👉Issue #108 of QX Snapshots is out!

Welcome to QX Snapshots - a weekly recap of the key news on emerging technologies. In this newsletter, you will get a "digest" of the latest info on Enterprise Blockchain, AI, Quantum Technology, and more. We hope it brings you value!

[Blockchain] Singapore Exchange To Launch Bitcoin Perpetual Futures, Securitize Partners With RedStone, Deutsche Börse's Clearstream Enters Digital Asset Custody , Cashlink And 21X Join Forces For Digital Securities Trading In Germany. Singapore Exchange (SGX) is preparing to enter the crypto derivatives market by launching bitcoin perpetual futures in the second half of 2025. The new product, exclusively targeting institutional clients and professional investors, will operate on a regulated platform with SGX's Aa2 Moody's rating. The initiative, pending regulatory approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, aims to provide a secure alternative to unregulated exchanges.. Meanwhile, Securitize, has selected RedStone as its primary blockchain oracle partner to provide price feeds for tokenized assets like BlackRock's BUIDL fund. This partnership aims to bridge the $300 trillion traditional securities market with the $90 billion DeFi ecosystem. RedStone will deliver Net Asset Value data feeds and daily interest rate feeds on Ethereum Mainnet, enabling these tokenized assets to be integrated into DeFi protocols. Also, Deutsche Börse's subsidiary Clearstream is launching cryptocurrency custody services for institutional investors, marking a significant move by a major traditional financial institution into digital assets. The service, supported by Crypto Finance, will initially focus on Bitcoin and Ethereum custody. This expansion allows institutional clients to store their digital assets within the established Deutsche Börse infrastructure, offering a regulated and secure environment for cryptocurrency investments. And, German fintechs 21X and Cashlink Technologies have formed a strategic partnership to integrate blockchain trading and tokenisation services, creating comprehensive infrastructure for digital asset trading. Germany's tokenised securities market has grown dramatically from €31 million in 2022 to approximately €615 million by mid-2024. Using Polygon PoS blockchain, the companies aim to establish Germany's first blockchain-based secondary market. 21X holds Europe's first DLT Trading and Settlement System license, while Cashlink possesses Germany's first crypto securities registrar license and BaFin approval for digital asset custody. Together, they provide a fully regulated framework within Germany's supportive Electronic Securities Act environment.

[AI] AWS First Cloud Provider To Offer Deepseek-R1 As Fully Managed Serverless AI Model, Google Unveils Gemma 3 A Collection Of Lightweight Open Models. OpenAI has submitted key proposals to the Trump administration's AI Action Plan. The company suggests expanding the US Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute, emphasizing commercial diplomacy through export structures, and preserving fair use of data for AI development. Among other things, according to OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris - while China's authoritarian structure enables rapid progress in energy and data collection, America's democratic and capitalist system provides unique advantages for innovation and scaling. One of the key focuses is on avoiding excessive regulation. Meanwhile, AWS has become the first cloud service provider to offer DeepSeek-R1 as a fully managed, serverless large language model in Amazon Bedrock. This AI model, developed by startup DeepSeek, offers sophisticated reasoning capabilities and deep contextual understanding for complex tasks. The implementation provides enterprise-grade security features and is reportedly 90-95% more cost-effective than comparable models. Customers can access the model with built-in security measures, including Amazon Bedrock Guardrails to prevent hallucinations and maintain data privacy. The service operates on a pay-per-token basis, enabling scalable deployment without infrastructure management. Also, Google has unveiled Gemma 3, a groundbreaking collection of open-source AI models derived from Gemini 2.0 technology. Available in sizes ranging from 1B to 27B parameters, these models can run efficiently on a single GPU or TPU while outperforming larger competitors. Gemma 3 supports over 140 languages, features a 128k-token context window, and includes advanced visual reasoning capabilities. The release comes with quantized versions for improved performance and ShieldGemma 2, a built-in image safety checker. The models are designed for easy integration with popular development tools and platforms.

[Quantum Technology] China Achieves First Ever 12,800km Key Distribution Link To South Africa, South Korea Launches Ambitious Quantum Development Initiatives, NIST Selects HQC As Backup Encryption Standard. China has achieved a significant milestone in quantum communication by establishing the first quantum key distribution link with South Africa, spanning 12,800km. Led by physicist Yin Juan, the demonstration utilized China's Mozi quantum satellite to create an ultra-secure communication channel resistant to hacking attempts. This milestone marks the first quantum communication extension into the Southern Hemisphere, building upon China's previous success of quantum transmission between China and Austria in 2017. Meanwhile, South Korea is establishing a Quantum Strategy Committee and launched ambitious initiatives for quantum development, including a dedicated investment fund allocating $15 million annually for quantum startups. The government commits to training 2,500 quantum researchers and has announced a broader $687 million Science and Technology Innovation Fund. Also, NIST has selected HQC as a backup encryption algorithm to protect against future quantum computer threats, supplementing the primary ML-KEM algorithm standardized in 2024. While ML-KEM uses structured lattices, HQC employs error-correcting codes for its mathematical foundation. Though HQC requires more computing resources, it provides a crucial alternative security approach. This backup standard will undergo public comment before its final release in 2027, ensuring robust protection for sensitive electronic information against potential quantum computing threats. And, Oxford Instruments NanoScience, Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC), and Quantum Machines are collaborating to launch Architect, an open architecture quantum computing platform. The system combines OQC's 8-qubit Lucy Gen2 processor, Quantum Machines' OPX1000 controller, and Oxford Instruments' ProteoxMX dilution refrigerator. This platform allows users to experiment with the entire quantum stack, from cooling systems to quantum circuits, addressing the critical need for hands-on quantum computing skills development. The platform, which has maintained 98% uptime throughout 2023, will be demonstrated live at the upcoming Global Physics Summit.

[General technology] Sidewinder APT Group Expands Cyberattacks Targeting Key Sectors Across South Asia, Middle East, And Africa; New Malware Campaign Obscure#Bat Unleashes Deceptive Tactics; ScarCruft Spying on Android Users via Fake Utility Apps. SideWinder APT group is expanding its cyberattacks, targeting maritime, logistics, nuclear, telecom and IT sectors across South/Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa. The threat actor maintains over 400 domains for malicious activities and rapidly adapts to security detections by modifying malware within hours. Their infection chain starts with phishing emails containing DOCX files that exploit CVE-2017-11882 to deploy a backdoor loader and StealerBot toolkit. The group focuses particularly on nuclear facilities in South Asia while expanding into African countries. Meanwhile, a sophisticated malware campaign dubbed OBSCURE#BAT has been discovered by Securonix, employing deceptive social engineering tactics through fake CAPTCHA pages. The attack delivers r77, an open-source rootkit that enables threat actors to maintain persistent access while evading detection on compromised systems. The rootkit's capabilities include cloaking files, registry keys, and tasks, making it particularly dangerous for system security. The perpetrators behind this campaign remain unidentified, highlighting the evolving nature of cyber threats. Also, threat actor ScarCruft has deployed "KoSpy," a previously unknown Android surveillance tool targeting Korean and English speakers. This malware, disguised as utility apps on Google Play (File Manager, Phone Manager, etc.), collects extensive data including SMS messages, call logs, location, files, audio, and screenshots through dynamically loaded plugins. The apps delivered promised functionality while secretly deploying spyware. KoSpy uses Firebase Firestore to retrieve C2 server addresses, offering flexibility and stealth. The malware contains anti-emulator checks and delayed activation to avoid detection. All infected apps have been removed from Google Play.