‘Multiple’ Parties Express Interest in Acquiring Wasserman’s The Team Agency
Multiple suitors, including United Talent Agency, private‑equity firm Permira, former Endeavor chairman Patrick Whitesell, and a consortium led by Reddit co‑founder Alexis Ohanian, are circling The Team, the rebranded Wasserman talent agency. Interested parties have until April 20 to submit offers for any stake, from the founder’s 40 percent share to the entire business. The agency, which generated roughly $200 million in annual revenue and is projected to earn $956 million in commissions by 2025, represents over 4,300 athletes and entertainers. Recent client departures have followed the public release of Casey Wasserman’s emails tied to the Epstein investigation.
Latest Fundraising Data: Volumes Fall but Less Time Is Spent on the Road
The Q1 2026 PERE fundraising report shows a modest decline in total capital commitments, with volumes falling about 8% year‑over‑year. Despite the dip, average deal sizes nudged up roughly 5%, indicating a concentration on larger, core assets. Fundraisers are spending...
Borealis Foods Gets Default Notice From Lender
Borealis Foods, the Canadian ramen‑noodle supplier listed on Nasdaq, received a default notice from its lender Frontwell Capital Partners after missing a March forbearance milestone. The company owes at least $16.1 million in principal, interest, fees and expenses under an amended...
Empery Digital Announces Update on Share Repurchase Program
Empery Digital reported that it has repurchased 26,244,657 shares under its $200 million buy‑back program, averaging $5.71 per share. The repurchases leave 29,813,797 shares outstanding after accounting for 2,146,395 pre‑funded warrants. In the week to April 17, 2026 the company sold 20 BTC...
Bulley & Andrews Acquires Interiors Contractor ICG
Bulley & Andrews, a 135‑year‑old Chicago contractor, announced the acquisition of Interior Construction Group (ICG). Financial terms were not disclosed, and ICG will operate as Bulley & Andrews Interior Construction Group with no layoffs. The deal expands B&A’s interior‑fitout capabilities...
Polymarket Seeks $15B Valuation as It Raises Capital Ahead of U.S. Regulatory Outcome
Polymarket is in talks to raise an additional $400 million, expanding its current round to $1 billion and valuing the platform at roughly $15 billion. The funding follows a $600 million investment from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), which may increase its strategic stake to $2 billion....
Commission Approves €411 Million Croatian Capital Injection Into Development Bank HBOR
The European Commission has cleared a €411 million (approximately $447 million) capital injection into Croatia’s development bank HBOR, financed through the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. The funding expands HBOR’s mandate to back SMEs, renewable‑energy projects, digital transformation, infrastructure and the defence...
FedNow Tries to Take Its Domestic Success Global
The Federal Reserve is proposing a rule change that would let FedNow members use non‑Fed intermediaries to handle the international leg of cross‑border payments, while keeping the domestic settlement instant. FedNow, launched in 2023, now has about 1,700 member banks...
Update: Lilly Makes $7bn Bid for in Vivo CAR-T Firm Kelonia
Eli Lilly has confirmed a $3.25 billion upfront offer for Kelonia Therapeutics, with milestone payments that could lift the total value to $7 billion. Kelonia’s in vivo CAR‑T candidate KLN‑1010 demonstrated MRD‑negative responses in a four‑patient early‑stage study, highlighting the promise of off‑the‑shelf cell...
VONG: Growth Can Outperform Value For The Fourth Consecutive Year
Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund ETF (VONG) has been upgraded to a Buy rating, marking its fourth consecutive year of outperformance versus value‑focused peers. The fund’s roughly 50% exposure to mega‑cap technology and AI‑driven stocks such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple...
ARDC: Buy This High-Yield Dynamic Credit Fund Before The Sale Ends
Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund (ARDC) is rated Buy, delivering a 10.7% yield while trading at a 7.5% discount to net asset value. The fund’s distribution is well‑covered by undistributed net investment income after a recent cut to $0.1125 per...
Dangote Sugar Refinery Gets Shareholders’ Approval for N500bn Rights Issue
Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc secured shareholder approval for a N500 billion (≈$1.1 billion) rights issue at its AGM. The company, with 12.146 billion shares outstanding at N68 (~$0.15) each, is 66.9% owned by Dangote Industries, while Aliko Dangote holds 5.4%. Financially, the 2025 loss...
How Europe’s New Rules Are Closing the APP Fraud Gap
Europe’s upcoming Payment Services Regulation will obligate payment‑service providers to reimburse victims of personal‑account impersonation fraud and, more critically, to connect to a mandatory, cross‑border fraud‑intelligence exchange. The framework, agreed politically in late 2025, narrows the UK’s geographic limitation by...
Agnico Lines up $3B Multi-Deal to Build Finland Hub
Agnico Eagle is orchestrating a roughly $3 billion, three‑deal package to consolidate a 2,492‑sq‑km gold district in Finland. The core transaction is a $2.1 billion acquisition of Rupert Resources, adding the 3.5 million‑ounce Ikkari project adjacent to its Kittila mine. Additional cash deals...
Groww Crosses Rs 3 Lakh Cr in Customer Assets; to Deploy Profits and Fresh Funds Into Lending Biz
Fintech platform Groww announced that its customer assets have crossed ₹3 trillion (about $36 billion), a 36% year‑on‑year increase. In Q4 FY26 the company posted revenue of ₹1,535.5 crore (~$185 million) and PAT of ₹686 crore (~$83 million), marking strong profitability. Active users grew to 16.7 million,...
World’s Best Investment Banks 2026: Latin America
Latin America’s investment banking sector showed robust activity in 2025, with BTG Pactual reaffirming its lead by generating $15 bn in M&A, $2 bn in equity capital markets and over $159 bn in debt capital markets. Itaú BBA leveraged a market rebound to...
World’s Best Investment Banks 2026: Middle East
In 2025 the Middle East’s investment‑banking scene was driven by post‑pandemic growth, energy diversification and sweeping capital‑market reforms. KFH Capital topped the list, executing over $60 billion in transactions and leading 16 debt issuances, including a landmark $3 billion sukuk for Saudi...
World’s Best Investment Banks 2026: North America
In 2025 North America’s investment banks overcame early‑year geopolitical and tariff headwinds, with J.P. Morgan, Houlihan Lokey, Morgan Stanley and BofA Securities emerging as the top performers. J.P. Morgan drove a $1 billion Circle deal, a $364 million Heartflow offering and advised a $15 billion Walgreens...
World’s Best Investment Banks 2026: Western Europe
The 2026 Global Finance ranking spotlights Western Europe’s top investment banks as the region rebounds. UBS led equity capital markets, coordinating the €808 m (≈$874 m) Ottobock IPO and a £348 m (≈$467 m) UK listing, while Rothschild & Co dominated M&A with 362...
Houlihan Lokey: Hiring Top Talent Is The Key
Houlihan Lokey reported closing 458 M&A deals in 2025, surpassing giants such as Goldman Sachs, Rothschild and JPMorgan Chase. The firm attributes the surge to deep sector expertise combined with a broad geographic footprint—55% of its revenue comes from the U.S. and...
Hospitality Faces Steepest Cost Surge as UK ‘Inflation Gap’ Widens
New research from payments provider Dojo shows UK small‑and‑medium enterprises are paying 11.75% more than consumer inflation, with hospitality bearing the steepest cost surge. Over the past decade, catering firms saw operating expenses rise 62% and material costs more than...
EDP - Energias De Portugal, S.A. & EDP Finance B.V.: Credit Rating Report
On March 13, 2026, DBRS Ratings GmbH reaffirmed its issuer ratings for EDP – Energias de Portugal, S.A. and its finance arm, EDP Finance B.V., at BBB with a Stable trend. The confirmation places both entities in the lower medium‑grade...
Truist: Mixed Results But A Supportive Buyback
Truist Financial (TFC) remains on a Hold rating after a 40% rally this year, but recent volatility has tempered enthusiasm. Deposit growth slowed to just 1.7% year‑over‑year, lagging peers and squeezing margins amid heightened competition. Loan growth is steady yet...
Pension Surplus Era Reshapes Strategy as Corporate Plans Rethink Risk and Returns
BlackRock’s 2026 U.S. corporate pension report shows funded ratios climbing to roughly 108%, up from 87% in 2018. With many plans now over‑funded, sponsors are shifting from deficit‑closing to preserving surplus and deciding how to deploy excess assets. Liability‑driven investing...
Thanks to Government Policy, Your 60/40 Portfolio May Not Cut It Under Stress
Canadian government bond yields remain low at roughly 3.4% despite mounting fiscal deficits, climate‑tax initiatives and regulatory burdens that mirror the United Kingdom’s recent policy path. In the UK, 10‑year gilt yields have risen to about 4.9%, a level that...
Payaza Achieves New Double Ratings: Releases Ground Breaking Features for African Businesses.
Payaza secured two major rating upgrades—a jump from A to AA‑ by DataPro and an A‑ investment‑grade credit rating from Intelligent Africa—marking its fourth credit rating overall. The firm also unveiled “Chat and Pay by Payaza,” enabling merchants to accept...
Revolut’s Blockbuster IPO Is Two Years Out, Says Nik Storonsky
Revolut founder Nik Storonsky told Bloomberg TV the fintech’s public listing is at least two years away, pushing the IPO timeline to 2026 or later. The company recently secured a $75 bn valuation in a secondary share sale that included Nvidia’s...
Brown-Forman: Stuck In The Middle Of A Potential Buyout And Rising Macro Pressure
Brown‑Forman Corp. (BF.A) is rated Hold as its shares hover between fair‑value and speculative buyout levels after recent acquisition interest. The company posted $628 M of free cash flow in the first nine months of FY 26, supported by strong cash balances,...
I'm a Wealth Manager: This Critical Issue Could Cost Wealthy Families Big-Time if No One Takes Control
Private‑equity firms are rapidly consolidating the accounting sector, with more than 100 CPA firm deals completed in 2025—up from roughly two dozen just two years earlier. The surge spreads tax preparation across larger, often offshore, teams, diluting the personal continuity...
State Street Investment Management Lists the First Actively Managed Saudi Stock ETF on the LSE
State Street Investment Management listed the State Street Saudi Arabia Enhanced Active Equity UCITS ETF (Acc) on the London Stock Exchange on April 20, 2026, giving European investors active exposure to Saudi equities. The Ireland‑domiciled fund uses a proprietary quantitative...
Stablecoins Are No Longer Arriving—They’re Here
Stablecoins have moved from a niche concern to a core component of traditional finance strategy, driven by the July 2025 GENIUS Act and subsequent OCC charters for major digital‑asset firms. The OCC’s proposed 376‑page rule and the FDIC’s upcoming regulation...
Contracts Are Turning Into Budget Protectors with Spend Intelligence
Financial contract intelligence, an emerging AI category, converts static vendor contracts into structured, queryable financial data. By parsing pricing, terms, and obligations, platforms like SpendBrain enable finance teams to validate charges, spot overpayments, and proactively manage renewals. This transforms spend...
Revenue Matters. But Cash Velocity Defines Financial Health.
The article argues that revenue alone no longer signals a company’s health; cash velocity is the true gauge. A survey of 550 finance leaders shows 67 % experiencing slower customer payments, prompting 78 % to shift to quarterly forecasting and prioritize days...
The Business Case for Blockchain in B2B Payments
Blockchain is being repositioned as a utility for B2B payments, distinct from cryptocurrency. Finance leaders can use distributed ledger technology to speed settlement, cut intermediaries, and improve transparency. Stablecoin‑based rails and integration with ERP systems enable automated, auditable transactions, reducing...
Sify Technologies: All Eyes On Proposed Data Center Segment IPO - Buy (Rating Upgrade)
Sify Technologies’ American Depository Shares have surged amid AI‑infrastructure enthusiasm, prompting the firm to ready an IPO for its data‑center unit Sify Infinit Spaces (SISL). The IPO targets a $4.2 billion valuation, leaving Sify with an estimated 83.1% stake worth about...
Why Companies Make Big Acquisitions Before Markets Stabilise — And Why Most Get It Wrong
Companies often wait for market stability before pursuing large acquisitions, but this habit can forfeit pricing advantages. The article argues that the optimal window lies between disruption and recovery, when risk premiums have been priced in but valuations have not...
Software Billing Gap: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload Podcast
Usage‑based pricing is becoming the norm for SaaS and AI services, but many vendors struggle to capture and bill actual consumption accurately. Griff Parry, CEO of m3ter, argues that moving from cost‑based to value‑based and even outcome‑based pricing can better...
Pulnovo Raises $100M Led by Medtronic to Advance PADN System for Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulnovo Medical announced an oversubscribed $100 million financing round led by Medtronic, bringing together existing backers such as EQT, Qiming Venture Partners, Gaorong Ventures, OrbiMed and Lilly Asia Ventures. The capital will accelerate clinical development, regulatory work and commercialization of Pulnovo’s...
‘Very Likely’ Cat Bonds Will Be Used to Source Risk Capital for Data Centre Build Out: John Seo
John Seo of Fermat Capital Management predicts catastrophe bonds will become a primary source of risk capital for the next wave of AI‑driven data centre construction. The $20‑30 billion facilities are being sited in the U.S. interior, shifting exposure from coastal...
Invest in China as the Country Comes Back Into Fashion
China has re‑emerged as a fashionable investment theme in 2026, buoyed by a youthful global perception shift and strong export momentum. Yet the country’s equity market has lagged its 344% GDP growth since 2008, with the CSI 300 barely up...
Seoul Metro Is Asking the Government for Hundreds of Millions of EUR to Cover Losses Caused by Free Rides
Seoul Metro has formally asked South Korea’s central government for roughly $358 million to offset losses from its legally mandated free‑ride program for seniors, veterans and other groups. The operator says the scheme generated about $482 million in losses last year, representing...
Piero Cipollone: Sparking the Transformation of Finance - Tokenisation and the Role of Central Banks
Piero Cipollone of the BIS argued that tokenisation and distributed ledger technology could finally reduce the long‑standing 2% cost of financial intermediation in the United States and Europe. He contrasted this potential breakthrough with past innovations—derivatives, electronic trading, dematerialisation—that improved...
Governance as Capital Protection: How UOB’s Board Architecture Reinforces Resilience in Singapore’s Banking System
UOB positions its board architecture as a capital‑protection system, aligning governance with Singapore’s stringent supervisory expectations. The bank separates board and executive authority, embeds risk appetite through a dedicated Risk Management Committee, and ties remuneration to prudent risk outcomes. Continuous...
Vasileios Madouros: Minding the Tails - Safeguarding Resilience of Non-Bank Finance
Vasileios Madouros, Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, warned that tail‑risk scenarios are expanding due to heightened geopolitical uncertainty and the rapid growth of non‑bank financial intermediaries. He highlighted that non‑banks now control roughly half of global financial assets,...
Consolidated Financial Statements
RAND Corporation released its consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2025 and 2024. The report details revenue streams, expenses, and net assets, showing an 8% revenue increase and a rise in philanthropic support. Net assets reached approximately $1.2 billion,...
Share Buyback Programme - Week 16
Ringkjøbing Landbobank reported its week‑16 share buyback activity, purchasing 271,100 shares at an average price of DKK 1,584.93 (≈$222) for a total of DKK 429.7 million (≈$60 million). The programme, running from 2 Feb to 8 May 2026, is capped at DKK 500 million (≈$70 million) and 600,000 shares. Including...
William Hill Owner Evoke in Takeover Talks With Bally’s Intralot
Bally’s Intralot SA has entered exclusive talks to acquire Evoke Plc, the parent of UK bookmaker William Hill. The proposal values Evoke at roughly £225 million (about $304 million) and translates to a 50‑pence‑per‑share offer. Evoke confirmed it is reviewing the bid,...
One in Three Large Companies Hit by VAT Investigation
HMRC has intensified its VAT enforcement, reporting a 31% jump to 11,894 investigations of large and medium‑size firms in the year to March 2025 – the highest level since 2021. The agency is targeting high‑value cases, averaging £8.6 million (≈$10.8 million) per closed...
The Director of the Congressional Budget Office—Known for Its Gloomy National Debt Data—Is Very Optimistic that a Crisis Will Be...
Congressional Budget Office director Phillip Swagel, known for stark debt forecasts, says a fiscal crisis can be averted. He points to the United States’ $39 trillion public debt and $1 trillion annual interest outlays but argues that resilient bond markets and the...
Demystifying Credit: Commercial Lease Securitisations
The Morningstar research note explains commercial lease securitisations, detailing how lease‑payment streams are transferred to special purpose vehicles and sliced into tranches for investors. It outlines why issuers use these structures to access cheaper funding while preserving balance‑sheet capacity. The...