US dollar

Classified budget estimates indicate the National Security Agency is paying billions of dollars to test artificial intelligence models, according to a new report. The figures suggest US intelligence agencies are investing heavily in evaluating advanced AI systems, likely for national security and surveillance applications. The scale of the spending is drawing attention to how deeply spy agencies are moving into AI.

Commentary published by the Egyptian Gazette argues that central banks around the world remain unable to move away from the US dollar, despite ongoing talk of de-dollarisation. The piece points to the dollar's deep role in global trade, reserves and financial markets as the reason alternatives still fall short. It adds to a wider international debate over whether currencies like the yuan or euro could realistically replace the dollar's dominance.

Iraq and the United States have agreed to resume shipments of US dollar cash into Iraq, according to Middle East Monitor. The move matters because Iraq relies heavily on physical dollars for banking and currency exchange, and earlier halts to cash deliveries strained the country's financial system and contributed to pressure on the Iraqi dinar.

The Federal Reserve has put forward proposed rules governing stablecoins under the GENIUS Act, the US legislation establishing a federal framework for dollar-pegged digital tokens. The proposal would set out how banks and issuers must comply with the new law, covering reserves, oversight and market access. Industry participants and policymakers are weighing how the rules will shape the US stablecoin market.