Google joins Apple in passkey push; Air India in talks for 500 planes; Cropin raises $14 mln

Google, last week, followed Apple, in releasing its version of what’s called a passkey, which if widely adopted could take us closer to a passwordless future. Air India is close to placing historic orders for as many as 500 jetliners worth tens of billions of dollars from both Airbus and Boeing, Reuters reported yesterday, citing industry sources. Also in this episode, opposition to Blackrock’s ESG investments in the US is spotlighting the travails of climate finance. Notes: Google, last week, joined Apple, in releasing its version of what’s called a passkey, which if widely adopted could take us closer to a passwordless future. Passkeys are built on industry standards, can work across different operating systems and browser ecosystems, and can be used with both websites and apps. You can use passkeys to sign into sites and apps that support them, Google said in a blog post last week. Signing in with a passkey will require you to authenticate yourself in the same way that you unlock a device. With the latest version of Chrome, Google supports passkeys on Windows 11, macOS, and Android. Air India is close to placing landmark orders for as many as 500 jetliners worth tens of billions of dollars from both Airbus and Boeing, Reuters reported yesterday, citing industry sources. The orders include as many as 400 narrow-body jets and 100 or more wide-bodies, including dozens of Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s and 777s, according to Reuters, and finishing touches are being put on the mammoth deal in coming days. The recent COP27 talks showed that the fight against climate change boils down to money and that the rich countries didn’t want to keep their promises. Now, opposition in the US to ESG investments by Blackrock, the world’s biggest money manager, and other investment firms, will likely cause another setback to climate finance. Larry Fink, the CEO of the $8-trillion asset manager, is in the crosshairs of those opposed to the ESG investments, some of which have declined more than the S&P 500 index, Bloomberg reports. The battle over sustainable investing comes as the 10 largest ESG funds by assets have posted double-digit losses this year, Bloomberg notes, some even more than the S&P 500’s 17.5 percent decline. BlackRock’s $20 billion iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA exchange-traded fund is down about 19 percent and Vanguard Group’s $5.8 billion ESG US Stock ETF has dropped 22 percent. Meanwhile, stocks of US oil giants Exxon Mobil and Chevron have soared 69.8 percent and 44.2 percent respectively. Some investors, including US states and pension funds, plan to withdraw their money from Blackrock’s management, and some politicians and officials have also called for Fink’s removal from his position, according to Bloomberg. Cropin, an agritech venture in Bengaluru, is raising a new round of funding and has garnered $14 million or Rs 113.4 crore from Google, Singapore-based Impact Assets, and existing investors, Entrackr reported on Dec. 9, citing the company’s filings with the government’s Registrar of Companies. Fintrackr estimates the company has been valued at around Rs 740 crore or $91.3 million after the latest investment. That compares with $67.5 million in April, according to private markets insights provider Tracxn. Cropin has raised $50.5 million in funding so far. Theme music courtesy Free Music & Sounds: https://soundcloud.com/freemusicandsounds