Early Warning’s Certos Launches and Other Digital Transactions News Briefs From 4/16/26
Early Warning Services launched Certos, a suite aimed at reducing fraud while widening financial access for U.S. banks. Binance introduced Binance Chat, adding crypto transfers, messaging and other in‑app functions. MegPrime rolled out a consumer app that rewards homebuyers with up to $15,000 for spending, and Alviere expanded its partnership with InComm Payments to enable cash deposits at more than 90,000 merchant locations. Additional moves include GoDaddy naming LegalZoom its sole legal‑services provider, payabl. debuting Click to Pay with Visa, and Nacha naming Prometeo a Preferred Partner for account validation and open banking.
Mistral Venture Partners Sets up Shop in Alberta
Mistral Venture Partners, a Canada‑wide VC firm, is establishing a permanent foothold in Alberta by hiring a full‑time staff member based in Calgary. The move builds on the firm’s history of investing in local early‑stage enterprise startups such as Bidaya...
Fleet Launches Inaugural Partner Program As It Adopts A 100 Percent Channel Sales Model: Exclusive
Fleet Device Management announced its inaugural partner program, shifting to a 100% channel‑sales model where every deal is routed through a reseller or service provider. The program offers two tracks—reseller and services—along with training, certification, deal registration and higher margins....
Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber Shares Digital Plans as IT Becomes “Largest Single Expenditure of Capital” For First Time in...
RDaSH NHS Foundation Trust announced that IT will be its largest capital expenditure for 2026/27, with more than £11 million (≈$13.8 million) earmarked through 2029/30. The plan covers firewall, server, telephony, backup hardware, anti‑virus and endpoint upgrades, alongside a move to a...
IAB: Digital Audio Grew 10% In 2025 as Podcasts Near $3B
The IAB/PwC 2025 Internet Advertising Revenue Report shows digital audio reaching $8.4 billion, a 10.2% year‑over‑year increase. Podcast advertising grew 17.6% to $2.86 billion, maintaining double‑digit growth after a slowdown from earlier spikes. Despite the gains, audio’s share of total internet ad...
Holistic Media Mix Beats Legacy Tactics in Furniture Marketing
In Episode 3 of From Screen to Store, sponsored by @JamLoop , Alex Back, CEO and Co-founder of Couch, joins hosts Jeremy Bloom and AdTechGod to discuss what’s actually working in modern marketing and why legacy industries are falling behind. The...
How Deepfakes and Automation Are Impacting Finance
Yuctan Hodge II, CFO of the Association of Certified Anti‑Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), is steering the 20‑year‑old organization toward an intelligence‑focused model while tightening financial discipline after its 2022 private‑equity carve‑out. He has instituted organization‑wide AML awareness, requiring staff to...
Jobless Claims Confirm US Labor Market Resilience
Weekly jobless claims are perhaps the best real-time pulse check on US jobs, and this morning, they’re signaling a continued resilient labor market. (Bloomberg headline below.) #economy #jobs #employment #markets
Starbucks’ Baffling ChatGPT Collab Treats Customers Like Empty, Soulless Venti Cups
Starbucks has launched a beta integration that places a dedicated widget inside OpenAI’s ChatGPT, allowing users to ask for personalized drink suggestions by describing their mood, outfit, or nutritional preferences. The feature, accessed by typing “@Starbucks,” promises to match beverages...
Nationwide Mutual Returns with $200m Target for Aquila Re I 2026-1 Catastrophe Bond
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. is re‑entering the catastrophe‑bond market with a target of at least $200 million in multi‑peril reinsurance through the Aquila Re I Ltd. Series 2026‑1 transaction. The deal will issue two $100 million tranches—Class A‑1 priced at 4‑4.75% and Class B‑1 at...
"Passion Is How Visa Shows Up Beyond Payments": Danielle Jin, CMO, Visa Asia Pacific
Visa’s Asia‑Pacific CMO Danielle Jin explains the company’s “passion‑pillar” strategy, turning the payments giant into a lifestyle brand by anchoring marketing to sports, music, gaming and broader cultural moments. High‑profile partnerships such as the FIFA World Cup, Olympics, K‑Pop awards...
Rapid AI Iteration: Essential for Every Modern Business
We just did a 90 minute hackathon as a team. We hired an ai consultant to build us a sourcing tool better than all the tools we previously used. We then spent 90 minutes all on a zoom using it,...
New York Fed President Williams Worries War Will Slow Growth, Aggravate Inflation
New York Fed President John Williams warned that the ongoing Iran war is already nudging U.S. prices higher while dampening economic growth. He highlighted rising energy costs and broader supply‑chain pressures that could trigger a stagflation‑like environment. Williams reaffirmed the Fed’s...
Blue Owl Nears Deal for Minority GP Stake Investment in BlackFin Capital Partners
Blue Owl Capital is on the verge of acquiring a minority stake in Paris‑based BlackFin Capital Partners through its GP Strategic Capital platform. BlackFin’s flagship buyout fund raised €1.8 billion (about $2 billion) for 2024, while its fintech‑focused vehicle secured €390 million (roughly...
Everything You Need to Know About Refinancing Commercial Real Estate
Commercial real estate (CRE) refinancing in 2026 faces a steep climb as borrowers confront rates near 7% versus the 4% deals of the mid‑2010s. A massive "maturity wall" of roughly $875 billion in loans due this year forces owners to reassess...
How The Dogist Turned His Passion for Photographing Dogs Into a Media Brand
Elias Weiss Friedman launched The Dogist on Instagram in 2013, turning street dog photography into a digital media brand. Within a year he secured a book deal and hit one million followers; today the franchise boasts over 10 million followers and...
Initial Jobless Claims Fall 11,000 to 207,000
"In the week ending April 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 207,000, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week's revised level."
Europe Has Six Weeks of Jet Fuel Left Caused by 'Dire Strait' Crisis, IEA Chief Warns
The International Energy Agency warned that Europe has roughly six weeks of jet fuel left as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked by the Iran war. Airports Council International Europe says shortages could begin in early May if tankers cannot...
ESMA Launches a Call for Evidence on Restricted Subscription and Private Credit Ratings
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has opened a call for evidence on restricted subscription and private credit ratings, seeking stakeholder input on their purposes, market practices, and associated risks. The regulator asks for data on the characteristics, users,...
Morning Reads
The Iran war has driven U.S. gasoline to $4.09 per gallon and WTI crude to $93 a barrel, a 37% jump since Feb 28. U.S. crude exports rose to 5.2 million barrels per day, narrowing the import‑export gap to just 66,000 bpd and...
India Drops to Sixth Largest Economy as Rupee Weakens
India has slipped from the 4th to the 6th largest economy globally, as per the IMF report, following a weakening of the Indian Rupee.
Accountants’ Role in an AI World Is Pivotal
The article argues that accountants must become the architects of AI governance as the technology reshapes finance functions. It highlights three critical areas: the patchwork of employee attitudes toward AI, the way AI magnifies existing biases, and the need for...
Cut SEO Update Work by 90% with AI Tool
I have 20+ content assets that need to be updated before a "re-rank" event. I call these updates "Rank Enhancement". The whole idea is to take whatever pages you have and improve them based on the data Google uses to rank them. The...
US Initial Jobless Claims 207K vs 215K Expected
U.S. initial unemployment claims dropped to 207,000, comfortably beating the 215,000 forecast and marking a decline from last week’s revised 218,000. The four‑week moving average steadied at 209.75 K, signaling a still‑tight labor market despite seasonal noise. Continuing claims rose modestly...
Fix Your Financial Setup: Get Clear, Timely Reports
3 things your monthly financials should actually be doing for you: 1 . Giving you plain-English commentary on what moved and why. Where revenue dipped, what expense spiked, what to watch next month. 2. Using a chart of accounts actually tailored to...
Search Ad Growth Slows As Social & Video Gain Faster via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
The IAB’s 2025 report shows digital ad revenue hitting $294 billion, up 13 percent year‑over‑year. Search advertising, still the largest segment at $114 billion, slowed to 11 percent growth, while social media ads surged 32 percent to $117 billion and digital video rose 25 percent to $78 billion....
US April Philly Fed Business Index +26.7 vs +10.0 Expected
The Philadelphia Fed’s March manufacturing survey posted a robust index of +26.7, far outpacing the +10.0 forecast. New orders surged to 33.0 and shipments rose to 34.0, marking the strongest activity in months. However, the employment component slipped into negative...
This Simulation Startup Wants to Be the Cursor for Physical AI
Antioch, a New York‑based simulation startup, raised an $8.5 million seed round that values the company at $60 million. The funding, led by A* and Category Ventures, backs a platform that builds high‑fidelity digital twins of robots with realistic sensor feeds. By...
EXEC: European Soccer E-Tailer Unisport Enters U.S. with WeGotSoccer Acquisition
European online football retailer Unisport Group has acquired Arocam, the U.S. parent of WeGotSoccer and TUDN Fan Shop, adding six physical stores to its portfolio. The acquisition positions Unisport for a rapid expansion in the United States ahead of the...
Nigerian Founder Sells Dubai Business to Fund Keepaza, a Payment Identity Platform Built for How Nigerians Actually Transact
Nigerian fintech founder Akindele Liasu sold a portion of his Dubai‑based business to inject founder capital into Keepaza, a payment‑identity platform that assigns each user a single verified username linking bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets. Keepaza enables Nigerians to share...
Technology Giveth and Taketh Away
Anthony Guerra revisits Shelby Foote’s three‑part Civil War audiobook, praising its narrative flair compared with today’s AI‑generated prose. He cites Ethan Mollick’s warning that AI often produces bland text, highlighting the loss of style. The piece then shifts to healthcare, noting...
The Gambling Industry Is Spending $3.9B the Wrong Way
In 2025 U.S. sports betting and online gaming spent $3.9 billion on marketing, with 36% allocated to TV ads and only 2.3% to earned media and PR. The 5WPR Gaming Trust Index shows that the bulk of spend still targets awareness,...
Amid Rapid Growth, Bloomsbury Will Restructure
Bloomsbury announced a restructuring that will replace its matrix model with three vertical business units—Global Academic & Professional, Bloomsbury USA, and Consumer U.K.—effective June 1. The move follows five years of rapid expansion, during which the publisher doubled revenue to £361 million...
The Promotion Tax Nobody Talks About
The Level Up newsletter spotlights a common “promotion tax” in tech: senior engineers feel pressured to work endless hours to earn advancement. In a coaching exchange, senior engineer Jack asks if constant availability is a prerequisite for promotion, and coach...
NextNav's PNT Service Offers 100k× GPS Power
Get your hands on the NextNav $NN Oppenheimer piece if you can "NN's Spectrum and GPS Backup (PNT) are Critical for Drones/Physical AI" It goes above the upgrade Cherry Pick "We see several strategic acquirers across wireless/satellite, with T the most logical fit,...
Be in the Know. 21 Key Reads for Thursday…
China’s Q1 GDP outperformed forecasts, driven by a surge in infrastructure spending, while U.S. investors posted the largest quarterly inflow into Hong Kong and China equities in three years. In the aerospace sector, Boeing announced a hiring push of over 100...
US BSL CLO Rankings – March 2026
Bain topped the US BSL CLO market in the first quarter of 2026, pricing just under $4 bn of transactions, according to Creditflux data. Among arrangers, Bank of America captured the largest slice, holding a 17.64% market share for Q1. The...
EXEC: MTB Components Brand Pembree Expands U.S. Distributor Deal with BTI
Pembree, the UK‑based mountain‑bike components brand acquired by Look Cycle in November 2024, announced an expanded U.S. distribution agreement with Bicycle Technologies International (BTI). The partnership deepens Pembree’s presence across BTI’s extensive network of independent bike dealers, leveraging BTI’s catalog of...
ECB's Kazaks: Market Pricing of Two Rate Hikes This Year Is Reasonable
ECB Governing Council member Martins Kazaķs said market pricing of two additional rate hikes in 2024 is reasonable, with a 67 % probability for a June increase and about 50 basis points of tightening priced in by year‑end. The odds of an...
Turning Down $10M Led to GitLab’s IPO Success
Sid Sijbrandij, co-founder of GitLab, was offered $10 million for his company. His dad said sell. His accountant said sell. His response: 'I really like working, so I don't mind working. And I think we can do better Six years later,...
Why Flexibility Wins in a Tight Labor Market—And Where It Can Backfire
Small and midsize businesses are increasingly using flexible work arrangements—remote, project‑based, and hybrid—to compete for talent in a tight labor market. Flexibility expands the talent pool, lowers fixed payroll costs, and lets companies scale labor with revenue. However, misclassifying contractors...
How a CHRO Can Build a Full HR Dashboard with Claude Cowork
The new Data plugin for Claude Cowork lets CHROs turn messy employee‑survey data into a polished HR dashboard with a single command. In a test on a 2,800‑employee survey, the workflow cleaned date formats, validated fields, and produced an interactive...
Sell the Result, Not the Product
Nobody wants your product. They want what your product does for them — the outcome, the relief, the transformation. The product is just the delivery mechanism. What does your customer wake up wanting? Build that. Not the product. That.
New Stadium Plan Promises Change From Costly Subsidies
People of Kansas City, pay no attention to the existing taxpayer-subsidized stadium district that bleeds red ink. 🎶 This one will be different 🎶 https://t.co/5X4zhaiOYa
When Your Ambition Starts to Exhaust You
Top performers who once thrived on relentless hustle now report exhaustion and a sense of emptiness. Clinical psychologist Mary Anderson and Wharton professor Amy Wrzesniewski explain the shift as either a physical "engine" wear‑out or a change in the "fuel" of...
Honest Risk Management Is Rarer than Market Hype
It's easy to find people pounding the table on any trade, any asset, any market. What's harder to find? Honest risk management. There's a reason we talk about the downside. Just look around, bagholders are everywhere. https://t.co/iN7JpxtIGx
Credibility Is the Foundation; Offers Are Just Transactions
Spent 10 years building credibility So I could make offers in 10 seconds That's the real game... Before anyone buys what you sell They buy you, the person Reputation is the infrastructure Offers are just the transaction
Jobless Claims Beat Forecasts, Layoffs Remain Stalled
Still nothing doing on the layoff front *US JOBLESS CLAIMS 207,000 IN APRIL 11 WEEK; EST. 213K
TMRWSports Once Owned 54% of TGL, Now Expanding Partnerships
.@TMRWSports held 54% of the TGL equity when the golf league launched a few years ago. That may have changed via expansion, but there's also WTGL and a new flag partnership with the @NFL
Iran's Job and Inflation Data Drive Oil Analysis
The key known unknown (to me) to analyse oil is the true state of the Iranian economy: jobs and inflation. I hear lots of tales, but I have little confidence on any. Reporting from inside Iran is extremely difficult. Economic damage...