Asian Stock Markets Rally as Japan and South Korea Hit Record Highs Amid Oil Price Concerns 
WuXi AppTec Stock Surges on Strong Q1 Earnings and CRDMO Demand Growth 
Taiwan Court Fines Tokyo Electron Unit $4.78M in Major TSMC Trade Secrets Case 
Chinese Chip Stocks Surge on AI Boom and Domestic Tech Push 
Oil Price Forecasts Rise for 2026 as Middle East Supply Risks Persist 
Australia Targets Meta, Google, and TikTok With New News Payment Tax Proposal 
U.S. Warns Allies Over Alleged Chinese AI IP Theft Linked to DeepSeek 
Asian Currencies Rise Ahead of BOJ and Fed Meetings as Dollar Softens 
Iran Proposes Strait of Hormuz Reopening Deal Amid Stalled U.S. Talks 
Toyota Global Vehicle Sales Decline in March Amid RAV4 Transition and Middle East Slowdown 
Bank of England Set to Hold Interest Rates as Inflation Risks and Iran War Impact Loom 
Google Secures Pentagon AI Deal for Classified Projects 
China’s Ultra-Cheap EV Boom: Why Electric Cars Cost Far Less Than in the U.S. 
U.S. Sanctions Target Chinese Refinery Over Iranian Oil Purchases 
Yen Strengthens as BOJ Signals Rate Hikes; Asian Currencies Slip Ahead of Fed Meeting 
Araqchi Leads Iran’s Diplomatic Push as U.S. Talks and Oil Market Tensions Rise 
U.S. Budget Airlines Seek $2.5 Billion Government Aid Amid Rising Jet Fuel Costs 
Japanese blockchain trade consortium TradeWaltz has partnered with mining traceability firm MineHub to conduct a trial on copper trade executed by Sumitomo Corporation.
TradeWaltz’s blockchain network includes over 100 corporate members with the founders, including three major trade conglomerates, Toyota Tsusho, Mitsubishi Corp, and Kanematsu, as well as MUFG bank.
The initiative was started by NTT Data with the goal of digitizing Japanese import-export documentation.
Meanwhile, MineHub, a Canadian firm, focuses on the supply chain at an earlier stage, tracking metals and minerals from the point of extraction. Its solution was created with the goal of providing supply chain traceability that could be used for trade finance solutions. It has lately expanded to include carbon emissions tracking for ESG purposes.
While the Sumitomo copper trade was a verification test, TradeWaltz CEO Satoru Someya said he hopes to collaborate with MineHub to use it for live deals in the future.
MineHub raised CAD 10 million ($8 million) on the TSX Venture exchange six months ago, and it raised another CAD 3 million ($2.4 million) in a private placement earlier this month. BHP, Chinese Minerals, and Zijin Mining conducted a copper concentrate transaction on the business's platform last week, according to the company.
