James Altucher:

Coinbase Says It’s Launching Tokenized Stocks, Predictions Markets for U.S. Users in Coming Months

Coinbase is planning to expand its core trading app beyond crypto, the company said Thursday.

The newly imagined “everything exchange” will include tokenized real-world assets, stocks, derivatives, prediction markets and early-stage token sales. The new offerings will roll out in the next few months, first to U.S. users, followed by a “gradual international rollout based on jurisdictional approvals,” Max Branzburg, vice president of product at Coinbase, told CNBC.

The expansion puts Coinbase in even closer competition with Robinhood, Gemini and Kraken, all of whom have recently opened tokenized equity offerings to users outside the U.S. CEO Brian Armstrong has said he has a goal of making Coinbase the top financial services app within the next decade.

While trading for retail and institutional investors is Coinbase’s core business, the company is in the midst of a big push to amplify consumer engagement through new services, taking advantage of the new pro-crypto policies out of Washington. Two weeks ago, it unveiled the “Base App,” which it aims to make the West’s answer to a WeChat-style super app.

⇒ Read More Here

Davis Wilson:

Nvidia Denies Back-Door Features in Its H20 Chips After Beijing Raises Security Concerns

Nvidia said its chips had no “back doors” after China’s cyberspace regulator interviewed company representatives over alleged security risks associated with its H20 chips, which were tailor-made for Chinese customers, although it remains unclear what impact Beijing’s mistrust of the U.S. firm will have over time.

“Cybersecurity is critically important to us,” an Nvidia representative said in an email to the South China Morning Post on Thursday night. “Nvidia does not have ‘back doors’ in our chips that would give anyone a remote way to access or control them.”

The statement was in response to a regulatory move by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the agency responsible for the country’s cybersecurity.

The Chinese regulator said on Thursday that it had summoned and interviewed Nvidia regarding the potential tracking and remote control functions of its H20 chips, a surprise move as Nvidia had just received the green light from Washington to export the chips to clients in China.

Nvidia’s shares were down 0.8% on Thursday in New York.

⇒ Read More Here

Ray Blanco:

‘Lasers and Submarines’: China’s Plan to Counteract Starlink

Chinese researchers are developing sophisticated military countermeasures to combat Elon Musk's Starlink satellite constellation, including stealth submarines equipped with space-targeting lasers and custom-built attack satellites armed with ion thrusters.

A review of dozens of research papers conducted by the Associated Press has revealed that Chinese teams are actively exploring methods to neutralize the satellite network, with strategies explicitly focused on how to "hunt and destroy" Starlink capabilities.

Beijing views Starlink as a significant security threat due to its close ties with U.S. military intelligence.

"As the United States integrates Starlink technology into military space assets to gain a strategic advantage over its adversaries, other countries increasingly perceive Starlink as a security threat in nuclear, space and cyber domains," wrote professors from China's National University of Defense Technology in a 2023 paper.

Ukraine utilized the network to facilitate communications and power reconnaissance drones, providing decisive advantages against Russian forces.

⇒ Read More Here