Block stories

FinTech Australia has named Xero policy chief Grace Gown to its board as the industry body steps up its push for fintech-friendly regulation.

Zeller rolls out Terminal 1x for Australian merchants, bundling POS and payments in one device to tackle rising fixed costs.

US banks and regulators are urged to adopt passkeys, mobile driving licences and tougher verification as generative AI fuels deepfake fraud.

Firmus adds three seasoned directors to steer governance and growth as it scales energy-efficient AI infrastructure across the region.

Game rooms won't fix gender gaps; women need trust-based flexibility, robust leave and healthcare that match messy, real working lives.

Zepto promotes Mariana Paun to new chief business resilience role, uniting security, operations and compliance amid tougher scam rules.

Amplitude has launched autonomous AI analytics agents that watch product usage, flag metric shifts and recommend fixes across popular tools.

Anthropic donates its Model Context Protocol to the new Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation to standardise agentic AI tools.

Linux Foundation unites Anthropic, Block and OpenAI in new Agentic AI hub to standardise tools and protocols for autonomous AI agents.

Linux Foundation launches Agentic AI Foundation to standardise open protocols for interoperable AI agents with backing from major tech firms.

Airtree Ventures has raised a USD $425 million fund, attracting global investors eager to tap into Australia's booming tech sector and high-return startups.

Buildkite has named Kevin Gounden as CEO to spearhead growth and AI innovation in its software delivery platform used by top firms worldwide.

Bitcoin hits a new record above USD$110,724, boosting its market valuation past USD$2.15 trillion on the 15th anniversary of Bitcoin Pizza Day.

A Microsoft survey reveals that 64% of Australian teenagers faced online risks in 2024, with rising concerns over AI and digital safety among parents.

Adrian Przelozny forecasts a transformative 2025 for cryptocurrency, buoyed by pro-crypto US policies and growing institutional investment.

The Brand Safety Alliance's new GlobalBlock service will include Unstoppable Domains to extend domain blocking protections, countering brand impersonation and IP hijacking on Web3 extensions.

Basis Theory hires former Block executive Jin Han as general counsel, overseeing product roadmap for regulatory compliance using tokenisation.

Block, the company behind payment apps including Square, Cash App, Spiral, and TIDAL, is already making the most of Afterpay's buy now, pay later offering.

Amy Pratt explores Facebook's unfollow feature, a quiet escape from over-sharing without the drama of unfriending.

Accidentally poked someone on Facebook after a night of drunken antics? Amy Pratt investigates how to undo this embarrassing situation before it's too late.