Saudi: VAP Group's new VAP Ventures to back 100 startups by 2030

zawya.com Jul 15, 2026

Saudi: VAP Group’s new VAP Ventures to back 100 startups by 2030

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Jul 15, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

VAP Group, a global consulting and media firm, announced the creation of VAP Ventures, an investment arm that will fund and support 100 startups by 2030. The launch was unveiled at the Global AI, Games and Blockchain Shows in Riyadh, where the company has traditionally hosted industry leaders. VAP Ventures will target early‑stage companies in artificial intelligence, Web3 and blockchain infrastructure, and digital gaming, offering not only capital but also access to VAP’s media network, marketing services, talent pool and international event platforms. The initiative is positioned as an extension of the group’s long‑standing role in convening founders, enterprises and investors, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s push to grow a knowledge‑based, innovation‑driven economy.

💡 Why It Matters

· By coupling financing with a built‑in promotional engine, VAP Ventures could accelerate the global reach of emerging tech founders, turning Saudi Arabia into a launchpad for the next wave of digital‑economy leaders.

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Swiss Non-Profit Acurast Chains Old Android, iOS Phones into Decentralized Supercomputer

On July 10, Swiss nonprofit Acurast announced that its decentralized computing network now harnesses more than 260,000 idle Android and iOS smartphones across 175 countries, creating a globally distributed supercomputer. The initiative repurposes discarded or unused devices, converting their processors into on‑demand cloud capacity and rewarding owners with tokens usable within the network. Since its 2022 launch, Acurast has validated over 750 million on‑chain transactions, demonstrating operational maturity beyond a proof‑of‑concept. The platform relies on decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN) rather than traditional data‑center construction, employing Trusted Execution Environments to secure workloads. By leveraging existing hardware, Acurast aims to cut reliance on energy‑intensive data centers and establish a user‑driven market for compute resources.

💡 Turning discarded phones into a secure, token‑incentivized compute layer offers a scalable alternative to capital‑heavy data‑center expansion, reshaping how enterprises source processing power.

analyticsinsight.net · Jul 16

Solana Stablecoin Supply Jumps 15x Since 2025, Driving Network Growth

Solana’s non‑USDC, non‑USDT stablecoin supply has surged nearly fifteen‑fold since the start of 2025, reaching about $3.8 billion by mid‑2026 and pushing total stablecoin volume on the chain past $13 billion—a 150 % annual increase. The expansion is driven by broader institutional adoption and the launch of new tokens such as PayPal USD, Ethena’s USDe, and several home‑grown stablecoins, diversifying the ecosystem beyond Circle’s USDC. Higher stablecoin liquidity has boosted trading on decentralized exchanges, increased deposits on lending platforms, and lifted Solana’s total value locked to over $7.5 billion despite broader market volatility. The growth has reinforced Solana’s position as a fast, low‑fee alternative to Ethereum, attracting developers and large investors alike.

💡 The diversification of stablecoins on Solana reduces reliance on a single issuer, deepening liquidity and lowering systemic risk for the network’s DeFi services.

finanznachrichten.de · Jul 16

Keysight Technologies, Inc.: Keysight and Sateliot Selected by European Space Agency to…

Keysight Technologies has been chosen by the European Space Agency to lead a three‑year ESA ART 5G Strategic Product Line programme that will develop a blockchain‑enabled anomaly‑detection framework for 5G non‑terrestrial networks (NTN). Acting as prime contractor, Keysight will work with Spanish satellite‑IoT firm Sateliot to design, test and integrate secure verification mechanisms across the entire NTN lifecycle, from satellite manufacturing and calibration to in‑orbit operation and service delivery. The effort addresses rising quality‑of‑service, security and trust challenges as satellite constellations interconnect with terrestrial 5G infrastructure and prepares for a 6G future where space‑based assets are central. The project leverages blockchain, AI, machine learning and digital calibration certificates, and is funded under ESA’s Space for 5G/6G Sustainable Connectivity programme.

💡 By embedding immutable trust layers into satellite‑ground links, the initiative aims to protect Europe’s emerging hybrid communications from spoofing and tampering as global NTN deployments accelerate.

disruptionbanking.com · Jul 16

Stripe’s $53bn Bid for PayPal: Can the Challenger Swallow the Pioneer?

Stripe and private‑equity firm Advent International have submitted an unsolicited joint offer to acquire PayPal for more than $53 billion, valuing the payment‑processor at $60.50 per share—a 28 percent premium to its last close. The proposal, backed by roughly $50 billion of committed bank financing, would give each bidder a 50‑percent stake and leave PayPal intact rather than broken up. PayPal, once valued near $360 billion in 2021, has seen its market cap fall to around $36 billion amid competition from Apple Pay, Google Pay, Block and crypto‑native rivals. After a weak 2026 outlook, the company replaced CEO Alex Chriss with Enrique Lores and reorganized into three units covering checkout, consumer services and payments‑plus‑crypto. The bid aims to combine Stripe’s Bridge and Tempo blockchain tools with PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin, creating a full‑stack digital‑dollar platform as U.S. regulators advance the GENIUS and Clarity Acts. PayPal’s board has not yet responded.

💡 The deal would fuse the two largest U.S. digital‑payment rails, giving the combined entity unprecedented control over stablecoin issuance, settlement and checkout in a rapidly regulated market.

thestar.com.my · Jul 15

UK to issue first ‘digital’ bond by early 2027, finance minister says

Britain intends to become the first major advanced economy to issue a digital sovereign bond, with Finance Minister Rachel Reeves confirming a target launch date in early 2027. The announcement was made during Reeves’ annual Mansion House speech in London’s financial district. The initiative, known as the "Digital Gilt Instrument" pilot, was originally announced in 2024 to test how distributed-ledger technology can enhance capital market efficiency and reduce costs for financial institutions. Reeves indicated that further issuance would follow the initial sale. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey stated the central bank will ensure the digital gilt serves as valid collateral in its market operations. The UK finance ministry previously selected HSBC in February to manage the blockchain platform underpinning the tokenized bond. This move represents a significant step in modernizing the UK’s financial infrastructure through innovative technology adoption.

💡 Integrating digital gilts into central bank collateral frameworks validates blockchain technology for core monetary operations. This regulatory endorsement sets a critical precedent for global sovereign debt markets.

americanbanker.com · Jul 14

Custodia’s Caitlin Long on stablecoins vs. tokenized deposits

Caitlin Long, founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, discussed the launch of the Hazel Network, a permission‑less blockchain platform created in partnership with Vantage Bank, at the American Bankers Digital Banking Conference in Orlando. The collaboration merges a stablecoin issuance framework with tokenized deposits, leveraging Vantage’s master account and Custodia’s chartered issuer status to enable direct settlement between the two institutions. Long emphasized that the network’s permission‑less design taps existing developer tooling, avoiding the “walled‑garden” approaches historically favored by large banks. She positioned the Hazel Network as the first community‑bank‑driven payment system in the United States, contrasting it with legacy solutions such as Zelle, Visa, Mastercard and ACH that were built by major banks.

💡 It demonstrates how community banks can harness open‑source blockchain infrastructure to compete with entrenched payment giants, potentially reshaping the U.S. payments landscape.