Brazil's Central Bank Vows Tougher Rules after Surge in Financial System Cyberattacks

A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. (Reuters)
A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. (Reuters)
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Brazil's Central Bank Vows Tougher Rules after Surge in Financial System Cyberattacks

A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. (Reuters)
A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. (Reuters)

Brazil's central bank is preparing to advance tighter regulation of the financial system to curb a rise in cyberattacks, the bank's supervision director, Ailton Aquino, said on Wednesday.

This year, 68 incidents have been reported through October, including 37 cases of fraud, he said at a press conference in Sao Paulo.

That represents the highest number since the central bank began tracking such data in 2018 and is already above the 59 cases recorded in all of last year, according to the bank's Financial Stability Report released earlier in the day, Reuters reported.

Aquino cited the need for stronger oversight of third-party services and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), which act as bridges allowing different software systems to communicate securely and automatically with each other.

He said the central bank was finalizing rules for direct connections to the financial system's network and expected to release them soon.

"The agenda remains strong," Aquino said.

In September, the central bank issued new rules to strengthen the security of the country's financial system, and earlier this week it regulated the crypto assets market to help prevent money laundering and fraud.



Microsoft Reportedly on Track to Invest $5.5 Billion in Singapore by 2029

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
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Microsoft Reportedly on Track to Invest $5.5 Billion in Singapore by 2029

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

Microsoft is on track to invest $5.5 billion in cloud and artificial ⁠intelligence infrastructure in Singapore ⁠through 2029, the ⁠Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a ⁠Reuters request for ⁠comment.

The Thai government ⁠said in a statement on Tuesday that Microsoft plans to invest $1 billion in Thailand over the next two years in cloud services and AI infrastructure.

The investment includes developing digital ⁠skills of the Thai workforce, the statement said.

The announcement follows a number of data center investments to support AI, as Southeast ⁠Asia's ⁠second-largest economy looks to speed up projects involving data centers, electronics, and power generation.


Huawei Posts 2.2% Growth in Annual Revenue

FILE PHOTO: A sign of Huawei is displayed at the company's booth at the expo of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen town of Tongxiang city, Zhejiang province, China November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A sign of Huawei is displayed at the company's booth at the expo of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen town of Tongxiang city, Zhejiang province, China November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
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Huawei Posts 2.2% Growth in Annual Revenue

FILE PHOTO: A sign of Huawei is displayed at the company's booth at the expo of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen town of Tongxiang city, Zhejiang province, China November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A sign of Huawei is displayed at the company's booth at the expo of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen town of Tongxiang city, Zhejiang province, China November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

China's Huawei Technologies reported on Tuesday 2.2% growth in 2025 revenue, as its core businesses of infrastructure network and consumer devices reported modest growth, while its cloud computing operation saw a revenue decline.

The Shenzhen-based company posted 2025 sales revenue of 880.9 billion yuan ($127.5 billion), up 2.2% from a year earlier, marking a sharp slowdown from 22.4% growth recorded in 2024.

The 2025 result marks Huawei's second-highest annual revenue, trailing a record 891 billion yuan sales achieved in 2020.

Huawei's smartphone ⁠business had suffered ⁠a dramatic decline after US sanctions restricted access to advanced chips and Google's Android operating system, driving its total revenue down 29% in 2021. Last year was the fourth consecutive year of growth since that trough.

Revenue from the consumer unit, which includes smartphones and other digital devices, ⁠rose 1.6% to 344.5 billion yuan, while its information and communication technology infrastructure segment — the largest revenue contributor — posted 2.6% growth in sales to 375 billion yuan, Huawei said in a statement.

Huawei said over 36 million devices ran on its homegrown HarmonyOS by the end of last year, Reuters reported.

Its smaller yet important cloud computing business reported a 3.5% drop in revenue, while intelligent automotive solutions unit, which helps traditional automakers develop smart vehicles, saw a revenue surge of ⁠72.1% to ⁠45 billion yuan.

Huawei continued to allocate significant resources to research and development to mitigate the effects of ongoing US sanctions.

R&D spending surged to 192.3 billion yuan in 2025, representing 22% of its annual revenue, as the company invested heavily in software, chips and manufacturing tools to reduce reliance on restricted US technology.

In a statement, chairwoman Meng Wanzhou, daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, said the company is navigating a future "full of uncertainty," and pledged that Huawei would continue cultivating its developer ecosystem.


Meta Says Testing Subscription Tier for Instagram

(FILES) This picture taken in Istanbul on August 2, 2024, shows the logo of the social network Instagram on a smartphone. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken in Istanbul on August 2, 2024, shows the logo of the social network Instagram on a smartphone. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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Meta Says Testing Subscription Tier for Instagram

(FILES) This picture taken in Istanbul on August 2, 2024, shows the logo of the social network Instagram on a smartphone. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken in Istanbul on August 2, 2024, shows the logo of the social network Instagram on a smartphone. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

Instagram is testing a pay tier that offers features including letting subscribers discretely view "Story" posts that normally vanish after 24 hours, Meta told AFP on Monday, confirming a report by news website TechCrunch.

Paying users will also get more control over which accounts are permitted to see photos or videos they share in Story posts on the popular social network.

The new tier is being tested in "a few countries worldwide," a spokesperson said, without providing further details.

According to TechCrunch, they include Japan, Mexico and the Philippines, with subscription prices hovering around $2 per month.

Meta launched ad-free, paid versions of Facebook and Instagram in the United Kingdom last year to comply with legislation there.

Social media platforms Snapchat and X have offered paid premium version for several years.

Snapchat's parent company Snap recently reported having more than 25 million subscribers to its premium tier and being on pace for $1 billion in annual revenue.

Content creators at Instagram already have the ability to charge fans for access to exclusive content.