In a year defined by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, you might think that all this incredible innovation has made its way into the hands of the people who need it most. But youd be wrong.Much of the worlds population lacks access to the financial services they need, despite having trillions of dollars in economic power. Being excluded from the legacy financial services industry means having to navigate their daily lives without access to savings, credit, bill payment tools or the ability to affordably transfer money.Some refer to this group as the missing middle, but at Tala, we call them the global majority. Weve spent the last 10 years serving over 10 million people from this often-overlooked global population and have seen their struggles firsthand.And while this new wave of technology hasnt yet hit the mainstream, Im more optimistic than ever that 2025 will change that. Here are three ways I predict the new year will change, thanks to fintech.1. Credit reimaginedMost Americans dont think twice about using their credit card to buy groceries. But what if you didntor couldnthave access to one? Thats an unfortunate reality for billions of people around the world because traditional institutions still rely on a system created nearly a half-century ago to determine creditworthiness.While weve seen some progress in emerging marketsfrom buy-now-pay-later services to pay-as-you-go features in superappswe still have a long road ahead. The entire system needs to be reimagined, and it needs to happen soon.Something as simple as offering unsecured credit products, for example, can simultaneously increase credit access and help develop new underwriting models designed for the 21st century.And I believe that next year we will see this evolution begin as companies leverage modern, real-time, and forward-looking data to determine someones creditworthiness.2. The LLM leapfrog effectIts no secret that artificial intelligence has taken fintechand the worldby storm. But I think many are missing the big picture, especially when it comes to the power of large language models (LLMs).LLMs have access to an incredible breadth of public knowledge but lack important context and non-public data to solve specific problems. The global majority is one example of a segment that isnt well represented in public data. The real opportunity exists in combining the power of existing LLMs with a companys expertise, custom tools, and private data to supercharge their products and services.And as we look ahead to next year, I believe well see more companies integrating LLMs into their tech stacks to improve their existing workflows and discover new and innovative ways to serve their customers.3.The year of the stablecoinUnlike crypto tokens, stablecoins are pegged 1:1 to a specific currency like the U.S. dollar while still operating on blockchain rails. One U.S. dollar stablecoin, for example, aims to always be worth exactly one U.S. dollar. And while that might not sound like a revolutionary concept on the surface, the implications are massive.This technology enables near-instant transactions to occur 24/7, 365 days a year without geographic restrictions, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional financial institutions. This eliminates the need for intermediaries like banks that charge high fees, take days to process a single transaction, and are only open during specific time windows during the weeka price the global majority cant afford in time or money.Weve already seen strong momentum in the global adoption of stablecoins and I believe next year will mark a huge step forward in mainstream use of this technology, particularly in historically underserved markets.2025 and beyondThe road ahead wont be easy, but this work is incredibly important. There are trillions of dollars worth of economic power just sitting on the sidelines and I believe 2025 will be the year we unleash it.Shivani Siroya is founder and CEO of Tala.

Heatherwick Studio recently designed a visually intriguing vertical park/viewing point called the Xian Tree. It is located in the historic city of Xian, China, and it adopts the shape of a tree. It features stepped petal-like terraces, serving as platforms for visitors to explore the enjoy the spectacular view. It is tucked away in the Xian Centre Culture Business District (CCBD), which is located south of the citys historic center. It is placed between the ruins of a temple and a tower.Design: Heatherwick StudioThe Xian Tree features 56 terraces, each thoughtfully designed to host a variety of plant species, creating a series of cascading garden spaces that mimic the natural flow of a hillside. The terraces have been adorned with carefully selected greenery to showcase the diverse ecological zones found along the Silk Road. It includes different plant life ranging from the resilient flora of alpine tundra regions to the hardy vegetation of the dry steppe. Each level provides a unique microclimate, creating a special habitat for the different plant species.Traveling up the vertical park that winds around its branching structure, you realize how biodiverse it is, said Heatherwick Studio. Like a botanical garden, each section holds a unique array of plants, many of which youve never seen before. High above the pedestrians wandering on the terraces below, you see Xian extending before you, new and old interwoven in this lively metropolis.The tree-like vertical park, as well as the broader design of the district, is inspired by Xians renowned Terracotta Army which is a symbol of historical and cultural importance. Heatherwick Studio and local ceramics specialists collaborated to produce over 100,000 ceramic tiles. These tiles serve a functional purpose but also pay tribute to the ancient craftsmanship that characterized the Terracotta Army. It combines modern development with a sense of timeless artistry.The districts design language also incorporates elements that resemble the roofs of Xians traditional Chinese temples. The sweeping lines and elegant curves of the districts skyline also pay homage to the cultural heritage. This creates a seamless and harmonious blend of contemporary and classic aesthetics.The CCBD also includes different facilities such as residential apartment buildings, retail spaces like expansive malls, and open plazas. It also incorporates state-of-the-art office spaces and luxurious hotel accommodations, catering to both business and leisure travelers. Lush greenery is seen throughout the development, thereby creating a sense of peace and tranquility. Multiple pathways can be seen throughout the space, connecting different spots and locations.The post Tree-Inspired Vertical Garden In China Includes 56 Terraces & Cascading Garden Spaces first appeared on Yanko Design.

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After the devastation of the Los Angeles fires, officials are ready to rebuild. But defending against future fires requires thinking about more than buildings.

MacworldTruly, Apples rise from near-bankruptcy to being one of the most valuable companies in the world is a story for the business history books. But as legendary football coach/analyst John Madden frequently said, Winning is the best deodorant. (Thats American football, for our U.K. audience.) When youre riding highand have been riding high for a couple of decadesits very hard to notice the parts of your business that have begun to emit a bit of an odor.To take another page from football, Apple has a winning playbook, and it keeps using it. But if you keep calling the same plays without adapting and reacting, a winning playbook can become something much worse. In the past year, two major Apple product launches show just how calcified the companys strategy has becomeand how much it needs to change.The unnecessary product launchIt was clear as a bell to anyone who knew anything about Apple that the Vision Pro wasnt going to be a mass-market product. More than a year before the product shipped, there were rumors that it would be priced at more than $2,000 (a full $1,500 lower than its actual shipping price). Even at $2,000, it seemed like Apples headset couldnt find much of a customer base. For months, I couldnt believe that it wasnt just going to be sold as a Developer Kit.I think the Vision Pro and visionOS have a lot of potential in the long run, but its the earliest of days right now, and its going to take many years for this bet to pay off, if it ever does. Developers and users can buy a Vision Pro to get some amazing tech demos and imagine the future, but I wouldnt recommend one to any regular person today.But Apple hasnt shipped a weird, niche, early-adopters-only product in decades. (To Apples credit, this is a way in which it isnt sticking to the usual playbook.) Since Steve Jobs came back, pretty much everything has been calibrated to reach a large worldwide market of potential customers. As a result, the companys product roll-out enginea legendary one, copied across industries because its so successfulrevved itself up and prepared to introduce the Vision Pro.What a waste of time, money, and attention. It took eight months for Tim Cook to tell the Wall Street Journal that At $3,500, its not a mass-market product its an early-adopter product. People who want to have tomorrows technology todaythats who its for.Hes not wrong, but it took him eight months to admit it because Apple is just not wired to quietly release a product thats not really for the masses. To be fair, the world is not wired to accept any Apple product announcement as anything but earth-shattering. Weve all been conditioned by Apples success and marketing strategies to think that way.That Vision Pro launch was counterproductive. Now, the product carries at least a whiff of failure, and it could have been avoided. They werent ever going to sell millions of first-generation Vision Pros. Apple couldve shown it off as a tech demo or released it as a developer kit, and the narrative would have been different.It may be years before the Apple Vision Pro is a product the general consumer would consider.AppleBut again, Apples just not wired that way. Its a splashy product launch or nothing.The feature roll-out overreactionApple got caught flat-footed on AI, a potentially existential mistake. To its credit, the company reacted: Junes WWDC announcements were primarily related to Apple Intelligence. The company needed to send a message that it might not be ahead, exactly, but it was on it and there was going to be AI goodness in Apple products, too.I have no complaints about any of that. But what followed shows that Apples too busy following its old playbook: In the fall, Apple began a full-court press of marketing for the new iPhone and other devices that focused on Apple Intelligence. It used Apple Intelligence to try to sell new iPhones, even though the features werent available! Over the ensuing months, it oversold many of the features while continuing to promise functionality that is still waiting in the wings.Apple Intelligence, as currently constituted, is half-bakedand Im being generous. Anyone who carefully follows Apple understands why its this way, and Id even say that Im optimistic that the company will get out in front of it given enough time. But right now, implementations of many features are slapdash at best, and some of the most dazzling features announced in June are unlikely to ship until its almost June again.The execution of Apple Intelligence has not be able to live up to the hype.FoundryApple needs to flog new iPhones every fall, its true. But was it the right call to sell a not-quite-there (figuratively or even literally) feature? It doesnt seem so to me. And it undercuts Apples response to criticism of its problematic news summaries that its just beta software. Sure it isbeta software thats shipping in final software and being heavily promoted to customers.Going through the motionsA lot of Apples biggest blunders in the last decade seem tied to old ways of thinking, not adapting themselves to changing times. It has reacted to design failures like the butterfly keyboard in laptops slowly and tentatively. The Meta Ray-Ban sunglasses seem to exist very much in a product niche occupied by AirPods, but Bloombergs Mark Gurman suggests that we shouldnt expect an Apple response until 2026 at the earliest. Apple once was able to create the iPod in a crash program in a matter of months, but todays Apple is apparently the kind of ocean liner that takes a very long time to course correct.And then theres the companys reaction to regulationand, indeed, many of its anti-competitive policies and product strategies. A lot of these strategies are straight out of the playbook built by Steve Jobs during his return to the company and inculcated into the corporate culture. In those days, Apple was an underdog that was fresh from a near-death experience and desperately had to scrape to survive. Todays Apple is a titan, but it still behaves like its a put-upon underdog in danger of being taken advantage of by the cold, cruel world. Its a real are we the baddies moment in the making if the company would have a modicum of introspection.Success has been very, very good to Apple in so many ways. But many of the traits that brought Apple here have become weaknesses. For the company to make the next couple of decades successful, it needs to show more adaptability.

South Korea started discussions concerning the development of the second part of its crypto regulatory framework.On Wednesday, South Koreas Financial Services Commission held a meeting to outline the key objectives of the next bill, local news outlet Edaily reported earlier today.The detailsKim So-young, Vice Chairman of the FSC, noted that major economies worldwide are accelerating their development of crypto regulations to protect investors and eliminate regulatory uncertainty. The countrys first crypto regulatory framework was implemented in July 2024, after being approved in 2023.The first half of the crypto regulatory framework focused on protecting crypto investors through strict requirements for crypto exchanges. One requirement was that service providers keep at least 80% of the assets in cold storage separate from the bulk of the funds.The regulators vice chairman reportedly promised that the upcoming framework would instead comprehensively and systematically regulate service providers, crypto users, and the crypto market. Topics discussed during the meeting included increasing the transparency of new digital asset listings on crypto exchanges and enforcing the same disclosure requirements as those seen in traditional finance in the crypto space.The meeting also reportedly touched on stablecoin regulation, with officials reviewing the best practices enforced around the world when it comes to reserve asset management for issuers and user redemption rights.South Korea is one of the most active markets in the cryptocurrency space. In fact, South Korean crypto exchange Upbit was the worlds third-largest centralized cryptocurrency exchange by volume last month.The news follows recent reports that South Korea plans to lift its ban on cryptocurrency trading by local institutional investors. The Financial Services Commission announced that it intends to to start allowing institutional investors to open trading accounts on cryptocurrency exchanges.So far, the practice has not been officially banned for institutional investors, but the FSC advised banks to forbid institutions from opening accounts on crypto exchanges. This guideline constitued a de-facto ban that will be gradually lifted, starting from nonprofits.The post South Korea plans new crypto law this year appeared first on ReadWrite.

If you've been meaning to learn how to play chess, or if you want a fun way to practice, GoChess might just be your best bet.GoChess LiteChess is having something of a renaissance at the moment, with many new players joining the fray thanks to services like Chess.com and LiChess. However, for many, chess might seem a bit daunting to step into, especially if the only chess players you know have been playing for years.That's why Particula created GoChess. GoChess is a smart chess set packed with AI features to help you learn how to master this classic game. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The results from the Norman Foster Foundation-led competition to rebuild Freedom Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine have been announced following the selection of winners by a jury headlined by Deborah Berke, Moshe Safdie, and Beatriz Colomina.Featuring a cash prize pool of more than $10,000 USD ($3,088 for each Prize Winner and $1,029 for the Student Award winner) the competition "encouraged designs that respected the citys heritage while aligning with its aspirations for renewal and progress."The Foundation adds that it "represents a pivotal step in shaping Kharkivs future, reflecting the citys enduring resilience and commitment to creating a space that serves both its historical identity and its evolving needs."The competition also relates to the Foundations previous Kharkiv Housing Challenge. The Kharkiv Freedom Square Revival competition induced a total of 84 total submissions, with 21 coming from within Ukraine. Each reimagines the squaredescribed as one of the worlds largest...

Marvel Rivalshas added a healthy chunk of new content with the recent release of its first full-fledged post-launch season, but theres yet more to look forward to in the days ahead- particularly for fans of New Yorks famous wallcrawler.Later this month, the Insomniac Games-developedMarvels Spider-Man 2will be releasing for PC. To commemorate the ports launch, the Advanced Suit 2.0 which is the default suit that Spidey starts the game with will become available as an in-store unlockable inMarvel Rivals.By the looks of it, the suit will be available to players on all platforms, not just on PlayStation. Check out NetEases tweet below for a glimpse of the suit and what itll look like in the hero shooter.Marvel Rivalsis available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Meanwhile,Marvels Spider-Man 2,which is currently available only on PS5, is set to release for PC on January 30. The Advanced Suit 2.0 Arrives to Celebrate the PC Launch of Marvels Spider-Man 2! Take the first look at Marvels Spider-Man 2 (2023) in Marvel Rivals, the Advanced Suit 2.0 blends Otto Octaviuss science with Peter Parkers genius. Crafted for the toughest battles, it pic.twitter.com/LiyXRzkjcI Marvel Rivals (@MarvelRivals) January 15, 2025

The eye on the coin does not have lashes and is designed to resemble a camera lens. Royal MintThe United Kingdoms Royal Mint is releasing a new coin honoringGeorge Orwell on the 75th anniversary of his death. The 2 (roughly $2.45) piece pays homage to Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwells famous dystopian novel exploring themes like totalitarianism, propaganda, surveillance and freedom.He was a writer concerned with poverty, class and power, writes theGuardiansDesigned by artistHenry Gray, the coins reverse features a large eye with the words Big Brother is watching you circling the iris. Orwells name is inscribed underneath. On its edge is another quote from the novel, There was truth and there was untruth.With phones and cameras being everywhere in your house, and being listened to by advertisers on your phone, you are really aware of how youre being surveyedand thats what Nineteen Eighty-Four is all about, says Gray in a statement from the Mint.Thats why the eye in Grays design isnt a realistic eye; it doesnt have eyelashes and things like that because I wanted it to be monocular, he adds. Its almost like a camera lens staring at you all the time, unblinking. Orwell is known for his fiction examining themes liketotalitarian and control. Royal MintBorn in 1903, Orwell spent his early career working with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. With time, however, he became increasingly ashamed of his role as a colonial police officer, as Encyclopedia Britannica writes. He drew on these experiences for his first novel, Burmese Days (1934).About a decade later, Orwell made a name for himself with Animal Farm (1945). The political fable, which uses anthropomorphic animals to tell a story about power and corruption, would become one of his most celebrated works.Nineteen Eighty-Four followed soon after. Published in 1949, the novel follows Winston Smith, a worker at the Ministry of Truth, as he secretly rebels against a totalitarian government and its leader, Big Brother.Orwell died at age 46 on January 21, 1950just a few months after Nineteen Eighty-Fours publication. He joins a group of celebrated British authors with commemorative coins from the Royal Mint, including William Shakespeare, Jane Austen and J.R.R. Tolkien. (Other recent coins not linked to literature have featured David Bowie, Paddington Bear and Winnie the Pooh, per Londonists Matt Brown.)For those interested in collecting the new 2 piece (which features Charles III on the obverse), it is now available for purchase on the Royal Mints website. Those who want a closer look can visit the Royal Mint Experience in Wales to strike their own Orwell coin.The works of George Orwell have influenced generations, and his most famous works are still being studied todaydecades on from their first publication, says Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coins at the Royal Mint, in anotherstatement. I am delighted to share this unique design with collectors and fans of Orwells work, paying tribute to one of the most world-renowned authors of the 20th century.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Books, British Writers, Coins, Collecting, Designers, Fiction, Literature, Writers