The first half of 2025 proved that nothing in crypto is ever business as usual. A newly crypto-friendly US administration brought easier regulations, meme tokens like TRUMP made headlines and Circle’s IPO broke industry records. This outlook reflects on the highlights of 2025 before presenting potential scenarios for the second half.

H2 2025

Circle’s rapid rise as a stablecoin issuer, highlighted by a record-breaking IPO and expanding institutional adoption, mirrors a broader shift toward regulated digital finance. The GENIUS Act, passed in June 2025, reinforces this momentum by introducing strict standards for transparency, reserves, and consumer protection, positioning stablecoins as core components of the future financial system.

As global competition intensifies, China’s dominance over rare earth elements has become one of the most potent tools in its geopolitical arsenal. By controlling the extraction, refining, and global supply chains of these critical materials, Beijing holds extraordinary leverage over key sectors like defence, clean energy, AI, and electric vehicles, forcing the West into a high-stakes race to reduce its dangerous dependency.

Leonard Lauder, chairman of Estée Lauder Companies and creator of the “Lipstick Index,” passed away on 14 June 2025. As the beauty industry reflects on his legacy, is his famous theory still relevant today?

With over eight years in development and an estimated $2 billion budget, GTA VI may be the most ambitious cultural product ever made, and for Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of the game's publisher Rockstar Games, the investment seems justified. However, news that the game won’t hit shelves until 26 May 2026 sent Take-Two’s shares tumbling.

The UAE is rapidly emerging as a global AI hub, driven by large-scale infrastructure investments, strategic partnerships with leading US tech firms, and an ambitious national agenda to embed artificial intelligence across government, education, healthcare, and security.

Earlier this month, a historic blackout hit Spain and Portugal, leaving 55 million in the dark for over 12 hours. Power’s back—but Europe’s energy system just got exposed.

While the recent Geneva trade agreement signalled an ease in US-China trade tensions, Beijing continues to quietly pursue a deeper strategic shift, building gold reserves and promoting the yuan to reduce dollar dependence and reshape the global monetary landscape on its own terms.

In May 2025, Trump’s Gulf tour secured major deals in defence, energy, AI, and more—marking a new era in US–Middle East strategic partnership.