Eutelsat Completes Its Re-Financing Plan, Closing €1.5bn Bond Offering
Eutelsat announced the completion of its €5 billion financing plan by closing a €1.5 billion senior note issuance, the final step of a multi‑year equity and debt strategy. The proceeds will fund the deployment of OneWeb’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellites and support Europe’s IRIS² constellation, reinforcing the merged entity’s multi‑orbit capabilities. Earlier equity raises and a French export‑credit loan helped secure rating upgrades and a stronger balance sheet. Despite flat overall revenue, OneWeb’s 60% revenue surge highlights the growing importance of LEO connectivity within the group.
Fannie, Freddie Share Sale Likely After Midterms or Later
Wedbush analysts say any secondary share offering by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will likely be delayed until after the 2026 midterm elections, as the administration focuses on lowering mortgage costs. Low trading prices—around $5.88 for Fannie and $5.16 for Freddie—combined...
California Lithium Developer CTR to Go Public in US$4.7 Billion SPAC Deal
Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) will go public through a $4.7 billion SPAC merger with Plum Acquisition, listing on Nasdaq as CTRH. The deal funds the Hell’s Kitchen geothermal‑lithium project in California’s Imperial Valley, starting with 25,000 t/yr lithium carbonate capacity and a...
The Hydrogen Stream: Atome Secures $420 Million Debt for Paraguay Plant
Atome secured a $420 million debt package to fund a $650 million low‑carbon fertilizer plant in Paraguay, targeting 260,000 tonnes of output per year and marking one of the first industrial‑scale green‑hydrogen fertilizer projects outside the EU. Meanwhile, Asahi Kasei began installing a 1 MW...
Sleep Number Issues Going Concern Warning, Says Bankruptcy Is Possible
Sleep Number disclosed a going‑concern warning, citing substantial doubt over its ability to meet debt obligations. The company’s 2025 results showed a 16% sales decline to $1.4 billion, a 60‑point drop in gross margin, and a net loss of $132 million. New...
Investment Trusts Are Still a Good Place for Your Money
Investment trusts posted a 16.1% total return last year, outpacing the MSCI All‑Countries World index but lagging the FTSE All‑Share. The sector’s average discount to NAV fell to 12.5% as borrowing helped boost performance. Despite strong returns, £18.9 billion of net...
The Fed Is Readying to Punish Banks for Holding Bitcoin as US Crypto Tensions Boil Over
The Federal Reserve is set to vote next week on a revised Basel capital proposal that reshapes how large U.S. banks treat Bitcoin exposures. Under the current framework, unhedged crypto assets fall into a Group 2b bucket with a punitive 1250%...
US Debt, Geopolitics Top Advisors' Market Risks List Through 2028
A February 2026 FUSE Research survey of over 520 financial advisors shows government debt and fiscal policy are the top market risk for the next 12‑month horizon, rising to 56% for a three‑year outlook. Advisors are shifting client conversations toward...
The Iran Crisis Is Making Markets Unpredictable – What Can Investors Do?
The escalating Iran crisis is driving sharp, hourly swings in oil prices, with Brent crude moving nearly $30 in a single day. While the broader equity markets have remained relatively calm, European stocks are under pressure compared with resilient US...
‘Buffer’ ETFs Prove a Decent Bond Alternative in War-Hit Markets
Buffer ETFs, a $80 billion defined‑outcome fund category, are emerging as a bond alternative amid volatile markets and rising Treasury yields. The largest vehicle, FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF, fell only 1.4% in March versus a 2.7% drop in the S&P 500,...
Post Office on the Brink of Collapse
South Africa's communications minister Solly Malatsi called premature the rescue practitioners' intent to file for liquidation of the state‑owned Post Office. The practitioners argue that without a R3.8 billion funding tranche, the rescue plan cannot succeed, and the company has been...
Parliamentary Panel Calls For MDR On UPI To Ensure Sustainability
A parliamentary standing committee on finance has recommended re‑introducing a merchant discount rate (MDR) on UPI transactions, arguing that the zero‑MDR regime strains government finances and limits fintechs’ ability to fund long‑term infrastructure. The committee notes that current government incentives...
P3 Backers Urge Easing of Tax-Exempt Bond Rules on Asset Leases
Public‑private partnership advocates are urging the IRS to scrap the defeasance rule that forces tax‑exempt bonds to be retired when a government leases an asset to a private operator. They argue the regulation inflates financing costs and discourages asset‑recycling deals...
Tax Nudges Lead 5 Million Taxpayers to Revise Returns; Refund Claims Drop ₹2,000 Crore
The Central Board of Direct Taxes reported that more than five million income‑tax returns were revised after the department nudged taxpayers to correct bogus deduction claims, chiefly under Section 80G. This proactive approach cut refund claims by roughly ₹2,000 crore, even as...
Federal Reserve Board Issues Enforcement Actions with Former Employee of Equity Bank and Former Employee of First State Bank of...
The Federal Reserve Board issued two consent prohibition orders on March 13, 2026, targeting former employees of regional banks. Cassandra Grayson, ex‑employee of Equity Bank in Andover, Kansas, was barred for embezzling bank funds. Sandra Adams, former staff at First...
Oracle Discloses $2B Stake in TikTok U.S. Joint Venture
Oracle disclosed a 15% equity stake in the TikTok US Data Security Joint Venture, part of a $2.2 billion non‑marketable investment portfolio. The joint venture, valued at roughly $14 billion, includes equal stakes from Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s MGX, while ByteDance...
Mobilizing Africa’s Capital for African Development
Africa faces a $2.8 trillion financing gap for climate action by 2030, yet ample capital exists within the continent’s savings pools and sovereign wealth funds, plus global yield‑seeking investors. The article argues that fragmented markets prevent this capital from reaching needed...
Fitch Raises Oklahoma's Rating a Notch to AA-Plus
Oklahoma’s sovereign credit rating was raised by Fitch to AA‑plus with a stable outlook, marking the state’s third upgrade since 2024 after similar moves by S&P and Moody’s. The agency cited sustained fiscal discipline, robust operating reserves and low long‑term...
Public Banks And Municipal Bonds
The article critiques the notion that municipal governments can substantially expand fiscal space by having local public banks purchase their own bonds. It argues that a new bank must first raise equity, limiting its initial balance sheet, and that banks...
Demand for Analysts Grows as Equities Market Gains Momentum: Industry Players
Singapore’s equity market reforms by SGX and MAS are reviving analyst demand, prompting banks and brokerages to expand research desks. Maybank Securities, OCBC, iFast and others have added headcount to deepen small‑ and mid‑cap coverage. Job postings show salaries between...
S&P Global Remains Negative on WPP
S&P Global reaffirmed its negative “BBB” rating on WPP, citing ongoing challenges such as stagnant organic revenue, weak profitability, and uncertainty around strategy execution. The rating agency projects a 2‑4% like‑for‑like net revenue decline for 2026, well below peers like...
CFOs On the Move: Week Ending March 13
A wave of chief financial officer changes swept across multiple industries this week, with Nissan naming George Leondis as its new CFO, Planet Fitness installing interim CFO Tom Fitzgerald, and Peloton appointing Saqib Baig as interim finance chief. Angi promoted...
Hong Kong to Expand 'Name and Shame' List to IPO Lawyers and Auditors
Hong Kong will broaden its name‑and‑shame regime to include IPO lawyers, auditors, consultants and SPAC promoters. Under the new Enhanced Return Mechanism, any professional party linked to a filing deemed “not substantially complete” will be publicly identified. The change comes...
Selina Hotels: When the Digital Nomad Dream Met Financial Reality
Selina Hotels rode a wave of digital‑nomad hype, launching via a $1.2 billion SPAC merger in 2022 and expanding to 163 destinations. The rapid rollout delivered only a 47% occupancy rate, while an asset‑light, lease‑heavy model inflated operating costs and debt....
The Clog in PE’s Exit Pipeline Is Getting Tougher to Clear
Private‑equity firms are finding it increasingly difficult to exit portfolio companies, even those acquired before the recent market froth. Elevated interest rates, a slowdown in IPO activity, and a thin strategic‑buyer pool have created a bottleneck in the exit pipeline....
Sebi Sets New Conditions for Intraday Borrowing by Mutual Funds From April 1
India's securities regulator SEBI introduced new rules governing intraday borrowing by mutual funds, effective April 1. The framework lifts the 20% net‑asset borrowing cap for intraday loans that are secured against same‑day receivables from the government, RBI, and clearing corporation, and...
What Finance Teams Should Know About the World of Subrogation
Finance leaders are being urged to grasp subrogation, a legal practice where insurers recoup payouts from at‑fault parties, as an untapped lever to curb soaring health‑care costs. Intellivo, a pure‑play subrogation firm, showcased the potential by recovering up to 1%...
RBI Net Buys Record $6.2 Billion Debt to Shield Bonds From War Shockwaves
The Reserve Bank of India purchased a record 572.10 billion rupees (about $6.2 billion) of government bonds in the week ending 6 March, marking its third straight week of net buying. The purchases are part of a broader liquidity infusion strategy aimed at...
Press Release - Mortgage Loan
SAJA Real Estate SOCIMI announced the execution of a €200 million mortgage loan with a five‑year maturity and a fixed 3.2% interest rate. The financing is earmarked for strategic portfolio acquisitions and refinancing existing debt. By securing the loan, SAJA bolsters...
How M&A Can Supercharge Your Startup’s Success
The article argues that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can accelerate a startup’s growth more efficiently than an IPO, especially for deep‑tech and fast‑moving consumer sectors. It cites Korean examples—Stylenanda, Woowa Brothers, and Have & Be—each achieving multibillion‑dollar exits through strategic sales to...
DB Pension Endgame Options: Beyond the Buy-Out
UK defined benefit pension schemes are seeing a strategic shift as new regulations unlock roughly £260bn of surplus previously funneled to insurers in buy‑outs. The reforms let sponsors and members reclaim surplus, prompting interest in alternatives like captive insurance structures...
Departments’ Use of Banking-Style Anti-Fraud Checks Set for Review
HM Treasury announced a cross‑government review of how departments use the "confirmation of payee" (CoP) anti‑fraud check, a safeguard mandatory for banks offering Faster Payments and CHAPS. Introduced in 2020, CoP verifies recipient account details against a central register, yet...
ESMA Data Reveals ETF Settlement Failures Spiked on 2025 Liberation Day
ESMA data shows a sharp spike in ETF settlement failures in mid‑April 2025, coinciding with the U.S. “Liberation Day” market turbulence. At the height, fails represented over 50 % of the total value of ETF settlement instructions, far above rates in...
Capsol Technologies ASA - Approval and Publication of Prospectus and Launch of Subsequent Offering
Capsol Technologies ASA received Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority approval on 13 March 2026 for a prospectus covering a subsequent offering of up to 3.5 million new shares at NOK 5.20 per share. The offering follows a private placement that raised roughly NOK 45 million and is...
Germany’s Clarified Framework for Enforcement and Recoveries
Germany has issued a clarified enforcement framework that revises its auction rules for collateral sales. The updated regime accelerates liquidation timelines and introduces more transparent valuation criteria. It reshapes intercreditor hierarchies by granting senior lenders clearer priority and forces a...
Tikehau Capital: Disclosure of Shares Repurchases From 06 March 2026 to 12 March 2026
Tikehau Capital disclosed a week‑long share‑repurchase programme covering March 6‑12, 2026. The asset manager bought a total of 24,783 shares at an average weighted price of €16.64. Daily volumes varied, with the largest purchase of 5,110 shares on the Paris exchange (XPAR)...
Nexwell Power Secures Financing on 250MW Spanish PV Portfolio
Nexwell Power has closed a €167 million multi‑tranche financing to fund a 248 MW solar PV portfolio in Spain. The portfolio, acquired from Q Energy, comprises seven plants in Andalusia and Aragon, with several projects already mechanically complete and others slated for early‑2026...
CBN Mandates Liveness Checks and Device Limits to Fight Digital Banking Fraud
The Central Bank of Nigeria has issued a new regulatory framework requiring real‑time liveness verification and BVN/NIN validation for all account openings and reactivations. Mobile banking apps must be bound to a single device, with additional multi‑factor authentication for any...
StorageVault Announces Quarterly Dividend for Q1 2026
StorageVault Canada Inc. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.003006 per common share, payable on April 15, 2026 to shareholders of record as of March 31, 2026. The dividend is classified as an eligible dividend for Canadian income‑tax purposes. The company...
G-III Apparel Group Declares Quarterly Dividend
G-III Apparel Group's board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share, payable on March 30, 2026 to shareholders of record as of March 23. The announcement underscores the company's ongoing cash generation despite a portfolio heavily reliant on...
Coal India's Arm CMPDIL to Float IPO on March 20
Coal Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDIL), a subsidiary of state‑owned Coal India, will launch its initial public offering on March 20, with the issue closing on March 24. The IPO consists of an offer‑for‑sale of 10.71 crore shares by Coal India...
OPBAS Report Exposes Persistent AML Compliance Gaps
The Office for Professional Body Anti‑Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) released its 2024/25 assessment, noting modest progress in AML monitoring across UK legal and accountancy firms but highlighting persistent compliance gaps. HMRC issued 336 penalty notices between April and September 2025,...
Shanghai Stock Exchange Queries Zhenjiang New Energy Equipment’s US Subsidiary Sale
Zhenjiang New Energy Equipment Co. announced plans to sell its U.S. subsidiary, Zhenjiang New Energy (USA) Technology Corp., to India’s Zetwerk for $22.15 million. The Shanghai Stock Exchange has issued an inquiry, demanding clarification on asset quality, the buyer’s financial capacity,...
Prescient China Lists First China-Focused Actively Managed ETF on the JSE
Prescient China has listed the PANDA Balanced Feeder Actively Managed ETF on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, marking the first China‑focused AMETF in South Africa. The fund offers investors exposure to a mix of mainland Chinese equities, bonds, cash and offshore...
China’s Credit Shows Surprise Growth as Firms Step Up Borrowing
China’s aggregate financing surged 2.4 trillion yuan in February, outpacing the Bloomberg‑survey median forecast of 2 trillion yuan. The People’s Bank of China reported that banks extended 900 billion yuan of new corporate loans, also beating expectations. The growth was driven by stronger...
The Trends Redefining Expense Management in 2026
Capture Expense’s latest report, based on 371,000 UK expense claims worth £60 million across 460 organisations, shows expense management shifting from back‑office task to strategic infrastructure. Slow approvals—only 2.6% immediate and 42% taking over a week—pose regulatory risk under new FRS 102...
S Hotels & Resorts Posts Record 2025 Profit, Outlines Growth Strategy
S Hotels & Resorts posted a record normalised net profit of over 615 million baht in 2025, driven by RevPAR growth and lower finance costs. The company announced a 0.07 baht per share dividend, its highest since listing. For 2026, SHR outlined...
Prediction Markets Rule the Day at Boca
At the FIA Global Cleared Markets Conference in Boca Raton, prediction markets dominated the agenda, with FIA President Walt Lukken praising their accessibility and crowd‑sourced accuracy. He also warned that legal clarity and robust insider‑trading surveillance are essential. Exchange CEOs...
AI Is Coming to Your Accounting Software
Sage, the London‑listed accounting software provider, unveiled Sage AI in Johannesburg, embedding artificial intelligence across its finance, payroll and HR products for small businesses in Africa and the Middle East. The platform relies on roughly 40,000 domain‑specific models and claims...
Submission of Rule Filing SR-FICC-2026-005 – Establish Implementation Timeframe for Enhancement of Correlation Calculation for Bond Haircut Models
On March 13, 2026 the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (FICC) submitted rule filing SR‑FICC‑2026‑005 to the SEC, seeking to set a delayed implementation schedule for enhancements to the correlation calculation used in bond haircut models. The filing amends the QRM Methodology Document...