Latest news with #Solaris
Arabian Post
a day ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
Bitcoin Solaris Set to Eclipse Polkadot's Growth Trajectory
Bitcoin Solaris is gaining rapid momentum, positioning itself as a potential outperformer of Polkadot's early expansion. Analysts and on‑chain metrics highlight growth indicators that not only replicate Polkadot's debut phase but in several cases significantly surpass it. Market observers attribute this shift to Solaris's mobile‑first mining approach, hybrid consensus architecture, and aggressive presale execution. Polkadot established its reputation through multi‑chain interoperability and shared security via parachains—a design emphasising developer adoption over mainstream user engagement. In contrast, Bitcoin Solaris is scaling through mass inclusivity. Its Solaris Nova app enables users to mine with everyday smartphones or PCs, eliminating the need for costly ASICs or complex infrastructure—barriers that still restrict Polkadot validator participation. This strategy has sparked an influx of retail interest, including among existing Polkadot investors turning to BTC‑S presale phases in search of higher short‑term returns. Solaris's roadmap reflects an ambition to execute where Polkadot encountered slowdowns. From launching testnet and mobile wallet in early 2026 to a full mainnet and exchange listings by late 2026, the timeline is concrete and time‑bound. In contrast, Polkadot's parachain roll‑out, while pioneering, has been criticised for complexity and slower-than-expected mainstream uptake. ADVERTISEMENT Technically, Solaris combines foundational Proof‑of‑Work for security with Delegated Proof‑of‑Stake for instant transactions and smart contracts. Its target throughput—10,000 to 100,000 TPS with finality in as little as two seconds—edges ahead of both Polkadot and competing layer‑1 networks. Validators rotate daily to enhance decentralisation, and its Helios security layer brings protocol-level safeguards comparable with Bitcoin's scarcity model and Solana's performance. Energy consumption is also a focal point. Solaris claims 99%+ savings in power usage compared with legacy mining operations. With escalating scrutiny of crypto's environmental impact, that low‑energy design resonates with both regulators and eco‑conscious investors. The presale narrative underscores urgency. Currently in mid‑phases, token pricing has ranged from US $2–8, with anticipated exchange‑launch pricing plateauing near US $20. This structure has already attracted over US $4–5 million in capital, and presale bonuses approach 12–14% per phase. Comparisons to Bitcoin's early growth phase are emerging. Financial analysts argue that Bitcoin Solaris's fixed supply, mobile mining model, and early‑stage presale echo crypto's 2013 dynamics. Even modest investments—US $1,000 today—are being framed as having potential to outperform multi‑thousand‑dollar Bitcoin buys over a similar timeframe. However, such enthusiasm is not without admonitions. As a relatively new protocol, Solaris remains in development, with adoption hinging upon mainstream acceptance of the Nova app, audit outcomes, smart contract integrity, and exchange listings. Polkadot's longevity and proven ecosystem via robust parachain deployment stand as a counterpoint—Solaris must demonstrate resilience under live load. The academic and developer communities have taken note of Polkadot's strengths—shared security via NPoS consensus, governance frameworks, and scholarly analysis of its sharding mechanisms. Yet critiques surrounding complexity, validator cost thresholds, and centralisation risks persist. By contrast, Solaris is proactively targeting those criticisms with user‑centric design, streamlined entry, and full audit transparency. Early data from presale participants suggests substantial uptake. West African and Southeast Asian communities—traditionally underrepresented in high‑end mining—are increasingly engaging through mobile mining accessibility. While precise regional figures are opaque, anecdotal evidence and community growth metrics from Solaris's Telegram and X channels point to significant global traction. Institutional interest remains unsubstantiated. Vertex Ventures and other blockchain‑focused funds have yet to announce allocations. Solaris's validation remains retail‑driven, though its governance plan includes institutional play in later roadmap phases. By contrast, Polkadot has cultivated grants via Web3 Foundation and tapped institutional bonds for parachain funding. As of now, the crypto community stands at a divergence point. One path reflects Polkadot's methodical but slower‑burn strategy, centred on developer utilisation and cross‑chain infrastructure. The other is a sprint toward inclusion, speed, and mobile participation via Bitcoin Solaris.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Best methods to get Industrial Pumps in Dune Awakening
(Image via Funcom) Industrial Pumps in Dune: Awakening is one of the most vital resources. They are essential for the advanced crafting of some high-tier equipment and base upgrades needed to survive in Arrakis. While they do not come by easily, players have many reliable ways to secure them. Understanding these methods ensures you remain ahead within the harsh desert of Arrakis. Here is how you can get your hands on them in an efficient way. How to get Industrial Pumps in Dune Awakening? Industrial Pumps appear primarily in the late-game zones, and one of the most consistent means to find them is via exploration of Sentinel City—the high-risk areas located in Easter Shield Wall. The entire city is full of chests full of valuable components. Explore the deeper sections to find some rare loot, which resets every 45 minutes. The dedicated players can regularly farm them. How To Find Industrial Pumps in Dune Awakening! 2 GREAT Industrial Pump Locations Sentinel City is not for those who enter unprepared. The high-level enemies patrol this area. So, always bring the aluminum-tier gear. If you are setting up your base nearby, the location even offers access to some rare materials. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch xu hướng AUD/USD? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo It makes it a strategic spot for late-game players. Alternatively, you can scout the smaller crashed ships present across the desert, which can be identified by the smoke plumes. You can also use Cutteray to salvage pumps from hatches. The wrecks do offer valuable materials like Industrial Pumps, Ray Amplifiers, and more, but they attract sandworms. So, extract quickly and travel fast, as your speed is the key to getting through this Sandworm territory. Note : Unlike the large shipwrecks, smaller ones emit smoke. It makes it easier to be spotted. Buy Industrial Pumps from merchants or make CHOAM exchanges If farming is not your style, you can reach out to Zoe. Southeast of Mysa Tarill, at the Crossroads Tradepost, he sells Industrial Pumps for 2500 Solaris each. However, he has a limited stock, which refreshes daily. While Industrial Pumps are expensive, buying them is one of the quickest means to get what you need without risking combat. For those who prefer the player-driven markets, CHOAM Exchange in Harko Village or Arrakeen will allow you to buy the Industrial Pumps from the other players. Check the MISC> Components section—though the listings are quite rare. So, snag a few, if there are any. It will help save you time. Why stock up on Industrial Pumps? Industrial Pumps can be used in advanced crafting recipes, including Blood Extractors, Water Cisterns, Ornithopter Wings Modules, and others. As the items are quite crucial for mobility and survival, having extra pumps ensures you are never stuck, waiting when you need an upgrade. Whether you trade, loot, or simply buy the Industrial Pumps Duke Awakening, securing a steady supply will always keep you ahead in the game. For the rest, balance your time investment against the Solari expenditure, as per your playstyle. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How to collect every faction building sets in Dune Awakening
(Image via Funcom) Building a unique stronghold is quite vital for survival within Dune: Awakening's Arrakis. Beyond some basic structures, players could acquire stunning building sets while reflecting upon iconic Harkonnen faction and Atreides faction. To obtain the prestigious blueprints needs dedication. It's a journey of resourcefulness, commitment and proving one's worth to the chosen House. Here is how you can expand the architectural arsenal in Dune: Awakening to have desert dominion. How to join a Faction and unlock a building set? To have access to faction-specific structures is not instant, but one must at first pledge their loyalty. For it, they must visit Vermillius Gap's The Anvil trade post. Here, the representatives from the two factions await. To align with either House Harkonnen or Atreides will start a questline, and to complete the mission proves one's worth. How To Join A House (Faction) In Dune Awakening | House Atreides or Harkonnen Note: You can join the desired faction via the Landstraad system, and initial allegiance will open the door. Your reputation is key. Every task completed by you will boost your standing, and to reach Tier 2 reputation will unlock the faction's construction set. After you achieve it, head to their quartermaster—Atreides in Arrakeen and Harkonnen in Harko, to purchase blueprints for 80,000 Solaris. Pro tip: Complete the faction-specific missions in a diligent manner. The tasks quite often involve travelling across some dangerous regions. Required resource investment for building sets To own blueprints is just half a battle. To construct the faction-themed structures demands the use of an advanced material, Plastone. To craft it, you need some significant resources, including precious Silicon Block, 50 water and 200 Basalt Stone. Remember, to have an efficient gathering of resources is important. Basalt Stone can be found in plenty in the rocky areas, including Eastern Shield Wall. The Silicon Blocks need processing of Flour Sand (prepare yourself for risky harvesting), the late-game challenge (zones). Lastly, Water is always important in Dune Awakening. So, refine the components together in the Ore Refinery. The larger refineries would offer you better yields, making all investments worth it for the ambitious builders. Note: To refine yields will deliver 250 Plastone in every batch. It will be enough to start the construction. Beyond blueprints, maximizing faction's rewards To secure a faction building set will cost 80,000 Solaris. It demands some smart economic play. For it, sell surplus gears, unused base designs or materials at the trading posts. Additionally, pursue some lucrative contracts from the mission boards. Diversify the income streams to be able to afford the architectural luxury. Note: To grind faction missions is not just about the aesthetics. It strengthens the foothold within the political war. After the purchase, your creativity will flourish. Mix and match the Faction pieces with the standard blocks to get some unique bases. Also, experiment with functions and layouts. Use Solido Projector for saving designs and enabling easier relocation/redesign. The base of yours with all will become a powerful symbol of the faction allegiance and personal ingenuity on harsh sands, whether you favour Atreides regal halls or the brutalist fortresses of Harkonnen.
Forbes
11-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Green Dot Stock Is Down 72% But Banking As A Service Could Be A Boost
Green Dot's boffo first quarter earnings report suggests embedded banking could increase the company's stock price as European rivals grow rapidly PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 19, 2015: The Green Dot Corporation is a prepaid debit card and prepaid card ... More reloading company which targets "banked, underbanked and unbanked" customers located in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Green Dot's first quarter results reveal faster-than expected revenue growth, higher margins, and optimism for the future. Green Dot's stock has lost 72% of its value since its 2010 IPO. Growth by European rival, Paris-based embedded finance startup Swan — suggest embedded finance could boost Green Dot's shares. Yet the recent woes faced by Berlin-based Solaris suggest risks investors should consider. Since going public in 2010, Provo, Utah-based banking services provider Green Dot Corporation has suffered a 72% drop in its stock price. But things could be looking up for the company's investors because in the first quarter of 2025, Green Dot's banking as a service platform — where the company's embedded finance offering which enables companies to provide branded banking services — posted 49% growth. Last month was the first time I had heard of BaaS — following my visit to Swan, a Paris-based embedded finance startup, valued at $205.5 million, noted Pitchbook. Since 2019, Swan has grown to 300 employees and 80,000 end users, according to my June 2 interview with co-founder and CEO Nicolas Benady. Based on Green Dot's recent results and the European growth of Swan, the embedded finance market — which is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 36.41% from $146.2 billion in 2025 to $690.4 billion in 2030, according to Fintech Futures — could contribute to rapid growth and reward investors. Yet the challenges faced by Berlin-based Solaris — prompting an urgent $145 million capital infusion in February, according to Pitchbook — highlight possible risks in the embedded finance industry. 'The securing of our Series G funding marks the successful completion of a two-year transformation journey, providing the foundation for our continued growth,' Solaris CEO Carsten Höltkemeyer said, according to TFN. 'This fresh capital will not only support our operations until we reach profitability but will also accelerate our ability to seize market opportunities and build a strong core capital base,' he added. Green Dot — which is both a registered bank holding company and a financial technology provider — offers financial services to consumers and business under-served by traditional banking. Green Dot has two primary revenue sources: In the first quarter of 2025, Green Dot beat investor expectations and raised guidance, noted AI Invest. Here are the key numbers: 'It was a very strong start to 2025 as we beat our projections, added significant new BaaS and money processing partners, and extended a major retail relationship,' Interim Chief Executive Officer of Green Dot William Jacobs said in a release. 'These results reinforce my confidence that we are positioned to win in the embedded finance market, which is seeing continued demand and expansion,' he added. While Green Dot faces challenges — most notably the company's dependence on Walmart, the possible slowdown in growth due to macroeconomic headwinds, and new competitors entering the market, embedded finance offers a new growth vector. More specifically, new deals with Samsung — which integrates Green Dot's banking tools into devices — and (expanding crypto payments); are positioning Green Dot as an embedded finance leader. In addition, the company's renewal of a 'major retail partnership' — possibly with Walmart — and higher profitability and more available cash are all reasons for optimism, noted AI Invest. The entry of PayPal and Plaid into embedded finance could cost Green Dot market share unless the company can offer partners and customers the industry's best value proposition. Moreover, economic contraction due to tariffs and higher interest rates could put the brakes on consumer and business spending, as I noted in a June Forbes post. If Green Dot wanted to accelerate revenue growth, one option would be acquire embedded finance startups in Europe. One such company is Swan — although I doubt the firm's CEO would want to sell the company. 'I am an engineer who started my career as a developer and worked two years in the payment industry for Visa,' according to my June 2 interview with Swan CEO Nicolas Benady. 'I am an entrepreneur — Swan is my fourth one and the first as CEO. The other three were acquired. I don't want Swam to be acquired. I want to build something real,' he added. Swan's growth springs in part from the company's ability to solve a hard problem that matters to small and medium sized businesses: making embedded finance easy. 'The problem we are trying to solve is to enable retailers to set up their own banking utility — analogous to providing food, housing, water or the Internet — in five minutes,' Benady told me. 'Developers wanted to provide software that would enable retailers to do banking but there was complexity — including compliance and licensing. Our vision was this should be so easy it takes only five minutes,' he added. The company grew because Benady applied the skills he had previously gained in raising money and building a team. 'Between 2019 and 2025, we grew to 300 people in five countries in Europe,' he told me. 'We have 80,000 end-clients and process 40,000 card transactions per day. We are white labeling with fifty partners. We begin with something really simple to use yet sophisticated for developers,' he added. Competition in Europe does not seem worrisome to Swan. 'We are not disrupting Visa or Mastercard,' Benady said. 'We are more in competition with European banks. We provide banking services for European small and medium-sized businesses. Banks can't compete with us. They are not going to offer their banking services as application programming interfaces.' 'Over the next 10 years we will tackle the European market. The regulation is light since we have already been approved in five countries. We do have a balance sheet but we can't lend money. We have to safeguard deposits and put the money in a safe place.' 'The only disadvantage of being in Paris is that other European cities like Barcelona and Berlin have gotten the edge when it comes to attracting talent. In the last 10 years, Paris has enjoyed more startup success.' Berlin also hosts an embedded finance startup — which has made a journey from unicorn to survival mode, according to TFN. Andreas Bittner and Marko Wenthin founded Solaris in 2015 — and was once seen as Europe's largest embedded finance provider. Like Swan, Solaris supplies white-label banking infrastructure — to fintech firms such as Trade Republic and Tomorrow Bank. During the pandemic, low interest rates helped the company expand aggressively. However, when growth slowed, cost cutting began. In October 2022, a new CEO Carsten Höltkemeyer took over. He cut 240 employees from the company's 700-employee workforce, TFN noted. Despite these efforts, Solaris 'reported €178 million in losses for 2023, raising concerns about its long-term viability,' according to TFN. SBI, a Japanese financial group, led a €140 million funding round which sent Solaris' valuation down 94% from a peak of €1.6 billion to €90 million, reported The Munich Eye. Solaris' new majority shareholder is optimistic. 'Becoming the majority shareholder in Solaris is a natural step in our ongoing investment journey with the company,' Representative Director, Chairman, President & CEO of SBIHD, Yoshitaka Kitao told TFN. 'Solaris is well-positioned with cutting-edge technology and an exceptional team to pioneer the next phase of embedded finance in Europe. We are excited to support Solaris in realizing its vision,' he added. Green Dot stock will need to keep exceeding investor expectations to reward investors. Based on five Wall Street analysts offering an average 12 month price target of $11.67, the company has 7.2% upside, according to TipRanks. If Green Dot can navigate the opportunities for growth from embedded finance and sidestep the perils Solaris has encountered, perhaps the company's stock will rise more.
Time of India
07-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
How to buy and sell items in Dune Awakening?
Image via Funcom In the unforgiving sands of Dune: Awakening , survival isn't just about shields, spice, and sandworms. It's also about smart trading. With Solaris as your key currency, learning where to buy and sell gear, materials, and upgrades can make all the difference on Arrakis. Whether you're hustling as a merchant or just trying to offload some extra loot, here's how the economy works and where you need to go. How to Buy and Sell Items in Dune Awakening ? Dune: Awakening lets you trade everything from raw materials and weapons to crafted gear and blueprints. Solaris is the main currency, and you'll earn it through missions, looting, and selling excess items. You can then reinvest that money into better gear, vehicles, or crafting resources. Here are some areas where you can buy and sell items in Dune Awakening: How to Find a Trading Outpost in Dune Awakening & What to Do There! 🚀 1. Desert Trading Posts Scattered across the map, especially in early zones, Trading Posts are the easiest place to start buying and selling. These NPC-run markets are straightforward: walk in, talk to the vendor, and sell whatever you don't need. They accept most basic items, and while the prices might not be the best, it's fast and easy. You'll also spot Contract Boards at most Trading Posts, which give you delivery or fetch quests, sometimes even guiding you to new trading areas. Don't ignore them; they often open up new regional routes for profit. 2. Social Hubs in Arrakeen & Harko Village Once you've got better gear and some Solaris in your pocket, it's time to graduate to the major trading zones: Arrakeen and Harko Village. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Stylish New Mobility Scooters Available for Seniors (Take a Look) Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Search Now Undo These hubs are home to the CHOAM Exchange, the heart of the player-to-player economy. To get there: Use Taxi NPCs found near Trading Posts (hint: look for Ornithopter holograms). The ride costs 2,500 Solaris, but returning to your previous zone is free. How to get Into Arrakeen Dune Awakening 3. CHOAM Exchange If you're looking to buy or sell to other players, your destination is the CHOAM Exchange. This is the game's central player-driven market, where real economic strategy kicks in. To access the Exchange, head to one of the two main social hubs: Arrakeen or Harko Village. You can travel there via Taxi NPCs near Trading Posts (look for the Ornithopter hologram). It'll cost you 2,500 Solaris to get there, but returning to your home zone is free. Once inside, find the CHOAM sales terminals where you can list items for sale, browse what other players are offering, and set your own prices. 4. Specialty Shops Social hubs also feature exclusive NPC vendors selling high-tier gear and rare resources like: Unique schematics Vehicle components Rare materials (e.g. Plasteel Microflora Fiber) You won't find these in basic desert trading posts, so make sure to check these shops frequently. Stock rotates, and limited-time items do appear. Whether you're flipping gear, buying top-tier items, or just unloading junk, mastering Dune: Awakening 's economy is essential. Start local, think smart, and make the CHOAM Exchange your second home.
