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:
Nurminen Logistics posted a solid 2025 despite weak macro conditions, growing net sales 4.4% to €109.4 million and delivering €18.3 million comparable EBITA. Rail became the engine of growth, with sales climbing to €78.2 million and representing 71.5% of group revenue after the Essinge Rail acquisition. The company improved its balance sheet, raising the equity ratio to 43.9% and cutting gearing to 14.2%, while operating profit fell to €14.6 million. Management is now targeting further expansion in continental Europe and Sweden through new rail routes and partnerships.
Wall Street experienced a sharp AI‑related sell‑off after Altruist unveiled its Hazel tax‑planning tool and a speculative Citrini Research report warned of a 2028 intelligence crisis. The panic erased roughly $300 billion in equity value, hitting major financial names such as...
Treasury teams are confronting a new era where AI, blockchain and tariff volatility are reshaping supply‑chain finance. A Citi Institute report finds 36% of large corporates now use AI in trade, with 72% seeking working‑capital gains and liquidity release. Tariff...
On January 23, 2026 China’s State Taxation Administration rolled out an update to the Golden Tax III Individual Income Tax Withholding System. The revision optimizes calculation rules, most notably the method for computing cumulative standard deductions on comprehensive income. Although the agency has...
KKR’s publicly traded credit vehicle, FS KKR Capital Corp, dropped 15% after reporting a surge in troubled loans and a cut to its dividend. The $13 billion portfolio, dominated by private‑equity‑backed mid‑market loans, is seeing rising defaults and mark‑to‑market losses, especially...
Cars24 India posted a 10% drop in gross revenue to Rs 6,233 crore for FY25, following a 25% growth surge in FY24. The decline was driven by an 11% fall in auction and retail sales, while net losses widened 9% to Rs 543 crore....
In this episode, host Jonas interviews uranium expert Brandon Munro about Bannerman Resources' landmark deal with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), which sees CNNC acquire a 43% stake in the Etango uranium project in Namibia. Munro explains the decade‑long journey,...
State‑owned Bank of Baroda announced a green infrastructure bond issue of up to ₹10,000 crore, with a base size of ₹5,000 crore and a green‑shoe option for an additional ₹5,000 crore. The seven‑year bonds will mature on March 5 2033 and are rated AAA with...
The Paris Commercial Court has approved the final relaunch of Fast Retailing France, the owner of Comptoir des Cotonniers and Princesse tam.tam, ending its insolvency proceedings. The company will operate a two‑brand model designed to generate greater synergy between the labels....
Payroll teams claim readiness for the UK’s Joint and Several Liability reforms, yet a Finity survey reveals significant gaps in data visibility and system capability. The new rules, effective April, give HMRC broader authority to hold multiple parties in labour...
Proximus unveiled two strategic roadmaps – Amplify for its Belgian domestic operations and Elevate for its global business – to drive network leadership, AI‑enabled efficiency and higher shareholder returns. The Amplify plan focuses on nationwide gigabit fiber, copper decommissioning and...
Ferns N Petals posted operating revenue of Rs 861.5 crore for FY 2025, a 22 % increase over the prior year, driven primarily by product sales. The company narrowed its net loss to Rs 22 crore, an 8.3 % reduction, though EBITDA and ROCE remained negative at -1.25 %...
Institutional investors are rebalancing portfolios toward quantitative and global macro hedge‑fund strategies as volatility, rate uncertainty, and geopolitical shocks return. The shift reflects a deeper focus on true diversification, liquidity, and defensive alpha rather than pure yield hunting. Modern quant...
Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services is confronting an $85.7 million projected budget deficit, prompting emergency cost‑saving measures that have slashed service referrals and delayed reunification efforts. Commissioner Candice Broce terminated underperforming contracts and imposed new approval steps, yet the...
The Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) has been upgraded to offer up to ₹20 crore guarantee per borrower, doubling the previous limit. The 2025 amendments introduce tiered coverage—85% for loans up to ₹10 crore and 75% beyond—while adjusting annual guarantee fees...
Figure Technology Solutions reported a 131% year‑over‑year surge in its Consumer Loan Marketplace, reaching $2.7 billion in Q4 2025. More than half of that volume, $1.5 billion, flowed through its newly launched Figure Connect platform, marking a rapid shift toward a capital‑light...
Joyce Group reported a 29% jump in net profit to $5.1 million for the first half of 2026, driven by an 11.2% revenue increase to $81.6 million. Normalised EBIT rose 21% to $14.8 million, with margins expanding from 16.6% to 18.2%. The KWB...
Harvey Norman reported half‑year 2026 sales exceeding $5 billion, a 6.9% increase driven largely by its franchise network. After‑tax profit rose 15.2% to $321.9 million as operating expenses fell to 17.8% of revenue. Australian franchisee sales grew 4.8% to $3.5 billion, now representing...
The tariff refund issue is fun to follow. But it doesn't matter much for the macroeconomy. Business investment determined more by cost of capital than cash availability. Keynesian multiplier very low on one-time transfers to businesses. And debt impact large...
With its index business now >50% of revenues, FnGuide is becoming a KOSPI market proxy on steroids. But I think the index AUM rising from KRW 14 trillion to 50 at 40%+ incremental margins is still underrated. I'm getting to...
The OCC’s comptroller, Jonathan Gould, indicated he will consider providing Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tim Scott with the unredacted bank charter application of World Liberty Financial, a Trump‑family‑linked DeFi firm. The application, submitted in January, seeks a national trust bank...
India’s listed coworking operators have turned a profit in Q3 FY26, signalling a shift from pre‑IPO scepticism to financial stability. WeWork India posted a ₹16.8 Cr PAT and 29% revenue growth, while Awfis and Smartworks reported 43% profit growth and a...
At the Goldman Sachs EMEA Head of Trading conference, FCA chief executive Nikhil Rathi outlined a sweeping reform agenda aimed at cementing the UK’s position as a global wholesale‑finance hub. He highlighted recent regulatory wins – from tighter market‑abuse enforcement...
The UK government is extending the Making Tax Digital (MTD) programme to home‑based childminders, eliminating the flat‑rate wear‑and‑tear allowance and requiring itemised expense claims. Ministers have pledged to monitor the impact, noting that only childminders earning over £50,000 will be...
Terra Metals secured an $85 million institutional placement at A$0.37 per share, with Washington H. Soul Pattinson acting as cornerstone investor. The capital boost targets the Southwest prospect, where recent drilling revealed a world‑class platinum‑group‑metal sulphide system within the broader Dante project. Assays...
China's PBOC will cut the foreign‑exchange risk reserve ratio for forward FX sales from 20% to 0% starting March 2, 2026. The move aims to ease hedging costs, curb excessive yuan appreciation, and signal a shift from emergency policy tools....
BlackRock TCP Capital Corp (TCPC) reported Q2 2025 results showing nonaccruals fell to 3.7% of portfolio fair value, down from 4.4% in the prior quarter, while net asset value slipped due to markdowns on restructured assets. The $1.8 billion portfolio stayed...
Calumet Specialty Products Partners reported Q4 2019 adjusted EBITDA of $49.9 million and full‑year adjusted EBITDA of $262.8 million, driven by a 24% rise in specialty segment earnings to $207.9 million. The company reduced debt by $391 million, bringing leverage down to 4.0 times EBITDA...
AVITA Medical reported Q4 2025 revenue of $17.6 million and full‑year revenue of $71.6 million, marking 11% growth year‑over‑year. Gross margin slipped to 82.1% for the year, driven by inventory reserves and a higher mix of CoHiliX and PermeDerm. Operating...
Carter's Inc. reported flat Q3 net sales of $758 million but saw adjusted operating income plunge to $39 million as tariffs pushed effective duty rates into the high‑30% range, adding $200‑250 million of pre‑mitigation costs. The company announced a strategic rightsizing plan that...
Gogoro Inc. reported a record adjusted EBITDA of $59.9 million for 2025, driven by sharp margin expansion and a three‑fold rise in operating cash flow. Revenue fell 9.4% to $281.5 million as hardware sales softened, while battery‑swapping revenue grew 8.1% to $149 million...
MPLX reported Q4 2025 adjusted EBITDA of $1.8 billion, a 2% year‑over‑year increase, and a full‑year adjusted EBITDA exceeding $7 billion, reflecting a 6.7% three‑year CAGR. The company raised its quarterly distribution by 12.5%, returning $4.4 billion to unitholders in 2025. A $2.4 billion...
Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) lifted its five‑year regulated capital spending plan by $1.5 billion, targeting $22.5‑$25.5 billion through 2030. The company also raised its adjusted earnings growth outlook to 6‑8% from the prior 5‑7% range. The additional capex is aimed at...
99.7% to target on CM this month. Great growth teams are committed to a hierarchy of metrics. Every month is going to involve different trade offs to reach your goal. But great forecasting and execution requires being clear on the...
TransUnion projects moderate credit growth for 2026, with mortgage originations rising 4.0% and unsecured personal loans expanding 11.2%. Credit‑card originations are slated for a modest 2.0% increase, while auto‑loan originations may dip 1.5%. The outlook emphasizes disciplined underwriting supported by...
State Farm posted a $1.5 billion underwriting gain for its property‑casualty segment in 2025, reversing a $6 billion loss in 2024 and over $10 billion losses in the two preceding years. The turnaround was driven by a near‑$5 billion auto underwriting profit, with earned...
Lucas Zettle, after a five‑year rise at Webtrends, returned to Aldrich as CFO, leveraging long‑standing relationships built during his early career. He emphasizes that finance teams should prioritize process and clear SOPs before deploying new technology. Zettle tracks days‑to‑close and...
The fact that Gold has gone up so much, that's only accelerated through all financial products that we've designed. However, holding Gold at this point isn't the right bet for most asset managers. The Sharpe Ratio is way worse. The flipside: the...
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported that the IRS mistakenly issued $447.8 million in Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) payments to 300,843 ineligible taxpayers, many of whom were non‑resident aliens or received duplicate advances. The erroneous disbursements represent roughly 25 %...
The American Institute of CPAs has formally asked the Treasury and IRS for detailed guidance on reporting requirements introduced by the H.R. 1 legislation. The request centers on Section 68’s limitation on itemized deductions for high‑income individuals, estates and trusts, and on...
AI can be leveraged to automate and enhance internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR) and SOX compliance, especially through agentic AI that creates documentation, scans evidence, and tests controls. However, compliance officers must ensure that AI testing validates control design,...
Block, the fintech firm behind Cash App, Square and Afterpay, announced a 40% workforce reduction, cutting roughly 4,000 jobs and shrinking headcount from 10,000 to just over 6,000. CEO Jack Dorsey said the move is driven by rapid advances in...
Private equity firms are increasingly targeting the fragmented accounting and consulting sector, where tens of thousands of CPA practices present a ripe consolidation landscape. Investors aim to roll up these firms into national platforms that can leverage scale, technology, and...
ProcessUnity’s State of Third‑Party Risk Assessments 2026, conducted with the Ponemon Institute, surveyed 1,465 risk leaders and found a stark disconnect between confidence in TPRM programs and actual breach outcomes. Respondents report an average of 12 third‑party breaches per year...
Capgemini released a whitepaper outlining perpetual KYC, a shift from periodic, manual reviews to near‑real‑time, event‑driven monitoring. Early adopters report 20‑40% fewer false positives, 40‑60% faster onboarding, and 50‑70% reduction in case backlogs. The proposed pKYC triad blends data modernization,...
Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D‑NV) and Todd Young (R‑IN) introduced the Municipal Investment and Neighborhood Transformation (MINT) Act, restoring a 2008 authority that lets Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) members issue tax‑exempt bonds for community‑development projects. The bill expands the...
Here’s the most impressive thing about Claude for Excel: It’s intuition on how to structure a model and build input levers at exactly right level, and outputs in the right format is very impressive. Better than a typical analyst. That means not only...
Big quarter for figure: - 50% marketplace → they've become a fintech platform, not a lender - 19% first lien → they've entered a market 32x larger than their original one (HELOCs are $400 billion Market. 1st lien mortgages are $13...
Netflix declines to match Paramount offer for WBD: We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.’ iconic brands, and that our deal would have strengthened the entertainment industry and preserved and created more production jobs in the U.S.
Top 5 companies buying crypto for their balance sheets by unrealized losses — according to CryptoRank The usual record holders remain the same: #MSTR MicroStrategy - the world’s largest corporate buyer of #BTC #BMNR BitMine - the world’s largest corporate buyer of #ETH...
