NEW YORK, April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) provides a daily pre-market update directly from the NYSE Trading Floor. Access today’s NYSE Pre-market update for market insights before trading begins. 

Kristen Scholer delivers the pre-market update on April 7th

• The S&P 500 is set to enter a bear market early Monday as global markets respond to last week’s tariff announcements that President Donald Trump said could take two years to benefit the manufacturing sector.
• Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday that tariffs will aggravate inflation and drag down economic growth, but the economy was still strong overall.
• Powell’s assertion came after a better-than-expected March jobs report showed 228,000 positions were added last month.

Watch NYSE TV Live every weekday 9:00-10:00am ET

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/nyse-content-advisory-pre-market-update–global-markets-respond-to-tariffs-302422006.html

HONG KONG, April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MANTRA Chain, a layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), today announced the launch of the MANTRA Ecosystem Fund (MEF), a $108,888,888 million investment initiative designed to accelerate the growth and adoption of projects within the MANTRA ecosystem. The announcement of the MEF arrives after MANTRA became the first DeFi platform to successfully obtain a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), to operate as a Virtual Asset Exchange, as well as provide Broker-Dealer and Management and Investment Services. ‍

Supported by a strong network of partners and investors, the MEF will deploy up to $108,888,888 million over the next four years to support high-potential blockchain projects around the world. The MEF will serve as a strategic growth engine, providing capital to startups alongside globally renowned investment firms.

Investment opportunities will be sourced through MANTRA’s vast partner network, including leading incubators and accelerators, and capital partners such as Laser Digital, Shorooq, Brevan Howard Digital, Valor Capital, Three Point Capital, Amber Group, Manifold, UoB Venture, DAMAC, Fuse, LVNA Capital, Forte, and many more. This extensive global reach will ensure that the MEF gains exposure to top-tier projects from around the world.

“In an era where blockchain technology is revolutionizing finance, the MEF will serve as a catalyst for groundbreaking projects that drive real-world adoption through a focus upon the tokenization of real world assets,” said John Patrick Mullin, CEO and founder of MANTRA.

“By aligning with top investors and incubators, we are opening doors for visionary founders and teams to join us in building and creating a thriving ecosystem and bringing more of the world on-chain.”

Gideon Daitz, partner at Three Point Capital, who will lead the MEF said, “Our primary mission with the MEF is to support the development of RWA tokenization globally, empowering teams with capital, network, and advice to put the world’s highest-quality assets on-chain. We are primarily focused on building out the MANTRA ecosystem, but we genuinely believe in playing a non-zero-sum game, where collaboration and a broad open-arms policy will serve our community and industry best.”

Further adding, “We are seeking to make high conviction, resource heavy developments into fewer more focused teams, ultimately fostering stronger and more ingrained ties through our diverse network of resources.”

The MEF aims to attract and support the best teams in the world innovating with RWA tokenization, welcoming projects at any developmental stage, and even those that are chain agnostic. By fostering collaboration between blockchain pioneers and leading investment firms, MEF is set to become a major force in the evolution of DeFi and RWA adoption.

For more information on how to apply, visit MANTRAChain.io.

About MANTRA
MANTRA Chain is a purpose-built Layer 1 blockchain for real-world assets, capable of adherence to real world regulatory requirements. As a permissionless chain, MANTRA Chain empowers developers and institutions to seamlessly participate in the evolving RWA tokenization space by offering advanced technology modules, compliance mechanisms, and cross-chain interoperability.

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MANTRA holds a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), to operate as a Virtual Asset Exchange, as well as provide Broker-Dealer and Management and Investment Services. ‍

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mantra-launches-108-888-888-ecosystem-fund-to-propel-rwa-innovation-302421062.html

LONDON, April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Libraro, the innovative platform bringing together writers, readers, and publishers today announced it has secured a follow-on investment from Ayre Ventures, bringing the total investment from Ayre to £1 million since its initial seed funding in October 2024.

The investment comes at a pivotal moment for Libraro, which has recently soft-launched its revolutionary platform that democratises the publishing industry by creating direct connections between aspiring authors, engaged readers, and forward-thinking publishers. Libraro has already signed Letters of Intent with several of the world’s largest publishing houses, underscoring growing industry confidence in its data-driven approach to discovering new literary talent. The team is also in ongoing discussions with leading literary agents.

Arsim Shillova, Co-Founder and CEO of Libraro, said, “This follow-on investment from Ayre Ventures is a strong vote of confidence in the foundation we’ve built since their initial seed commitment in October 2024. We’ve had an incredibly enthusiastic response from the writers we’ve engaged so far, and with the platform now live, we’re excited to be opening the doors to new talent. This funding enables us to scale our technology, grow our community, and deepen partnerships that will redefine how great stories are discovered and shared. The new funding will accelerate Libraro’s mission to empower authors and readers while providing publishers with powerful data-driven insights to discover tomorrow’s bestsellers.”

Ayre Ventures Founder Calvin Ayre celebrated the follow-on investment, saying, “Now more than ever, support for those who produce, distribute and consume the written word is crucial. Ayre Ventures is proud to support Libraro’s blockchain-based efforts to protect the rights of authors and publishers, and to help authors connect with their audiences.“

Strategic Leadership Expansion

To support its rapid growth, Libraro has strengthened its leadership team with four strategic hires who bring decades of combined experience from across the publishing ecosystem:

• Head of Author Engagement: Former Head of Audience Development at HarperCollins, and a leading figure behind author and BookTok communities, supporting thousands of writers in navigating the publishing landscape.
• Head of Reader Engagement: Brings valuable reader-focused content strategy experience with HarperCollins and Pan Macmillan and commands a digital audience of over 30,000 readers.
• Head of Partnerships: Editor and co-founder of a leading publishing publication with a reach exceeding 300,000 writers globally, now spearheading Libraro’s industry alliance strategy.
• Incoming CTO: Brings deep expertise in AI and platform development, having led high-impact projects at globally recognised organisations including IBM, Unilever, and Cargill

These appointments mark a significant step in building Libraro’s influence across the literary ecosystem as it works to reshape how stories are discovered, shared, and published.

Revolutionary Technology

Libraro’s platform leverages blockchain technology to protect authorship, prevent copyright infringement, and enhance transparency in ownership and distribution rights. The platform’s Web3 loyalty program creates deeper engagement, building trust among readers, authors, and publishers alike.

The company’s innovative approach has already attracted significant attention within the publishing industry, with major partnerships in development with the UK’s largest writing agency, New Writing North.

About Libraro

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At Libraro, every good story deserves a platform. We’re a community-driven platform where writers, readers, and publishers come together to discover, share, and celebrate great stories. Our mission is to give every voice the opportunity to be heard and ensure that meaningful stories reach the readers who’ll appreciate them.

www.libraro.com

About Ayre Ventures

Ayre Ventures, founded by renowned venture capitalist and philanthropist Calvin Ayre, provides funding to scalable, high-growth businesses that use frontier technologies like AI, IPv6 and Enterprise Blockchain—including BSV, the world’s only unboundedly scaling public proof-of-work enterprise blockchain. The Group targets investment in innovative ideas and ambitious projects that are “positively disruptive,” supporting their expansion with the Group’s extensive network and industry partners.

https://ayre.group/investments/

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ayre-ventures-increases-stake-in-libraro-bringing-total-investment-to-1m-to-accelerate-platform-growth-and-industry-partnerships-302421928.html