Today's Finance Pulse
SpaceX files for record‑size IPO, targeting $50B‑plus raise and $1T valuation
SpaceX confidentially filed for an IPO slated for June 2026, aiming to raise at least $50 billion and push its valuation above $1 trillion. Founder Elon Musk holds roughly 44 percent of the company, giving him a net worth of about $823 billion. The filing positions the rocket and satellite maker among the most valuable public companies ever.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Berkshire Hathaway invests $10B in Alphabet's private placement
IRS Flags Phishing, Impersonation in 2026 Dirty Dozen; Experts Explain Why Payroll Is a Prime Target
The IRS’s 2026 Dirty Dozen list again flags phishing and impersonation as the top tax‑season threats, with payroll‑related scams now taking center stage. Experts explain that attackers target W‑2 data and payroll portals because employees expect tax communications and act quickly under deadline pressure. AI‑generated emails and deep‑fake audio are raising the credibility of these attacks, making them harder to detect. As digital payroll systems expand, organizations must treat payroll teams as the front line of fraud defense.
AI Bots Free Doctors for Patients, Not Just Tech
Dr. Selene Castrejon doesn’t run a tech company. She runs a medical practice. Every hour she spends on admin is an hour not spent with patients or growing her business. Inside the AI Business Lab® Mastermind, she built trained AI bots...
Public Companies Might Remove Quarterly Reporting.
The SEC is weighing a rule that would make quarterly earnings reports optional, allowing public companies to file semi‑annual statements. Proponents argue the current 10‑K/10‑Q cycle costs an average S&P 500 firm $13.5 million annually in compliance and distracts executives from strategic...
EQS-Adhoc: Formycon AG Postpones the Publication of Its Audited Annual and Consolidated Financial Statements for 2025
Formycon AG announced that the audited 2025 annual and consolidated financial statements, originally due on March 26, 2026, will be released in April 2026. The postponement stems from a company‑wide rollout of a new internal financial planning system and unexpected...
Re-Engineering the Practice for MTD
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax Self‑Assessment compels UK accountancy firms to overhaul their traditional annual‑touchpoint model, shifting to at least five mandatory submissions per year. The increased frequency collides with a “fee ceiling” that limits how much sole...
Keolis Appoints Lonchamp as EVP of Finance
Keolis North America announced on March 17 that Matthieu Lonchamp will serve as Executive Vice President, Finance, joining the regional executive committee in Boston. Lonchamp arrives from Schneider Electric, where he held senior CFO roles for North America Low Voltage...
FCA Call for Input – Understanding How Our Regulation Can Help SMEs Access Finance
On 18 March 2026, the UK Financial Conduct Authority issued a Call for Input inviting stakeholders to comment on how regulation can improve small and medium‑sized enterprises’ access to finance. The FCA aims to identify regulatory barriers that raise costs...
Guidance: Preston Guidance: February 2026
The UK government has published the February 2026 Preston guidance, delivering updated earnings and interest factors for employers to calculate pension reinstatement for part‑time staff. The guidance follows landmark European Court of Justice and House of Lords decisions that granted part‑timers...
Fed Holds Rates as Yields Slip Amid Iran Conflict and Internal Divisions
The Federal Reserve will announce a hold on its benchmark rate at the March 2026 meeting, while 10‑year Treasury yields slipped to 4.202% amid soaring oil prices and heightened Middle East tensions. Market participants cite a near‑certain pause, internal disagreements...
NSE to Cut Response Time to Nanoseconds, Targeting 100 Million Trades per Second
The National Stock Exchange of India will reduce its system latency to the nanosecond range on April 11, enabling roughly 100 million transactions per second. The upgrade, announced by CEO Ashishkumar Chauhan, also expands colocation capacity and adds new futures products, while...
How to Calculate the Cost of Launching a Startup
The article breaks down the hidden and visible costs of launching a startup, emphasizing that entrepreneurs often underestimate both financial outlays and the emotional toll. It highlights specific line items such as professional support subscriptions, incorporation fees, and office space...
AICPA Requests Guidance on the Paid Family and Medical Leave Credit
The American Institute of CPAs has formally asked the Treasury and IRS for guidance on the revised Section 45S paid family and medical leave credit introduced by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The legislation broadens eligibility, allowing a larger pool of employers to claim...
FDIC Mulling Guardrails for Banks, Public Blockchains
The FDIC has rolled back its 2022 guidance that limited banks from interacting with public, permissionless blockchains, signaling a more permissive stance under Chair Travis Hill. Hill indicated that while the agency will focus on implementing the GENIUS Act, it...
AKUVO–Convoke Partnership: Rewiring the Collections Value Chain
AKUVO and Convoke announced a strategic partnership that merges AKUVO's AI‑driven pre‑charge‑off collections suite with Convoke's SaaS platform for post‑charge‑off recovery and third‑party oversight. The integration creates a modular, cloud‑native workflow that spans the entire delinquency lifecycle, from early digital...
The Naked Stress Test
The European Central Bank’s 2024 geopolitical‑risk reverse stress test asks banks to start with a worst‑case loss—three percentage points of their capital ratio—and work backwards to identify the geopolitical shock that could cause it. For BNP Paribas, that means roughly €20 billion...
Internal Audit Functions Lose Budget Bucks and Headcount
Internal audit functions are facing tighter budgets and reduced headcount, with 19% reporting lower budgets for 2025—up from 11% a year earlier—and staff cuts rising to 18%, matching the pandemic peak. Funding sufficiency is markedly higher for audit teams that...
The ASC Sale-Leaseback Opportunity
Ambulatory Surgery Center owners are increasingly using sale‑leasebacks to turn trapped building equity into cash while keeping operational control. By selling the property to an investor and signing a 10‑15‑year triple‑net lease, physicians can boost EBITDA, improve valuation multiples, and...
Abuja Court Sets April 13 for Judgment in Ex‑AG’s N868 Million Money‑Laundering Case
The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed April 13 for judgment in the N868 million money‑laundering case against former acting Accountant‑General Chukwunyere Nwabuoku. The former official, who posted N500 million bail, faces nine amended counts tied to alleged conversions of illicit...
Cat Bond Issuance Could Set New Records for Both February and March in 2026
Catastrophe bond issuance in the first quarter of 2026 is projected between $6.34 billion and $6.54 billion, making it the second‑largest Q1 on record. February 2026 already broke the $2 billion threshold and March is on track to exceed $3 billion, setting new monthly...
Hospital Finance Chiefs Say Half or More Tech Pilots Fail: Survey
A SmartSense survey of 150 U.S. hospital CFOs found that 60% see half or more of their financial and administrative technology pilots fail, even as 73% increase tech budgets. Failures are attributed to vague objectives and low employee adoption. CFOs...
FT‑Targeted Biotech Stocks Deliver Short‑Term Alpha
Good read on Biopharma M&A by RBC , little mention to Betaville, Bloomberg, FT , oand ofc the standout $RVMD Our biopharma team is out with an M&A discussion piece - given the importance of M&A to the sector, it is...
Chalmers Says Latest Treasury Modelling Shows Australia’s Inflation Could Reach 5%, as National Cabinet Meets on Fuel
Treasury modelling released by Treasurer Jim Chalmers indicates Australia’s headline inflation could peak in the high‑4s, potentially reaching 5%, as oil prices remain elevated. Two scenarios are examined: oil at $100 a barrel for the first half of the year,...
How Prudent Capital Deployment Returned Quad to Profitability
Quad Graphics, the fourth‑largest North American printer, posted a $27 million net profit in 2025, reversing a $51 million loss from the prior year. The company slashed more than $700 million of debt, bringing total borrowings down to $308 million. It redirected capital spending...
Corporates Pivot to Letters of Credit Amid Growing Global Trade Uncertainty
Corporates are reverting to letters of credit (LC) as the Middle East conflict disrupts the Strait of Hormuz, creating heightened supply‑chain risk. Treasury teams are pairing LC guarantees with broader liquidity measures, such as larger inventories and notional cash pools,...
Bonds Boost Bitcoin-Based Borrowing
Crypto lender Ledn issued $188 million of Bitcoin‑collateralised bonds to broaden its funding base. The senior tranche priced at 335 basis points over benchmark and the mezzanine at 650, delivering a blended 7.2% yield. The bonds are backed by more than...
Are Your Anonymous Reporting Channels Hiding a Bigger Problem?
The column examines the paradox of anonymous reporting channels, highlighting their essential role in protecting whistleblowers while exposing their vulnerability to incomplete or malicious claims. It uses a real‑world dilemma—an employee receiving an anonymous allegation against a trusted colleague—to illustrate...
Audited Financials Aren’t Enough, Survey Finds
The Center for Audit Quality surveyed 300 U.S. institutional investors and found a strong appetite for assurance services that go beyond traditional financial statement audits. Eighty‑one percent regularly use cybersecurity risk information, while 78% consider data privacy, sustainability and governance...
IRS, FATCA and CRS: The Latest RegTech Compliance News
Comply Exchange’s February 2026 roundup flags key FATCA, CRS, and IRS filing deadlines for financial institutions. Bahamas AEOI participants must submit FATCA/CRS data by March 31, 2026, while U.S. Form 1042 and 1042‑S filings closed on March 16, 2026. The IRS announced the FIRE system will...
François Villeroy De Galhau: Private Markets - Three Conditions to Get the Good without the Bad or the Ugly
Governor François Villeroy de Galhau highlighted Paris’s position as the EU’s leading financial centre and fourth worldwide. He noted that despite recent political uncertainty, foreign‑investment projects in France increased modestly in 2025 and the domestic savings pool remains strong. The...
Why Strategic Budgeting Is Crucial in an Era of Uncertainty
Colleges face a perfect storm of demographic decline, volatile public funding, rising costs and heightened accountability, making the FY2027 budget a strategic imperative rather than a routine exercise. The article argues that budgeting must become a central governance function that...
Cellulant Taps Ex-Agoda CFO as New Finance Chief in Renewed Pan-African Push
Cellulant has appointed former Agoda CFO Darren Makarem as its new finance chief, bolstering a refreshed executive team that also includes CTO Michael Muriuki. Makarem arrives with experience overseeing a $12 billion annual payments network and stints at Binance and OnRamp,...
Bangladesh to Launch Farmer Card Pilot for 21,800 Farmers on April 14
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate a pilot Farmer Card programme on April 14, covering nine upazilas and up to 25,000 farmers. The scheme promises Tk2,500 subsidies per eligible farmer and a suite of digital services aimed at modernising Bangladesh’s...
XOVR: Tech-Heavy Strategy For A Pre-IPO Investment In SpaceX
ERShares Private‑Public Crossover ETF (XOVR) offers investors a blend of private and public equities, with a striking 35.81% allocation to SpaceX ahead of its anticipated IPO. The fund’s asset base has contracted due to outflows, forcing a higher concentration in...
Official Statistics: Forecasts for the UK Economy: March 2026
The UK Treasury released its March 2026 edition of the monthly "Forecasts for the UK economy" comparison, collating short‑term and medium‑term projections from a selection of independent forecasters. The 19‑page PDF presents outlooks for 2025‑26 through 2029‑30, covering GDP, inflation, labour...
Law Firm Write-Offs: What Your Leakage Is Trying to Tell You
Law firms often label write‑offs as inevitable costs, but they reveal where revenue leaks occur. A recent case showed $47,000 in write‑offs in a single quarter, traced to scope creep, stale invoices, rate discomfort, and surprise bills. By categorizing write‑offs...
2025 Accounting-Related Securities Suit Filings Decreased, Settlement Value Increased
Cornerstone Research reports a sharp 40% drop in accounting‑related securities class‑action filings in 2025, falling to 34 cases, the lowest count since its 2004 tracking began. Despite fewer suits, settlement values surged 40% to roughly $1.5 billion, accounting for 51% of...
Fed Meeting Updates: FOMC Set to Hold Rates Steady as Oil Prices Soar
The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the March 2026 meeting. The decision follows a February jobs report that revealed a loss of roughly 100,000 positions and a sharp rise in oil...
Agnès Bénassy-Quéré: Speech - "Research Conference on Climate- and Nature-Related Risks in the Economic and Financial Systems"
A research conference on climate‑ and nature‑related risks attracted nearly 200 submissions, underscoring rapid growth in the field. Speakers highlighted that physical risks from climate change and ecosystem degradation are already influencing macroeconomic variables such as inflation, productivity, and fiscal...
Cat Bond Portfolio Construction More Important than Seasonal Hurricane Forecasts: Man Group
Man Group argues that seasonal Atlantic hurricane forecasts are unreliable for catastrophe bond investors, noting systematic underestimation of outlier years and limited relevance to insured loss outcomes. Their research shows that even accurate storm counts and intensities cannot predict economic...
FinQuery Achieves Rare Five-Year Leadership Streak with 20th Consecutive G2 Award
FinQuery announced that its LeaseQuery platform has secured the No. 1 spot on G2’s Lease Accounting Software Grid for the 20th consecutive quarter, marking a five‑year streak of market leadership. The achievement reflects a 98 % overall satisfaction rating from more than...
Germany's New Debt Fuels Handouts, Not Investment
Good Morning from Germany, where newly issued debt has so far not been used for investment, but rather to finance election giveaways & plug budget holes – once again proving the laws of political economy. Acc to Ifo, public borrowing...
Investors Bear Unpaid Risk—Sharpe’s Theory Still Holds
Most investors take risks they're not getting paid for. William Sharpe proved it in 1964.. and won a Nobel Prize for it. Our latest video for @ifadotcom explains why his paper still matters. #Finance #Investing #Stocks https://t.co/xx3iYAL8Zr
Meiwu Technology Announces 14 Million Direct Offering
Meiwu Technology Co Ltd announced a registered direct offering of 6,999,996 ordinary shares at $2.00 per share, generating roughly $14 million in gross proceeds. The deal also includes warrants for an equal number of shares, exercisable at $2.00 within one year....
TransFi Secures $14M Series A From Tether’s Arm
Big congratulations to @thefintechfund portfolio co @getTransFi, who just raised their $14M Series A from @Tether's investment arm, Turing Financial. https://t.co/YnhLl63Gau
EIB Funds 290MW Solar and 350MW Storage in Italy
EIB to finance 290MW solar PV and 350MW BESS Italian portfolio #energysky -- via pv-tech: https://t.co/ivC4mfMTQa
High RPO Guarantees Revenue, Risks Complacency
RPO breakdown of public software companies. High RPO = guaranteed future revenue (your customers are prisoners) Low RPO = you have to win your customers’ love much more frequently All else being equal, high RPO is better. But it can make you complacent…...
Bill Dudley’s Market Mix‑up Highlights Investor Confusion
If Bill Dudley still confuses First Brands and Tricolor with private credit, literally six months after all market participants realized they were in the broadly syndicated loan and asset backed finance markets, then what hope do regular people have? https://t.co/aA33Nc1928
Rate Shifts Since Jan FOMC Concentrated at Front End
Rates moves from Jan FOMC to today are basically all in the front end https://t.co/z4SHlodCLM
PingAnGPT-Qwen3-32B Beats GPT‑4o, Leads CNFinBench
Ping An's PingAnGPT-Qwen3-32B Tops CNFinBench: Strong Reasoning, Accuracy and Wide Deployment Topped CNFinBench leaderboard (March 15, 2026), beating GPT-4o + Claude Sonnet 4 on this benchmark. Evaluated across 5 dimensions: financial expertise, business understanding, reasoning/computation, compliance/risk control, application security. Deployed in...
Credit Markets Tighten as Qualtrics Loan Stalls
While credit markets are open to many companies, they're starting to close for others. Qualtrics, which makes online survey tools, had to ice a $5.3 billion loan and bond deal due to lack of investor appetite. https://t.co/DE0BfMnHYT