Industry

Ant Group speeds up humanoid investments, backs 12 firms in 18 months

Ant Group is accelerating investment in humanoid robots, leading a 500 million yuan funding round for Zeroth, CNBC reported on July 2. The deal makes Zeroth the group’s 12th humanoid-related investment since early 2025, spanning robot makers and parts and software startups. Zeroth said its pre-Series A round brought total funding to 1 billion yuan and outlined staged commercialization and overseas sales plans.

Finance

South Korea stocks swing wildly as network separation rules ease

South Korean stocks remain highly volatile, with circuit breakers and sidecars triggered in turns as the won slides and authorities issue verbal warnings on speculative trading. Investors are watching the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee for signals on the rate path and currency moves. Interest in SpaceX’s listing is strong, though some Korean firms received no allocation. Household loans are rising again, prompting tighter controls, while AI adoption spreads across finance alongside growing security concerns.