Discover how Cisco is revolutionizing its workforce by providing every employee with a dedicated AI agent, transforming daily operations and boosting productivity.
Kling AI, the video generation arm of Chinese tech giant Kuaishou, has successfully raised $2 billion in its initial venture capital round. The investment round remains open, with the total funding expected to reach around $3 billion. This influx of capital could reduce Kuaishou’s ownership in Kling AI to approximately 68%, signaling a significant move for the company’s fastest-growing business sector.
IQM, a comprehensive quantum technology firm based in Finland, debuted on the Nasdaq today with a valuation close to $1.9 billion. Despite this milestone, the company has expressed candidly about the uncertain future of quantum technology, reflecting both the potential and the challenges ahead in this emerging field.
Global venture investment soared to an all-time high of $510 billion in the first half of 2026, eclipsing 2025's total of $440 billion and marking the strongest startup funding period on record, according to Crunchbase. The data reveals a striking concentration of capital, with AI powerhouses OpenAI and Anthropic alone securing $217 billion—43% of the total funding. Q2 stood out as a landmark quarter with $205 billion invested in over 5,000 startups and notable exits, including SpaceX's historic $1.77 trillion IPO and $60 billion acquisition of Anysphere, driving the most robust exit market since 2021. Funding expanded broadly across stages and sectors, with 16 companies raising billion-dollar rounds, spanning AI infrastructure, defense, robotics, and healthcare. Despite the high concentration in a few companies and the U.S. dominance in funding, the venture ecosystem appears to be entering a new cycle of growth fueled by liquidity returns through IPOs and mergers. This trend suggests 2026 might be remembered as a year of record investment paired with a revitalized exit market, reinforcing each other for future expansion.
Morgan Stanley has revolutionized its profit and loss (P&L) reconciliation process by deploying an AI system that reduces manual work by half. Unlike the trend of increasing AI autonomy, their approach keeps human controllers closely involved in the decision-making loop. The internal system, named FIXR, collaborates with controllers by interpreting past guidance, learning from behavior, and codifying repeated patterns into automated rules. This hybrid model enables FIXR to resolve routine mismatches swiftly while escalating complex cases for human review, saving about 1,500 hours weekly across 100 controllers. The strategy emphasizes establishing strong processes first, followed by gradual automation, ensuring accuracy and maintaining human accountability. Morgan Stanley’s approach highlights the importance of trust, continuous feedback, and incremental AI adoption in accuracy-critical financial workflows.
Square has launched a new integration with ChatGPT and Claude, allowing consumers to find restaurants and place orders directly through these AI platforms without any technical setup required from the restaurants. This new system pulls data in real-time from Square’s existing catalogs, including menus, prices, modifiers, and stock availability, ensuring accurate and seamless ordering experiences. Unlike traditional third-party delivery apps that charge hefty marketplace commissions, Square only charges its standard online transaction fees, eliminating additional marketplace costs and helping restaurants preserve profit margins. Orders placed via AI agents either complete checkout within the chat interface or redirect customers to the merchant’s standard ordering page with pre-filled baskets. This AI-powered channel is designed to function as direct ordering, helping businesses capture new customers efficiently. Square’s collaboration with brands like Partners Coffee highlights the focus on using this technology to support the core in-person customer experience while increasing digital discoverability and order efficiency. This integration is currently available for U.S.-based restaurants using Square Online Ordering and signals a shift towards agentic commerce, where AI tools increasingly drive ecommerce transactions. Square is also partnering with major players like Google and Amazon to expand AI shopping capabilities in the future.
Artificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of financial institutions—from their internal operations to their competitive strategies and client engagement methods.
Supported by the British Business Bank, Railpen, Molten Ventures, and Sarah Friar, CFO of OpenAI, Tapestry VC is set to launch its $80 million Fund III. This fund focuses on investing in repeat founders with proven track records, furthering the firm's commitment to backing successful entrepreneurs.
Anthropic has introduced Claude Science, an app designed to simplify scientific research by integrating various tools, resources, file formats, and databases into a single platform. The aim is to eliminate the cumbersome and repetitive parts of research workflows, making it easier and more efficient for scientists to focus on discovery.
Honda has started producing batteries at its Ohio factory, originally built for electric vehicles (EVs) that were cancelled three months ago. Instead of powering cars, these batteries are now being used for energy storage systems in data centres. This pivot highlights Honda’s strategic shift in response to changing demands in the energy and technology sectors.
