Japanese Yen : Recovery against US Dollar faces resistance near 158.30 – UOB

Finance  Japanese Yen : Recovery against US Dollar faces resistance near 158.30 – UOB  UOB strategists Quek Ser Leang and Lee Sue Ann note USD/JPY remains underpinned after a volatile session that saw a spike to 157.76 and a brief drop to 157.04 before closing at 157.61. Intraday, the pair could edge higher but is expected to stay below 157.95. Over 1–3 weeks, any further recovery should meet significant resistance around 158.30, with strong support now at 156.70.  Dollar Yen recovery momentum moderates  “24-HOUR VIEW: Two days ago, USD rose and closed 0.33% higher at 157.16. Yesterday, when USD was at 157.30, we indicated that ”the rapid increase in upward momentum suggests USD could rise further to 157.65.“ We also indicated that ”a break above this level is not ruled out, but the major resistance at 157.95 is likely out of reach.“ We added, ”to sustain the build-up in momentum, USD must hold above 157.00 (with minor support at 157.15).“ While our view was not wrong, the price movements did not quite turn out as expected, as after rising to 157.76, USD plunged sharply, but briefly, to 157.04, and then rebounded to close at 157.61 (+0.29%). While there has been no further increase in

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TON AI smart contracts: Acton toolchain for faster builds

Tech  TON AI smart contracts: Acton toolchain for faster builds  TON AI smart contracts may have just become a lot less tedious. Pavel Durov has unveiled TON Cores new AI-powered toolchain, Acton, pitching it as a way to cut through the manual work of blockchain development and speed up the process dramatically.  The launch date is already set: Acton went live on May 8, 2026. Its promise is simple and ambitious at the same time — help developers turn templates into working blockchain logic faster, with TON saying the tool can make smart contract development 10 times faster.  That claim will grab attention on its own. However, the bigger story is what TON is trying to do here: make developer experience a selling point in a crowded blockchain race where speed, ease of use, and onboarding matter almost as much as the chain itself.  TON launches Acton to speed up smart contract work  Durov‘s announcement puts Acton at the center of TON’s push to make building on the network easier for developers.  Acton is described as an AI-powered toolchain from TON Core, and its core function is to automate the transformation of smart contract templates into autonomous agents. Instead of requiring developers to write large amounts of

05-13

Brent Crude Rises On Supply Risks, Says Commerzbank

Tech  Brent Crude Rises On Supply Risks, Says Commerzbank  Analysts at Commerzbank have noted that Brent crude oil prices are currently being supported by heightened supply risks, according to a recent market commentary. The assessment points to a combination of geopolitical tensions and production uncertainties that are contributing to upward pressure on the benchmark.  Factors Behind the Supply Risk Assessment  Commerzbank‘s analysis focuses on several key factors that are tightening the global oil supply outlook. These include ongoing disruptions in key producing regions, potential sanctions impacts, and voluntary production cuts by major exporters. The bank’s commodities research team emphasizes that while demand-side concerns remain, the immediate price driver is the supply side.  The assessment comes amid a period of relative volatility in energy markets, where traders are weighing the risk of supply shortfalls against a global economic backdrop that could dampen consumption. Commerzbanks view aligns with a broader market sentiment that the balance of risks is tilted toward higher prices in the near term.  Implications for the Energy Market  The supply risk premium is not a new phenomenon, but its current prominence reflects specific events. Recent geopolitical developments have raised the possibility of further disruptions to crude flows from the Middle East and other key export routes.

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Bank of Montreal sells truck and trailer financing business to Stonepeak for C$14.5B

Tech  Bank of Montreal sells truck and trailer financing business to Stonepeak for C$14.5B  The Bank of Montreal is parting ways with its truck, trailer, and equipment financing business in a C$14.5 billion cash deal with Stonepeak, the New York-based infrastructure investment firm. BMO announced the sale on May 11, 2026, from both New York and Toronto. The deal covers BMOs Transportation Finance and Vendor Finance businesses. BMO will retain a 19.9% minority stake post-close.  The transaction is structured as an all-cash acquisition at approximately C$14.5 billion. Financing for the acquisition is being led by PGIM, the investment management arm of Prudential Financial, which is handling the asset-based financing component. Bank of America is serving as the lead arranger on the deal. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approvals. BMO is the eighth-largest bank in North America by assets.  Stonepeak manages over $58 billion in assets under management as of early 2026 and has been expanding its portfolio in the infrastructure sector.  By selling these units for C$14.5 billion in cash, BMO frees up capital that can be redeployed into higher-priority areas. The retained 19.9% stake is structured just below the 20% threshold that would typically require

05-13

Tether’s Paolo Ardoino Makes Case for Small On-Device Translation Models

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has turned the spotlight on a very different corner of artificial intelligence: translation that happens entirely on-device, without sending sensitive text to the cloud.  In a recent post, Ardoino framed the issue around privacy, speed, and practicality. His point was simple enough, but it touches a problem that millions of users encounter every day. When someone translates a medical note, a private message, a legal contract, or even a personal journal entry through a cloud service, that text leaves the device and enters someone elses infrastructure.  In many cases, users do not fully know where the data goes, how long it is retained, or who may be able to access it. Ardoino argued that this is not just a theoretical concern, but a real one, especially in use cases where confidentiality matters.  According to Ardoino, the answer is not to rely on larger and larger general-purpose AI models. Instead, he argued that translation is one of those jobs where small, dedicated models can beat “Goliath.”  In his view, if the task is translating one language into another, there is no need to use a massive model that can also write poems, summarize articles, and perform a dozen unrelated tasks. For

05-13

XRP Healthcare Enables XRP & RLUSD Swaps for XRPHAI Ecosystem

Tech  XRP Healthcare Enables XRP & RLUSD Swaps for XRPHAI Ecosystem  XRP Healthcare has to its XRPHAI ecosystem by enabling direct swaps in XRP and RLUSD through the XRPH Wallet, strengthening its push to connect blockchain infrastructure with practical healthcare use cases.  This new activation enables eligible users across the global XRP community to seamlessly swap XRP or RLUSD for XRPHAI directly within the XRPH Wallet, unlocking access to XRP Healthcares expanding AI-driven healthcare ecosystem on the XRP Ledger.  Unlike many crypto reward models that rely on passive token holding, XRP Healthcare positions XRPHAI around active participation and verified wellness behavior.  Through its Proof of Health framework, users earn XRPHAI by engaging with healthcare and wellness tools inside the XRPH AI app rather than simply holding tokens for speculation.  The XRPH Wallet and XRPH AI App are designed to work together as a unified ecosystem, connecting wallet functionality, AI-powered healthcare services, accessibility tools, and reward mechanisms into a single integrated infrastructure.  Ripple Ecosystem Shifts Toward Real-World Utility as XRP Healthcare Expands Infrastructure Adoption  The development strengthens XRP Healthcares long-term push to build XRP-powered healthcare infrastructure on the XRP Ledger.  Since launching the XRPH Wallet in 2023, the company has positioned itself among the early adopters focused on enabling XRP-based

05-13

XRP price forecast as more whales bet on bounce

Tech  XRP price forecast as more whales bet on bounceXRP Ledger has reached a record 332,230 wallets holding 10,000 or more XRP.Growth after a sharp dip earlier in the year highlights long-term holder conviction.XRP price eyes a breakout above key resistance around $1.50.  The XRP cryptocurrency continues to navigate choppy waters below $1.50, largely fluctuating alongside top altcoins.  Meanwhile, the XRP Ledger has hit a new milestone, with on-chain data revealing an all-time high in terms of wallets holding at least 10,000 XRP.  But what does this wallet growth suggest? And could broader gains lift prices above the key resistance level?  XRP Ledger wallet growth: Record high for 10,000+ cohort  Whales have largely bought the dip on major altcoins in recent weeks, and on-chain metrics highlight this as the case for XRP Ledger.  Data shows a fresh streak in crypto inflows coincides with an expanding XRP holder base. In particular, addresses with 10,000 XRP or more have climbed to 332,230.  According to data Santiment shared early Wednesday, this is the highest ever recorded mark for this cohort. The expansion has persisted through 2026s price stagnation, where XRP has so far traded below its recent peak.  Notably, accumulation has picked up after a major dip between February 6 and 8,

05-13

Switzerland town launches Hedera powered municipal biodiversity voucher system

Switzerland has launched its first live municipal blockchain project through a biodiversity reward voucher system built on the Hedera network and backed by a Swiss franc-linked digital payment instrument.Switzerlands first municipal blockchain voucher system has launched in Muri bei Bern using the Hedera network.Residents can earn digital biodiversity vouchers for conservation work and redeem them at local businesses for 1 Swiss franc.The project uses Swisscoasts HCHF stablecoin infrastructure as Switzerland continues developing stablecoin regulations under FINMA oversight.  According to an announcement shared with crypto.news by the Municipality of Muri bei Bern, the Canton of Bern municipality partnered with Swiss Web3 engineering firm The Hashgraph Group, blockchain developer Swisscoast, and digital transformation company Apps with Love to roll out BIDI, a blockchain-based biodiversity voucher designed to reward residents for participating in conservation work.  Built on the Hedera distributed ledger network, the system issues on-chain vouchers pegged to the Swiss franc for activities such as meadow restoration, hedge maintenance, invasive plant removal, riparian repair work, and wetland conservation. Residents can redeem each BIDI voucher for 1 Swiss franc at participating local merchants and service providers inside the municipality.  Municipal authorities said the initiative replaces a paper voucher program that had operated in Muri bei Bern

05-13

CLARITY Act Hit With 100+ Amendments Ahead of Senate Banking Markup

Senate Banking Committee members have reportedly filed more than 100 amendments to the CLARITY Act, with Senator Elizabeth Warren alone submitting over 40 proposals ahead of Thursdays markup vote.  The flood of filings follows the committee‘s release of a 309-page draft on Tuesday, expanded from January’s 278-page version.  Warren Files 40+ Amendments as Senate Preps Crypto Bill Markup  According to POLITICO, the list features dozens of amendments put forward by Democrats on the Banking Committee, along with a handful of revisions from the bills Republican sponsors.  News: Sens. Reed (D-R.I.) and Smith (D-Minn.) have filed an amendment ahead of Thursdays markup that will force senators to choose between crypto and the banks  The amendment would incorporate banks changes to stablecoin yield restrictions. Tough tough vote for bank-friendly Rs pic.twitter.com/ldxJRmfnQT  — Brendan Pedersen (@BrendanPedersen) May 13, 2026  Crypto In America host Eleanor Terrett reported that one of Senator Warrens amendments would block the Federal Reserve from granting master accounts to crypto companies.  Senator Jack Reeds amendment “prohibits crypto from being used as legal tender, for example, to pay taxes.”  Committee members filed 137 amendments before the planned markup in January. The current tally signals continued resistance as the bill nears a committee vote.  Meanwhile, the American Bankers Association has sent more

05-13

Meta Employees Protest Mouse-Tracking Tool Built to Train AI Models

Pressure on Metas workforce is compounding. Chief people officer Janelle Gale said in late April that the company will cut 8,000 roles on May 20. The move is part of an efficiency drive tied to AI spending. Another 6,000 open positions will go unfilled.  Across the Atlantic, Meta employees in the United Kingdom announced a separate organizing effort this week. They are partnering with the United Tech and Allied Workers union.  Privacy Trade-Off Sits at AI Training Frontier  Meta says safeguards prevent the capture of certain sensitive content. However, it has not detailed the technical scope of those filters. Affected employees argue that consent terms are coercive, given the impending layoffs.  The dispute highlights a wider problem for large AI developers. Quality human behavioral data is increasingly scarce, and companies are turning to their own workforces to fill the gap.  Whether the May 12 protest pressures Meta to alter the program remains unclear. The outcome may signal how much leverage employees retain in an AI-driven cost-cutting cycle.  The post Meta Employees Protest Mouse-Tracking Tool Built to Train AI Models appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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