UpGrad Valued at $1.7 Bn in Fresh Round; Provisional FY26 Financials Show Profit
India’s online higher‑education platform upGrad secured a fresh Rs 361 crore ($38 million) funding round, pushing its valuation to roughly $1.73 billion. Co‑founder Ronnie Screwvala led the round with a $36 million investment, while existing backers Temasek, IFC and 360 ONE added $5.4 million, $1.2 million and $0.7 million respectively. The company posted a provisional FY26 profit after tax of $4.7 million, reversing a $33 million loss from the prior year, and its EBITDA turned positive at $6.9 million. upGrad is also pursuing a cash‑and‑stock acquisition of Unacademy, pending Competition Commission of India approval.
15 Australian Companies Switched to a Four-Day Work Week. It Went Surprisingly Well
A new study published in Nature Humanities and Social Sciences Communications examined 15 Australian firms that adopted the 100:80:100 four‑day work week—full pay for 80% of hours while maintaining output. Fourteen of the companies kept the model, reporting no productivity...
Data#3 Promotes Craig Ellis to WA General Manager
Data#3 has promoted Craig Ellis to general manager of its Western Australia operations after eight years with the publicly listed firm. Ellis succeeds Vince Troth, who left after less than a year in the role. The company highlighted Ellis’s track...
Some of Australia’s Dirtiest Coal Mines Are About to Change Hands. Here’s Why We Should Be Worried
Anglo American has agreed to sell four of its most methane‑intensive Queensland coal mines to the newly formed private firm Dhilmar. The assets, which emitted over 3 million tonnes of CO₂ last year, are slated for a staged restart that could...
Meet the Sifted 100: Southern Europe's Fastest-Growing Startups of 2026
The Sifted 100 Southern Europe leaderboard, compiled with AI‑infrastructure partner Nebius, spotlights the region’s 100 fastest‑growing private firms based on two‑year revenue CAGR. Milan‑based Hotiday leads with a 1,331% CAGR by subletting hotel rooms, while fellow Milan startup Lexroom secured a...
Former Solethreads CEO Sumant Kakaria Joins Famy Aspire Capital as Partner
Former Solethreads CEO Sumant Kakaria has joined strategic private‑equity firm Famy Aspire Capital as a partner. The fund, backed by the Taparia family, concentrates on high‑growth consumer and healthcare businesses in India. Kakaria’s move follows the March acquisition of Solethreads...
Brits Aren’t Spending Enough – Time for Splash Out to Help Out
UK households are now saving at a 10% ratio and spending only 0.8% annually, the lowest growth in decades, while household debt has fallen to 117.5% of income. Business investment remains stagnant, with the Gross Capital Formation rate at a...
Conservatives Have the Right Diagnosis, but Can They Cure Britain’s Ailments?
Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride used a Centre for Policy Studies keynote to stress Britain’s fragile fiscal credibility, noting public debt now sits at about 100% of GDP and markets remain jittery. He argued that the Conservative Party must rebuild trust...
How Makeup by Mario Balances Paid and Organic Content
Makeup by Mario’s senior influencer manager Marisa Sargenti explains how the brand blends paid and organic creator strategies, emphasizing authenticity and community listening. A surge of Instagram demand—about 70% of comments—prompted the permanent relaunch of the Ethereal Eyes Palette, showcasing...
Marc Rowan Accused of Misusing Apollo Resources for Political Work
Apollo CEO Marc Rowan is accused by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors of using company email, staff, and resources to advance his personal conservative political agenda in higher education. The unions allege he...
Big Europe and Asian Private Equity Health Funds Merge to Defy AI Disruption
European health‑focused private equity giant EurHealth Capital and Asian counterpart AsiaMed Partners announced a merger that creates a $11 billion health‑care fund, the largest cross‑regional private equity vehicle of its kind. The combined entity will pool €9.5 billion (≈$10.3 billion) of committed capital...
Inside Jay Powell’s Turbulent Eight Years Leading the Fed
Jerome Powell took the Federal Reserve helm in February 2018 and spent eight turbulent years steering U.S. monetary policy through a pandemic‑driven recession, soaring inflation, and intense political scrutiny. He weathered repeated public attacks from former President Donald Trump, who...
AI Labs: Sam Altman May Make or Break OpenAI
OpenAI’s rise began with ChatGPT, but its CEO Sam Altman has become a polarizing figure. Co‑founders sued him, staff left to launch competing labs, and the board briefly voted to fire him. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s early advantage in generative AI is narrowing...
China to Buy 200 Boeing Jets and Ease Rare Earth Curbs in US Trade Breakthrough
China announced a sweeping trade package that includes a purchase of 200 Boeing jets, a review of rare‑earth export licences for civilian use, and reciprocal tariff cuts on at least $30 billion of goods each way. The deal also restores registration...
How Tom Dundon Could Poison The Well Of The Portland Trail Blazers
Tom Dundon, who purchased the Portland Trail Blazers for a reported $4.25 billion less than two months ago, has already instituted aggressive cost‑cutting measures. Early actions include laying off roughly 70 front‑office staff, scaling back fan giveaways, and signaling a modest...
Why StanChart’s 'Lower-Value Human' Layoffs Became a PR Problem, Not Just a Job Cuts Announcement
Standard Chartered announced it will eliminate more than 15% of its corporate workforce—about 7,000 jobs—by 2030, citing AI‑driven automation. CEO Bill Winters framed the move as replacing "lower‑value human capital" with financial capital, a phrasing that ignited criticism from communications...
The Retail Execution Gap – and What It Is Costing Retailers in Southeast Asia
Retailers in Southeast Asia face a growing "execution gap" where headquarters’ plans often falter at the store level, leading to missed promotions, pricing errors and millions in lost sales. Legacy systems—spreadsheets, emails, disparate messaging apps—create fragmented workflows that slow decision‑making...
Aussie-Born Platform Envato Unveils ‘Creative Flow: Activated’ Global Campaign via SuperHeroes
Envato, the Australian‑born marketplace for creative assets, has unveiled the "Creative Flow: Activated" campaign in partnership with New York‑based agency SuperHeroes. The initiative positions Envato as an all‑in‑one subscription that bundles AI tools, stock footage, music, graphics, and fonts to keep...
10-Year Yield Eyes 4.75 After Violent Breakout, Opening Risk Toward 5%
U.S. 10‑year Treasury yields surged past the 4.75% mark, reaching 52‑week highs and the strongest levels since early 2025. The breakout was sparked by geopolitical tension after President Trump’s China trip failed to secure an Iran breakthrough, keeping Brent crude...
Psychological Safety and the Art of Purging
The article argues that psychological safety is rooted in credibility, not just feel‑good initiatives. Teams only outperform when members can speak honestly, admit mistakes, and rely on each other without fear. The author introduces "purging" – a deliberate process of...
IREN Acquires Awaken as Founder Chris Parker Joins to Lead Global Brand Strategy
IREN announced the acquisition of Awaken, a creative and media agency that will cease independent operations and join IREN under executive agreements. Founder and CEO Chris Parker will lead IREN’s global brand and marketing strategy, integrating Awaken’s content expertise into...
This D2C Brand Is Bringing Affordable Premium Ice Cream to India
Papacream, a Mumbai‑based direct‑to‑consumer ice‑cream brand founded by former Wall Street trader Tanvi Chowdhri in 2015, is positioning itself as the “Ben & Jerry’s of India” by offering premium‑style desserts at mass‑market prices. Single‑serve scoops sell for roughly $1.5‑$2.1, tubs...
Armada Raises $230M at $2B Valuation to Build Portable AI Data Centers
Armada Inc. announced a $230 million financing round that values the portable‑data‑center startup at $2 billion, with BlackRock, Overmatch, 8090 Industries and Johnson Controls among the lead investors. The company’s Galleon series ranges from a suitcase‑sized Beacon unit to multi‑megawatt Leviathan systems...
Gartner: Just 1/3 of CPOs Are Confident They Can Redesign Roles for AI
A Gartner survey of 101 chief procurement officers (CPOs) found only 36% are very confident they can redesign roles and processes for generative AI. While GenAI is delivering measurable productivity gains for individual procurement workers, those gains are not translating...
VANDAL Sets Edith Cowan University’s New City Campus in Motion
VANDAL partnered with Edith Cowan University to craft a motion‑based brand identity for ECU City, the university’s new $853 million (≈ $560 million USD) vertical campus in Perth’s CBD. Over 15 months the agency developed a flexible visual language and a suite of motion...
AWS Nabs White Hot Gen AI Media Creation Startup Fal, Becoming Its Preferred Cloud Provider
AWS has been named the preferred cloud provider for fal, the $4.5 billion generative‑media platform that serves 2.5 million developers. The partnership follows fal’s $300 million Series D led by Sequoia and gives it access to Amazon’s global GPU infrastructure, Bedrock services and custom...
Nordson Corp (NDSN) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Nordson Corp reported record first‑quarter sales of $669 million, a 9% year‑over‑year increase, driven by 7% organic growth and a favorable currency effect. Advanced Technology Solutions (ATS) led segment growth with a 23% sales jump, reflecting strong semiconductor demand, while Industrial...
VF Corp (VFC) Q4 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
VF Corporation reported fiscal Q3 revenue of $2.8 billion, a 2 percent increase on a constant‑dollar basis, driven by strong performances at The North Face, Timberland and Altra. Adjusted gross margin rose to 54.5 percent and operating margin improved to 12.1 percent, while DTC sales...
Intuit Inc (INTU) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Intuit reported Q3 FY26 revenue of $8.6 billion, up 10% year‑over‑year, and GAAP operating income of $4 billion, surpassing its own guidance. The company raised full‑year revenue and earnings forecasts, driven by strong growth in TurboTax Live, Credit Karma, and QuickBooks Online....
Dorian LPG Ltd (LPG) Q4 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Dorian LPG reported a strong Q2 2022 performance, achieving 95.7% fleet utilization and a daily TCE of $29,647. Adjusted EBITDA reached $34.4 million after excluding a $3.5 million gain on the sale of the Captain Markos vessel. The company repurchased two scrubber vessels, reducing...
Lowe's Companies Inc (LOW) Q1 2027 Earnings Call Transcript
Lowe's reported first‑quarter revenue of $20.9 billion, with comparable sales down 1.7% but meeting internal forecasts. Gross margin improved to 33.4% of sales, up 19 basis points, while operating margin held at 11.9% and free cash flow reached $2.9 billion. The company...
Scilex Holding Co (SCLX) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Stepan Company reported Q1 2026 organic net sales growth of 4% while adjusted EBITDA slipped 14% to $50 million, driven by weaker surfactant earnings and higher raw‑material costs. A $65.4 million pretax restructuring charge led to a reported net loss of $41.4 million,...
RLX Technology Inc (RLX) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
RLX Technology reported Q1 2026 net revenue of RMB1.1 billion, up 49% year‑over‑year, driven by strong international expansion and new product launches. Non‑GAAP operating profit reached RMB188 million, marking the eighth straight quarter of profitability and a gross margin expansion of four...
Mamamia Hits Second in Podcast Ranker After Key Role Made Redundant
Australian Podcast Ranker for April 2026 shows Hamish & Andy leading with 832,058 monthly listeners, while Mamamia Out Loud holds second place with 722,478 listeners. News remains the dominant genre, attracting nearly 5 million listeners, followed by Society & Culture and...
‘Not Clear’ if Sizewell C Investors Are Incentivised to Keep Costs Down
The UK National Audit Office (NAO) warned that investors in the Sizewell C nuclear plant may lack strong incentives to curb construction costs, which are estimated at $48.9 bn and could rise to a regulatory ceiling of $61.1 bn. While investors would face...
Measuring Capital Account Openness: Why Intensity Matters
The IMF‑backed FinOpen index introduces a granular, intensity‑based measure of capital‑account openness, moving beyond the binary Chinn‑Ito and FKRSU scores. By merging narrative assessments with detailed policy actions, FinOpen assigns a 0‑1 score that reflects both the level and the...
When Energy Shocks Bite Harder: Non-Linear Inflation Dynamics
A new ECB‑backed study shows that euro‑area inflation reacts disproportionately to large energy price shocks, a non‑linear pattern that linear models miss. Using a hybrid Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) and VAR framework, the authors identify medium‑sized shocks in April 2026...
‘Numbers Are Getting Worse’: The Head of the IMF on the Iran War Shock, Inflation, AI Risks, and More
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned that oil prices hovering above $100 a barrel are pushing inflation, borrowing costs and financial‑stability risks higher, threatening a slowdown in global growth. She highlighted the emerging Europe‑Gulf partnership, emphasizing deeper trade, defense cooperation...
Retail Media Doesn’t Have to Compromise Customer Experience
Retail media is emerging as a high‑margin growth engine for retailers, but many fear ads will degrade the shopper experience. The article argues that, when anchored in shopper intent and controlled by the retailer, paid placements can actually enhance discovery...
Why Difficult Conversations Define Great Leaders
Great leaders are defined not by strategy wins but by how they navigate difficult conversations. Georgia Russell highlights that performance feedback, conflict, and exit discussions require clarity, care, and consistency, drawing on Australian research from the Fair Work Ombudsman, Safe...
FASB Publishes New Environmental Credit Standard
The Financial Accounting Standards Board released an Accounting Standards Update on May 19 that establishes GAAP guidance for accounting and disclosing environmental credits and related obligations. The ASU defines when credits are recognized as assets, differentiates compliance from non‑compliance credits for...
When Growth Exposes What Your Business Hasn’t Fixed Yet
Pat Alacqua’s new column warns that rapid growth can expose operational blind spots that revenue metrics hide. As projects multiply, decision handoffs and workflow bottlenecks cause timelines to slip, margins to erode, and rework to rise. Adding staff or tools...
Report: Charlotte Tilbury Complicates Estée Lauder-Puig Merger Talks
Charlotte Tilbury is demanding a renegotiation of the buyout terms for her eponymous cosmetics brand, which Puig acquired for $1.2 billion in 2020. The request threatens to complicate Puig’s planned merger with Estée Lauder Companies, as a change‑of‑control clause could trigger...
Putin Is Pushing for a Blockbuster Oil and Gas Deal in China. Will He Get It?
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing seeking a multi‑billion‑dollar oil and gas partnership with state‑run China National Petroleum Corp. The talks focus on long‑term supply contracts, potential yuan‑based settlements, and a pricing formula tied to global benchmarks. Negotiations come...
Dispatch From Bucharest: NATO’s Center of Gravity Is Shifting Eastward
The Bucharest Nine and Nordic Allies summit in Romania underscored NATO’s eastern and northern flanks as a new strategic center of gravity. Leaders from Central‑Eastern Europe, the Nordics, NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte and Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy called for stronger air...
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TRANSPORT COSTS: SA Commuters Cut Back on Groceries as Taxi Fares Rise, Drivers Plead for Subsidies
Fuel prices in South Africa jumped by R6.53 per litre (about $0.34) after the US‑Israel war on Iran began, prompting the South African National Taxi Council to announce fare hikes of R2‑R6 for city trips and R10‑R30 for long‑distance routes....
ValOre Provides Further Update on Sale of Hatchet Uranium Corp. To Future Fuels Inc.
ValOre Metals Corp. received conditional acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange to sell its 51% stake in Hatchet Uranium Corp. to Future Fuels Inc. The parties are working to satisfy closing conditions, including TSXV consent, title opinions, and third‑party approvals....
Diana Shipping Inc. Releases Investor Presentation Highlighting Need for Change at Genco Shipping & Trading
Diana Shipping Inc. has launched a cash tender offer for Genco Shipping & Trading at $23.50 per share, a 31% premium to the undisturbed price and roughly 1.0 × Genco’s net asset value. The proposal is backed by $1.433 billion of fully committed...
Brookfield Office Properties Announces Redemption of Class AAA Preference Shares, Series CC
Brookfield Office Properties Inc., a subsidiary of Brookfield Property Partners, announced on May 19, 2026 that it will redeem all 7,982,204 outstanding Class AAA Preference Shares, Series CC on June 30, 2026. Each share will be bought back for C$25 (approximately $18.5 USD). In addition, a final...
Public-Interest Groups Urges D.C. Circuit to Halt Nexstar/Tegna Merger
A coalition of public‑interest groups has asked the D.C. Circuit Court to halt the FCC’s approval of the Nexstar‑Tegna merger, arguing the order is unlawful and shields the deal from judicial review. The brief contends that Nexstar’s acquisition would give...