Disruptiv Newsletter: OpenAI 🤖 Meta 📱Crypto 💰 and more

Welcome to the Disruptiv newsletter! You're about to get this week's top tech and innovation insight that we saw this week. Enjoy! [disruptivflow-header] Hello FlowBankers Welcome to the Disruptiv newsletter! A weekly aggregate of relevant tech-focused quick takes. Saturday 27th January, 2024 [Start trading](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqFl2-ZVTW6N1vHY6lZ3mmVnRQP04vBNfgW5nBRdG8xd1VGW1m24yk88MB9RW6bcWc06VRfgCW5H-Y3P2FLkC5W6096xl2rPXtKW3vCCG39b30FjW1R_Y108KS8TJW9fwxjd4_3N7yW18Hppz5nvdG4W4_ddvT6Xp1CSN5xf4n0T4VfkW4BPNjX2RWSDrW5282Ks3jvWnZVSc22b6RRYV8Tp5PK5G47hbW3RVMLX1fPJJYW6yytWF56ZklxW5Ll3Pd1JXFkyW8xgMpg3TvMGgVF8T4b3c6pdtW5Wc6zN2fDyRLf8XMpPC04) FlowBank tech articles 📚 Bitcoin ETFs: The New Opportunity [shutterstock_2327473803](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqDM2-ZVTW5BW0B06lZ3kzN7xw_wrSt9smW4vF83D1YPWdWW55bdJ63lRmjSW2Y2Wg-90RWJxVfB_mJ6svKfGVNt96y3dgRKGW7Z2wyG7DtN4QW6tYS073G35LdW2zp67v1BsX9nW3Xnxd72sygJ3N3hWnZTMQdrSN2M0c32GgpQtN2HTvNlWt8_9W6WXBlr4yt0RkW3bWC8J5bXxHpW7W6ggq8GJjB7W50vQlZ6jzsYrN3f3jPt94wdDf52mMBg04) Finally, a cash Bitcoin ETF has been approved by the SEC but what does it mean for the adoption and price of cryptocurrencies? [Read me](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqDM2-ZVTW5BW0B06lZ3mDW29f15Y2y8KntW859b2b19jfL4W9m407f5HX7ZpW16QQG16PY75LW543GV48kwZKNW8NMNZj2p3ghvVFjc0J9f4M7RN3FyQRrbPRl5W1Pv2k15sb2QCW1YMSMC4sV-HWW25lHl62Jz3tPW2DT07-4zjyWSW5pSkN-6ByWYBN3-NnHJhxWNmW2NlYws3k9C8-W7Ch3JB7c6NH3W5fC6mt3ClJpKW6wW17D4nZh2tf4jM_Dq04) Big Technology 🍎 - Oklo, supported by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is leading a tech industry shift towards nuclear power to sustain the energy-intensive AI sector. This initiative aims to develop compact nuclear reactors for powering data centers and communities, despite facing regulatory hurdles. The move is part of a wider trend, with tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon investing in nuclear energy as a clean, reliable source to meet the growing demands of AI and technology development. - The EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) now enforces regulations aimed at major tech companies, targeting anti-competitive practices and enhancing competition. It identifies giants like Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and ByteDance as "gatekeepers," necessitating platform adjustments for fairer competition. Key mandates include offering alternative search engines and interoperable messaging services, with Apple recently fined nearly $2 billion for App Store violations. The act brings significant changes for EU citizens, promising more choice in apps, search engines, and messaging platforms, despite some tech firms' implementations being criticized for complexity. - Meta is developing a large AI model aimed at powering its entire video ecosystem, including TikTok-like Reels and traditional videos across all platforms, as announced by Tom Alison, the head of Facebook, at Morgan Stanley's tech conference in San Francisco. This initiative is a key part of Meta's technology roadmap through 2026, highlighting the company's extensive investment in Nvidia GPUs to support its AI systems. This move marks a shift from using separate models for different products to a unified AI recommendation model that could enhance user engagement and content relevance. VC + Startups 🎯 - Wobble Genomics, a University of Edinburgh spin-out whose novel approach to RNA sequencing could revolutionise many fields in biotechnology, has raised €9.9 million to help commercialise its technology. The funding round was led by Mercia Ventures and BGF - - Zama, an open-source cryptography company building state-of-the-art FHE solutions to protect privacy in blockchain and AI, today announced a €67 million Series A round led by Multicoin Capital and Protocol Labs, with participation from Metaplanet, Blockchange Ventures, VSquared, and Stake Capital. - Kurs Orbital, an Italian spacetech startup, has raised €3.7 million in seed funding to bring its innovative solutions to the in-orbit services and logistics market. The round was led by leading European DeepTech VC firm OTB Ventures, and joined by (in alphabetical order): Credo Ventures, Galaxia (the Italian National Technology Transfer Hub for Aerospace of CDP Venture Capital together with Obloo Ventures and the regional co-investment fund Piemonte Next. Crypto 👾 - Bitcoin ETFs from BlackRock and Fidelity have exceeded expectations, with $8.5 billion in net inflows in less than two months. These ETFs are now rivaling gold ETFs and have become some of the most actively traded funds, with over $6 billion in volume on Tuesday. MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor believes ETFs have opened up new opportunities for mainstream investors. - Ethereum reached its highest price since the end of 2021, surpassing $3,800. The cryptocurrency's positive momentum is fueled by the anticipation of the Dencun upgrade, which aims to reduce transaction costs and improve scalability. Staked Ethereum has also seen a significant increase, reaching over $116 billion. Law and regulation 🕵️ - Worldcoin has been banned in Spain for up to three months due to concerns over insufficient information, data collection from minors, and the inability to withdraw consent. The Spanish data protection agency has ordered the project to cease collecting and processing personal data. Worldcoin claims that the actions of the Spanish regulator are limited to Spain and not the broader EU. - Sony, the maker of PlayStation, has filed a patent application for "super-fungible tokens" in games. These tokens would be stored on a distributed ledger and allow players to transfer in-game assets to other players. While the patent does not specify whether it would be a private or public ledger, Sony's interest in NFT adoption could be a significant development for the blockchain gaming industry. Disruptiv Figure 📊 Tourism's Road to Recovery: Nearing Pre-Pandemic Levels After enduring the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the global tourism industry is on the brink of a comeback, with optimism surging as the sector inches closer to pre-pandemic activity. The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer reports that by the end of 2023, international tourist arrivals rebounded to 88% of their levels before the pandemic, marking significant progress with an estimated 1.3 billion travelers worldwide. This resurgence has been buoyed by China's reopening and increased travel demand, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, which saw a substantial rise in tourists compared to the previous year. Despite economic challenges and geopolitical uncertainties, the UNWTO forecasts a full recovery of international tourism by the end of 2024, highlighting the sector's resilience and potential for growth following the worst downturn in its history. Source: Statista [Screenshot 2024-03-08 093133] [INSTAGRAM](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqDM2-ZVTW5BW0B06lZ3phW1_QR789dVllcW88tZKJ1R-1R6W8rZkwB6c0W3TN3Lrxx7ZtgZkW1JHv771T6CJ7W2bqfXb5Zky_mW28qwQ9688Y1XW4WRQ011nQlW-W4W9SBr6BqwVMW2M69T72cFm5rW1Mj3b35cKp5PW11mfmf1fp4c2W9c7mLS4WvhTWW1wrQ3l7bNST_VXMVjD6b3PWtW5cL3Hm83tDsbN1yssWJr2xXXN7fvmbZtRsfWf8_C0v-04)Highlights Click [here](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqDM2-ZVTW5BW0B06lZ3ptW4qX9fv6-fsrDVHy8RJ47r163W2PmczV8jrDGbW5QZ9BJ8kBtk_W1KQFPT5gX4JDW2HRsMT78XryLW5j3hg-17tpmkW1z5S8Z6f9D64W76y0D02LTjW1W1x1d6K1L5G9HW8wfxyN4ZrnPqW5mQbnx2V7y10W2k0bc67Cg3JjW6YSsB37hYX8ZW2t4bpD86QGBvW57JtyG1KVss0W1LcMYy1fK4z5N1ysH7-yGRqWdykjFR04)to see our page. [ambass] Don't forget to... [Start trading](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqFl2-ZVTW6N1vHY6lZ3p0Mn1nlWzlGN9N3FQ2DGLJbzSW56vnGz4vs0-2W71BS1X89rdLtVt3b3j3nDLd7N5DddTvGfqLBW6jqFvd4wJYhCW1gyHPW8vmWTJW3jrJbf7vvdThVYbTPF8tslrDN2PhSDjhldmDN2qdQ3LVPhjfW4htXT_2PqSlHW1hkXXQ1s5T4ZW7sfSRj8WD31lW3F_JHB4Y3S1-W8gCycD7W4JW2W67J0Yt71_12zN7MBRvl_hP0yW4-7yYh20k944W3XVtpM3zKkkBW79Pl1Q92m9zKf7Bfr1604) [logoflowbank-tagline] [Contact us](mailto:research@flowbank.com) [Facebook](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqDM2-ZVTW5BW0B06lZ3ngW160RKf8jWg_pN2t25MTKZv_NW6gpNb02bPDvxW8yPzJr59rb95W6j2HJT82MzjQW3spqH-6_xP_wW12JYkT1sc4jmW3T4xB364Y4v9W4Fq4698F6l3mW4qLJy_6fBKkFW8nqjK25lz8kQW6rMS7Q37j5BBW2PhYg83QjqFHW2s-fxS89LmsXW4-XcWw276YhjW3K3hRJ4tPbdxM1M29KjNLD4W7-RMN86NHSvRdl80y204) [LinkedIn](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqDM2-ZVTW5BW0B06lZ3lcW8VQcqW5G2vGQW6zxxKY1tRvb-N3-vNNq32tqkW5HY9_T3t9ZqbN7nP0wtHsYfkW2XJP0P3MZ10tN4_qstNhtf5-W7LPgMh84zYCZN5HXJMNsV8CGW2B1zNb5QwMnFW3WSrV511SsVnW1-F_vz9b4BHWV2q1MS1_SsKJW42CnWY4-LWzNW6WX8lf148hV_VX315q62lJz8W44C4D422G0pCW6SN1by3lrvx4f55svnW04) [X](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqDs2-ZVTW50kgx26lZ3mvW8WSH_h5Ydw6JW7CfVtF2d547hW6GDR0h11MDxBW3Kttdb15rnhVW4P7cb75CJ9f5W1xF11m8Rj0LmN6GNkjFBkd2MW5h_xBZ6qHHgmW6-Xjjb58lvPbV5W5sR1_NpRlW4_21Dw8HY5CHW6pQ4CJ4nkjrdW3WHS7x7zxjCkW3shpmP4hwHsPW4CjQJQ7nPMpfW8x0gG2791Wwlf2Strmv04) [Instagram](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqDM2-ZVTW5BW0B06lZ3p3W6mF8Jv11NPmsW7P6qWh2QYljpN5ddqyf9y_DKW4YyQb15dq9msN431v7djZhslW2YRxb56Q5b-kW4mchGm1v676PW2KsXRQ4gRvpNW5zTGYb1qx1tqW2CxWt-2dzTH9W7Pf4nb1YyqHLM1k048-QKFQW6dWVRY71j8T6W8hmsyN7hB72XW5WJ3J12yZ1dcV_T1D431gW61W35j6Ck5mjnJtW8MgCY11TTbgTdzQN0n04) [Facebook](113/cXx8Z04/VWfVNp4FRftRW3bSyC815Y1_vW2ZRfP15brKV5N3ypqDM2-ZVTW5BW0B06lZ3n0N4Ypvky8b7hvW48GD4p7ZZ9XxW2YgSwQ3M6Q5TW4dwPkS5hhlCSW7GLtcF8Xf3CjW1xsSp98vRX4KN2_Ml9mQpGvFVlhNp3596_d5W4ZZyM08cKXjLVJxHz43wdMnGW59Rlkf8Y0FPhW4HyKqQ2hkyygW4Y6pD11FVxQfW33zgRy8jyyw8W5ftcb76rq1kwVrjwGh8q0GKTW6p7CR49hjZWLW6mBW0X9dhS8Sf5xCQdd04) FlowBank SA, Esplanade de Pont-Rouge 9, P.O. Box 1303, 1211 Geneva 26, Switzerland, +41 (0) 22 888 60 00 [Unsubscribe]( [Manage preferences](