Tech

Tinkoff, the biggest online bank in Russia, wants to offer cryptocurrency trading to its clients but says this will take time due to a tough stance from the country’s central bank.Oliver Hughes, Tinkoff’s CEO, said Thursday there were “qualified investors who know what they’re doing” who want to invest in crypto, but that his company isn’t currently able to offer them those services.”There’s no mechanism for us to offer that product to them in Russia at the moment because the central bank has got this very tough position,” he told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.A Bitcoin ATM in a grocery store in Russia.Yegor Aleyev | TASS via Getty ImagesRussia gave cryptocurrencies like bitcoin legal status in 2020. However, it banned digital assets from being used in payments, saying that only the Russian ruble could be considered legal tender.Earlier this week, Russian central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina told CNBC that digital currency was the “future for our financial system.” But she was referring to central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, rather than crypto.Unlike cryptocurrencies, which are designed to be decentralized, CBDCs are issued and controlled by authorities. Like China and the U.S., Russia is also currently

The FireEye logo is seen outside the company’s offices in Milpitas, California, December 29, 2014.Beck Diefenbach | ReutersFireEye said Wednesday it’s selling its products business, including the FireEye name, to a consortium led by private-equity firm Symphony Technology Group for $1.2 billion in cash.The U.S. cybersecurity firm said the sale will split Mandiant Solutions, its cyber forensics unit, from its cloud security, network and email products.Shares of FireEye were relatively flat after hours. The company said the deal is expected to close by the end of the fourth quarter.FireEye was the subject of a cyberattack in December of last year, which it believes was state-sponsored. Microsoft in February credited the company’s transparency about the breach in helping it discover that had also been attacked.FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia said the sale will help it grow its Mandiant Solutions business.”After closing, we will be able to concentrate exclusively on scaling our intelligence and frontline expertise through the Mandiant Advantage platform, while the FireEye Products business will be able to prioritize investment on its cloud-first security product portfolio,” continued Mandia.The sale is just the latest example of a big-dollar tech deal going to private equity.With the exception of special purpose acquisition companies, seven

In this articleTSLATesla China-made Model 3 vehicles are seen during a delivery event at its factory in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020.Aly Song | ReutersTesla is recalling 5,974 of its electric vehicles over concerns that their brake caliper bolts might loosen, which could potentially cause a loss of tire pressure and increase the risk of a crash, according to documents made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Cars that are part of the voluntary recall include certain 2019-2021 Model 3 vehicles and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles. Tesla said it is not aware of any crash or injury resulting from the potential defect. It will inspect and tighten or replace the caliper bolts as necessary for free.The company’s stock closed down 3%.Tesla said it was made aware of an issue in December of a field incident involving a 2021 Model Y with a missing fastener on the driver-side rear brake caliper. It has since taken measures to prevent the issue during assembly.The recall follows one in February that involved 36,126 Model S and Model X vehicles in China and 134,951 cars in the U.S. that was requested by the NHTSA over touch-screen failures. In 2020, it recalled nearly 50,000 cars

In this articleFBAttendees walk past a Facebook logo during Facebook’s F8 developers conference in San Jose, California, April 30, 2019.Stephen Lam | ReutersFacebook on Wednesday announced a number of new developer tools, including several messaging features for businesses, at its virtual F8 software developer conference.The event marked Facebook’s first software developer conference since 2019, as the Covid pandemic forced the company to cancel last year’s event.This year, Facebook placed a focus on new features to help businesses communicate with consumers directly via its messaging services. This is a key focus for Facebook, which is seeking to enable more e-commerce transactions directly on its services and enable businesses to handle more of their customer support via Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram.Here are some key announcements:Messenger API for Instagram: Facebook announced that all businesses will now have access to the application program interface, or API, for messaging on Instagram. This will make it easier for businesses to automate and manage direct message communication with users. For instance, businesses could create automatic responses or workflows for common consumer questions or requests such as “What’s your return policy?” or “Please track my order” before a chat with a live representative begins.Already, these types of tools

Satya Nadella in New Delhi, India.Ramesh Pathania | Mint | Getty ImagesMicrosoft said Wednesday it will unveil “the next generation of Windows” on June 24. The move comes a week after CEO Satya Nadella teased major enhancements to the PC operating system for developers as well as creators.Windows, the dominant operating system for personal computers, is the source of 14% of total revenue for Microsoft, one of the most valuable companies in the world. The company has pushed two updates each year to its Windows 10 operating system since it first became available in 2015.Nadella made the Windows remarks last week shortly after the company announced that it won’t ship Windows 10X. That operating system was initially designed for dual-screen devices such as the Surface Neo, which has been delayed.The company honed its focus on single-screen PCs such as laptops for Windows 10X before saying on May 18 that “instead of bringing a product called Windows 10X to market in 2021 like we originally intended, we are leveraging learnings from our journey thus far and accelerating the integration of key foundational 10X technology into other parts of Windows and products at the company.”Microsoft announced the latest Windows 10 update last

In this articleAAPLTim Cook on stage at Apple’s September 10, 2019 event.Source: AppleApple said Wednesday that its App Store facilitated an estimated $643 billion in billings and sales during 2020, according to a new study commissioned by the company.The figure marks a 24% increase from last year, as the Covid-19 pandemic pushed many consumers toward their phones and tablets.The latest figures come as Apple faces increased scrutiny over how it profits from in-app purchases. Apple takes a cut of between 15% and 30% from purchases of software or digital goods from apps distributed through the App Store.Developers have alleged that Apple’s App Store platform is unfair to smaller companies. Most recently, Epic Games sued Apple and argued in court that the company’s App Store is anti-competitive.Apple has denied the allegations and has said it “does not have a dominant market share in any category where we do business” and recently cut its App Store commissions to 15% for smaller companies. In response to the suit, Apple is arguing that it built the App Store and gets to set the rules, which are designed to ensure that apps are high quality and secure.The study from the Analysis Group includes both transactions that

In this articleJBSS-BRWell-known hacker collective REvil Group is behind the cyberattack on JBS, according to a source speaking to CNBC on the condition of anonymity. It caused JBS, the world’s largest meatpacking company to shut down operations.The cyberattack on the world’s largest meatpacker disrupted meat production in North America and Australia, at one point stoking concerns over the potential for rising prices and inadequate supply during the busy summer grilling season.REvil — pronounced like the letter “R” followed by the word “evil” — is mostly comprised of native Russian speakers. It is also believed to be based in a former Soviet state.The organization runs a site on the dark web, anachronistically known as the “Happy Blog.” If victims don’t comply with demands, the group posts stolen documents on its blog.”We know that they are protected most likely by Russian intelligence or the Russian government, as are most ransomware groups, which has allowed them to flourish over the last 18 months,” Marc Bleicher of Arete Incident Response, a cybersecurity firm that specializes in negotiations with criminal hackers, previously told CNBC.Packages of beef cuts are displayed at a Costco store on May 24, 2021 in Novato, California.Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesBy Tuesday

A mobile phone shows Huawei app interface. Huawei unveiled HarmonyOS, its own operating system in 2019. In June 2021, the company launched the operating system on a smartphone for the first time.Costfoto | Barcroft Media | Getty ImagesGUANGZHOU, China — Huawei on Wednesday launched its self-developed operating system across a slew of devices, including smartphones. The move comes as the Chinese tech giant looks to wean itself off its reliance on U.S. technology and could pit it against software from Apple and Google.HarmonyOS launched in 2019 after the U.S. blacklisted Huawei, cutting it off from access to Google’s Android operating system. That move, along with further sanctions restricting Huawei’s access to critical semiconductors, crippled its smartphone business just months after it became the number one player in the world.Huawei has been developing HarmonyOS since 2016 and bills it as an operating system that can work across many internet-connected devices from smartphones to wearables. The company claims it is easy for developers to create apps that can work across different products.The focus on HarmonyOS working across devices is one way Huawei is trying to differentiate its operating system from Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.”HarmonyOS is designed to provide the glue between

Guild Education’s Headquarters in Denver, ColoradoGuild EducationGuild Education has raised a $150 million Series E funding round, bringing the company’s valuation to $3.75 billion — more than triple its previous valuation of $1 billion.The Denver-based edtech company, ranked No. 49 on this year’s CNBC Disruptor 50 list, helps companies including Disney, Chipotle, Walmart, Taco Bell and Lowe’s offer debt-free degrees to their employees. “If you talk to CEOs at nearly any large company, they’re focused on issues that hinge on getting the return to work right: safety protocols, culture, support for women and parents, and above all — recruitment and retention,” co-founder and CEO Rachel Carlson told CNBC.On Guild’s platform, users can enroll in programs from high school to trades, associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The courses are usually flexible, and don’t require a student to leave during the workday to complete a lesson or take an exam.More coverage of the 2021 CNBC Disruptor 50Meet the 2021 CNBC Disruptor 50 companiesWhy Robinhood is the No. 1 companyA look back at the CNBC Disruptor 50: 9 years, 233 companiesWhen disruption becomes a force for good — and badCybereason CEO told world about DarkSide from a bomb shelterThe new tech taking on trillions of pounds of trash How

Celonis co-founders Bastian Nominacher, Alexander Rinke and Martin Klenk.CelonisLONDON — Enterprise software firm Celonis on Wednesday said it had raised $1 billion in a new round of funding, valuing the company at an eye-watering $11 billion.The new investment was co-led by Durable Capital Partners and T. Rowe Price Associates, with Franklin Templeton and Splunk Ventures also participating. Celonis is now worth more than four times the $2.5 billion it was last privately valued at in a 2019 cash injection.Founded in 2011 by three friends in Munich, Germany, Celonis began life as a college project for consulting businesses on improving their IT processes.The firm pioneered a technology called “process mining,” which analyzes data from a company’s event logs to identify problems with certain processes and figure out ways to streamline them.”As companies grow, inefficiency creeps in and business execution becomes a struggle,” Alex Rinke, co-CEO and co-founder of Celonis, said in a statement. “Employees feel it, customers feel it, and it leads to significant financial losses and environmental impact.””We are thrilled and honored that the rise of execution management is defining a new software stack that helps customers reimagine how they execute,” he added. “It is the biggest shift in software