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Zoom Opens Nominations for First U.S. Solopreneur 50 List, Recognizing AI-First Solo Business Leaders

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Zoom opens nominations for its Zoom Solopreneur 50 List (ZSP50), a first–of–its–kind recognition and grant program celebrating the individuals who are redefining entrepreneurship by building and growing businesses on their own.

Nominations are open until 5 p.m. ET on February 13, 2026. Individuals can nominate themselves or others by completing a short form at zoom.com/solo50.

The ZSP50 will honor 50 trailblazing “businesses of one” across the U.S. — independent creators, consultants, educators, inventors, and innovators using technology, ingenuity, and purpose to make an outsized impact. For business owners working alone, this is the opportunity to be part of a select group of doers with similar drive and grit.

“AI is expanding what a single person can accomplish,” said Kimberly Storin, Chief Marketing Officer at Zoom. “Solopreneurs are using AI to remove friction, move faster, reach further, and operate with a level of sophistication that used to be out of reach. The Solopreneur 50 recognizes the builders proving that scale today is driven by capability, not company size. Zoom is focused on enabling that future.”

Scaling Solos with AI

There are over 30MM small businesses in the U.S., 82% of which operate without employees (U.S. Chamber of Commerce). For an increasing number of solopreneurs, AI has become a core operating capability, enhancing decision–making, execution, and customer engagement.

Zoom, in partnership with Upwork, recently surveyed more than 1,000 small businesses (SMB), including solopreneurs, 64% of whom said they couldn’t be in business without AI. What’s more, 91% of small businesses saw a return on their AI investments within one year, and SMBs and solopreneurs report that AI has helped them reduce business costs (82%), increase customer acquisition (91%), and increase customer retention (87%).

Many solopreneurs can quickly adopt and iterate with AI tools, unencumbered by legacy systems or lengthy approval processes, allowing them to test, learn, and apply new capabilities in real time.

“Some of the most effective uses of AI aren’t coming from big companies – they’re solopreneurs,” said Lisa Scheiring, Global Small Business Advisor (informally known as the “Chief Solo Officer”) at Zoom. “They’re not waiting for polished playbooks or permission; they’re using AI to solve real problems in real time, from gaining continuous visibility into operations, to accessing expertise on demand, to turning a single hour of work into an entire marketing campaign. That speed and agility are real advantages, and it’s reshaping what’s possible for armies of one.”

The ZSP50 is part of Zoom’s broader initiative to provide independent business builders with research, recognition, and real–world tools to scale their success.

The ZSP50 Program

The ZSP50 recognizes a growing community of individuals who operate and scale their ventures independently, with no full–time employees, across multiple sectors including but not limited to technology and design, wellness, media, and social impact.

Eligible nominees must:

  • Operate a U.S.–based business with no full–time employees
  • Have been in operation for at least 12 months
  • Demonstrate innovation, independence, and measurable impact

A jury of experts drawn from Zoom’s network will evaluate solopreneur nominees across five dimensions that reflect what it takes to build a durable solo business today:

  • Originality of idea or execution
  • Demonstrated financial performance
  • Measurable business impact
  • Authentic connection to culture and community
  • Influence in shaping conversations, markets, or communities.

Honorees will be announced in Q2 2026, and gain exposure through Zoom’s platforms and media ecosystem, access to a community of peers and mentors, and eligibility for financial grants awarded to the top–five honorees to accelerate their growth and impact.

For more information, visit zoom.com/solo50. Contact Zoom at [email protected] with additional questions or inquiries.

About Zoom
Zoom’s mission is to provide an AI–first work platform for human connection. Reimagine teamwork with Zoom Workplace — Zoom’s open collaboration platform with AI Companion that empowers teams to be more productive. Together with Zoom Workplace, Zoom’s Business Services for sales, marketing, and customer experience teams, including Zoom Contact Center, strengthen customer relationships throughout the customer lifecycle. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California.

Get more information at zoom.com.

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GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 9621773)

CORRECTING and REPLACING – BitMEX Report Finds Crypto Perpetuals Enter Post-Yield Era

In a release issued under the same headline earlier today by BitMEX, please note that the link to the blog in the ninth paragraph has changed. The corrected release follows:

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BitMEX, one of the safest exchanges, today released its end–of–year research report, “State of Crypto Perpetual Swaps 2025,” outlining five core insights that defined a turbulent year for the global crypto derivatives market. The report examines how structural stress, liquidity shocks and the breakdown of once–reliable trading strategies reshaped perpetual swaps in 2025.

According to the report, the most significant event of the year was the Oct. 10 to 11 market crash, which triggered an estimated $20 billion liquidation cascade. BitMEX analysis shows that auto–deleveraging mechanisms across multiple exchanges disrupted delta–neutral strategies, forcing professional market makers to reduce liquidity and leaving order books at their thinnest levels since 2022.

“2025 marked a turning point where market structure mattered more than market direction,” said Stephan Lutz, CEO of BitMEX. “The events of October showed that even sophisticated, historically neutral strategies can fail when exchange risk engines are stressed, and that resilience now depends on transparent systems and disciplined risk management.”

The report also finds that funding rate arbitrage, once considered a reliable source of passive yield, became increasingly crowded. As exchange–native delta–neutral products expanded, funding rates compressed sharply, with yields falling toward 4 percent and often below prevailing U.S. Treasury rates by mid–year.

Beyond market mechanics, the report highlights a growing trust divide between fair matching exchanges and so–called B–Book platforms. BitMEX researchers observed multiple incidents in which profitable traders faced trade reversals or account restrictions under “abnormal trading” clauses, reinforcing the importance of understanding counterparty risk.

“Where traders choose to execute has become as important as the strategy itself,” Lutz said. “As derivatives markets mature, participants are demanding venues that prioritize fair matching, clear rules and accountability, particularly during periods of market stress.”

The report also examines the rise of perpetual decentralized exchanges, noting increased innovation alongside new vulnerabilities such as targeted liquidation attacks and oracle manipulation. At the same time, BitMEX identifies emerging product categories, including equity perpetuals and funding rate trading, as signs of continued evolution in the derivatives landscape. Earlier this week, it launched Equity Perps, giving traders 24/7 access to 10 US stocks and indices.

Looking ahead, BitMEX concludes that the era of easy yield has ended, but that innovation in product design and market structure is accelerating. The firm expects continued convergence between crypto and traditional markets, with derivatives increasingly used to access global assets on a 24/7 basis.

The full “State of Crypto Perpetual Swaps 2025” report is available on the BitMEX blog.

About BitMEX

BitMEX is the OG crypto derivatives exchange, providing professional crypto traders with a platform that caters to their needs with low latency, deep crypto native and especially BTC liquidity, and unmatched reliability.

Since its founding, no cryptocurrency has been lost through intrusion or hacking, allowing BitMEX users to trade with confidence that their funds are secure and that they have access to the products and tools required to be profitable.

BitMEX was also among the first exchanges to publish on–chain Proof of Reserves and Proof of Liabilities data. The exchange continues to publish this data twice a week, providing assurance that customer funds are safely stored and segregated.

For more information, users can visit the BitMEX Blog or www.bitmex.com and follow Discord, Telegram and Twitter.

Media Contact
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/15fba643–2895–44b6–9a8d–2beeae86f7a9


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 1001158333)

A Year of High Expectations and Frustrations

By Anis Chowdhury
DHAKA, Bangladesh, Jan 8 2026 - As many of you know, out of the blue, I have been called in to assist the Interim Government led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus in stabilising the economy left in ruins by [...] Read more »