ASML hits record high on AI boost — and analysts see plenty of room to run
cnbc - Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML became just the third European company to his a valuation of over $500 billion on Thursday.
Back to Top / Friday, January 16, 2026, 11:53 am / permalink 18052 / 3 stories in 7 wks
TikTok is ready to roll out age checking in Europe
Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson / betanews - Social media platforms are under global pressure to take care of younger users on their platforms, and this is very much the case in Europe. TikTok is about to start rolling out age checks in the region in a bid to keep regulators happy. TikTok’s owner, B…
Back to Top / Friday, January 16, 2026, 10:22 am / permalink 18028 / 2 stories in 7 wks
Italian regulators are investigating Activision Blizzard's monetization practices
Andre Revilla / engadget - The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has opened two investigations into Microsoft-owned game studio Activision Blizzard, centered around the mobile games Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty: Mobile. The AGCM alleges the free-to-play games use "misleading…
Back to Top / Friday, January 16, 2026, 10:22 am / permalink 18026 / 2 stories in 7 wks
Europe’s Largest Defense Fund for Startups Set for €500 Million
Christina Kyriasoglou / bloomberg - German investor Digital Transformation Capital Partners GmbH is on track to raise Europe’s largest-ever dedicated venture capital fund for defense startups, signing its first big backers for a fund targeting €500 million ($580 million).
Back to Top / Friday, January 16, 2026, 8:21 am / permalink 18018 / 4 stories in 7 wks
Belarus Sets Rules for Cryptobanks and Token Oversight Under New Decree
Maxwell Mutuma / parameter - TLDR Belarus introduced a formal crypto bank framework after President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree on January 16. The decree defines a cryptobank as a joint stock company combining token services with banking and payment activities. Crypto banks …
Back to Top / Friday, January 16, 2026, 6:20 am / permalink 18005 / 2 stories in 7 wks
German AI Startup Parloa Raises $350M Series D Valued At $3 Billion
Kailee Rainse / startuprise - German-founded Parloa, which builds AI voice agents for call centers, has raised $350 million in a Series D round, tripling its valuation to $3 billion in just seven months. The Series D round was led by existing investor General Catalyst, with participat…
Back to Top / Friday, January 16, 2026, 4:21 am / permalink 17996 / 3 stories in 7 wks
Amsterdam’s Optics11 Raises €25M EIB Loan To Boost Europe’s Subsea And Energy Security
Kailee Rainse / startuprise - The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €25 million venture debt agreement with Amsterdam-based Optics11, a DeepTech scale-up developing advanced fibre optic sensing solutions. The Dutch company will use the funding to advance research and develop…
Back to Top / Friday, January 16, 2026, 4:20 am / permalink 17995 / 2 stories in 7 wks
Dutch VC PureTerra launches €150M water tech fund, lands €10M from Invest-NL
Sofia Chesnokova / techfundingnews - As droughts intensify and regulations tighten, companies are discovering that access to clean, reusable water directly affects their…
Back to Top / Friday, January 16, 2026, 3:20 am / permalink 17994 / 3 stories in 7 wks