Today's Finance Pulse
Autodesk to acquire MaintainX for $3.6B, expanding into operations software
Autodesk announced a $3.6 billion purchase of MaintainX, a leader in operational‑phase software for the built environment. The deal extends Autodesk’s portfolio from design and manufacturing into ongoing building operation, creating an end‑to‑end data loop. CEO Andrew Anagnost said the acquisition unlocks a $40 billion total addressable market.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Pemberton Asset Management closes $3.7B fourth vintage fund
The Evolving Nature of Direct Secondaries Valuations
Direct secondaries are emerging as a leading exit strategy for private‑equity portfolios, prompting a reassessment of how these assets are valued. Subu Parmeswaran of Valuation Research Corporation highlights that traditional static models no longer capture the nuanced risk‑adjusted returns of these transactions. The market now demands dynamic cash‑flow projections, market‑based comparables, and greater transparency. As secondary activity accelerates, both general partners and limited partners must adapt to more sophisticated valuation frameworks.
Tariffs Spike Costs, Crashing DTC ROAS
Your ad account looks fine: - ROAS is holding - CPMs are manageable - Conversions are flowing But your spreadsheet is screaming. As of February 2026, the average US tariff rate sits at 17% on all imports. For DTC brands...
2026 Investment Banker Salary and Bonus Report: To the Senior Bankers Go the Spoils
The 2025‑2026 compensation update shows investment banking pay diverging by seniority. While total compensation rose modestly for analysts (≈5%) and associates (≈5‑10%), vice presidents and directors saw 10‑15% gains and managing directors enjoyed over 25% increases, often exceeding $1 million. Deal...
IMF Expects Godongwana to Maintain Budget Surplus Target of 1.5% of GDP
The IMF’s South Africa mission chief expects Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to keep the primary budget surplus at 1.5% of GDP and to embed the necessary fiscal reforms in the 2026 budget. The Fund highlighted controlling the public‑sector wage bill,...
Cannabis Refinancings Signal Imminent Rescheduling and Rally
The largest multi state cannabis companies have announced meaningful refinancings (with relatively good terms - interest rates and maturities) over the last two weeks - presaging, in our view, a much anticipated and favorable rescheduling decision by the Administration. The "refinancing...
Meridiam Seals €2.2bn for Fund Extending Exposure to Long-Hold European Infra Assets
Meridiam has closed its latest infrastructure fund with €2.2 billion of commitments, extending its exposure to long‑hold European assets. The capital raise reached final close this week, adding to the firm’s growing pool of long‑term infrastructure capital. The new vehicle will...
Podcast: Rethinking Industrial Equipment Sales: Inside Corbel’s AI-Driven Approach
Corbel, a next‑generation CPQ platform, is using generative AI to overhaul industrial equipment sales. The system mines unstructured data—PDFs, videos, sales transcripts—to deliver instant technical answers and embeds financing options directly into the buying flow. By keeping human sales reps...
What Brought Down Botkeeper?
Botkeeper announced its shutdown in early February, blaming a "perfect storm" of macro‑economic shifts and unexpected industry consolidation. Experts say rapid mergers among large CPA firms dramatically shrank Botkeeper's addressable market, exposing the weakness of its flat‑rate subscription model. The...
The Rising Tide of AI-Washing Cases in Securities Fraud Litigation
Public companies are increasingly inflating AI capabilities to attract investors, a practice dubbed AI‑washing that has sparked a surge in securities fraud litigation. Recent cases such as Opendoor and Upstart illustrate how exaggerated AI claims led to false statements, stock...
ETF Inflows Hit $304B, Doubling Record Pace
ETF inflows up to $304b YTD, which is DOUBLE the all-time record pace from last year. $VOO at $30b, also ahead of its record pace by 6b while Vanguard as whole is already at $100b, a $3b/day pace, and double...
Govt to Divest up to 4% Stake in IRFC via OFS Starting Wednesday, Sets Floor Price at Rs 104 per...
The Ministry of Railways has launched an offer‑for‑sale (OFS) to off‑load up to 4 % of Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) equity, equivalent to 26.13 crore shares, with a green‑shoe option for an additional equal tranche. The floor price is fixed at...
Brookfield-Backed Rockpoint Gas Storage Closes C$459 Million Secondary Offering
Brookfield-backed Rockpoint Gas Storage completed a secondary offering, selling 16.4 million shares at C$28 per share. The transaction generated approximately C$459 million in gross proceeds, including shares issued under an over‑allotment option. The capital raise bolsters the company’s balance sheet and funds...
Navigating the Shift in Professional Services with AI
AI agents from vendors like Anthropic are automating tasks traditionally performed by entry‑level consultants in finance, law and other professional services. Kantata’s chief product officer Sarah Edwards explains that the industry is moving from a head‑count‑driven pyramid to an upside‑down...
26North’s Josh Harris: Retail Capital Presents ‘Recipe for Problems’
At the PEI Group’s NEXUS 2026 conference, 26North veteran Josh Harris warned that blending unaccredited retail investors with traditional wealth capital in private‑market vehicles creates a regulatory mismatch. He argued that differing oversight levels could spark investor backlash and damage the...
Schaeffler India Announces Rs 35/Share Dividend. Check Payment Date, Dividend Yield
Schaeffler India announced a Rs 35 per share dividend for FY 25, payable within 30 days of its AGM on 30 April 2026. The company posted a 36% jump in Q4 net profit to Rs 322 crore and revenue rose 28% YoY to Rs 2,724 crore. Profit after...
Sylvania Posts Healthy Financials on the Back of Higher Production, Prices
Sylvania Platinum posted a 110% year‑on‑year jump in net revenue to $99.8 million for the six months to 31 December, driven by a 25% rise in 4E PGM production and a 55% increase in basket prices. Adjusted EBITDA surged 414% to $51 million...
Yen Crashes as Dollar Rallies, Markets Brace for Volatility
🚨 Trump State of Union Tonight. The Yen Is Collapsing. Pay Attention Dollar surging across the board Yen crashed 1% overnight as Japan's PM fights the BOJ on rate hikes Dow broke below the 50 SMA for the first time this year -...
Is Your ETF Habit Hiding a Systemic Risk?
Passive and thematic ETFs are funneling large inflows into market‑cap‑weighted indices, disproportionately boosting the biggest and most volatile stocks and creating a systemic risk that may outpace liquidity. In Canada, strategist Michael Green warns that this distortion decouples prices from...
Exclusive: IPO-Bound Infra.Market To Raise ₹1,250 Cr Debt Funding
Infra.Market, the Indian B2B construction‑materials platform, is raising ₹1,250 crore (≈$137 million) in debt from Singapore‑based Ascertis Credit. The loan will be secured by the company’s assets, promoter shares and stakes in its subsidiaries such as RDC Concrete and Neptune Readymix. Proceeds...
Chinese Banks Pivot From US Treasuries to Diversified Reserves
Last week, we published a report titled “How Is China Rewiring Its Trillion-Dollar Surplus?” in response to media reports that Chinese authorities have urged banks to curb their exposure to the US Treasury market. This regulatory signal is highly investment-relevant,...
PBO’s Migration Analysis Doesn’t Add Up
The Australian newspaper cited the Parliamentary Budget Office’s (PBO) budget tool to challenge One Nation’s proposal to cap visas at 130,000 annually and achieve net‑zero immigration. The PBO‑based analysis estimates a $100 billion loss in federal revenue over the next decade,...
Canton Advances Cross-Border Repo to Free up $300 Trillion Assets via Tokenization
A consortium of leading financial institutions executed the first cross‑border, intraday repurchase agreement using tokenized U.K. government bonds on the Canton Network. The trade featured the inaugural cross‑currency swap of tokenized gilts for tokenized deposits, with smart contracts encoding interest...
The IPO Buzz: Medtronic’s MiniMed (MMED Proposed) Sets Terms for $742 Million IPO
Medtronic’s MiniMed spin‑off has filed its IPO prospectus, proposing to sell 28 million shares at $25‑$28 each to raise roughly $742 million, valuing the company at about $7.44 billion. The NASDAQ listing will be led by Goldman Sachs, BofA Securities, Citigroup and Morgan...
SFO Names New Chief Financial Officer
San Francisco International Airport announced Ronda Chu as its new chief financial officer. Chu will manage the airport’s operating budget, fiscal programmes, and revenue‑enhancement initiatives while overseeing finance, accounting, risk‑management, and procurement services. She brings more than 25 years of...
Citizens’ CIO on the Ethos that Led the Bank Into the Cloud and Beyond
Citizens Bank’s Chief Information Officer Michael Ruttledge outlines how the institution’s "Next Gen Technology" initiative has driven a full migration of its legacy mainframe workloads to public cloud platforms Azure and AWS. Since joining in 2019, Ruttledge has overseen a...
‘No Project Above 100MW Is Fully Merchant’: Bankability in Focus as Energy Storage Summit 2026 Kicks Off
The opening panel at the Energy Storage Summit 2026 focused on making large‑scale battery energy storage systems bankable. Speakers highlighted that roughly 80% of UK BESS capacity is underwritten by tolls or floor contracts, and no project above 100 MW operates fully...
ESMA Reminds Firms of Their Obligations Under CFD Product Intervention Measures Amid Rising Offerings of Perpetual Futures
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) issued a reminder that firms must verify whether newly offered perpetual futures and similar derivatives fall within the scope of existing CFD product‑intervention measures. The regulator highlights that many of these instruments, including...
Retired Vice Admiral William Hilarides Finds Calling as PE Backs Defense Industry
Retired Vice Admiral William Hilarides has taken a senior role at Ventus Industrial, a private‑equity‑backed firm targeting the defense industrial base. He says his mission is to accelerate shipbuilding capacity and help portfolio companies produce at the pace the Navy...
Tax Treatment of the Pass-Through Business Sector: A Primer
The U.S. pass‑through business sector—partnerships, S corporations and sole proprietorships—now employs most private‑sector workers and accounts for roughly half of business income. Its growth stems from long‑standing tax advantages, especially the Section 199A deduction that lowers effective rates compared with C...
Malatsi Throws Weight Behind Dell’s EEIP Application
Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has recommended approval of Dell Technologies' Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) renewal, extending the commitment for another ten years and pledging over R230 million into South Africa. The EEIP framework allows multinationals to meet B‑BEE targets through...
NPTN by LMS Joins Bank of England Synchronisation Lab to Tackle Remortgage Friction
LMS, through its NPTN network, has entered the Bank of England’s Synchronisation Lab to pilot a synchronized settlement model for remortgages. The eight‑week test will run in a simulated Real‑Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) environment, splitting payments into earmark and settle...
CCEA Enhances Equity Investment Limit for Powergrid Subsidiaries to ₹7,500 Crore
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved raising Powergrid's equity investment ceiling from ₹5,000 crore to ₹7,500 crore per subsidiary, while keeping the 15 percent net‑worth cap. The change enables the Maharatna CPSE to fund larger transmission projects, including UHVAC and HVDC corridors,...
Home Depot Sees Fiscal 2025 Sales Surpassing $164 Billion US
Home Depot reported fiscal 2025 sales of $164.7 billion, a 3.2% increase over the prior year, driven by modest comparable sales growth. Fourth‑quarter sales slipped 3.8% to $38.2 billion, reflecting a shorter reporting period and lingering consumer uncertainty. Net earnings fell slightly...
GIVA’s Loss Widens 23% To ₹72 Cr In FY25, Revenue Jumps 90%
GIVA, the Bengaluru‑based D2C jewellery startup, posted FY25 revenue of ₹518 Cr, an 89% jump from the prior year, while its consolidated net loss widened 23% to ₹72.3 Cr. The surge was driven by rapid offline store expansion, higher material costs and...
Permissibility Is the Real Prize for Banks in Crypto Bill
The U.S. market‑structure bill’s permissibility section would formally allow banks and their holding companies to own and transact in digital assets, effectively expanding the range of activities deemed permissible under the National Bank Act. Critics argue that simply placing an...
Buffers for Greater China, US Exposures ‘More than Adequate’ as Bad-Debt Formation Slows in Q4: UOB
UOB's CFO Leong Yung Chee said the bank's provisions for commercial‑real‑estate exposures in Greater China and the United States are more than adequate as bad‑debt formation slowed in Q4 2025. Problematic US CRE loans represent about 1% of the local...
Automated, Insightful, and Connected: The Future of Finance with Hari Sankar, SVP of Applications Development at Oracle
In this episode, Oracle SVP Hari Sankar discusses how finance is evolving toward automation, AI‑driven predictive insights, and seamless connectivity. He explains that finance has been slower to adopt new tech due to its high standards for accuracy, governance, and...
Water Infra in Vogue as Ambienta’s NDA Makes Add-On; Hg Seeks AI Adoption at Portcos via New Initiative
Water infrastructure is emerging as a hot‑spot for private‑equity investment, driven by stable cash flows and climate‑related demand. Ambienta has signed a non‑disclosure agreement to pursue an add‑on acquisition in the sector, signaling confidence in further consolidation. Meanwhile, Hg announced...
BlackRock Silently Powers Governments, Markets, and Wall Street
The U.S. Government can’t operate without it. Global economy can’t function without it. And Wall Street can’t trade without it. Yet most people have no idea what BlackRock actually does. Here’s how BlackRock built a $10 trillion empire that quietly controls everything:
Boomers Command 45% Spending, 74% Wealth—Shaping Markets
Americans 55 & older now control: 45% of consumer spending 74% of the wealth What does this mean for the next generation, the housing market or the stock market? Some thoughts: https://t.co/tnQSK0khDB https://t.co/7BBPkFGnml
World Bank Enables $1.41 Billion in Funding for Middle Corridor and KTZ
The World Bank’s Board approved an $846 million IBRD guarantee, mobilising $1.41 billion in private financing for Kazakhstan’s Middle Corridor and rail operator KTZ. The funding will finance a 322.3 km Moyynty‑Kyzylzhar line, tariff reforms and institutional support, including IPO preparation. The project...
Federal Deficit Swells to Historic 8% of GDP
US Federal Budget Deficit as a % of GDP... 1950s: -0.4% 1960s: -0.7% 1970s: -1.9% 1980s: -3.8% 1990s: -2.1% 2000s: -2.3% 2010s: -4.8% 2020s: -8.3% https://t.co/W7GwqCkcBx
SPAC IPO of $
I hadn't realized that $OWL came public via SPAC. It's now right back to its original price. Turns out it was all priced in. EMH undefeated https://t.co/Q6eyG9hYLM
Secondaries Investor Full-Year 2025 CV Deal Log
Secondaries Investor’s 2024 deal log shows 85 continuation vehicles closed, while an additional 40 vehicles are either launching or under review. Continuation vehicles, which allow private‑equity funds to extend ownership of select assets, remain a dominant tool for managing liquidity....
Market Fueled by Doomers and Boomers, Says Nomura
Charlie McElligott at Nomura says that the market is being driven by 'Doomers and Boomers' https://t.co/PbuzHGo8VF
Small Businesses Need Corporate‑style Risk Safeguards
Corporate Risk Practices Are Not Applied to Small Business. Large institutions protect cash flow with layered security—collateral, personal guarantees, and cash flow analysis. Most entrepreneurs don’t think this way. The Business Fortress: https://t.co/cgIOurdGHq https://t.co/t6gGZlE72H
Democrats Counter Trump's Proposal to Limit Institutional Housing Investors
Democratic senators led by Elizabeth Warren introduced a bill that strips tax deductions and mortgage‑interest benefits from corporations owning more than 50 single‑family rental homes, while the Trump administration issued a memo banning institutional investors with over 100 such homes...
BSTR Poised to Hold 51k BTC, Near #2 Spot
BSTR could buy up to 21,000 additional coins at these prices when they de-SPAC. They’d then have a total of 51,000 BTC, not far from the #2 slot after Strategy. They’d also have the lowest cost basis of all big...
India Lowers Dividend Taxes, Revises France Treaty Amid US Tariffs
#IndiaWatch 🇮🇳: While the US builds tariff walls, India opens doors. India has just revised its tax treaty with France and lowered dividend taxes for investors. https://t.co/CWxHPKVvRY