EU Pays More for Bangladesh Garments
A RAPID study shows Bangladeshi garment exporters receive 5‑18% higher prices in the EU than in the US for their top ten products. For T‑shirts, German buyers pay a 20‑27% premium, while trousers fetch 9‑15% more. Exporters typically charge about 10% lower prices in the US and absorb customs duties. The price gap raises questions about who bears tariff costs and how it may affect workers’ wages.
“We Are Acquisitive…and Active in Deals Right Now” – Glacier’s Matt Frost on Europe’s Ice-Cream Market
Glacier, backed by Davidson Kempner and Afendis Capital, has merged Gelato d’Italia and Ysco to create a €600 m private‑label ice‑cream platform across five European factories. The company positions itself as a consolidator in a fragmented market, focusing on co‑manufacturing and avoiding...
8 Strategies for Conflict Management in the Digital Age
The rise of remote work has moved conflict from boardrooms to inboxes, video calls, and chat apps, demanding a digital‑first approach to resolution. Eight tactics are outlined, from crystal‑clear messaging and empathetic listening to selecting the right channel and establishing...
Rail and Ocean Carriers Consolidating Shipping Infrastructure: Analyst
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are pushing an $85 billion merger that would combine UP’s western rail network with NS’s eastern system, covering 43 states. The Surface Transportation Board rejected their initial filing in January, prompting the carriers to prepare a...
Iran Seeks Return of 3 Tankers Seized by India in Return for Hormuz Safe Passage: Report
India's coastal authorities seized three U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers—Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star and Al Jafzia—on February 6, alleging illicit trade links to Iran. Tehran has offered to release the vessels in exchange for guaranteed safe passage of Indian‑bound ships through the Strait...
Kroenig Interviewed on CNN on US Action in Iran
Matthew Kroenig, senior director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center, was interviewed on CNN on March 13 to defend President Trump’s approach toward Iran. He claimed that recent U.S. actions, including expanded sanctions and calibrated military signaling, are deliberately weakening...
The Modern CIO Is No Longer a Technologist - They’re an Architect of Enterprise Decisions
The chief information officer’s mandate has moved beyond managing servers and applications to shaping the decision frameworks that drive enterprise transformation. Modern CIOs now design governance, trade‑off mechanisms, and operating models that align strategy with execution. Boards are looking for...
Record Number of Female Founder Startups Raised Funding in 2025
TechIreland’s Female Founder Funding Review 2026 shows a record 82 Irish women‑founded startups raised €131 million in 2025, the highest annual total since 2017. While the number of deals surged, the average round shrank to €2.3 million and the median fell sharply...
Understood Care Raises $5M in Seed Funding
Understood Care, a New York‑based AI‑native patient advocacy platform, announced a $5 million seed round led by Rethink Education and Zeal Capital Partners. The funding follows a $3.4 million pre‑seed round backed by 1984 Ventures and Y Combinator. The capital will accelerate...
Australia's Universities Have Found Themselves in Crisis. But It Has Been Decades in the Making | Hannah Forsyth
Australian universities are in a deep crisis marked by governance failures, opaque finances, and relentless staff cuts. Decades of globalization‑driven expansion created bloated managerial structures that turned education into a metric‑focused business. Rising student debt, unaffordable housing, and AI‑induced job...
Ortec Finance Launches a New Standard in Strategic Asset Allocation Powered by Scenario-Based Machine Learning
Ortec Finance has launched GLASS PRISM, a strategic asset allocation (SAA) optimizer that leverages its Scenario‑Based Machine Learning (SBML) engine. The tool replaces static, mean‑variance models with a forward‑looking, multi‑scenario framework that can handle non‑linear, multi‑period objectives and constraints. Designed for...
The $25K-a-Day Question: How to Decide Which Capex Projects to Fund Now
Packaging firms face a flood of urgent capital requests driven by EPR penalties, tariff spikes and automation needs. The article proposes a three‑step framework: first, separate mandatory compliance projects from discretionary growth initiatives; second, evaluate discretionary projects with a consistent...
Asia-Europe Air Cargo Space Tightens as Rates, Fuel Surcharges Soar
Air freight between Asia and Europe is tightening as the US‑Iran war curtails Middle‑East corridors, which handle roughly 30% of the trade lane. Simultaneously, jet fuel prices have doubled, prompting carriers to add steep fuel surcharges on top of already...
Ahold Delhaize Appoints New Head of Private Label
Ahold Delhaize USA promoted Abby Cook to senior vice president of its newly created Own Brands division, reporting to CCO Keith Nicks. Cook will steer the private‑label portfolio toward a "next phase of growth" as a core pillar of the retailer's Growing...
Ironlight Group Raises $21M in Series A Funding
Ironlight Group, an Austin‑based fintech, announced a $21 million Series A round. The round was backed by Greg Braca, the Sei Development Foundation and Laidlaw Private Equity. The capital will be used to scale Ironlight Markets’ alternative trading system and its tokenized...
To Succeed With Paid Media, This Indie Agency Advises Nailing Organic First
LV8, a social‑first agency founded in 2024, has launched a dedicated paid‑media practice led by Ian Hiscock. The firm treats content creation and media buying as a single workflow, amplifying high‑performing organic posts with paid spend. By using organic insights...
OpenAI in Talks for $10 Billion Joint Venture With PE Firms
OpenAI is in advanced talks to create a joint venture with private‑equity firms TPG and Bain Capital aimed at expanding the adoption of its AI software. The proposed venture carries a pre‑money valuation of roughly $10 billion, with the PE partners...
Doctomatic Appoints Bill Josko as Head of Americas to Scale AI-Driven RPm
Doctomatic, an AI‑native remote patient management platform, has named Bill Josko as Head of Americas to accelerate its expansion across North and Latin America. Josko brings more than 25 years of digital‑transformation experience, including senior roles at IBM. The move...
Sheffield Wednesday: Football Regulator Already in Talks over New Club Owners
The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) will take over vetting of English club owners and directors from May, prompting clubs to flag any ongoing takeover discussions by the end of the week. Sheffield Wednesday’s preferred bidder, US‑based Arise Capital Partners, is...
Africa’s Critical Minerals Gain Strategic Importance as Global Demand Intensifies
Africa is emerging as a strategic source of rare earths and critical minerals as the United States seeks alternatives to China-dominated processing. The continent hosts vast deposits, including DRC cobalt, Zimbabwe lithium, and new rare‑earth projects in Namibia, Tanzania, and...
Sagar Cements to Sell 7.24% Stake in Andhra Cements via Offer for Sale
Sagar Cements announced an Offer For Sale to divest approximately 66.76 lakh shares, representing a 7.24% stake in its subsidiary Andhra Cements. The transaction is designed to satisfy the Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) requirement mandated for listed entities. The shares will...
CMOs Are Driving Growth, So Why Aren’t More Becoming CEOs?
Chief marketing officers are increasingly credited with delivering top‑line growth, yet their ascent to the CEO role remains limited. A NewtonX survey of 500 senior marketers shows that while 56 % believe they possess the necessary skills, only 26 % consider themselves...
SEBI to Review MFD-IA Framework to Remove Overlap in Roles
India’s securities regulator SEBI announced a review of the mutual fund distributor (MFD) and investment adviser (IA) regulatory framework to eliminate role overlap. A working group will examine the current rules, while SEBI prepares a common advertisement code and a...
Annual Inflation Cools to 1.8% in February: Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada reported Canada's consumer price index increased 1.8% year‑over‑year in February, a slowdown from January’s 2.3% gain. The deceleration was largely driven by the end of the GST/HST temporary break, which pushed restaurant prices higher while gasoline and other...
‘One Version of the Truth’: How M&S Used Insights to Transform Its Summer Woes
Marks & Spencer (M&S) tackled its chronic summer fashion underperformance by leveraging a deep consumer‑insight project with Basis Global. The insights team created a unified “one version of the truth” using a ‘Moments Framework’ that captured customers’ emotional drivers rather...
Returns Vary in February’s Positive Markets
February closed with broadly positive market momentum, yet returns diverged sharply across asset classes and regions. U.S. equities posted a 2.3% gain, while emerging market indices lagged, delivering negative performance. Commodities rallied, led by oil and copper, whereas fixed‑income remained...
Nigerian Fintech Duplo Gets Licenced for E-Invoicing and Tax Transmission
Duplo, a Nigerian B2B payments platform, secured Systems Integrator and Access Point Provider licences from the Nigeria Revenue Service. The dual licences let the company generate NRS‑compliant e‑invoices, transmit them automatically, and settle payments within its platform. Nigeria’s digital tax...
The ENTERTAINER ‘Our Home. Our Heart’ Campaign Sees 100,000+ Offers Redeemed
The ENTERTAINER launched the "Our Home. Our Heart" campaign on March 12, 2026, offering free One Heart memberships to UAE residents to bolster the hospitality sector amid recent challenges. The initiative expanded from an initial 50,000 offers to 250,000 claimed...
How Can GTM Teams Turn Buyer Signals Into High-ACV Deals?
Enterprise sales are no longer driven by instinct alone; modern buyers conduct extensive research before ever contacting a seller, generating a wealth of first‑, second‑, and third‑party signals. Companies that can capture these real‑time intent cues and translate them into...
Why Insurance No Longer Matches the Risk on Your Clients’ Balance Sheets
After two years of steep premium hikes, 2026 saw modest price relief in some commercial lines, but insurers simultaneously raised deductibles, tightened definitions, and expanded exclusions. The result is a disconnect: premiums appear stable while the amount of loss companies...
Real Regular Wages Post Highest January Growth in 11 Years
Taiwan's real regular wages surged 2.9% year‑over‑year in January, marking the fastest monthly increase in 11 years and the largest month‑on‑month gain in 16 years. After inflation adjustment, real wages rose 2.18%, the strongest pace since 2016, while the median...
Ola Electric To Raise ₹2,000 Cr By Selling Stake In Ola Cell Technologies: Report
Ola Electric plans to raise up to ₹2,000 Cr by selling a minority stake in its battery arm, Ola Cell Technologies. The fundraise targets sovereign wealth funds and global infrastructure investors, with Avendus Capital and Motilal Oswal advising. The move follows...
Visa Processing Startup Atlys Raises $36 Mn in Series C Funding
Visa‑processing startup Atlys announced a $36 million Series C round led by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital, with participation from existing backers and new investor MakeMyTrip. The funding will fuel expansion into additional international markets and accelerate the company’s AI‑driven visa platform, covering...
The Meeting of CAS and AI
CohnReznick’s advisory arm is piloting generative AI tools such as Copilot and ChatGPT to automate routine CAS tasks, including documentation, email handling, and journal‑entry processing. The firm, now over 100 CAS professionals across 30 U.S. offices and offshore centers, is...
Ferrero Joins the Big F&B CEO Shake-Up
Ferrero has dismantled its traditional chief executive role, installing a dual‑leadership model that splits responsibilities between Alessandro Nervegna, who will run Ferrero Core, and Lapo Civiletti, who will head the fast‑growing ice‑cream and WK Kellogg businesses. Both executives report directly to...
Exclusive: Nomura Appoints Tokyo-Based CIO as Patrick Eltridge Leaves
Nomura Holdings, Japan’s largest investment bank, announced that Akio Hori will assume the role of group chief information officer in April, succeeding Patrick Elridge who will leave on March 31. Hori is based in Tokyo, highlighting a shift toward domestic...
Side Letter: Valuation Vaguery
Private equity firms are increasingly relying on side‑letter provisions that contain vague valuation language, raising concerns over transparency and LP‑GP alignment. The practice could hinder the industry’s push toward broader investor participation, often termed the "democratisation" of private equity. Meanwhile,...
3 CMS Platforms Control 73% Of The Market & Shape Technical SEO Defaults via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Chris Green’s analysis of 17 million sites shows WordPress, Shopify and Wix now dominate 73 % of the CMS market, eclipsing legacy platforms like Joomla and Drupal. Their combined 2025 revenue exceeds $13.5 billion, funding engineering teams that set default technical‑SEO configurations for...
Korean Air / Asiana Airlines Merger Inquiry
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has approved a Slot Release Agreement that lets Virgin Atlantic operate a daily London‑Seoul service, extending the remedy timeline to the summer 2026 season. Earlier, the CMA accepted undertakings in lieu of a...
State Farm Sets up Another Merna Re Structure in Bermuda, Likely for Future Cat Bonds
State Farm has registered a new Bermuda special‑purpose insurer, Merna Re Enterprise II Ltd., likely to support upcoming catastrophe‑bond issuances. The move follows a decade‑long strategy of using Merna Re entities, which have funded $3 billion of cat‑bond protection and a...
The Health Care Job Market
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that total non‑farm payrolls fell by 92,000 jobs in February, with health‑care employment shrinking by 28,000 jobs after a wave of worker strikes. Despite the dip, the health‑care sector has added an average of...
5 Leadership Lessons From Tesla’s Turbulent Growth Strategy
Tesla’s growth strategy has swung between bold vision and operational turbulence, marked by aggressive price cuts, AI investments, and frequent restructurings. Early success stemmed from a mission‑driven brand that attracted talent and capital, but market maturity now demands disciplined execution....
Rising Fuel Price Could See Box Shipping Face a Bill of up to $35bn
Rising fuel prices linked to the Hormuz crisis could add $30‑35 billion to global container shipping costs if sustained for a year. Sea‑Intelligence estimates an extra $153‑$178 per TEU, potentially pushing freight rates higher. While direct fuel expenses are significant, analysts...
Exante Weekly Report: Oil Surge Threatens Global Economy
Exante’s weekly macro update warns that a sharp oil price surge, driven by escalating Middle‑East tensions and a US torpedo strike on an Iranian submarine, is pressuring global markets. Brent crude settled at $82.60 and WTI at $74.66, marking weekly...
Alibaba CEO to Lead New AI Business Group
Alibaba Group CEO Eddie Wu announced he will personally lead the newly formed Alibaba Token Hub, a business group focused on building AI work platforms for enterprise customers. The hub will bring together existing AI assets such as Tongyi Laboratory,...
Convey Health Solutions Announced the Appointment of Michael DiSimone as CEO
Convey Health Solutions announced that Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Michael DiSimone has been elevated to Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. DiSimone succeeds Dan Finke, who will stay on the board as an advisor after a successful tenure....
Iran War Chokepoints Begin to Cast Doubt on Global Chip Supply
The ongoing Middle East war is creating chokepoints that could restrict the flow of chemicals, equipment and other inputs essential for semiconductor manufacturing. Rising power costs in Taiwan, the hub of advanced chip production, add further pressure on fab operations....
Almost One in Five Women Lawyers Plan to Leave Profession Due to Workplace Issues – IBA Study
The International Bar Association’s new report, *Raising the Bar: Women in Law*, reveals that almost one in five women lawyers are contemplating leaving the profession, with 19% considering roles in academia or consulting. While 62% intend to stay at their...
Poynter Names 35 Journalists Selected for Competitive 2026 Leadership Academy for Women
The Poynter Institute announced its 2026 Leadership Academy for Women cohort, selecting 35 journalists from diverse media organizations worldwide. The week‑long program in St. Petersburg focuses on strategic leadership, talent development, and navigating press‑freedom challenges, and for the first time offers...
Bark Out Loud Rolls Out New Pet Food Campaign with Huma Qureshi
Bark Out Loud by Vivaldis has launched the #ThriveSharedJourney campaign for its Thrive pet food line, featuring Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi. The film positions pet wellbeing as a collaborative process between pets and their owners, emphasizing nutrition awareness alongside lifestyle...