Oracle Shares Surge 6% After Laying off thousands of Employees

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Oracle started informing workers that their positions were being eliminated. Although the company has not formally confirmed an exact global total, thousands of positions across multiple divisions—including some in Oracle Health and other units—are affected by the cuts.

Investors’ bets that Oracle is becoming leaner and more focused on its high-stakes AI ambitions are reflected in the stock’s 6% increase. In addition to positioning itself for what it (and many analysts) see as the next major growth wave in enterprise AI and cloud computing, the company hopes to offset the massive capital costs of data centers by reducing headcount.

Investors saw the action as an attempt by management to keep costs under control. Senior manager Michael Shepherd announced on LinkedIn on Tuesday that “senior engineers, architects, operations leaders, program managers, and technical specialists” had been fired.

Oracle executives have previously claimed that the company’s internal use of AI tools enables fewer employees to accomplish more tasks.

Another Oracle co-chief executive, Mike Silicia, said earlier this month, “Oracle’s use of AI coding tools is enabling smaller engineering teams to deliver more complete solutions to our customers more quickly.”

Silica noted at the time that these AI tools had aided in the creation of new techniques for automated Oracle service sales and lead generation. According to him, the company just created its new corporate logo.

It’s estimated that 10,000 employees have lost their jobs thus far due to a decline in the company’s use of Slack, Oracle’s internal messaging system. According to Shepherd, the “significant reduction in force” had nothing to do with worker performance. The impacted individuals were not released due to their actions or inactions,” he continued.

His post was one of many that detailed the layoffs. Kendall Levin, a former Oracle employee, stated on LinkedIn that she was “eliminated as part of the company’s mass reduction in force” from her position.

Diesel Crunch Looms in Europe as Tankers Divert Away

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Tankers transporting diesel to Europe have altered their course at sea as the war in Iran raises prices and increases competition for supplies. According to Vortexa and ship-tracking data gathered, four tankers—the Aliai, Minerva Vaso, Grand Ace6, and Elka Delphi—recently loaded diesel-type fuel in the United States and began sailing across the Atlantic.

The other three were indicating Amsterdam, and the Aliai was indicating Gibraltar. All of the ships have since made abrupt turns; the Grand Ace6 is currently signaling Lome in Togo, a country in West Africa, while the other three are traveling southeast. According to Vortexa data, they are transporting roughly 1.2 million barrels of diesel-type fuel collectively.

The tanker diversions occur as the war in Iran effectively closes the vital Strait of Hormuz, upending global energy supply chains. Fuel supplies are already under extreme strain in Asia due to markets being deprived of millions of barrels, and analysts and oil traders have warned that Europe may experience shortages in the upcoming weeks.

Diesel prices have skyrocketed in Asia, as none of the ships are indicating Asian destinations. Another indication of how the crisis is affecting the world’s energy markets is that some of these barrels may eventually be going to buyers in the East.

Philip Jones-Lux, senior oil analyst at energy analytics firm Sparta Commodities, stated, “Europe’s time will come, but right now it is Asia that is screaming the loudest.” He stated that although Europe may be lacking imports of oil products, there is still an abundance of crude available for processing. According to Jones-Lux, a supply shortage is causing crude runs at oil refineries in Asia to decline. Diesel fuel, which powers everything from trucks to construction equipment, is a net import for the UK and the European Union.

OpenAI Closes Record $122 Billion Funding Round at $852 Billion Valuation

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

OpenAI has closed a deal to raise $122 billion from investors at a valuation of $852 billion. This represents the company’s largest funding round to date and supports its expensive pursuit of additional chips, data centers, and talent.

Three major tech companies provided the majority of the funding after months of planning. Amazon. com, decided to contribute $50 billion to the funding round, while Nvidia and SoftBank Group Corp.

Each contributed $30 billion. Amazon’s $35 billion investment is largely dependent on OpenAI going public or achieving the technological milestone of artificial general intelligence. A long list of other notable backers, such as Andreessen Horowitz, Abu Dhabi’s MGX, and D.E, provided funding to the ChatGPT creator. TPG, Shaw Ventures, and T. Price Rowe. The funds raised are part of the company’s valuation.

The funding “blows out of the water even the largest IPO that’s ever been done,” according to OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar. According to her, the agreement is intended to provide the company with “a lot of flexibility” to invest in computing resources and its AI roadmap during a period of increased market uncertainty, including that resulting from the Iran war.

The AI developer has previously stated that it will invest more than $1.4 trillion in physical infrastructure over the next few years to support its AI software. An overlapping group of venture funds and tech companies, including their cloud and chip suppliers like Amazon and Nvidia, has been enlisted by OpenAI and rival Anthropic PBC to fund those bets.

SWIFT’s On-Chain Pivot: Tokenization Meets XRP Ledger in Cross-Border Revolution

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Swift’s own technology roadmap, according to the host of a well-known crypto analysis show, has subtly confirmed what on-chain data has been suggesting for months: traditional finance is transitioning from tokenized-asset experiments to actual deployments, and the infrastructure race is narrowing to a few winning models.

According to Ripple Bull Winkle, Swift’s CIO gave the clearest indication, stating that the company is developing “blockchain infrastructure to connect banks to new settlement locations” through a “watch-in” layer that prioritizes composability. To put it another way, Swift is maintaining its function as a messaging and connectivity hub. At the same time, settlement moves elsewhere by plugging into blockchain rails rather than attempting to replace them.

The “wrapper token” model for tokenized finance, which is similar to how stablecoins operate today, is the main focus of the YouTube video. Platforms issue fully backed, bankru in place of native on-chain versions of stocks or ETFs.

According to Ripple Bull Winkle, native issuance lags because it needs direct issuer buy-in, which is more difficult to obtain for companies like Tesla, Apple, or big ETFs.

Additionally, the commentator highlights how these tokens function similarly to stablecoins: they are stored in self-custodial wallets, transferred without authorization, and implemented in DeFi. They contend that both institutional and crypto-native participants find this architecture appealing.

The XRP Ledger is positioned as a settlement fabric that can accommodate tokenized lending markets, stocks, and treasuries.

The primary on-chain metric that Ripple CTO David Schwartz monitors is “cross-pollination” between tokenized assets, such as investors exchanging tokenized treasuries for loan portfolios on the same ledger, rather than just institutional issuance of tokenized assets.

Ripple Teams Up with Ex-Western Union Business Convera to Boost Stablecoin Payments

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Ripple Labs and Convera announced a partnership for international payments. The two businesses stated that they will enhance international money transfers by utilizing blockchain technology and stablecoin.

Convera operates in about 200 countries and territories and manages transactions in over 140 currencies. Western Union Business Solutions was the previous name. It changed its name to Convera after being purchased by a private equity group in 2021 for $910 million

Before joining the fintech company, its current CEO, Patrick Gauthier, oversaw Amazon Pay. The two businesses refer to the structure at the center of their collaboration as a “stablecoin sandwich.” Stablecoins manage the intermediary transfer, while fiat currency is used to initiate and complete payments.

The model is intended to provide businesses with quicker settlement without requiring them to hold or manage digital assets. Businesses want speed and flexibility, according to Aaron Slettehaugh, senior vice president of product at Ripple.

According to Gauthier, Ripple’s standing in the cryptocurrency payments industry made it an exceptional partner. “Ripple is a clear leader in the crypto space and a natural fit for Convera,” he declared in a statement.

Additionally, he mentioned that Convera has been keeping an eye on the development of the digital currency market while paying attention to what its clients require. In addition to creating and managing the XRP Ledger, Ripple also issues the U.S.-pegged RLUSD stablecoin.

The business joined the BLOOM initiative of the Singapore central bank last week. Using the XRP Ledger and RLUSD, the program is testing programmable cross-border trade settlements. The Convera agreement continues Ripple’s strategy of growing through focused alliances and comes after that announcement in Singapore

. The arrangement has instant operational scale thanks to Convera’s presence in almost all major currency markets. The financial terms and the launch date of the first live payment corridors under the agreement were not disclosed by the companies.

Central Bank of Turkey Draws Down 60 Tons of Gold to Defend Lira

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Turkey’s central bank exchanged and sold roughly 60 tons of gold in just two weeks following the start of the war in Iran, valued at over $8 billion, further driving down bullion prices.

Turkish gold reserves show a sharp decline of 6 tons in the week of March 13 and another 52.4 tons in the week of March 20. According to people familiar with the situation, most of that was used to secure foreign exchange or liras through swap agreements, while a portion was sold outright.

The action coincides with pressure on Turkey’s disinflation strategy, which mainly depends on keeping the lira stable or steadily declining through currency interventions, typically through state-run banks. Maintaining that strategy has become more difficult due to rising energy import costs and increased demand for dollars since the start of the conflict.

Iris Cibre, the founder of Phoenix Consultancy in Istanbul, claims that to meet liquidity needs and stabilize domestic demand, officials have resorted to gold sales and gold swap agreements from the central bank’s $135 billion stockpile. Over half of the 58.4 tons of total sales were made through gold-for-foreign-exchange transactions overseas.

That sum is more than the 43 tons of outflows from gold-backed exchange-traded funds that Bloomberg tracked during the same two-week period. One of the most common ways for both institutional and individual investors to gain exposure to gold is through exchange-traded funds (ETFs). In an effort to protect the lira from more severe war-related losses, Turkey’s central bank has been considering using its gold reserves through transactions in London.

The report caused the spot price of gold to swing from an earlier gain to a loss on international markets. For Turkey, which has been among the most aggressive in the world, the sales represent a reversal.

US Treasury Prices Climb Sharply as Traders Pare Back Higher Rate Forecasts Over Middle East Risks

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

US Treasury prices surged as traders reduced bets on higher interest rates due to concerns that the Middle East conflict would cause a severe economic slowdown. US stock futures increased as Brent reached $116 per barrel.

US yields fell across the curve after money markets reduced the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate increase in 2026 to 25% from roughly 35% on Friday.

Two-year Treasury bond rates fell two basis points to 3.89 percent. After the benchmark fell to an August low at the end of last week, S&P 500 futures increased by 0.2 percent. The value of the dollar barely changed. The actions followed missile strikes that tore through the Middle East over the weekend as Iran and its proxies attacked US allies. After a month of fighting, concerns about an escalation increased with the arrival of Iran-backed Houthi forces and a US amphibious assault group.

Some of Wall Street’s largest bond fund managers predicted that yields will begin to decline as the war’s effects on growth become more evident, even though traders have so far mostly concentrated on the inflation shock caused by rising oil prices, sending the Treasury market toward its biggest monthly loss since October 2024

It’s becoming clear that markets are expecting an extended period of high oil prices, with stagflationary implications for the global economy. According to credit traders, the cost of insuring Asian investment-grade debt increased by roughly two basis points on Monday to about 94 basis points, a level last observed in May of 2025. After a central bank action intended to reduce speculation caused lenders to sell dollars, the Indian rupee saw its biggest increase since February.

Bitcoin Holds Steady Near $67K as Iran Tensions Boils High

Posted on March 30, 2026March 30, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Bitcoin increased marginally on Monday as traders awaited additional cues on the US -Israel’s war on Iran following a possible Houthi escalation. Last week, the largest cryptocurrency in the world dropped back below $70,000 due to weak risk appetite and uncertainty surrounding a significant US regulatory measure.

Markets were now anticipating a possible intensification of the Iran war after the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen launched missiles at Israel over the weekend. Given their ability to launch attacks in the Red Sea, the Houthis’ involvement could create a new front in the conflict.

Separately, US President Donald Trump stated that talks with Iran were proceeding smoothly and that a ceasefire might be imminent, though he did not specify a timeframe. Additionally, Trump claimed that as a favor to the US, Iran had permitted 20 oil tankers to cross the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has mostly denied so far.

Tehran accused the US of preparing a ground invasion, following Washington’s deployment of thousands of troops to the Middle East over the weekend. Even though Bitcoin has fared better than other assets since the start of the Iran War, it hasn’t made much progress, and its losses over the weekend erased most of its gains through March.

Investor appetite for riskier assets has been significantly impacted by uncertainty surrounding the Iran War, as markets have been concerned about the inflationary consequences of rising oil prices. Any aggressive actions by international central banks to counteract inflation driven by energy are bad news for speculative assets like cryptocurrency. It’s possible that Strategy, the biggest corporate Bitcoin holder, didn’t increase its holdings last week.

US Dollar Sparks 10-Month Peak on Geopolitical Tensions in Middle East

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

The dollar was close to a 10-month high and set for its largest monthly gain since July of last year as conflicting signals from the US and Iran reduced expectations of a speedy resolution to the Middle East conflict.

President Donald Trump declared that Iran’s new leaders have been “very reasonable as more US troops entered the area and Tehran issued a warning that it would not tolerate humiliation.

The euro found some support amid expectations of rate hikes by the European Central Bank. At the same time, the yen remained close to the crucial 160 per dollar level after reaching its lowest since Tokyo last intervened to support the currency in July 2024.

This month, the Iranian conflict effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which is a chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows. As a result, markets were shaken, pushing Brent crude toward a record monthly increase. The dollar has benefited from its safe‑haven status since early March, with higher oil prices hurting Japan and the euro zone but insulating the United States.

The Japanese yen strengthened by 0.40 percent to 159.65 per dollar after reaching its lowest level since July 2024 at 160.47 during the Asian session.

The reversal occurred as Japan prepared to threaten yen intervention and hinted that additional currency declines might support a short-term increase in interest rates. Concerns about rising oil prices have caused the yen to fall more than 2% in March. The Australian dollar, which is on track for a monthly decline of 3.8 percent—its steepest since December 2024—was down 0.3 percent at $0.6851. After declining 4.4 percent in March, the New Zealand dollar dropped 0.4 percent to $0.57275.

US Bonds Rally on Growth Fears as Brent Surges to $116 a Barrel

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

US yields fell across the curve after money markets reduced the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate increase in 2026 to 25% from roughly 35% on Friday.

.According to Jim Reid, head of macro research and thematic strategy at Deutsche Bank AG, “it’s becoming clear that markets are expecting an extended period of high oil prices, with stagflationary implications for the global economy.” ”

This morning, growth rather than inflation is now the main concern. According to credit traders, the cost of insuring Asian investment-grade debt increased by roughly two basis points on Monday to about 94 basis points, a level last observed in May of 2025. After a central bank action intended to reduce speculation caused lenders to rush to sell dollars, the Indian rupee saw its biggest increase since February.