Why North Korea Is Unlikely to Renew Cooperation at Kaesong
The Kaesong Industrial Complex, once a flagship of inter‑Korean economic cooperation, has remained closed since South Korea halted operations in 2016. South Korean officials are now urging a restart, but the Kim Jong Un regime shows little appetite to revive the site. Recent policy shifts, asset nationalization, and tighter information controls signal a hardening stance. Moreover, North Korea’s growing trade with Russia provides alternative revenue streams, further diminishing the complex’s strategic value.
Exclusive: D2C Brand ClayCo Raises ₹30 Cr From Twenty Nine Capital Partners
ClayCo Cosmetics, a 2023‑founded D2C beauty brand, closed a fresh Series A round of ₹29.99 crore (about $3.3 million) from London‑based Twenty Nine Capital Partners. The funding was issued as 1,529 non‑cumulative CCPS at a premium exceeding ₹1.96 lakh per share. This capital...
Alliance Creative Group ACGX Launches AI Video Subscription Platform to Help Brands Publish Consistent Content at Scale
Alliance Creative Group (ACGX) unveiled an AI‑driven video subscription platform that lets brands generate short‑form videos at scale. The service offers per‑video pricing as low as $26, with monthly plans and no long‑term contracts. It targets Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube...
MSC Extends Dominance as Container Fleet Surpasses 7.2 Million TEU
Geneva‑based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has pushed its container capacity beyond 7.2 million TEU, cementing its lead as the world’s largest carrier with a 21.4 % share of the global fleet. The company now operates 980 vessels, 727 owned and 253 chartered,...
Quality Inn & Suites Kissimmee by the Lake Sold
DSH Hotel Advisors arranged the sale of the Quality Inn & Suites Kissimmee by the Lake, originally listed at $10.9 million, though the final price remains undisclosed. The firm acted as exclusive advisor for both seller JC Investments FL LLC and...
BSE Gets Sebi Nod to Launch 'Focused Midcap Index' Futures and Options Contracts
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has secured SEBI approval to roll out cash‑settled futures and options on its new Focused Midcap Index, which tracks the top 20 mid‑cap companies by free‑float market capitalisation. The contracts will be monthly, expiring on...
What Colby’s Northeast Asia Tour Tells Us About the Future of Japan-Korea-US Trilateral Deterrence
U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby toured Japan and South Korea in late January, reinforcing the Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy that prioritises deterrence‑by‑denial along the First Island Chain. The visits highlighted Washington’s push for allies to shoulder...
CFOs On the Move: Week Ending Feb. 13
A wave of CFO appointments and departures unfolded this week, spanning automakers, retail, crypto, and fintech. General Motors hired Lucid veteran Claudia Gast to steer strategy and technology partnerships, while Warby Parker tapped former Macy’s CFO Adrian Mitchell. Kraken dismissed...
How Match Group’s CFO Runs the Finance Function Behind Modern Dating
Match Group CFO Steve Bailey, marking his first year in the role, has tightened capital discipline across a portfolio that includes Tinder, Hinge and dozens of international brands. He introduced the PRISM framework to standardize ROI measurement for a $600 million marketing...
US Inflation Details Offer Room for Deeper Fed Rate Cuts
U.S. consumer price inflation in January eased to 0.2% month‑on‑month, with core CPI matching expectations at 0.3% and both headline and core year‑on‑year rates falling to four‑year lows of 2.4% and 2.5%. Goods prices excluding food and energy were flat,...
Expect the Unexpected: A 2026 Lending Outlook with WhiteHorse Capital
WhiteHorse Capital’s Pankak Gupta and Stuart Aronson forecast a cautious‑optimistic 2026 for middle‑market lending, citing modest Federal Reserve rate cuts and lingering inflation. They expect a rebound in M&A activity with narrowing valuation gaps, while new capital inflows are driving...
Ossisto Enters EdTech Space With Specialized Content Marketing and Recruitment Services for Educational Institutions
Virtual‑assistant firm Ossisto has launched an EdTech unit that provides specialized content marketing and recruitment services for higher‑education institutions, schools, and online learning providers. The offering targets enrollment growth and faculty hiring challenges by delivering agency‑level execution without traditional retainers,...
Ubisoft Says Creative House Leadership Will Include 'Respected' External Hires
Ubisoft announced the creation of five internal Creative Houses to centralise its flagship franchises, with Vantage Studios already backed by Tencent for €1.16 billion. The company will appoint external industry veterans to lead these houses starting in March, aiming to accelerate...
Crises Everywhere, but the Markets Don’t Seem to Mind
Despite a cascade of wars, pandemics, social unrest and economic strain, global equity markets are soaring, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average breaking the 50,000 mark. The article argues that this disconnect is not a glitch but a structural feature:...
Match Group CEO: Public Performance Reviews Build ‘a Culture of Transparency’
Since taking the helm in early 2025, Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff has launched a transparency‑driven culture overhaul, including a public employee feedback channel that he reads and answers personally. The initiative has generated more than 300 messages, prompting actions...
Photonic Claims “World-First” Quantum Teleportation Across Telus Fibre Network
Photonic announced it successfully teleported quantum information across 30 km of Telus’s commercial PureFibre network, marking the first time usable qubits have been transferred to a remote processing node on a live telecom backbone. The demonstration builds on earlier lab‑scale experiments...
Maersk, Eurogate Plan €1 Billion Bet on Zero-Emission Bremerhaven Container Hub
Maersk’s APM Terminals and Germany’s Eurogate are negotiating a partnership that could inject up to €1 billion into Bremerhaven’s North Sea Terminal. The funding aims to fully electrify the site, power it with renewables and lift capacity from 3 million to 4 million...
Broadcast Media Nemesis Saying Goodbye To CTA
Gary Shapiro is stepping down as chief executive of the Consumer Technology Association after a 35‑year tenure, moving into an executive chair role on May 1. Current president Kinsey Fabrizio will assume CEO responsibilities while retaining her board seat. Shapiro’s final...
Market Regulator Sebi Floats Proposal to Revamp ETF Price Band Framework
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a consultation paper proposing a overhaul of ETF price‑band rules. It recommends moving the base‑price reference from T‑2 closing NAV to T‑1 data or recent indicative NAV, and introducing dynamic,...
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How to Create an Effective Recruitment Plan [Template Included]
A recruitment plan provides a strategic blueprint that moves hiring from a reactive, role‑by‑role scramble to a coordinated, business‑aligned process. It outlines timelines, budgets, responsibilities, and tools, helping small‑ to medium‑sized firms prioritize roles, improve candidate quality, and reduce time‑to‑fill....
Mergers And Acquisitions Strategies For British SME Growth
British SMEs are turning to mergers and acquisitions to sustain growth as organic expansion slows. The piece outlines the current UK mid‑market M&A landscape, noting strong activity in technology, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services. It highlights strategic drivers such as...
Axiom Space Raises $350M to Fuel Station, Suit Development
Axiom Space announced a $350 million capital raise, co‑led by Type One Ventures and Qatar Investment Authority, to accelerate its commercial space‑station program and the development of NASA‑contracted AxEMU spacesuits. The funding will finance the design, testing and launch of two...
EUR/GBP Bounces From Daily Lows as Eurozone GDP Supports the Euro
Eurozone preliminary GDP showed a 0.3 % QoQ rise in Q4 2025, matching expectations and nudging annual growth to 1.4 %. The United Kingdom posted a weaker 0.1 % QoQ increase, missing forecasts and pulling annual growth to 1 %. The data lifted the...
Kraft Heinz Just Scrapped Its Breakup. Here’s What HR Leaders Should Take Away
Kraft Heinz announced in September 2025 a split into two publicly traded companies to address a decade of declining sales and brand write‑downs. Six weeks after appointing CEO Steve Cahillane, the company reversed the plan, pausing the separation and redirecting...
US January CPI +2.4% Y/Y vs +2.5% Expected
U.S. consumer price index for January rose 2.4% year‑over‑year, missing the 2.5% consensus, while month‑over‑month inflation eased to 0.2% against an expected 0.3%. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, held steady at 2.5% y/y and 0.3% m/m, in line...
With Competitors Hot on Its Heels, How Can Singapore's Port Stay the Course?
Singapore’s port recorded a historic 3.22 billion gross tonnes of vessel arrivals and 44.66 million TEUs in 2025, marking 3.5% and 8.6% growth respectively over 2024. The hub remains second only to Shanghai, with Ningbo‑Zhoushan closing the gap, while contributing roughly 7%...
Bhatia Communications Sets Record Date for Third Interim Dividend Payable in FY26
Bhatia Communications & Retail announced February 20 as the record date for its third interim dividend for FY 2025‑26, offering Rs 0.01 per equity share. The dividend is payable to shareholders holding shares before that date. The announcement follows a December‑quarter earnings beat,...
Morgan Stanley Said to Consider $500 Million India Fund, Shifts some Assets
Morgan Stanley Investment Management is exploring a $500 million continuation fund focused on India, intending to transfer eight healthcare‑related assets, including Omega Hospitals and RG Scientific, into the new vehicle. The move signals the firm’s effort to provide existing investors an...
Voya Raised Employer Stop-Loss Rates an Average of 24%
Voya announced an average 24% increase in stop‑loss premiums for employers renewing on Jan. 1, citing strong demand and limited supply. The company’s loss ratio improved to 96% from 115.4% a year earlier, though it still exceeds its 77‑80% target. Stop‑loss...
Can Mining Stocks Deliver Golden Gains?
Investors are flocking to mining equities as gold and silver prices surged in early 2026, with Glencore and Fresnillo ranking among Interactive Investor’s most‑popular stocks. Strong commodity rallies have propelled miners such as Barrick and Fresnillo to share price gains...
Addverb’s Humanoid Bet: How This Noida Robotics Startup Is Building Physical AI
Addverb, a Noida‑based robotics firm backed by Reliance, has introduced its first humanoid robot—a six‑foot, 80 kg machine capable of carrying 15 kg and equipped with wheels for legs. The humanoid is designed for unstructured factory and warehouse settings where traditional automation...
Bankruptcy Threat Looms as Quince Runs Out of Options
Quince Therapeutics warned investors it may need bankruptcy protection after its lead drug eDSP failed a pivotal phase 3 trial for ataxia‑telangiectasia. The SEC filing disclosed less than $6 million in cash, $12 million in short‑term investments and a $16 million unsecured line of...
Google’s Gemini to Be Integrated Into Major UK Property Platform
Rightmove, the UK’s leading digital property portal, will embed Google’s Gemini large‑language‑model into its search service. The integration enables conversational, natural‑language queries and personalised property discovery, letting users describe homes in plain English instead of ticking boxes. Gemini’s AI will...
Ovid Takes Another Big Swing in Neuroscience Under a New CEO
Ovid Therapeutics, under new CEO Meg Alexander, is re‑orienting its neuroscience pipeline toward first‑in‑class KCC2 modulators while advancing a drug‑resistant epilepsy candidate toward Phase 2. The company’s earlier flagship, soticlestat, failed in Phase 3, eliminating $600 million in potential milestones, prompting a strategic...
How Freelancers Can Stay Profitable in Every Economy — From Crushing Recessions to Crazy Booms
Freelancers must treat economic cycles and AI disruption as catalysts for change, not threats. By broadening skill sets, offering multiple services, and positioning themselves as strategic advisors, they can convert slow periods into growth opportunities. Financial discipline—cash reserves, expense audits,...
Sky–ITV Talks Slow as Warner Bros Discovery Battle Reshapes Landscape
Talks between Sky and ITV over the £1.6 billion sale of ITV's Media and Entertainment division have slowed, according to Reuters sources. The deal was intended to create a top‑three UK streaming player capable of challenging global services such as Netflix...
Wipro, Infosys, TCS and 9 Other Stocks Hit 52-Week Lows and Slip up to 20% in a Month
A wave of weakness hit India’s blue‑chip segment as the Sensex slumped nearly 1,048 points, pushing nine BSE 200 stocks to fresh 52‑week lows. Leading IT giants Wipro, L&T Technology Services, TCS and Infosys each fell between 14% and 19% over...
19 MENA Startups Graduate From the Second Exel by Merak Accelerator Cohort
Nineteen MENA game studios have graduated from the second cohort of Exel by Merak, an $80 million gaming accelerator launched by Merak Capital. Each studio receives $300,000 in seed funding plus mentorship and global network access. Cohort 2 has already produced $1.2 million...
Commission Approves UMG’s Acquisition of Downtown, Subject to Conditions
The European Commission has cleared Universal Music Group’s purchase of Downtown Music Holdings, but only after the companies agreed to fully divest Downtown’s royalty‑accounting platform Curve. The conditional approval removes UMG’s ability to access Curve’s data on rival labels, which...
Mastercard’s Former CPO: Succession Is a Discipline, Not an Event
Mastercard treats executive succession as an ongoing discipline rather than a one‑off event, exemplified by the recent handoff from its former chief people officer to Susan Muigai. The transition leveraged the Mastercard Fellows Program, allowing the outgoing CPO to contribute...
US CPI Data Expected to Show a Mild Decline in Inflation in January
U.S. consumer price index data for January showed annual inflation easing to 2.4% from 2.7% in December, missing the 2.5% market forecast. Monthly CPI rose 0.2% and core CPI remained at 2.5% year‑over‑year, matching expectations. The softer headline number nudged...
Deepfake Business Risks Are Growing – Here's What Leaders Need to Know
Deepfake attacks have moved from a niche concern to a mainstream cybersecurity priority, with 62% of organizations reporting at least one incident in the past year. Hackers are leveraging publicly available AI models, such as Google Gemini, to create convincing...
Fake North Korean IT Workers Are Rampant on LinkedIn – Security Experts Warn Operatives Are Stealing Profiles to Apply for...
Security Alliance (SEAL) reports that North Korean actors are hijacking authentic LinkedIn profiles to pose as remote IT workers and infiltrate companies worldwide. By leveraging stolen personal data, verified workplace emails and AI‑generated imagery, they pass background checks and secure...
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France Aims to Boost Decarbonised Power Production by 20% over Decade, Encourage Demand
France’s new energy planning law (PPE) sets a decarbonised electricity goal of 650‑693 TWh by 2035, up from 540 TWh today, and aims for 70% of total energy consumption to come from clean power. The decree trims wind and solar targets by...
The SBA's New Credit Restrictions Are a Disaster for Small Businesses
The Small Business Administration has announced a rule that excludes permanent‑resident (green‑card) holders from eligibility for SBA 7(a) and 504 loans. The change eliminates a primary source of affordable credit for many immigrant‑owned small businesses, especially in states with large...
Kenya’s WapiPay Targets Billions in Diaspora Cash to Unlock Credit for Households
WapiPay, a Kenyan fintech founded in 2019, has introduced a Remittance Credit Scorecard (RCS) that lets banks and SACCOs incorporate diaspora money‑transfer data into loan underwriting. The AI‑driven tool analyzes payment frequency, size and stability, converting these patterns into a...
Mintegral and Insightrackr Reveal 2026 Non-Gaming App And Ad Trends
Mintegral and Insightrackr released the 2026 Global Non‑Gaming App Trends Report, analyzing data from over 100 markets in 2025. The study highlights rapid AI integration, explosive growth in Short Drama apps, and a shift toward ROI‑centric, automated bidding. It also...
Dell Overhauls Sales Pay Model; Raises Stakes for Performance
Dell Technologies has revamped its sales compensation, instituting a 60% quota threshold that eliminates commissions for under‑performance and shifting most teams to quarterly quotas. The payout curve is steeper, offering incremental rewards but dramatically increasing upside for over‑achievement, with top...
We Need a Better System for Routing International Payments in a Crisis
A senior Consumer Reports director recounts how international relief funds for Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica were crippled by fragmented payment systems, losing roughly 10% to fees and taking weeks to clear. Despite a plethora of fintech options, P2P apps, traditional...
Is Central Asia Still Russia’s Backyard?
Russian commentators continue to label Central Asia as a Russian sphere of influence, but the region is asserting its independence. Over the past 35 years, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have leveraged their abundant critical minerals and transit corridors...