Jensen Huang Urges Taiwan Suppliers to Boost AI Chip Production Amid Surging Demand 
Tencent Shares Slide After WeChat Restricts YuanBao AI Promotional Links 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
Australian Scandium Project Backed by Richard Friedland Poised to Support U.S. Critical Minerals Stockpile 
TSMC Eyes 3nm Chip Production in Japan with $17 Billion Kumamoto Investment 
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration After Panama Court Revokes Canal Port Licences 
Nvidia, ByteDance, and the U.S.-China AI Chip Standoff Over H200 Exports 
Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies 
US Judge Rejects $2.36B Penalty Bid Against Google in Privacy Data Case 
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
Oracle Plans $45–$50 Billion Funding Push in 2026 to Expand Cloud and AI Infrastructure 
Alphabet’s Massive AI Spending Surge Signals Confidence in Google’s Growth Engine 
Federal Judge Signals Possible Dismissal of xAI Lawsuit Against OpenAI 
CK Hutchison Unit Launches Arbitration Against Panama Over Port Concessions Ruling 
Nasdaq Proposes Fast-Track Rule to Accelerate Index Inclusion for Major New Listings 
Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains 
Internet-only lender Kakao Bank's first-quarter net profit surged by 181 percent from a year earlier to 18.5 billion won mainly due to increased interest income.
The first-quarter tally even surpassed the bank's full-year net of 13.7 billion won in 2019.
Kakao Bank's interest income in the first quarter increased 54.9 percent from a year ago to 84.4 billion won due to loan assets.
Fee losses were also down to 3.1 billion won from 14.9 billion won in the previous year.
Kakao Bank's assets totaled 23.4 trillion won in the first quarter, with its lending reaching 16.4 trillion won. Its net interest margin is at 1.54 percent, posting a loan delinquency rate of 0.20 percent, which was the same as the end-2019.
Kakao Bank is currently one of two internet-only lenders in South Korea, the other being K Bank.
But a preliminary approval was given for a new player last December to fuel competition.
