News•Feb 10, 2026
Egypt’s Tactful AI Raises $1 Million Pre-Series A to Scale Agentic CX
Tactful AI, an Egyptian CX platform specializing in agentic AI, secured $1 million in a pre‑Series A round co‑led by Foras AI and M Empire. The funding will bolster growth in Egypt, validate expansion across EMEA, and accelerate R&D to enhance scalability and integrations. Over the past year the company logged more than 100‑fold growth in platform usage, serving enterprises in retail, fintech, logistics and consumer services. A full Series A is targeted within the next twelve months.
By Wamda
News•Feb 10, 2026
Egypt Introduces Unified Framework to Support Startups
Egypt has unveiled the Egypt Startup Charter, its first government‑backed framework dedicated to nurturing startups and entrepreneurship. The charter, shaped by a year of consultations with 15 ministries and over 250 ecosystem stakeholders, defines startups officially and bundles incentives, a...
By Wamda
News•Feb 10, 2026
UAE Startup ThrowMeNot Secures $550k Pre-Seed
UAE‑based ThrowMeNot closed a $550,000 pre‑seed round led by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana Al Maktoum. The startup, founded in 2025 by Archie Rudyuk, operates a marketplace for near‑expiry and surplus food, offering discounts up to 90% and currently lists over 2,700...
By Wamda
News•Feb 10, 2026
Saudi Fintech SiFi Raises $20 Million Series A Led by Ra’ed Ventures
Saudi fintech Simplified Financial Solutions Company (SiFi) secured a $20 million Series A round led by Ra’ed Ventures, with participation from QED Investors, Breyer Capital, MEVP and several local backers. The financing follows a $10 million seed round, bringing total capital raised to...
By Wamda
News•Feb 10, 2026
Zain Hosts Demo Day for Regional Startup Accelerator Zain Great Idea
Kuwait‑based Zain Group staged a Demo Day for its flagship accelerator Zain Great Idea, showcasing eleven tech startups from six Arab markets. The event marked the programme’s final milestone and opened pathways for investment and strategic partnerships. Zain Ventures paired...
By Wamda
News•Feb 10, 2026
Routech Express Bags $1 Million Pre-Seed
Saudi‑based logistics tech startup Routech Express closed a SAR 3.75 million ($1 million) pre‑seed round led by Q Fund, with angel participation. The platform aggregates multiple carriers, delivering instant price comparison, booking, payment and tracking through a single digital interface. Funds will accelerate...
By Wamda
News•Feb 10, 2026
Smart Bricks Closes $5 Million Pre-Seed to Automate Real Estate Investing
Smart Bricks, a Dubai‑based proptech startup, closed a $5 million pre‑seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z Speedrun, with participation from global funds and angels. The company is building an AI‑native infrastructure that automates the end‑to‑end real‑estate investment workflow, compressing a...
By Wamda
News•Feb 10, 2026
A Profile of Anthropic and Its Key Executives Like Chris Olah, and a Look at Project Vend, an Internal "Claudius"...
Anthropic, the AI safety‑focused startup behind the Claude series, is profiled in a New Yorker feature that spotlights executives such as former Google researcher Chris Olah. The piece delves into the company’s internal “Project Vend,” a Claudius‑branded experiment that tasked...
By Techmeme
News•Feb 10, 2026
Startmate Launches Social Enterprise Stream Backing Founders Taking on Society’s Biggest Problems
Startmate has added a dedicated Social Enterprise stream to its Launch Club pre‑accelerator, offering four to six fully‑funded scholarship spots for founders tackling social or environmental challenges. Applications close on March 1, with the cohort launching in late March. The program...
By Startup Daily (ANZ)
News•Feb 10, 2026
Moderna Says FDA Refuses to Review Its Application for Experimental Flu Shot
Moderna announced that the FDA will not begin a review of its experimental mRNA‑1010 flu vaccine, citing concerns over the trial's comparator design rather than safety or efficacy. The decision triggered a roughly 7% drop in Moderna’s after‑hours share price....
By CNBC – US Top News & Analysis
News•Feb 10, 2026
Starbird Appoints Greg Levin as CEO
Starbird announced former BJ's Restaurants chief Greg Levin as its new CEO and board member. Levin, who grew BJ's from 45 to over 200 locations and boosted revenue from $140 million to $1.4 billion, will lead the “super‑premium” chicken brand’s national rollout....
By Fast Casual
News•Feb 10, 2026
Ford Reports Worst Quarterly Earnings Miss in Four Years, Guides for Better 2026
Ford is expected to post its worst quarterly earnings miss in four years, with adjusted EPS forecast at 19 cents and automotive revenue projected at $41.8 billion, a 6.8% decline YoY. The earnings drop represents more than a 50% fall in...
By CNBC – US Top News & Analysis
News•Feb 10, 2026
When Employee Misconduct Becomes Marketplace Deception: Court Clarifies Chapter 93A’s Reach
The U.S. District Court for Massachusetts held that Chapter 93A does not cover routine employment disputes but can apply when an employee secretly competes using the employer’s resources and brand. In CMTA, Inc. v. Dussault, the court allowed the unfair‑practice claim...
By National Law Review – Employment Law
News•Feb 10, 2026
California Employment News: California AB 692 Cuts Back “Stay or Pay” Contracts with Workers
California Assembly Bill 692 curtails the use of “stay or pay” provisions that require employees to remain employed or reimburse training costs. The law mandates that any repayment terms be narrowly limited to actual training expenses and be disclosed in...
By The Labor & Employment Law Blog (California)
News•Feb 10, 2026
Next Steps for Establishing a Bond Consolidated Tape Provider
The FCA has signed a contract with Etrading Software (ETS) to build a UK bond consolidated tape, aiming to deliver a high‑quality data stream for investors. The tape will improve price discovery, liquidity, and market transparency, supporting the UK’s competitive...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
FCA Seeks Views on How to Help Close the Protection Gap
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released interim findings from its competition review of pure protection insurance, highlighting that while the market functions well for existing policyholders, 58% of adults remain uninsured. The review notes stable premiums, a wide...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
Emil the Seal Hijacks Waterloo Station to Warn Commuters About Investment Scams
The FCA staged a pop‑up ATM at London Waterloo featuring its mascot Emil the Seal to promote its new Firm Checker tool. The stunt highlighted that around 700,000 adults lost money to investment scams in the past year. The interactive...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
AI Live Testing: How It Can Support Safe and Responsible AI Deployment
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has opened a second application window for its AI Live Testing programme, inviting firms to trial AI‑driven services in real‑world market conditions with regulatory oversight and technical support from Advai. The initiative targets companies...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
The FCA’s Long Term Review Into AI and Retail Financial Services: Designing for the Unknown
Sheldon Mills announced that the FCA is undertaking a long‑term review of artificial intelligence in retail financial services, with findings to be presented to the board this summer. The review will explore how generative AI, multimodal models and autonomous agents...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
Falling Cost of Premium Finance Saving Consumers Around £157m a Year
UK insurers have reduced the cost of premium finance, saving consumers about £157 million a year. Interest rates on financed insurance dropped an average 4.1 percentage points since 2022, cutting typical motor policy costs by £8 and home policies by £3...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
Regulators Announce First Firms to Join Scale-Up Unit
The Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority have unveiled the first cohort of their joint Scale‑up Unit, targeting fast‑growing financial firms. Six institutions – Allica Bank, ClearBank, Monument Bank, Nottingham Building Society, OakNorth Bank and Zopa Bank – will...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
Upper Tribunal Finds that Banque Havilland Devised a Plan to Harm the Qatari Economy
The Upper Tribunal upheld the FCA’s ruling that Rangecourt S.A., formerly Banque Havilland, and former executives Edmund Rowland and Vladimir Bolelyy acted without integrity by devising a scheme to devalue the Qatari riyal. The Tribunal confirmed fines of £4 million for...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
FCA and SRA Issue Joint Warning to Firms Representing Motor Finance Commission Claims
The Financial Conduct Authority and the Solicitors Regulation Authority have issued a joint warning to claims‑management companies and law firms handling motor‑finance commission claims, demanding verification that consumers are not already represented and prohibiting excessive termination fees. Any exit charge...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
FCA and SRA Joint Message to Professional Representatives on Motor Finance Commission Claims: Dealing with Multiple Representation and Excessive Termination...
The FCA and SRA have jointly warned claims‑management firms and law firms handling motor‑finance redress that clients must not be represented by multiple agents on the same claim and should not face excessive termination fees. They cite cases where up...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
FCA Stops Advantage Wealth Management Ltd From Carrying Out Regulated Activities and Imposes Assets Restriction
The Financial Conduct Authority has placed Advantage Wealth Management Ltd (AWM) under strict restrictions, requiring written FCA consent before any asset disposal or regulated activity. The regulator cited concerns over how customers' investments were shifted into cash, inadequate financial resources,...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
Independent Assessment to Support Establishment of a Future Entity
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released a letter to trade associations announcing KPMG’s appointment to conduct an independent assessment of proposals for a Future Entity that would set standards for UK open‑banking APIs. The assessment will evaluate governance, technical...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
FCA Fines Two Individuals a Combined £108,731 for Insider Dealing
The FCA fined Dipesh Kerai (£52,731) and Bhavesh Hirani (£56,000) for insider dealing in Bidstack Group Plc shares, totalling £108,731 in penalties. Hirani, then interim CFO, leaked confidential details of a major advertising deal to Kerai, who bought 1.3 million shares before the...
By UK FCA – News
News•Feb 10, 2026
Lyft Stock Falls 15% on Disappointing Fourth-Quarter Results, Rider Numbers
Lyft reported fourth‑quarter revenue of $1.59 billion, missing the $1.76 billion consensus, and saw active riders and total rides fall short of estimates. The miss triggered a 15% plunge in the stock during extended trading. The board approved an additional $1 billion share‑repurchase...
By CNBC – US Top News & Analysis
News•Feb 10, 2026
Steve Baxter: Why I’ll only Invest in Australian Defence Startups that Are Serious About the US
Steve Baxter announced that his fund will only back Australian defence startups that demonstrate a concrete plan to establish a U.S. presence. He argues that the U.S. defence budget—about $1.5 trillion—offers the scale required for venture‑backed growth, far beyond Australia’s $35 billion....
By SmartCompany » StartupSmart (AU)
News•Feb 10, 2026
Elle, MD, Hiive, and LiORA Among Latest CIX Startup Awards Winners
Elevate announced the 14 winners of its 2026 CIX Startup Awards, chosen from more than 370 applications by a 94‑member investor committee. The awardees span three maturity tiers—Emerging, Early and Growth—and include fintech platform Hiive, geothermal pioneer Eavor, climate‑tech firm...
By BetaKit (Canada)
News•Feb 10, 2026
Fund Manager FINQ Lets AI Run US ETFs
FINQ has introduced two U.S. large‑cap equity ETFs—AIUP and AINT—where an artificial‑intelligence model exclusively selects, weights and rebalances holdings. The AI engine ranks every S&P 500 component daily using market, financial and textual data, guiding long‑only and long‑short exposures respectively. The...
By PYMNTS
News•Feb 10, 2026
Ssense Founders Can Buy Back Company, Court Rules
Montréal‑based luxury e‑commerce platform Ssense will be reclaimed by its founders after a Quebec Superior Court dismissed lenders' request for a forced asset sale. The court approved a founder‑led buyback valued at $78 million, including a $58.5 million cash payment and assumption...
By BetaKit (Canada)
News•Feb 10, 2026
Sen. Warren Plans Bipartisan Legislation with Sen. Banks that Bans the Sale of Certain AI Chips to China After Dario...
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown announced a bipartisan bill to prohibit the export of certain advanced AI chips to China. The legislation follows a meeting between OpenAI co‑founder Dario Amodei and Warren, where concerns about China’s use of AI...
By Techmeme
News•Feb 10, 2026
Forecast: Tariff Policies Will Weaken Container Imports in First Half of 2026
The NRF and Hackett Associates’ Global Port Tracker predicts U.S. container imports will fall in the first half of 2026, with a 2 percent year‑over‑year decline to 12.27 million TEUs. Full‑year volume is projected at 25.4 million TEUs, a 0.4 percent drop from 2024....
By Supply Chain Quarterly
News•Feb 10, 2026
Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter Steps Down After More than 30 Years with the Company and Plans to Retire; CFO...
Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter announced his retirement after more than three decades leading the robotics pioneer. Playter, who guided the development of flagship robots like Spot and Atlas, will hand the reins to CFO Amanda McMaster as interim chief...
By Techmeme
News•Feb 10, 2026
Aeroplay Entertainment Names André Valera CEO
Aeroplay Entertainment announced André Valera as its new chief executive officer. The inflight entertainment content service provider aims to evolve from traditional onboard content to a personalized, measurable, commerce‑ready travel media layer. Valera outlined plans for a modern platform that accelerates...
By PAX International
News•Feb 10, 2026
'Observational Memory' Cuts AI Agent Costs 10x and Outscores RAG on Long-Context Benchmarks
Mastra’s open‑source observational memory replaces dynamic retrieval with two background agents that compress conversation history into a dated observation log. The approach achieves 3‑6× compression for text and up to 40× for tool‑heavy outputs, keeping the context window stable and...
By VentureBeat
News•Feb 10, 2026
Sharp's Plan to Sell Japan LCD Plant to Parent Foxconn Falls Through
Sharp announced that its plan to sell the Kameyama No. 2 LCD panel plant in Mie Prefecture to parent company Foxconn has collapsed, prompting a shutdown slated for August. The company will cut 1,170 jobs through early‑retirement packages and record a...
By Japan Today – Business
News•Feb 10, 2026
Honda Reports Declining Profit
Honda Motor Co announced a 42% plunge in profit for the nine months through December, falling to 465.4 billion yen from 805.2 billion yen a year earlier. Sales dipped 2.2% to 15.98 trillion yen, yet the company kept its full‑year profit forecast of...
By Japan Today – Business
News•Feb 10, 2026
Estée Lauder Sues Walmart Alleging 'Despicable' Sale of Counterfeit Beauty Products
Estée Lauder has filed a federal lawsuit against Walmart, alleging that the retailer’s online marketplace allowed counterfeit versions of its La Mer, Le Labo, Clinique, Aveda and Tom Ford products to be sold. The beauty giant says it purchased and tested several items that...
By CNBC – US Top News & Analysis
News•Feb 10, 2026
Mattel Acquires Full Ownership of Mattel163 From NetEase
Mattel announced it will acquire NetEase’s 50% stake in the mobile‑gaming joint venture Mattel163, valuing the studio at $318 million. The deal, slated to close by the end of Q1 2026, will be funded largely with cash generated from the existing partnership....
By GamesBeat
News•Feb 10, 2026
Agentic Workflows: Revolutionizing AI-Powered Sales
Agentic workflows—AI‑driven, task‑orchestrating agents—are reshaping go‑to‑market (GTM) operations by embedding native intelligence into sales, marketing, and enablement platforms. They automate repetitive actions such as CRM updates, content recommendation, outreach sequencing, and pipeline prioritization, allowing reps to focus on high‑value selling...
By Highspot
News•Feb 10, 2026
KPMG Starts Tax AI Accelerator Program
KPMG has launched a Tax AI Accelerator Program to help corporate tax departments adopt generative AI. The initiative provides hands‑on training, a secure Azure OpenAI‑based sandbox called Digital Gateway, and access to KPMG’s “Think, Prompt, Check” framework. More than a...
By CPA Practice Advisor
News•Feb 10, 2026
AdvaMed Names New EVP of Technology and Regulatory Affairs
AdvaMed announced Melissa Torres as its new executive vice president of technology and regulatory affairs, succeeding long‑time leader Janet Trunzo. Torres arrives with more than two decades of FDA leadership, most recently as associate director for international affairs at CDRH....
By Medical Design & Outsourcing
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News•Feb 10, 2026
Trump Expects An Economic Miracle From The New Fed Chair
President Donald Trump urged his Fed chair pick, Kevin Warsh, to deliver 15% annual GDP growth, a target rarely achieved outside wartime. The president’s demand follows criticism of current chair Jerome Powell and calls for aggressive rate cuts. Economists note...
By Investopedia — Economics
News•Feb 10, 2026
How Employees Can Use LSAs to Pay for Groceries and Other Basic Needs
Employers are turning to Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) to let staff use benefit funds for everyday needs like groceries, childcare and health services. Data from benefits platform Compt shows 64% of partner firms now use LSAs as their primary benefit,...
By Employee Benefit News
News•Feb 10, 2026
Garner Health Lands $118M Series D
Garner Health announced a $118 million Series D round, bringing its total capital to roughly $200 million. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins with participation from Redpoint, Maverick, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Mercy, Plus Capital and existing backers. Garner’s platform uses a 320 million‑record...
By VC News Daily
News•Feb 10, 2026
Report Finds Trump’s Tariffs Cost U.S. Households $1,000 on Average in 2025
The Tax Foundation reports that Trump‑era tariffs added an average $1,000 to U.S. household expenses in 2025, rising to $1,300 in 2026. A weighted average tariff rate of 13.5% pushed the effective rate to 9.9%, the highest since 1946. Companies...
By CPA Practice Advisor
News•Feb 10, 2026
Algorized Scores $13M Series A Round
Algorized announced the close of a $13 million Series A round led by Run Ventures, with participation from the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and Acrobator Ventures. The startup builds an edge‑native nervous system for Physical AI, delivering a Predictive Safety Engine that turns...
By VC News Daily
News•Feb 10, 2026
Deloitte: Shining a Spotlight on Strategic Internal Audit
Deloitte’s internal audit leader Mike Schor argues that internal audit must shed its "gotcha" image and become a strategic partner to the CFO. He recommends a proactive branding effort that showcases audit capabilities and aligns the function with finance’s broader...
By CFO Dive