Know What's Happening in Finance
Know What's Happening in Finance
Flex to Acquire Electrical Power Products for $1.1B, Expanding Power Infrastructure Portfolio
Flex Ltd. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Electrical Power Products for approximately $1.1 billion in cash. The target contributes roughly $323 million of annual revenue and delivers a mid‑to‑high‑teens EBITDA margin. Flex expects the transaction to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share in the first full fiscal year after closing.
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In this episode, managing director Mike Lyon and senior associate Sarabeth Sandweiss discuss how retention metrics have become a pivotal factor in software company valuations, detailing the heightened scrutiny buyers now apply. They explain the investor framework for assessing retention, highlight common miscalculations founders make, and offer strategies to avoid diligence surprises and improve valuation outcomes. The hosts draw on their private‑equity experience to illustrate how accurate retention reporting can position a company for a stronger exit.
SEALSQ Corp reported FY 2025 revenue of $18 million, a 66% year‑over‑year increase, while maintaining a cash balance above $425 million. The company posted a net loss of $30‑40 million, reflecting heightened R&D and integration expenses. It highlighted a $200 million plus business pipeline, including...
Kite Realty Group (KRG) posted a dramatic turnaround in 2025, reporting net income of $298.7 million ($1.37 per diluted share) versus $4.1 million the prior year. The REIT leased roughly 4.6 million sq ft at a 13.8% comparable cash‑leasing spread and entered two joint‑venture partnerships...
Cogent Biosciences announced that its lead drug bezuclastinib is on track for multiple FDA submissions in 2026, including NDAs for non‑advanced systemic mastocytosis (Non‑AdvSM), advanced SM (AdvSM) and second‑line GIST. The company reported $901 million in cash, sufficient to fund operations...
eToro posted its first full‑year results as a public company, reporting a net contribution of $868 million, a 10% increase year over year, and GAAP net income of $216 million. Growth was driven by expanded stock, derivatives and ISA offerings, while crypto...
Fintech lender Affirm announced plans to obtain a U.S. banking charter, a move that could reshape the banking‑as‑a‑service (BaaS) landscape. The filing comes as charter applications have surged, with 21 submissions in the first eight months of 2025—more than double...
Opportunity Zone financing is being overhauled under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, creating OZ 2.0 effective Jan 1, 2027. The new rules make the program permanent, introduce a rolling five‑year deferral, a 10% basis step‑up after five years, and a 10‑year...
Amundi has launched a Luxembourg‑domiciled ETF that tracks the Euronext European Strategic Autonomy index, focusing on ten sectors deemed critical for Europe’s self‑sufficiency. The fund, listed on Xetra and also available in Paris, carries a 0.40% annualised total expense ratio...
Proof of address has become a cornerstone of Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance across banks, fintechs, and crypto platforms. Regulators such as the FATF and FCA require recent utility bills, bank statements, or government letters to verify a customer’s residence....
Fund managers are at a five‑year high of bullishness, yet a record share warn that corporate America is overspending on capital expenditures amid uncertain returns. In Bank of America’s February survey of 162 managers, cash balances rose in February, signaling...
The platform that popularized ragebait is bringing you better gambling: 📉 @X will roll out Smart Cashtags, enabling users to view data on stocks and cryptocurrencies directly from their timeline. 💸 X Money is currently in closed beta with employees. A public...
The EU will introduce a unified anti‑money‑laundering regulation (AMLR) and the sixth AML directive on July 10 2027, replacing the patchwork of national transpositions of the fifth directive. Until then, companies must continue to meet divergent local UBO reporting and due‑diligence rules...
The FTSE 100 delivered a strong performance this year, climbing roughly 12% despite lingering macro uncertainties. Yet UK equity funds continued to see net outflows, with investors pulling about 15% less capital compared to the previous year. The reluctance stems...
The episode examines a REIT's high‑yield bond, which trades above 7% with a 340‑basis‑point spread despite solid market fundamentals and improving leasing. Management is actively selling $280‑300 million of assets, using proceeds to cut debt and potentially buy back bonds, positioning...
Carlyle Group, BlackRock, Benefit Street Partners and Oak Hill Advisors are buying pools of low‑yield, software‑focused bank loans. The acquisitions are intended to seed new collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) after a year of compressed margins in the loan market. Buyers...
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and Bank of America have entered a multi‑year partnership to embed LSEG’s data, analytics and workflow solutions across BofA’s platforms. The deal gives BofA clients governed, rights‑cleared data and AI‑ready content, powered by LSEG Workspace,...
MLS franchise values have surged to an average of $767 million, driven by Inter Miami’s $1.45 billion valuation and LAFC’s $1.4 billion mark. At the lower end, clubs like CF Montréal sit at $430 million, with San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps seeing year‑over‑year declines. The...
The London Stock Exchange marked a milestone 2025, delivering a record‑breaking year for exchange‑traded products (ETPs). Trading volume surged to GBP 238.4 billion, a 38% year‑on‑year increase, while 398 new listings pushed the total to 2,645 ETPs. The removal of the retail...
Streaming operators are moving from growth‑focused strategies to strict cost discipline as subscriber acquisition slows and infrastructure expenses rise. Igor Oreper argues that profitability now depends on tightly controlled workflows, AI‑driven automation, and smarter cloud‑native architectures. He highlights concrete levers...
Toshiba Corp. is weighing a partial or full divestiture of its roughly 80% stake in Toshiba Elevator & Building Systems, as Finland’s Kone Oyj signals renewed interest. Kone, which already owns just under 20% of the unit, has begun informal...
Kenyan e‑mobility startup Arc Ride has secured a $5 million equity commitment from the International Finance Corporation to fuel its Series A round and regional rollout. The funding will accelerate the deployment of battery‑swapping stations across East Africa, complementing earlier debt deals...
Olaf Sleijpen, governor of De Nederlandsche Bank, highlighted Europe’s €10 trillion of low‑yield household deposits and the need to channel them into productive capital markets through the Savings and Investment Union. He warned that fragmented insolvency regimes and national rules act...
HM Treasury’s 2025 policy update outlines a shift from the EU‑derived Capital Requirements Regulation to a UK‑specific framework built on the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The Treasury will revoke parts of the CRR and replace them with rules...
In this episode of Best But Never Final, Lloyd Metz, Doug McCormick, and Sean Mooney break down the anatomy of a private‑equity deal team, outlining the typical roles—from associates and analysts to VPs, principals, and managing directors—and how responsibilities shift...
In this episode of CFO Weekly, Sara Daw, CEO of The CFO Centre Group, explains how fractional CFOs give fast‑growing entrepreneurs access to senior finance expertise without the expense of a full‑time hire. She identifies the $2‑3 million revenue threshold as...
UK platforms Klipboard, Access Group, and Epos Now illustrate a four‑stage roadmap for building embedded finance. They begin by validating assumptions and launching embedded payments, then evolve payments into a core, cross‑functional capability. Next, they add complementary financial products such as...
CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions announced a ₹3,100 crore IPO opening on Feb 23, with a price band of ₹1,000‑1,053 per share that values the company at up to ₹12,325 crore. The issue includes a ₹1,200 crore fresh issue and a ₹1,900 crore offer‑for‑sale by promoters,...
CFOs are reallocating 2026 budgets toward revenue‑generating functions, technology and AI, while headcount growth and HR spending slow sharply. Nearly 60% of finance leaders plan to raise AI spend, echoing a broader trend of near‑universal AI adoption in financial services....
Plaintiff law firms are adopting modern portfolio theory to treat their dockets like investment portfolios, using AI‑driven analytics to diversify case mix across timing, value, practice area, and confidence levels. By leveraging predictive cash‑flow models and large data sets, firms...
Mondrian, a European asset manager, has selected FundGuard’s cloud‑based investment ledger to replace its legacy accounting system. The new platform will provide real‑time transaction processing, automated regulatory reporting, and seamless integration with tokenisation workflows. Migration includes historic data transfer and...
Asia‑Pacific private credit is entering a rapid expansion phase, with issuance projected to rise from $59 billion in 2024 to $92 billion by 2027. Industry leaders such as SC Lowy and Moody’s cite digitalization, the energy transition, and infrastructure needs as primary catalysts,...
Cross‑border payments are undergoing a structural shift as CFOs demand more predictable, liquid, and compliant solutions. FinTech firms have accelerated speed and API‑driven usability, opening new corridors and transparent pricing. At the same time, banks are investing in modern settlement,...
DCM Shriram Industries completed its demerger, launching DCM Shriram Fine Chemicals Ltd and DCM Shriram International Ltd on Indian exchanges. Fine Chemicals opened around 17% below its issue price, while International fell about 18% on the NSE but edged up...
Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) has asked the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) to approve a plan that bridges a ₹528.1 crore net revenue deficit for FY 2024‑25. The shortfall stems from higher power procurement costs, rising finance expenses and a 5.8%...
HeadStart Fund of Funds, managed by HeadStart Advisers, earned The Hedge Fund Journal Performance Award 2025 for highest absolute return over five years. Since 2020 the fund has delivered mid‑teens net returns, with three calendar years exceeding 20%, and has...
The National Bank of Ethiopia announced sweeping foreign‑exchange reforms, letting exporters retain 100% of their foreign‑currency earnings in designated accounts and permitting banks to issue payment cards linked to those accounts. The minimum $100 requirement for foreign‑exchange savings accounts has...
Fibe, the former EarlySalary, posted FY25 operating revenue of Rs 1,228 crore, a 49% increase from the prior year, while net profit rose 13% to Rs 114 crore. Interest on loans remained the dominant revenue stream, exceeding Rs 1,000 crore and representing over...
Blackstone and EQT have agreed to acquire Spain’s waste‑management firm Urbaser for an enterprise value of €5.6 billion. The purchase price reflects an 11‑times multiple of the company’s projected 2025 EBITDA, underscoring strong confidence in the sector’s cash flow generation. The...
Recruitment agencies often focus on headline funding percentages, but the true cost is driven by how funding behaves under real‑world conditions. Factors such as debt protection activation, margin release timing, invoice aging, credit limits, and ancillary charges shape cash‑flow stability...
Vietnam’s finance ministry reported a record $106.6 bn state budget revenue in 2025, surpassing forecasts by 35.5 %. The ministry issued 144 circulars—about a quarter of all national normative documents—while rolling out 28 laws and 86 decrees to support digital transformation, new...
Naturals, one of India’s largest organised salon chains with about 900 outlets, is negotiating a stake sale with Reliance but talks have stalled over control, with Reliance seeking a 51% stake while Naturals wants to retain 49%. The company reported...
Danaher, a US healthcare conglomerate, is close to finalizing a roughly $10 billion acquisition of Masimo, the maker of pulse‑oximetry and other medical monitoring devices. The deal, still subject to antitrust clearance, would add Masimo’s sensor technology to Danaher’s Life Sciences...
IFS posted 23% annual recurring revenue growth and a 114% net retention rate for FY 2025, indicating industrial AI is moving from pilot projects to large‑scale operational use. The company’s new IFS Nexus Black and Agent Studio platforms let enterprises...
Apax Partners pulled its £575 million takeover bid for FTSE 250 software firm Pinewood on February 16, citing challenging market conditions. The withdrawal triggered an immediate 31% drop in Pinewood’s share price, the steepest decline in weeks. Analysts view the move as a...
A guide to business meal deductions Lower Risk • Occasional client lunch • Modest amounts • Clean documentation • Clear business relationship Moderate Risk • Frequent meals but defensible revenue • Slightly aggressive % of expenses • Documentation exists but is thin High Risk • Large meals relative to income • vague “business meeting” notes • No attendee names • Receipts missing • Pattern suggest disguised...
New DSR released to clients. Part 3 in the Hamburger Series - Hyperscalers. As a reminder the idea is that to get a hamburger today one needs to promise to repay (issue debt and equity) on tuesday. ...
Indexes are increasingly dominated by a handful of AI‑focused mega‑cap firms, turning passive funds into de‑facto concentrated bets. Peter Corey of Pave warns that investors often mistake broad ETF holdings for true diversification, while underlying exposure remains clustered around the...
Almost 90% of global public bonds trade at a yield lower than 5%: Apollo's Torsten Slok. "With inflation at close to 3%, this means that investors in public fixed income only get a 2% real return each year." https://t.co/oCUWfCIGpn
"capex too hot right now …CIOs telling CEOs to improve balance sheets (35% from 26%) vs. increase capex (20% from 34%) as FMS investors saying corps 'overinvesting' at new record high" - BofA Global Fund Manager Survey https://t.co/ciu0wy6GZP
#DEBS to do a fundraise of around £35m at 20p a share. Reiterates it's previous financial guidance and expects a lot of cost to come out of the business. New focus on Cash Flow.
