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Coinbase to launch CFTC-compliant perpetual futures trading in US

Coinbase to launch CFTC-compliant perpetual futures trading in US

Reuters2 days ago

June 12 (Reuters) - Coinbase (COIN.O), opens new tab plans to launch perpetual futures trading in the United States, with the offering set to comply with regulatory standards outlined by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a top executive at the crypto exchange said on Thursday.
With crypto markets buoyed by hopes of lighter regulation and a renewed risk appetite, exchanges are racing to capitalize on the frenzy by rolling out complex products that were once used primarily by seasoned traders.
"We recently launched first-of-its-kind 24/7 futures trading, and I'm excited to share that we'll soon be launching CFTC-compliant perpetual futures trading in the U.S. as well," Max Branzburg, Coinbase's vice-president of product, said at the State of Crypto Summit in New York.
Perpetual futures are crypto derivatives that allow traders to bet on token prices without an expiry date and offer round-the-clock access and high leverage, making them a popular choice in fast-moving markets.
Investors and traders typically use derivatives to hedge risk, amplify returns, or speculate on price movements without owning the underlying asset.

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Why the Smartest Fintechs Are Scaling with AI Agents – Not Headcount: By David Weinstein
Why the Smartest Fintechs Are Scaling with AI Agents – Not Headcount: By David Weinstein

Finextra

timean hour ago

  • Finextra

Why the Smartest Fintechs Are Scaling with AI Agents – Not Headcount: By David Weinstein

For the better part of a decade, fintech growth has followed a familiar trajectory: secure funding, hire aggressively, and scale fast in pursuit of market traction. It worked. High-performing teams, ambitious roadmaps, and well-capitalised burn rates became the standard operating model for any startup with global aspirations. But that playbook is starting to look outdated. Today's most forward-thinking fintechs are flipping the script. Instead of scaling with people or piecemeal software, today's most advanced fintechs are scaling with context-aware AI infrastructure, enabling autonomous agents to operate with memory, relevance, and the ability to adapt across time. In other words, the smartest fintechs aren't just hiring more people, they're designing for a world of leverage. From Chatbots to Autonomous Operators To be clear, this isn't about adding another chatbot to the support queue or slapping GPT on top of a FAQ. The new generation of AI agents are far more capable. These aren't just reactive tools dropped into workflows - they're embedded, active participants in how work gets done. They're not replacing human judgment, but taking over the repetitive execution that bogs it down. By operating within a structured, evolving knowledge graph, these agents access the right context, perform tasks across systems, and maintain continuity over time so that human operators can stay focused on what matters: discernment, creativity, and strategic direction. Imagine an agent that scans customer interactions across CRM, support, and marketing tools, then identifies churn risks and recommends retention strategies - autonomously. Or a compliance agent that tracks regulatory changes, audits internal data for alignment, and generates draft reports ready for human review. Or a trading operations agent that adjusts portfolio models based on real-time market signals, without needing constant human input. These agents aren't sitting in isolation. They're embedded into workflows, triggering cross-functional processes and reducing the friction that typically builds up between tools, teams, and data. And because they can run 24/7 without fatigue or context switching, they give small teams the operational capacity of much larger ones - without the organisational drag. Asymmetrical Leverage in Action The real unlock here is asymmetry. Traditional scaling is linear: more people, more output. Agent-first scaling is exponential: more intelligence per task, more value per person. For founders and operators, this is a fundamental shift in how work gets done. Take a UK-based neobank that recently rolled out an internal agent stack to manage financial operations. Instead of adding headcount to reconcile transactions, generate audit trails, and update internal dashboards, they deployed agents to handle these tasks end-to-end. 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Investors on edge over Israel-Iran conflict, anti-Trump protests
Investors on edge over Israel-Iran conflict, anti-Trump protests

Reuters

time2 hours ago

  • Reuters

Investors on edge over Israel-Iran conflict, anti-Trump protests

NEW YORK, June 14 (Reuters) - Dual risks kept investors on edge ahead of markets reopening late on Sunday, from heightened prospects of a broad Middle East war to U.S.-wide protests against U.S. President Donald Trump that threatened more domestic chaos. Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday and Saturday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed a swathe of military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran building an atomic weapon. Iran launched retaliatory airstrikes at Israel on Friday night, with explosions heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the country's two biggest cities. On Saturday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli strikes would intensify, while Tehran called off nuclear talks that Washington had held out as the only way to halt the bombing. Israel on Saturday also appeared to have hit Iran's oil and gas industry for the first time, with Iranian state media reporting a blaze at a gas field. The strikes knocked risky assets on Friday, including stocks, lifted oil prices and prompted a rush into safe havens such as gold and the dollar. Meanwhile, protests, organized by the "No Kings" coalition to oppose Trump's policies, were another potential damper on risk sentiment. Hours before those protests began on Saturday, a gunman posing as a police officer opened fire on two Minnesota politicians and their spouses, killing Democratic state assemblywoman Melissa Hortman and her husband. All three major U.S. stock indexes finished in the red on Friday, with the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab dropping 1.14%. Oil and gold (.XAU), opens new tab prices soaring. The dollar rose. Israel and Iran are "not shadowboxing any more," said Matt Gertken, chief geopolitical analyst at BCA Research. "It's an extensive and ongoing attack." "At some point actions by one or the other side will take oil supply off the market" and that could trigger a surge in risk aversion by investors, he added. Any damage to sentiment and the willingness to take risks could curb near-term gains in the S&P 500, which appears to have stalled after rallying from its early April trade war-induced market swoon. The S&P 500 is about 20% above its April low, but has barely moved over the last four weeks. "The overall risk profile from the geopolitical situation is still too high for us to be willing to rush back into the market," said Alex Morris, chief investment officer of F/m Investments in Washington. U.S. stock futures are set to resume trading at 6 p.m. (2200 GMT) on Sunday. With risky assets sinking, investors' expectations for near-term stock market gyrations jumped. The Cboe Volatility Index (.VIX), opens new tab rose 2.8 points to finish at 20.82 on Friday, its highest close in three weeks. The rise in the VIX, often dubbed the Wall Street 'fear gauge,' and volatility futures were "classic signs of increased risk aversion from equity market participants," said Michael Thompson, co-portfolio manager at boutique investment firm Little Harbor Advisors. Thompson said he would be watching near-term volatility futures prices for any rise toward or above the level for futures set to expire months from now. "This would indicate to us that near-term hedging is warranted," he said. The mix of domestic and global tensions is a recipe for more uncertainty and unease across most markets, BCA's Gertken said. "Major social unrest does typically push up volatility somewhat, and adding the Middle Eastern crisis to the mix means it's time to be wary."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in PR shake-up as staff members depart team Sussex
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in PR shake-up as staff members depart team Sussex

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in PR shake-up as staff members depart team Sussex

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have hired a new communications agency as their PR team undergoes a significant shake-up. Harry and Meghan have turned to US-based Method Communications to promote their business and philanthropic endeavours after several members of their team reportedly departed. Kyle Boulia, their Los Angeles-based deputy press secretary, and Charlie Gipson, who had been serving as the couple's European communications director, are among those who are said to have left the couple, the Mail Online reports. Meredith Maines, the chief communications officer to Harry and Meghan, is overseeing the revamp which she said will swell the ranks of the Sussex PR machine from two members of staff to 'an agency support staff of eight'. She said: 'As the duke and duchess's business and philanthropic interests grow, I have made the strategic decision to move toward a more traditional communications structure of specialist agency support, as previously reported in Forbes and PR Week several weeks ago. 'Transitioning from a team of two to an agency support staff of eight, operating across five different time zones, will give international media and stakeholders better access, and critically, faster response times to inquiries.' The couple's business portfolio include Meghan's lifestyle brand As Ever, launched in April this year; their media production company, Archewell Productions; and a multi-project deal with Netflix. Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, announced they were stepping back as working members of the royal family on January 8 2020. The couple have since been at the centre of tensions with other royals, with the duke becoming estranged from his father, the King, and his brother, the Prince of Wales. In a recent television interview, Harry said he 'would love a reconciliation' with the royal family, claiming Charles will not speak to him and expressing concern that he does not know 'how much longer my father has'. In that same BBC interview, Harry complained his loss of a legal challenge over his UK security was a 'stitch-up', adding that he felt 'let down'. Harry and Meghan were told following their departure from the royal family that they would not be able to retain the full-time police protection granted to the royals. The Sussexes would instead receive a 'bespoke' security service, whereby they would be required to give 30 days' notice of any plans to travel to the UK, with each visit being assessed for threat levels and whether protection is needed. Last month, Harry lost his Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK and said, in the TV interview following the decision, he 'can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK'. Earlier this month, the duchess posted a video of herself twerking in a bid to bring on labour while pregnant with Princess Lilibet. In the clip, a heavily pregnant Meghan is shown dancing in a hospital room to the Starrkeisha song Baby Momma, alongside the Duke of Sussex. Meghan posted on her Instagram to celebrate Lili's fourth birthday on Wednesday, writing: 'Four years ago today, this also happened. 'Both of our children were a week past their due dates … so when spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn't work – there was only one thing left to do!' The candid video, which runs for more than a minute, also features Harry, who is seen dancing in and out of the frame. The couple were also noticeably absent from the Trooping the Colour parade on Saturday. It is the third year in a row the Sussexes were not present at the event.

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