Mech-Mind begins operations in Xiong’an New Area
Specialist in AI robotics moves to China´s Hebei province.
Can Asia save the London Stock Exchange’s IPO blushes
Is the London Stock Exchange the adult in the corner of the room? Time will tell, but one thing for sure, it´s not a given.
First halal investment app launches in Australia
The app, developed by Hejaz, aims to provide Australia’s growing Muslim community with convenient and simple access to a broad range of Shariah-compliant financial products and services.
Pakistan backs climate tech startups
The Pakistan government is supporting climate-tech startups with a $50m fund. The Climaventures initiative is led by the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP). The money will be used to provide technical help, grants and equity to those startups involved in the climate tech industry. It is hoped that the project will increase private sector investment … Read more
Pudu launches new semi-humanoid robot
Pudu Robotics has unveiled its latest service robot. The PUDU D7 is the company’s first general embodied intelligent semi-humanoid robot. The company, which is based in Shenzhen, China, says the robot represents a significant advancement in the company’s mission to develop cutting-edge solutions that address persistent operational challenges faced by businesses worldwide. In May of … Read more
IT outage rocks the world
Australia was the first in line as the latest global IT outage brought systems to a grinding halt. At about 9am Sydney time on Friday, it all kicked off, with transport, healthcare, media, and healthcare systems taking the brunt. Airlines had to cancel flights, TV screens went blank, hospitals were paralysed, and doctors were unable … Read more
Low-cost artificial ‘muscles’ developed for safer, softer robots
Stand aside Arnold Schwarzenegger, a new kid is in town ready to flex his muscles. Engineers have developed a low-cost artificial actuator that moves by expanding and contracting just like a human muscle. The breakthrough from a team at Northwestern University means that low-cost, simplified soft actuators enable worm-like crawling and bicep-like lifting. The researchers … Read more
BaaS on the rise
A new study projects a substantial rise in global revenue generated by Banking-as-a-Service(BaaS) platforms. The report, from Juniper Research, anticipates a 158% growth in revenue stemming from account/card issuing and transaction fees, catapulting figures from $36.4 billion in the current year to an estimated $94 billion by 2028. This surge is primarily attributed to the … Read more
FM61 boosts Morocco’s startup ecosystem
In a move to boost Morocco’s startup ecosystem, the Mohammed VI Investment Fund (FM6I) has unveiled plans to establish dedicated “startup funds” in collaboration with key governmental and financial institutions. Announced in Rabat, it signals a pivotal moment in the nation’s efforts to foster a vibrant startup culture with global impact. Teaming up with the … Read more
ORA Tech raises US$1.5m
ORA Technologies has bagged seed-funding worth US$1.5m. Money from for the Moroccan-based super-app came from locally-based entrepreneurs. It will use the money to expand. ORA’s mobile app offers P2P transactions, e-commerce, on-demand services, chat functionality, social networking and a future digital wallet. It was founded last year by CEO Omar Alami. Last November ORA raised … Read more
Global fintech funding almost halves
The total capital invested into fintech globally has almost halved. It reached $51.2bn in 2023, a decrease of 48% compared to 2022, when total investment amounted to $99 billion. The 2023 spend was spread across 3,973 deals compared to 6,397 deals in 2022. The US received the most investment in 2023, bringing in over $24bn … Read more
Global transaction value processed via soft POS to reach $11.8bn by 2028
The global transaction value processed via soft POS will reach $11.8bn by 2028, up from $1 billion in 2023. Major growth drivers will be driven by Apple’s launch of Tap to Pay, coupled with soft POS’ low cost of acceptance, which will lead to significant small business adoption. Soft POS allows NFC‑enabled smartphones or tablets … Read more
Stop, in the name of the (law) robot, or I’ll shoot!
Put a foot wrong in San Francisco and you might find yourself on the wrong end of a gun, pointed by a robot. The Californian city has made global headlines by giving its police robots permission to shoot and potentially kill suspects. The City’s Board of Supervisors has approved a new policy which lays out … Read more
SmartProf raises seed
Online tutoring marketplace for school-aged students SmartProf has raised USD110,000 in a seed-round backed by Plug and Play, UM6P Ventures and some angel investors.
Start-Up Nation Central hosts UM6P
Start-Up Nation Central and Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) have got together to promote greater partnership between the innovation ecosystems in both countries. A delegation from UM6P has just visited Start-Up Nation Central, a non-profit that promotes the Israeli innovation ecosystem around the world. The delegation’s visit follows the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that the … Read more