Heath Muchena

For centuries, gold has been revered as the ultimate store of value. It has outlived empires, sustained economies and shielded investors from inflation. But what happens when the system designed to trade and store gold turns into a house of cards?

In a cashless future, who controls your money? We’re living in an era where cash — real, physical cash — is quietly disappearing. In Sweden, shops barely accept banknotes. In Nigeria, cash shortages spark protests as mobile money dominates. Even the US sees more stores going card-only, no questions asked.

Let’s face it – payments today are broken. Hidden behind glossy apps and sleek card networks lies a system so bogged down with middlemen, fees, and inefficiencies that it’s bleeding businesses dry.

In today’s economy you’ve probably noticed that things feel, well, off. Inflation remains a headache, government debt is rocketing, and central banks seem caught between a rock and a hard place. What’s driving this chaos? A phenomenon called fiscal dominance — government deficits are overshadowing monetary policy and private sector activity as the key driver of economic trends.

Today’s market shows hallmarks of being in the middle of a bull run.

The global financial landscape is on the brink of enormous change and as always crypto is in the eye of the storm. With Donald Trump reclaiming the presidency, we’re not just looking at a political shift — we’re staring down a potential reset of the global monetary system.

Let’s call it like it is: the global economy is doing a high-wire act and the safety net below is looking sketchy. Between America’s ambitious industrial revival, relentless money printing and the Federal Reserve’s balancing act of keeping inflation in check without tanking markets, we’re in uncharted territory.

Kate Krukiel, GM of UN Digital Solutions Centre and managing director of Sera Afrika, says emerging tech can address business and societal challenges. In this Q&A, Kate shares her insights on applications of key emerging technologies including AI, robotic process automation (RPA), and blockchain – technologies expected to drive what has been called the "fourth industrial revolution" (4IR), a tech-fueled, fundamental transformation in industrial processes and a jump in productivity.

You might be distracted by the daily soap opera of politics — the tweets, the sound bites, the headline-grabbing salvos lobbed by Donald Trump and his band of billionaire confidants. But peel back the theatrics and something far more consequential is unfolding, quietly but decisively.

Artificial Intelligence transcends mere technological advancement, it signifies a profound shift capable of redefining productivity, economic output, and earning potential. The opportunity costs of eschewing AI are immense, especially as the digital chasm between adopters and non-adopters widens.

Founder for Proudly Associated and author of Artificial Intelligence Applied & The Digital Economy Survival Toolkit, Heath Muchena, explores the critical need for AI adoption, using real-life examples.

The resurgence in M2 money supply and Bitcoin’s recent rally past $89,000 underscore the deep ties between economic policy, liquidity, and asset prices.

Imagine if we could predict the future with a degree of accuracy that reshapes decision-making in politics, business and beyond. Prediction markets — where participants bet on the likelihood of various events — have long been seen as tools for harnessing the wisdom of crowds. Yet their adoption has remained limited, bogged down by inefficiencies, opacity and regulatory hurdles.

Bitcoin, the world’s first cryptocurrency, has long been hailed as the digital gold of the crypto world, largely for its role as a store of value. But something revolutionary is happening that could change the way we think about bitcoin. It’s stepping into a new role: decentralised finance (defi).

The financial markets have reached a pivotal milestone with the approval of spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). Unlike their futures-based predecessors, these ETFs directly hold the underlying assets, offering investors a transparent and potentially less volatile way to gain exposure to leading cryptocurrencies.

A new wave is sweeping through Africa’s betting landscape, led by the rapid growth of crypto-based betting and prediction markets. This trend was the focus of a recent event hosted by Decentralised News and proudly sponsored by Sportsbet.io