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

Frazier Healthcare-Backed RevSpring Acquires Healthcare Tech Firm TrustCommerce
RevSpring, a revenue‑cycle management platform backed by Frazier Healthcare, announced the acquisition of healthcare‑technology firm TrustCommerce. The deal was sourced from Waud Capital Partners, which acted as the seller. TrustCommerce brings a robust payment‑processing suite that complements RevSpring's existing billing and patient‑engagement tools. The transaction underscores RevSpring's push to offer a fully integrated, end‑to‑end revenue solution for providers.
CPI Card Group CFO Exits
CPI Card Group announced that CFO Jeffrey Hochstadt will leave the role on Feb. 13, with senior vice president Terra Grantham stepping in as interim CFO. The transition occurs just weeks before the company’s Q4 and full‑year earnings release scheduled for...
Sebi Chief Tuhin Kanta Pandey Flags Big PMS Overhaul, to Examine New RBI Funding Rules
Sebi chair Tuhin Kanta Pandey announced a sweeping review of portfolio‑management‑services (PMS) regulations, citing the sector’s Rs 10.5 lakh‑crore asset base and 17% CAGR growth. The draft overhaul will prioritize investor suitability, governance, and technology, with a public consultation slated before the...

Greg Prata Promoted to Chief Financial Officer at Sony Music Publishing, as Tom Kelly Retires After 35-Year Career
Sony Music Publishing announced Greg Prata as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective March 31, succeeding Tom Kelly who is retiring after a 35‑year career. Prata, who joined Sony in 2012 after a stint at EMI and has a background in...
Stanley Druckenmiller Just Exited Sandisk Stock. Should You Buy SNDK After Its Blowout Earnings?
Stanley Druckenmiller’s Duquesne Family Office disclosed a 13F filing that shows it exited Sandisk (SNDK) just before the memory‑chip maker posted a blockbuster earnings beat. Sandisk’s fiscal Q2 2026 revenue jumped 61% YoY to $3.03 billion, while GAAP EPS surged 615%...

POS Malaysia Teeters on Insolvency After Nine Years Loss
POS Malaysia “Survival Before Recovery”. •Another Net loss RM209m FY25 •9 tahun berturut rugi. It’s a structural earnings problem, reflecting business model under sustained pressure. •Accum losses driven reserves to deeply negative ~RM1 bil •Net Asset per share only 11sen. Balance sheet now thinly...

3 Big Dividend Stocks Just Raised Payouts—Here’s Who’s Leading in 2026
NextEra Energy, Prologis, and Restaurant Brands International announced dividend increases in February 2026, keeping yields above 2.5%. NextEra boosted its quarterly payout 10% to $0.62, targeting 6% annual dividend growth through 2028, while its regulated utility and renewable segments support...
Building a Financial Backbone for Mixed-Application Enterprises with Unit4
Unit4’s Financials by Coda introduces a single, multidimensional financial modeling structure that consolidates entities, currencies, accounting standards, and tax regimes into one global ledger. The platform extends this core through cloud deployment and a low‑code Extension Kit, enabling seamless integration...

Evercore Taps Adams Street Partners for New APAC Secondaries Head
Evercore has appointed a senior executive from Adams Street Partners to lead its Asia‑Pacific secondary market advisory team. The move comes after the departure of Shane Gong, who had headed the APAC private‑capital advisory practice until January 2025. Adams Street...

Trump Pegs New Tariffs to a Payments Crisis Experts Doubt
President Donald Trump invoked Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act to impose a 15% tariff on a broad range of imports, framing it as a response to a purported balance‑of‑payments crisis. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the duties as a...

The New Frontier of Stablecoin Reporting
The Genius Act, the first U.S. federal framework for payment stablecoins, imposes strict issuer eligibility, dual federal‑state oversight, one‑to‑one reserve backing, and monthly reporting verified by accountants. The AICPA responded with a March 2025 presentation and disclosure framework, recently updated to...

BDO Adds Most New SEC Clients in Q4
BDO USA secured the most new SEC audit clients in Q4 2025, largely thanks to its November 2025 acquisition of Mississippi‑based Horne. Nine of the Top 10 Firm’s ten new engagements originated from Horne, propelling BDO ahead of peers. CBIZ followed...

Saks Saved with 1 Billion Dollar Emergency Loan
Saks Global secured a $1 billion emergency loan, part of a $1.75 billion financing package approved by a Houston court. The package also refinances existing debt and aims to stabilize the retailer's supply chain. Supplier approval was secured, allowing the deal to...
Nebius Price Target Lifted to $232 on $5.4B ARR Outlook
Nebius Group $NBIS price tgt raised to $232 at Northland Conservatively raising CY26 ending ARR estimate to $5.4B from $4B on strong 4Q25 incremental ARR and low end of CY26 capex plans. While we are not changing our...

Market Reaction Scores Reveal Earnings Surprises
Plenty of sites give you an earnings calendar. Others give you an AI TLDR of the release. The team at @StockMktTV focuses on what actually matters: how markets react. The Daily Beat breaks down expectations vs reality using a proprietary...
Breitling Valuation Slashed as CVC and Partners Group Reassess Strategy
Swiss watchmaker Breitling’s valuation has been slashed by up to half from 2023 levels as private‑equity owners CVC and Partners Group reassess strategy amid weaker demand, aggressive store expansion, and US tariffs. CVC now values its remaining 20% stake at...
Arcellx to Be Acquired for $115 Cash per Share
Merger Monday….ACLX (Arcellx ) being bght for $115 cash per shr +CVR worth as much as$5

Zim Takeover Raises Questions for Transpac Shippers – and MSC
Hapag‑Lloyd’s pending acquisition of Zim will reshape the Asia‑US east‑coast trade, especially the five vessel‑sharing services currently run with MSC. The carrier can either keep Zim’s premium, time‑sensitive strings separate or fold them into the Gemini alliance, each option raising...

European ETF Market Wrap: Flows, Performance and Leaders | Week 8, 2026
European equity ETFs recorded a record €7.69 billion net inflow during the week of 16‑20 February, dwarfing all other asset classes. Materials and Industrials led sector inflows, while Financials suffered the largest outflow at €382 million. Geographic flows were dominated by Developed Markets,...
Gilead Shows Belief in Its Partner’s Cancer Treatment with $7.8 Billion Buyout
Gilead Sciences agreed to acquire the remaining shares of Arcellx for an equity value of $7.8 billion, paying $115 per share—a 79.4% premium to the prior close. The deal secures full rights to Arcellx’s BCMA‑directed CAR‑T therapy anito‑cel, which is in...
Fazer Looks to M&A After “Record” 2025 Sales
Finland's Fazer Group reported record €1.19 bn sales in 2025, up from €1.18 bn, despite a 2.5% dip in comparable EBITDA to €137.8 m. CEO Christoph Vitzthum signaled openness to M&A to reinforce growth, especially after strong confectionery performance and easing cocoa prices....

Embed FP&A Early to Drive Decision Enablement
FP&A creates real impact when embedded early — not after decisions are already taking shape. Jagan Kallaganti (Questas Group) discusses FP&A’s shift from stewardship to decision enablement and why many teams remain credible, but not truly influential: https://t.co/jaR4Oo66Wk https://t.co/4eeRpVrUe1
Global Buyout Firms Face Exit Challenges in China
Major private‑equity firms such as KKR, Blackstone and CVC reported no publicly disclosed full exits from mainland Chinese portfolio companies in 2025. The exit drought reflects strained liquidity, higher interest rates and depressed valuations that have throttled deal activity. While...
Meet ASKB: A First Look at the Future of the Bloomberg Terminal in the Age of Agentic AI
Bloomberg unveiled ASKB, a conversational AI interface now in beta on the Bloomberg Terminal, aiming to accelerate investment research. The agentic system taps Bloomberg’s massive data, news, and research libraries, delivering answers with transparent source attribution and even the underlying...
Bharti Airtel Shares to Be in Focus After ₹20,000 Crore Capital Infusion in NBFC Arm Airtel Money
Bharti Airtel announced a ₹20,000 crore capital infusion into its non‑banking financial company arm, Airtel Money, to accelerate its digital finance push. The funding is expected to expand the company’s payments, credit and savings offerings across its telecom customer base. Following...
Comment Letter on Nasdaq’s Proposed Additional Initial Listing Criteria for Companies Primarily Operating in China
The Council of Institutional Investors (CII) submitted a comment letter backing Nasdaq’s proposed rule that adds initial listing criteria for Chinese micro‑cap companies, including a $25 million minimum proceeds requirement. CII applauds the effort to curb abnormal trading in the smallest...
Comment Letter on Nasdaq’s Proposed Additional Initial Listing Criteria for Companies Primarily Operating in China
The Council of Institutional Investors (CII) submitted a comment letter supporting Nasdaq’s proposed rule that adds an initial listing requirement of at least $25 million in proceeds for companies primarily operating in China. While endorsing the rule’s aim to curb abnormal...
Financial Services Roundup: Market Talk
Malaysia’s banking sector is poised for further gains despite a recent rally, according to AmInvestment Bank analyst Paul Yap. He cites continued buying from local and foreign investors and relatively attractive valuations versus Singapore peers as key drivers. The note...
Why February Is a Financial Reality Check for Startups
February often becomes the first reality check for startups as revenue lags behind optimistic pipelines and cash outflows intensify. UK SMEs face a £22 billion funding gap, with loan approval rates dropping below 50 % and late‑payment‑driven closures around 14,000 annually. The...
Avoid the Trap of Golden Handcuffs After You Sell
In this episode, Jacob Oros interviews serial entrepreneur James Gardner about his experience selling a manufacturing business and staying on as part of the acquiring company—a situation he describes as "golden handcuffs." Gardner shares how the post‑sale transition felt restrictive,...
Reliance, Misplaced: Restoring the Text of the Antifraud Provisions of the Federal Securities Laws in SEC Enforcement Actions
The SEC enforces the broad antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws as powerful tools, often proceeding without showing that investors relied on deceptive statements. Historically, the Commission has treated reliance as irrelevant, a stance rooted in a 1949 dicta...
Back to Basics: 14 Risk Oversight Rules You Know (But May Be Ignoring)
Jim DeLoach’s article revisits 14 timeless risk‑oversight principles, urging leaders to refresh them with today’s digital capabilities. He stresses that avoiding risk is itself a risk, and that AI, machine learning, and real‑time data can dramatically improve early‑warning systems. The...
Hedge Funds Retreat to Cash as Bitcoin Trading Turns Defensive
Crypto hedge funds are dramatically cutting exposure as Bitcoin steadies in a narrow mid‑$60,000 range, a full 50% drop from its October peak. The market’s steepest single‑day fall in four years triggered a wave of liquidations, prompting managers to prioritize...
What Are Internal Controls in Accounting?
Internal controls are a cornerstone of financial governance, blending preventive measures that stop fraud and cyber threats with detective mechanisms that flag anomalies after they occur. Finance leaders, especially those overseeing IT, must balance these controls to match their organization’s...

Policy Paper: Charter for Budget Responsibility: Autumn 2025
The UK government published an updated Charter for Budget Responsibility (Autumn 2025) on 26 January 2026, with a final version laid in Parliament on 23 February 2026. The revision makes small technical changes to operationalise the Budget 2025 pledge for an annual fiscal‑rules assessment, dovetailing with...

SEC Quietly Eases Capital Rules for Stablecoins
The SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets issued guidance allowing broker‑dealers to apply a 2% haircut to proprietary holdings of payment stablecoins when calculating net capital. Previously many firms used a 100% haircut, effectively excluding stablecoins from regulatory capital. By...

New German Firm to Offer ETF White Labelling
Chartered Investment, a German fintech, received BaFin approval to operate a regulated fund platform and launched Opus PRIME, a white‑label service for active and thematic ETFs. The subsidiary will also support tokenised fund units, leveraging AI and blockchain to streamline...
Converts: PIPE and Pre-IPO Considerations
A recent Cleary memo highlights a surge in convertible‑note issuances driven by the AI boom, with private‑placement (PIPE) and pre‑IPO converts adopting highly customized terms. Features now include governance and consent rights, guarantees, financial covenants, prepayment provisions, anti‑dilution ratchets, equity...
Stocks Sell Off as Traders Wake up to the Realization that Trump Has ‘Highly Punitive’ Options for New Trade Tariffs
Stocks in Asia and Europe fell as investors digested the U.S. Supreme Court’s tariff ruling and President Trump’s threat of new 10‑15 percent duties. Goldman Sachs’ Risk Appetite Indicator slipped, and gold jumped 1.81 % toward a record high. While the S&P 500...

Debt Restructuring Is Senegal’s Best Bet
Senegal’s public debt has surged to roughly 132% of GDP, placing the country in a severe fiscal bind. With limited access to cheap financing, the government faces a stark choice between costly debt service and a structured debt‑restructuring process. Analysts...

RemotePass Launches SpendCards to Eliminate Reimbursement Chaos for Global Teams
RemotePass, a global HR and payroll platform, introduced SpendCards, corporate cards tailored for distributed workforces in over 150 countries. The solution gives finance teams instant visibility, automated limits, real‑time categorization and eliminates cross‑border reimbursement tax liabilities. Employees can spend without...
The EBA Publishes Follow-Up Report on ICT Risk Assessment Under the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process
The European Banking Authority released a follow‑up to its 2022 peer‑review on ICT risk assessment under the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). The report finds that competent authorities have markedly strengthened ICT risk supervision, largely due to the Digital...
Mencía Bobo: From Financier To Trusted Trade Advisor
Santander has rolled out Invensa, an inventory‑finance solution that lets the bank hold physical stock for clients, easing balance‑sheet constraints amid volatile supply chains. The bank also introduced Navigator Global, a platform that blends financing with market intelligence to act...
For some CFOs, AI-Driven Productivity Feels Like AI-Risk Exposure
Artificial intelligence has moved from pilot projects to core finance processes, speeding close cycles, automating reconciliations, and refreshing dashboards in real time. This acceleration creates a mismatch: traditional governance operates on periodic reviews while financial activity now unfolds continuously. CFOs...
Is Inventory Processing Time Slowing Your Brand’s Growth?
Small and mid‑size brands are losing cash flow when inventory induction time— the period between arrival at a fulfillment center and being sale‑ready—gets stretched. Delays lock capital, force costly expedited freight, and can miss seasonal demand, squeezing margins. A hybrid...
Why Banks Are Struggling to Deliver ROI on AI Investments
Major banks have invested billions in generative AI, yet a MIT study shows 95% see no measurable return. Isolated task‑level gains have not translated into enterprise‑wide efficiency, leaving boards and CFOs uneasy. The root causes are the sequencing problem—guessing which...
The Business Case for Dash Cams: Prioritizing ROI in a Precarious Fiscal Climate
Municipal fleets face tighter budgets as city revenues dip and confidence in meeting future fiscal needs wanes, prompting officials to scrutinize new technology spend. New research from Wakefield for Samsara shows dash cams delivering rapid ROI, with 96% of agencies...

LIS.V Merger Arb Cuts Spread From 19% to 3%
$LIS.V merger arb worked out just as expected. Despite vocal retail opposition, shareholder approval passed easily. The spread narrowed from 19% to 3% in exactly two months following the post on SSI. https://t.co/UWBmq2fWGx
Prime Capital Eyes Lower Target for Debut Infra Debt Fund – Exclusive
Prime Capital, a European infrastructure‑debt specialist, announced it will lower the fundraising target for its debut infra‑debt fund. The manager also extended the fundraising window by roughly six months to tap renewed investor appetite for infrastructure assets. The revised target...

InsideArbitrage Event Driven Monitor – February 23, 2026
The InsideArbitrage Event Driven Monitor reports several key regulatory and corporate developments on February 23, 2026. Paramount Pictures cleared the 10‑day HSR waiting period and secured German approval for its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, while the FTC terminated...