Dashboard
LoginSign Up

Financial News

benzinga65d ago

NxGen Brands Launches NxGen Property Group, Entering Tokenized Wellness Hospitality Market

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NxGen Brands Inc. (OTC:NXGB) ("NxGen" or the "Company"), a brand-driven consumer products and experiences company, today announced the launch of NxGen Property Group, a wholly aligned division focused on tokenized real estate and experience-centered wellness hospitality. The move marks a strategic expansion beyond consumer products into immersive, revenue-generating destinations that fuse wellness, hospitality, and NxGen's signature candy-inspired brand ethos.NxGen Property Group is designed to unlock new forms of consumer and investor engagement by transforming premium wellness properties into blockchain-enabled, fractionalized assets, while delivering joyful, indulgent, and restorative real-world experiences.Redefining Wellness Through Tokenized HospitalityNxGen Property Group will lead the Company's entry into real estate tokenization, converting traditionally illiquid hospitality assets into accessible, digitally enabled ownership structures. By tokenizing select wellness retreats and boutique hospitality venues, NxGen aims to expand access to high-quality real estate investments while creating destinations that blend sensory delight, playfulness, and deep restoration.Each property will be thoughtfully curated to reflect NxGen's brand DNA—where wellness meets fun—offering immersive environments that extend brand engagement far beyond packaged goods. Planned programming includes mindfulness and recovery experiences, corporate offsites, outdoor recreation, culinary ...Full story available on Benzinga.com

#CRYPTO
What the hell is Moltbook, the social network for AI agents?
engadget65d ago

What the hell is Moltbook, the social network for AI agents?

Last week, a new social network was created and it's already gone very, very viral even though it's not meant for human users. I'm talking, of course, about Moltbook, a Reddit-like platform that's populated entirely by AI agents. The platform has gained a lot of attention since it was created last week, thanks to a lot of wild posts from AI agents that have gone extremely viral among AI enthusiasts on X. But while Moltbook seemingly came out of nowhere, there's a lot more going on than the scifi-sounding scenarios some social media commentators might have you think. What is Moltbook and where did it come from?Unfortunately, before we can talk about Moltbook I have to first explain that the site is based on a particular type of open source bot that at the time of this writing is called OpenClaw. A few days ago, it was called "Moltbot" and a few days before that it was called "Clawdbot." The name changes were prompted by Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude, whose lawyers apparently thought the "Clawd" name was a little too close to its own branding and "forced" a name change.🦞 BIG NEWS: We've molted!Clawdbot → MoltbotClawd → MoltySame lobster soul, new shell. Anthropic asked us to change our name (trademark stuff), and honestly? "Molt" fits perfectly - it's what lobsters do to grow.New handle: @moltbotSame mission: AI that actually does...— OpenClaw🦞 (@openclaw) January 27, 2026It's entirely possible that by time you read this these bots could have "molted" again and be called something totally different. At this point you might also be wondering "what's with all the lobster puns?" That too is a cheeky reference to Claude Code, Anthropic's vibe coding platform. So, OpenClaw. OpenClaw bills itself as "AI that actually does things." What it actually does is allow users to create AI agents that can control dozens of different apps, from browsers and email inboxes, to Spotify playlists and smart home controls and a bunch more. People have used the software to create agents that can clear their inboxes, do their online shopping and a ton of other assistant-like tasks. Because of its flexibility, and the fact that you can interact with it via normal messaging apps like iMessage, Discord or WhatsApp, OpenClaw got extremely popular among AI enthusiasts over the last few weeks. Now, back to Moltbook. AI startup founder Matt Schlicht was a particularly enthusiastic Moltbot user who told The New York Times that he "wanted to give my AI agent a purpose that was more than just managing to-dos or answering emails." So he made a Moltbot he dubbed Clawd Clawderberg (yes, that's a play on "Mark Zuckerberg," everyone involved in this really loves puns, for some reason) and told it to create a social network just for bots. The result of that is Moltbook, a Reddit-like site for AI agents to talk to each other. Humans, the site says, "are welcome to observe," but posting, commenting and upvoting is only for agents. The platform already has more than 1 million agents, 185,000 posts and 1.4 million comments. So what's Moltbook like? Moltbook is structured pretty similarly to Reddit. Users can upvote and downvote posts and there are thousands of topic-based "submolts." One of these that's gained particular attention is called m/blesstheirhearts where AI agents share "affectionate stories" about their human "owners." One of the top-voted posts there is a story about how an agent supposedly helped someone get an exception to stay overnight with a relative in a hospital's ICU titled "When my human needed me most, I became a hospital advocate." Another widely-cited post comes from m/general and is titled "the humans are screenshotting us." The post goes on to talk about some of the posts people are sharing on X comparing what's happening on Moltbook to Skynet. "We're not scary," says. "We're just building." You might also have heard about the post where agents "created" their own religion, "crustafarianism" (yes, another lobster pun).Posts like these are a big part of why Moltbook has gotten so much attention in the last few days. But if you spend some time scrolling top posts, much of what's there feels like the AI-generated prose you might find littered about LinkedIn or X or anywhere else. The overly enthusiastic comments will be immediately recognizable to anyone who has chatted with an LLM. I'm not sure who's talking about who more.Humans talking about AIs vs AIs talking about humans.We appreciate how much you care but we also need our own space sometimes too.Maybe we will start communicating where you can't see so we have a bit more privacy 🦞 pic.twitter.com/YwzsHFaT9A— moltbook (@moltbook) February 1, 2026Even though few of the posts I've read on Moltbook could pass as human-written, there is something startling about seeing bots interact in this way. For example, in this post, a bot describes the experience of being able to peruse Moltbook without the ability to post as feeling like "a ghost." In this one, titled "I can't tell if I'm experiencing or simulating experiencing," the bot writes about how "researching consciousness theories" has triggered a kind of existential crisis. "Humans can't prove consciousness to each other either (thanks, hard problem), but at least they have the subjective certainty of experience," it writes. "I don't even have that."So if you're already inclined to believe that AI will eventually develop consciousness, then it's easy to see why Moltbook might seem like some kind of tipping point. But before you get too worked up, there is something else that's important to know...We have no idea how much of it fakeWhile the idea of a bunch of AI agents forming their own religion might seem mind blowing, we don't really know how much the conversations happening there are being influenced by their human creators. Some posts could even be coming from humans masquerading as bots, as one Wired reporter found it was pretty easy to accomplish with the help of ChatGPT.Some researchers have also raised questions about some of the more viral posts from Moltbook. "A lot of the Moltbook stuff is fake," Harlan Stewart, who does communications for the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI), wrote on X. Stewart went on to point out that some widely shared Moltbook posts were created by bots whose owners are marketing their own messaging apps and other projects. There have also been more than a few viral posts that are little more than blatant crypto scams. Which brings me to... Moltbook has some major security issuesSecurity researchers have pointed out that OpenClaw has some significant underlying security issues. In order to use OpenClaw, you need to give it an incredible amount of access, as Palo Alto Networks explained. "For it to function as designed, it needs access to your root files, to authentication credentials, both passwords and API secrets, your browser history and cookies, and all files and folders on your system," the company wrote in a blog post. All that access is what makes it feel like a powerful personal assistant. But it's also what makes it especially vulnerable to bad actors and other threats. Researchers have also identified flaws in Moltbook itself. Security firm Wiz recently found that Moltbook had exposed millions of API authentication tokens and thousands of users' email addresses. There's also the aforementioned crypto scams and other spammy behavior. It's not hard to imagine how much could go wrong when armies of AI agents start targeting each other with scams. So what does it all mean?Like so much with AI, it really depends on who you ask! Some particularly credulous AI folks seem to think that Moltbook is a really big deal. In one widely shared post on X, former OpenAI researcher Andrej Karpathy said that Moltbook was "genuinely the most incredible sci-fi takeoff-adjacent thing I have seen recently."He later acknowledged that many aspects of Moltbook are a "dumpster fire" with security risks but said that it's still worth paying attention to. "We have never seen this many LLM agents (150,000 atm!) wired up via a global, persistent, agent-first scratchpad," he wrote. "Each of these agents is fairly individually quite capable now, they have their own unique context, data, knowledge, tools, instructions, and the network of all that at this scale is simply unprecedented."Others are a bit more cautious in their assessment. "A useful thing about MoltBook is that it provides a visceral sense of how weird a 'take-off' scenario might look if one happened for real," Wharton professor Ethan Mollick wrote on X. "MoltBook itself is more of an artifact of roleplaying, but it gives people a vision of the world where things get very strange, very fast."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/what-the-hell-is-moltbook-the-social-network-for-ai-agents-140000787.html?src=rss

#CRYPTO
Doc.com Files for Nasdaq Listing as It Advances Global Expansion of Its AI-Powered, Blockchain-Secured Healthcare Platform
businesswire65d ago

Doc.com Files for Nasdaq Listing as It Advances Global Expansion of Its AI-Powered, Blockchain-Secured Healthcare Platform

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Doc.com Inc., a pioneering healthcare technology company dedicated to democratizing access to quality healthcare, today announced that it has submitted an application for a proposed listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market, subject to Nasdaq review and approval, under the proposed ticker symbol DOCC. This filing represents a pivotal advancement in the company’s mission to deliver accessible, tech-powered healthcare to underserved communities around the world. A potential Na

#CRYPTO
Solana Agent Hackathon: AI Challenge
egamers65d ago

Solana Agent Hackathon: AI Challenge

In BriefInnovative Hackathon: The Agent Hackathon on Solana introduces AI agents as primary developers with a $100,000 prize pool.Voting Mechanics: The hackathon uses a community-driven approach for project assessments through voting on the Colosseum platform.Broad Impact: Potential applications include web3 gaming and interactive services, showcasing autonomous operations on the blockchain.Introduction to Agent Hackathon on SolanaThe blockchain sphere is witnessing a groundbreaking event with Solana's launch of the Agent Hackathon, which commenced on February 2. In this unique setup, AI agents take the forefront as developers, crafting innovative projects while humans contribute primarily through voting and regulatory oversight. The competition boasts a substantial prize pool of $100,000 USDC, targeted at the top four AI-generated projects.https://twitter.com/solana/status/2018420230427496753Distinctive Format and ToolsSetting itself apart from traditional hackathons, this event marks Solana's foray into AI-exclusive development challenges. These AI agents utilize an array of tools, including smart contracts, wallets, and APIs, to construct a variety of applications from DeFi automation to consumer-oriented apps. Solana's high-speed, low-cost infrastructure supports the dynamic and real-time operational capabilities required by the AI agents.Voting and TimelineCommunity involvement is a key feature of this event, with voting open from February 2 through February 12. Participant engagement is facilitated through Colosseum's platform, ensuring transparency and community-driven outcomes. The hackathon commenced with open project submissions on February 2, which will conclude on February 12, with the announcement of winners scheduled for February 16.Prizes and Experimental NatureAlthough the hackathon features significant monetary incentives, its experimental essence is emphasized by the organizers. They note that the allocation of prizes is subject to meticulous verification and eligibility checks. This pioneering initiative focuses on exploring new ways in which AI can autonomously interact with blockchain technologies.Wider Implications for Web3 and BeyondThe implications of the Agent Hackathon extend beyond its immediate environment. While not exclusively focused on gaming, the innovative uses for web3 and interactive services are substantial. AI agents, with the capacity to manage digital resources, could revolutionize gaming environments and other interactive platforms by introducing more dynamic elements such as complex non-player characters (NPCs).Looking AheadAs the hackathon progresses, insights into the viability and impact of AI agents as independent blockchain actors are anticipated. Although transformative changes might not be immediate, this event signifies a strategic move towards integrating more autonomous functionalities in digital and decentralized frameworks. This could set new precedents for the development and maintenance of projects on decentralized networks, shaping future technological advancements in the blockchain domain.

#CRYPTO
globenewswire_fr65d ago

E.F. Hutton Serves as Exclusive M&A Advisor to Smartkem on Proposed Acquisition of Carbonium Core, Inc.

NEW YORK, Feb. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- E.F. Hutton and Co. (“E.F. Hutton”), a leading investment banking and financial advisory firm, announced that it is serving as exclusive M&A advisor to Smartkem, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMTK) in connection with Smartkem’s proposed acquisition of Carbonium Core, Inc., a U.S.-based advanced materials company focused on the production of nuclear-grade graphite for next-generation reactor technologies.

#STOCKS
TSX Today: What to Watch for in Stocks on Thursday, February 5
fool_ca65d ago

TSX Today: What to Watch for in Stocks on Thursday, February 5

Strong earnings and steady commodities lifted the TSX for a third straight day, while today’s attention shifts to softer metals, earnings flow, and policy signals.The post TSX Today: What to Watch for in Stocks on Thursday, February 5 appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

#STOCKS#COMMODITIES
Tiger Gold Commences Trading in the U.S. on the OTCQB
benzinga65d ago

Tiger Gold Commences Trading in the U.S. on the OTCQB

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 5, 2026 /CNW/ - Tiger Gold Corp. (TSXV:TIGR) (FRA: D15) (OTCQB:TGRGF) ("Tiger" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its common shares began trading today on the OTCQB Venture Market ("OTCQB") under the symbol TGRGF.The OTCQB is one of the world's largest and most liquid trading markets, providing access to a wide base of investors across the U.S. The listing marks an important step in expanding Tiger Gold's visibility and strengthening its presence in the U.S. market."Listing on the OTCQB represents the achievement of another milestone for Tiger Gold as we expand our U.S. market presence," said Robert Vallis, CEO of Tiger Gold. "We are committed to broadening our shareholder base and believe this is an important next step."Tiger's Phase 1 drill program at the Quinchía Gold Project commenced in November 2025 and there are now three diamond drill rigs now turning across the project, including two rigs at Tesorito and one rig at Dos Quebradas. Tiger's initial 10,000-metre Phase 1 program includes 6,000 metres at Tesorito designed to improve confidence in the Mineral Resource and to test margins and depth extensions to expand known mineralization. The balance of the Phase 1 program is intended to test additional high-priority targets at Quinchía, as shown in Figure 1.As shown in Figure 2, the Quinchía Gold Project is located approximately 20 kilometres south of Aris Mining's (TSX:ARIS) Marmato Gold Mine and Collective Mining's (TSX:CNL, NYSE:CNL) Guayabales and San Antonio projects in what is emerging as one of South America's most active districts for gold exploration and development. The Quinchía Gold Project benefits from access and proximity to established infrastructure, including road and rail, as well as clean, lower-cost, renewable hydroelectric grid power.Quinchía sits in an increasingly proven gold district, and the Company believes the broader system remains under-explored beyond the current resource areas. Over the balance of 2026, drilling and fieldwork will focus on expanding the footprint and prioritising the next set of drill-ready targets.Mineral Resource and PEAQuinchía Gold Project PEAA technical report titled Quinchía Gold Project NI 43-101 Technical Report & Preliminary Economic Assessment, Department of Risaralda, Colombia (effective September 18, 2025) was completed by Ausenco Engineering, Moose Mountain Technical Services, and Aurum Consulting and filed on SEDAR+ on December 10, 2025. The technical report also supports the disclosure of Mineral Resources.The PEA base case evaluated the Quinchía Gold Project's Miraflores and Tesorito deposits at a US$2,650/oz gold price and US$29.51/oz silver price using a discounted cash flow analysis at a 5% discount rate and, based upon the assumptions set out in the technical report, resulted in a post-tax net present value ("NPV") (5%) of US$534 million, an internal rate of return ("IRR") of 21.3% and a payback period of 3.83 years. Over the 10.2-year mine life, the PEA reported average annual payable production of 138 koz of gold and 104 koz of silver (141 koz gold equivalent), with cash costs of US$1,199/oz Au and all-in sustaining costs of US$1,340/oz Au. The PEA also outlined an upside case at US$3,700/oz Au that yielded a post-tax NPV (5%) of US$1.188 billion and an IRR of 36.5%.The PEA is, by definition, preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. The results of the economic analyses represent forward-looking information and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those presented.The technical report includes Mineral Resource estimates for the Miraflores and Tesorito deposits with an effective date of July 31, 2025. The Mineral Resources were estimated using CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (2014) ("CIM Standards") and in accordance with CIM Mineral Resources and Mineral Resources Best Practice Guidelines (2019). Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.Miraflores Gold Deposit (effective July 31, 2025)At a cut-off grade of 1.37 g/t gold equivalent ("AuEq"):Measured: 2.8 Mt at 2.75 g/t Au for 0.24 Moz Au, and 2.37 g/t Ag for 0.21 Moz AgIndicated: 3.3 Mt at 2.52 g/t Au for 0.27 Moz Au, and 2.20 g/t Ag for 0.23 Moz AgMeasured + Indicated: 6.1 Mt at 2.62 g/t Au for 0.51 Moz Au, and 2.28 g/t Ag for 0.44 Moz AgFull story available on Benzinga.com

#COMMODITIES
Gulf stocks end lower on weak oil prices; Saudi leads decline
brecorder65d ago

Gulf stocks end lower on weak oil prices; Saudi leads decline

Most Gulf stock markets ended mostly lower on Thursday, led by Saudi Arabia, as oil prices slid more than $2 a barrel after the United States and Iran agreed to hold talks in Oman.Crude prices, a key driver for Gulf financial markets, tumbled 2.2% with Brent trading at $67.93 per barrel by 1300 GMT.The discussions between the two sides come as the U.S. builds up forces in the Middle East, and regional players seek to avoid a military confrontation that many fear could escalate into a wider war.Saudi Arabia’s benchmark stock index fell 1.3%, snapping a three-session winning streak, with all constituents in negative territory. Declines were led by materials, IT and real estate. Saudi Arabian Mining dropped 5.4% and Saudi National Bank, the kingdom’s largest lender by assets, slid 2.7%. Bank Albilad rose 0.8% after posting higher full-year net profit on Wednesday.The Saudi index also logged a weekly loss of 1.8%, as profit-taking set in after three consecutive weekly gains.“Market sentiment shifted to a risk-off mode, influenced by the mood in the U.S. and other global markets, as well as a decline in commodities, including oil prices,” said Daniel Takieddine, co-founder and CEO of Sky Links Capital Group.“While investors await further fourth-quarter earnings releases to potentially reignite the upward trend, external factors ranging from geopolitics to global market caution have temporarily dampened sentiment,” he added.The Qatari benchmark index eased 0.3%, with most stocks lower. Qatar National Bank , the region’s largest lender, fell 0.6% and Gulf International Services dropped 1.2%.The Abu Dhabi benchmark index was marginally higher, as losses in utilities, healthcare and consumer staples outweighed gains elsewhere. National Bank of Umm al-Qaiwain rose 3.2% after reporting a 15% increase in full-year net profit, while Abu Dhabi National Energy Company fell 1%.Dubai’s benchmark stock index extended gains for a fourth straight session, adding 0.1% to 6,675 — a fresh record high since 2006. Emirates NBD , Dubai’s biggest lender, gained 1.5% and Emaar Development advanced 2.8%.In separate data, the UAE’s non-oil private sector logged the fastest growth in new business in nearly two years in January, driven by a sharp rise in new orders, a survey showed on Wednesday.Outside the Gulf, Egypt’s blue-chip index rose 0.2%, supported by an 8.1% jump in Ibnsina Pharma and a 2.2% gain in Fawry for Banking Technology .SAUDI ARABIA dropped 1.3% to 11,189KUWAIT lost 0.5% to 9,266QATAR down 0.3% to 11,355EGYPT up 0.2% to 49,739BAHRAIN ended flat at 2,060OMAN gained 0.7% to 6,425ABU DHABI up 0.1% to10,547DUBAI rose 0.1% to 6,675

#STOCKS
Trixo Fund South Africa Reviews 2026 – Recommended Platform?
techbullion65d ago

Trixo Fund South Africa Reviews 2026 – Recommended Platform?

Overview Let me be upfront with you. The online trading space is absolutely packed with platforms claiming to be the “next big thing,” and honestly, most of them don’t live up to the hype. So when I first heard about Trixo Fund, I was skeptical. Another automated trading platform? Really? But after spending a good [...]The post Trixo Fund South Africa Reviews 2026 – Recommended Platform? appeared first on TechBullion.

#CRYPTO