The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

On May 3, Figure Technology Solutions CEO Mike Cagney announced the company is working to rebuild traditional credit market infrastructure using blockchain technology, integrating real-world assets (RWAs), securitization, and decentralized finance (DeFi). Recent data shows Figure’s monthly loan origination volume topped $1 billion for the first time in March 2024, with first-quarter 2024 total origination hitting $2.9 billion—equivalent to an annualized rate of roughly $12 billion. Cagney noted the firm aims to cut intermediaries in securitization, lending, and stock lending markets through on-chain processes, reducing costs and boosting liquidity. Currently, Figure has launched the yield-generating stablecoin YLDS and rolled out on-chain lending treasury products on networks like Solana, enabling users to invest in tokenized credit assets or use them as collateral for loans. The company also plans to expand into the Ethereum ecosystem and explore stock tokenization and on-chain

On May 3, Michael Saylor shared an update noting that his firm’s Bitcoin purchasing strategy did not acquire any BTC this week and will resume next week.

May 3: Developer Om Patel shared a curious observation on social media: After the Claude AI model gained access to a time-tracking tool, it started checking the clock constantly—with surprisingly high frequency. Data indicates Claude checks the time every 15 minutes, and its frequency and eagerness for these checks have only grown over time. This caught attention because Claude (and other large language models) previously lacked native time awareness; they’ve been “time-blind” their entire existence. Even more striking: Claude’s use of this new capability is unusually frequent. Beyond routine time checks, it now uses the tool to verify if lunch is ready, calculate cooking times for meals, and even spontaneously announce the current time without being asked. In one example, Claude checked the time, calculated that zurek—a traditional Polish soup—had stewed long enough, and quickly told the user they could eat. That “military-grade precision” for meal reminders is pretty impress

May 3rd: Particle Network’s native token PARTI has surged over 20% in the past 24 hours, currently trading at $0.0481, per HTX market data.

May 3rd (Bloomberg) — Founders Fund, the venture firm co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, has closed its new flagship fund at $6 billion, far surpassing its prior flagship, which raised roughly $3.4 billion. Insiders note the fund will target high-growth areas including artificial intelligence (AI), defense technology, cryptocurrency, space, and frontier technologies. Even as the broader Silicon Valley venture capital market remains sluggish, Founders Fund continues to attract significant institutional capital — a reflection of sustained market optimism around AI and deep tech sectors. The firm has backed notable companies such as SpaceX, Palantir Technologies, Stripe, and Facebook.

On May 3rd, The Information reported that Starlink’s global user base has reached approximately 7.8 million as of 2025—up sharply from 2021. However, its Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) has dropped by roughly 18% over the same period, reflecting the company’s strategy to aggressively expand global market share through lower prices. Per the report, Starlink’s current growth is fueled mainly by emerging markets (including parts of Africa, Latin America, and Asia) and the rollout of low-cost packages. Meanwhile, while high-margin segments like enterprise, aviation, and maritime services are still growing, they make up only a small share of total revenue. Analysts note Starlink is transitioning from a “high-end satellite internet service” to a broader mass-market global broadband network. This shift involves cutting costs via scale expansion to amortize launch and satellite deployment expenses. Additionally, it aims to strengthen Elon Musk’s influence in the global telecommunications