
Jon Slade, the Financial Times’ new CEO, says the paper will double down on original journalism while exploring AI‑driven revenue streams. He views large‑language‑model licensing to big tech as unsustainable and is shifting toward direct corporate licensing that offers greater control. The FT is also leveraging AI to mine its 3‑million‑article archive, creating predictive intelligence and new services such as signal‑first analysis and intelligence feeds. These initiatives aim to turn the FT into an intelligence source rather than just a newspaper.

Vesiro, a Gothenburg spin‑out from Chalmers University, secured €1.6 million in seed funding backed by Chalmers Ventures, Industrifonden and other investors. The startup offers a performance‑focused plug‑in for Elasticsearch that accelerates search queries and reduces the number of servers required. Internal...
Kenya Revenue Authority reinstated nil returns but now cross‑checks them with an automated, pre‑populated iTax system that flags mismatches. Nigerian entrepreneur Mark Essien’s AI‑powered TripDesk generated roughly $2.4 million in revenue and 30 % profit within four months, showcasing rapid fintech scalability....

Research by Qualtrics shows that introducing new technology, especially AI, lifts employee engagement across EMEA by an average nine points. Nearly three‑quarters of UK workers reported organisational change in the past year, yet most felt more motivated rather than fatigued....
Deel, the global HR and payroll platform, has launched The Pitch, an international competition offering a $15 million prize pool for seed‑stage startups. Up to 100 regional winners will each receive $50,000, while ten global champions can earn $1 million to accelerate...

Panda’s Box, a screen‑free early‑learning startup founded in 2022, secured Rs 1.2 crore after appearing on Shark Tank India. The round was led by investors Aman Gupta and Namita Thapar. The capital will fund product development, broaden distribution, and boost the brand’s...

The 2025 Endeavor Catalyst report shows a dramatic rise in private liquidity, with ten secondary sales and acquisitions compared with just one in 2024. Global secondary market volume is on track to hit US$122 billion in 2025, nearly six times the...

SportsSkill Ladder, a sports‑tech startup, has secured a lead investment from serial investor Nirav Mody, though the amount remains undisclosed. The funding will accelerate product development, user‑experience enhancements, and platform scalability ahead of a broader rollout. The company launched a...
Infor announced that Geoff Thomas will serve as senior vice president and general manager for its Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region, overseeing strategy and operations across Japan, ANZ, Southeast and North Asia, and India. Thomas, who previously led Qlik’s...

VanEck’s Emerging Markets Bond ETF (EMBX) posted a 5.56% 30‑day yield and outperformed both its benchmark and U.S. Treasuries in January 2026, driven by strong local‑currency exposure and carry. The fund’s portfolio now holds 48% hard‑currency sovereigns, with notable additions...

A Zurich UK survey of 2,000 UK adults reveals that 36% of workers with regional accents feel judged, and 14% have even taken elocution lessons to avoid bias. Nearly one‑third deliberately soften their accent at work, while 16% say accent...

Neobank Fi announced a strategic pivot from its millennial‑focused digital banking model to AI‑driven B2B solutions after encountering fundraising headwinds. The Bengaluru startup has raised roughly $147 million to date and was last valued between $520 million and $550 million. The shift follows...

Sleek EV secured $8.5 million Series A to expand Thailand production, AI software and battery‑swap networks, positioning the firm as a regional two‑wheel electric leader by 2026. Singapore‑based Polybee raised $4.3 million to scale its AI‑driven agricultural drones across 4,000 acres, while Australian...
DevSparks Pune 2026, the second edition of India’s flagship developer summit, will spotlight autonomous systems, AI workflows, and next‑generation architectures. The agenda features deep‑dive sessions with NVIDIA’s Sunil Patel on production‑ready AI, Indexnine’s Anand Hariharan on spec‑driven development, and Partex.AI’s...
India’s Niti Aayog study estimates that achieving net‑zero emissions by 2070 will require $22.7 trillion in cumulative investment, roughly $500 billion annually. Current clean‑energy spending is about $70‑80 billion, leaving a financing gap of $6.5 trillion that must be largely met by foreign capital,...
At Acumatica Summit 2026 in Seattle, Manish Chandak, CEO of Tech Electronics, discussed emerging ERP trends with ERP Today editor Chris Vavra. He emphasized the growing importance of digital replicas that provide real‑time data integration within ERP platforms. Chandak also...
The U.S. warehouse management system (WMS) market is projected to grow at a 14.34% CAGR through 2031, driving global WMS spending from $4.77 billion in 2026 to $10.89 billion by 2031, with North America holding a 40% share. Cloud‑native platforms now account...

Emma Hagan, CEO of ClearBank, highlighted the United Kingdom’s historic leadership in fintech and warned that the nation must act to preserve its crown. She noted ClearBank’s milestone as the first new clearing bank in over two centuries, providing payments,...

Afreximbank has announced the eight finalists of its inaugural Accelerator program, chosen from more than 1,600 applications. The three‑month initiative, starting in March, will provide each startup with up to $250,000 in equity financing, mentorship, and access to the bank’s...
Chinese energy‑storage giants are signing multi‑GWh deals worldwide, signalling a rapid international expansion in 2026. Cornex will deliver 5.5 GWh to Saudi Arabia, while CATL, together with Schroders Greencoat and Lochpine Capital, targets up to 10 GWh of European battery‑storage projects. Tianneng...

Truth & Hair secured Rs 2.5 crore investment from Varun Alagh after its Shark Tank India appearance. The capital will be allocated to product innovation, marketing, and building an omnichannel retail and digital footprint. The brand, founded by Saumya Alagh and Shailesh...

Dr. Phone Fix Canada Corp. posted preliminary 2025 results showing revenue of about $12.1 million, a 19% increase over 2024, and adjusted EBITDA rising to roughly $0.6 million. Gross margins remained in the high‑40% range while the store base expanded from 35 to...

Sammy Gecsoyler spent a week paying exclusively with cash, withdrawing £200 and tracking every transaction. The experiment revealed that cash constraints forced him to avoid contactless services, buy an Oyster card, and limit discretionary spending, ending the week with £16.75...

Upskilling has become HR’s top challenge, with 45% of leaders naming it their biggest priority, surpassing recruitment and well‑being concerns. A Capterra survey shows 68% of firms expect upskilling costs to rise, signaling a shift toward customized, technology‑enabled learning. Effective...

Paris‑based event‑tech startup Naboo announced a $70 million Series B round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Notion Capital, ISAI and Ternel. The financing follows a €20 million Series A and supports the company’s expansion beyond its core events platform into a...

Petcare startup Supertails secured $30 million in a funding round led by Venturi Partners, with participation from Nippon India Alternative Investments, Titan Capital Winners Fund and existing backers. The round values the company at roughly $130 million post‑money and brings total capital...

Noise, the Bose‑backed Indian wearables brand, reported FY25 revenue of Rs 1,048 crore, a 24% drop from the prior year. Operating expenses fell 25% to Rs 1,067 crore, aligning with the revenue contraction. A deferred tax benefit of Rs 47 crore pushed the...
HDFC Bank, in partnership with AIC at ISB, has launched ArthX, a sustainability‑focused grant initiative under the Parivartan Startup Grants program. The scheme allocates a Rs 1 crore corpus to support Punjab‑based revenue‑stage startups, offering up to Rs 10 lakh per company along with...

Plane Talking Products announced Manoj Pridhanani as its new Creative Director, tasked with steering global creative strategy, product direction, and brand development. Pridhanani brings more than 15 years of aviation‑focused design experience across luxury and travel sectors. He is known...

Nearly two decades after China Development Bank issued its first RMB‑denominated bond in Hong Kong, dim sum bonds have become a cornerstone of offshore liquidity. The initial issuance was modest, but it demonstrated that Chinese sovereign and policy banks could...
Mark Essien’s newest venture, Tripdesk, an AI‑driven travel‑management platform, generated $2.3 million in revenue within four months, serving fewer than 30 enterprise customers and delivering a 30% profit margin. The product grew out of Hotels.ng’s VIP client needs, automating travel requests,...
A recent India‑focused survey shows 74% of employees would trade a higher salary for stronger long‑term benefits, signaling a shift from paycheck‑centric expectations to holistic well‑being. Employers are responding by moving toward modular, choice‑driven benefit models, with 78% prioritising personalised...

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission affirmed PHP1 million fines for NOW Corp. and its chair Mel Velarde after finding their November 2021 market disclosure misleading. The regulator rejected NOW’s appeal, labeling the statement a "half‑truth" that misled investors about a alleged...
Mynt, the parent of GCash, is keeping an IPO on the table while accelerating its payments, lending and wealth‑management services. The fintech arm delivered P6.1 billion in attributable equity earnings in 2025, a 64% jump year‑on‑year, and its lending subsidiary Fuse...
BioCentury reports that 2025 ended a four‑year decline in biotech series A financing, with 144 companies raising $8 billion. The “BioCentury This Week” podcast highlights which venture‑capital‑backed firms attracted capital and what the trends indicate for emerging technologies. Washington editor Steve Usdin...

The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and TXTK Tax Tech will co‑host the UAE Horizon 2026 roadshow in Singapore on March 8. The invite‑only event targets CEOs, family offices and high‑net‑worth individuals seeking to tap the UAE’s low‑tax environment and free‑zone ecosystem....
AI voice assistants have surpassed eight billion units in 2024, and the vast majority default to female voices and gendered names. Research shows up to 50 % of interactions involve verbal abuse, with female‑embodied agents attracting significantly more sexual harassment than...

Vice‑President Gayatheri Silvakumer warned that most change initiatives fail not because of flawed strategy but because leaders ignore the emotional side of change. She argues that silence in meetings often disguises disengagement, mistaking compliance for genuine ownership. By inviting employees...

Indonesia’s equity market faces a potential $60 bn outflow if MSCI downgrades it from emerging to frontier status. MSCI halted new Indonesian inclusions on Jan 27, citing weak transparency and low free‑float ratios, prompting a 7.3% drop in the Jakarta Composite. Regulators...
Tesla Vice President Raj Jegannathan announced his departure after a 13‑year tenure, most recently overseeing IT, AI infrastructure, business applications, and information security. He previously led North American sales following the dismissal of Troy Jones, a period marked by declining...

The mixed‑age couples rule, introduced in May 2019, bars pension‑age partners from claiming Pension Credit if their spouse is under 66. The policy affects hundreds of thousands of low‑income couples, stripping them of up to £7,000 a year in benefits....

The IRS announced new enhancements to its Tax Pro Account, extending digital capabilities to tax‑professional businesses. The upgrade lets designated representatives manage business CAF access, link CAF numbers to EINs, and view or withdraw active authorizations. These tools aim to...
The agricultural sector faces a perfect storm of policy and market pressures, according to a bipartisan letter signed by former heads of the National Corn, Barley, and Soybean Growers associations. The signatories contend that recent tariffs on farm inputs and...
Anaplan announced Laurent Martini as its new Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, effective February 16. Martini, who previously led EMEA sales at Splunk and held senior roles at Pure Storage and Symantec, will report to President...

Private credit has trailed public credit since 2022, offering lower liquidity, weaker credit quality, higher industry concentration and higher borrower costs. By avoiding daily mark‑to‑market, private credit managers can "volatility launder" returns, presenting artificially low volatility and inflated Sharpe ratios....

The skilled‑nursing sector entered 2026 with strong occupancy and higher state reimbursements, restoring profitability for many facilities. Financing remains robust, but activity has shifted toward acquiring and refurbishing existing homes rather than new construction. Regional operators are snapping up underperforming...

Evans Senior Investments brokered the sale of the nonprofit Glencroft Center for Modern Aging in Glendale, Arizona, fetching $30.15 million—about $134,000 per bed—despite a 47% occupancy rate and a 1‑star CMS rating. The deal doubled the seller’s expected proceeds by creating...
Biotech investors have long chased scientific hype that rarely translated into commercial wins, often leaving value to large pharma. The article argues the next growth wave will stem from biotechs launching independent therapeutics that achieve meaningful sales, mirroring the early‑2010s...

Melbourne‑born SaaS firm Operata secured an $11 million Series A round, lifting its valuation to $100 million. The funding, led by Tidal Ventures with participation from Glitch Capital and existing backers, will accelerate integration with major contact‑centre platforms and global expansion. Operata positions...

Blue Owl’s chief investment officer, Lipschultz, addressed investor concerns on the firm’s earnings call, emphasizing that software‑focused lending represents only 8% of the firm’s assets under management. He highlighted that the loans carry robust loan‑to‑value (LTV) ratios, underscoring a conservative...