performance.

• James ‘Fergie’ Cox Chambers Jr., a member of a billionaire U.S. family, was arrested in Ibiza and is currently imprisoned. • His partner, Stella Schnabel, issued a press release claiming Chambers is a victim of “political persecution” by the Trump administration. • The family alleges the arrest is retaliation for Chambers using his wealth to support Palestine and provide humanitarian aid to those suffering in Gaza.

• Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) invested over $1 billion in Indian equities last week, representing the largest weekly buying streak since June 2025. • Total inflows through July 9 reached $1.3 billion, supplemented by an additional $272 million in provisional purchases on Friday. • Goldman Sachs attributes this surge to a stable Indian rupee and a positive outlook for corporate earnings.

• The global Large Language Models (LLM) market is projected to grow from USD 5.9 billion in 2025 to USD 78.5 billion by 2035, according to research by MarketGenics. • This expansion represents a significant compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.5% over the next decade. • The market surge is primarily driven by the increasing adoption of generative AI, AI agents, and enterprise-level AI integrations.

• Tech funding in Southeast Asia surged to $7.4 billion during the first half of 2026, marking a significant increase in regional investment. • Singapore dominated the landscape, attracting 94% of the total funding, with a single data center firm raising more capital than all other regional companies combined. • This extreme concentration of capital highlights a growing disparity in investment distribution between Singapore and other emerging markets like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

• SentinelOne has developed a cybersecurity platform that is attracting interest from four of the world's largest technology companies. • Cisco is positioned as a primary contender, leveraging a 57.5% year-to-date increase in share price and a strategic restructuring to fund security investments. • While Cisco's security revenue remained flat at $2.01 billion, its networking segment grew by 25%, signaling a push to become critical infrastructure for the AI era.

• Meta has announced plans to build the Hyperion data center supercluster in Richland Parish, Louisiana, with a projected investment exceeding $50 billion. • The facility is designed as a 5GW supercluster, representing a massive scale-up in infrastructure to support the company's growing artificial intelligence capabilities. • This investment underscores the critical need for immense computing power and energy to train and deploy next-generation AI models.

• Water-related spending for European data centers is projected to reach €6.8 billion by 2036, driven primarily by the rapid expansion of AI technologies. • Growth is shifting toward new markets, including Spain, Italy, Poland, and the Nordic countries, each presenting unique regional constraints and opportunities. • This surge in investment is critical as operators must balance the high cooling demands of AI infrastructure with environmental sustainability and water scarcity.

• The biopic "Michael" has officially surpassed $1 billion in worldwide box office earnings as of July 13, 2026. • This milestone makes the film the highest-grossing biopic in Hollywood history, marking a significant commercial achievement. • The success highlights a massive global demand for musical biopics and underscores the enduring legacy of the subject's influence.

• Global cybersecurity spending is projected to reach $240 billion by 2026, according to a new report from IDC. • The rise of AI and post-quantum security is forcing organizations to redefine their cybersecurity framework selections to combat evolving threats. • AI has fundamentally shifted the landscape, with threat actors now using the technology to automate phishing, accelerate vulnerability discovery, and launch model poisoning attacks.

• Big Tech giants including Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, and Oracle issued a combined $159 billion in debt during the first five months of the year to fund expansive AI projects. • According to Bank of America, Big Tech's share of the total US corporate bond market reached a record high of over 8% by the end of May. • This surge in borrowing is driven by the massive capital requirements of AI infrastructure, with SemiAnalysis estimating the AI debt market could swell to $7 trillion by 2029.

• NASA's New Horizons probe has successfully woken up from a nearly year-long hibernation while positioned approximately 6 billion miles away beyond Pluto. • The spacecraft is equipped with advanced scientific instruments that allow for more sensitive measurements of the distant solar system than previous missions. • Project scientist Pontus Brandt notes that the probe's encounter with the termination shock will provide a "treasure trove" of data for physicists studying the solar system's outer boundaries.

• Google and the India SME Forum released a report stating that the adoption of artificial intelligence could unlock over $490 billion in economic value for Indian MSMEs. • The findings indicate that AI has the potential to increase business profitability by 30% to 35% for these enterprises. • Digital tools are already proving effective, with nearly 60% of MSMEs reporting double-digit revenue growth through their implementation.

• Meta is investing approximately $125 billion into AI development, aiming to transform these capabilities into a new cloud-based revenue engine. • CEO Mark Zuckerberg has adopted a realistic stance on the pace of AI progress, acknowledging the gap between the goal of superintelligence and the current development of AI agents. • This strategic transparency is intended to build long-term investor credibility by managing expectations regarding the unpredictable timeline of technical breakthroughs.

• The illegal online gambling market targeting EU consumers reached €91.6 billion in 2025, resulting in a loss of over €22 billion in tax revenue for member states. • Unlike licensed casinos, these illegal operators typically base their activities outside the EU and bypass strict regulations regarding anti-money laundering and responsible gambling. • The surge in unregulated activity poses significant risks to consumers due to a total lack of oversight and safeguards.