Krypton Evening News | Amazon suspends drone delivery program in Italy; BYD refutes rumors of launching flying cars; Gold price drops below $4,500
Large Companies:
Value of South Korea's L&F Tesla Battery Material Supply Agreement Slashed to $7,386
South Korean battery material producer L&F Co., Ltd. announced on Monday that the value of its 2023 supply agreement with Tesla has been significantly reduced from an initial estimate of $2.9 billion to $7,386. L&F announced in 2023 that it had signed a deal to supply high-nickel cathode materials to Tesla and its affiliates in the United States and other regions from January 2024 to December 2025.
Unitree's First Store Set to Open
36Kr learned that Unitree announced via its official WeChat account that its first store will open in Beijing on December 31.
Xiaomi Group: Co-founder Lin Bin Plans to Sell Shares Worth Up to $2 Billion
36Kr learned that Xiaomi Group announced it received notice from Lin Bin, the company's co-founder, executive director, and vice chairman. Lin Bin plans, starting from December 2026, and in compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and the requirements of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited's Listing Rules, to sell the company's Class B common shares with a value not exceeding $500 million every 12 months, cumulatively not exceeding $2 billion. Proceeds from the share sale plan will be primarily used to establish an investment fund company.
Amazon Halts Drone Delivery Plan in Italy
Amazon said on December 28 (local time) that it has decided to abandon its plan to launch drone delivery services in Italy. Amazon stated that despite good progress in aviation regulation, broader commercial regulatory issues have hindered the project's advancement.
36Kr learned that on December 29, NIO announced the official delivery of the 40,000th new ES8 that same day. Since deliveries began on September 21, the model achieved 40,000 units delivered in 100 days, setting a record for the fastest delivery of 40,000 units among domestic models priced over 400,000 yuan.
South Korean Special Prosecutors Raid Coupang Again Over Unpaid Severance
A special prosecution team in South Korea raided e-commerce giant Coupang again on Monday. This is part of the team's mandatory investigation into allegations that the company failed to pay severance to some employees and that senior prosecutors intervened in favor of the company's management.
State Grid Establishes Jibei New Power System Research Institute Co., Ltd.
36Kr learned that the Aiqicha App shows that State Grid Jibei New Power System Research Institute (Hebei) Co., Ltd. was recently established. The legal representative is Zhang Donghui, with registered capital of 40 million yuan. Its business scope includes big data services, data processing services, industrial Internet data services, cloud computing equipment technical services, and technical consulting for artificial intelligence public service platforms. The equity penetration chart shows the company is indirectly wholly-owned by State Grid Corporation of China.
BYD Denies Rumors of Launching Flying Car
36Kr learned that Li Yunfei, General Manager of BYD Group's Brand and Public Relations Department, posted on Weibo, "Rumors claim 'BYD will launch a flying car.' Many friends have inquired. Here is a unified response: This news is false! We have no such plans or arrangements."
Sun Dongxu Steps Down from Dongfang Zhenxuan Zhuhai Tourism Culture Company, Yu Minhong Takes Over
36Kr learned that the Aiqicha App shows an industrial and commercial change occurred on December 26 for Dongfang Zhenxuan (Zhuhai) Tourism Culture Co., Ltd. Sun Dongxu stepped down as legal representative and executive director, with Yu Minhong taking over as legal representative, manager, and director in charge of company affairs.
New Products:
Tencent Yuanbao Officially Launches "Task" Function
36Kr learned that Tencent Yuanbao announced the official launch of the "Task" function. It is reported that users can update the Yuanbao App and desktop version to the latest version, tell Yuanbao their schedule, self-discipline habits, and task plans in one sentence, and they will receive timely reminders. Additionally, users can test tasks in advance, manage tasks manually, and customize reminders.
Investment and Financing:
"Kunlunyuan AI" Completes 30 Million Yuan Angel Round Financing
36Kr learned that on December 29, "Kunlunyuan AI", focused on full-stack technology R&D for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), announced the completion of a 30 million yuan angel round financing, with a post-investment valuation of 530 million yuan. Investors in this round include Yian Medical, Times Investment (an industrial investment platform under CRRC), and Jiusong Shanhe Fund. The funds will be primarily invested in R&D of the TransformerX architecture, co-building benchmark cases in medical and industrial scenarios, and accelerating international market expansion along the "Belt and Road".
USD/CNY Central Parity Rate Set at 7.0331
36Kr learned that the central parity rate of the Renminbi against the US Dollar was set at 7.0331, up 27 basis points; the previous trading day's parity rate was 7.0358, the previous day's official closing price was 7.0085, and the night session closing price was 7.0063.
"Boruitze Biotech" Completes Series A Financing Exceeding 100 Million Yuan
36Kr learned that "Boruitze Biotech" announced the completion of a Series A financing exceeding 100 million yuan. This round was led by Qianji Capital, followed by Daotong Investment, with Hao Yue Capital acting as the exclusive financial advisor. Cumulatively, Boruitze Biotech has raised over 300 million yuan. The funds will be used to expand global layout, accelerate the scaling of the GMP-compliant biosecurity testing platform, and continuously improve the high-quality biosecurity industry layout.
Leapmotor's First Flagship MPV, the D99, Makes Official Debut
36Kr learned that on December 28, Leapmotor's first flagship MPV, the D99, made its official debut. The new car offers both extended-range and pure-electric options: the extended-range version is equipped with an 80.3kWh large-capacity battery and an 800V high-voltage platform; the pure-electric version is equipped with a 115kWh large-capacity battery and a full-stack 1000V high-voltage platform.
Today's Views:
Top PE Firm Jinglin's Latest View: 2026 May Be the Year AI Agents Truly Take Off
It was learned from channel institutions that domestic private equity firm Jinglin Asset, managing over 100 billion yuan, recently released its year-end 2025 outlook to investors. Gao Yuncheng, General Manager of Jinglin Asset, said when looking ahead to 2026 that artificial intelligence agents (AI Agents) may reach the starting point of true popularization next year.
Other Noteworthy News:
Due to the recent rapid rise in precious metals and industrial metals futures prices and intensified risk of sharp fluctuations, the US CME Group announced a comprehensive increase in trading margins for metal futures, including gold, silver, palladium, and lithium. The new rules take effect after the close of trading on Monday (local time). Among them, gold futures margins will increase by 10%, silver futures margins by about 13.6%, and platinum margins by about 23%. The significant margin increase will substantially raise speculative trading costs. Some investors rushed to take profits before the new rules took effect, triggering multiple rounds of declines in international metal futures prices on the 29th. During late Asian trading, the decline in international precious metal prices widened again, with the international gold price falling below the $4,500 per ounce mark.
South Korea's 2025 Exports Hit Record High, Exceeding $700 Billion for First Time
South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Monday that the country's exports exceeded $700 billion for the first time this year.
New York City Subways to Fully Transition to Contactless Payment System Starting Next Year
According to an Associated Press report on December 28, New York City MetroCards, in use since 1994, will stop being sold and recharged on December 31 this year. Starting January 1 next year, New York City subways will fully transition to a contactless payment system, allowing passengers to pay fares using contactless subway tickets, credit cards, phones, and other smart devices.