State Pension Age Begins Rise to 67 as Payments Increase
The UK state pension age has begun its staged rise to 67, starting with people born between 6 April and 5 May 1960, adding roughly one month to their wait for benefits. At the same time, weekly pension payments have risen 4.8%, bringing the full state pension to about $301 per week ($15,685 annually) and the basic rate to $231 per week ($12,019 annually). The Treasury projects the higher retirement age will save roughly $12.5 billion a year by the end of the decade. Critics warn the uniform age increase may disproportionately affect low‑income and health‑impaired workers, while employers must adapt to an older workforce staying in jobs longer.
ATTACK and CJ WORX Turn Fragrance Tech Into Behaviour with ‘Tap Tap, Pull Pull, Hug Hug’
ATTACK Detergent, in partnership with CJ WORX, launched a Thailand‑wide campaign that turns its micro‑encapsulation fragrance technology into everyday gestures. The "Tap Tap, Pull Pull, Hug Hug" routine lets consumers activate scent by tapping shoulders, stretching fabric or hugging, making freshness a visible behavior....
Euskaltel Appoints Altuna as CEO
Euskaltel announced Jasone Altuna as its new CEO, effective June 1, also overseeing MasOrange operations in the Basque Country and Navarra. Altuna brings over 25 years of consulting and technology experience, having held senior roles at Accenture, PwC, Ibermática and Ayesa....
Liquid Death Lets Incrementality Decide What Tactics To Kill And What To Keep
Liquid Death, the metal‑themed canned water brand, has adopted Ibotta’s LiveLift platform to measure the incremental sales impact of its promotions in near real time. By comparing shoppers exposed to offers with a control group, the brand can identify which...
VC Firms with All-Male Teams Halved over Past Decade in UK, Report Shows
Diversity VC’s latest report shows UK venture‑capital firms with all‑male investment teams have more than halved over the past decade. The share without any women fell from 48% in 2017 to 21% in 2025, while women now represent 31% of...
N.C. Cat Dealer Finds Success By Adapting, Evolving
Gregory Poole Equipment Co. marked its 75th anniversary on April 1, 2026 and used the milestone to highlight rapid growth in its rental business. The Caterpillar dealer now operates 28 branches across eastern North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, including a new...
Sims Crane & Equipment Announces Executive Promotions
Sims Crane & Equipment Co. announced two senior executive promotions to strengthen its sales and operational capabilities across the Southeast United States. Long‑time employee Mike Kuffermann was elevated to chief sales officer, bringing more than 17 years of company experience to...
Construction Ramps Up On Jaguars $1.4B Stadium Renovation
Construction at Jacksonville's EverBank Stadium has entered a major phase of its $1.4 billion renovation, with roughly 15% of the work completed. The project will see 27,000 seats removed for the 2026 season, including 22,000 from the upper deck, while a...
How Does Your Restaurant Stack Up? ATO Releases Small Business Benchmarks
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has published 2023‑24 small‑business benchmarks for restaurants, pubs, bars and bakeries. For restaurants with annual turnover roughly $43,000‑$330,000, $330,000‑$1.3 million and over $1.3 million USD, cost‑of‑sales should sit at 32‑39%, 32‑38% and 31‑36% of revenue respectively. Total...
How to Earn Customer Decisions in Sales
Mark Hunter argues that sales success hinges on creating buyer certainty rather than applying pressure. He advises sellers to shift focus from moving the deal forward to moving the buyer’s thinking forward, using direct questions to surface hidden objections. By...
Macarthur Lands Mining Heavyweight to Cornerstone WA Iron Ore Dreams
Macarthur Minerals announced that mining services veteran Steve Wyatt, through his Destec Holdings, has become a cornerstone shareholder after a $1.25 million capital raise. The funds will be used to keep the company’s tenements in good standing and provide working capital...
Can Taxi Rides Decide Careers?
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn revealed that the company’s hiring process starts long before a formal interview, using everyday interactions like a candidate’s treatment of a taxi driver as a litmus test. A CFO candidate who performed well in interviews...
HR Perspectives by Anaahat Singh: “Progress in Diversity Is Rarely Dramatic”
Anaahat Singh, CHRO of Aviva India, says the insurer is shifting hiring from static skill checklists to assessing candidates' capacity to learn and adapt, especially as AI reshapes work. She stresses a shared cultural core—purpose, psychological safety, respect—delivered through personalized...
Morgan Stanley Cuts India's FY27 Growth Outlook to 6.2% Amid Gulf Conflict
Morgan Stanley lowered its forecast for India's fiscal year 2027 GDP growth to 6.2%, down 30 basis points, citing supply‑side disruptions and higher energy costs from the Gulf conflict. The bank raised its inflation projection to 5.1% and expects the...
RBI Holds Key Policy Rate at 5.25%
The Reserve Bank of India’s monetary policy committee kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% and reaffirmed a neutral stance. A Mint poll of ten economists had anticipated the hold amid rising inflation risks and a softer growth outlook. The...
The Creativity Trade-Off: What Marketers Risk Losing In The Age Of AI
AI has become ubiquitous in advertising, with 83% of ad executives now using it in creative workflows, up from 60% in 2024, and 86% of video‑ad buyers planning AI‑generated content. While generative tools accelerate idea prototyping, studies from Wharton and...
The Creativity Trade-Off: What Marketers Risk Losing In The Age Of AI
Marketers are rapidly embedding generative AI into ad creation, with 83% of ad executives reporting deployment, up from 60% in 2024. While AI accelerates idea generation and video production, studies show it narrows idea diversity and reduces originality. High‑profile AI‑driven...
The ECB Is Stirring Memories of 2011 — Not All of Them Good
The Financial Times’ Monetary Policy Radar team has been introduced, showcasing five senior contributors who specialize in European central‑bank analysis. Chris Giles leads the unit as the FT’s economics commentator, while Andrew Whiffin brings a decade of corporate‑commentary experience. Data‑driven...
AI K-Pop Startup Galaxy Aims For IPO in Seoul, New York
Galaxy Corp., a Seoul‑based AI startup, is pioneering a new K‑pop model that replaces human idols with synchronized humanoid robots performing in elaborate, futuristic settings. Founder and CEO Choi Yong‑ho showcased a high‑tech show featuring black‑clad robots in luxury hip‑hop...
India's 10-Year Bond Yield Nears 6.90% on Iran Ceasefire, RBI Decision Awaited
Indian government bond yields dropped sharply on Wednesday as oil prices plunged following a U.S.-brokered two‑week cease‑fire with Iran. The benchmark 2035 bond yield fell to 6.9177%, down from 7.0458% the previous day, just before the Reserve Bank of India’s...
Rupee Surges 50 Paise to 92.56 Against USD in Early Trade After US, Iran Agree to 2-Week Ceasefire
The Indian rupee jumped 50 paise to 92.56 per dollar in early trade after President Donald Trump announced a two‑week suspension of US strikes on Iran. The cease‑fire sparked a broad rally in risk assets, with Asian equities, gold and silver...
Retirement Notice Takes Effect if Not Refused in Time: SC
India's Supreme Court ruled that a voluntary retirement notice becomes legally effective at the end of the notice period unless the employer explicitly refuses it within that timeframe. The judgment arose from a dispute involving UCO Bank and former manager SK Shrivastava,...
Helping Women Progress in Their Professional Careers
The Jakarta Post editorial calls for genuine actions—not just gestures—to advance women’s professional lives across Indonesia’s white‑ and blue‑collar sectors. It highlights entrenched patriarchal norms, cultural bias favoring sons, and the stigma attached to gender‑equality advocacy. The piece urges male...
Online Labor Demand Increased in March
The Conference Board‑Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine® (HWOL) Index climbed to 109.1 in March 2026, a 3.8% rise from February’s revised 105.1 reading. The gain lifts the index 2.7% above its level a year earlier, signaling expanding online job vacancies across...
Who Is OpenAI’s Global Head of Ads, David Dugan?
David Dugan, a veteran of Meta’s advertising empire, has been appointed OpenAI’s global head of ads. His résumé includes leading Meta’s worldwide agency partnerships, selling BzzAgent to Tesco, and steering Havas Arnold Worldwide. OpenAI, which is burning cash as it...
The Year-Effect: How the Sports Industry Is Rethinking Marketing Ahead of the 2026 Mega-Events
The sports industry faces a "Year-Effect" in 2026 as the FIFA World Cup, Winter Olympics, Formula 1 and MotoGP converge, forcing brands to rethink acquisition and monetization. Experts label the shift from Sports Marketing 6.0 to 7.0, where AI drives real‑time micromoment...
Ergobaby Is Revamping Its Website and Packaging to Better Resonate with Young Parents
Ergobaby is rolling out a brand refresh aimed at Gen Z and millennial parents, debuting a new website on April 8 that features lifestyle imagery, CGI fit explainers, a product‑finder quiz and 360‑degree videos. The company is widening its retail footprint with...
How the Iran War Will Upend the Global Economy
In late March Israel and Iran struck gas fields in the Persian Gulf, creating a sharp supply shock that will push global energy prices higher. The disruption has already prompted U.S. markets to price in further Federal Reserve rate hikes...
Bollegraaf Announces Executive Hire
Bollegraaf, a Dutch maker of recycling and baling equipment, has appointed Fabrizio Radice as its new chief commercial officer. Radice arrives with more than 25 years of senior‑management experience across industrial, automation, life‑science and high‑tech sectors, most recently serving as senior...
Pagaya Raises $340 Million to Call on Previous ABS Series
Pagaya Structured Products is issuing a $340 million asset‑backed securitization, PAID 2026‑R2, to refinance existing consumer‑loan collateral. The new trust will buy roughly 68.8% of its 65,156 underlying loans from the PAID 2024‑3 series and the remainder from PAID 2024‑2. Fourteen tranches, A1 through...
Leadership Programmes Turn to Mindfulness as AI Reshapes Workplace Demands
Leadership development firms are redesigning programmes to emphasize mindfulness, empathy and whole‑brain decision‑making as artificial intelligence automates routine cognitive tasks. Soul Diets launched a 16‑hour residency called ELEVATE in Mumbai, blending vision, action, impact and change, and has already engaged...
Tarun Mathur Exits as CEO of Policybazaar Insurance Brokers, Sajja Praveen Chowdary Steps In
Tarun Mathur stepped down as CEO and principal officer of Policybazaar Insurance Brokers, effective April 7, citing personal commitments. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India approved Sajja Praveen Chowdary as his replacement, naming him CEO, principal officer and whole‑time director. Chowdary,...
Xiaokuo Files for Hong Kong IPO as It Expands Beyond Oral Care
Xiaokuo Technology, a Shenzhen‑registered oral‑care and personal‑care maker, filed a prospectus on March 27 2026 for a Hong Kong main‑board IPO. The company, whose Canban and About Focus brands cover over 500 SKUs, posted 2025 revenue of $363.6 million and adjusted net profit of...
Razer Strengthens Global PR and Partnerships Leadership
Razer Inc. has promoted Nikhil Kharoo to senior director, global head of PR and partnerships, expanding his remit to oversee communications, AI projects and brand collaborations across the US, Europe and Asia. Kharoo, who joined Razer in 2024 after senior...
Good on Paper, Wrong in Market: Where Business Doesn't Shy Away From Talking About Failures
Marico’s first foray into healthy baked snacks with Saffola Zest flopped because taste lagged behind health claims, prompting a deep dive into consumer insight. The insight reshaped product development, leading to Saffola Masala Oats, which now commands about 80% of India’s savoury‑oats...
Korea Seven Names New CEO to Drive 7-Eleven’s Local Revival
Korea Seven, the operator of 7‑Eleven in South Korea, appointed Daeil Kim as CEO on April 1, 2026. Kim brings 28 years of experience in fintech, digital services, and marketing technology, most recently leading SPC Group’s Secta9ine. He pledged to rebuild and...
Iran War, Oracle Layoffs, El Niño Worries: What’s Keeping the World on Edge
Global markets are rattled by three converging forces: a sudden U.S. pivot toward a two‑week conditional ceasefire with Iran, Oracle’s large‑scale AI‑driven layoffs, and escalating El Niño‑related climate risks. Elevated oil prices from Middle‑East tensions are tightening industrial supply chains, while...
Asian Stocks Surge and Oil Falls on US-Iran Ceasefire
Asian equity markets rallied on Wednesday as investors cheered a two‑week U.S.–Iran ceasefire, pushing Japan's Nikkei index up roughly 4%. The positive risk sentiment spread across regional bourses, lifting stocks in South Korea, Taiwan and other markets. Meanwhile, crude oil...
Tokyo Exchange's Midtier Standard Market Overtakes Prime in Listed Firms
Four years after its 2022 restructuring, the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Standard market has for the first time surpassed the Prime market in the number of listed companies. The shift reflects the impact of tougher listing criteria introduced for Prime, prompting...
Mitsubishi Motors Not Facing Production Halt From Hormuz Crisis: CEO
Mitsubishi Motors says the ongoing Hormuz Strait crisis has not forced a production halt, according to CEO Takao Kato. While regional petrochemical and raw‑material shipments face disruptions, the automaker’s factories remain operational. Mitsubishi is simultaneously pushing a broader hybrid lineup...
Forecast Inflation Jump Comes with Doubts and Uncertainty, OCR Held at 2.25%
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand kept the Official Cash Rate at 2.25% as global uncertainty and a volatile oil market persisted. Inflation forecasts were nudged higher, with the Monetary Policy Committee expecting a 3% rise in the March quarter...
Oil Prices Plunge Below $100/Bbl After US, Iran Agree on 2-Week Ceasefire
Oil prices plunged about 14% on Wednesday as Brent fell to $95.17 and WTI to $96.41, both slipping below the $100 per barrel threshold. The drop follows a two‑week cease‑fire agreement between the United States, Israel and Iran and a...
USTR Section 301 Forced Labor Investigations: Tariff Risk, UFLPA Overlap, and What Companies Should Do Now
The U.S. Trade Representative has launched Section 301(b) investigations into forced‑labor enforcement gaps in 60 major trading partners, expanding risk from product‑level actions to potential country‑wide tariffs. The probe runs alongside existing UFLPA and CBP measures, creating layered compliance and cost...
Kenya, DRC, Ethiopia Growth Forecasts Trimmed as Fitch Warns of Tanzania’s Fragility
Fitch lowered its 2026 growth forecasts for Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia, citing a hotter‑than‑expected inflation outlook driven by the Iran‑Israel conflict. Kenya’s projection fell to 5.0% from 5.2%, DRC to 5.2% from 5.7% and Ethiopia to...
Hong Kong Stocks Jump as Risk Appetite Returns After US and Iran Agree on Ceasefire
Hong Kong stocks surged 2.7% to 25,801 points after the United States and Iran announced a two‑week ceasefire, easing geopolitical tension. Brent crude fell 14% and WTI 15%, pushing both benchmarks below $100 a barrel and lifting risk appetite across...
Rajesh Jain Appointed Group CPO, Vishvaraj Environment
Vishvaraj Environment, the ESG‑focused water utility aiming to reshape India's water sustainability, has appointed Rajesh Jain as Group Chief People Officer. Jain arrives from Welspun Living, where he served as CHRO, and brings more than three decades of HR leadership...
JP Morgan Chief Warns of “Significant” Interest Rate Shocks
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned that the escalating conflict in Iran could trigger sharp oil and commodity price spikes, keeping inflation elevated and forcing interest rates higher than market expectations. He cited the war in Ukraine, Middle‑East hostilities, and...
TZL Raises $0.81M Via Placement at Premium to Fund Debt Repayment and Growth
TZ Limited (ASX:TZL) completed a capital raise of AUD 0.81 million (≈US $0.53 million) by issuing 16.2 million new shares at $0.05 each, a 22% premium to the last trade. The proceeds will be split between repaying AUD 0.25 million (≈US $0.17 million) of debt to Causeway Finance and...
2.66 Million Filipinos Jobless in February 2026
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported 2.66 million unemployed Filipinos in February 2026, lowering the unemployment rate to 5.1 % from 5.8 % in January. Employment rose to 49.43 million, while under‑employment remained at 11.8 % (5.84 million workers seeking more hours). The services sector continued to dominate,...
‘Changing Of The Guard’: CMO & Two Execs Depart The Trade Desk Amid Leadership Shakeup
Three senior leaders, including CMO Ian Colley, have left The Trade Desk amid a broader leadership shakeup. Their departures follow a contentious audit dispute with Publicis Groupe, which alleges fee overcharges and unauthorized client enrollments. At the same time, major...