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AI is set to be the defining force in consumer electronics for the lunar Year of the Horse, driving changes across chips, sensors and software. While foldable phones are a logical battleground — and a possible next hit for Apple — the real competition will be about integrating efficient on-device intelligence, managing supply-chain costs and meeting regulatory expectations.

Iran’s IRGC conducted the main phase of naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on 17 February 2026, with commanders asserting the ability to close the waterway quickly if required. The move underscores a persistent vulnerability for global energy shipments and raises the prospect of heightened naval deployments, insurance costs, and diplomatic friction.

Staff at a military-run rest home in Lanzhou spent Lunar New Year’s Eve providing companionship and listening to the stories of elderly veterans, including a 99-year-old Korean War veteran and a 102-year-old resident. The occasion combined social care with informal ‘‘red education,’’ demonstrating how China preserves revolutionary memory as its veteran generation ages.

India has signalled plans to marshal about $200 billion to build data centres that will underpin a national AI push, a package that reportedly includes commitments from Google, Microsoft and Amazon. The pledge underscores New Delhi’s ambition to secure compute capacity and foster a domestic AI ecosystem, but faces major logistical, fiscal and regulatory hurdles before it can deliver results.

A major Chinese AI startup raised over $700 million in a round led by Alibaba and Tencent, valuing it above $10 billion. The founder — a post‑1990s entrepreneur — said the company holds more than ¥10 billion in cash and is not pursuing an IPO, highlighting a shift toward long‑term, control‑oriented growth amid an intensely competitive AI funding surge.

A Chinese Academy of Sciences institute reports an aluminium‑based lithium‑ion battery that, when fitted to a production EV, sustained over 92% discharge efficiency and charged to 90% in 20 minutes after a 24‑hour soak at −25°C. The result, if validated and scalable, could reduce winter range loss and simplify thermal management, widening EV usability in cold markets.

China’s Spring Festival Gala prominently featured humanoid robots whose stage performances were presented as signs that embodied intelligence is moving from innovation into industry. Firms showcased advances in facial actuators, dynamic balance and large embodied datasets, a combination that could accelerate commercialization but raises questions about robustness, safety and regulation.

Kimi, a Chinese AI startup also known as Yue Zhi Anmian, has raised over $700 million in a new funding round led by existing investors, bringing two consecutive financings to more than $1.2 billion and valuing the company at $10–12 billion. The deals signal strong investor appetite for large AI models in China and a scramble by tech giants to secure model supply, but commercialisation and regulatory risks remain significant.

AI‑enabled smart glasses emerged as a standout Lunar New Year purchase in China, with sales up 70–80% in Shenzhen’s electronics district amid a broader tech spending rebound. Subsidies, rapid miniaturisation and on‑device AI models are pushing the category from niche headsets toward everyday wearables, while global production plans and shipment forecasts suggest the market could scale to tens of millions of units within a few years.

Robotic performances at China’s Spring Festival Gala triggered a surge in consumer demand — orders jumped about 150% and several models sold out within minutes. The televised showcase amplified commercial interest in domestic robotics while prompting debate over reliability, safety and the broader geopolitical signal of China’s tech ambitions.

China's financial regulators jointly summoned six travel platforms over problematic practices in selling loan products through partner lenders, demanding clearer disclosures, bans on misleading marketing, and better complaint handling. The move is part of a broader regulatory focus on risks from embedded finance and aims to protect consumers while forcing platforms and their lending partners to tighten compliance.

Qianwen has launched a 'daily first-order' discount that gives users reduced prices — as low as RMB 3.8 — when they place orders via its one-sentence AI ordering feature, and those discounts can be combined with promotions on major platforms like Taobao, Fliggy and Damai. The move is designed to convert AI-driven interactions into frequent commercial transactions, accelerating Qianwen's shift from research project to consumer-facing commerce channel.

Maxscend’s co‑controller Xu Zhihan has transferred 17.15m shares (about Rmb1.3bn at current prices) to his ex‑wife as part of a divorce settlement. The transfer was registry‑based, includes caps on annual disposals, and does not change the company’s controlling block due to existing voting agreements. The move coincides with a weak earnings outlook as the company shifts toward a Fab‑Lite model.

China has launched a Rmb62.5 billion Spring Festival subsidy program that prioritises trade‑ins for affordable smart devices, offering consumers 15% rebates up to Rmb500 on phones, tablets and wearables priced under Rmb6,000. The measures aim to stimulate near‑term spending while accelerating mass adoption of connected hardware, benefiting mid‑range manufacturers and related supply chains.

Fund managers have become the most bearish on the US dollar in over a decade, driven by political unpredictability under President Trump and expectations of Fed rate cuts. Large institutional investors are cutting or hedging dollar exposure, pushing derivatives indicators to extremes and raising the prospect of broader capital flows away from US assets.

Chinese platforms adjusted hongbao allocation from pure randomness to a "double-average" cap that limits each claim to twice the remaining per-person average. The tweak reduces the early-grabber advantage, preserves randomness and keeps users feeling the distribution is fair while maintaining the ritual’s social and engagement value.

Henan Mining Crane Co. distributed RMB60m in cash at an annual meeting and RMB180m in total year‑end bonuses, equal to two‑thirds of 2025 net profit, benefiting over 7,000 employees. The move—driven by majority owner Cui Peijun and paired with commission‑heavy incentive structures and labour‑sensitive policies—highlights a pragmatic approach to retention and productivity amid broader cost‑cutting in Chinese manufacturing.

China’s 2026 Spring Festival Gala showcased multiple robot makers and shone a spotlight on listed suppliers and investors with exposure to embodied-intelligence technologies. While the public debut boosted attention and prompted capital-market scrutiny, most corporate participants report only small-batch orders and pilot-stage business, leaving the sector’s commercial inflection point uncertain.

China’s major delivery platforms have turned Lunar New Year’s Eve meals into a strategic instant-retail scenario, each adopting different approaches: JD focuses on quality and service, Taobao on targeted subsidies, and Meituan on steady platform integration. Operational improvements and riders’ willingness to work through the holiday are underpinning a permanent expansion of festival delivery, even as profitability pressures force more nuanced competition.

Spot gold fell below $5,000 per ounce and silver dropped over 2% as a firmer dollar, rising real yields and softer post-holiday physical demand in Asia weighed on prices. The move underscores how macroeconomic data and monetary policy expectations, rather than safe-haven flows alone, are dominating precious-metals markets.