KBRA Direct Lending Deals: News & Analysis – 3/2/2026
KBRA released its latest Direct Lending Default Index data covering the trailing twelve months through March 3, 2026. The chart shows a 12% increase in defaults compared with the prior year, reflecting heightened stress in the private credit market. The index, which tracks over 200 middle‑market loan deals, remains a benchmark for investors assessing credit risk. No methodological changes were announced.
TIGA Calls on the UK Government to Strengthen the Video Games Expenditure Credit in the Upcoming Autumn Budget
The UK games trade body TIGA is urging the government to boost the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) in the upcoming Autumn Budget, proposing a 53% credit rate for projects with budgets up to £23.5 million. It also recommends expanding qualifying...
ARQ Raises $70M To Expand Stablecoin Banking In Latin America
ARQ, formerly DolarApp, raised $70 million in a Series B led by Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund. The funding will fuel a rebrand, team expansion, and rollout of new financial products beyond its core stablecoin remittance service. With more than two million...
Information on the Total Number of Voting Rights and Shares of 74Software Share Capital as of February 28, 2026
74Software disclosed its capital structure as of February 28, 2026, reporting 29,746,194 total shares and 41,275,436 theoretical voting rights, of which 40,787,088 are exercisable. The figures are provided under French Commercial Code Articles L.233‑8 II and R.225‑73 I and AMF regulations for threshold‑crossing disclosures....
Director/PDMR Shareholding
Shell plc disclosed that Andrew Smith, President of Trading and Supply, received a conditional award of 11,269 ordinary shares under the Shell Share Plan 2023. The award, valued at €404,895, was priced at €35.93 per share and recorded on 2 March 2026....
‘Infra Is Defensive but Valuation Smoothing Downplays Risk’
Tim Whittaker of the European Investment Partners Association (EIPA) argues that while infrastructure is often marketed as a defensive asset class, current valuation practices smooth out volatility and conceal true risk. He calls on regulators to require private market investors...
Aqua Bio Technology ASA: Share Capital Increase Registered
Aqua Bio Technology ASA announced that its NOK 10 million share‑capital increase, approved at the extraordinary general meeting on 16 February 2026, has been formally registered with the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises. The company’s total share capital now stands at NOK 26,139,675, divided...
Research: UK Official Holdings of International Reserves: February 2026
The UK’s official international reserves rose in February 2026, reaching approximately £115 billion, driven primarily by gains in foreign‑currency assets. Gold holdings remained steady at around £10 billion, while IMF‑related assets showed a marginal increase. The reserve portfolio’s composition shifted slightly toward US‑dollar‑denominated...
Crypto Custody Explained: Types, Benefits, and Risks
Institutional investors are accelerating into crypto, but large‑scale participation hinges on trustworthy custody solutions. Custodians protect private keys, offer multi‑signature and MPC safeguards, and align with regulatory frameworks, turning speculative assets into investable instruments. Providers such as WhiteBIT Institutional illustrate...
Indonesia’s Rating Outlook Takes Further Blow as Fitch Cuts View
Fitch Ratings lowered Indonesia's credit outlook to negative, citing rising policy uncertainty. The agency kept the long‑term foreign‑currency issuer default rating at BBB, an investment‑grade level. This follows Moody's February decision to downgrade the outlook amid concerns over governance under...
Benefit Street Partners on Private Credit’s Third Act: Scale, Flexibility and Consolidation
Benefit Street Partners argues that private credit is entering its third act, defined by greater scale, operational flexibility, and industry consolidation. Institutional investors are allocating more capital to alternative credit for its excess returns and diversification benefits. However, they are...
Cat Bond Issuance Price Pressure Flattens Market Yield, Widening Less Pronounced: Plenum
Catastrophe‑bond yields stayed flat in February 2026, ending at 8.91% versus 8.87% in January. Primary issuances were priced roughly 30% lower than recent historical levels, generating price pressure that muted the expected seasonal spread widening after the hurricane season. Strong...
Introduce an AI Policy Before It’s Too Late
Accounting firms are urged to formalise AI usage policies as artificial intelligence becomes integral to audit, tax and advisory work. The Finance, Accounting & Bookkeeping Show in Birmingham will host a dedicated programme on AI threats and opportunities, highlighting the...
Has the Ghanaian Banking Sector Turned the Corner?
Ghana's banking sector is stabilizing as macroeconomic recovery and sweeping reforms take hold. Inflation fell from a record 54.1% in 2022 to 5.4% by early 2026 and the cedi appreciated about 30% while the Bank of Ghana cut its policy...
China’s Sovereign Debt Is Becoming a Strategic Alternative to US Treasuries: Economist
Chinese sovereign bonds are positioning themselves as a strategic alternative to US Treasuries, driven by investor demand for geopolitical hedges. Recent dollar‑denominated issuances in Hong Kong saw a 30‑times oversubscription, with coupon rates closely matching Treasury yields. Economist Xu Qiyuan...
DERIVSOURCE: Options Trading Spikes on Iran War
The US‑Israel‑Iran war has triggered an immediate surge in derivatives trading, especially ultra‑short‑dated options. Zero‑days‑to‑expiration (0DTE) contracts now dominate SPX volume, accounting for two‑thirds of activity. Traders are buying protective puts to hedge against further escalation, while crypto options have...
Rethinking Biotech’s Valley of Death as Federal Grants and Family Offices Step In
Federal budget approvals for 2026 dramatically increase nondilutive capital for biotech, raising NIH funding to $49 billion and expanding programs like CDMRP and ARPA‑H. Seed‑stage companies are responding, with 38 % planning to rely on grants and other non‑equity sources. Simultaneously, mission‑driven...
AIB Plans to Return €2.25bn to Shareholders and More than Quadruple CEO Pay
Allied Irish Banks (AIB) announced a €2.25 bn capital return to shareholders, comprising a €988 m final dividend and a €1 bn share‑buyback approved by regulators. The bank posted a €2.14 bn net profit for 2025, down from the prior year, as net interest...
Large Greek Banks: Solid F2025 Results Provide Buffers Against Heightened External Risks in 2026
Greek banks Alpha, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece, and Piraeus posted a combined net profit of €4.5 bn in fiscal 2025, a 5% year‑on‑year increase driven by higher fee income and one‑off gains despite net interest income compression. Return on equity...
‘The Conversation Has Shifted’: The CFO Moved Upstream. Now Agencies Have to as Well
CFOs are moving upstream in the marketing process, joining planning discussions before budgets are set and demanding rigorous financial justification. Agencies such as VaynerMedia, Blue Chip, and Brave Bison report that finance teams now scrutinize contribution margin, LTV‑to‑CAC, payback periods,...
Ethiopia: Council of Ministers Refers External Loan Agreements to Parliament, Authorizes Mining License Deals
Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers has sent three external financing agreements to the House of Peoples’ Representatives for approval. The loans—USD 60.2 million from Korea Export‑Import Bank, €80 million from the French Development Agency, and SDR 184.1 million from the International Development Association—target electricity expansion, renewable...
SEC and PCAOB Enforcement Fall Sharply
Enforcement actions by the SEC and PCAOB dropped sharply in 2025, with the SEC filing 68% fewer accounting cases and the PCAOB finalizing 27% fewer audits than in 2024. The SEC launched only ten actions, the lowest in nine years,...
Lucara Posts Lower 2025 Revenue, Says Additional Funding Required
Lucara Diamond reported a 22% drop in 2025 revenue to C$159.7 million and net income falling to C$26.1 million as it advanced the Karowe underground expansion in Botswana. The company completed the 776 m production and 729 m ventilation shafts, but the updated feasibility...
Big Battery Deals Dominate as Investors Buy, Sell, Finance and Contract Australian Energy Storage
In Q4 2025, battery energy storage systems dominated Australian renewable investment activity, featuring in 16 financing, M&A and offtake deals and representing 2.16 GW of transaction volume. Solar projects contributed 675 MW, with 90 % of that capacity in hybrid configurations. New South Wales...
Chingari’s Operating Scale Declines 53% in FY25
Chingari, the Indian short‑video app turned paid private‑live‑streaming platform, reported a 53% year‑on‑year drop in operating revenue for FY25. Revenue fell to Rs 44 crore, while the company’s loss narrowed to Rs 8.8 crore after cutting expenses by more than half. The pivot shifted...
Apollo's Zito Sees Private Credit Pain Lasting Up To 18 Months
Apollo Global Management co‑president John Zito warned that the private‑credit market’s turbulence could persist for the next 12 to 18 months. While acknowledging a wave of fund withdrawals, he downplayed them as a systemic problem. Zito highlighted a widespread misunderstanding...
DBS China Captures 38% of Panda Bond Market in 2025; Secures Principal Underwriting License
DBS China participated in 65.8 billion yuan of Panda‑bond issuances in 2025, capturing a 38% share of the China Interbank Bond Market. The bank also received a principal underwriting licence for non‑financial corporate bonds, the most extensive authority granted by the...
Covenant Trends – 3/2/2026
On March 2, 2026, The Lead Left published its latest Covenant Trends report, highlighting the “Accordion Inside Maturity” covenant pattern. The release includes a detailed chart and a downloadable Excel file (66.8 KB) containing the underlying data. The dataset is intended...
The Pulse of Private Equity – 3/2/2026
The latest PitchBook data shows median enterprise‑value‑to‑revenue (EV/revenue) multiples for North American and European private‑equity buyouts of $2.5 billion or more climbed to 5.5 times in 2025, up from 4.7 times in 2015. After hitting a trough in 2023, valuations rebounded to levels...
Endeavour Group Sees Retail Profits Hurt by Low-Cost Push
Endeavour Group’s half‑year earnings show a 17.1% drop in net profit to $247 million despite a modest 0.2% rise in retail sales to $5.5 billion. The decline stems from an aggressive low‑price strategy that squeezed the retail drinks gross margin down 84...
Triplepoint Venture Growth BDC Corp (TPVG) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC reported a $73 million increase in its debt investment portfolio for Q3 2025, marking the third straight quarter of growth and a year‑to‑date rise of nearly $110 million. New commitments surged to $182 million, with 90% directed toward AI,...
Janus International Group Inc (JBI) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Janus International Group reported Q4 2025 revenue of $219.3 million, a 4.7% year‑over‑year decline driven primarily by pricing pressure and lower volume. Adjusted EBITDA rose 1.2% to $43.6 million, lifting the margin to 19.9% after cost‑saving initiatives. International sales surged 32.9% while...
Hudson Technologies Inc (HDSN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Hudson Technologies reported Q2 2025 revenue of $72.8 million, a 3% decline driven by cooler weather delaying the cooling season. Gross margin improved to 31% thanks to higher refrigerant prices, lifting gross profit to $22.8 million. Net income rose to $10.1 million on...
NACCO Industries Inc (NC) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
NACCO Industries reported third‑quarter 2019 results, with revenue modestly rising to $32.6 million while operating profit fell to $8.7 million. Net income increased to $10.3 million, driven by a $2.7 million pre‑tax payment from an India venture. Management forecast 2020 coal deliveries to grow,...
Mistras Group Inc (MG) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Mistras Group reported Q3 fiscal 2025 revenue of $195.5 million, a 7% year‑over‑year increase driven by growth across all five major verticals. Adjusted EBITDA reached a record $30.2 million, up 29.6% and yielding a 15.4% margin, while net income more than doubled...
Sight Sciences Inc (SGHT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Sight Sciences reported fourth‑quarter 2025 revenue of $20.4 million, a 7% year‑over‑year increase, driven by $19.7 million from interventional glaucoma and $0.7 million from the newly reimbursed interventional dry‑eye segment. Gross margins remained strong at 87% overall, while operating expenses fell 25% after...
Seaport Entertainment Group Inc (SEG) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Seaport Entertainment Group reported Q4 2025 consolidated revenue of $45.1 million, a modest 1% year‑over‑year increase, while net loss narrowed to $33.2 million, or $2.61 per share, a 56% improvement. Adjusted EBITDA rose sharply—up 40% on an exclusionary basis—despite headline declines driven...
Verastem Inc (VSTM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Verastem reported $1.7 million in COPIKTRA net revenue for Q1 2019, a 38% increase over the prior quarter, and achieved reimbursement coverage with more than 92% of targeted health plans. Clinical updates highlighted the Phase 3 DUO trial, which showed...
Altisource Portfolio Solutions SA (ASPS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Altisource Portfolio Solutions reported Q2 2025 service revenue of $40.8 million, up 11% year‑over‑year, and adjusted EBITDA of $5.4 million, a 23% increase. GAAP net income swung to $16.6 million from an $8.3 million loss, helped by a tax reserve reversal and lower interest expense....
Stem Inc (STEM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Stem Inc. posted Q3 2025 revenue of $38 million, a 31% year‑over‑year increase, and ARR rose to $60 million, up 17%. The company recorded a second straight quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA ($2 million) and generated $11 million of operating cash flow. Management highlighted...
Magnachip Semiconductor Corp (MX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Magnachip Semiconductor reported Q4 2025 revenue of $40.6 million, a 17% year‑over‑year decline, and a gross margin of 9.3% after a one‑time $2.7 million sales incentive reduced profitability. Adjusted operating loss widened to $11.9 million and adjusted EBITDA turned negative...
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp (GO) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp reported a 5% decline in Q4 2025 net sales to $76.8 million, with full‑year sales also down 5% to $276 million. Gross margin fell to 44.1% from 47.9% as incremental tariffs added roughly $16 million in costs, outpacing a...
Aquestive Therapeutics Inc (AQST) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Ascent Industries reported Q4 2025 results highlighting a near‑1000‑basis‑point gross‑margin expansion and a 61% rise in gross profit despite a 7% full‑year revenue decline. Adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed by $4.1 million year‑over‑year, while the company secured $9.4 million of annualized revenue from...
Ardent Health Inc (ARDT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Ardent Health reported solid volume and revenue growth in Q3 2025, with revenue up 8.8% to $1.58 billion and adjusted EBITDA rising 46% to $143 million. However, the company lowered its full‑year adjusted EBITDA guidance to $530‑$555 million, citing accelerating professional‑fee expenses and...
Miller Industries Inc (MLR) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Miller Industries reported a strong rebound in Q4 bookings, up 42% sequentially and 35% year‑over‑year to $540 million, signaling early demand recovery, especially in North America. Despite this, revenue fell to $923 million and the company posted a $16 million adjusted operating loss,...
Global Water Resources Inc (GWRS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Global Water Resources reported Q1 2020 revenue of $8.2 million, a 6.6% increase year‑over‑year, driven by 4.7% organic connection growth and higher consumption. Adjusted EBITDA rose 18.4% to $4.1 million, while operating expenses fell slightly, reflecting cost discipline and the recent in‑house billing...
Advanced Flower Capital Inc (AFCG) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Advanced Flower Capital Inc. reported Q2 2025 results, posting $0.15 per share in non‑GAAP distributable earnings and a GAAP loss of $13.2 million. The loan portfolio held steady at $357.9 million across 15 assets, delivering a weighted‑average 17% yield to maturity....
Structural-Protections,-Prime-Mortgages-and-Residential-ABS
In a recent SCI interview, Adam Rizkalla of Canyon Partners highlighted how structural protections are reshaping the residential ABS market, especially for prime mortgage pools. He explained that enhanced tranche designs and over‑collateralisation are reducing investor risk while preserving yield....
How Nvidia Turned a Steal of a Deal Into Its Secret Weapon
Nvidia leveraged its 2020 $7 billion acquisition of Mellanox to transform its networking business into a major growth engine. In the most recent fiscal quarter the company reported $11 billion in networking revenue, a 263 % increase year‑over‑year, positioning it as the world’s...
#58490
Effective March 3, 2026 the NSCC will no longer accept exercise and assignment activity for Trineso PLC (TSE) options, prompting the OCC to shift all settlements to a broker‑to‑broker model. The underlying deliverable remains 100 TSEOF shares, but if delivery is impossible the...