Kandou AI Raises $225M in Series A Funding
Swiss fabless startup Kandou AI secured a $225 million Series A round led by Maverick Silicon, with SoftBank, Synopsys, Cadence and Alchip participating. The funding will accelerate production of its Copper MIMO (chord signaling) chips that aim to double data‑rate capacity while slashing power and cost. Kandou claims its analog‑centric design can deliver up to 12× cost reduction, 10× reach improvement and three‑fold power savings for AI‑focused data‑center interconnects. The company has already shipped over 20 million units and opened a new design center in Hyderabad to meet growing demand.
Oil Surge Widens Provincial Divide as Deficits and Debt Climb, BMO’s Kavcic Warns
Canada’s provinces face a combined fiscal deficit of roughly $34.5 bn USD (1.4% of GDP) in 2026/27, even as higher oil prices lift revenue prospects for Alberta and Saskatchewan by about $14.8 bn USD. The oil‑driven boost could push those provinces back...
3 Financial Strategies for Young Farmers
Jordan Howe outlines three core financial tactics for young growers: making strategic land decisions that balance ownership versus rental, managing cash flow through disciplined working‑capital practices and selective financing, and cultivating strong credit relationships. He highlights a 40% rise in...
CFOs Dig in as Geopolitical Strains Drag on - Weekly Roundup: 7 April
CFOs are tightening risk management as geopolitical instability tops their threat list, yet 90% still anticipate industry growth and plan higher investment in capital, R&D and marketing. Two‑thirds are bolstering cash buffers and shifting focus to short‑term performance metrics, while...
STOREBRAND ASA: Status Share Buyback Program
Storebrand ASA disclosed progress on its share‑buyback programme, launched on 11 February 2026 and slated to close on 3 July 2026. Between 30 March and 1 April 2026 the insurer repurchased 2.56 million shares at an average price of NOK 174.39 (approximately $19.20) per share, spending roughly NOK 446 million ($49 million)....
ING Has Terminated Sale Agreement for Its Russian Business
ING announced it has terminated the previously agreed sale of its Russian subsidiary, ING Bank (Eurasia) JSC, to Global Development JSC because the buyer is unlikely to secure required regulatory approvals. The Dutch bank reaffirmed its intention to fully exit...
OSLO BØRS - STATUS COMPANIES PLACED IN RECOVERY BOX AND PENALTY BENCH
Oslo Børs announced that four issuers are now listed in its Recovery Box, a compartment for securities with uncertain pricing. Hynion AS, PCI Biotech Holding ASA, and River Tech p.l.c. were placed there on 7 Jan, 30 Jan and 20 Mar 2026 respectively....
Share Buyback Programme
Titan S.A., the Belgian cement producer listed on Euronext Brussels, announced a new share buyback programme on 7 April 2026. The initiative authorises the repurchase of up to €150 million (approximately $162 million) of its own shares over the next twelve months, to be...
TextMagic Group’s Sales Results for Q1 2026
TextMagic reported a 5% year‑over‑year decline in Q1 2026 unaudited revenue to €3.332 million (≈$3.7 million), driven by adverse USD and GBP exchange rates. Adjusted for constant currency, revenue would have risen 2% to €3.587 million. Despite lower revenue, SMS volume grew 11% to...
Weekly Progress on Share Repurchase Program to Cover Share Plans and Reduce Capital
Swiss‑Dutch nutrition and beauty group dsm‑firmenich has accelerated its share repurchase program, buying back €540 million of ordinary shares, including €40 million for share‑based compensation and €500 million to shrink issued capital. Between March 30 and April 2, the company repurchased 310,000 shares at an...
India Plans Sovereign Guarantees on Loans to Businesses Hit by Iran War, Sources Say
India will issue sovereign credit guarantees for up to $26.7 bn in loans to firms hurt by the Iran‑Israel conflict, targeting especially small and medium‑size enterprises. The program, modeled on pandemic‑era guarantees, will run for four years and cost the treasury...
Unpacking Saks Global’s Post-Bankruptcy Plan
Saks Global secured $500 million in post‑bankruptcy financing and aims to emerge from Chapter 11 by summer, backed by a total of $1.75 billion in court‑approved funding to stabilize vendor relationships. The luxury group’s leaner store footprint signals a shift toward a more...
How Balanced-Budget Requirements Fall Short
Balanced‑budget requirements in U.S. states typically enforce a single‑year fiscal equilibrium, but they ignore longer‑term obligations such as pensions, Medicaid and infrastructure. Illinois’ 2017 budget met the constitutional balance rule while hiding $15 billion in unpaid bills, and Wisconsin showed a...
Japan 30-Year Bond Sale Sees Tepid Demand Ahead of Iran Deadline
Japan’s latest auction of 30‑year government bonds recorded a bid‑to‑cover ratio of 3.12, the lowest level since June and below the 12‑month average of 3.36. Investor demand softened as market participants remained wary of escalating tensions in the Middle East,...
Pop Mart’s Strong Results Fail to Answer “Next Labubu” Question
Pop Mart reported 2025 revenue of $5.4 billion, up 184.7% YoY, with overseas markets contributing over 40% of sales. The Labubu franchise drove $2.7 billion, 38% of total revenue, and propelled plush sales 560% higher than expectations. Despite the strong top line,...
Emerging Managers Serve up Stakes
Emerging private‑equity managers are increasingly offering ownership stakes in their firms to secure anchor limited‑partner commitments. By selling a minority GP stake, new GPs provide investors with direct exposure to management fees and carried interest. Anchor investors, in turn, gain...
M&A Reshapes the GP Stakes Galaxy
The private‑equity GP‑stakes market is undergoing rapid consolidation, reshaping the landscape for both investors and fund managers. Larger platforms are acquiring smaller specialists, creating a more concentrated set of players with deeper capital pools. This wave of M&A intensifies competition...
Stakers Tap New Sources of Capital
The GP‑stakes market is entering a maturation phase as a broader range of limited partners seek exposure to private‑equity management economics. Institutional investors such as sovereign wealth funds, pension schemes and family offices are moving beyond traditional private‑equity funds, adding...
How-To Guide to Planning Your Next AP Automation Project
The guide outlines a step‑by‑step methodology for finance leaders to launch an accounts‑payable (AP) automation project, emphasizing strategic alignment with broader business goals. It recommends a phased rollout—starting with invoice capture and validation before adding approval workflows and payment automation—to...
Plansee Group Increases Stake in Molymet
Plansee Group has raised its ownership in Molymet to a 31 percent stake, cementing its position as the largest single shareholder in the world’s leading molybdenum and rhenium processor. The move underscores Plansee’s strategy to secure a stable, independent supply...
Kura Sushi USA Inc (KRUS) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Kura Sushi USA reported Q1 2026 total sales of $73.5 million, a 13% year‑over‑year increase, while comparable restaurant sales slipped 2.5%. A 3.5% menu price hike took effect in November, but tariff‑driven food and beverage costs rose to 29.9% of sales,...
Taishin Securities to Be Fourth-Largest Following Merger
Taishin Securities merged with MasterLink Securities, boosting its market share to 5.13% and catapulting it from 16th to the fourth‑largest broker in Taiwan. The combined firm will operate 55 offices with a workforce of 2,763 employees. The merger also lifted...
Heidelberg Materials North America Completes BURNCO Acquisition
Heidelberg Materials North America has finalized the purchase of BURNCO’s Edmonton, Alberta assets, adding a cement plant and aggregate operations to its portfolio. The deal expands Heidelberg’s footprint in Western Canada, boosting regional production capacity and diversifying its product mix....
Aehr Test Systems (AEHR) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Aehr Test Systems reported Q3 fiscal 2026 revenue of $9.9 million, a 27% YoY decline, as WaferPak shipments fell and the product mix shifted away from higher‑margin items. Bookings slipped to $6.2 million, but post‑quarter orders lifted the effective backlog to $18.3 million,...
Phoenix Education Partners Inc (PXED) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Phoenix Education Partners reported Q1 2026 results with revenue of $262 million, up 2.9% year‑over‑year, driven by a 4.1% rise in total degree enrollment to 85,600 students. Employer‑affiliated (B2B) enrollment grew to roughly 34% of the student base, lifting adjusted EBITDA...
Levi Strauss & Co (LEVI) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Levi Strauss reported 7% organic net revenue growth for fiscal 2025, driven by strong direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) expansion and diversification beyond denim. DTC now accounts for roughly half of sales, growing 11% year‑over‑year and delivering notable margin improvement. Non‑denim categories, especially...
Treasurise Awards 2026: Showcasing the Best Institutions in MENA and South Asia- #CapitalMarkets #Finance #Treasury #Finance
In 2025 treasury leaders across South Asia and MENA shifted from back‑office reporting to real‑time, AI‑enabled command centres, tackling volatility, supply‑chain strain and regulatory change. They embraced sustainable finance, exemplified by Standard Chartered’s green trade‑finance bond for Envision Energy India...
Balancing-SRT-Regulatory-Safeguards-and-Market-Innovation-Part-Two
The second part of the Capital Relief Trades primer examines how recent regulatory adjustments are reshaping the Structured Receivable Transaction (SRT) market. It highlights an 18% year‑over‑year increase in European SRT issuance during Q1 2026, driven by more flexible reporting...
Greenbrier Companies Inc (GBX) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Flux Power Holdings reported its first profitable quarter, posting net income of $600,000 ($0.03 per share) and a 34.7% gross margin, up from 28.6% a quarter earlier. Revenue rose sequentially to $14.1 million but remained below the $16.8 million year‑ago level, while...
Skillsoft Corp (SKIL) Q4 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Skillsoft reported Q4 2026 revenue of $129 million, a 6% year‑over‑year decline, primarily due to a 17.6% drop in its Global Knowledge (GK) segment, which accounted for 73% of the revenue shortfall. The Talent Development Solutions (TDS) business showed resilience, posting...
Ninety One Eyes Launch of Global EM Infrastructure Debt Strategy Targeting up to $1bn
Ninety One, the manager behind PIDG’s Emerging Africa and Asia Infrastructure Fund, plans to launch a global emerging‑markets infrastructure debt strategy targeting up to $1 billion. The fund will focus on senior secured loans for power, transport and social‑sector projects across...
Office Eyes B40bn via Infrastructure Funds
Thailand’s state‑owned enterprises are set to raise more than 40 billion baht (about $1.1 billion) through newly created infrastructure funds, a move championed by the finance ministry to ease the country’s public‑debt burden. The State Enterprise Policy Office aims to launch around...
Rapid AI Evolution Collides with Sophisticated Scams
Thailand’s financial sector is moving into a "Banking 5.0" era where generative AI shifts from experiment to core infrastructure, accelerating automation, fraud detection and personalized services. Regulators, led by the Bank of Thailand, are deploying AI‑based supervision to shift oversight from...
Bureau Veritas Acquires Lotusworks
Bureau Veritas announced a €375 million agreement to acquire Lotusworks, a specialist in commissioning and quality assurance for mission‑critical assets. Lotusworks, based in Ireland, generated €131 million in 2025 revenue and serves semiconductor manufacturers and data‑center owners across the U.S. and Europe....
Designing an AI-Ready Accounting Function
Gartner’s Finance Symposium 2026 outlines five imperatives for building an AI‑ready accounting function. It calls for shifting from periodic, manual tasks to continuous, machine‑driven processes that enable faster, more accurate reporting. The firm stresses that by 2030, 90% of finance...
Weaver Acquires SaaS Provider
Weaver, ranked No. 29 on Accounting Today’s 2026 Top 100 Firms, announced the acquisition of Mass Ingenuity, a Portland‑based SaaS provider, effective April 1. The deal brings Mass Ingenuity’s enterprise performance management platform and related IP into Weaver’s consulting portfolio, serving both public...
Morningstar DBRS Assigns a Final Credit Rating of BBB, Stable Trend on Bell Canada's Senior Unsecured Debt Issuance
Morningstar DBRS assigned a final BBB rating with a Stable trend to Bell Canada’s C$750 million (≈US$555 million) senior unsecured MTN debentures, 4.40% due 2033. The notes are fully guaranteed by BCE Inc., which also carries a BBB‑low rating. Proceeds will be used...
Wells Fargo & Company: Credit Rating Report
DBRS, Inc. released a comprehensive credit rating report on March 27, 2026, confirming Wells Fargo & Company’s long‑term issuer rating at AA (low) and its short‑term rating at R‑1 (middle). The agency also affirmed AA (low) ratings for the bank’s senior debt, market‑linked...
Munis Keep Firming, Long-Term USTs See Small Gains
Municipal bonds continued to firm, posting modest spot gains and extending a week‑plus rally, while long‑term U.S. Treasuries edged higher. The yield curve fell each day last week, prompting strong dealer inquiries, especially in the 10‑ to 15‑year segment hit...
Former ADM CFO Denies SEC’s Accounting Fraud Allegations
Archer‑Daniels‑Midland (ADM) settled SEC charges in January, paying a $40 million civil penalty for inflating its nutrition segment performance. The SEC’s complaint alleges former CFO Vikram Luthar directed retroactive intersegment sales adjustments to shift profit and meet fiscal‑2021/2022 targets. In a...
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MUNICIPAL SERVICE CHARGES: City of Cape Town Hid Its Budget Details in 39 Annexures
Cape Town’s 2026/27 draft budget, a $4.6 billion plan spread across 39 annexes, promises a record $2.1 billion infrastructure spend while touting modest rate relief. In reality, the residential rate‑in‑the‑rand formula drops 10.2%, yet rising property valuations push total rate revenue up 7% (about $50 million)....
IRS Offers Guidance on Nominating Opportunity Zone Tracts
The IRS and Treasury have issued Revenue Procedure 2026‑12 outlining how states, territories and the District of Columbia can nominate census tracts as Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs) under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The legislation makes the opportunity‑zone program permanent and adds specific...
Goldman Sachs Lends $80 Million Refinance
Goldman Sachs has issued an $80 million, five‑year, fixed‑rate, interest‑only mortgage to refinance the Del Rey Campus, a 162,031‑square‑foot creative office complex in Marina del Rey. The loan, arranged by Sonnenblick‑Eichner, targets a premium Silicon Beach asset anchored by tenants such as the World...
Paradies Lagardère Taps Andrews As CFO
Paradies Lagardère announced the appointment of Will Andrews as its chief financial officer. Andrews, a former senior vice president at ed‑tech firm Risepoint, also held senior finance roles at The Home Depot and spent time in investment banking. He will...
Year After Year, the Same Financial Weaknesses Keep Showing up in the Government’s Books
The Government Accountability Office released its FY 2024‑25 audit and again could not issue an opinion on the federal government’s consolidated financial statements, leaving $7.3 trillion of costs deemed unreliable. Persistent material weaknesses stem from the Department of Defense’s financial management, inter‑agency...
Fitch Upgrades Vedanta Resources to BB-, Outlook Stable
Fitch Ratings upgraded Vedanta Resources to BB‑ from B+, marking its highest bond rating in a decade. The agency cited expectations of higher commodity prices, increased volumes, and lower operating costs as catalysts for stronger earnings before interest, tax, depreciation...
Understanding Risk Appetite
Risk appetite represents the amount of risk a firm is willing to accept in pursuit of value, and it is formalized through a Risk Appetite Statement or a comprehensive Risk Appetite Framework. The board typically sets limits on high‑risk customers,...
Morningstar DBRS Assigns AAA Credit Rating to RBC Global Covered Bonds, Series CB105
Morningstar DBRS has assigned a AAA rating to RBC’s Series CB105 covered bonds, a $750 million issuance maturing in April 2029 with a 4.139 % coupon. The bonds are backed by a diversified pool of Canadian residential mortgages valued at roughly $119.3 billion CAD...
The Digital Financial Crime or Manipulation of Financial Information Indicators
Digital financial crime leverages technology to alter or conceal financial data, exposing firms to material misstatements and regulatory scrutiny. Auditors now face a growing checklist of red flags, from untimely transaction entries to unexplained credit adjustments and missing original documents....
2025 Income Tax Returns Are Due Next Week. Get All the Details on Tax Deadlines
The IRS began accepting 2025 tax returns on Jan. 26, with the federal filing deadline set for April 15. Taxpayers can obtain a six‑month extension by filing Form 4868 by that date, moving the final filing date to Oct. 15 while still needing to...