Today's Finance Pulse
Anthropic secures $65B round, valuation hits $965B
Anthropic announced a $65 billion Series H financing that pushes its post‑money valuation to $965 billion, overtaking OpenAI as the world’s most valuable AI startup. The capital surge reflects strong enterprise demand for its Claude chatbot and reshapes the AI sector ahead of upcoming high‑profile IPOs.
Also developing:
Apyx Medical Corporation (APYX) Reports a Net Loss for Q4 FY25
Apyx Medical Corporation reported its fourth‑quarter FY25 results, posting a loss of $0.03 per share on $19.2 million of revenue. Revenue surged 34.8% year‑over‑year, propelled by the Advanced Energy and Original Equipment Manufacturing segments. The loss narrowed from $0.06 per share in the prior quarter, suggesting a move toward profitability. Apyx serves customers in the United States and international markets with electrosurgical and medical device solutions.
Smarsh Launches AI Enabled Communication Surveillance for Small to Medium Businesses
Smarsh introduced the Noise Reduction Agent, an AI‑driven tool that trims compliance alert volume by up to 60 % for small and mid‑sized financial firms. The solution suppresses low‑risk communications during ingestion, preserving audit‑ready records while cutting thousands of non‑actionable review...
Cliffwater CIO: Time to Reconsider NAV ‘Squeezing’ in Secondaries
Cliffwater’s chief investment officer warns that the common practice of NAV squeezing in private‑equity secondaries creates a hidden form of time arbitrage. He argues evergreen funds buying into secondary vehicles at similar stages are forced into unfavorable pricing. The CIO...
Nissan CFO to Depart Amid Turnaround Challenges
Nissan announced that CFO Jérémie Papin will step down after just over a year, citing personal reasons, and that long‑time Nissan alum George Leondis will assume the finance chief role on April 1. The change comes as the automaker pushes its Re:Nissan...
Podcast: Chris Waller of Plural Investing and Hidden Gem Investing
In a recent podcast, Chris Waller of Plural Investing and Hidden Gem Investing breaks down two high‑profile spin‑offs—GCI Liberty (GLIBK) and Seaport Entertainment (SEG). He explains why rights offerings on spin‑offs, championed by investors like Joel Greenblatt, can be compelling...
UAE E-Invoicing Mandate: What ERP and Finance Teams Need to Know Before 2027
The UAE will roll out a national e‑invoicing system, moving from paper and PDF invoices to structured digital records reported to the Federal Tax Authority. A phased schedule starts with a pilot in July 2026, mandatory compliance for firms with revenue...
Salesforce to Issue $25B Debt for Share Buyback
Salesforce $CRM is reportedly planning to sell as much as $25 billion worth of debt in order to fund its share buyback plan - Bloomberg
UWM Boosts 2026 Revenue Outlook Ahead of Two Harbors Vote
UWM Holdings raised its 2026 revenue outlook, projecting first‑quarter earnings of $800 million to $900 million and full‑year revenue between $3.5 billion and $4.5 billion, up from its prior Q4 guidance. The company credited recent AI investments for boosting team efficiency and said it...
Managing Risk in Financially Distressed Customers
The panel explored how trade creditors can manage risk when dealing with financially distressed customers across sectors such as SaaS, food service, and construction. Joe Beatty highlighted rising payment failures and defaults, especially in subscription‑based services and small restaurant operators....
SuRo Capital Corp (SSSS) Reports Wider Loss Q4 EPS Estimates by 10.0%
SuRo Capital Corp reported a GAAP loss of $0.22 per share for Q4 2025, missing analyst expectations of a $0.20 loss by 10 percent. The venture‑capital‑focused business development company (BDC) specializes in growth‑stage and late‑stage private investments. The earnings miss...
Bitwise CIO Makes a Straightforward Case for $1 Million Bitcoin
Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan argues that Bitcoin’s valuation is mis‑priced because analysts treat the store‑of‑value market as static. He notes Bitcoin currently holds under 4% of a roughly $38 trillion market that competes with gold. By projecting the market’s growth—mirroring gold’s...
North American Accounting Orgs Extend Recognition Pact
Leaders of the American Institute of CPAs, NASBA, CPA Canada and Mexico’s Instituto Mexicano de Contadores Públicos have signed a memorandum extending their mutual recognition agreement through December 31, 2028. The pact, first enacted in 2018, streamlines cross‑border practice for accountants across...
IDB Invest Supports Paracel, the Largest Private Investment in Paraguay’s History, to Develop Country’s First Industrial Hub for Sustainable Forestry
IDB Invest has approved up to $165 million in financing for Paracel S.A., Paraguay’s largest private investment, to build an industrial hub for sustainable forestry. The funding will underwrite critical infrastructure such as a port, river terminal, power lines and access...
GFOA: Treasury Should Not Create New Reporting System
The Treasury Department is proposing Privacy Act amendments to launch a new, centralized reporting system for eight federal assistance programs, including the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund and Emergency Rental Assistance. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) argues that...
Louisiana Governor Proposes a State Infrastructure Bank
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry introduced a proposal for a state infrastructure bank as part of his $46.9 billion fiscal 2026 budget. The revolving‑finance model is intended to stretch state dollars, leverage federal programs and fund projects without raising taxes. Landry highlighted...
UK Government‘s Long-Term Fraud Strategy Labels Crypto as ‘Growing Risk‘
The UK Home Office released a fraud‑prevention strategy for 2026‑2029 that explicitly flags crypto assets as a growing risk for consumers and businesses. It highlights how scammers lure victims into transferring funds via social‑media and messaging platforms, and notes lingering...
Podcast | Global Regulation Tomorrow Plus: Geopolitics 1
The Global Regulation Tomorrow Plus podcast launches a three‑part series on building regulatory and operational resilience amid rising geopolitical tensions. In the first episode, hosts Jonathan Herbst, Georgia Karamani and Simon Lovegrove focus on prudential challenges, including exposure mapping, stress...
Can AI Fix the Shortage of Tax Talent?
The tax industry faces a structural talent shortage as graduate numbers fall and busy seasons accelerate turnover. Artificial intelligence is being deployed to automate data extraction, document processing, and research, allowing junior staff to focus on higher‑value work. While AI...
The Mandela Effect In TPRM: Why Companies Still Misremember Their Third-Party Risk Exposure
The article warns that executives often suffer a Mandela‑Effect in third‑party risk management, believing their programs are mature until a breach exposes hidden gaps. Forrester’s latest TPRM platform wave shows due diligence is merely the starting line, and real‑time context...
Partners Group Chief: AI, Credit Fears Are ‘Wildly Overdone’
Partners Group CEO David Layton said concerns that artificial‑intelligence‑driven credit risk are exaggerated, calling the current AI and credit‑market anxiety ‘wildly overdone.’ He highlighted that the firm has deliberately kept leverage on its private‑credit evergreen funds lower than many competitors....
Position Green Launches Decarbonization Investment ROI Calculator
Position Green, a sustainability software and advisory firm, unveiled an ROI Calculator that translates decarbonization projects into quantifiable financial metrics. Developed using a model from Stockholm School of Economics professor Rickard Sandberg, the tool provides ROI, NPV, payback period, emissions...
Non-Listed BDC Fundraising Momentum Slowing, Redemption Requests Rising: Stanger
Non-listed Business Development Companies (BDCs) are experiencing a slowdown in fundraising momentum, according to Stanger. Simultaneously, redemption requests from investors are rising, though they remain within manageable levels. Net asset values (NAVs) continue to climb, reflecting strong underlying portfolio performance....
EU Launches Clean Energy Investment Strategy
On March 10, 2026, the European Commission unveiled a Clean Energy Investment Strategy aimed at accelerating financing for Europe’s energy transition. The plan estimates a need for €660 billion of annual investment through 2030, rising to €695 billion in the following decade....
Buffett Warns Against Hoarding Cash, Favors Buybacks
Warren Buffett at the 2017 Berkshire Hathaway meeting, on repurchases and excess cash: "There’s no way I can come back here three years from now and tell you we hold $150 billion or more in cash, and we think we’re...
Fayetteville, Arkansas, Voters OK $335.5 Million of Bonds
Fayetteville voters approved a $335.5 million municipal bond, keeping a 1 % special sales tax in place to service the debt. The package earmarks funds for water, sewer, parks, animal services, pedestrian infrastructure, recycling, fire‑safety projects, and allocates $61.9 million to build an...
AI Is Already Replacing 80% of Junior Analysts
AI can do 80% of junior analyst work right now. And it's coming for mid-level next. Here's how to stay relevant. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Everyone says advisory is safe because it's about relationships and "professional touch." I...
Morningstar Flags Discounted BDC Asset Sales as Rating Risk
Morningstar warning to BDCs: "We view selling assets at substantial discounts to fair value as a significant sign of stress, which would likely have negative credit rating implications."
Record Q4 Performance Sets up Jollibee for Sustained Expansion
Jollibee Foods Corp. posted a record fourth‑quarter operating income, up 41.9% year‑on‑year, and full‑year revenue of P305.11 billion, a 13% increase. Net income rose 5.4% to P10.87 billion, while system‑wide sales grew 16.6% for 2025. The company opened a historic 1,126 new...
DOJ, Halkbank Agree to End Iran Sanctions Case
The U.S. Justice Department and state‑owned Halkbank have reached a deferred prosecution agreement, ending a five‑year case alleging the bank helped Iran evade sanctions. Under the deal, Halkbank must stop any Iran‑benefiting transactions and submit to an independent compliance monitor....
Bank Of America Lends A Hand To Nexstar
Bank of America, alongside undisclosed lenders, has arranged a leveraged loan to finance Nexstar Media Group’s proposed acquisition of TEGNA. The financing is intended to help Nexstar secure the deal that would make it the nation’s largest single owner of...
Digital Realty Trust: A 34% Dividend Buffer Meets AI Data Center CapEx Cycle
Digital Realty Trust posted 2025 Core FFO of $7.39 per share, delivering a roughly 34% dividend buffer against its $4.88 payout. The REIT maintains a 4.9× leverage ratio and BBB ratings from S&P, Moody’s and Fitch, keeping credit risk low....
159 – the Three-Digit Number that Could Stop You From Being Scammed
The three‑digit hotline 159, launched by Stop Scams UK in 2021, gives UK consumers a fast way to verify suspicious banking calls or texts. It links callers to the fraud teams of more than 99% of retail bank accounts, and over...
Meta Hikes Fees for Advertisers to Cover Europe's Digital Taxes
Meta Platforms will begin charging advertisers a "location fee" to offset Europe’s digital services taxes, starting July 1. The fee mirrors each country’s tax rate—3% in France, Italy and Spain; 5% in Austria and Turkey; and 2% in the U.K.—and...
Withdraw Your Profits When Business Starts Thriving
“Many people, even when their company achieves success, will continue to leave their profits and initial capital in the company... Once things are rolling, you need to get your money back out of the company.” – 21 Stupid Things (2016)...
Kenya’s Parliament Committees Back $1.5 Billion Safaricom Stake Sale
Kenyan parliamentary Public Debt and Privatisation Committees have endorsed the government's plan to sell 15% of its Safaricom stake for KES204 billion ($1.5 billion). Proceeds will be funneled into a National Infrastructure Fund to finance roads, energy and other projects, easing fiscal...
Intelligo Launches the Intelligo Compliance MCP Server, Bringing Deterministic Due Diligence Into Autonomous AI Investment Workflows
Intelligo announced the launch of its Compliance MCP Server, a new infrastructure layer that embeds deterministic due‑diligence into autonomous AI investment workflows used by limited partners. The MCP server delivers verifiable, auditable risk intelligence, enabling real‑time background checks, firm‑specific thresholds,...
What if Your Corporate Tax Team Could Focus on Strategy Instead of Spreadsheets?
Corporate tax departments are bogged down by manual spreadsheet‑based compliance, leading to costly errors and diverting talent from strategic work. Each phase—data gathering, exemption handling, and return processing—creates risk and consumes hours that could support growth initiatives. Intelligent automation promises...
Edinburgh Worldwide Seeks End to Saba Saga by Offering Shareholders Cash Exit and SpaceX Upside
Edinburgh Worldwide (EWIT) has tabled a 100% tender offer that would let shareholders cash out at roughly 85% of net asset value, with the remaining 15% deferred until SpaceX’s anticipated IPO. The proposal does not require support from activist hedge...
Banks Failing to Screen for Illegal Mining Risks
A Reuters‑cited study by WWF and Themis finds that roughly 40% of banks and investors do not screen for illegal mining risks, despite 84% operating in high‑risk sectors such as transport and trade. Illegal mining generates at least $48 billion in...
The Hidden Cost of Every Card Swipe – Understanding Interchange Fees
Interchange fees are the charges that a merchant’s bank pays to the card‑issuing bank for each card transaction, typically ranging from 0.2% to 2% of the purchase amount. In the European Economic Area, regulation caps these fees at 0.2% for...
Why Clients Should Care About Capex
Capital expenditures have surged as AI drives massive data‑center builds, pushing big‑tech capex to its highest share of revenue in a decade. The Mag 7 and other hyperscalers are allocating roughly 100% of operating cash flow to capex in 2026, far...
Carlyle Plans Structured Financing to Seed Flagship Carlyle Partners IX Fund
Carlyle is launching a structured financing vehicle, dubbed “Project Potomac,” to seed its upcoming Carlyle Partners IX fund. The vehicle will bundle senior debt, preferred shares and common equity, allowing investors in older funds to swap stakes for cash and equity exposure....
Amazon Reportedly Targeting Up To $42 Billion In Bond Sale
Amazon filed a preliminary prospectus to raise between $37 billion and $42 billion in a mixed‑currency bond offering, the largest since its $15 billion sale in November. The proceeds are earmarked for Amazon’s aggressive AI push, including massive data‑center construction and a recently...
Boaz Weinstein Discusses Private Credit Strategies
Our latest "Inside Alts" newsletter comprises a half-hour interview with Boaz Weinstein on private credit. https://t.co/EpwRZMKNzH https://t.co/ncDLXCEHm3
Africa CDC Eyes Debt Swaps to Plug Health Financing Gaps
Facing steep foreign‑aid cuts and high sovereign debt, Africa CDC is turning to debt‑for‑health swaps to bridge financing gaps. The agency has hired Christoph Benn, a veteran of the Global Fund’s Debt2Health mechanism, to spearhead matchmaking between debtor nations and...
Why Earnings Beat Cash Flow for Long-Term Investment Decisions
A new January 2026 study by McInnis, Silva and Yu shows that while free cash flow predicts short‑term cash generation, earnings become the superior predictor of cash flows over 9‑20‑year horizons. The researchers attribute this reversal to investment accruals, which...
CFOs and Private Equity Sponsors Diverge on IPO Timing and Approach
A new Accordion survey of 200 CFOs and 200 private‑equity sponsors reveals a sharp misalignment on IPO timing and responsibility. While 85% of CFOs say boards or sponsors control the exit, 65% of sponsors expect finance chiefs to own IPO...
Valuing Early-Stage Life Sciences Companies: The Why, the How, and the Impact
Early‑stage life sciences firms face unique valuation challenges due to regulatory, market and scientific uncertainties. Traditional discounted cash flow models are unsuitable, so practitioners rely on risk‑adjusted NPV, market comparables, and venture‑capital exit methods. These valuations influence capital raising, stock‑based...
Finances Drive REH Conversion
Mercy Hospital in Moundridge, Kansas, converted to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) on Jan. 1, 2024, swapping inpatient services for 24‑hour emergency care and outpatient offerings. The REH model provides a $3.4 million annual facility payment and 105% of the OPPS rate,...
The Cash Flow Lever that Most CFOs Are Missing in the Tariff Environment
Export‑focused CFOs are defending margins against 2025 tariffs, but many overlook a cash‑flow lever: the Interest‑Charge Domestic International Sales Corporation (IC‑DISC). IC‑DISC can transform ordinary‑rate export income into qualified dividends, delivering permanent federal tax savings of roughly 5.8% to 13.2%....