Finance news

‘China shock 3.0’ is coming. And it’ll be AI-powered robots

The world’s attention is fixed on frontier artificial intelligence (AI) models, but China’s robot-making factories deserve just as much attention. Chinese e-commerce company JD.com has predicted that robots would ultimately replace its 700,000 delivery workers, while workers at South Korean carmaker Hyundai are threatening strike action over issues including the roll-out of robots. These are early signs of what could be China’s next export shock. The first “China shock” was from its low-cost...

Hong Kong must brace for AI bubble risk and quantum computer threat: HKMA chief

Hong Kong must brace for the emerging risks of an artificial intelligence (AI) bubble bursting and quantum computers capable of hacking encrypted financial systems, the head of the city’s de facto central bank has warned. Eddie Yue Wai-man, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), also said on Sunday that the banking regulator would focus on expanding the internationalisation of the yuan in the next few years. Yue cautioned that the current euphoria surrounding the AI sector..

Chinese AI chip start-up exits stealth mode, bets on 3D stacking to bypass US controls

A Chinese artificial intelligence chip start-up led by industry veteran Wei Shaojun has emerged from stealth mode, joining giants like Huawei Technologies in betting on 3D stacking to bypass US tech export controls. Dongfang Suanxin, a company headed by Wei, who is also vice-president of the China Semiconductor Industry Association, has stepped into the spotlight by launching a corporate website and social media account, positioning itself as a new but formidable player in China’s AI computing..

AI investors shouldn't choose between Wall Street and Asia

Japan's MinebeaMitsumi to boost bearings output for AI data centers

Nobel-winning materials scientist Omar Yaghi joins China’s Tsinghua University from the US

Omar Yaghi, the winner of last year’s Nobel Prize for chemistry, has left the United States to lead a new AI-driven research centre at China’s Tsinghua University. The 61-year-old materials scientist will head a team working on ways artificial intelligence (AI) can transform the design and synthesis of new materials and shorten their development cycle “by orders of magnitude”, Tsinghua said on Friday. Speaking at his appointment ceremony, Yaghi said he hoped to develop materials to tackle major.

AI: “Orchestration” of AI: Way out of the German tech dilemma?

The US blocked access to the most powerful AI models like Anthropic. In Japan, leading AI developers have released Sakana AI - promising independence.

China’s influence on African ports extends to software, automation and AI: study

Chinese firms not only operate, finance or hold stakes in about one third of all ports in Africa, but Beijing now also controls the software, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) tools that run the infrastructure. And that reach extends well beyond the docks, with Beijing financing and operating the road, rail and warehousing networks connected to these ports and other maritime projects across the continent, closely intertwining African trade with China’s own trading systems. These are...

From Macron to Modi, governments are rolling out the red carpet for AI giants

Macron and Modi are courting tech CEOs as France and India seek AI data center investment and cloud infrastructure.

Hong Kong graduates at crossroads as AI takes over entry-level jobs, experts warn

AI’s rapid takeover of entry-level tasks is disrupting Hong Kong’s career ladder, leaving fresh graduates with fewer opportunities to gain practical experience, according to experts. Lam Wai-kong, an employee representative on the Labour Advisory Board, said a growing emphasis on immediate productivity, coupled with a reluctance to invest in graduate training, had also led some employers to bypass local young people in favour of imported workers to fill technical roles. He warned that this trend

China’s ByteDance discovers new scaling law that could sustain AI boom

Researchers at TikTok parent ByteDance have discovered a new scaling law governing how fast artificial intelligence agents can improve by performing real-world tasks, a finding that could help prolong the AI boom just as traditional development methods hit a wall. In a research paper published on Thursday, ByteDance’s Seed AI team revealed that AI agents – autonomous software that executes tasks on a human’s behalf – can double their learning speed every three months by interacting with...

The semis dropped 10–14% in two days and my feed instantly called a recession. I track the cross-asset tape daily and 5 of 6 recession tells pointed the other way, rotation

Two ugly sessions. The whole semi/AI-infra complex, Micron, Sandisk, KLA, Lam, down 10–14%. KLA printed −12% then −11.5%, both on 2x normal volume. That's a real drawdown, I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But the reason I keep a cross-asset dashboard instead of just staring at tickers is for exatly this kind of day. When one group is bleeding, the question that actually pays is: what is everything else doing? A genuine risk-off event has a signature, and it isn't "one sector down." In a real

The hunt for AI's next winners defined the stock market's holiday-shortened week

Wall Street kicked off the third quarter with mixed results after a blockbuster first half for stocks.

AI infrastructure stocks have overtaken the tech hyperscalers in a shift UBS calls ‘extraordinary’

A research team at UBS sees value creation in the artificial intelligence infrastructure sector soaring 600% in the space of four years, compared with just 100% for “hyperscalers.”

A looming AI disappointment and rising yields. Why one research firm is hitting the brakes on U.S. stocks.

In a market dominated by tech stocks, a big test is facing investors in the next 12 months, warns MacroResearchBoard

Don't throw away your shot to speak to an AI Alexander Hamilton at Boston's new finance museum

Nearly a decade after leaving its former home, the Museum of American Finance is opening its new doors to the public.

AI is outpacing the rules, Europe’s top bankers and regulators warn

Europe's top bankers and financial regulators are grappling with how to better regulate AI risks.

AI skills required for 4 out of 10 graduate jobs in China, says recruitment portal

Chinese companies are seeking more fresh university graduates with backgrounds in artificial intelligence this year because widespread use of the technology is making their businesses more efficient, according to a recruitment portal based in Beijing. In the first five months of this year, nearly four out of every 10 job postings targeting fresh graduates were AI-related, compared with nearly three out of 10 in the same period last year, Maimai – a portal with 120 million users in mainland China

Micron was started by a few guys in an Idaho basement. How it rose to be at the center of the AI boom.

Memory chips were once seen as an unglamorous business, but Micron is betting AI will change the game for good.

‘Machine warfare is coming’: US, China urged to address military AI as global rules stall

The head of a top UN security think tank has warned that the international community, along with industry, must pivot to pragmatic dialogue on artificial intelligence (AI) in warfare, as a major global regulatory convention remains unlikely in the short term. “Machine warfare is coming,” said Robin Geiss, director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (Unidir), during a lecture at Tsinghua University in Beijing on Tuesday. He warned that AI was reshaping military operations on

The Tech Download: Amazon’s devices chief Panos Panay on tech giant's AI gadget push

CNBC's Arjun Kharpal sits down Amazon's Panay on the latest episode of The Tech Download podcast.

Duel of technology leaders: China is chasing the USA in the AI ​​race

The example of Zhipu AI shows that China is catching up in the AI ​​race and is pushing ahead with the division of technology. This also has far-reaching consequences for European companies.

Employee training hours in Hong Kong hit 14-year high amid AI push: survey

Average training hours per employee in Hong Kong hit a 14-year high as local companies pushed for technology adoption and workforce upskilling, a new survey released on Friday showed. According to the 2025-26 survey on workforce development needs conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, the average annual training hours per employee reached 19.4 hours in 2025. This represented a 6.8 per cent increase from 18.1 hours in 2024, marking the second consecutive year of growth

Unitree IPO to test valuations as venture capital floods China robotics

Unitree Robotics has secured approval from China’s securities regulator for a Shanghai initial public offering that is poised to set a valuation benchmark for China’s sizzling embodied AI sector. The nod from the China Securities Regulatory Commission came about a month after the Hangzhou-based company cleared a review by the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s listing committee. Unitree is now finalising its underwriting plan, pricing and share subscriptions for a potential debut as early as late...

Fake Dubai prince scam: how AI deepfakes love-bomb victims to steal hearts and money

Maria believed she was romancing a prince from Dubai, captivated by his flirtatious smile and declarations of affection he showered on her during live video calls. But the suitor was an AI deepfake, making her yet another victim of an online romance scam. The case illustrates how fraudsters posing as the real-life crown prince of Dubai ensnare victims by cultivating online relationships before swindling them out of money, with researchers tracing some of the scams to crime syndicates in...

Kuaishou shares jump after Tencent joins $2.8 billion raise for Kling AI subsidiary

Kuaishou shares rose as much as 6.89% at Friday's Hong Kong market open before paring gains to trade around 0.75% higher.

Kuaishou files US$3 billion Kling AI funding round to Hong Kong stock exchange

Chinese short video giant Kuaishou said on Thursday evening that its artificial intelligence video arm, Kling AI, was seeking to raise around US$3 billion in its first external fundraising round, according to a filing to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. The funding round, first reported by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, was backed by a long list of investors, spanning Chinese technology heavyweights, state-backed investment vehicles and entertainment industry participants. Baidu,...

Japan eyes AI-powered comeback in factory robot race with China, Europe

Why Hong Kong firms looking to integrate AI must consider fresh grads

Hong Kong is trapped in a structural economic paradox that threatens both its long-term competitiveness and social stability. Organisations are paralysed by the urgent need for artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, complaining day in and day out that they lack technological talent. An International Data Corporation (IDC) study last year revealed that 55 per cent of Hong Kong companies face significant challenges in implementing AI – higher than the global average of 48 per cent....

GE Vernova's gas turbines aren't the only way it's winning from the AI boom

Electrification secured $2.4 billion in data center equipment orders during the first quarter of 2026, beating the segment's total for all of 2025.