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In focus
- Shopping, saving, gambling? Lines blur on Philippine consumer apps
- An ex-Baidu executive sets out to beat OpenAI’s agents
- GPT-5 finally arrives. Find out what it has to offer
Hello readers,
It may sound ridiculous, but can you imagine a baccarat table being installed in your bank’s nearest branch?
It’s the analogy shared by a concerned source for our first top story today, which tackles the presence of online gambling and its advertising on super apps and e-wallets in the Philippines. The source said allowing such apps and ads on these platforms is similar to enabling gambling inside banks.
Yet, regulators and legislators in the country have been dragging their feet on regulations in the space. The fintech industry is advocating for controlled playtime on consumer apps instead of a total ban, which some think may lead to underground gambling.
But the pressure is building, with critics saying it’s become an “epidemic.”
Meanwhile, in Singapore, a startup named Genspark is betting that its AI agents are performing better than OpenAI’s. Already, it promises to be cheaper; it has a free tier after all. But more than that, it’s assuring users that its agents can do whatever is asked in plain language – no coding required.
Yep, this week, we’re all about players hoping to win the games they are in. Let’s dive in.
Elyssa Lopez, journalist
Top Stories
1️⃣ Consumer apps in PH draw fire for betting on online gaming
Image credit: Timmy Loen
E-wallet GCash, digital bank Maya, and regional superapps Grab and Lazada all have one thing in common: They have ads promoting online gambling on their platforms. The industry body representing the fintech industry in the country is pushing for regulation instead of a total ban on online gambling, and it looks like regulators are heeding its call despite public pressure.
2️⃣ From search to super agent: Genspark takes big AI leap
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