Know What's Happening in Finance
Know What's Happening in Finance
Klarna secures $1.7B risk transfer and $2B funding facility to boost lending
Klarna unveiled a $2 billion forward‑flow facility with Elliott Investment Management that will back up to $17 billion of U.S. loan originations over the next three years. It also completed a €1.7 billion Significant Risk Transfer led by Värde Partners, freeing capital for broader lending.
Also developing:
The Corpus Christi City Council approved a resolution to tap up to $410 million in future water revenue bonds, slated for issuance as late as 2027, to reimburse current cash outlays for critical water‑supply projects. The plan funds a $175 million containerized brackish‑water treatment plant, $38 million for groundwater rights, and $197 million for the Evangeline Groundwater Project, while revisiting a halted desalination effort. Drought‑driven Level 1 water emergency forecasts and recent rating downgrades underscore the urgency. Officials argue the diversified portfolio will secure long‑term water availability for the seven‑county service area.
PFM announced a partnership with DebtBook to embed artificial‑intelligence capabilities into public‑sector treasury operations, leveraging PFM's Synario financial‑modeling platform alongside DebtBook's debt‑management suite. The alliance aims to automate cash‑flow, leasing and investment tracking, freeing municipal finance teams to focus on...
Wingstop reported a 5.8% decline in domestic same‑store sales for Q4 2025, while overall system sales rose 9% thanks to 493 new restaurants. The chain is rolling out Club Wingstop, a loyalty program that lifted guest frequency by 7% in...
AM Best upgraded the outlook for State Street’s captive insurer, Federated Underwriting Company, from stable to positive. The agency also reaffirmed the captive’s financial strength rating at A‑ (excellent) and its long‑term issuer credit rating at a‑ (excellent). Federated Underwriting...
Berkshire Hathaway has cut its Amazon stake by 75%, reducing a once‑$15 billion holding to roughly $10 billion. The move, disclosed in a Bloomberg Intelligence podcast, reflects Warren Buffett’s bearish view on the e‑commerce giant’s growth prospects. It marks a rare portfolio...
Gold is on the move🔥 As tensions in the Middle East rise and Iran escalates, markets are reacting and gold is back in focus When uncertainty rises, gold shines ✨ Big moves could be ahead. The question is… are you positioned? Trade Gold with...
Recent top and bottom line (as well as profit margins) have been disproportionately impacted by massive AI cap spending and high end consumer spending. The former has a half life to it. The later may not be sustained if home and stock...
The Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (JICPA) has proposed treating life insurers' government‑bond holdings as held‑to‑maturity, removing the need for impairment accounting when certain criteria are met. Under current rules insurers must record a loss if market value falls...
Citadel on flows, via Bbrg: Retail traders spent a record amount snapping up software shares on Citadel Securities’ platform, according to Scott Rubner, head of equity and equity derivatives strategy at the firm, which began tracking the data in 2017: “Net notional...
Investors can now gain exposure to SpaceX through private secondary markets, specialty ETFs and pooled funds, sidestepping the wait for a public listing. The rocket company is valued at roughly $1.25 trillion, making it one of the most coveted private assets....
You don't get paid unless you invoice. Accurate, timely invoices. These are the top invoicing vendors used in software companies. Plus, honorable mentions just off the chart. Survey Highlights: - 57 invoicing solutions named - Top 5 solutions own 55%...
Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon urging his public support for the Empowering States’ Rights to Protect Consumers Act, which would let states re‑impose credit‑card interest‑rate caps on national banks. The legislation seeks to restore the...
Isabel Schnabel highlighted the euro area’s mounting fiscal pressures, noting that low debt levels often coincide with weak public investment. She examined Germany’s new defence and infrastructure package, showing it can lift GDP but also raise debt ratios under different...
France’s inflation fell to 0.3% year‑on‑year in January, the lowest level since 2016 and well below the euro‑area average of 1.7%. The drop, driven by falling manufactured‑goods and energy prices, leaves core inflation at just 0.7% and fuels criticism that...
At the Digital Lounge in Davos, IT leaders highlighted a hidden crisis: data debt is draining human capacity more than technology. Legacy SAP systems and fragmented data require teams to spend countless hours cleaning and governing information, leading to transformation...
Sibanye‑Stillwater will record R5.3 bn of impairments in the second half of its 2025 financial year, bringing total FY2025 impairments to R14 bn. The write‑downs stem from a R3.8 bn reduction at the Kloof gold mine and a R138 m impairment on the Keliber...
Snap announced its direct‑revenue business reached a $1 billion annualized run rate. The milestone is driven by Snapchat+, which now has more than 25 million paying subscribers. The service, launched in 2022 at $3.99 per month, has expanded with higher‑priced tiers such...
Global Payments announced a 300‑agent salesforce expansion in 2026, following its recent acquisition of Worldpay. The company will invest $1 billion this year to accelerate growth of its Genius processing brand and AI capabilities. Adjusted net revenue rose 1% to $2.32 billion...
International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) posted 2025 results showing its Food Ingredients division generated $3.28 bn in revenue but delivered the lowest profit margin at 12.9%. Sales in the division fell 3% despite overall company growth, while Taste, Scent and Health...
Record bond issuance. Record trading volumes. Tighter spreads. More supply should widen spreads. Instead buyers are so hungry that more issuance actually improves liquidity and compresses risk premiums. This works until it doesn’t.
Stripe’s Bridge subsidiary received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust bank charter, filed in October and approved on Feb. 12. The charter would let Bridge issue stablecoins, custody digital assets, and manage...
The Trump administration is advancing five domestic policy initiatives that touch credit, housing, monetary policy, corporate governance, and digital‑asset regulation. Proposed credit reforms would tighten loan underwriting, while housing changes could modify the mortgage interest deduction. Monetary officials hint at...
The Nifty 50 logged a third straight gain, breaking above the 25,500 support and 25,800 resistance as consumer, financial and metal stocks led the rally. Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra each posted decisive breakouts from consolidation zones, prompting...
Turner Wyatt, founder and CEO of Small Capital, funds self‑funded searchers who embed employee ownership from acquisition day one. He argues that search fund deals can address income inequality while enhancing business performance by giving employees a stake. Small Capital’s...
Activist investors intensified pressure on U.S. companies, with push‑to‑sell campaigns rising 29% in 2025, reaching a five‑year high. More than 30 firms encountered shareholder resistance to M&A deals, while overall activist activity modestly declined to 579 targets. Concurrently, private‑equity firms...
In this episode, CFO Alex Melamud of Engine discusses how he brings a boardroom and private‑equity perspective to day‑to‑day operations, starting his day by reading customer NPS feedback before any financial metrics. He explains the evolving CFO role—from traditional governance...
Donohoe Hospitality Services has appointed Nicole Brizan as vice president of finance and accounting, tasking her with steering corporate and property‑level financial strategy for its hotel portfolio. Brizan brings more than two decades of hospitality accounting experience, most recently as...
Australian‑founded Eaton Square announced that its Silicon subsidiary will integrate with U.S. capital‑intelligence firm Klear, creating a unified solution for sourcing, financing and managing critical minerals. The combined platform leverages AI to provide end‑to‑end operational and treasury visibility, offering verified...
MillTech’s Q4 2025 Corporate Hedging Monitor shows UK corporates lost an average £6.71 million and US firms $9.85 million in 2025 due to unhedged foreign‑exchange exposure. Eighty percent of surveyed firms reported losses, prompting a rebound in hedging activity as average hedge ratios...
The price waterfall is a visual framework that tracks every discount, rebate, allowance and fee from the list price down to the pocket price a company actually receives. By mapping each deduction, businesses can pinpoint where margin leakage occurs and...
The European Banking Authority released its ESG risk dashboard covering data through Q2 2025, showing that climate‑related credit exposure among large EU banks remains stable at about 62 % of non‑financial corporate portfolios. Environmental data quality improved, with proxy‑based measurements dropping ten...
Stripe’s subsidiary Bridge received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust bank charter. The license would allow Bridge to issue stablecoins, custody digital assets, and manage reserves under OCC oversight. The decision...
RioCan REIT reported a robust 2025, delivering 5 million square feet of leasing activity and a record‑high new‑lease spread of 37.3%. Blended leasing spreads rose to 21.1%, while same‑property NOI grew 3.6% for the year. The trust repatriated $741.7 million of capital,...
Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) released its latest direct‑lending default indices covering the trailing‑twelve‑month period ending February 17, 2026. The indices aggregate performance data from a broad universe of private credit transactions, including senior secured loans, unitranche facilities, and mezzanine tranches. By...
InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telefónica’s joint venture nexfibre has agreed to acquire Netomnia, the parent of YouFibre and brsk, in a £2 billion transaction. The deal consolidates a significant portion of the UK’s full‑fibre retail market under nexfibre’s control. It brings...
This is the CLO market right now: Sellers: AI will destroy these businesses Buyers: Thanks for the yield Software is the largest sector in CLO portfolios globally. 10-15% concentration. Nearly half mature in the next 3 years. Someone here is wrong.
Largest merger arbitrage books (by 13-F*) Pentwater: $10.6 billion HBK: $8.1 billion Millennium: $7.8 billion Balyasny: $5.3 billion Fidelity: $4.4 billion Citadel: $2.9 billion Qube: $2.7 billion AQR: $2.4 billion Glazer: $2.3 billion Magnetar: $2.1 billion h/t Cantor
A poll of 1,000 U.S. crypto investors shows more than half fear IRS penalties as the Treasury rolls out Form 1099‑DA, which forces exchanges to automatically report transaction proceeds. The new rule shifts tax compliance from self‑disclosure to broker‑driven reporting,...
.@Cloudflare crushes analysts’ expectations on revenue and its stock soars in late trading https://t.co/RRvAoDmATi @SiliconANGLE @Mike_Wheatley “If those three metrics are moving together, it often points to enterprise commitment velocity improving…” - @Chirag_Mehta @constellationr
Since the 2010s and BRI, Chinese FDI has matched or exceeded inward FDI, but now a really big gap is opening up. More at today's Chartbook Top Links: https://t.co/DcgBB3hzww
Six Flags is deepening its low‑price annual‑pass strategy, launching Gold passes as cheap as $90 that grant access to multiple regional parks but exclude free parking at Knott’s Berry Farm. The company also upgraded its Perks & Play program to include all...
While the Magnificent Seven tech stocks have SUFFERED in 2026, GOLD IS UP over 13%. It's time to turn away from SILLY VALLEY. BUY GOLD, WEAR DIAMONDS. https://t.co/PZTIJFhPOp
The Great Rotation: From Growth to Asset Rich Value My job is timing sector rotation & picking the best stocks long/short within it. That & sizing up macro event risk & market structure support. That's how I could time the...
The episode details Carbon Health Technologies, Inc.'s pre‑arranged Chapter 11 filing in February 2026, outlining its rapid rise to a $3 billion valuation and subsequent collapse due to post‑pandemic revenue decline and tighter capital markets. It explains the company’s business model—an...
The market has been broadening out nicely as of late, and since the April 2025 Tariff tantrum low, the equal-weighted S&P 500 index has almost caught up to the cap-weighted index (34% vs 38%). It has been good to see....
NOW: 🇺🇸 Arizona’s SB1649, creating a state-run crypto reserve holding XRP, BTC, and more, cleared the Senate Finance Committee and now heads to the Rules Committee https://t.co/KSlJxJiDTM
CHART OF THE DAY: Our Portfolios Are Experiencing Lower Volatility While The Competitors Are Crashing https://t.co/8ToxLIPXph via @hedgeye
Your slowing revenue growth has created a stock-based comp (dilution) problem AI is destroying software multiples, but it may also be the only thing that can solve our dilution problem. https://t.co/8EiZueMtNK
- Anthropic catalyst - Pouring cash into buyback w/ conservative balance sheet - 5% annual gross profit growth since EOY 2022 - stock trading below 17x EV/EBIT per @fiscal_ai Very interesting set-up for $ZM over next couple of years https://t.co/75MsUcEE1b
Latin America’s small businesses don’t lack ambition. They lack liquidity. FinTechs are stepping in to close persistent cash flow gaps with smarter underwriting, real-time data and embedded finance solutions. The real opportunity isn’t just lending. It’s becoming the financial operating system for...
