A recent study found that a third of Americans are planning to invest in high-risk, speculative assets this year as a method for financial planning. The Northwestern Mutual Planning & Progress Study, which was released in full Wednesday, found that 39 percent of Americans said they are currently investing or will consider investing in cryptocurrency,… Source link
By Utkarsh Shetti, Suzanne McGee, Arasu Kannagi Basil and Isla Binnie March 30 (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Monday issued a long-awaited proposed rule to open up retirement plans to alternative assets, paving the way for private equity and cryptocurrencies to be added to 401(k) accounts. The measure, announced by the U.S. Department of Labor, is intended to ease longstanding barriers to incorporating these less liquid and less transparent assets into American retirement plans. It follows an executive order from President Donald Trump last summer and could clear the way for alternative asset management firms to tap a large new source of capital. Industry groups have argued private market investments can enhance long-term returns and diversification for retirement savers, while skeptics warn higher fees, complexity and limited liquidity could limit those gains and pose risks for retail investors. Some private market funds that are already available to wealthier individual investors have shown signs of strain in recent months. Private credit funds known as business development companies have seen a wave of withdrawals. ‘MINDFUL OF …
Moscow has also taken satellite photographs of a U.S.-U.K. joint military facility in the Indian Ocean, as well as Kuwait International Airport and parts of the infrastructure of the Greater Burgan oil field, Zelenskyy wrote, citing a daily intelligence update. Russia also shared pictures of several bases and oilfields in Turkey and Qatar, he added. The Kremlin has denied sharing intelligence. Zelenskyy’s charges echo those of the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, who last week accused Russia of supplying Iran with intelligence that has helped Tehran target U.S. military assets in the Middle East. Russia’s support of Iran shows why Europe needs to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin with respect to the war in Ukraine, Kallas said. Zelenskyy had harsh words for the U.S.’s move to partially lift sanctions against Russia. The U.S. is providing a one-month waiver on sanctions to countries buying Russian oil as a measure to counter the economic impact of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. “Sanctions are being lifted, while the aggressor is providing intelligence to strike facilities, including …
Distinctive Assets — the L.A.-based entertainment marketing company founded by Lash Fary and credited for hosting the official Grammy Awards backstage gifting lounge — makes sure that there are no sore losers at the end of awards season. The company distributes “Everyone Wins” nominee gift bags to 25 lucky nominees from the acting and directing categories (though the effort is not affiliated with the Academy in any way), including stars like Michael B. Jordan, Timothee Chalamet, Emma Stone, Jessie Buckley, Teyana Taylor, Rose Byrne, Elle Fanning, Jacob Elordi and more. The gifts are “in no way based on need,” Fary is quick to point out, adding that they simply want to add a little pizzazz to the times. “We are acknowledging these amazing nominees while elevating and showcasing small businesses, minority-owned brands, female entrepreneurs and companies that give back at a time when everyone can use a little more fun and frivolity,” said Fary. That “fun” is estimated at around $350,000 in value as the bags are filled with a variety of luxe vacations, pricey products and …
Two major technological advances—AI and quantum computing—are the impetus for significant innovation across industries. Unfortunately, the cybercriminal ecosystem is no different. Cybercriminals’ experimentation with AI, the threat quantum computing poses to encrypted data, and the rapid adoption of digitized value are resulting in massive changes, says Ian Rogers, chief experience officer at Ledger, a provider of secure signer platforms. “We have lived through the ‘once in humanity’ digitization of all information, and now we are living through the ‘once in humanity’ digitization of all value,” he says. “And I would say, we may all have a bit of whiplash from the internet, but you ain’t seen nothing yet.” The ubiquity of AI and continuing advances in quantum computing will transform the security landscape and change what companies and users need to safeguard their digital assets. Quantum computing poses challenges for the cryptocurrency ecosystem, especially for those areas not updated to use post-quantum cryptography, while AI lowers the barriers to creating synthetic identities and convincing fake information. “We have lived through the ‘once in humanity’ digitization …
Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands will send naval assets to protect Cyprus in the coming days, Rome’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament on Thursday. A British Royal Air Force base on the island on Monday was targeted by an unmanned Iranian-made drone as part of the US and Israeli air war against Tehran. The French military also said it would allow US aircraft on some of its bases in the Middle East during the conflict, adding that they “contribute to the protection of our partners in the Gulf”. Read moreLive: France will allow US aircraft to access some of its Mideast bases Spain will send its most advanced frigate to protect Cyprus after a drone strike on a British base on the Mediterranean island sucked it into the Middle East war, the Spanish defence ministry said. Spain has come under intense US pressure for refusing to allow Washington to use its bases. Read moreSpain’s Sanchez defies Trump trade threat, compares Iran war to ‘Russian roulette’ The “Cristobal Colon” will join French aircraft carrier …
Listen to this article | 4 mins info The United Kingdom is deploying a warship and helicopters to Cyprus, the British government has said, as global concern continues to mount over the fallout from deadly US-Israel attacks on Iran and retaliatory Iranian strikes across the region. The UK’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that it was sending the HMS Dragon to the eastern Mediterranean along with two Wildcat helicopters “to bolster drone defence for our Cypriot partners”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list One of the Royal Navy’s six Type-45 air defence destroyers, the HMS Dragon is fitted with a Sea Viper missile system able to launch eight missiles in under 10 seconds and guide up to 16 missiles simultaneously, the ministry said in a statement. In a social media post announcing the deployment, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the country was “fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there”. “We will always act in the interest of the UK and our allies,” he wrote on X. Later …
Listen to this article | 5 mins info More explosions have been heard across the Gulf states as Iran carries out attacks in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel that killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials. The explosions were heard for a second day on Sunday morning in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates; Bahrain’s capital, Manama; and Qatar’s capital, Doha, raising fears of a wider conflict in a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in an otherwise turbulent Middle East. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Witnesses in Doha reported hearing several loud bangs and seeing thick black smoke rising on the clear morning horizon in the south of the city. Shortly after, another wave of explosions reverberated through Dubai, a regional business hub. Puffs of white smoke from missile interceptions were seen in the city’s skies, while billows of dark smoke rose over its port of Jebel Ali, one of the busiest in the Middle East. Explosions were also reported in Manama, …
NEW YORK/LONDON, Feb 6 : Bitcoin climbed back above $70,000 on Friday, after sinking to a 16‑month low earlier, lifted by a sharp rebound in technology shares and precious metals following a global rout that had hammered a broad swathe of risk assets. The world’s largest cryptocurrency was last up more than 11 per cent at $70,231, rising as high as $71,464.96 and recouping losses that pushed it to $60,017.60, the lowest level since October 24, earlier on. Bitcoin posted its largest one-day gain since March 2023, but was down roughly 8 per cent this week. “It feels like a day of consolidation for risk assets that have been under pressure this week,” said Shaun Osborne, chief currency strategist at Scotiabank in Toronto. The digital currency market has struggled for months since a record crash last October sent bitcoin tumbling from an all-time peak and investor sentiment toward these assets has cooled. Friday’s low was its weakest level since early October 2024. That was just before bitcoin’s rally accelerated as Donald Trump closed in on …
Luxury items seized ahead of an auction titled ‘Hidden Treasures of Paris,’ at the Palais de Justice in Paris, November 21, 2024. ALAIN JOCARD / AFP French authorities seized more than €1.4 billion in criminal assets in 2025, a jump of 11% from the previous year, underscoring both the scale of organized crime and the expanding role of the agency tasked with stripping criminals of their wealth. Figures released by AGRASC, the agency that manages and recovers these seized and confiscated assets, show that €212 million was ultimately confiscated. Of that sum, €145 million went into the state’s general budget, €47 million to the interministerial body in charge of tackling drugs and addictive behavior, and €27 million to victim compensation funds – a 144% surge compared with 2024. The results do not only reflect the growing clout of AGRASC, created in 2011 to manage and sell assets seized during criminal investigations. They also highlight the financial firepower of offenders and the “essential role” the agency now plays against organized crime, which Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin …
