BitDigest.io

Serving Web3 for breakfast 😋🍽️ Expert or newbie, follow Bitdigest for reliable news, insightful commentary, and actionable insights. Be better in Web3 with daily digests that summarizes industry news in a nutshell 🥜 Bitdigest proudly stands as the media arm of @Bitskwela, empowering readers with the latest news, insights, and case studies in the Web3 space. #Bitdigest #Bitskwela #Web3

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the release of ₱21.47 billion to fund fuel subsidies and sustain infrastructure projects. The move aims to ease pressure on transport groups and keep economic activity moving as global oil prices rise.

The Philippines logged a $2.28 billion balance of payments deficit in February, driven by capital outflows and strong dollar demand. The shortfall adds pressure on the peso, which has already been flirting with the ₱60/$ level.

Meta Platforms has racked up nearly $80 billion in losses from its metaverse push, as adoption lags and costs keep rising. With Reality Labs bleeding billions yearly, the company is now shifting focus to AI and smart wearables.

Fuel prices in the Philippines are set to rise again next week, with diesel projected to climb near ₱130/L and gasoline possibly breaching ₱100/L. The surge follows back-to-back price hikes driven by escalating global oil tensions.

Philippine markets closed lower on March 19, with the PSEi down 0.61% to 6,018.62 as investor sentiment weakened. The peso also briefly breached ₱60/$, reflecting mounting pressure from rising oil prices and global uncertainty.

China’s central bank has extended its gold buying streak to 16 straight months, pushing reserves to a record 2,309 tonnes. The steady accumulation reflects a long-term move to diversify away from the US dollar and hedge against global instability.

The FTX Recovery Trust will distribute $2.2 billion to creditors starting March 31, marking its fourth major payout since the exchange’s 2022 collapse. Total repayments have now reached around $10 billion, with some claimants nearing full recovery.

Microsoft is reportedly considering legal action against OpenAI and Amazon over a new cloud deal that could violate its exclusivity agreement with the AI firm. The dispute centers on whether OpenAI’s new Frontier AI platform can run on AWS without breaching its long-standing Azure partnership.

Google has revamped its Stitch platform into an AI-native design tool powered by Gemini AI model, introducing a new concept called “vibe design.” The system allows users to generate full app interfaces, prototypes, and even frontend code using natural language, voice, and images.

The Philippine peso breached the ₱60-per-dollar level for the first time, hitting an intraday low of around ₱60.07 as global oil prices surge and the US dollar strengthens. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has stepped in to smooth volatility but continues to avoid defending a fixed exchange rate.

Crypto commerce platform Bitrefill disclosed a cyberattack linked to the Lazarus Group that compromised internal systems and exposed around 18,500 customer transaction records. The breach stemmed from a compromised employee device, allowing attackers to access hot wallets and internal infrastructure.

World (Worldcoin) has introduced AgentKit, a developer toolkit that allows AI agents to prove they are backed by real humans using its World ID system. The platform uses cryptographic verification and zero-knowledge proofs to enable trusted, privacy-preserving AI interactions across apps and services.

Mastercard has agreed to acquire BVNK in a deal worth up to $1.8 billion, signaling a major push into stablecoin infrastructure. The move aims to enable 24/7 programmable payments, faster cross-border transfers, and on-chain settlement across its global network.

The Department of Trade and Industry (Philippines) announced that 21 manufacturers have agreed to keep prices of essential goods stable for at least 30 days, with some extending up to 60 days, despite rising fuel and logistics costs.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (Philippines) and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center have placed Roblox “on notice,” warning the platform to strengthen safeguards against grooming and exploitation of minors. Officials say failure to comply could lead to restrictions or a full suspension in the Philippines.

Philippine National Police thwarted a planned school attack in the CALABARZON region after rescuing seven minors allegedly groomed online through the gaming platform Roblox.

NVIDIA introduced NemoClaw, a secure open-source platform designed to deploy autonomous AI agents safely, during the keynote of NVIDIA GTC 2026. Built on the emerging OpenClaw framework, NemoClaw adds enterprise-grade security features such as policy guardrails, sandboxed execution, and hybrid deployment across local and cloud environments.

xAI is hiring finance professionals from bankers and traders to portfolio managers to train its Grok AI chatbot in advanced financial analysis. The experts will provide annotated investment data, critiques of AI-generated insights, and real-world reasoning to improve Grok’s understanding of markets.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (Philippines) has approved raising airline fuel surcharges to Level 8 for tickets issued April 1–15, more than doubling the surcharge levels applied in March. The increase reflects rising jet fuel costs linked to global oil market disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz.

DeFi platform Hyperbeat is preparing to launch a Philippine peso (PHP) off-ramp, allowing users to convert crypto holdings and withdraw funds directly to local bank accounts. The feature will run on the HyperliquidX infrastructure and is part of the platform’s broader “Liquid Banking” ecosystem that combines trading, lending, and fiat transfers.