Fintech Law Company Gofaizen & Sherle Announces Launch of Crypto License Navigator

**Disclaimer:** The below article is sponsored, and the views expressed do not represent those of ZyCrypto. Readers should conduct independent research before taking any actions related to the project mentioned in this piece. This article should not be regarded as investment advice.

**Fintech Law Firm Gofaizen & Sherle Launches the Crypto License Navigator**

Fintech law firm Gofaizen & Sherle has announced the launch of the *Crypto License Navigator*, an interactive tool designed to help crypto businesses assess and compare licensing options across jurisdictions. This innovative solution comes ahead of the full implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) in the European Union, scheduled for 2026.

With MiCAR introducing stricter licensing requirements and heightened regulatory oversight, crypto companies are facing significant challenges in selecting the right jurisdiction for their operations. This decision is critical for companies of all sizes, impacting their ability to comply and grow sustainably in an evolving regulatory landscape.

### What is the Crypto License Navigator?

The License Navigator enables businesses to make informed decisions when selecting a crypto jurisdiction, supporting sustainable growth by considering a wide range of factors. These include:

– Minimum capital requirements
– Corporate tax rates in the selected jurisdiction
– License acquisition times
– Access to banking services
– Jurisdiction reputation

By integrating these key regulatory and tax parameters into an interactive dashboard with real-time analytics, users can model a tailored crypto licensing strategy aligned with their goals.

### Key Considerations When Choosing a Jurisdiction

According to Gofaizen & Sherle, several factors are vital for crypto companies when choosing the right jurisdiction:

– **Global Recognition:** Being recognized among banks and fintech partners ensures a seamless launch and effective business partnerships.
– **Reputation:** A jurisdiction with a solid reputation helps earn the trust of customers, investors, and regulators, facilitating easier access to capital and partnerships.
– **Scope of Operations:** The jurisdiction should permit a broad range of crypto services aligned with the company’s offerings.
– **Stable Legislation:** Predictable and reliable legal frameworks are preferable to avoid sudden regulatory changes.
– **Operating Costs:** Regular expenses such as office space, personnel, compliance, and license renewal fees must fit within budget constraints.
– **Tax Regime:** The corporate tax rate and any government incentives for crypto businesses directly influence profitability and should be carefully evaluated.
– **Initial Budget and Timeline:** Costs for registration, licensing, and launching operations, along with the time needed to secure a license, are critical planning factors.
– **Local Presence Requirements:** Some jurisdictions require appointing a regional director or compliance officer, adding to operational considerations.

### Popular Crypto Jurisdictions in 2026

Using insights gained via the License Navigator, Gofaizen & Sherle have identified several jurisdictions expected to be popular among crypto businesses in 2026. These include:

– El Salvador
– Canada
– Montana (USA)
– Switzerland
– Bosnia and Herzegovina

Common features of these jurisdictions include zero corporate income tax, clear and accessible regulatory frameworks, and straightforward licensing processes.

### About Gofaizen & Sherle

With extensive experience in crypto regulations, Gofaizen & Sherle has helped clients obtain more than 800 crypto licenses across over 50 jurisdictions worldwide. The firm offers comprehensive support in licensing, accounting, human resources, and regulatory reporting, guiding crypto companies through every stage—from project planning to hiring staff and opening offices.

The launch of the Crypto License Navigator marks a significant step forward in empowering crypto businesses to navigate the increasingly complex regulatory environment with confidence and precision.
https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/crypto/fintech-law-company-gofaizen-sherle-announces-launch-of-crypto-license-navigator/

Trump Proposes $2,000 Tariff Dividend as Crypto Markets Rally

**President Trump Announces $2,000 Tariff Dividend for Most Americans**

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that most Americans will receive a $2,000 dividend funded by tariff revenue. The announcement was made via his Truth Social platform, where he stated that the payments would help reduce the national debt while providing direct financial benefits to citizens. “A dividend of at least $2,000 a person, not including high income people, will be paid to everyone,” Trump wrote in his post, defending his tariff policies amid ongoing legal challenges.

**Cryptocurrency Markets React Positively**

Following the announcement, the cryptocurrency market responded with gains. Bitcoin rose by 1.93% over 24 hours, trading above $103,000. Ethereum climbed 4.75% to surpass $3,500, and Solana increased by 2.49% to top $160. The CoinDesk 20 index also saw a rise of more than 1.5%.

This rally comes after a difficult week for crypto markets, during which the CD20 index had fallen nearly 15%. Despite the recent recovery, Bitcoin remains down 5.7% for the week, while Ethereum is still down 7.5%.

**Legal and Financial Hurdles Ahead**

The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments regarding the legality of Trump’s tariff policies. Prediction markets indicate low confidence in court approval, with Kalshi traders assigning just a 23% chance and Polymarket traders slightly lower at 21%.

Beyond legal challenges, implementation of the dividend faces significant hurdles. Andy Constan, CEO of Damped Spring Advisors, emphasized that the President cannot authorize such payments unilaterally. Federal spending requires Congressional approval, meaning any plan to distribute tariff revenues must pass through the legislative branch.

**Funding Gap Raises Concerns**

Financial calculations present another major obstacle. Erica York, Vice President of Federal Tax Policy, estimated that if the income cutoff is set at $100,000, about 150 million adults would qualify. This translates to an approximate cost of $300 billion. If children are included in the payments, the cost would be even higher.

However, tariffs have only generated $120 billion in revenue so far, creating a sizeable funding gap.

York also explained that economic effects reduce net tariff revenue further. For every dollar raised by tariffs, approximately 24 cents of income and payroll tax collections are offset. After accounting for these offsets, net tariff revenue stands at about $90 billion—far below the $300 billion needed to fund the proposed dividend program.

**Expert Opinions and Market Predictions**

Investment analysts at The Kobeissi Letter estimate that around 85% of U.S. adults would receive these stimulus checks based on COVID-era distribution data.

Bitcoin analyst Simon Dixon suggested that recipients should consider investing the dividend payments in assets to protect against inflation. Similarly, investor Anthony Pompliano noted that stocks and Bitcoin typically rise following stimulus announcements.

Traders appear to be pricing in the possibility of increased inflows into the crypto market if the dividend funds reach recipients.

**Summary**

While President Trump’s $2,000 tariff dividend proposal has generated optimism in cryptocurrency markets, legal and financial challenges remain significant. Congressional approval is required, and current tariff revenues fall substantially short of the amount needed to fund the payments. The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on tariff legality will play a crucial role in determining the proposal’s viability.
https://coincentral.com/trump-proposes-2000-tariff-dividend-as-crypto-markets-rally/

Florida releases nearly $60M to cover missing, frozen voucher funds

Florida Officials Aim to Solve Voucher Program Funding Woes with Nearly $60 Million in Payments

Florida government officials hope that nearly $60 million in payments to families and schools will resolve last year’s financial troubles in the state’s education voucher program. However, lawmakers emphasized Wednesday that fundamental changes are still needed in the way the state and its scholarship funding organizations operate.

“It is my sincere hope that through the work of this subcommittee, together we can explore ways to improve the implementation and administration of our state scholarship programs to ensure that what happened in fiscal year 2024-25 is not repeated going forward,” said Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, chairperson of the House PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee.

Her panel has recently held three hearings to address concerns with the voucher program. Last year, the House rejected Senate efforts to reform the funding model now under scrutiny.

The Problems at Hand

The issues that surfaced last year centered on two main problems:

First, school districts faced a $47 million shortfall in state funding as students who claimed voucher awards attended public schools.

Second, about 22,000 voucher recipients had their accounts frozen after being identified as enrolled in public education.

“The Department [of Education] has come to us, the Legislature, the appropriators, to help resolve those issues because there were no funds left in the [Florida Education Finance Program] for fiscal 2024-25,” Persons-Mulicka told her subcommittee.

Funding Fixes Announced

According to Persons-Mulicka, the solution now appears to be in hand. The Department and scholarship funding organizations—Step Up for Students and AAA—spent months determining which students had their accounts improperly frozen.

On October 29, $16.9 million was released to these organizations for students who were owed money. As of Wednesday, almost all the funds had been distributed to about 3,700 of the initially identified 22,000 children.

“For those families and for those schools that accept scholarship funds,” she said, “I encourage you to all check your scholarship accounts as of today.”

Legislative Action for School Districts

For the affected school districts, the Legislature advanced a $47 million budget amendment on Wednesday.

“This amount will be released to school districts to make them whole for fiscal year 2024-25,” Persons-Mulicka said. She noted that the Department informed districts the money should be received next week.

Continuing Concerns and Next Steps

After announcing the funding fixes, the subcommittee engaged in a lengthy discussion about ongoing challenges. Topics included how students are identified so their vouchers can be properly assigned and issues families have raised about the reimbursement process for voucher-related expenses. These concerns have persisted for several years and have intensified as the program has expanded.

Jeffrey S. Solochek is a reporter covering education for the Tampa Bay Times Education Hub.

You can support the hub through our journalism fund.
©2025 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/06/florida-releases-nearly-60m-to-cover-missing-frozen-voucher-funds/

US-China Tariff Reductions Signal Eased Trade Tensions

**China and the United States Initiate Tariff Adjustments Signaling Potential Trade Easing in November 2025**

Following recent economic consultations, China and the United States have begun adjusting tariff measures, indicating a possible easing of trade tensions starting November 2025. These adjustments are poised to enhance bilateral trade, particularly impacting the agriculture and mineral sectors. This shift may also foster growth in commodity-linked cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, although no immediate effect on principal crypto assets is expected.

### US-China Tariff Easing Spurs Agricultural Expansion

Both nations have implemented tariff removals as a direct result of recent negotiations. The United States announced initiatives to lift the “Fentanyl Tariff” and suspend certain “Counterpart Tariffs,” aligning with ongoing bilateral efforts to stabilize economic exchanges.

In response, the Chinese government initiated corresponding adjustments to ease trade barriers. Immediate changes include targeted tariff reductions to facilitate smoother trade in commodities and agricultural products. Beyond tariffs, the two countries are cooperating on fentanyl drug control efforts and the supply of critical minerals.

Huo Jianguo, a key economic analyst, described these steps as foundational, predicting future agreements covering wider trade topics such as maritime logistics. He explained,

> “The current implementation between the two sides is the first aspect of the consensus outcome, involving tariff adjustment and reciprocal measures; future steps will include origin rules and maritime sector restrictions as well as drug control and agriculture cooperation.”

### Financial and Market Implications

The financial impact of these tariff revisions is significant. Reduction in tariffs is expected to bolster U.S. exports while increasing Chinese imports, helping to counteract the strain from previous trade tensions. The U.S. Treasury has emphasized the importance of monitoring these changes closely to maintain macroeconomic stability.

Community feedback across digital platforms reflects mild optimism, as many in digital markets see these developments as a positive shift toward more stable economic relations.

### Tariff Revisions Echo 2020 Trade Movements

It’s worth noting that the 2025 tariff reductions resemble the Phase One Agreement reached in 2020. That agreement marked a pivotal shift in trade relations through structured purchases and tariff reductions, setting a precedent that appears to be influencing today’s negotiations.

### Cryptocurrency Market Snapshot

– **Bitcoin (BTC)** is currently valued at **$103,434.87**, capturing **59.90%** market dominance, according to CoinMarketCap.
– With a market capitalization of **$2.06 trillion** and a circulating supply of **19,944,128 BTC**, Bitcoin has seen a **2.68%** increase in the last 24 hours despite a **-17.09%** decline over the past 30 days.
– Trading volume reached **$76.26 billion**, down by **30.94%**.

These figures suggest that while principal crypto assets like Bitcoin may not experience immediate effects from the tariff changes, the broader impact on commodity-linked cryptocurrencies and DeFi markets could be more pronounced over time.

**Stay tuned for ongoing updates as US-China trade relations continue to evolve and impact global markets.**
https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/tech/us-china-tariff-reductions-signal-eased-trade-tensions/

IREN stock jumps after MSFT deal, analyst ups price target

**IREN Ltd. Stock Price Surges After Major Data Center Partnership with Microsoft**

IREN Ltd., a leading company in the Bitcoin (BTC) mining and data center industry, has seen its stock price continue a strong surge this month after securing a significant data center partnership with Microsoft. The stock jumped to a record high of $75.30, soaring over 1,200% from its lowest level earlier this year. This remarkable increase has pushed IREN’s market capitalization to over $19 billion.

The surge comes on the heels of a $9.7 billion, five-year deal signed with Microsoft. The agreement, set to begin implementation in 2026, includes a 20% prepayment and is estimated to deliver an EBITDA margin of 85%. This deal marks a significant validation for IREN, which recently pivoted to the AI colocation industry.

In its most recent financial results, IREN’s AI colocation business generated only $7 million in the fourth quarter. However, the partnership with Microsoft is expected to attract other potential customers, including major players like Oracle, Meta Platforms, OpenAI, Amazon, and Anthropic. Notably, OpenAI has already entered into a similar agreement with CoreWeave, while Meta Platforms partnered with Nebius.

Wall Street analysts remain optimistic about IREN’s future performance. According to Yahoo Finance data, the average revenue estimate for IREN, which will be announced this Thursday, is $241 million—a staggering 344% annual increase. Projections indicate $257 million in revenue for the second quarter and $1.2 billion for the current financial year. These figures represent substantial growth compared to the $512 million generated in the previous fiscal year.

Importantly, unlike competitors such as CoreWeave, IREN’s business is already profitable. Annual earnings per share are expected to rise to $1.60, up from 35 cents last year. Analysts believe there is additional upside potential for IREN’s stock price. Darren Aftahi of Roth MKM recently raised his price target from $82 to $94, implying a 55% gain from the current level. Similarly, Gautam Chugani, an analyst at Bernstein, projects the stock will climb to $75, reflecting a 24% increase.

**IREN Stock Price Technical Analysis**

Looking at the daily timeframe chart, IREN’s share price has been on a strong uptrend throughout the year, climbing from a low of $5 in April to a high of $75 this week. The stock has consistently remained above all moving averages, indicating bullish dominance.

However, there are some technical concerns. The stock appears to have formed a double-top pattern around $74, with a neckline at $48. Additionally, the MACD indicator shows a bearish divergence, suggesting weakening momentum. This could lead to a strong bearish breakdown as investors potentially “sell the news” when IREN releases its upcoming financial results later this week.

Investors should watch closely for signs of a retreat in the stock price following these important developments.

*Stay tuned for updates on IREN Ltd.’s financial results and market reaction.*
https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/tech/iren-stock-jumps-after-msft-deal-analyst-ups-price-target/

MMORPG Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen secures additional multimillion dollar funding

**Visionary Realms Secures Additional Multimillion Dollar Funding to Accelerate Launch of MMORPG Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen**

*CARLSBAD, Calif., Nov. 4, 2025* — Visionary Realms, the independent game studio behind the highly anticipated MMORPG *Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen*, has secured additional multimillion dollar funding to accelerate and strengthen the game’s upcoming launch.

The new investment will support the expansion of the development team with more artists, programmers, designers, and strengthened project management. This infusion of resources is aimed at enabling Visionary Realms to release the game sooner, delivering a more complete offering of the originally planned content.

This announcement comes amid widespread industry challenges, including layoffs, studio closures, and investor caution. Addressing these conditions, CEO Chris Rowan stated,
> “The industry is suffering a terrible storm right now. We are appreciative of this vote of confidence in our team’s vision, resilience, and dedication to crafting a skill-driven MMORPG.”

*Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen* entered Early Access in December 2024. Throughout 2025, the team has focused on adding content across multiple level ranges, refining systems, and incorporating live player feedback to enhance the game experience.

The new funding will allow Visionary Realms to more fully realize the original vision at launch, providing players with a more robust and immersive MMORPG experience. Rowan emphasized the team’s positive outlook:
> “We’re in a great position now. Uncertainty has been removed, allowing for improved, meticulous planning and focused project management which gives Visionary Realms sustained momentum toward a definitive 1.0 release.”

**About Visionary Realms**
Visionary Realms is an independent game development studio dedicated to advancing the MMO genre. Their flagship title, *Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen*, offers a content-rich, challenging, and highly social gaming experience designed to engage and captivate MMORPG players.

**Media Contact**
Public Relations, Visionary Realms, Inc.
Phone: 1-760-557-1607
Email: [email protected]
https://www.prweb.com/releases/mmorpg-pantheon-rise-of-the-fallen-secures-additional-multimillion-dollar-funding-302604004.html

20 Great Rap Artists Who Never Had a Top 40 Hit

Last week, hip-hop made headlines for a dubious reason. For the first time in more than 35 years, no rap songs appeared in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40. This came after “Luther,” Kendrick Lamar’s duet with SZA, was removed from the chart following the implementation of a new rule.

The news sparked dialogue about the lack of hits from rappers on the charts. Even with the dominant success of “Luther” — which spent 13 weeks at No. 1 — rap has had a shaky year commercially.

In some ways, the latest news gave rap doubters more ammunition for a sentiment that has been reoccurring since the end of the pandemic: that the genre is dying, being lapped by fresher, more global sounds like K-pop and Latin music. It’s unclear whether the past couple of years are an aberration or the new normal.

One thing that complicates this narrative is that, historically, the charts haven’t always been the most important factor in hip-hop. In fact, some of the greatest and most genre-defining rap songs of the past 50-plus years—everything from Nas’ “N. Y. State of Mind” to Rick Ross’ “B. M. F.”—were never Top 40 hits, even though those songs are synonymous with hip-hop and, in some cases, have earned plaques. (“N. Y. State of Mind” went gold, while “B. M. F.” went platinum.)

This applies to the artists themselves, too. Some of the greatest and most accomplished rap artists of all time have never had a Top 40 hit. (We’re focusing on the Top 40 because that’s traditionally been the distinction between a hit and a non-hit—a measure that goes back to the 1950s.)
https://www.complex.com/music/a/treyalston/20-rap-artists-who-never-had-a-top-40-hit

Ethereum’s Fusaka Upgrade Goes Live on Hoodi Testnet Ahead of December Mainnet Launch

Ethereum Nears its Next Major Evolution with Fusaka Hard Fork

Ethereum is moving closer to its next major evolution. On Tuesday, the network’s latest hard fork, Fusaka, went live on the Hoodi testnet, marking the final testing stage before its official mainnet activation later this year.

Hoodi is the third and final testnet for Fusaka, following earlier deployments on Holesky and Sepolia. According to the Ethereum Foundation (@ethereumfndn), the mainnet rollout will occur at least 30 days after Hoodi testing, with December 3 set as the tentative date for the official hard fork.

Fusaka is more than just another upgrade. It represents the next phase of Ethereum’s long-term roadmap, focused on scalability, efficiency, and Layer 2 optimization.

The Road to Fusaka

The Ethereum community has been preparing for this moment for months. Each testnet deployment served as a trial ground for new features and infrastructure refinements.

The first implementation on Holesky tested network synchronization and consensus adjustments. Sepolia followed, validating node performance and gas parameter tuning. Now, with Hoodi live, developers are finalizing tests for rollup scaling and parallel execution—two pillars of the upcoming upgrade.

Fusaka’s mainnet launch on December 3 will be the first step in a three-stage rollout designed to gradually expand Ethereum’s data and transaction capacity.

Rollout Timeline

Ethereum developers have confirmed a structured schedule for Fusaka’s release:

  • Dec 3, 2025 → Fusaka mainnet launch
  • Dec 17, 2025 → Blob capacity increase
  • Jan 7, 2026 → Second blob capacity hard fork

Each stage unlocks new capabilities. The first activation will introduce key Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), while the later forks will scale blob data capacity, a critical factor for rollups and data availability layers (DALs). The client release window opens on November 3, giving operators and validators 30 days to upgrade their nodes before activation.

What Fusaka Brings to Ethereum

At the core of Fusaka are multiple EIPs designed to improve scalability, reduce gas fees, and enhance the experience for both developers and users.

PeerDAS (EIP-7594)
Perhaps the most anticipated, PeerDAS introduces a new data sampling approach that allows Ethereum to support higher Layer 2 throughput while keeping node requirements reasonable. In plain terms: more capacity, less strain.

EIP-7825 & EIP-7935
These proposals fine-tune Ethereum’s gas limits, paving the way for parallel execution—meaning the network can process multiple transaction threads simultaneously, a major step toward faster and more efficient block validation.

EIP-7939 & EIP-7951
The CLZ (EIP-7939) and secp256r1 (EIP-7951) upgrades aim to boost cryptographic performance and zero-knowledge (ZK) proving support, enhancing Ethereum’s zero-knowledge ecosystem.

Together, these upgrades solidify Ethereum’s foundation for the next generation of rollups and decentralized applications.

Laying the Groundwork for “The Surge”

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has long described the network’s roadmap as a series of “eras”: The Merge, The Surge, The Scourge, The Verge, and beyond. Fusaka fits squarely into The Surge, the phase focused on scaling Ethereum to handle tens of thousands of transactions per second.

Once Fusaka is live, developers will begin preparing for Glamsterdam, the next milestone upgrade, which will expand on Fusaka’s groundwork by enabling true parallel processing across the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

Fusaka is, therefore, more than a technical upgrade—it’s a symbol of Ethereum’s long-term vision: decentralization without compromise.

Ethereum’s Institutional Momentum

Outside the development arena, Ethereum is breaking new ground in institutional adoption. According to CryptoRank, Ethereum now leads in digital asset treasury holdings, surpassing Bitcoin for the first time.

Institutional treasuries now hold 4.1% of ETH’s total supply, compared to Bitcoin’s 3.6% and Solana’s 2.7%. The timing isn’t random—this surge followed Donald Trump’s signing of the GENIUS Act, a landmark stablecoin regulation that strengthened the legal framework for on-chain finance in the U.S.

Since the law’s passage, funds and fintech firms have rapidly increased their exposure to ETH. Institutional investors now view Ethereum not merely as a token, but as the core infrastructure of the decentralized finance (DeFi) economy.

ETH on the Charts

Market sentiment has turned bullish as traders position for the December 3 launch. Analysts expect the Fusaka upgrade to drive a renewed Layer 2 growth cycle, with protocols like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base benefiting from increased throughput and reduced data costs.

This growing confidence reflects Ethereum’s ability to evolve without breaking. Each upgrade over the past three years—from The Merge to Dencun—has reinforced its dominance in the Layer 1 space.

What Comes After Fusaka

If Fusaka delivers as expected, the next step will be to expand Ethereum’s data availability and execution parallelism. That’s where Glamsterdam comes in—an upgrade designed to take rollup scalability to its full potential.

In parallel, Ethereum researchers are exploring stateless client architecture, proof aggregation, and cross-chain messaging—all aimed at lowering costs and improving network efficiency.

Ethereum’s roadmap remains clear: scale Layer 2s, reduce complexity, and onboard the next wave of global users.

Conclusion

The Fusaka hard fork isn’t just a technical milestone—it’s a statement of resilience and innovation. From testnets to mainnet, Ethereum continues to evolve at a pace unmatched in blockchain history.

The network’s developers are not just building for the next quarter; they’re building for the next decade. And with institutional money flowing in, new laws favoring on-chain assets, and the strongest developer community in crypto, Ethereum stands ready for its next chapter.

The countdown to December 3 has begun.

Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services.

https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/ethereum/ethereums-fusaka-upgrade-goes-live-on-hoodi-testnet-ahead-of-december-mainnet-launch/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ethereums-fusaka-upgrade-goes-live-on-hoodi-testnet-ahead-of-december-mainnet-launch

Krafton is now an ‘AI-first company,’ will spend $70 million on a GPU cluster to ‘serve as the foundation for accelerating the implementation of agentic AI’

Earlier this week, Pocketpair Publishing boss John Buckley made it clear that his company isn’t interested in handling games built with generative AI. He stated, “If you’re big on AI stuff or your game is Web3 or uses NFTs, there are lots of publishers out there [who will], but we’re not the right partner for that.”

One of those partners, it seems, is PUBG maker Krafton, which announced today that it is transforming into an “AI-first” company. The goals of this new strategy include fostering change in individuals and organizations, increasing company-wide productivity, and accelerating mid- to long-term corporate value growth, the company said.

To make this vision a reality, Krafton revealed plans to invest roughly 100 billion Korean won ($69.7 million) in a GPU cluster. This infrastructure will support multi-stage tasks requiring sophisticated reasoning and iterative planning, serving as the foundation for accelerating the implementation of agentic AI.

Additionally, Krafton will allocate another 30 billion won ($21 million) annually, starting in 2026, to actively support its employees in directly utilizing and applying various AI tools to their work.

“Through our AI First strategy, Krafton will expand the growth opportunities for each member, expand creative attempts centered on player experience, and lead AI innovation across the gaming industry,” said Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han. “We will establish operational standards centered on AI and present best practices that can be referenced in the global gaming industry.”

What this looks like in practical terms remains to be seen. But on a gut level, I have my doubts. Broadly speaking, I see two likely outcomes:

1. Layoffs – Because C-suite executives often imagine that good video games can be made by thinking machines that don’t need to be paid or given time off.

2. A catastrophic collapse – When the AI bubble bursts and companies find themselves stuck with mountains of Nvidia hardware destined for Craigslist, along with the massive debt they took on to acquire it.

Or maybe it’ll be the classic one-two punch: first layoffs, then collapse. After all, that’s often how these things play out.
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/krafton-is-now-an-ai-first-company-will-spend-usd70-million-on-a-gpu-cluster-to-serve-as-the-foundation-for-accelerating-the-implementation-of-agentic-ai/

Branching in a Sapling Monorepo

Sapling: Solving Branching Challenges for Meta’s Monorepo

Sapling is a scalable, user-friendly, and open-source source control system that powers Meta’s monorepo. At the GitMerge 2024 conference, we discussed the complexities of designing and implementing branching workflows for large monorepos. These workflows involve challenging tradeoffs between scalability and the developer experience.

Following the conference, we designed, implemented, and open sourced our monorepo branching solution within Sapling. While the code is already open source, this article shares valuable learnings on:

– How we resolved scalability and developer experience tradeoffs in the design and implementation.
– The problems this solution addresses.
– Feedback we received from other developers at Meta.

The key technical insight is that two workflows — non-mergeable full-repo branching and mergeable directory branching — solved all branching-related problems for the wide and diverse set of products built at Meta. We hope Sapling’s open-source code and the insights shared here will benefit the wider industry and open source communities.

### How Source Control Is Handled at Meta

At Meta, engineering teams work within a large monorepo with a single main branch. This approach enables:

– Unified dependency management
– Large-scale refactoring
– Easier collaboration
– Code reuse across projects

However, managing multiple versions of code within this setup presents challenges.

In multi-repo environments, teams typically rely on repository branches to manage different versions. Source control tools like cherry-pick and merge help manage differences between versions effectively.

In contrast, in a monorepo, repository branches are less effective. Branches affect the whole repository, so creating a branch means unrelated projects and dependencies remain frozen and quickly become stale. We refer to this approach as *full-repo branching.*

For workflows that do not require merging back to the main branch — such as product releases where the branch ceases to exist after release — full-repo branching works well. Sapling supports this workflow with the `sl bookmark` family of commands.

However, for product development workflows that require merging back to the main branch, full-repo branching is not scalable. This is because full-repo merges create merge commits with multiple parents, producing a wide (high branching factor) and non-linear commit graph.

In large monorepos, this non-linear history causes performance problems for operations like `sl log` and `sl blame`. Maintaining a mostly linear commit graph, where most commits have a single parent, is crucial for keeping these operations fast for all monorepo users, including those not using branches.

The core limitation is that full-repo branches are all-or-nothing. You cannot create a branch limited to the part of the codebase you own. If you need to patch legacy code or maintain a custom variant for a project, branching forks the entire repository, which is inefficient and cumbersome.

A common workaround was for teams to copy their code into multiple directories. However, this causes loss of standard developer tooling for branch management, resulting in duplicated effort and error-prone manual patching between directories.

### Directory Branching: Sapling’s Monorepo Branching Solution

To address these challenges, we introduced a new set of source control tools in Sapling to implement *directory branching*. This approach bridges the gap between multiple repository branches and maintaining code copies in separate directories.

With directory branching, you can treat directories within the monorepo much like traditional repository branches. You:

– Create branches by copying the code
– Maintain the code by cherry-picking and merging changes between directories
– View history for each directory, including all copies and merges

Crucially, while directory branches support merging between directories, at the repository commit graph level they appear as linear commits. This resolves scalability challenges associated with repo-level merge commits while still providing merging workflows at the directory level.

### How Directory Branching Is Implemented in Sapling

Directory branching in Sapling relies on a series of operations centered around the `sl subtree` command.

– To branch a directory, you use `sl subtree copy` to copy a directory or file — either at the current version or from any historical revision — to a new location in the repository.
– Sapling records metadata in the commit to track the source directory, source revision, and copy relationship, allowing complete recovery of the file histories in the new branch.
– If the code you want to branch is not yet in the monorepo, you can use `sl subtree import` to create a directory branch from an external repository.

Once you have a directory branch, you can use:

– `sl subtree graft` and
– `sl subtree merge`

to cherry-pick or merge changes between directory branches. These commands use the stored metadata to reconstruct directory relationships and perform three-way merges scoped to specific directory content.

The merge algorithm locates the common ancestor of the two directory branches (using the copy metadata) and applies a standard three-way merge as done for traditional repository merges, but limited to the directory content.

### Build System and Developer Tooling Integration

One major advantage of directory branching is that the latest versions of all directory branches are visible simultaneously. This means continuous integration (CI) can test against multiple branches with a single checkout, and teams can be confident no hidden old branches are unexpectedly still in use.

At Meta, we use Buck2 as our build system. When a component depends on another component using directory branching, we use Buck config modifiers (i.e., running `buck build` with the `-m` flag) to select the branch being built.

A downside of directory branching is that code searches may return multiple hits across branches. While it is important to recognize the searched-for code appears in multiple places, this can complicate browsing if results from multiple branches intermix. Advanced code search systems capable of ranking results can mitigate this issue.

### User Feedback on Directory Branching

Directory branching has been widely adopted within Meta by diverse engineering teams to help manage multiple versions of code effectively.

Some teams even combine full-repo branching and directory branching by freezing most of the monorepo on an old commit for stability, while using directory branching to merge changes for specific projects.

We identified three common reasons teams choose directory branching:

1. **Reducing CI costs or avoiding disruption:** Teams separate development and production versions of code, enabling better control over when changes deploy to production.

2. **Collaborative experimental changes:** Large groups collaborate over months on changes that might disrupt production. Directory branching offers better scalability than handling many stacked diffs to simulate a branch.

3. **Migrating from Git:** During migration, teams need equivalents of Git branches within the monorepo to complete consolidation. Directory branching provides this functionality without needing to consolidate all Git branches pre-migration.

Despite these exceptions, having a single version of code remains the monorepo’s default assumption. However, when one of the above scenarios applies, directory branching offers extensive branching workflows without sacrificing monorepo benefits.

### Future Work with Directory Branching

We are exploring leveraging directory branching to improve integration of Git repositories into the Sapling monorepo. Specifically, we plan a lightweight repository migration mechanism:

– Instead of committing all Git repository commits irreversibly into the monorepo history, we create a *soft link* to the external Git repository.
– Sapling can then load Git history on demand, lowering the barrier to entry for Git repositories joining the monorepo.
– This approach facilitates preliminary integrations without committing to migrating full history upfront.

This functionality will be available as an option with the `sl subtree import` command when working with external Git repositories.

Stay tuned — we will publish a dedicated article once we have more insights to share on this exciting advancement.

### Acknowledgements

Many contributors across Meta’s Source Control, Developer Experience, and Open Source teams helped design and implement directory branching in Sapling. We would like to thank:

Chris Cooper, George Giorgidze, Mark Juggurnauth-Thomas, Jon Janzen, Pingchuan Liu, Muir Manders, Mark Mendoza, Jun Wu, and Zhaolong Zhu.

To learn more about Meta Open Source, please visit our [website](https://opensource.fb.com).
https://engineering.fb.com/2025/10/16/developer-tools/branching-in-a-sapling-monorepo/

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