Why Finance’s New KPI Is Decision Speed
Finance is evolving from a score‑keeping function to a decision‑speed engine, with CFOs now seen as "Chief Future Officers" who must turn uncertainty into actionable insight. Slow, rigid forecasting and budgeting cycles are the primary bottleneck, turning forecasts into historical artefacts before they are used. Fragmented systems hinder a single source of truth, while AI only delivers value when data quality and processes are solid. Leaders are reskilling teams to focus on analysis, judgment, and strategic support rather than routine transactions.
Transitioning Annaly Capital And Its Undervalued Tax-Benefitted Preferred 'I' Shares
Annaly Capital is moving beyond its traditional agency mortgage REIT model, adding residential credit assets and mortgage‑servicing rights. The transition has left its common stock overvalued, trading above book value and showing a history of dividend cuts. In contrast, the...
Boosting Business Growth: Why Credit Health Is Essential for New Ventures
Credit health is a critical engine for new ventures, influencing borrowing costs, access to capital, and supplier relationships. A strong business credit score unlocks lower interest rates, longer payment terms, and emergency financing, while poor credit forces reliance on personal...
India’s Market Regulator SEBI Eases Settlement Guarantee Fund Norms for Commodity Exchanges
SEBI has introduced a new clause that eases settlement guarantee fund (SGF) norms for commodity exchanges by allowing adjustments based on prevailing market conditions. The regulator can now grant case‑by‑case exemptions after deliberation, aiming to reduce capital burdens while preserving...
More HVAC Service Providers and Component Makers Are on the Block
Private equity firms are actively targeting HVAC service providers and component manufacturers as deal flow intensifies. Scaled residential HVAC platforms are commanding valuations of 16‑19 times EBITDA, while commercial HVAC transactions span a broader 10‑17 times EBITDA range. The disparity...
SMC Core Profit Soars to P79.6 Billion in 2025
San Miguel Corp (SMC) posted a 52% jump in core net income to P79.6 billion in 2025, driving total reported earnings to P94.7 billion. Revenue reached P1.5 trillion, buoyed by strong performance in food, spirits and infrastructure while power assets were de‑consolidated. San...
Kudwa Lands $1.1 Million Funding to Scale Its AI Finance Manager Platform
Kudwa, a UAE‑USA fintech SaaS, secured $1.1 million in a round led by 1818 Venture Capital, F6 Ventures, Sparked VC, IM Fndg and IVP. The AI‑powered finance manager automates reporting, forecasting, and insights, linking to ERP and accounting systems. The capital...
Bank of America Increases Hyperscaler Issuance Forecast to $175 Billion
Bank of America raised its 2026 forecast for investment‑grade debt sales to hyperscalers by 25%, now projecting $175 billion in total issuance. The bank still expects $65 billion of new hyperscaler bonds to be issued this year. The revision follows Amazon’s $54 billion...
AI Credit Boom Brings New Risks for Bond Investors
AI-driven data‑center spending is flooding bond markets with unprecedented infrastructure debt, exemplified by the $27 billion Beignet Investor joint venture between Meta and Blue Owl. T. Rowe Price warns that many of these bonds are concentrated in a handful of hyperscaler tenants, creating...
Musk Courts Bankers and Lenders to Teach Grok Finance
Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI is recruiting Wall Street bankers, portfolio managers, traders and credit analysts to train its Grok chatbot on complex financial products such as leveraged loan syndications and CLOs. The move follows job postings that describe data‑annotation...
FonQ Group Has Filed for a Stay of Payments
The Dutch FonQ Group, owner of the fonQ and Naduvi home‑decor brands, has filed a court request for a stay of payments. The company, which began a turnaround in mid‑2025 under a new board, says it lacks sufficient cash to...
Hexcel Appoints James Coogan as New Chief Financial Officer
Hexcel announced that James (Jamie) Coogan will assume the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer on May 1, 2026, reporting to CEO Tom Gentile. Coogan brings more than two decades of finance, accounting, and investor‑relations experience, most recently as...
Fintechs Push 36% State Rate Caps
Fintech firms are urging state legislatures to adopt a uniform 36% interest‑rate cap on consumer loans, echoing the long‑standing ceiling used by traditional credit‑card issuers. The American Fintech Council, representing buy‑now‑pay‑later and earned‑wage‑access companies, is actively lobbying in states such...
Townsquare Media Reports 2025 Q4 Revenue Down 9.6%
Townsquare Media posted Q4 2025 net revenue of $106.5 million, a 9.6% decline from the same quarter a year earlier, and recorded a $4.8 million net loss after earning $25 million in Q4 2024. Segment results showed a 14.8% drop in total digital...
One of BAM’s Fidus Re Financial Guarantee ILS Gets Ratings Revised to Positive by KBRA
Build America Mutual Assurance Company (BAM) saw Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) upgrade the outlook on its Fidus Re Series 2022-1 financial guarantee ILS to Positive, while reaffirming AA+ on the 2021-1 series and AA on the 2022-1 and 2025-1...
John Risley’s CFFI Ventures Moves $1.4-billion Debt Restructuring to Federal Court After Creditor Pushback
John Risley’s CFFI Ventures Inc. has moved its $1.4 billion debt restructuring into federal court under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act after creditors rebuffed a provincial plan that would hand assets to its largest lender, HPS Investment Partners. The Nova Scotia...
MTN Initiates Share Buyback Programme
MTN Group announced a R6 billion share‑buyback programme targeting 1.7 %‑2 % of its equity over the next three years. The initiative is part of an enhanced shareholder remuneration framework that also guarantees a minimum 40 % free‑cash‑flow dividend, with a potential additional 20 %...
Stress Test on SRTs Could Help Shed Light on Risks, BIS Says
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) recommends that synthetic risk transfers (SRTs) be incorporated into system‑wide stress tests to expose hidden vulnerabilities. SRT usage has expanded fivefold since 2016, covering roughly €800 billion of loan portfolios and delivering about 43 basis...
Ortec Finance Launches a New Standard in Strategic Asset Allocation Powered by Scenario-Based Machine Learning
Ortec Finance has launched GLASS PRISM, a strategic asset allocation (SAA) optimizer that leverages its Scenario‑Based Machine Learning (SBML) engine. The tool replaces static, mean‑variance models with a forward‑looking, multi‑scenario framework that can handle non‑linear, multi‑period objectives and constraints. Designed for...
The $25K-a-Day Question: How to Decide Which Capex Projects to Fund Now
Packaging firms face a flood of urgent capital requests driven by EPR penalties, tariff spikes and automation needs. The article proposes a three‑step framework: first, separate mandatory compliance projects from discretionary growth initiatives; second, evaluate discretionary projects with a consistent...
Sagar Cements to Sell 7.24% Stake in Andhra Cements via Offer for Sale
Sagar Cements announced an Offer For Sale to divest approximately 66.76 lakh shares, representing a 7.24% stake in its subsidiary Andhra Cements. The transaction is designed to satisfy the Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) requirement mandated for listed entities. The shares will...
SEBI to Review MFD-IA Framework to Remove Overlap in Roles
India’s securities regulator SEBI announced a review of the mutual fund distributor (MFD) and investment adviser (IA) regulatory framework to eliminate role overlap. A working group will examine the current rules, while SEBI prepares a common advertisement code and a...
Nigerian Fintech Duplo Gets Licenced for E-Invoicing and Tax Transmission
Duplo, a Nigerian B2B payments platform, secured Systems Integrator and Access Point Provider licences from the Nigeria Revenue Service. The dual licences let the company generate NRS‑compliant e‑invoices, transmit them automatically, and settle payments within its platform. Nigeria’s digital tax...
Why Insurance No Longer Matches the Risk on Your Clients’ Balance Sheets
After two years of steep premium hikes, 2026 saw modest price relief in some commercial lines, but insurers simultaneously raised deductibles, tightened definitions, and expanded exclusions. The result is a disconnect: premiums appear stable while the amount of loss companies...
Ola Electric To Raise ₹2,000 Cr By Selling Stake In Ola Cell Technologies: Report
Ola Electric plans to raise up to ₹2,000 Cr by selling a minority stake in its battery arm, Ola Cell Technologies. The fundraise targets sovereign wealth funds and global infrastructure investors, with Avendus Capital and Motilal Oswal advising. The move follows...
The Meeting of CAS and AI
CohnReznick’s advisory arm is piloting generative AI tools such as Copilot and ChatGPT to automate routine CAS tasks, including documentation, email handling, and journal‑entry processing. The firm, now over 100 CAS professionals across 30 U.S. offices and offshore centers, is...
Side Letter: Valuation Vaguery
Private equity firms are increasingly relying on side‑letter provisions that contain vague valuation language, raising concerns over transparency and LP‑GP alignment. The practice could hinder the industry’s push toward broader investor participation, often termed the "democratisation" of private equity. Meanwhile,...
State Farm Sets up Another Merna Re Structure in Bermuda, Likely for Future Cat Bonds
State Farm has registered a new Bermuda special‑purpose insurer, Merna Re Enterprise II Ltd., likely to support upcoming catastrophe‑bond issuances. The move follows a decade‑long strategy of using Merna Re entities, which have funded $3 billion of cat‑bond protection and a...
Nidec Looks to Determine Execs’ Liability in Accounting Scandal: Trial Balance
Japanese motor maker Nidec has formed an Executive Responsibility Investigation Committee to assess legal liability for current and former directors, auditors and executives tied to a massive accounting scandal. The misconduct, spanning fiscal 2020 through Q1 2025, is expected to...
US Finance Chiefs Are Ready Enough to Deal with Today’s Risks, Study Says
A Kyriba survey of 1,400 finance chiefs across eight developed economies placed U.S. CFOs in the "measured" confidence bracket, scoring an average of 100.93. This sits above the global average of 93.3 but below the higher tiers of "assured" and...
How a Tax Attorney Dayton Ohio Protects 1099 Workers From IRS Audits
Independent contractors filing 1099 forms face audit rates significantly higher than traditional employees, according to IRS data. The IRS’s Discriminant Function System flags returns with high write‑offs, inconsistent reporting, or questionable expenses, prompting deeper scrutiny. A tax attorney in Dayton,...
How Organizations Can Reduce Accounts Payable Costs
Organizations can slash accounts payable (AP) expenses by tightening process clarity, reinforcing controls, and standardizing invoice handling. APQC data shows top performers spend only $0.38 per $1,000 of revenue, versus $0.92 for laggards, translating into potential savings of over $500,000...
Universal Logistics Q4 Profit Plunges as Intermodal Losses Deepen
Universal Logistics Holdings reported a sharp decline in Q4 2025 results, with operating revenue falling to $385.4 million, a 17% year‑over‑year drop, and net income plunging to $3.7 million, or 14 cents per share. The intermodal segment was the biggest drag, seeing revenue...
Swap Data Was Supposed to Deliver Transparency. A Decade Later, Regulators Are Still Trying to Use It
Regulators have amassed a decade’s worth of swap transaction data through mandated repositories, yet extracting actionable insight remains elusive. A new Memorandum of Understanding between the SEC and CFTC creates a formal framework for sharing derivatives reporting data and supervisory...
Boux Avenue’s ‘Tunnel of Love’ Collection Drives Sales Surge
Boux Avenue posted an EBITDA of £6.4 million for the year ending March 2025, driven by a 6.9% rise in sales and stronger margins. The following year, the retailer reported double‑digit sales growth in February, a 30% year‑on‑year jump in Valentine’s sales,...
Not Just Travel Names New Chief Financial Officer to Drive Growth
Not Just Travel has appointed ICAEW‑qualified chartered accountant Helen Foottit as chief financial officer to steer its accelerated growth strategy. Foottit joins from The Property Franchise Group, where she spent over ten years supporting the CFO through multiple acquisitions and...
Guidance: Government Financial Reporting Manual: Application Guidance
HM Treasury’s Government Financial Reporting Manual offers detailed IFRS application guidance for public‑sector entities, supporting the preparation of central‑government annual accounts. The repository includes over twenty guidance documents covering IFRS 16 leases, IFRS 17 insurance contracts, IFRS 9 financial instruments, and sector‑specific topics...
FabHotels Parent Travelstack Tech Gets SEBI Green Light for IPO
FabHotels' parent Travelstack Tech has secured SEBI approval to launch its IPO, featuring a Rs 250 crore fresh equity issue and an offer‑for‑sale of up to 2.68 crore shares. Early investors such as Accel, Goldman Sachs, Qualcomm and founder Vaibhav Aggarwal will offload...
Why Global Treasurers Are Realigning Financing with RMB Exposure
Global corporates are confronting a pronounced mismatch between their Renminbi (RMB) operating exposure and the currency composition of their debt. While roughly a quarter of revenues and costs are RMB‑denominated, only 14% of corporate debt is issued in the currency,...
Why English-Only AML Monitoring Misses Critical Risks
Many AML monitoring programs rely solely on English-language sources, missing critical risk signals that appear in local media. Real‑world examples from Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America show adverse media alerts being overlooked because they are published only in...
EQT Completes Final Exit From Galderma with Record $5bn Block Trade
EQT has completed its final exit from Galderma Group AG, selling roughly 34 million shares for about CHF 4.9 billion ($5.5 billion) in what the firm calls the largest sponsor‑backed block trade on record. The accelerated book‑building process on 13 March generated CHF 1.3 billion for the...
SBS Misses Debt Deadline, In Creditor Standstill After Default
Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) missed its March 1 deadline on $310 million senior secured notes and entered a 30‑day creditor standstill. Majority holders of the 9.750 % notes have agreed to forbear while negotiations explore new financing, term extensions or restructuring. SBS reported...
NatWest: We're Raising Our Fair Value Estimate as We See Bank's Franchise Value Strengthening
Morningstar lifted NatWest Group's fair‑value estimate to GBX 710 per share, up from GBX 550, after a strong fourth‑quarter 2025 showing 18% return on tangible equity and expanding deposit margins. The firm raised its mid‑cycle profitability assumptions, citing a durable structural hedge...
Galliford Try: A Building Firm That's Worth a Punt
Galliford Try, a UK‑based construction group, operates across building, infrastructure and specialist services, limiting reliance on any single market. The firm has accelerated growth through targeted acquisitions and a push into affordable housing, driving revenue up 67% and more than...
The Real Cost of Payment Downtime No One Talks About
The article highlights that payment system downtime costs extend far beyond immediate lost sales, affecting customer trust, brand reputation, cash flow, and employee productivity. It details how outages force teams into crisis mode, create communication gaps, and expose operational weaknesses...
PhonePe Puts IPO on Hold as Iran–Israel–US War Rattles Public Markets
PhonePe, one of India’s largest digital‑payments platforms, has temporarily halted its planned initial public offering due to heightened geopolitical tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States. The company cited volatility in global capital markets and said it will resume...
European Tech Weekly Recap: More than 85 Tech Funding Deals Worth over €4B
Tech.eu tracked more than 85 technology funding rounds across Europe last week, collectively raising over €4 billion. The cloud sector attracted the most capital at €1.7 billion, followed by artificial intelligence with €1 billion and legaltech at €488.9 million. Regionally, the United Kingdom led...
Visa Sees Check Fraud Spilling Into Faster Payment Scams
Visa warns that check fraud now accounts for roughly 30% of U.S. fraud losses in 2024, with checks being 31 times more likely to be fraudulent than real‑time transactions. Criminals are leveraging both traditional methods such as check washing and...
Beeks Financial Cloud Registers 7% Y/Y Drop in Revenues in H1 2026
Beeks Financial Cloud Group posted a 7% year‑on‑year revenue decline to £14.65 million in H1 FY26, driven by delayed recognition of Proximity Cloud contracts. Recurring revenue improved, with ACMRR up 15% to £32.8 million, reflecting a stronger subscription base. Gross profit fell...
StoneX Makes All Cash Proposal to Acquire CAB Payments
StoneX Group, the Nasdaq‑listed financial services firm behind FOREX.com and City Index, has submitted an all‑cash offer to acquire CAB Payments at 95 pence per share. The bid represents a 32% premium to CAB’s undisturbed price of 72 pence and...