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In a move that could reshape the enterprise AI landscape on both sides of the Atlantic, Canadian AI firm Cohere is merging with German startup Aleph Alpha. Both companies focus on AI tools for businesses and governments in regulated industries, and together they're positioning themselves as a serious alternative to American AI giants for clients who need data sovereignty and compliance built in from the start.
Meanwhile, Brazil is drawing a hard line around prediction markets. The country's Finance Ministry has blocked platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, citing investor protection concerns and a growing gambling addiction crisis. It's a significant moment for the industry, which has been expanding rapidly, and it signals that governments worldwide are increasingly unwilling to let these platforms operate without scrutiny.
And on the crypto side, Tether has frozen three hundred forty four million dollars in USDT, a move tied to US Treasury efforts to cut off financial access for the Iranian regime. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent framed it as part of a broader campaign to choke off what he called all financial lifelines for the government in Tehran, underscoring how stablecoins have become a new front in geopolitical finance.
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