SoftBank close to agreeing additional $30bn investment in OpenAI
Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son’s group has already invested more than $30bn in ChatGPT maker
Transcript: US health insurer stocks call in sick
Sonja Hutson talks to Patrick Temple-West and Richard Milne
‘European army’ needed to ensure continent’s safety, says Spain
Also in this newsletter: Is rule of law under threat in Bulgaria?
FirstFT: Swiss franc surges to decade high
Also in today’s newsletter: Partners Group and Anthropic’s $20bn fundraising
Tech Exchange
This series features conversations between FT journalists and the technology industry’s leaders, innovators, and thinkers. In the latest instalment, FJDynamics’s James Wu explains why he is building robots for ‘forgotten’ sectors, such as agriculture
The private equity giant in Zug facing a test
Partners Group pioneered private equity for individual investors but is now battling its US rivals for market share
Fish pile up at European ports as new digital system falters
IT platform intended to crack down on illegal fishing leaves importers stranded in paperwork
Investment in Europe’s chemicals sector plunges over 80% in 2025
High energy prices, red tape and Chinese imports impede ability to supply region’s critical industries
Swiss franc surges to decade high as traders seek last ‘reliable’ haven
Alpine currency at strongest level since 2015 shock appreciation, putting pressure on central bank
The comeback of European growth stocks
The tide is turning against value shares as government bond yields decline
Can smart pills make us healthier?
Digital drugs that report when we’ve taken our medication are not without their trade-offs
Vibecoding isn’t going to kill business software services
SaaS companies have an opportunity to use AI to make a more intelligent software
Raising the state pension age: will more Britons work until they drop?
Overall longevity continues to rise, compounding pressure on stretched government finances
The reality of a world after rupture
Europe has a key role to play in building a successor to the US-led global order
Xi’s purge of top general sends China’s military into uncharted waters
Zhang Youxia’s downfall raises questions about PLA’s readiness for conflict over Taiwan
ECB would need to act if euro keeps gaining, says Austria’s central bank governor
Martin Kocher untroubled by single currency’s current level but says further appreciation could drive down import prices
SpaceX weighs June IPO timed to planetary alignment and Musk’s birthday
Celestial calendar meets high finance, as billionaire’s personal impulses shape plans to raise $50bn in record listing
Tether scores $5bn windfall as gold price rockets
Stablecoin company owns at least 116 tonnes of bullion, making it one of biggest winners from blistering rally
Nato without America: Europe ‘thinks the unthinkable’
After the stand-off over Greenland, European leaders are having to consider what would happen if Washington leaves the military alliance
Watch this space: the self-storage facilities raising the bar
The seemingly unrelenting need for space is seeing storage operators diversifying, upscaling, launching — and expanding their footprint
The art market is betting on the Middle East — but not everyone is on board
The launch of Art Basel Qatar comes on the back of accelerated activity in the Gulf, though some gallerists have privately voiced concerns
Google scuppers service comparing YouTube viewing with TV and streaming audiences
‘Cease and desist’ letter forces Barb and Kantar to halt measurement service just months after its launch
A winter feast from Rowley Leigh and family — with recipes
A meal ‘en famille’ at Updown Farmhouse calls for duck, lasagne bianche and seasonal veg
The Russian refinery Berlin cannot afford to lose
Looming US sanctions risk cutting fuel supplies to German capital, prompting government to review Rosneft expropriation