Heidi Cuthbert

Bitcoin’s mining difficulty surged 14.73% at block height 937,440 on Thursday, reversing an 11.16% decline recorded just two weeks earlier and underscoring the network’s rapid self-correction mechanism.

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said crypto is “utterly useless” compared with artificial intelligence, dismissing stablecoins as lacking practical advantages over existing payment systems.

South Korean prosecutors said they recovered 320.88 Bitcoin, worth about $21.3 million, after the stolen funds were unexpectedly returned to an official wallet earlier this week, local media reported.

Ripple chief executive Brad Garlinghouse confirmed that the company’s chief legal officer attended a White House meeting between cryptocurrency and banking representatives to discuss a digital asset market structure bill under consideration in the US Senate.

DigiCo Infrastructure REIT (ASX:DGT) reported an underlying revenue of $108 million in H1 FY26, a 12% increase over the prior period.

TechnipFMC (NYSE:FTI), the Houston-based energy services giant, reported fourth-quarter adjusted profit that significantly outpaced Wall Street expectations on Thursday, as high-margin subsea projects and improved operational efficiency offset a slight revenue miss.

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MDGL), the West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based leader in liver disease therapies, reported fourth-quarter revenue that outpaced Wall Street estimates, driven by the explosive commercial trajectory of its flagship MASH treatment, Rezdiffra.

Qantas Airways (ASX:QAN) headquarters is tense as hundreds of employees await official notification regarding their future with the national carrier.

Universal Store (ASX:UNI) recorded total sales of $215.8 million for H1 FY26, a 14.2% increase compared to the prior corresponding period.

Ventia Services Group (ASX:VNT) reported a 13% increase in net profit after tax and amortisation to $257.6 million in 2025.