**[Global Biz Briefing] A Glimpse at Global Economic Issues**
**▲ Trump “Strategic Reserve of Cryptocurrencies”… Market ‘Surges’**
– The price of cryptocurrencies, which had been plummeting recently, rebounded after U.S. President Trump announced plans for a strategic reserve of cryptocurrencies.
– On local time March 2nd, President Trump stated on his social media platform “Truth Social” that the U.S. Crypto Reserve would boost this industry, which has been in crisis after years of corrupt attacks by the Biden administration.
– The five cryptocurrencies that Trump mentioned for reserve are Ripple (XRP), Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Bitcoin (BTC), and Ethereum (ETH).
– Following this news, Bitcoin’s price momentarily recovered to the $94,000 range, with Ethereum, Ripple, and Solana also showing sharp rises.
– If the U.S. government reserves cryptocurrencies, it could stabilize the market and increase trading volumes.
– However, the U.S. government has not disclosed specific details on how much and how they will reserve cryptocurrencies.
– Local media reported that if the government reserves cryptocurrencies, it might use the Treasury’s Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF), according to expert opinions.
– The Trump administration had previously considered storing confiscated cryptocurrencies from law enforcement operations.
– CNBC noted that this is the first time President Trump explicitly expressed a will for the U.S. government to not only hold but also reserve cryptocurrencies regularly.
**▲ Intel Foundry Revival?…”Nvidia, Broadcom Conducting Manufacturing Tests”**
– Nvidia and Broadcom are reportedly conducting manufacturing tests with Intel.
– According to sources cited by Reuters, this testing aims to determine whether to sign manufacturing contracts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars with Intel.
– If successful, it could place Intel’s foundry business back on track.
– AMD is also evaluating Intel’s 18A manufacturing process for its needs.
– Nvidia and Broadcom’s tests focus on producing advanced AI processors and other complex chips through Intel’s 18A process, considered to be between TSMC’s most advanced and prior processes.
– Despite the testing, there’s no guarantee that Intel will secure new business, as last year’s tests with Broadcom were reportedly disappointing.
**▲ Larger Than LG Energy Solution… AI Startup Anthropic Valued at 89 Trillion Won**
– Anthropic, seen as a rival to OpenAI, has been valued at nearly 90 trillion won, surpassing LG Energy Solution, the third-largest listed company in Korea by market capitalization.
– CNBC reported that Anthropic recorded a company valuation of $61.5 billion in its latest funding round.
– Anthropic secured an additional $3.5 billion in this round.
– Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI members Dario and Daniela Amodei, is known for its generative AI model ‘Claude’, one of the most widely used AI models globally alongside OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
– Major companies like Amazon and Google have invested significantly in Anthropic.
**▲ Industry Outcry… EU Eases Automotive Carbon Regulations**
– The European Union (EU) officially announced on March 3rd the easing of automotive carbon emission regulations.
– The main point is to grant a three-year grace period to achieve targets instead of imposing fines for exceeding emissions from this year.
– This amendment needs approval from the EU’s 27 member countries and the European Parliament and is expected to pass given the requests from major countries like France, Germany, and Italy.
**▲ Prada Near Completion of Versace Acquisition for 2.3 Trillion Won**
– Italian fashion company Prada is close to acquiring fashion brand Versace for up to 1.5 billion euros.
– This acquisition would combine two renowned Italian brands and contrasts the trend of Italian brands being sold to foreign companies.
– Prada aims to boost its presence in the luxury fashion market, competing with French conglomerates like LVMH and Kering. Despite its current market capitalization being significantly smaller than LVMH’s, Prada recorded strong sales and continues to expand its brand presence.