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
‘Buffer’ ETFs Prove a Decent Bond Alternative in War-Hit Markets
Buffer ETFs, a $80 billion defined‑outcome fund category, are emerging as a bond alternative amid volatile markets and rising Treasury yields. The largest vehicle, FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF, fell only 1.4% in March versus a 2.7% drop in the S&P 500, illustrating its downside‑protection promise. Advisors and endowments, such as the University of Connecticut, are shifting to these options‑based funds after bonds proved unreliable as hedges during the Iran war and 2022 rate‑spike sell‑offs. Critics caution that the trade‑off may lower long‑term returns.
Post Office on the Brink of Collapse
South Africa's communications minister Solly Malatsi called premature the rescue practitioners' intent to file for liquidation of the state‑owned Post Office. The practitioners argue that without a R3.8 billion funding tranche, the rescue plan cannot succeed, and the company has been...
Parliamentary Panel Calls For MDR On UPI To Ensure Sustainability
A parliamentary standing committee on finance has recommended re‑introducing a merchant discount rate (MDR) on UPI transactions, arguing that the zero‑MDR regime strains government finances and limits fintechs’ ability to fund long‑term infrastructure. The committee notes that current government incentives...
P3 Backers Urge Easing of Tax-Exempt Bond Rules on Asset Leases
Public‑private partnership advocates are urging the IRS to scrap the defeasance rule that forces tax‑exempt bonds to be retired when a government leases an asset to a private operator. They argue the regulation inflates financing costs and discourages asset‑recycling deals...
Tax Nudges Lead 5 Million Taxpayers to Revise Returns; Refund Claims Drop ₹2,000 Crore
The Central Board of Direct Taxes reported that more than five million income‑tax returns were revised after the department nudged taxpayers to correct bogus deduction claims, chiefly under Section 80G. This proactive approach cut refund claims by roughly ₹2,000 crore, even as...
ConnexPay Launches Payment Valet to Streamline B2B Payments
ConnexPay unveiled Payment Valet, a managed services platform that automates the last‑mile of B2B payments. The solution centralizes payee network management, delivery fulfillment, preference portals, and branded support, handling payouts via virtual cards, ACH, and checks. It targets vertical SaaS...
Federal Reserve Board Issues Enforcement Actions with Former Employee of Equity Bank and Former Employee of First State Bank of...
The Federal Reserve Board issued two consent prohibition orders on March 13, 2026, targeting former employees of regional banks. Cassandra Grayson, ex‑employee of Equity Bank in Andover, Kansas, was barred for embezzling bank funds. Sandra Adams, former staff at First...
Oracle Discloses $2B Stake in TikTok U.S. Joint Venture
Oracle disclosed a 15% equity stake in the TikTok US Data Security Joint Venture, part of a $2.2 billion non‑marketable investment portfolio. The joint venture, valued at roughly $14 billion, includes equal stakes from Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s MGX, while ByteDance...
Mobilizing Africa’s Capital for African Development
Africa faces a $2.8 trillion financing gap for climate action by 2030, yet ample capital exists within the continent’s savings pools and sovereign wealth funds, plus global yield‑seeking investors. The article argues that fragmented markets prevent this capital from reaching needed...
Fitch Raises Oklahoma's Rating a Notch to AA-Plus
Oklahoma’s sovereign credit rating was raised by Fitch to AA‑plus with a stable outlook, marking the state’s third upgrade since 2024 after similar moves by S&P and Moody’s. The agency cited sustained fiscal discipline, robust operating reserves and low long‑term...
Public Banks And Municipal Bonds
The article critiques the notion that municipal governments can substantially expand fiscal space by having local public banks purchase their own bonds. It argues that a new bank must first raise equity, limiting its initial balance sheet, and that banks...
Demand for Analysts Grows as Equities Market Gains Momentum: Industry Players
Singapore’s equity market reforms by SGX and MAS are reviving analyst demand, prompting banks and brokerages to expand research desks. Maybank Securities, OCBC, iFast and others have added headcount to deepen small‑ and mid‑cap coverage. Job postings show salaries between...
S&P Global Remains Negative on WPP
S&P Global reaffirmed its negative “BBB” rating on WPP, citing ongoing challenges such as stagnant organic revenue, weak profitability, and uncertainty around strategy execution. The rating agency projects a 2‑4% like‑for‑like net revenue decline for 2026, well below peers like...
CFOs On the Move: Week Ending March 13
A wave of chief financial officer changes swept across multiple industries this week, with Nissan naming George Leondis as its new CFO, Planet Fitness installing interim CFO Tom Fitzgerald, and Peloton appointing Saqib Baig as interim finance chief. Angi promoted...
Hong Kong to Expand 'Name and Shame' List to IPO Lawyers and Auditors
Hong Kong will broaden its name‑and‑shame regime to include IPO lawyers, auditors, consultants and SPAC promoters. Under the new Enhanced Return Mechanism, any professional party linked to a filing deemed “not substantially complete” will be publicly identified. The change comes...
Swire Pacific Raises HK$1.79bn, Keeps 45% Cathay Stake
Swire Pacific has sold 153,059,000 shares in Cathay Pacific, with the net proceeds expected to reach HK$1.789 billion. Swire will retain 45.12% ownership of the airline after the sale. HKEX filing: https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0313/2026031300119.pdf
Selina Hotels: When the Digital Nomad Dream Met Financial Reality
Selina Hotels rode a wave of digital‑nomad hype, launching via a $1.2 billion SPAC merger in 2022 and expanding to 163 destinations. The rapid rollout delivered only a 47% occupancy rate, while an asset‑light, lease‑heavy model inflated operating costs and debt....
Building Resilient Trading Frameworks in an Uncertain Market Era
Brian Ferdinand, Portfolio Manager at EverForward Trading, stresses structured frameworks to manage execution risk amid heightened market uncertainty. The firm’s system evaluates liquidity, volatility and cross‑market signals before authorizing exposure, embedding predefined risk parameters into every trade. This disciplined approach...
🌍 6,232 Subscribers Across 134 Countries
The newsletter announced that its subscriber base has grown to 6,232 members spanning 134 countries, with over 1,200 new sign‑ups in the past month. It promotes a disciplined Elliott Wave 2.0 framework that delivers more than 45 structured video updates...
The Clog in PE’s Exit Pipeline Is Getting Tougher to Clear
Private‑equity firms are finding it increasingly difficult to exit portfolio companies, even those acquired before the recent market froth. Elevated interest rates, a slowdown in IPO activity, and a thin strategic‑buyer pool have created a bottleneck in the exit pipeline....
Sebi Sets New Conditions for Intraday Borrowing by Mutual Funds From April 1
India's securities regulator SEBI introduced new rules governing intraday borrowing by mutual funds, effective April 1. The framework lifts the 20% net‑asset borrowing cap for intraday loans that are secured against same‑day receivables from the government, RBI, and clearing corporation, and...
Bank Pull‑backs Expose Private‑credit Risk Like 2008
The part that rhymes with 2006-2008 is that Banks were providing warehouse lines to Mortgage Co.'s who would then originate mortgages & Wall Street would buy them, repackage them (MBS/CDO's) & sell them to the world. When delinquencies spiked, the...
What Finance Teams Should Know About the World of Subrogation
Finance leaders are being urged to grasp subrogation, a legal practice where insurers recoup payouts from at‑fault parties, as an untapped lever to curb soaring health‑care costs. Intellivo, a pure‑play subrogation firm, showcased the potential by recovering up to 1%...
RBI Net Buys Record $6.2 Billion Debt to Shield Bonds From War Shockwaves
The Reserve Bank of India purchased a record 572.10 billion rupees (about $6.2 billion) of government bonds in the week ending 6 March, marking its third straight week of net buying. The purchases are part of a broader liquidity infusion strategy aimed at...
Press Release - Mortgage Loan
SAJA Real Estate SOCIMI announced the execution of a €200 million mortgage loan with a five‑year maturity and a fixed 3.2% interest rate. The financing is earmarked for strategic portfolio acquisitions and refinancing existing debt. By securing the loan, SAJA bolsters...
QTR & Adam Taggart: Private Credit, Valuations, Favorite Sectors
In a recent interview with Adam Taggart, the author warned that market optimism masks deepening fragilities, especially in private credit. He highlighted rising redemptions and gating in private credit funds as a precursor to a broader credit event. While equity...
Local Currency Checkout Boosts International SaaS Revenue 20‑40%
Worked with 60+ startups and a common repeated mistake that left a lot of money on the table: Charging international users in USD The data is pretty clear — local currency checkout increases international conversion by 20-40% SaaS founders can now do this...
Creator Launches Open-Source AI Hedge Fund for All
This guy made an AI Hedge Fund... Then open-sourced it for everyone to use. This is the story.
How M&A Can Supercharge Your Startup’s Success
The article argues that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can accelerate a startup’s growth more efficiently than an IPO, especially for deep‑tech and fast‑moving consumer sectors. It cites Korean examples—Stylenanda, Woowa Brothers, and Have & Be—each achieving multibillion‑dollar exits through strategic sales to...
DB Pension Endgame Options: Beyond the Buy-Out
UK defined benefit pension schemes are seeing a strategic shift as new regulations unlock roughly £260bn of surplus previously funneled to insurers in buy‑outs. The reforms let sponsors and members reclaim surplus, prompting interest in alternatives like captive insurance structures...
Departments’ Use of Banking-Style Anti-Fraud Checks Set for Review
HM Treasury announced a cross‑government review of how departments use the "confirmation of payee" (CoP) anti‑fraud check, a safeguard mandatory for banks offering Faster Payments and CHAPS. Introduced in 2020, CoP verifies recipient account details against a central register, yet...
ESMA Data Reveals ETF Settlement Failures Spiked on 2025 Liberation Day
ESMA data shows a sharp spike in ETF settlement failures in mid‑April 2025, coinciding with the U.S. “Liberation Day” market turbulence. At the height, fails represented over 50 % of the total value of ETF settlement instructions, far above rates in...
Capsol Technologies ASA - Approval and Publication of Prospectus and Launch of Subsequent Offering
Capsol Technologies ASA received Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority approval on 13 March 2026 for a prospectus covering a subsequent offering of up to 3.5 million new shares at NOK 5.20 per share. The offering follows a private placement that raised roughly NOK 45 million and is...
Germany’s Clarified Framework for Enforcement and Recoveries
Germany has issued a clarified enforcement framework that revises its auction rules for collateral sales. The updated regime accelerates liquidation timelines and introduces more transparent valuation criteria. It reshapes intercreditor hierarchies by granting senior lenders clearer priority and forces a...
Tikehau Capital: Disclosure of Shares Repurchases From 06 March 2026 to 12 March 2026
Tikehau Capital disclosed a week‑long share‑repurchase programme covering March 6‑12, 2026. The asset manager bought a total of 24,783 shares at an average weighted price of €16.64. Daily volumes varied, with the largest purchase of 5,110 shares on the Paris exchange (XPAR)...
The Blue Owl in The Coal Mine – Private Credit: The New Subprime?
Blue Owl, a $300 bn private‑credit manager, froze withdrawals from a retail fund and sold $1.4 bn of loans in February 2026, sending its shares down nearly 60% in a year. The episode highlights rapid growth of private credit to $3 tn, driven by...
Nexwell Power Secures Financing on 250MW Spanish PV Portfolio
Nexwell Power has closed a €167 million multi‑tranche financing to fund a 248 MW solar PV portfolio in Spain. The portfolio, acquired from Q Energy, comprises seven plants in Andalusia and Aragon, with several projects already mechanically complete and others slated for early‑2026...
CBN Mandates Liveness Checks and Device Limits to Fight Digital Banking Fraud
The Central Bank of Nigeria has issued a new regulatory framework requiring real‑time liveness verification and BVN/NIN validation for all account openings and reactivations. Mobile banking apps must be bound to a single device, with additional multi‑factor authentication for any...
StorageVault Announces Quarterly Dividend for Q1 2026
StorageVault Canada Inc. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.003006 per common share, payable on April 15, 2026 to shareholders of record as of March 31, 2026. The dividend is classified as an eligible dividend for Canadian income‑tax purposes. The company...
G-III Apparel Group Declares Quarterly Dividend
G-III Apparel Group's board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share, payable on March 30, 2026 to shareholders of record as of March 23. The announcement underscores the company's ongoing cash generation despite a portfolio heavily reliant on...
Coal India's Arm CMPDIL to Float IPO on March 20
Coal Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDIL), a subsidiary of state‑owned Coal India, will launch its initial public offering on March 20, with the issue closing on March 24. The IPO consists of an offer‑for‑sale of 10.71 crore shares by Coal India...
OPBAS Report Exposes Persistent AML Compliance Gaps
The Office for Professional Body Anti‑Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) released its 2024/25 assessment, noting modest progress in AML monitoring across UK legal and accountancy firms but highlighting persistent compliance gaps. HMRC issued 336 penalty notices between April and September 2025,...
MSTR Overvalued, STRC Cheapest—Buy IBIT Instead
Let me summarize my view on $MSTR The entire capital structure is rich to BTC. Except for the fact that the company will issue at par as much of $STRC as investors want to buy AND only issuance or BTC...
Public Record Undermines Lazy Valuation, Raises Premium Bid Stakes
New on $MAPS: I think the public record is now strong enough to reject lazy, tape-anchored valuation—and strong enough to make a future “premium” bid answer much harder questions than management might like. Linked below. 1/2 https://t.co/ApS7y2tctJ
Shanghai Stock Exchange Queries Zhenjiang New Energy Equipment’s US Subsidiary Sale
Zhenjiang New Energy Equipment Co. announced plans to sell its U.S. subsidiary, Zhenjiang New Energy (USA) Technology Corp., to India’s Zetwerk for $22.15 million. The Shanghai Stock Exchange has issued an inquiry, demanding clarification on asset quality, the buyer’s financial capacity,...
Cambricon Announces First Dividend After 2025 Profit
Cambricon to pay maiden dividend after turning profitable in 2025 The Shanghai-listed chip designer will distribute a cash dividend of 15 yuan for every 10 shares, its first since listing in 2020 https://t.co/c1zpgVUBl1 via @scmpnews
Master Your Metrics: Investor Trust Starts With Data Confidence
Founders, know your numbers inside and out. Be ready to answer detailed questions about your financials. Confidence in your data builds investor trust and shows you have a firm grasp on your business’s metrics.
Prescient China Lists First China-Focused Actively Managed ETF on the JSE
Prescient China has listed the PANDA Balanced Feeder Actively Managed ETF on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, marking the first China‑focused AMETF in South Africa. The fund offers investors exposure to a mix of mainland Chinese equities, bonds, cash and offshore...
AI Agents and Real‑Time Planning Drive FP&A 2026
🔮What is next for FP&A in 2026? From AI agents and explainable ML to integrated real-time planning and autonomous insights, our final FP&A Trends Webinar of 2025 covered 5 key trends for 2026 and beyond: https://t.co/S2cTWIhcUz #fpatrends #aiinfinance #digitaltransformation
China’s Credit Shows Surprise Growth as Firms Step Up Borrowing
China’s aggregate financing surged 2.4 trillion yuan in February, outpacing the Bloomberg‑survey median forecast of 2 trillion yuan. The People’s Bank of China reported that banks extended 900 billion yuan of new corporate loans, also beating expectations. The growth was driven by stronger...