Know What's Happening in Finance
Know What's Happening in Finance
Klarna secures $1.7B risk transfer and $2B funding facility to boost lending
Klarna unveiled a $2 billion forward‑flow facility with Elliott Investment Management that will back up to $17 billion of U.S. loan originations over the next three years. It also completed a €1.7 billion Significant Risk Transfer led by Värde Partners, freeing capital for broader lending.
Also developing:
The article argues that a messy cap table is rarely the true cause of a failed funding round; investors often use vague equity complaints as a polite rejection. Real cap‑table issues are solvable with time, money, and transparency, but they signal deeper governance concerns rather than mere percentage ratios. Founders who disclose problems early and explain remediation can rebuild trust and keep deals alive. Ultimately, investors will work around complex equity structures if they see strong fundamentals and motivated founders.
Cricut, Inc. posted a modest revenue decline of 3% in Q4 2025, with full‑year sales flat at $708.8 million, but highlighted a 22% rise in net income and a 26% jump in operating profit to $96 million. Platform revenue grew 5% year‑over‑year,...
Direct indexing, once a niche tool for the ultra‑wealthy, is now becoming a core component of portfolio construction thanks to advances in technology and lower operational costs. Continuous monitoring enables advisors to make incremental, tax‑loss harvesting adjustments throughout the year...
In this episode, host Pierre Rochard chats with Tyler Evans of Nakamoto about the evolution of Bitcoin media, conferences, and the launch of UTXO Management, culminating in the merger of these businesses under the publicly listed Nakamoto company. Evans explains...
The AICPA Auditing Standards Board released its 2026‑27 work plan alongside a five‑year strategic roadmap through 2030. Key initiatives include a fraud‑focused standards update slated for Q3 2026, a sustainability attestation framework, and new guidance on audit confirmations. The board...
Sale followed by a large capital return - Co selling its entire OpCo while returning 90% of the proceeds to shareholders - Distributions alone exceed the co's current mcap - Plus you get a RemainCo with meaningful net cash and a small growth...
Elon Musk promoted xAI's Grok as a tool that can ingest and process users' tax documents, promising faster refunds. Early adopters claim the AI helped increase a refund by $1,400, though Grok explicitly states it does not provide tax advice....
JLL arranged $35.6 million in acquisition financing for a 411,781‑square‑foot Chicago infill industrial seed portfolio comprising four shallow‑bay assets. The financing backs a newly formed joint venture between Matterhorn Venture Partners and TPG Angelo Gordon U.S. Real Estate, which has pledged...
Luxury cinema chain iPic Theaters has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, reporting a $20 million loss on $112.5 million revenue and assets between $10 million and $50 million. The filing follows a steep decline in ticket sales, heightened competition from streaming services, and lingering effects...
PayPal and TCS Blockchain have partnered to launch a blockchain‑based payment platform that uses PayPal USD (PYUSD) stablecoin to settle freight invoices. The solution promises same‑day, year‑round settlement and cost reductions of up to 90% compared with traditional invoice factoring....
The chief supply chain officer (CSCO) is transitioning from a traditional logistics and cost‑control role to an enterprise‑wide orchestrator, linking finance, technology, and marketing. This evolution, termed "Nexus Leadership," reflects the need for coordinated execution across the C‑suite in an...
Paychex’s Small Business Employment Watch shows hourly earnings at small firms rose 2.78% in February, staying below the 3% mark for the 16th straight month. Weekly hours worked slipped 0.24%, marking a negative trend for 58 of the past 60...
Billtrust announced the Agentic Credit Lines product, an AI‑driven credit risk tool embedded in its AR workflow. It leverages a proprietary network of 13 million buyers and 25 years of B2B payment data to analyze payment history, utilization patterns, and external credit...
Senator John Kennedy introduced the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Reform Act of 2026, aiming to shift the MSRB’s governance to a majority of regulated representatives and tighten SEC oversight. The proposal would replace the current Dodd‑Frank‑mandated public‑representative majority with a...
Astnex positions itself as a professional crypto‑trading hub, offering ultra‑fast order execution, a stable 24/7 platform, and access to more than 300 digital assets. The broker couples high leverage—up to 200:1—with built‑in risk‑management alerts and automatic margin calls. Users benefit...
Nevada's legislature approved a new CPA licensure pathway, effective Feb. 27, 2026. The regulation adds a third option—bachelor’s degree, two years experience, and passing the CPA exam. SB437 shifted licensing rules from statute to regulation, avoiding gubernatorial approval. The change aligns Nevada...
I maintain that @AskVenice is undervalued at current price. $DIEM at $645 is pricing in a 57% annual failure rate. The perpetuity model. A perpetuity is an asset that pays you a fixed amount forever… a bond that never matures. Government bonds,...
Central Retail Corporation Plc (CRC) posted a 6% drop in core profit to 7.43 billion baht for 2025, even as total revenue rose 4% to 253 billion baht. The fourth quarter showed a 17% profit increase to 2.73 billion baht, driven by strong...
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) released a 42‑page report warning that stablecoins have become the most frequently used virtual asset in illicit transactions, including sanctions evasion by Iran and North Korea. It cited data showing stablecoins accounted for 84%...
Automated bank account verification protects AP departments from payment fraud. Fraudsters now use AI‑generated emails and deep‑fake audio to hijack bank‑change requests, leading to costly losses. Real‑time verification confirms account ownership, status, and matches supplier data while creating an immutable...
Anthropic’s Claude suffered a widespread login outage early this week, while the API remained functional. The disruption arrived as Claude topped Apple’s App Store and the company amplified its "Claude for Financial Services" push, embedding the model in Excel, PowerPoint,...
Small business owners face heightened stress in Q1 as tax deadlines, post‑holiday cash flow tightness, and goal‑setting converge, often triggering financial imposter syndrome. The condition makes founders mistake bookkeeping gaps for a lack of business talent, leading to avoidance, over‑work,...
IDB Invest is extending up to $185 million in financing to Argentine renewable leader Genneia to develop four solar parks and a 40 MW battery storage system. The solar projects total 340 MW across Mendoza, San Juan and Buenos Aires provinces, while the battery will...
In the latest Net Interest Extra episode, sociologist Sarah Quinn discusses her book *American Bonds*, which argues that credit markets have been a foundational force in shaping the United States. Quinn traces how borrowing practices influenced industrial growth, urbanization, and...
Data analytics is reshaping risk assessment from a reactive practice into a predictive science across finance, insurance, healthcare, and transportation. Predictive modeling, machine‑learning, and real‑time dashboards now enable firms to forecast exposure, micro‑segment customers, and allocate capital with greater confidence....
The Treasury published accredited official statistics on GDP deflators and money GDP on 3 March 2026. The dataset provides historical deflator outturns from the 1955‑56 financial year through 2024‑25, sourced from ONS series L8GG (financial years) and MNF2 (calendar years). Money GDP...
Emerging market equities delivered a 33.6% return in 2025, the strongest since 2017, outpacing the MSCI World’s 21.1% gain. Analysts cite continued dollar weakness, lower valuations, and AI exposure as catalysts for further outperformance into 2026. Inflows are expected as...
Extracting capital from a fast growing eCom business is nearly impossible. But there's a sweet spot where it does make sense. I surveyed 200+ store owners to figure out where. Here's what I found: The magic growth range is 10-20% annual revenue growth. Half of...
Liberty Media’s 2025 earnings show Formula 1’s revenue climbing to $3.87 billion, a 14% increase, while operating income jumped 28% to $632 million. The franchise’s equity value rose to over $26 billion, delivering a 16% annualized return since the 2017 acquisition. Heading into the...
Insightsoftware unveiled Simba Intelligence, an AI analytics platform that delivers deterministic insights directly from live enterprise data. The solution supports cloud, on‑premises, and hybrid environments through a zero‑data‑movement architecture, eliminating the need for data replication. It embeds audit trails, enterprise...
Fund accountants in private‑equity and venture‑capital firms still spend a large portion of their day on manual data entry, according to Dynamo Software’s 2026 Frontline Insight Report. While 78% now view AI and automation as major future drivers—up from 61%...
Evergreen private equity funds are under increasing pressure to maintain rigorous, real‑time valuations. General partners’ internal marks now feed directly into faster net asset value (NAV) calculations, accelerating reporting cycles. These valuations are bound by heightened legal obligations, requiring strict...
Fitch Ratings upgraded Florida International University's issuer default rating to AA, up from AA‑minus, and raised its parking‑revenue bonds to AA‑minus from A‑plus. The agency affirmed the dormitory‑revenue refunding bonds at A‑plus, while maintaining stable outlooks across all ratings. FIU’s...
Food companies are increasingly turning to mergers and acquisitions to revive growth, pushing target valuations higher and making deals more expensive, Mondelēz International’s CEO warned. Mondelēz, which has completed about a dozen deals in the past decade, says reasonable pricing...
The 2025 bankruptcies of subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings and auto‑parts maker First Brands sparked heightened regulatory scrutiny of private credit, raising fears of systemic fraud. However, senior‑secured, first‑lien loans—backed by tangible collateral—remained largely insulated from the fallout, delivering strong...
When your DSCR doesn't hit the bank’s threshold (usually a ~1.25x DSCR), most people think banks don't give you any option but to lower the LTV But in reality, if you negotiate, you have 3 options: Option 1: Lower LTV Option 2: Schedule...
Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS) and the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois have opened applications for 2026‑2027 scholarships, offering up to $5,000 to eligible accounting students in the state. The program includes separate awards for upper‑level undergraduates and graduates, community‑college transfers,...
How much of your business do you want to sell? Should you pursue a minority, majority, or full sale transaction? Founders looking to exit or raise capital have to decide which is the best path to achieve your goals, both...
Accounting Today’s 2026 Fastest‑Growing Firms list shows private‑equity‑backed firms dominate, with 23 of the 26 top performers receiving PE investment or platform support. Overall, 41% of the firms posted double‑digit growth, while 42 firms grew more than 20% year‑over‑year. Alan & James...
As always, risk management is paramount. In a market under distribution, tightening stops and prioritizing capital preservation isn’t just prudent — it’s essential. When the tape refuses to reward low-risk setups and breakouts fail to follow through, discipline becomes your greatest...
@KariLake calls mass layoffs at Voice of America and its parent agency "streamlining" An official US gov't audit could not reach conclusions on agency's finances because it failed to provide even basic info - in part because staff had been so...
B&G Foods is set to report Q4 FY2025 results, showing a third straight year of revenue decline to an estimated $1.84 billion, down from $2.16 billion in FY2022. The company’s 15% dividend yield and over $2 billion of debt have drawn a consensus...
Paramount Skydance Debt Downgraded to Junk Status by Fitch Ratings Following Warner Bros. Discovery Deal https://t.co/bBiUN3grT5 via @variety
Allocators are funding a logical switch trade: Redeeming BCRED at NAV to buy $BXSL at an -11% discount to NAV. Look for this dynamic to occur between every other private credit fund with both a non-traded and listed BDC.
Botkeeper, a venture‑backed accounting automation platform, shut down in February after a rapid loss of its core client base. CEO Enrico Palmerino explained that 30‑40% of revenue came from just ten large accounting firms, and a wave of mergers among...
EuroCrowd warns that Germany’s investment crowdfunding market is only partially aligned with the European Crowdfunding Service Provider Regulation (ECSPR). The country continues to rely on the Vermögensanlagengesetz (VermAnlG) and subordinated‑loan structures, creating a parallel regulatory channel that sidesteps ECSPR. As...
Nidec Corp. warned it may record up to ¥250 billion ($1.6 billion) in impairment charges as a third‑party probe uncovered more than 1,000 accounting irregularities across its global subsidiaries. The scandal has triggered a wave of executive resignations, including the chairman, CFO...
Term premia should reflect the hedging qualities of government bonds. If we are going to keep getting negative supply shocks - which reduce equities and raise yields, creating a positive return correlation - term premia need to be a lot...
A slide from the $VITL December 2025 Investor Day, which ranked capital returns as their lowest investment priority; two months later, announced a $100 million repurchase authorization, which would require debt issuance. https://t.co/IAg2QWKbrE
Paramount’s $110 Billion Warner Bros. Deal Backed by Arab Sovereign Funds Raises Soft Power Concerns https://t.co/YAzJc52Fgq
