AI’s Delicate Banking Balancing Act
Banks that spent the last decade rebuilding balance sheets and navigating low‑rate environments are now confronting AI disruption. More than 90% of banks have begun AI initiatives, and S&P Global forecasts average return on equity could rise from 12% to 14% within three to five years. However, nearly half of AI projects are expected to fail, and scaling models across data‑rich institutions proves costly and time‑consuming. Security worries intensify as generative models like Anthropic’s Mythos expose long‑standing system vulnerabilities, making risk management a critical priority.
DoorDash Gives a Forecast for Order Growth That Tops Estimates
DoorDash Inc. projected gross order value (GOV) of $32.4 billion to $33.4 billion for the quarter ending June, edging out the Bloomberg consensus of $32.3 billion. The upbeat guidance underscores continued momentum in its food‑delivery platform despite a crowded market. Management highlighted strong...
IRS Plans Settlements in Conservation Easement Cases
The IRS announced a time‑limited settlement program for taxpayers involved in syndicated conservation‑easement transactions that the agency deems abusive. The new website details recent court decisions, highlights inflated valuations, and warns of disallowed deductions, penalties, and back‑dated approvals. Eligible individuals...
AuditBoard (Now Optro), a SaaS Risk-and-Compliance Platform
AuditBoard, founded by Daniel Kim and Jay Lee, evolved from a Sarbanes‑Oxley tool into a comprehensive SaaS risk‑and‑compliance platform. Battery Ventures led its 2018 Series B, rebranded the company, and installed CEO Scott Arnold, driving ARR to $200 million by early 2024. The...
Q&A: Focus's Travis Danysh on the Shift From Deal Volume to Scale
Focus Financial Partners, acquired by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2023, is consolidating its 90 independent RIA subsidiaries into a handful of large Focus Partners. Over 60% of the firm’s earnings now stem from these consolidated entities, with roughly 40 firms...
The Connected Platformfor Global Tax Compliance
Vertex Inc. is positioning its connected platform as a one‑stop solution for the wave of global tax compliance changes slated for April 2026. The company released a series of resources covering urgent e‑invoicing mandates, a Brazil tax reform that takes effect...
Sensata Technologies' Q1 Sales Reach $934.8 Million, Up 2.6% Year-on-Year
Sensata Technologies reported first‑quarter 2025 sales of $934.8 million, a 2.6% year‑on‑year increase, while adjusted operating income reached $174 million, delivering an 18.6% margin. Free cash flow stood at $104.6 million, leaving the company with $635.1 million in cash reserves. Although full‑year revenue slipped...
Astranis, Scout Space Lay Out Next Steps Following Capital Rounds
Astranis secured $455 million in new capital—a $300 million Series E led by Snowpoint Ventures and Franklin Templeton plus a $155 million delayed‑draw credit from Trinity Capital—to accelerate production of its micro‑GEO communications satellites and chase U.S. military contracts, including a potential $4 billion GEO...
GameStop CEO Is Selling Halo Statues, Rare Games, and More to “Pay for eBay”
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen is auctioning his personal collection of gaming memorabilia on eBay to help fund a non‑binding $55.5 billion proposal to acquire eBay at $125 per share. The auction features high‑value items such as GameStop store signs, a Halo 2...
Six States, One Deadline: A Q&A With EY’s Anna Kendall on ERP Compliance and What Food Manufacturers Gain by Getting...
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reporting will hit a unified deadline of May 31 2026 for six states—California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington—forcing food and beverage manufacturers to scale compliance across multiple jurisdictions at once. Ernst & Young’s Anna Kendall explains that...
Prophix CEO Cautions Against Building an AI ‘Faster Horse’
Prophix CEO Alok Ajmera warned against merely speeding up existing finance tools, likening AI development to building a faster horse instead of a car. He highlighted continuous budgeting as the AI‑driven breakthrough the CFO office has chased for two decades....
Banks Are Building the Trust Layer AI Can’t Break
Banks, payment firms and digital platforms are moving from siloed KYC/KYB checkpoints to an “ID supply chain” model that spreads identity verification, risk signals and data across multiple participants. The shift is driven by AI agents, automated bots and embedded...
Texas Teachers Aims to Do More Direct Deals with Trimmed PE Allocation: Milken Panel
Texas Teachers' Retirement System, which manages about $230 billion, is scaling back its overall private‑equity exposure while simultaneously expanding its direct‑investment program. The shift, discussed at a Milken Institute panel, reflects a strategy to make more selective, high‑conviction bets rather than...
Consultant Suggests Jefferson Public Radio ‘Spin Off’ From University Licensee
Southern Oregon University is facing a $20 million budget shortfall, with a $12.5 million deficit despite $15 million state emergency aid. Deloitte Consulting’s April 28 report recommends the university spin off its longtime partner, Jefferson Public Radio, to save roughly $300,000. JPR’s director disputes...
Authority Brands Gets Set to Float $461 Million in ABS
Authority Brands is launching its third asset‑backed securitization, AB Issuer 2026‑1, offering $461 million of notes backed by franchise royalties and service fees. The deal includes a $286 million A2 senior term tranche maturing in April 2031 and an A1 variable‑funding note for general...
Warriors’ Lacob Says His Padres Bid Assumed No MLB Games in 2027
Warriors owner Joe Lacob was a runner‑up in the San Diego Padres auction, which closed at a record $3.9 billion. His group modeled the risk of a lost MLB season in 2027 amid looming labor negotiations. Lacob argued that a salary...
Curiosity, the Most Important Skill for Accountants in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence is reshaping accounting by automating transaction coding, reconciliations and anomaly detection. As routine tasks migrate to software, accountants are transitioning from doers to reviewers who must validate AI output. In this new landscape, curiosity— the drive to question...
How Colleges Cut
American colleges face mounting fiscal pressure, with one‑in‑five public and one‑in‑three private schools posting deficits in FY 2024. Revenue‑generation tactics such as new master’s programs and tuition hikes have stalled, prompting institutions to rely on cost‑cutting measures. Analysis of HelioCampus data...
Bayer Sees Opportunity With $300M Acquisition of Eye Drug Biotech
Bayer announced a $300 million upfront acquisition of Perfuse Therapeutics, a clinical‑stage biotech developing PER‑001, an endothelin‑receptor blocker delivered via a six‑month intravitreal implant. Phase 2 trials showed significant vision improvement in glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, positioning the drug as a potential...
FCA Probe Into Mastercard, PayPal and Visa Puts Digital Wallet Competition Risk in Focus
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has opened a competition‑law investigation into Mastercard, PayPal and Visa over the funding and usage rules of PayPal’s digital wallet. The probe, launched under Chapter I and Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998, is still at...
Goodbye Quarterly Earnings? Here's when Traders Believe This Big Change Will Happen
Traders on the Kalshi prediction market are betting that the SEC will replace mandatory quarterly earnings reports with semi‑annual filings, assigning a 73% probability that the rule change will be finalized by April 2027. The odds for an earlier January 2027 implementation...
OpenTrade Raises $17 Million to Meet Stablecoin Infrastructure Demand
OpenTrade, a UK‑based stablecoin infrastructure platform, closed a $17 million strategic round, bringing its total capital raised to over $30 million. The funding, led by Mercury Fund and Notion Capital with participation from a16z crypto, AlbionVC and CMCC Global, gives the firm...
Apollo Breaks $1trn AUM and Moves to Report Daily Pricing for Credit
Apollo Global Management announced it has surpassed $1 trillion in assets under management, cementing its status among the world’s largest private‑credit firms. CEO Marc Rowan said the firm will transition its entire credit portfolio to a "100% daily pricing" model, moving...
RiFD Partners with Kingsbury to Scale Securitisation Infrastructure in Saudi Arabia
Saudi fintech RiFD has teamed up with UK‑based Kingsbury & Partners to scale securitisation infrastructure in the Kingdom. RiFD will supply its technology‑driven “securitisation‑as‑a‑service” platform, while Kingsbury contributes global structuring and execution expertise. The joint offering targets asset classes such...
AvidXchange Expands Embedded Payments Strategy with Ministry Brands Integration
AvidXchange has launched embedded payments within Ministry Brands’ accounting platform, which serves more than 90,000 churches and nonprofit organizations. The integration embeds the full accounts‑payable lifecycle—invoice capture, approval, and payment—directly into the existing software, eliminating the need for separate tools....
How Are Finance Teams Using AI Right Now?
Finance teams are experimenting with AI, but adoption is split between early adopters using autonomous agents and the majority stuck in legacy ERP workflows. The main barriers are a shortage of hybrid accounting‑AI talent, fragmented data architectures, and weak governance...
Markets Catch a Whiff of Peace as Oil Cools, but Risks Linger
A tentative US‑Iran memorandum sparked a sharp retreat in oil, with Brent falling 7% to $102 a barrel and WTI dropping 8% to $94, the steepest two‑session decline since the April ceasefire. The easing of supply‑risk fears lifted Indian equities,...
The Hidden Cost of “Last-Minute Compliance” In Accounting Firms
Accounting firms face rising hidden costs from last‑minute compliance as HMRC’s digital mandates, such as Making Tax Digital, tighten deadlines. Rushed reviews increase error rates, demand extra correction time, and strip away valuable advisory conversations with clients. The article contrasts...
Choosing Finance Software in the Age of AI: Five Decisions Leaders Can’t Afford to Get Wrong
Choosing finance software now hinges on AI readiness, governance and speed rather than sheer feature count. AccountsIQ research shows 61% of finance leaders are comfortable using AI, yet 66% find implementations stressful and a quarter exceed seven months. Leaders are...
Private Credit Titans Take Some Blame for Skittish Retail Buyers
Private‑credit giants gathered at the Milken Institute conference to admit the term “semi‑liquid” no longer fits their products, after a wave of retail withdrawals sparked by the collapses of Tricolor Holdings, First Brands Group and Market Financial Solutions. Executives from...
Taranis Capital Taps IYE Global to Bolster Due Diligence and Risk Management
Dubai‑based Taranis Capital, a DFSA‑regulated investment platform, has entered a strategic partnership with IYE Global to strengthen its due‑diligence and risk‑management capabilities. IYE Global will provide independent, forensic intelligence covering pre‑investment vetting, counterparty assessments, governance reviews and ongoing risk monitoring....
UK Dividends Rise by 21% in Q1 – Which Sectors Made the Bumper Payments?
UK dividends jumped 21% in Q1 2026 to £16.4 billion (≈ $20.8 billion), propelled by a nine‑fold rise in special payouts that reached £3.3 billion (≈ $4.2 billion). Reckitt Benckiser, Zegona Communications and Next were the biggest special‑dividend contributors, while healthcare remained the top regular‑dividend sector,...
Market Research Is Too Slow for the AI Era, so Brox Built 60,000 Identical 'Digital Twins' Of Real People You...
Brox, a predictive human intelligence startup, raised a strategic funding round after 10× revenue growth and unveiled a platform of 60,000 digital twins—one‑to‑one replicas of real people—enabling enterprises to run unlimited surveys in hours. The twins are built from deep,...
From Manual to Strategic: How AI Is Transforming Finance and Accounting Operations
In a Controllers Council webinar co‑hosted by Zip, finance leaders discussed how AI is reshaping finance and accounting operations. The panel, featuring Zip’s chief accounting officer Sameer Syed and Huntress’s director of accounting operations Ken Liu, highlighted the shift from automating isolated...
Cannabis Execs Anticipate Tax Benefits From Rescheduling
The DOJ and DEA reclassified medical cannabis as a Schedule III drug on April 23, ending its Schedule I status. This change eliminates the IRS 280E restriction for medical cannabis businesses, potentially cutting tax burdens by up to half. Industry leaders Curaleaf and Green...
Exclusive: Baird Capital to Test Buyout Market for Water Treatment Firm Cleanwater1, Sources Say
Baird Capital is preparing to test the buyout market for Cleanwater1, a water‑treatment firm that reported $40 million of EBITDA last year. Analysts estimate the company could command a 15‑to‑17 times EBITDA multiple at exit, implying a valuation between $600 million and...
Financings for May 6, 2026
UK‑based Cytospire Therapeutics announced a £61 million (≈$82.7 million) Series A round to accelerate its EGFR‑targeted T‑cell engager pipeline for solid tumours. The capital backs multiple pre‑clinical programs and reflects strong investor confidence in next‑generation immunotherapies. Bio Korea 2026 highlighted a shift in...
Adore Me Weighs on Victoria’s Secret Operating Income
Victoria’s Secret & Co. reported FY 2025 operating income of $271 million, down $39 million year‑over‑year, even as net sales rose 5% to roughly $6.6 billion. The decline reflects a $120 million pre‑tax impairment (after‑tax $90 million) on Adore Me assets after a strategic review deemed...
How to Calculate the Total Cost of Ownership of ERP Software
Calculating the total cost of ownership (TCO) of ERP software requires looking beyond the headline license or subscription fee. Decision‑makers must add implementation, hardware, support, training, data migration and hidden soft costs such as staff time and opportunity loss. A...
First Gen Jan-Mar Income Down 24% After Gas Stake Sale
First Gen Corp's Q1 2026 net income fell 24% to PHP3.6 billion (~$65 million) from PHP4.8 billion (~$87 million) after selling a 60% stake in its natural‑gas assets for PHP50 billion (~$0.9 billion). The company now only records a 40% share of gas‑related profit. Losses at...
Novo Nordisk CEO Says the Drugmaker Is More Active than Ever in Seeking Out Deals
Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar told CNBC the company is more active than ever in pursuing acquisitions to broaden its obesity‑drug pipeline. He highlighted upcoming candidates CagriSema and zenagamtide, asserting the pipeline is among the best in the industry. The...
Mutual Funds Accelerate Launch of New Passive Investment Products
Mutual‑fund houses in India are fast‑tracking new passive ETFs as equity markets recover. SBI Mutual Fund will debut two ETFs – the Nifty200 Value 30 and the Nifty Smallcap 250 – on May 7, offering value‑screened large‑cap exposure and broad small‑cap coverage. Groww...
PayPal Is Slashing 20% of Its Workforce as New CEO Unveils Turnaround Plan
PayPal announced a restructuring that will eliminate roughly 20% of its workforce, about 4,760 jobs, over the next two to three years. The cuts are part of a $1.5 billion run‑rate savings program unveiled by new CEO Alex Lores, who took...
Insulet Raises Revenue Expectations for 2026
Insulet Corp. raised its 2026 revenue growth outlook to 21%‑23% on a constant‑currency basis, up from the prior 20%‑22% range. The company posted Q1 revenue of $761.7 million, a 34% year‑over‑year increase, and net income of $91.1 million. Growth is being driven...
Why Are Gilt Yields Rising and What Does It Mean for Your Money?
UK gilt yields surged to their highest levels in nearly three decades, with 30‑year bonds reaching 5.79% and 10‑year yields topping 5% for the first time since 2008. The spike follows heightened geopolitical tension from the Iran conflict and rising...
EY and Rillet Partner to Embed Risk and Controls Into AI-Native Finance Transformation
EY US has announced an alliance with AI‑native ERP provider Rillet to fuse finance transformation, automation, and risk management into a single operating model. The partnership leverages EY’s consulting and control expertise alongside Rillet’s general‑ledger‑first platform, embedding controls directly into...
Commission Approves over €800 Million in State Aid to Lithuanian Development Bank
The European Commission approved a €813 million (≈$887 million) equity injection and €15 million (≈$16 million) per‑year tax‑exemption package for Lithuania’s development bank ILTE. The aid targets projects that face market‑failure financing gaps across agriculture, renewable energy, district heating, building refurbishment, transport, defence, digital...
M&T Takes ‘Patient’ Approach to M&A, CFO Says
M&T Bank, which manages $213.8 billion in assets, is actively scouting acquisition targets but is deliberately pacing its M&A activity, CFO Daryl Bible said. The bank’s focus remains on deepening scale within its existing 13‑state Northeast and Mid‑Atlantic footprint rather than...
SpaceX Financials Flagged as Concern to SEC
SOC Investment Group, a pension‑fund adviser, has written to the SEC urging a thorough review of SpaceX’s financial disclosures before its slated IPO, citing concerns over the accuracy of its accounting and auditor independence. The group also wants the agency...
APRA Finalises Targeted Amendments to CPS 230 Operational Risk Management
On 30 April 2026, APRA finalized targeted amendments to prudential standard CPS 230, practice guide CPG 230, and the material service provider register. The changes introduce a list‑based exemption mechanism for non‑traditional service providers such as central banks, regulators, and government agencies,...