Australian Regulators Say Global Fragmentation Is Accelerating
In a quarterly statement, Australia's Council of Financial Regulators highlighted rapid changes in international trade policies, volatility in global financial markets and increased geopolitical tension. It warned that financial markets remained vulnerable to further shocks.
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TechCrunch
2 hours ago
- TechCrunch
Threads launches its own DM inbox, as app moves further away from Instagram
Instagram Threads is rolling out users' most-requested feature to date: the ability to message people directly, without having to switch to another app, like Instagram. The company said direct messages (DMs) will begin rolling out to users globally beginning on Tuesday, alongside a new visual element called highlighter. The latter will emphasize interesting perspectives and conversations, Meta says, starting with Trending Topics. At launch, Threads DMs offer a basic set of features. They'll support one-on-one chats, preset emoji reactions, the ability to report spam, and mute DMs (as on Instagram). Other features, like group messaging, inbox filters, and more advanced message controls, will arrive in a later release. That means today, you can't block a follower or mutual from messaging you — you can only block them on Threads, which will also block them on Instagram. To control who can message you, you have to choose whether or not you follow the user. At launch, DMs will be available in most markets where Threads is available, except for Japan, Australia, the U.K., and the E.U. With the addition of DMs, Threads becomes more competitive with other text-first social apps like X and Bluesky, where users can engage with one another directly or even in group chats, as in X's case. However, while X is working on encrypted direct messages within X Chat, Threads has no intention of tightly securing its private messaging feature. Image Credits:Meta/Threads 'We're not encrypting our DMs,' said Emily Dalton Smith, Threads VP of Product. 'It's really about just connecting directly and talking to people about whatever is happening now, which I think makes encryption less core to the experience.' Instead, she said that DMs are meant to build on the community people have created in the public space on Threads — a network that's shaping up to be entirely different from its parent app, Instagram, Smith pointed out. Image Credits:Meta/Threads 'One thing that's been particularly exciting is that we have seen that people are building their own graphs on Threads,' she said. 'They're building up what we think of as an interest graph that is new and distinct from the social graph that underlies their account on Instagram.' Despite having been built on top of Instagram's social graph, over a third of the people who come to Threads daily have less than a 50% overlap between their Instagram connections and Threads connections, Meta said. 'Instagram is really for creativity and Threads is really for perspectives,' Smith noted. The company also found that users are following different sets of people across the two apps, Instagram and Threads, and are engaging in different interests and conversations. Because of this growing disconnect between the apps, Meta aims to test other ways for people to use Threads without an Instagram account. For instance, it's testing the ability for users to log in with their Facebook account in Europe or create a Threads-only account. It's also testing the ability to use Threads from the web while not logged in at all. Image Credits:Meta/Threads The Threads creator community is unique, too. Although it may include those who are popular creators on other platforms, some have become creators on Threads itself. One example is David Rushing, a passionate fan who built up the NBA Threads community. Smith said Threads would like to make it easier for its users to find communities like this and others, and this is an important part of the app's upcoming roadmap. On this front, Threads initially introduced tags (like hashtags without the hash # symbol) to organize conversations. It then created topic feeds so you could see everything that was being discussed around that area of interest. Now, the focus will be on identifying the people who are active and top contributors within a community. Threads expects to show more suggested users to follow in search and recommendations over the next couple of months, Smith said. The new highlight feature could also help here. While today, the feature will highlight trending topics related to the content you are reading while scrolling your For You feed, over time, Threads could highlight perspectives from users or active conversations that you might want to jump into, including within various topic feeds. There are currently no other plans to monetize Threads beyond ads, Smith confirmed, even though Meta has an AI feature that could be integrated into the experience the way xAI's AI chatbot, Grok, is used to sell X Premium subscriptions. Instead, Meta is first focused on getting ads right, while using AI to power things in the background, like trending topics' headlines and summaries, for instance. That doesn't mean the team will rule out AI features further down the road. 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Business Wire
3 hours ago
- Business Wire
Escala Partners Joins Focus Partners Australia
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Focus Financial Partners Inc., an interdependent organization of wealth management, business management, and related financial services firms, today announced that its Melbourne, Australia-based network firm Escala Partners has joined Focus Partners Australia. Escala will operate alongside Focus' other businesses in Australia, which will together represent Focus Partners Australia. With offices in Sydney and Melbourne, Escala has been providing high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, not-for-profit organizations, and institutional investors with customized investment solutions and other wealth and advisory services through a collaborative, highly customized approach since 2013. 'As part of the evolution of Focus' presence in the Australian market, we are excited by the opportunity to bring Escala together with our other businesses in Australia to build a scaled, premier wealth management organization capable of delivering comprehensive services, deep expertise, and a personalized experience,' said Travis Danysh, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Focus Financial Partners. 'The addition of Escala to Focus Partners Australia is an important step towards solidifying our strong position within the Australian market through a leading operating and growth platform, capable of delivering holistic solutions to clients and their advisers.' As part of this transition, Escala has also enhanced its leadership team to include: Ben James, who has been appointed CEO at Escala. Mr. James, who is a founding partner of the firm, previously served as its Head of Advisory. Torty Howard, who has been appointed COO. Simon Dawkins, who will continue as Escala's Head of Capital Markets and Fixed Income division. In addition, Travis Danysh is expected to be named as Executive Chairman of Focus' Australian businesses, in addition to his role at Focus Financial Partners. 'Our goal at Escala has always been to redefine the meaning of excellence in wealth management,' said Mr. James. 'Joining Focus Partners Australia allows us to set the foundation for our continued growth and evolution, through which we will deliver expansive solutions and a differentiated client experience through a unified and integrated global organization.' 'The Australian market is important for us, and as we continue to align our company across the markets and clients we serve, we see great opportunity in facilitating the convergence of our Australian operations into a cohesive business that can operate with all the capabilities and resources of a scaled organization,' said Michael Nathanson, CEO of Focus Financial Partners. 'Escala joining Focus Partners Australia is an important next step in its evolution as well as the evolution of our broader company.' About Focus Financial Partners Inc. Focus is an interdependent partnership of wealth management, business management, and related financial services firms, rooted in a client-first approach and powered by the collective energy and capabilities of its many advisors and professionals. The Focus partnership includes firms operated under the Focus Partners brand that reflect the company's key business lines. Through a blend of innovative solutions, strong capital backing, and deep business expertise, Focus empowers its firms to achieve their business objectives by helping them better serve their clients and advisors. Discover more about how Focus is evolving the wealth and business management landscape by visiting or by following the company on LinkedIn. About Focus Partners Australia Focus Partners Australia, the Australian business unit of Focus Partners, offers integrated capabilities in accounting, lending, insurance and related services from its offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Guided by a client-first ethos, Focus Partners Australia leverages the global expertise, platforms and capital strength of Focus Financial Partners to deliver holistic, fiduciary guidance across strategic planning, portfolio management, insurance, credit and tax. By fusing local insight with world-class resources, Focus Partners Australia helps its clients protect, grow and transition their wealth at every life stage. About Escala Partners Founded in 2013, with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, Escala Partners is a premier private wealth investment and advisory group dedicated to delivering personalized, sophisticated, high-quality investment solutions to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices and institutional clients. The firm is committed to providing objective and tailored investment strategies, leveraging deep expertise and innovative technology to create long-term wealth solutions for its clients. Discover more about Escala at or on LinkedIn. © 2025 Focus Financial Partners. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
BigBear.ai Demonstrates AI-Driven Forecasting and Sentiment Analysis at Project Convergence
MCLEAN, Va., July 01, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NYSE: BBAI), a leading provider of mission-ready AI for defense and national security, today announced its participation in Project Convergence - Capstone 5 (PC-C5). PC-C5 is a combined joint and multinational experiment allowing partners and allies across Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and all branches of the United States military to integrate resources and technologies in support of defense transformation efforts for future warfighters. The PC-C5 experiment presented opportunities for multinational forces to test Next Generation Command Control (NGC2) systems using relevant AI models. Virtual Anticipation Network (VANE) platform proved critical in helping forces quickly gain situational awareness and identify emerging threats. Operators highlighted its forecasting models, accurate sentiment analysis for detecting adversarial narratives, and metadata tagging for navigating unfamiliar environments and filtering relevant media. " is proud that VANE continues to demonstrate operational value in real-world exercises and experiments like PC-C5, involving forces from multiple nations," said Ryan Legge, President of National Security at "These environments validate the critical role AI plays in supporting faster, more accurate decision-making for warfighters. The feedback we received will inform future enhancements to better serve our mission partners." remains committed to equipping military and intelligence professionals with tools that can help improve how they perceive, predict, and act in complex operational environments. To learn more about VANE, visit About is a leading provider of AI-powered decision intelligence solutions and services for national security, defense, travel and trade, manufacturing and supply chains. Customers and partners rely on artificial intelligence and predictive analytics capabilities in highly complex, distributed, mission-based operating environments. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is a public company traded on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI. For more information, visit and follow on LinkedIn: @ To receive email communications from register here. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the intended use of proceeds from the private placement and may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political, and legal conditions; risks related to the uncertainty of the projected financial information (including on a segment reporting basis); risks related to delays caused by factors outside of our control, including changes in fiscal or contracting policies or decreases in available government funding; changes in government programs or applicable requirements; budgetary constraints, including automatic reductions as a result of "sequestration" or similar measures and constraints imposed by any lapses in appropriations for the federal government or certain of its departments and agencies; influence by, or competition from, third parties with respect to pending, new, or existing contracts with government customers; our ability to successfully compete for and receive task orders and generate revenue under Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts; potential delays or changes in the government appropriations or procurement processes, including as a result of events such as war, incidents of terrorism, natural disasters, and public health concerns or epidemics; and increased or unexpected costs or unanticipated delays caused by other factors outside of our control, such as performance failures of our subcontractors; risks related to the rollout of the business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of competition on our future business; our ability to issue equity or equity-linked securities in the future, and those factors discussed in the Company's reports and other documents filed with the SEC, including under the heading "Risk Factors." More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's web site at The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. View source version on Contacts General/Sales: info@ Investors: investors@ Media: media@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
