All posts tagged: Ripple

Payments startup Flutterwave hits .2B valuation, backed by Ripple

Payments startup Flutterwave hits $3.2B valuation, backed by Ripple

African payments infrastructure company Flutterwave announced Tuesday a Series E round that values the company at $3.2 billion. This round, notably, includes an equity investment from payments blockchain company Ripple. The company did not reveal the size of this round, although Flutterwave says it has now raised more than $500 million in funding to date. Ripple’s stake is part of a plan to help both companies expand financial services on the African continent. Cross-border payments, the industry in which Flutterwave primarily operates, remain challenging in Africa due to fragmented banking systems, strict foreign exchange policies, currency volatility, and the routing of transactions through European cities like London, which causes delays.  Progress is being made, however, with companies like Flutterwave offering solutions in API unification, which refers to helping Africa operate as one market. Earlier this year, the fintech also bought the African banking startup Mono to adopt its API technology. And in October 2025, it introduced stablecoin solutions for businesses in partnership with Polygon Labs, which will let transactions bypass traditional banking systems for, the …

‘Ripple of fear’ among households over Iran war price surge | Money News

‘Ripple of fear’ among households over Iran war price surge | Money News

The Middle East conflict has prompted a major shift in UK household spending intentions as a “ripple of fear” has taken hold, according to a respected measure of consumer confidence. The monthly reading taken by data specialist GfK showed a leap in the number of those hoarding cash and avoiding big spending commitments as rising global energy prices put pressure on already squeezed budgets. The survey noted a six percentage point decline in confidence about the economy over the next 12 months amid warnings the war will deliver price hikes across a growing number of goods and services in the coming months. Money latest: Businesses hit by war-linked energy spike Food is tipped to soon strongly reflect the hike in essential bills, following on from the fuel price shock witnessed within days of US-Israeli strikes on Iran. There have also been forecasts the energy price cap will follow fixed rate deals up from July when it is first able to reflect the horrific oil and natural gas prices prompted by the war. The latest market …

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, regional trade disruptions could ripple across the globe

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, regional trade disruptions could ripple across the globe

A navy vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, on March 1, 2026. SAHAR AL ATTAR/AFP Just hours after the joint United States-Israeli attacks on Iran started on February 28, maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf froze. With ports closed and ships seeking shelter, the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran announced it has taken control of on Wednesday, March 4, has become blocked, bringing all regional trade to a standstill. The consulting firm Bernstein, echoed by Dow Jones, forecast disruption to deliveries and auto sales across the Middle East, one of the most important markets for Chinese automakers such as Chery, SAIC Motor and Great Wall Motor. French agricultural exports, including grain, wine and liqueurs, could also be affected. In addition to hydrocarbons, 27% of global ammonia exports, 22% of phosphates and 45% of sulfur – essential raw materials for fertilizer production – are exported from the Gulf region aboard bulk carrier ships. Within this region, trade relies almost entirely on sea access, due to a lack of road and rail infrastructure. Since the start of …

Elementary School Choir Sings the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple,” “Box of Rain,” “Brokedown Palace” & More: RIP Bob Weir

Elementary School Choir Sings the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple,” “Box of Rain,” “Brokedown Palace” & More: RIP Bob Weir

?si=euaFB6jMJ_TPxRmf Down in Austin, Texas, music teacher Gavin Tabone leads the Bar­ton Hills Choir, made up of 3rd- through 6th-grade stu­dents. Backed by pro­fes­sion­al musi­cians, the choir per­forms a wide-rang­ing mix of music, from clas­sic pop and rock to indie songs by artists like Wilco, Muse, The Flam­ing Lips, and espe­cial­ly the Grate­ful Dead. Above and below, you can find per­for­mances of such Dead clas­sics as “Rip­ple,” “Box of Rain” and “Going Down the Road Feel­ing Bad” → “I Know You Rid­er.” And if you head to their YouTube chan­nel, you can find ver­sions of “Cas­sidy,” “Touch of Grey,” “Scar­let Bego­nias,” “Broke­down Palace,” and more. With the pass­ing of Bob Weir this week­end, it seems like a fit­ting time to high­light these per­for­mances. Weir first joined the Dead when only a teenag­er, still basi­cal­ly a kid him­self, and then con­tin­ued the jour­ney for the next 60 years, intro­duc­ing the Dead­’s song­book to suc­ces­sive gen­er­a­tions of fans. In recent years, he talked about the Dead song­book endur­ing for the next 200 to 300 years, much as Beethoven …

The Positive Ripple Effects of Keystone Habits

The Positive Ripple Effects of Keystone Habits

Two years ago, I was eating a lot of grilled cheese. I wasn’t exercising. I was drinking somewhat regularly. Bad habits wove into more bad habits. Then, my doctor told me I was overweight and had high cholesterol levels. Habits can be sneaky. One day of grilled cheese does not immediately cause high cholesterol or obesity. It doesn’t make or break us to have one off day. But the sinister part of habits is the cumulative effects of our daily choices. Bad habits plus bad habits get us further and further off center and can ultimately lead to worse physical and mental health, but these impacts sneak up on us. We don’t notice them right away. Then, when we do start to notice the impacts of our cumulative habits, it can feel insurmountable to change our habits and get back on track. Keystone Habits Charles Duhigg brought the concept of keystone habits into mainstream consciousness with his book The Power of Habit. Keystone habits are small behaviors that have chain reactions, ripple effects that can …