Pulse
Original reporting by Pulse, synthesizing breaking news from multiple sources with AI-powered analysis. Each story combines insights from leading publishers, expert commentary, and real-time data.
Geloso Cuts Media Costs 5.5× with Agentic AI Buying, Boosts Impressions 40%
On March 17, 2026 Geloso Beverage Group partnered with PubMatic and Butler/Till to run a fully agentic media‑buying campaign for its Johnny Bootlegger and Clubtails brands. The test, executed on PubMatic’s AgenticOS using Butler/Till’s Claude interface, reduced buy‑side costs by 5.5 times while achieving a 98% video completion rate and 40% more impressions than planned.
Okara Launches AI CMO Platform, Automating SEO, Content and Growth for $99/Month
On March 16‑17, 2026, startup Okara introduced its subscription‑based “AI CMO” platform, a suite of autonomous agents that handle SEO audits, content generation, community engagement and a new Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) score. The service, priced at $99 per month,...
Adobe and NVIDIA Team Up to Power Next‑Gen Firefly AI for Marketers
On March 18, 2026, Adobe, led by CEO Shantanu Narayen, and NVIDIA, founded by Jensen Huang, announced a strategic partnership to develop next‑generation Firefly AI models for creative, marketing and agentic workflows. The collaboration will fuse Adobe’s Firefly suite with...
Candid Unveils Live Marketing Platform, Claiming AI Handles 90% of Operational Tasks
Candid announced today the launch of Live Marketing, an AI‑powered platform that it says will perform 90% of all operational marketing tasks. The new suite is positioned as a turnkey solution for brands seeking to automate campaign setup, reporting, and...
Google Rolls Out Personal Intelligence AI Mode with Gemini Integration, Keeps It Ad‑Free
On March 17, 2026, Google announced that its Personal Intelligence service is moving out of beta and into a broader U.S. rollout called AI Mode, now integrated with the Gemini app and Chrome browser. The company also confirmed that users...
Frore Systems Raises $143M Series D, Valued at $1.64B to Cool AI Chips
Silicon Valley‑based Frore Systems announced on March 18, 2026 that it closed a $143 million Series D round, bringing its post‑money valuation to $1.64 billion. The funding, led by MVP Ventures among other investors, will accelerate the rollout of its liquid‑cooling platform for...
Upvest Secures $125M Funding, Valued at €640M, Backed by Tencent and Sapphire Ventures
Berlin‑based fintech Upvest announced on Tuesday that it has closed a $125 million equity round led by Sapphire Ventures and Tencent Holdings, alongside a $35 million debt facility, valuing the company at €640 million. The raise follows a year of processing over 100 million...
Partech Closes €300M Impact Fund to Boost European Climate‑Tech Scaleups
Paris‑based venture firm Partech announced the final close of its debut €300 million impact fund this week, targeting 15 European B2B climate‑tech and industrial companies with revenues above €10 million. The fund, backed by investors such as Bpifrance, the European Investment Fund,...
Dimension Ventures Targets $700 Million Third Fund to Back AI‑Science Late‑Stage Startups
On March 18, 2026, Dimension Ventures announced it is raising a third fund with a $700 million target to invest in late‑stage companies that blend artificial intelligence and scientific research. The firm, founded by three former Lux Capital and Obvious Ventures...
SpaceX Hits 10,000‑Active Starlink Satellites, Cementing LEO Broadband Dominance
On March 17, 2026, SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 missions that together placed 54 new Starlink satellites into low‑Earth orbit, taking the number of active units past the 10,000 mark. The first launch lifted 25 satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base,...
Gartner Urges Friday‑Afternoon Ban on Microsoft Copilot to Curb User Complacency
At the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney on Tuesday, Gartner research VP Dennis Xu suggested that enterprises temporarily ban Microsoft 365 Copilot on Friday afternoons. He warned that tired employees are more likely to accept toxic or...
Surf AI Secures $57M Series B to Power AI‑Driven Enterprise Security Platform
Israeli cybersecurity startup Surf AI announced on Tuesday that it has raised $57 million in a Series B round led by Accel, with participation from Cyberstarts and Boldstart Ventures. The capital will accelerate development of its AI‑driven security operations platform for enterprise...
Knox Systems Secures $25M Series A to Launch AI‑Managed Cloud with 90‑Day FedRAMP at 90% Lower Cost
On March 18, 2026, Knox Systems announced a $25 million Series A funding round to accelerate its AI‑managed cloud platform, which it claims can achieve FedRAMP authorization in 90 days at a cost 90% lower than traditional approaches. The round, led...
Alibaba Unveils Enterprise AI Platform as China’s Agentic AI Market Booms
On March 18, 2026, Alibaba Cloud announced the launch of a new enterprise AI platform in China, aiming to help businesses build and deploy AI agents. The rollout comes amid a surge of interest in “agentic AI” across Chinese tech...
Skild AI Teams with ABB, Universal Robots and NVIDIA to Deploy Omni‑Body Robot Brain
On March 16, 2026, Skild AI announced a strategic partnership with ABB Robotics, Universal Robots (a Teradyne subsidiary), and NVIDIA in Pittsburgh to ship its omni‑bodied Skild Brain to production lines, including high‑precision assembly for NVIDIA Blackwell systems at Foxconn....
Universal Robots and Scale AI Unveil UR AI Trainer, Imitation‑Learning Platform
On March 17, 2026, Universal Robots and Scale AI announced the UR AI Trainer at Nvidia’s GTC conference, introducing an imitation‑learning platform that lets operators guide robots while automatically capturing synchronized motion, force, and visual data. The launch, highlighted by...
NVIDIA Launches Physical AI Tools, Expands Robotics Partnerships at GTC 2026
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced at the GPU Technology Conference (GTC) that the company is rolling out new Physical AI simulation frameworks, Cosmos foundation models and the Isaac GR00T suite. The launch also unveiled an expanded ecosystem of partners—including ABB...
RoboForce Raises $52 Million Series B to Scale Physical‑AI Robots for Industrial Labor
On March 17, 2026, robotics startup RoboForce announced a $52 million Series B funding round led by YZi Labs with participation from Jerry Yang, Myron Scholes, Gary Rieschel and Carnegie Mellon University. The capital will accelerate its physical‑AI robot foundation model, scale...
U.S. Navy Awards $71 Million to Gecko Robotics for Autonomous Ship‑Scaling Inspections
On March 17, 2026 the U.S. Navy announced a five‑year, $71 million IDIQ contract with Pennsylvania‑based Gecko Robotics to field its AI‑driven hull‑scaling robots on 18 ships in the Pacific Fleet. The work, slated to begin within nine months, will cover...
Ericsson and Mastercard Partner to Accelerate Global Digital Money Movement
On March 12, 2026, Ericsson and Mastercard announced a partnership in Northampon, MA to integrate Ericsson's Fintech Platform with Mastercard Move, aiming to simplify digital money transfers for telecom providers, banks and fintechs across more than 200 countries.
Rwanda Launches National FinTech Centre to Boost Digital Finance Innovation
On March 18, 2026, Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation announced the launch of the Rwanda FinTech Centre during the Inclusive FinTech Forum in Kigali. The government‑backed hub aims to unite startups, investors, regulators and the Kigali International Financial Centre...
Wise Wins Thai Licences, Accelerates APAC Expansion
On March 18, 2026, Wise announced that the Bank of Thailand and the Ministry of Commerce granted it licences to issue foreign‑currency wallets and Wise cards to Thai citizens, businesses and foreign residents. The rollout will begin with a wait‑list...
Thunes Connects Stablecoin Payouts to 11,500 Banks via SWIFT, Merging Legacy Finance with Crypto
FinTech payments platform Thunes announced today that it will enable stablecoin payouts to more than 11,500 banks worldwide through direct SWIFT connectivity. The integration links the global SWIFT network with digital‑asset ecosystems, allowing instant crypto‑fiat transfers at scale.
Upvest Secures $125M Funding, Valued at €640M to Upgrade Europe’s Banking Infrastructure
On March 18, 2026, Berlin fintech Upvest announced a $125 million financing round—$90 million in equity led by Sapphire Ventures and Tencent and a pending $35 million debt facility—valuing the company at €640 million. The capital will fuel expansion across Europe’s largest markets, new...
INTERPOL Dismantles 45,000 Cybercrime Servers, Names Nigeria Top Ransomware Target
On Jan. 31 2026, INTERPOL concluded Operation Synergia III, a coordinated crackdown that disabled more than 45,000 malicious IPs and servers across 72 countries. The effort, which began on July 18 2025, led to 94 arrests, 212 seized devices and highlighted Nigeria as Africa’s third‑most targeted...
UBS Trading Platform Hit by Brief Cyber Incident, Systems Near Restoration
UBS Group, a leading global bank, reported a brief cyber incident on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, that disrupted portions of its trading business. The bank’s global technology systems were nearly restored later that day, according to a source familiar with...
Pro‑Iran 313 Team Claims Microsoft 365 Outage, Vows New U.S. Attacks
On March 18, 2026, the Iran‑aligned hacking collective Islamic Cyber Resistance in Iraq – 313 Team claimed responsibility for a five‑hour outage of Microsoft 365 services. The group posted the claim on its Telegram channel, posted screenshots of DownDetector reports...
Poland’s National Nuclear Research Centre Thwarts Cyberattack, Keeps Reactor Safe
On March 12, 2026 Poland’s National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) confirmed that its IT infrastructure was targeted in a cyberattack that was detected and neutralized before any operational impact. The incident, coordinated with NASK‑PIB and ministries, left the MARIA...
Stryker Hit by Massive Wiper Attack Linked to Pro‑Iran Hackers, Thousands of Devices Erased
On March 11, 2026, Stryker Corporation disclosed a coordinated wiper attack that remotely erased tens of thousands of employee laptops, phones and servers worldwide. The pro‑Iran hacktivist group Handala claimed responsibility, saying the operation was retaliation for a U.S. strike...
SEC and CFTC Issue Joint Clarification, Exempting Most Crypto Assets From Securities Laws
On Tuesday, March 12, 2026, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and CFTC Chairman Michael Selig released a joint interpretation that exempts digital commodities, collectibles, digital tools, stablecoins and certain digital securities from being classified as securities. The guidance, issued by the...
Vietnam Blocks Offshore Crypto Trading, Boosts Domestic Exchange Licences
On March 17, 2026, Hanoi announced a plan to block offshore cryptocurrency trading while piloting a licensing scheme for domestic exchanges. The Finance Ministry identified five firms—affiliates of Techcombank, VPBank, LPBank, VIX Securities and Sun Group—that cleared an initial screening....
Viva Biotech Teams with NVIDIA to Power AI‑Driven ‘Lab‑in‑the‑Loop’ Drug Discovery
On March 18, 2026, Viva Biotech announced a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to integrate high‑performance AI computing into its drug discovery workflow through a new ‘lab‑in‑the‑loop’ platform. The collaboration will combine Viva’s proprietary biological data sets with NVIDIA’s GPU‑accelerated AI...
FDA Rejects Aldeyra’s Dry‑Eye Drug for Third Time, Shares Plunge 70%
On March 17, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a complete response letter declining approval of Aldeyra Therapeutics’ dry‑eye disease candidate reproxalap. The decision, the third regulatory setback for the drug since 2023, sent Aldeyra’s shares tumbling more...
SailPoint Teams with AWS to Secure Agentic AI with Unified Identity Governance
SailPoint, the enterprise identity‑security leader, and Amazon Web Services announced today a multi‑year strategic collaboration to embed SailPoint’s unified identity‑governance layer into AWS’s agentic AI services. The partnership will integrate SailPoint’s Identity Security Cloud with AWS AgentCore, enabling joint customers...
Visa Bets on Agentic Commerce to Power Next Wave of B2B Growth
In mid‑March 2025, Visa’s chief product and strategy officer Jack Forestell told analysts at the Wolfe Research FinTech Forum in New York that the company is positioning AI‑driven agentic commerce as its next major growth engine. The announcement follows Visa’s...
Alibaba Unveils Enterprise AI Platform Amid China’s AI‑Agent Boom
On March 18, 2026, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd announced the launch of a new enterprise AI platform in Hangzhou, China. The service is designed to help corporate customers build and deploy AI agents, tapping into the rapid growth of AI‑agent...
Google Opens Personal Intelligence to All U.S. Users, Boosting AI Assistant Reach
On Tuesday, Google announced that its Personal Intelligence feature—an AI assistant capability that draws on Gmail, Google Photos, and other personal data—is now available to every U.S. user, not just paid subscribers. The rollout begins today across AI Mode in...
Britannica and Merriam‑Webster Sue OpenAI Over Alleged Copyright Infringement in Manhattan Court
On March 15, 2026, Encyclopedia Britannica and its Merriam‑Webster subsidiary filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against OpenAI, alleging the AI firm illegally scraped nearly 100,000 encyclopedia and dictionary entries to train its ChatGPT models. The complaint claims copyright...
Three Tennessee Teens Sue Elon Musk’s xAI Over AI‑Generated Non‑Consensual Nude Images
On March 18, 2026, three teenagers from Tennessee filed a class‑action lawsuit in federal court against Elon Musk’s artificial‑intelligence company xAI, alleging that the firm’s large‑language model powered an app that created non‑consensual nude and sexually explicit images of them...
Microsoft Unifies Copilot Teams, Appoints Jacob Andreou as Head Amid AI Competition
On March 17, 2026, Microsoft announced a major reorganization of its Copilot AI product line, merging consumer and commercial versions under a single leadership. Jacob Andreou, previously corporate vice president of product and growth, was named EVP of Copilot, while...
AI‑Driven Security Solutions Align with Upscale Budgets and Enterprise Goals
Enterprises are increasingly adopting AI‑driven non‑human identity (NHI) management to tighten cloud security without inflating budgets. Recent Jitterbit research confirms that cost is no longer the primary barrier, while security, compliance and AI accountability dominate decision‑making.