Financial Times:
The UK FCA unveils the updated version of its crypto regulatory framework, after softening proposed rules that critics said risked holding the UK back  —  FCA eases capital and disclosure requirements after complaints that incoming digital assets regime was too onerous

Munsif Vengattil, Aditya Kalra, and Stephen Nellis, reporting for Reuters:

Sensitive lists of components and suppliers, ​and photos of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models are part of files posted on the dark web by the ransomware group that stole data from the U.S. firm’s Indian supplier Tata Electronics, according to documents and a source.

The exposure threatens the carefully negotiated business of building the iPhone, which Apple assembles from a thicket of suppliers worldwide. It could also upset Apple and its relationship with Tata given most of the supplier arrangements are fiercely protected by Apple, and could also hand rivals, counterfeiters and its own vendors a ​view of who makes what. [...]

Apple ​considers this detail sensitive and is concerned about the documents being shared on the dark web as they relate to unreleased models, according to the person familiar with the matter. The data maps suppliers to iPhone parts, which Apple does not disclose in its public database of suppliers, the person added.

In all, the documents detail hundreds of parts to be on the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models. The records also show where Apple draws a part from several suppliers and where it relies on just a few, laying bare both its bargaining leverage and its vulnerabilities.

I’m going to say that describing Apple as “concerned” about this data breach might be the biggest euphemism I’ve heard this year. I’m sure they’re furious. Someone at Apple is responsible for putting this trust in Tata, and executives at Tata are surely panicked that they’ve lost future business with Apple.

Julie Bort / TechCrunch:
AI coding startup 8090 raised a $135M Series A led by Salesforce Ventures; founder Chamath Palihapitiya announces that he will lead the company as CEO  —  Chamath Palihapitiya, best known for his venture capital firm Social Capital and the All-In podcast, announced Monday that the AI coding startup he founded raised a sizable Series A.

Nick Wadhams / Bloomberg:
Marc Andreessen is appointed to the DOD's Defense Policy Board, a committee tasked with giving strategic advice to the defense secretary and other top officials  —  Billionaire venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, the one-time Democratic supporter who switched his allegiance to Donald Trump …

Marina Temkin / TechCrunch:
AI leaderboard provider Arena says it hit $100M in annualized run-rate revenue eight months after launching AI Evaluations, which offers performance analytics  —  Just eight months after launching its commercial service, AI leaderboard provider Arena, which originated as a research project …