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China to reportedly boost defense spending by 7%, slowest pace since 2021

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China to reportedly boost defense spending by 7%, slowest pace since 2021

China’s liquid-fueled intercontinental strategic nuclear missiles DongFeng-5C, which have a global strike range, pass through Tian’anmen Square during the V-Day military parade on September 3, 2025 in Beijing, China.

China News Service | China News Service | Getty Images

BEIJING — China plans to increase its defense spending by 7% this year, Reuters reported Thursday, citing official documents due for public release later in the day.

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That would mark the slowest increase in its annual military expenditure since 2021.

The proposal comes as conflict in the Middle East has escalated, amid a broader rise in geopolitical tensions.

For the last three years, China has budgeted a 7.2% annual increase in defense spending. Beijing had increased spending by 7.1% in 2022 and 6.8% in 2021, according to official data.

China will support the faster development of advanced combat capabilities, Reuters said, as well as the “high-quality” modernization of its national defense and armed forces.

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Some of Beijing’s latest weapon systems, including long-range missiles, were displayed during a military parade in September.

China is set to kick off its 8-day National People’s Congress on Thursday, an annual parliamentary meeting that officially approves the budget and development goals for the year.

Last year, China proposed a national defense budget of 1.78 trillion yuan ($244.99 billion at the time).

Beijing accounted for nearly 44% of Asia’s defense spending in 2025, up from 39% in 2017, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

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China is also second to the U.S. in terms of military spending.

The U.S. budgeted $849.77 billion for defense during the 2025 fiscal year. But estimates from non-profit USAFacts indicate the U.S. ended up spending about $919.2 billion during that time, up 2% from the prior year and accounting for 13% of the federal budget.

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Crypto World

Bitwise Cuts $233K Check to Bitcoin Devs Using BITB ETF Profits

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Nexo Partners with Bakkt for US Crypto Exchange and Yield Programs

TLDR:

  • Bitwise donated $233K from BITB profits to Bitcoin nonprofits in its second annual giving cycle.
  • BITB now manages $2.7B in assets, directly increasing the size of this year’s developer donation.
  • Brink, OpenSats, and HRF’s Bitcoin Fund split the contribution across open-source development grants.
  • Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says BITB is the only ETF with an ongoing profit-share pledge to developers.

Bitwise Asset Management has donated $233,000 to three Bitcoin-focused nonprofits. The funds come directly from profits generated by its Bitwise Bitcoin ETF, ticker BITB. 

This marks the second consecutive year the firm has fulfilled a pledge made at the ETF’s January 2024 launch. The commitment ties 10% of gross annual profits to open-source Bitcoin development support.

Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Profits Fund Developer Grants for Second Straight Year

Bitwise directed the donation across three organizations. Brink, OpenSats, and the Human Rights Foundation’s Bitcoin Development Fund each received a portion. 

All three groups focus on funding and training developers who maintain Bitcoin’s core infrastructure. None of them operate for profit.

The pledge originated when BITB first launched in January 2024. Bitwise committed to donating 10% of gross profits annually. The first donation followed that same year. This second contribution signals the firm intends to make the practice routine.

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BITB has grown considerably since its debut. The fund now manages approximately $2.7 billion in assets under management. That growth directly increased the size of this year’s donation compared to the first. 

Larger assets mean larger profits, and a larger share flows to developers.

Bitwise’s Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan pointed out that BITB stands alone among ETFs in making this type of ongoing commitment. 

No other Bitcoin ETF has structured a recurring donation tied to fund profits. The observation drew attention within the Bitcoin community.

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Brink, OpenSats, and HRF Bitcoin Fund Split the $233,000 Contribution

Brink focuses on supporting full-time Bitcoin protocol developers through fellowships and grants. OpenSats funds open-source contributors working on Bitcoin and related projects. 

The Human Rights Foundation’s Bitcoin Development Fund supports developers in regions where financial freedom is restricted.

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Each organization allocates funds independently based on its own grant criteria. Bitwise does not direct how recipients distribute the money. The structure keeps the donation at arm’s length from any product or promotional interest.

Bitwise shared the announcement publicly via its official channels. The post credited investors who chose BITB for making the donation possible. It framed the contribution as a reinvestment into the ecosystem supporting the ETF itself.

The broader Bitcoin development community responded positively. The model connects institutional capital with open-source infrastructure in a direct, measurable way. Observers noted it creates a feedback loop: more BITB investment leads to more developer funding.

Bitwise has not disclosed projections for next year’s donation. The amount will depend on BITB’s profit performance through 2025.

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Eight Sleep Secures $50M in Funding to Build AI Sleep Agents

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Stablecoin firm Tether has led a $50 million strategic investment round in sleep technology startup Eight Sleep, to help the company integrate artificial intelligence agents into its sleep tech products.    

The latest funding round was announced on Tuesday, with Eight Sleep raising $50 million at a $1.5 billion valuation. It follows a $100 million raise last August. The firm specializes in sleep health products, primarily across bedding and supplements.

In an announcement on Tuesday, Tether expressed its strong conviction in health technology to support “longevity, performance, and disease prevention,” and will collaborate with Eight Sleep to bring artificial intelligence-based health technology products to market.

​Tether has been using its capital stockpile to invest in a wide range of areas outside crypto. Its investments span the gold sector, media, biotechnology and AI. The firm has also made multiple attempts to buy professional football clubs.

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Source: Matteo Franceschetti

“Technologies that can turn continuous health data into clear, practical insights will shape the future of consumer health and wellness,” Tether said.

“The investment is designed to empower Eight Sleep and establish a long-term collaboration to build advanced AI-driven health technology using, among others, Tether’s QVAC architecture and leveraging QVAC’s edge intelligence to enhance Eight Sleep products,” it added.

Tether’s QVAC is a privacy-focused health tech service launched in December that enables users to integrate their bio-health data from multiple services or products, like smart rings, into a single platform, supported by local on-device AI to help users with data management and health insights.  

Eight Sleep has stated that it plans to build a sleep-focused AI agent to support its Pod, a sleep tech product that automatically adjusts bed temperature, elevation, and sound based on factors such as heart rate, breathing, snoring, time asleep and sleep stages.

​Related: Stablecoin giving grows as ‘crypto philanthropy’ matures: Report

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​The Pod already has AI integrations to track sleep health data; however, Eight Sleep has said the funding will help evolve the company’s current AI tools and capabilities.

“We’ve built the most seamless AI-powered health sensing system in the world, and this partnership with Tether gives us the infrastructure to take that intelligence beyond the Pod, into every aspect of personal health,” noted Franceschetti as part of Tether’s announcement.