CAPE TOWN, South Africa — China and South Africa signed a framework agreement for a new trade deal on Friday as Africa’s leading economy looks to other options following the high import tariffs imposed on it by the U.S. and its diplomatic fallout with the Trump administration. South Africa’s Ministry of Trade and Industry said [...]
AlUla, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The second edition of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies 2026 will commence tomorrow, hosted in AlUla Governorate through a partnership between the Ministry of Finance and the International Monetary Fund, with high-level participation from economic decision-makers, ministers of finance, central bank governors, leaders of international financial institutions, and a distinguished group of experts and specialists from around the world.The launch of the Conference comes at a time when the global economy is undergoing profound transformations in international trade and financial systems, accompanied by growing challenges related to slowing growth, rising uncertainty, and increasing pressures on emerging market economies. This underscores the importance of strengthening international dialogue, coordinating economic policies, and enhancing the resilience of these economies in support of global economic stability.The Conference aims to contribute to shaping the economic policy agenda for emerging market economies in a manner that supports growth and prosperity, while simultaneously reinforcing global economic stability, This will be achieved by providing a high-level international platform for the exchange of views, policy discussions, and the sharing of relevant experiences and expertise.This year's Conference is held under the theme "Policies Amid a Reset of the International Trade and Financial Systems," highlighting the rapid transformations taking place in the global economy and the challenges and opportunities they present for emerging market economies, particularly in the areas of international trade, monetary and financial systems, and macroeconomic policies.The Conference program focuses on a number of priority issues and policy areas, including the reshaping of global trade amid geopolitical and economic shifts, the dynamics of the international monetary and financial system, and the challenges facing monetary policy in an environment characterized by uncertainty and structural transformations.In addition, the Conference will address fiscal policy resilience and frameworks in a shock-prone world, the role of public policies in enhancing economic resilience, and ways to stimulate private sector-led growth, boost productivity, and achieve an appropriate balance between the role of the state and the empowerment of the private sector in emerging market economies.The Conference will conclude with discussions centered on strengthening the resilience of emerging market economies and economic transformation, reviewing key lessons learned, and outlining future steps to support international cooperation, policy coordination, and the development of practical solutions to address global economic challenges.The AlUla Conference is expected to raise global awareness of emerging market economies' issues, highlight their pivotal role in the global economy, and strengthen the presence of these issues on the international economic and media agenda, supporting the achievement of more inclusive and sustainable economic growth over the long term.FOR MORE INFORMATION:https://alulaeme.com
LESSONS FROM MY CAREER: SYNTHESISING MANAGEMENT THEORY WITH PRACTICE – PART 31 This is the third instalment of my experience in turning around MBSL from an almost hopeless situation of a billion-rupee loss to a healthy profit within five years. In this episode, I recount a number of people-related challenges and initiatives, particularly how several [...]
Washington Post publisher Will Lewis says he's stepping down, days after big layoffs at the paper
Why This Crash Is Bitcoin's Biggest Test Yet Submitted by QTR's Fringe FinanceBitcoin has a way of faking its own death, and this past week delivered another such instance with theatrical flair. After flirting with the once-unthinkable level of $120,000, the world’s most famous digital asset promptly face-planted to around $62,000 at its recent lows on Thursday.Even for crypto, a 50% drawdown in months isn’t just a bad couple weeks. In a nascent asset like Bitcoin it’s always a bit of a spiritual test. More than that, this drawdown looks and feels like yet another Bitcoin “moment of truth,” the kind that forces believers and skeptics alike to confront what this asset really is—and what it isn’t.For veterans of Bitcoin, the pattern is familiar. Exuberance builds. Headlines turn breathless. Group chats fill with laser-eye emojis. Then, without warning, gravity reasserts itself. Prices collapse. Influencers go quiet or get ornery on social media. Everyone suddenly remembers that “number go up” is not, in fact, a law of physics. But then Bitcoin always does — back to new highs over and over.These moments of truth are supposed to be Bitcoin’s specialty. The “maxis,” sometimes proudly, sometimes ironically—have spent more than a decade preaching the same sermon. Volatility is not a bug, it’s a feature. Pain is purification. Weak hands must be shaken out. Michael Saylor once famously framed volatility as “Satoshi’s gift,” a kind of built-in psychological stress test designed to separate true believers from tourists. If you can’t stomach 50% drawdowns, you don’t deserve the upside. That’s the doctrine. Eat a dick, Sharpe ratio.This time, though, the crash is being framed slightly differently by skeptics. Peter Schiff, Bitcoin’s longtime nemesis and professional eye-roller, has been quick to argue that this is not just another routine purge. In his view, this is not another dress rehearsal. He thinks it is the bubble finally popping after years of supposedly “mass” adoption.Sure, he’s said this a lot over the years but unlike previous cycles, Bitcoin hasn’t been lurking in the shadows of Reddit forums and obscure exchanges. Over the past two years, it has marched directly into the mainstream. ETFs, retirement accounts, major banks, payment platforms, corporate treasuries, political campaigns—crypto didn’t just knock on the front door of the U.S. financial system. It moved in and started rearranging the furniture.Which brings us to why “it’s different this time”.Under Donald Trump, the United States has effectively gone all-in on crypto in ways that would have seemed absurd not long ago. Trump has openly branded himself as the “crypto president.” His campaign accepted crypto donations. Pro-crypto advisors and donors gained influence. Regulatory agencies softened their tone. Enforcement actions slowed. Bitcoin and digital assets were reframed less as speculative toys and more as strategic financial technologies.At the same time, Wall Street embraced Bitcoin. Spot ETFs opened the floodgates for institutional money. Pension funds dipped their toes. Wealth managers added “digital assets” to client portfolios. CNBC began treating Bitcoin price movements like weather reports. You didn’t need to be edgy or rebellious to own BTC anymore. You just needed a brokerage account. Even Vanguard caved...So if adoption was the rocket fuel, a fair question now is: how much is left in the tank?That’s the core of the bearish argument. If nearly everyone who wants Bitcoin in the United States already has easy access to it, then where does the next wave of buyers come from? When your barber, your dentist, and your aunt’s financial advisor all know how to buy BTC, you’re not early anymore. You’re late-stage. If demand has peaked, then the recent crash isn’t just noise. It’s the market quietly admitting that the story may be running out of new chapters.In that scenario, the downside could be ugly. Not just another dip-and-rip cycle, but something more structural. A slow bleed. A loss of cultural relevance. A gradual realization that Bitcoin might survive, but mostly as a niche asset rather than a world-changing revolution. Gold bugs would feel vindicated. Crypto Twitter would feel tired. Venture capital would move on to the next shiny thing...probably some AI-related bullshit.Yet the bulls are not packing up.As I ridiculed wrote last week, recurring financial media rash Tom Lee continues to argue that Bitcoin is still in the early innings of global monetization. My buddy Larry Lepard has also talked up targets in the $200,000 to $250,000 range, suggesting that monetary debasement, debt crises, and currency instability will eventually funnel massive capital into scarce digital assets. From this perspective, the recent collapse is just another pothole on a very long highway. Adoption in the US may be maturing, but the rest of the world is still warming up. Sovereign debt problems, geopolitical tensions, and distrust in central banks aren’t going away. If anything, they’re multiplying.🔥 50% OFF FOR LIFE: Using this coupon entitles you to 50% off an annual subscription to Fringe Finance for life: Get 50% off foreverIn this telling, the current selloff is simply another rehearsal in Bitcoin’s long-running play: “How Many Times Can We Kill It Before It Actually Dies?” So far, the answer is “a lot.”Still, even optimists are starting to acknowledge an uncomfortable reality. There doesn’t seem to be much untapped mainstream adoption left in America. The regulatory environment is friendlier than it’s ever been. The political branding is pro-crypto. The financial infrastructure is built. If Bitcoin can’t thrive in this environment, it’s hard to argue that a better one is just around the corner. When the so-called “crypto president” presides over a 50% drawdown, it raises questions.Which brings us back, once again, to Bitcoin’s moment of truth.From here, the paths diverge sharply. One possibility is a serious crash with no meaningful recovery, a slow deflation of the crypto dream that leaves Bitcoin alive but diminished. Another is a long, grinding crypto winter—years of sideways trading, fading hype, shrinking communities, and endless “this is accumulation” posts that age poorly. The third is the familiar miracle: confidence returns, liquidity floods in, narratives reboot, and Bitcoin charges back through old highs like nothing happened, leaving doubters to explain why they sold at $62,000.History suggests Bitcoin is very good at humiliating both its critics and its fans, often in alternating cycles. Right now, it’s humiliating the optimists. In a year, it might be mocking the skeptics. Or it might finally decide to grow up and become boring, which would be the most shocking outcome of all.For now, the only certainty is this: this really does feel like another defining moment of truth for Bitcoin. The volatility that maxis call a gift is still very much in circulation. And like most gifts that arrive wrapped in panic and red candles, it’s not entirely clear whether anyone actually wants it.QTR’s Disclaimer: Please read my full legal disclaimer on my About page here. This post represents my opinions only. In addition, please understand I am an idiot and often get things wrong and lose money. I may own or transact in any names mentioned in this piece at any time without warning. Contributor posts and aggregated posts have been hand selected by me, have not been fact checked and are the opinions of their authors. They are either submitted to QTR by their author, reprinted under a Creative Commons license with my best effort to uphold what the license asks, or with the permission of the author.This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stocks or securities, just my opinions. I often lose money on positions I trade/invest in. I may add any name mentioned in this article and sell any name mentioned in this piece at any time, without further warning. None of this is a solicitation to buy or sell securities. I may or may not own names I write about and are watching. Sometimes I’m bullish without owning things, sometimes I’m bearish and do own things. Just assume my positions could be exactly the opposite of what you think they are just in case. If I’m long I could quickly be short and vice versa. I won’t update my positions. All positions can change immediately as soon as I publish this, with or without notice and at any point I can be long, short or neutral on any position. You are on your own. Do not make decisions based on my blog. I exist on the fringe. If you see numbers and calculations of any sort, assume they are wrong and double check them. I failed Algebra in 8th grade and topped off my high school math accolades by getting a D- in remedial Calculus my senior year, before becoming an English major in college so I could bullshit my way through things easier. I am an investor in Mark’s fund.The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this page. These are not the opinions of any of my employers, partners, or associates. I did my best to be honest about my disclosures but can’t guarantee I am right; I write these posts after a couple beers sometimes. I edit after my posts are published because I’m impatient and lazy, so if you see a typo, check back in a half hour. Also, I just straight up get shit wrong a lot. I mention it twice because it’s that important. Tyler DurdenSat, 02/07/2026 - 18:40
Ghana’s cocoa farmer — the seed sower, the pod-picker, the foundation of one of the country’s most strategic export sectors, is once again left waiting for payment while the institutions meant to protect his interests collapse under debt, mismanagement, and opaque governance. It’s a tragedy not only for rural livelihoods but for the overall economy. [...]The post Ghana Is Short-Changing the Backbone of Its Economy appeared first on Ghanamma.com.
New documents reveal Jeffrey Epstein's secret meetings with early crypto developers, raising questions about his influence on Bitcoin's creation and his lucrative investments in Coinbase.
JUNG YEON-JE / AFP via Getty ImagesSouth Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb accidentally distributed billions of dollars’ worth of bitcoin during a botched promotional event, briefly giving hundreds of customers instant crypto fortunes. The company said it mistakenly gave out roughly $44 billion worth of bitcoin to users on Friday after a rewards promotion went wrong. The event was meant to give participants 2,000 South Korean won—about $1.40—but instead credited winners with at least 2,000 bitcoin units each. Bithumb moved quickly to contain the damage. Within 35 minutes, the exchange suspended trading and withdrawals for affected accounts and said it recovered more than 99 percent of the funds mistakenly dispersed to about 695 users. In a statement issued Saturday, Bithumb apologized for the error and stressed that the incident was not the result of a security breach. “There are no problems with system security or customer asset management,” the company said. Regulators were less reassured. According to Reuters, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission said it plans to investigate the incident and examine other crypto exchanges for potential vulnerabilities and risks tied to virtual assets.Read it at ReutersRead more at The Daily Beast.
(MENAFN - IANS) Seoul, Feb 8 (IANS) Samsung Electronics will begin mass production of the world's first sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory, known as HBM4, later this month, industry sources said ...
KUCHING (Feb 8): The Sarawak Ministry of International Trade, Industry and Investment (Mintred) and Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) are exploring strategic collaboration, value chain migration and talent development to strengthen Malaysia’s semiconductor sector. The discussions followed a courtesy call by a CREST delegation on deputy minister of Mintred Datuk Dr Malcolm [...]The post Sarawak explores semiconductor collaboration with CREST to boost industry, talent appeared first on Borneo Post Online.