Manulife Launches New Equity Income and Growth Strategy Under EQDP
Manulife Investments has launched the Singapore Opportunities Income Strategy under the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Equity Market Development Programme. The fund will invest exclusively in Singapore‑listed equities, emphasizing small and mid‑cap stocks where research coverage is thin and valuation gaps persist. It seeks a balanced income‑and‑growth profile by combining dividend yields with disciplined profit‑taking and long‑term capital appreciation. Although benchmarked to the FTSE ST All‑Share Index, the portfolio will be conviction‑led, holding 30‑50 high‑conviction positions.
Revenue Forecasting 101: How to Achieve Accurate Predictions
Revenue forecasting underpins resource planning, hiring, and strategic roadmaps, yet most organizations miss targets. The article explains why forecasts fail—data quality, organizational maturity, and cross‑functional misalignment—and outlines both quantitative and qualitative methods, including AI‑driven models. It offers a step‑by‑step process,...
Pro Farmer Podcast | How U.S. Strikes in Iran Could Impact Ag Markets
The Pro Farmer podcast episode released on March 2, 2026 features market analyst Hillari Mason discussing how potential U.S. military strikes against Iran could reverberate through agricultural markets. The conversation highlights risks to fertilizer imports, shipping routes, and energy costs...
Krafton Is Not Planning to Restructure Its Workforce, Despite New Corporate Vision
Krafton announced a refreshed corporate vision on February 26, introducing new core values to guide its long‑term strategy. The Korean game maker emphasized that the vision will not trigger layoffs or additional hiring. By codifying priorities around player experience, technology,...
Side Letter: Gulf Disruption
The Private Equity International (PEI) Awards 2025 honored firms that excelled in emerging markets, underscoring a shift toward Middle East opportunities. Global general partners (GPs) are now scrutinizing the Gulf’s evolving regulatory and economic landscape. Limited partners (LPs) report difficulty...
GSMA Forecast: 5G to Reach 57% of Global Mobile Connections by 2030, Driving $11.3 Trillion Economic Impact
The GSMA’s 2026 Mobile Economy report forecasts that 57% of global mobile connections will operate on 5G by 2030, marking a decisive shift from legacy networks. The Gulf Cooperation Council states are projected to lead with 95% penetration, followed by...
Guidance: Preston Guidance: January 2026
The UK Treasury has published the January 2026 Preston factors, comprising earnings and interest rates used by employers to reinstate part‑time workers into occupational pension schemes. The guidance follows landmark European Court of Justice and House of Lords decisions that granted...
On the Move: USAA Hires Curtin of Sam's Club
USAA announced the appointment of Chris Curtin, former CMO of Sam’s Club, as its new chief marketing officer, bringing experience from Bank of America, Visa, HP and Disney. Hemlo Mining named Jason Banducci as vice president of corporate development and investor...
Shweta Mhatre Is the New Head-HR & Training at Lakmé Lever
Shweta Mhatre has been appointed head of HR and training at Lakmé Lever, bringing over six years of L’Oréal experience. She will steer the people and capability agenda, overseeing HR strategy, talent development, and training programs. Mhatre’s career spans roles...
India’s Current Account Deficit Widens to $13.2 Billion in Q3FY26
India’s current account deficit (CAD) widened to $13.2 billion in Q3FY26, equivalent to 1.3% of GDP, up from $11.3 billion and 1.1% a year earlier. The increase was driven primarily by a larger merchandise trade deficit of $93.6 billion and higher net outflows...
Ahold Delhaize Appoints New Executive in Indonesia
Ahold Delhaize announced that Stephane Deutsch will assume the role of Brand President of Super Indo, its Indonesian supermarket chain, effective June 22. Deutsch succeeds Boudewijn van Nieuwenhuijzen, who is departing the company. Deutsch currently serves as CFO of TotalEnergies Marketing Egypt and has held senior...
Getting Paid Faster in Construction
Payra, a Nashville‑based fintech startup, announced a $15 million growth investment from Edison Partners to accelerate its accounts‑receivable automation platform for construction and building‑materials suppliers. The solution plugs into virtually any legacy ERP, even systems up to 30 years old, allowing contractors...
The Mechanics Behind Volatility Derivatives Webinar
Lawrence G. McMillan hosted a deep‑dive webinar on volatility derivatives, moving beyond the basic VIX definition to explore real‑world behavior of VIX futures, term structure, and hedged spreads. The session covered practical tactics such as "The Big (Volatility) Short" and...
Monday Memo: If It Doesn’t Matter to the Customer, It Doesn’t Matter
Holland Cooke’s memo argues that advertising copy should prioritize the customer’s problem over the company’s credentials. He illustrates the shift with side‑by‑side rewrites for plumbing, dental, auto glass, and veterinary services, turning generic service lists into direct, benefit‑focused calls. The...
Smack Technologies Raises $32M for Defense AI
Smack Technologies announced a $32 million seed and Series A round to create the first AI lab dedicated to national security. Led by Geodesic Capital and Costanoa Ventures, the financing backs the development of its Omega and Alpha platforms, which aim to...
MXR Hospitality Names Dawne Brado VP, Development
MXR Hospitality announced the appointment of Dawne Brado as its first Vice President of Development and Valerie Bolton as its inaugural Executive Vice President of Human Resources. Brado will oversee construction funding management across MXR’s portfolio, drawing on more than...
Alexa Boghosian
Alexa Boghosian has joined Lightspeed Venture Partners as a Partner in its Growth Private Equity group, focusing on majority stakes in software and tech‑enabled services platforms. She brings a particular interest in healthcare technology and AI‑enabled services, aiming to build...
Should You Be Using AI for Performance Reviews?
AI tools are rapidly moving from recruitment to real‑time performance management, with at least 70 % of knowledge‑economy workers already using AI at work. Traditional annual reviews are criticized for subjectivity and inconsistency, prompting organizations to adopt algorithms that analyze workflows,...
Movers & Shakers: Erin Benjamin Steps Down From CLMA
Erin Benjamin is stepping down after 12 years as president and CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association, initiating a structured leadership transition this spring. During her tenure she built Canada’s first unified national platform for live‑music stakeholders and launched...
Eskom to Rationalise AI Pilots as Costs Rise
State-owned utility Eskom is trimming its portfolio of artificial‑intelligence experiments after identifying 220 active pilots across the company. Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Len de Villiers stressed that each AI initiative must be backed by a solid business case and...
Princess Cruises and The Travel Institute Launch Advisor Education Partnership
Princess Cruises has signed a year‑long strategic alliance with The Travel Institute to elevate travel advisor education. The partnership will launch a new Alaska Destination Specialist curriculum timed with the debut of the Star Princess cruise. Princess will fund scholarships...
U.S. Retail Sales Up in October 2025, Building Materials Sector Sees Decline
U.S. Census Bureau reports October 2025 retail sales rose 2.2% year‑over‑year. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia posted positive changes, with New York leading at a 6.1% increase. Building‑materials and garden‑equipment dealers fell 5.4% YoY, while West Virginia saw a 16.1%...
Sixteen Tons Appoints Former Wooga VP Creative Sebastian Nußbaum as Chief Creative Officer
Sixteen Tons Entertainment has hired former Wooga vice‑president of creative Sebastian Nußbaum as chief creative officer to lead the next growth phase of its Emergency franchise. Nußbaum previously helped shape June’s Journey, a hidden‑object title that generated over $1 billion in lifetime revenue....
GDAI Expands Leadership to Deepen Policy Engagement Across India’s Games Sector
India’s Game Developer Association (GDAI) has expanded its executive team to deepen policy engagement across the country’s fast‑growing games sector. Shruti Verma, former head of Epic Games India, joins as CEO, while Krafton India’s Sean Hyunil Sohn takes a board...
Institutional FX Trading Volumes Cool 5% in February 2026
Institutional foreign‑exchange trading volumes slipped about 5% month‑over‑month in February 2026 after a record‑breaking January. All major platforms—FXSpotStream, Cboe FX, Euronext FX and Deutsche Börse’s 360T—reported declines ranging from 1.7% to 10.9%. Cboe FX’s average daily volume fell to $59.67 billion, while Euronext FX posted the...
Newmark Arranges $172.5M Acquisition Financing for The Ben, Autograph Collection
Newmark arranged a $172.5 million acquisition loan for The Ben, Autograph Collection, a 208‑key luxury hotel in West Palm Beach, on behalf of Related Ross. The financing was supplied by Nomura and led by Newmark’s senior debt team. The Ben, delivered...
The Evolution of Payment and the Flavour of the Decade
The article traces payment evolution and argues that account‑based payments have become Nigeria’s “flavour of the decade.” It shows how each historic method—from barter to paper money—addressed frictions, but cards introduced new complexities that were overcome by direct bank‑to‑bank transfers....
Kubernetes for DevOps Engineers: Mastering Modern Patterns
Kubernetes 1.35, released December 2025, deprecates cgroups v1 and retires the community‑maintained Ingress‑NGINX project, forcing a shift to the Gateway API for service exposure. The release also drops IPVS in favor of nftables, mandates containerd 2.0, and promotes in‑place vertical pod scaling as...
The Framework Awaiting Berkshire’s Next CFO: Trial Balance
Berkshire Hathaway’s 2024 shareholder letter outlines a new finance leadership mandate as long‑time CFO Marc Hamburg prepares to retire, with Charles Chang, current Energy CFO, slated to take over in June 2026. The letter reiterates the conglomerate’s stewardship ethos, massive liquidity—over...
Nutrius CEO Says Trade Uncertainty Has Had No Impact on Operations as Company Pushes Innovation Pipeline
Nutrius CEO Charles Wachsberg told investors that ongoing tariff and trade uncertainty has not affected the company’s operations because all products are fully compliant with the Canada‑United States‑Mexico Agreement. He emphasized that Nutrius’s North‑American supply chain places its goods outside...
Latin America ERP Software Market Poised for Heavy Growth, Competition
Latin America’s ERP market is set for rapid expansion through 2033, driven primarily by cloud‑first and hybrid deployments across manufacturing, retail, and BFSI. Regional tax, payroll and reporting requirements force vendors to embed deep localization, creating a fragmented competitive landscape....
India’s Ad Watchdog Deploys Influencers to Combat Greenwashing, Dark Patterns
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has rolled out its first influencer‑led consumer awareness campaign targeting greenwashing and dark‑pattern advertising. Eight prominent Indian creators, including Shraddha Jain and Aisha Ahmed, will disseminate educational content on evaluating sustainability claims and...
Creator-Led Agency The Now Agency Launches, Secures BJ’s Restaurants, MLSE Among Early Clients
The Now Agency, a creator‑led social‑native firm founded by Gabe Feldman and Jonathan Chanti, officially launched in June 2025 under the Reign Maker Group. Within its first year it landed marquee clients including BJ’s Restaurants, Les Mills, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment,...
From Dubai to Miami Beach, Creator Economy Conferences Fill April 2026 Calendar
April 2026 will host a packed lineup of creator‑economy conferences across Dubai, New York, London, Lisbon, Los Angeles and more. Events such as the Dubai Creator Summit, Social Media Week, NAB Show and Canva Create bring together nano‑to‑macro influencers, brands, marketers and...
AI to Transform How Credit Market Works, JPMorgan Banker Says
JPMorgan’s global head of credit trading, Sanjay Jhamna, says generative AI will overhaul credit trading by efficiently processing the asset class’s massive unstructured data. He described credit markets as the last frontier for automation, noting that conventional AI models have...
Inside Mercedes-Benz’s Custom Amazon Prime Video Ads Push Around the NBA
Mercedes‑Benz USA teamed with Amazon Ads to launch a series of custom creative spots that aired during Prime Video’s NBA broadcasts in January and February, featuring Dirk Nowitzki showcasing GLS features. The campaign targets younger, diversified luxury buyers by leveraging live‑sports...
AiMCO Recognizes Top Creators, Brands, And Agencies At Inaugural Sydney Summit And Awards
Australia’s Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) held its first summit and the 2025 AiMCO Awards in Sydney, celebrating creators, brands, agencies and technology partners. The event highlighted the “Creator Era” theme and featured keynotes from major players such as MECCA, Tourism...
Guji Lorenzana Promoted to Director, A&R and Client Development, APAC, at Symphonic Distribution
Symphonic Distribution has promoted Guji Lorenzana to Director of A&R and Client Development for the Asia‑Pacific region, adding Arie Legowo as A&R Client Development Lead in Indonesia and Abegail Ungab as Senior Manager of Content, UGC & Rights Management. Lorenzana will now...
Papa Johns Plans CX Upgrades Following Corporate Cuts
Papa Johns will embed an AI‑powered ordering agent in its mobile app in Q2 2026, enabling voice and group ordering while streamlining re‑orders for Papa Rewards members. The loyalty program now touches roughly 41 million fans and drives 2.5 times more orders than...
How Small Businesses Can Win in the AI Era
AI has become the first stop in many consumer journeys, with 36% of couples now using AI for wedding planning—a near‑doubling year‑over‑year. The Knot Worldwide responded by launching a ChatGPT‑based app that surfaces vetted vendors directly within the AI chat....
What It Takes to Stay Independent
Accounting firms are confronting a surge of private‑equity buyouts that are reshaping valuations, hiring norms, and client expectations. To stay independent, firms must demonstrate financial health, unified leadership, clear succession plans, and a strong cultural identity rooted in conscious capitalism....
Indiana Adopts No Tax on Tips, Overtime Only for 2026 Tax Year
Indiana lawmakers approved a one‑year tax exemption for tips and overtime earnings in the 2026 tax year, aligning state law with the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The measure is projected to reduce state and local revenue by up to $237 million, a shortfall...
New ‘TikTok for Games’ Firm Minit Lands $2m
Minit Games, a Hamburg startup specializing in instant‑play HTML5 titles, announced a $2 million pre‑seed round led by LVP and Sony Innovation Fund, with several angel investors joining. The company is building a TikTok‑style, algorithmically curated feed where bite‑sized games load...
Deputy Launches U.S. Payroll with Paycor
Deputy announced the U.S. launch of Deputy Payroll, powered by Paycor, merging its time‑tracking and compliance tools with Paycor’s payroll engine. The partnership gives Deputy instant access to Paycor’s extensive network of small‑ and mid‑size employers, accelerating customer acquisition. Pilot...
Smartly Announces Amazon DSP Integration to Extend Intelligent Creative and Campaign Management to Connected TV
Smartly announced an integration with Amazon DSP that lets advertisers extend their video campaigns to Amazon’s premium connected‑TV inventory, including Prime Video, Fire TV, and third‑party publishers. The partnership embeds AI‑driven creative optimization and personalization directly into Smartly’s platform, eliminating...
Ease Health Raises $41M in Series A Funding
Ease Health, a New York‑based AI‑native CRM, EHR, and RCM platform, secured $41 million in Series A financing led by Andreessen Horowitz. The capital will fund expansion of its product and engineering teams and accelerate AI‑driven automation across the suite. The raise...
Agentic E-Commerce Startup ZyG Gets $58M to Help Solo Inventors Compete with the Biggest Global Brands
ZyG Edge Inc., an Israeli AI startup, secured $58 million in seed funding to empower solo inventors in the direct‑to‑consumer market. The company’s autonomous agents automate marketing, logistics, and data‑driven growth tasks, allowing creators to focus on product innovation. ZyG validates...
YouTube’s AI Slop Problem And How Marketers Can Compete via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
YouTube’s platform is being flooded by low‑quality, mass‑produced AI videos, dubbed “AI slop,” which now appear in roughly one‑in‑five Shorts recommendations to new users. A Kapwing analysis identified 278 dedicated AI slop channels that together generated 63 billion views, 221 million subscribers...
Minit Games Raises $2M to Build Feed-Based Gaming Discovery
AI‑focused startup Minit Games announced a $2 million pre‑seed round led by LVP and Sony Innovation Fund, with participation from notable angels. The funding will accelerate development of its feed‑based gaming discovery platform that leverages machine learning to personalize game recommendations....
How Data Centers Rewrite the Playbook for Building Protection
Data center construction is shifting toward vertical, multi‑story facilities, driving stricter fire‑protection, corrosion control, and flooring requirements. Builders are increasingly using modular, factory‑applied protective coatings to ensure consistent performance and accelerate schedules, especially in rural sites with harsh environmental exposure....