Category: 3. Business

SANTA CLARA and SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As enterprises race to harness the transformative power of agentic AI and cloud computing, Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) and Google Cloud today announced a significant expansion of their strategic partnership to enable the secure development and deployment of AI solutions and provide a trusted foundation that helps organizations harness the full potential of AI with confidence. The collaboration combines Google Cloud’s leading AI and infrastructure capabilities with Prisma^® AIRS^™, Palo Alto Networks comprehensive AI security platform, to secure the next generation of digital business.

Palo Alto Networks recent State of Cloud Report, released in December 2025, found that customers are dramatically expanding their use of cloud infrastructure to support new AI applications and services, while also noting that 99% of respondents experienced at least one attack on their AI infrastructure over the last year. The agreement announced today aims to tackle these issues head-on through an enhanced go-to-market strategy and by building security into every layer of hybrid multicloud infrastructure, every application development stage and every endpoint, allowing businesses to innovate with the most advanced AI while protecting their IP and data in the cloud.

This new phase of the partnership will deliver:

• End-to-end AI security from code to cloud: Customers will be able to protect live AI workloads and data on Google Cloud — including on Vertex AI and Agent Engine — with Palo Alto Networks Prisma AIRS. And by securing key developer tools like the Agent Development Kit (ADK) with Prisma AIRS, this expanded collaboration ensures a secure foundation for the next generation of AI applications built on Google Cloud — including AI Posture Management for visibility, AI Runtime Security^™ for real-time defense, AI Agent Security for autonomous systems, AI Red Teaming for proactive testing and AI Model Security for vulnerability scanning.
• AI-driven, next-generation software firewall (SWFW): Palo Alto Networks VM-Series firewalls are designed to secure cloud (public, private, hybrid) and virtualized environments by providing deep packet inspection and Threat Prevention in a software form factor. Deep integrations with Google Cloud will now allow customers to maintain robust security policies and accelerate Google Cloud adoption.
• AI-driven secure access service edge (SASE) platform: Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE is a cloud platform that secures access and networking for remote users, branch offices and mobile devices, along with deeper integration of security solutions into Google Cloud’s native AI services. Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access runs on Google’s network, improving the user experience as users access cloud and AI applications that run on Google Cloud while also leveraging Google Cloud Interconnect to help customers connect their WAN infrastructure across multiple clouds/applications and maintain consistent security policies.
• Simplified and unified security experience: The deep alignment between the two companies ensures that customer solutions are pre-vetted and engineered to work together, removing the integration challenges and operational friction that can slow down security teams. This allows customers to deploy protection faster, simplify compliance and gain a single, comprehensive view of security across their entire hybrid multicloud environment.

BJ Jenkins, President, Palo Alto Networks 

“Every board is asking how to harness AI’s power without exposing the business to new threats. This partnership answers that question. We’re removing the friction between security and development, providing a unified platform where the most advanced security is simply a native part of building what’s next. Together with Google, we are embedding our AI-powered security deep into the Google Cloud fabric, turning the platform itself into a proactive defense system.”

Matt Renner, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Google Cloud 

“Enterprises are increasingly turning to Google Cloud and Palo Alto Networks to secure their applications and data — together and in a seamless way. This latest expansion of our partnership will ensure that our joint customers have access to the right solutions to secure their most critical AI infrastructure and develop new AI agents with security built in from the start.”

Building on a history of success that includes more than 75 joint integrations and $2 billion in sales through the Google Cloud Marketplace, Palo Alto Networks is also expanding its commitment to run its security platforms on Google Cloud’s secure, trusted AI infrastructure by migrating key internal workloads to Google Cloud in a new multibillion-dollar agreement. In addition, Palo Alto Networks is now using Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform and Gemini LLMs to power its copilots. Collectively, these initiatives deepen the engineering collaboration and ensure customers who run Palo Alto Networks on Google Cloud benefit from solutions that are natively optimized for performance, scale and reliability.

Learn more about Palo Alto Networks and Google Cloud here.

About Palo Alto Networks

As the global AI and cybersecurity leader, Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) is dedicated to protecting our digital way of life via continuous innovation. Trusted by more than 70,000 organizations worldwide, we provide comprehensive AI-powered security solutions across network, cloud, security operations and AI, enhanced by the expertise and threat intelligence of Unit 42^®. Our focus on platformization allows enterprises to streamline security at scale, ensuring protection fuels innovation. Explore more at www.paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks, Prisma, Prisma AIRS, and the Palo Alto Networks logo are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

About Google Cloud 

Google Cloud is the new way to the cloud, providing AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools built for today and tomorrow. Google Cloud offers a powerful, fully integrated and optimized AI stack with its own planet-scale infrastructure, custom-built chips, generative AI models and development platform, as well as AI-powered applications, to help organizations transform. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.

 

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SOURCE Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

Taryn Dawson, Palo Alto Networks, tdawson@paloaltonetworks.com; Ryan Styrk, Google Cloud, styrk@google.com

At Vertex, we are committed to discovering and developing new medicines that can have a transformative impact on patients’ lives. Fundamentally, we’re a disease-first company: We select diseases in which we understand and believe we can address causal human biology, with validated targets, and then we choose the best tool (or tools) for the job.  

Learn about the serious diseases in our pipeline, including sickle cell disease, pain and kidney diseases, and how we aim to address them by watching our animated videos.

egic moves in other metals are shaking up markets too: nickel bounced after Indonesia announced possible big output cuts, aluminium spiked to its highest since May 2022 after South32 said it would close its Mozal smelter, tin soared to a two-year high, while zinc and lead moved only slightly.

Why should I care?

For markets: Metals rally faces new headwinds.

Copper’s rapid rise has set it apart in the commodities world, rewarding investors riding growing demand and constrained supply. But a strong US dollar and a fresh wave of mining activity could start to put a ceiling on those gains. Meanwhile, the market’s staying jumpy as nickel and aluminium prices react to shifting production plans, hinting at more volatility ahead for metals as a whole.

The bigger picture: Resource powerhouses hold sway over industry.

Copper’s record highs—and moves in tin and aluminium—are squeezing manufacturers worldwide, especially those in technology and clean energy. China is already scaling up aluminium production to safeguard its industries, while Indonesia’s influence on nickel supply is reshaping global pricing. These shifts show just how much the clean energy transition and supply chain shocks are rewriting the rules for critical resources.

• Legislation to ensure access to funding for ordinary people in ‘David vs Goliath’ cases confirmed
• Safeguards will mean more collective action proceedings can be brought against rich and powerful opponents
• Measures will bring stability to the litigation funding sector after the PACCAR ruling

Ordinary people will have greater access to justice thanks to Government’s plans for legislation to help claimants receive the funding they need to take on powerful organisations in court.    

Since the Supreme Court ruling in PACCAR in 2023, claimants have faced uncertainty about whether they can secure funding from third parties in order to bring a civil case against a well-resourced opponent.  

Third-party litigation funding allows people to bring complex legal cases against powerful organisations when they cannot afford the costs themselves. Under these arrangements, a funder pays for the legal case in exchange for a share of any compensation won.   

The PACCAR judgment, which classed these funding arrangements as ‘Damages Based Agreements’, made it harder to access to third-party funding and has resulted in a drop in collective action lawsuits.   

Today (Wednesday 17 December), the government is confirming that it will take action to remove this barrier to justice by clarifying that Litigation Funding Agreements are not Damages Based Agreements, protecting victims and claimants.   

Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC MP, said:   

The Supreme Court ruling has left claimants in unacceptable limbo, denying them of a clear route to justice.  

Without litigation funding, the Sub-postmasters affected by the Horizon IT scandal would never have had their day in court.  

These are David vs Goliath cases, and this Government will ensure that ordinary people have the support they need to hold rich and powerful organisations to account. Justice should be available to everyone, not just those who can afford it.   

The Supreme Court ruling has also threatened the UK’s status as global leader in dispute resolution – a cornerstone of our booming legal sector and vital to driving economic growth.   

The UK’s legal services industry is worth £42.6 billion a year to the economy, with a highly skilled workforce of 384,000.     

A new framework will ensure that agreements are fair and transparent, so that third-party litigation funding actually works for all those involved.   

These changes follow a comprehensive and wide-ranging review by the Civil Justice Council (CJC), published earlier this year. The government will continue to consider the recommendations set out in the CJC review.  

Notes to editors:   

• In the 2023 PACCAR judgment, the Supreme Court ruled that third-party litigation funding agreements are legally classed as ‘damages-based agreements.’  
• This decision means funding agreements are only valid if they meet strict rules and are banned in certain group claims.  
• The Government will introduce legislation to address this when parliamentary time allows

Dewan Motors has announced a price reduction for its HONRI VE electric vehicle, making the model more accessible to buyers in Pakistan.

According to the company, customers can now save up to Rs. 600,000, with prices starting from Rs. 3,599,000. The revised pricing applies to limited stock and covers both variants of the HONRI VE.

Under the updated offer, the HONRI VE 2.0 now costs Rs. 3,599,000, down from Rs. 4,199,000, while the HONRI VE 3.0 is priced at Rs. 4,399,000, reduced from Rs. 4,999,000.

Dewan Motors said the electric vehicle comes with an eight-year battery warranty or 120,000 kilometers, a three-year vehicle warranty or 100,000 kilometers, and full 3S support, including sales, service, and spare parts.

The company said the price cut aims to encourage wider adoption of electric vehicles by reducing upfront costs and offering long-term ownership assurance. Interested customers can contact regional sales managers or the company’s head office for further details.

The Chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), Bilal Bin Saqib, visited the State Bank of Pakistan in Karachi and met with the Governor, Jameel Ahmad, to align on Pakistan’s evolving cryptocurrency regulatory framework and the critical role of inter-institutional coordination in its implementation.

Senior members of the State Bank of Pakistan team were also present during the meeting.

The discussion focused on the regulatory architecture for virtual assets, with particular attention to critical issues such as capital outflows, foreign exchange considerations, and financial stability. The role of banks in establishing formal, transparent on-ramp and off-ramp mechanisms was discussed, alongside measures to gradually curb unregulated peer-to-peer activity through supervised channels.

The meeting also included an exchange on Central Bank Digital Currency initiatives. Both sides emphasized that effective crypto regulation in Pakistan requires close and continuous coordination between PVARA and the State Bank of Pakistan.

Speaking on the engagement, Chairman PVARA Bilal Bin Saqib said:

Pakistan already has a large and active digital asset market. Our responsibility is to bring this activity into a supervised, FATF aligned framework that protects consumers and safeguards financial stability. This cannot be achieved in isolation. Close coordination with the State Bank is essential to ensure that innovation progresses alongside monetary and financial integrity.

Pakistan is ranked third globally on the crypto adoption index, with an estimated 30 to 40 million users and annual digital asset activity valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars. PVARA’s mandate is to ensure that this substantial existing market is brought into a regulated, transparent, and internationally aligned framework that safeguards consumers, strengthens financial integrity, and supports sustainable growth.

In approximately four months since its first Board meeting at the end of August, PVARA has moved decisively from policy formulation to implementation. As part of its phased and risk-based regulatory approach, the Authority has issued No Objection Certificates to leading global virtual asset platforms, including Binance and HTX.

These NOCs provide a controlled entry into Pakistan’s regulatory perimeter and do not constitute full operating licenses.

Progression toward full licensing remains ongoing and is subject to comprehensive compliance, governance, and systems readiness requirements, reflecting the Authority’s commitment to timely yet prudent regulation.

The meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment between PVARA and the State Bank of Pakistan to build a secure, credible, and future-ready digital asset ecosystem that supports economic growth, attracts responsible investment, and strengthens Pakistan’s standing in the global digital economy.