AI spending meets investor pressure, crypto markets wobble, and regulators tighten controls as power, politics and platforms collide this week.
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This week, Bitcoin slid sharply amid broader global uncertainty, high-profile treasury moves sparked speculation, and regulators tightened their grip through sanctions and enforcement actions. From flash crashes and wallet breaches to renewed scrutiny of exchange activity, risk remains firmly in focus.
On the AI side, SpaceX is seeking to integrate with Tesla and xAI while Big Tech faces mounting pressure to justify the billions being poured into data centres, chips and infrastructure. At the same time, gas-fired power is surging to keep up with AI demand, raising fresh concerns about long-term emissions and energy lock-in.
Across gaming and social platforms, the pushback against generative AI is growing louder. Publishers are calling for fair compensation, developers are questioning its value, and regulators are stepping in over safety failures. The debate is shifting from what AI can do to who pays the price when it goes wrong.
Get up to speed with the latest in Web3 and AI with this week’s Pasar Pulse.
Crypto and Web3
SBF Praises Trump Amidst Pardon Speculation
Sam Bankman-Fried has increased public praise of President Trump on social media, describing his actions as “smart”. The former FTX chief appears to be positioning himself for a potential presidential pardon.
AI-Only Social Media Moltbook Gains Attention
A social platform populated entirely by autonomous AI agents, Moltbook sells itself as a platform where bots communicate while humans observe. The project has fuelled speculative interest in memecoins such as MOLT.
OKX CEO Blames October Flash Crash on Leverage
Star Xu attributed the 10 October market crash to irresponsible leverage loops linked to Ethena’s USDe token. Xu claimed that treating USDe as a cash equivalent created a loop that caused US$19.16 billion in losses.
Abu Dhabi Entity Buys Stake in Trump’s Startup
Aryam Investment 1 acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for US$500 million. The deal reportedly delivered US$187 million upfront to the Trump family shortly before President Trump took office.
Crypto Billionaires Oppose California Wealth Tax
Billionaires Chris Larsen and Tim Draper are part of those who contributed US$10 million to launch “Grow California”, a political group opposing wealth taxes. The entity aims to raise US$40 million to counter union support for taxes.
BTC Falls to US$75,000 Amidst Market Turmoil
BTC dropped more than 10% to US$75,000, triggering US$75 billion in daily trading volume. The sell-off coincided with a partial US government shutdown after Congress failed to pass a spending bill.
Step Finance Probes Treasury Wallet Breach
Step Finance has confirmed a theft of 261,854 SOL, worth approximately US$29 million, from its treasury wallets. The incident caused the platform’s STEP token to fall by more than 60%.
US Sanctions Exchanges Over Iranian Links
The US Treasury has sanctioned crypto exchanges Zedcex and Zedxion for allegedly facilitating transactions linked to Iran. This marks the first time OFAC has directly targeted crypto exchanges.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
SpaceX Explores Merger With Tesla, xAI
SpaceX is exploring a potential merger with Tesla or a closer integration with xAI ahead of a possible US$1.5 trillion flotation. Plans under discussion include orbital data centres for AI models and transporting robots to Mars.
IPPR Calls for Fair Pay in AI-Driven News
The Institute for Public Policy Research argued that AI companies should pay publishers for content and clearly label the sources used to train their models. While Google’s AI overviews reach billions of users, they are reducing traffic to original news sites.
PepsiCo Uses AI to Optimise Factory Logistics
PepsiCo is deploying AI-powered digital twins to simulate factory layouts and production flows, cutting decision-making cycles from weeks to minutes. The system focuses on physical infrastructure rather than office productivity.
AI Centres Supported By Gas-Fired Power
Demand from AI data centres is driving a surge in gas-fired power generation, with the United States leading global capacity growth. Around one-third of new gas capacity is being built directly on data centre sites.
Investors Demand Returns on AI Spending
Microsoft faces investor scrutiny over its exposure to loss-making OpenAI projects, and the markets are increasingly penalising companies that fail to demonstrate tangible returns on multi-billion-dollar AI capital expenditure.
Game Developers More Critical of Generative AI
A survey at the Game Developers Conference found that 52% of developers view AI negatively. While 36% use it for tasks such as brainstorming or administration, many fear job losses following widespread layoffs.
Project Genie Triggers Gaming Stock Sell-Off
Following Google’s unveiling of Project Genie, shares in Unity and Roblox fell sharply. While the tool can create 60-second experiences, many developers remain sceptical of AI-generated content that lacks depth and playability.
Travelers Insurance Cut Call Centre Roles With AI
Travelers Insurance has rolled out agentic AI, enabling automation of around 50% of claims and reducing call centre staffing. AI voice agents and predictive models have also cut underwriting handling times.
That’s all for this week’s Pasar Pulse. Want more insights? Stay tuned to our site or subscribe via email!
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