Global venture capital activity surged ahead in July, hitting a historic high with $65 billion raised—doubling the previous year’s figure. The standout statistic: 14 startups secured billion-dollar funding rounds in a single month, the most ever recorded. This included major deals like Blue Origin’s $10 billion space exploration funding and Safe Superintelligence’s $5 billion raise backed by Nvidia. AI companies attracted over half of the total investment, reflecting its dominant role in current venture funding trends. The U.S. led these efforts, followed by Germany, China, and Singapore.
Beyond new investments, July also saw robust startup exits, including acquisitions and IPOs exceeding $1 billion, highlighting a dynamic ecosystem where capital flows are both concentrated and recycled. Notable IPOs included China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies, soaring 466%, and Italy’s Bending Spoons. Overall, these developments confirm that venture capital continues to expand its record-breaking trajectory forged earlier in 2026, signaling enduring momentum across hardware, software, and emerging technologies.
New legislation aims to transform India's instant payment system by revising the current zero-merchant-discount-rate policy. Since 2020, businesses have been exempt from fees when accepting UPI payments, but this move could introduce a new business model for the network.
According to Andrew Torre from Visa, the recent $2.4 billion acquisition of BioCatch will enhance Visa's ability to detect fraud proactively, protecting consumers at the moment of payment.
Palantir's shares jumped 10% after reporting a remarkable 93% increase in yearly revenue, totaling $1.94 billion, surpassing Wall Street's forecast of $1.8 billion for Q2. Despite rising criticism linked to its involvement in government operations, including a key role in the Trump administration's immigration policies, Palantir’s US government contract revenue surged 90% to $809 million. This strong financial performance sets it apart in a quarter of mixed results across the tech industry.
Facing a 98 percent decline in profits, Porsche has announced a significant restructuring initiative to ensure the company's sustainable growth and future stability.
Orange and Morrison have entered an exclusivity agreement to establish a jointly controlled data centre company in France. The initiative is supported by a €3 billion investment, combining Orange’s existing assets, Morrison’s equity, and additional debt financing. This venture aims to develop 400 megawatts of data centre capacity, nearly ten times Orange’s current operations. Orange will contribute five French data centres to the project, significantly expanding its footprint in the region.
Two companies may report the same financial results yet receive vastly different market reactions. The key difference lies not in their performance but in whether investors trust the leadership and grant them the benefit of the doubt.
Nvidia has announced a $1 billion investment in South Korean internet giant Naver to support the expansion of an AI data center currently being built in South Korea. This funding will enable Naver to increase the facility’s capacity from 55 megawatts to 200 megawatts. The initiative also involves US private equity firm Brookfield as a key partner in the project.
Expanding a business internationally doesn't have to lead to increased tax burdens. By understanding where you and your business are liable to pay tax, along with recognizing common pitfalls such as the impact of your business structure, founders can strategically plan to minimize or completely avoid double taxation.
According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, Stripe is in discussions to acquire OpenRouter, a three-year-old startup specializing in a large language model marketplace. The potential sale is valued at around $10 billion, highlighting the significant interest and investment in AI and LLM technologies.
