OpenAI to Acquire Promptfoo to Strengthen AI Agent Security Testing
OpenAI announced it will acquire Promptfoo, an AI testing startup whose tools detect adversarial prompts, jailbreak attempts, and safety violations in large language model applications. Promptfoo’s technology, already deployed by more than a quarter of Fortune 500 firms, will be integrated into OpenAI’s Frontier platform for building AI coworkers. The move signals OpenAI’s push to embed robust security and governance into enterprise AI agents as companies transition from pilot projects to production. Analysts view the acquisition as a response to rising concerns over AI‑driven attack vectors such as prompt injection and model poisoning.
State Bank of India Shuns Russian Crude Oil Payments Despite US Reprieve
State Bank of India (SBI) has refused to process payments for Russian crude oil even after the United States issued a temporary waiver for Indian imports. The bank cites uncertainty over the waiver's duration, potential sanctions exposure, and reputational risk...
Corporate Action Disclosure
PROMONTARIA MACC 1x1 SOCIMI SA, a residential REIT listed on Euronext under ticker ENXL, disclosed a cash distribution to its shareholders on 10 March 2026. The corporate action was filed through the Euronext platform and classified as a cash distribution under the...
Money Moves: How Credit Karma Uses AI to Power Smarter Financial Decisions
Credit Karma is leveraging AI and its massive consumer‑financial dataset to evolve from a credit‑score provider into a personalized financial assistant. With 140 million members and over 80,000 data points per user, the platform now offers automated tax filing, next‑best‑action recommendations,...

Ardian Acquires Majority Stake in Italian Self-Storage Operator Casaforte
Private equity firm Ardian has acquired a majority stake in Casaforte, one of Italy’s leading self‑storage operators. The transaction brings Ardian’s cumulative investment in self‑storage assets across Italy and France to more than €300 million. Casaforte’s portfolio includes over 30 facilities...

Alt Protein Investors Are Tired of Waiting - They Want Confidence in the Future
Investor confidence in alternative proteins has sharply declined as long development timelines clash with revenue expectations. Key plant‑based and cultivated players such as Beyond Meat face setbacks, widening the later‑stage funding gap. Corporates view the sector's supply chains as fragile,...
Lockton Appoints Aon’s Livy Dai as China CEO
Lockton has appointed Livy Dai, a veteran of Aon, as chief executive of its China operations based in Shanghai. Dai, who spent 29 years at Aon and helped launch the Aon‑COFCO joint venture and the Nanjing branch, will report to...

Mantle8 Awarded €2.06M EU Grant for Natural Hydrogen Platform
Mantle8, a European natural‑hydrogen exploration startup founded in 2024, has secured a €2.06 million grant from the EU’s Just Transition Fund. The funding will be used to expand its technology platform in Grenoble, including the HOREX pilot, a new geochemistry lab,...

Women Are Still Being Badly Overlooked in Hiring
Despite advances in analytics and AI, many firms still miss top leadership talent, especially women. Women now comprise over half the workforce, earn most higher‑education degrees, and score higher on emotional intelligence, collaboration and integrity. Yet executive pipelines narrow sharply...

Burnout Is a Workplace Culture Problem, Not a Personal Failing
Burnout is increasingly recognized as a systemic workplace culture problem rather than an individual weakness, with global surveys showing 43% of employees reporting burnout in 2025, up from 38% two years earlier. Perks such as wellness days or spa vouchers...
‘Disruption for In-House Legal Departments Is Coming From the Companies They Represent’: FjordStream’s Bjarne Tellmann
Bjarne Tellmann, former GC of FTSE 100 firms, launched FjordStream Advisors to advise legal departments on AI, digital transformation, and executive coaching. The firm offers three services: technology strategy advisory, senior‑leader coaching, and thought‑leadership workshops. Tellmann warns that many GCs prioritize...

Saunders Appointed MD of Sky Business
Sky has appointed Damian Saunders as Managing Director of its Sky Business division, marking the latest step in the company’s B2B expansion. Saunders, who joined Sky in 2012 and has held multiple senior roles—including Strategy and Commercial Director and CRO—has...

Why IDPs Are the Only Way to Scale Kubernetes Beyond Experts
Kubernetes excels at infrastructure orchestration but was never meant to be a developer’s primary interface, leading to growing operational friction as organizations scale. Internal developer platforms (IDPs) introduce abstraction layers—golden paths, service catalogs, and self‑service APIs—that shield developers from cluster‑level...

Seven Developments Shaping US Treasury Clearing
The SEC’s upcoming Treasury clearing mandate is set to make central clearing mandatory for U.S. Treasury securities, prompting firms to re‑engineer trading, risk, and operational frameworks. The Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (FICC) is responding with seven new initiatives, including expanded...

Do You Need to Register as a Money Services Business?
The article outlines when a Canadian business must register as a Money Services Business (MSB) with FINTRAC, detailing the specific activities—foreign exchange, fund remittance, virtual‑currency dealing, and crowdfunding—that trigger regulatory oversight. It distinguishes domestic MSBs from foreign MSBs (FMSBs) and...
Govt Eases FDI Norms for China, Other Countries Sharing Land Border with India: Sources
India has amended Press Note 3, easing foreign‑investment rules for all nations sharing a land border, including China. The change removes the mandatory pre‑approval requirement for investments from companies with shareholders in these countries, though approval remains required for any sector....

Invention Engine’s Four Portfolio Startups Secure $2.5 Mn
Invention Engine, a founder‑led AI and deep‑tech accelerator, announced that four of its portfolio companies have secured roughly $2.5 million in new funding. Sonic Lamb raised about $1 million to scale its India‑designed headphones and expand into automotive and pro‑audio applications. Cheerio...

Banks Struggle to Implement ISSB Sustainability Reporting Rules
A PwC‑IIF survey of 24 global banks managing over $18 trillion in assets shows near‑universal interest in the ISSB’s IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 standards, with 22 banks pursuing S1 and 23 pursuing S2. Yet most institutions are still building the data pipelines,...

How Walmart CEO John Furner Is Using His Father’s Lessons—And AI—To Steer a $1 Trillion Giant
John Furner, who rose from an hourly associate to Walmart’s CEO in 2022, is steering the $1 trillion retailer through a tech‑focused transformation. Drawing on his father’s "people helping people" ethos, he has reshaped compensation, boosting top managers’ pay to as...

Apex Service Partners: People, Purpose, and the Power of Career Transitions
Apex Service Partners emphasizes a people‑first culture that fuels internal career mobility, celebrating achievements through its Elevate Awards and mentorship programs. Employees routinely transition from entry‑level or specialized roles into broader leadership positions, exemplified by stories like Andria, Constantin, Jocee,...
GridStor Secures $120m for Gunnar Reliability Project in Texas
GridStor has secured a $120 million financing package from NORD/LB and Siemens Financial Services for its 150 MW/300 MWh Gunnar Reliability Project in Hidalgo County, Texas. The funding includes construction and tax‑equity bridge loans as well as letters of credit, marking Siemens’ first...
Ampersand-Backed Biologos Appoints CEO
Biologos, a life‑sciences manufacturer owned by Ampersand Capital Partners, has named longtime COO Hetal Patel as its new chief executive officer. Patel assumes the role as the firm accelerates investments in manufacturing capacity, including a newly built 32,000‑square‑foot GMP‑compliant facility...

TransUnion and Google Cloud Power AI‑Driven Credit Intelligence with New Analytics Agent
TransUnion has teamed with Google Cloud to launch an AI‑driven analytics agent that fuses TransUnion's credit data with Google’s Vertex AI and BigQuery services. The new solution delivers real‑time credit intelligence, cutting underwriting decision times by roughly half while boosting...

China’s Energy Defences Ease Sting of Iran War Instability
China is strengthening its energy security framework to offset volatility caused by the Iran‑related conflict. The government has expanded strategic petroleum reserves, accelerated domestic renewable projects, and secured new long‑term contracts with alternative suppliers. These moves aim to insulate the...
Leading The Next Cycle: NSE’s Trust-First Agenda For India’s Capital Markets
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has unveiled a "trust‑first" agenda aimed at scaling India’s capital markets while preserving stability, fairness and public confidence. Over the next 12‑18 months it will expand product suites, deepen SME pipelines, and broaden geographic and...
Ikea’s Global Campaign Is a Love Letter to the Feeling of Home
Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has unveiled a new global campaign titled “There’s No Feeling Like Home,” featuring the emotive short film “Coming Home.” The ad, directed by Justyna Obasi and set to Lucy Dacus’s cover of Carole King’s “Home Again,”...
Gap Turns Its Spring Campaign Into a Music Video With Young Miko
Gap has turned its Spring 2026 campaign into a full‑length music video starring Grammy‑nominated Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko. Directed by Bethany Vargas, the film "Sweats Like This" showcases GapSweats as a creative canvas while riding the cultural wave sparked by the recent...

Hormuz Closure Sends Bunker Prices to Record Levels
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran‑US/Israeli conflict has driven bunker fuel prices to record highs, with IFO 380 averaging $841.50 per tonne globally and Singapore reaching $1,073. At least 20% of the world’s HSFO exports are now...
Risk Assessment | 2 in 3 Firms Not Formally Assessing Workplace Stress Despite HSE Scrutiny
New WorkNest research shows only 18% of UK firms formally assess workplace stress. Thirty‑five percent never evaluate stress, while 30% conduct assessments inconsistently and 17% are unsure if any assessment exists. The findings arrive as the Health and Safety Executive...

Deals in Brief: Gobi Partners Backs Cortical Labs, TVS Invests in Vietnam’s Dat Bike, 11 China Deals, and More
A wave of Asian tech financing saw Cortical Labs secure an undisclosed round led by Horizon Ventures and Gobi Partners, while Vietnam’s Dat Bike received a $4 million Series B injection from Thien Viet Securities. Singapore‑based AI startups Acceler8 and Sapiens AI...

The Feds Pulled $1.5B From Tribal Clean Energy. Tribes Are Finding Another Way.
The Trump-era tax bill stripped $1.5 billion from tribal clean‑energy programs, leaving nearly 1,600 projects underfunded. In response, the Colorado River Indian Tribes launched an agrivoltaics pilot through the new financing entity Huurav, pairing solar panels with crops. Tribes are turning...

E-Way Bills Point to Slower yet Robust Economic Activity in February
India's e‑way bill generation slipped 3.1% in February to 132.5 million, yet it remains the third‑highest monthly total on record, signalling sustained logistics activity. Analysts attribute the dip to February’s shorter calendar and seasonal softening after a strong January, not a...
5 Ways to Level Up Your Team’s Sales Presentations
The article outlines five practical ways to elevate a team’s sales presentations, positioning the pitch as an interactive conversation rather than a one‑way slide deck. It identifies core elements—concise messaging, customization, a distinctive value proposition, market awareness, and quantitative proof—as...

5,000 Armed Forces Veterans Targeted for Job Placements by 2030 via MYFutureJobs Wira
The Malaysian government has launched the Lindung Kerjaya MYFutureJobs Wira programme to place 5,000 armed forces veterans in sustainable jobs by 2030. The effort is a joint venture between the Ex‑Servicemen Affairs Corporation (Perhebat), the Veterans Affairs Department (JHEV) and...

Public and Private Sector Key to Digital Realty in West Africa
Digital Realty inaugurated its first West African datacentre, ACR2, near Accra in November 2025, a 1.7 MW, 1,100 m² facility that builds on its earlier cable landing station ACR1. The launch follows the landing of Meta’s 2Africa subsea cable and reflects a broader...
Minutes of the Sole Shareholder’s Resolution: Reserve Distribution
Barings Core Spain Socimi S.A., a diversified REIT listed on Euronext, held a sole‑shareholder meeting on March 10, 2026 to approve a reserve distribution. The resolution authorises a cash payout drawn from accumulated reserves, aligning with the company’s dividend policy. The distribution...

De Beers Sale Gets Cheaper, Though Not Easier
Anglo American slashed De Beers' balance‑sheet value to $2.3 bn, intensifying a sale that has lingered for two years. The diamond market is under pressure from lab‑grown stones, now accounting for up to 25% of jewellery sales and half of engagement rings....
Why Lawtech Female Founders Struggle to Secure Funding
Women founders in UK lawtech face a pronounced funding gap, comprising only about 20% of technical teams and receiving far less venture capital than male peers. Harvard research shows investors ask women risk‑focused questions versus growth‑focused queries for men, influencing...

Capita Shares Tumble as Boss Warns of Declining Margins
Capita, one of the UK’s largest outsourcing firms, warned of a small decrease in operating margin and posted a pre‑tax loss of £171 million for 2025. The loss includes a £74 million impairment to its call‑centre business as demand shifts to AI...

China’s Nudge, a U.S. Permission, an Iranian Rapprochement — India’s Balancing Act on an Economic Thread
India is walking a diplomatic tightrope as escalating Iran‑U.S. tensions threaten its oil supplies while it seeks to preserve economic stability. Beijing has called for deeper BRICS coordination, but New Delhi has remained silent on the Iranian attack, emphasizing dialogue...
Zepz Appoints Barrie Morris as Interim CEO as Mark Lenhard Steps Down
Zepz announced that CEO Mark Lenhard will step down and CFO Barrie Morris will serve as interim chief executive. Morris brings over 25 years of financial‑services experience and has overseen Zepz’s financial strategy since 2023. The company highlighted a 2025...
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Opinion: Asia’s Growing Influence in Healthcare Private Equity
Raj Shah, head of healthcare at Nordic Capital, argues that Asia is becoming a pivotal arena for healthcare private equity. Demographic pressures, especially aging populations and rising middle‑class incomes, are creating a surge in demand for medical services. Investors, both...

Standard Chartered Reports Progress on Gender Diversity, Extends Senior Women Leadership Target to 35% by 2028
Standard Chartered’s 2025 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impact Report shows women now hold 45.5% of board seats and half of its management team, up sharply from 23% board representation in 2016. Senior leadership women rose to 33%, and the bank...

How the Transition From FIRE to IRIS Is Impacting Finance Teams
The IRS is retiring its long‑standing FIRE platform and moving to the modern Information Returns Intake System (IRIS) with a full shutdown slated for December 2026. Finance teams must secure a new Transmitter Control Code, manage dual‑system testing, and redesign workflows...

A New Generation of Nordic Air Cargo Leaders Emerge
ECS Group is reshaping the Nordic air‑cargo landscape by promoting internal talent into senior management roles, blending operational know‑how with commercial and digital expertise. Recent appointments, such as Thomas Olesen at Skylog Denmark, have already delivered measurable results, including a...

From Influencer Matching to an AI-Driven Operating System - Inside Humanz' Bet on Agentic to Scale Creator-Led Performance Ads
Humanz has launched Humanz+, an AI‑native operating system that automates the full lifecycle of creator‑led advertising, from research and brief creation to media buying and conversion optimization. The platform deploys seven specialized AI agents and still incorporates a human‑in‑the‑loop for...

Digest: Retail and Grocery Brands Dominate ChatGPT Ads Trial; Walmart to Phase Out Vizio Accounts; New US AI Guidelines Challenge...
OpenAI’s month‑long ChatGPT ad trial is now 44% retail and grocery ads, led by brands like Target, Sephora and Wayfair. Walmart announced it will phase out standalone Vizio accounts, requiring new TV buyers to link or merge into a Walmart...
Asian Shares Surge, Echoing Rally on Wall Street as Oil Prices Sink Back to About $90
Asian equities rebounded sharply on Tuesday as oil prices retreated from a peak near $120 to around $90 a barrel, easing geopolitical risk concerns. President Donald Trump’s remarks that the Iran‑related conflict was “very complete” further calmed markets. Japan’s revised...

Newtrace Raises $6.3 Mn in Pre-Series A Round Led by HDFC Bank, MSIVC
Climate‑tech startup Newtrace secured $6.3 million (₹56.93 crore) in a pre‑Series A round. The financing was led by HDFC Bank and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital, with participation from Peak XV Surge, Aavishkaar, and other investors. Newtrace will use the funds to scale pilot...

Iran Strikes Push Oil Higher and Raise Inflation Risks - Weekly Roundup: 10 March
Oil prices surged past $100 a barrel after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, reviving inflation concerns and prompting analysts to warn of a dual recession‑inflation risk. Meanwhile, Swift is launching a new cross‑border retail payments framework to improve speed...