The FTSE 100 delivered a strong performance this year, climbing roughly 12% despite lingering macro uncertainties. Yet UK equity funds continued to see net outflows, with investors pulling about 15% less capital compared to the previous year. The reluctance stems from a combination of higher yields abroad, currency volatility, and lingering Brexit‑related risk perception. Asset managers warn that the funding gap could hinder future market participation.

Carlyle Group, BlackRock, Benefit Street Partners and Oak Hill Advisors are buying pools of low‑yield, software‑focused bank loans. The acquisitions are intended to seed new collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) after a year of compressed margins in the loan market. Buyers...
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and Bank of America have entered a multi‑year partnership to embed LSEG’s data, analytics and workflow solutions across BofA’s platforms. The deal gives BofA clients governed, rights‑cleared data and AI‑ready content, powered by LSEG Workspace,...
MLS franchise values have surged to an average of $767 million, driven by Inter Miami’s $1.45 billion valuation and LAFC’s $1.4 billion mark. At the lower end, clubs like CF Montréal sit at $430 million, with San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps seeing year‑over‑year declines. The...
The London Stock Exchange marked a milestone 2025, delivering a record‑breaking year for exchange‑traded products (ETPs). Trading volume surged to GBP 238.4 billion, a 38% year‑on‑year increase, while 398 new listings pushed the total to 2,645 ETPs. The removal of the retail...
Streaming operators are moving from growth‑focused strategies to strict cost discipline as subscriber acquisition slows and infrastructure expenses rise. Igor Oreper argues that profitability now depends on tightly controlled workflows, AI‑driven automation, and smarter cloud‑native architectures. He highlights concrete levers...

Toshiba Corp. is weighing a partial or full divestiture of its roughly 80% stake in Toshiba Elevator & Building Systems, as Finland’s Kone Oyj signals renewed interest. Kone, which already owns just under 20% of the unit, has begun informal...
Kenyan e‑mobility startup Arc Ride has secured a $5 million equity commitment from the International Finance Corporation to fuel its Series A round and regional rollout. The funding will accelerate the deployment of battery‑swapping stations across East Africa, complementing earlier debt deals...
Olaf Sleijpen, governor of De Nederlandsche Bank, highlighted Europe’s €10 trillion of low‑yield household deposits and the need to channel them into productive capital markets through the Savings and Investment Union. He warned that fragmented insolvency regimes and national rules act...

HM Treasury’s 2025 policy update outlines a shift from the EU‑derived Capital Requirements Regulation to a UK‑specific framework built on the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The Treasury will revoke parts of the CRR and replace them with rules...
UK platforms Klipboard, Access Group, and Epos Now illustrate a four‑stage roadmap for building embedded finance. They begin by validating assumptions and launching embedded payments, then evolve payments into a core, cross‑functional capability. Next, they add complementary financial products such as...

CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions announced a ₹3,100 crore IPO opening on Feb 23, with a price band of ₹1,000‑1,053 per share that values the company at up to ₹12,325 crore. The issue includes a ₹1,200 crore fresh issue and a ₹1,900 crore offer‑for‑sale by promoters,...

CFOs are reallocating 2026 budgets toward revenue‑generating functions, technology and AI, while headcount growth and HR spending slow sharply. Nearly 60% of finance leaders plan to raise AI spend, echoing a broader trend of near‑universal AI adoption in financial services....

Mondrian, a European asset manager, has selected FundGuard’s cloud‑based investment ledger to replace its legacy accounting system. The new platform will provide real‑time transaction processing, automated regulatory reporting, and seamless integration with tokenisation workflows. Migration includes historic data transfer and...

Asia‑Pacific private credit is entering a rapid expansion phase, with issuance projected to rise from $59 billion in 2024 to $92 billion by 2027. Industry leaders such as SC Lowy and Moody’s cite digitalization, the energy transition, and infrastructure needs as primary catalysts,...

Cross‑border payments are undergoing a structural shift as CFOs demand more predictable, liquid, and compliant solutions. FinTech firms have accelerated speed and API‑driven usability, opening new corridors and transparent pricing. At the same time, banks are investing in modern settlement,...

DCM Shriram Industries completed its demerger, launching DCM Shriram Fine Chemicals Ltd and DCM Shriram International Ltd on Indian exchanges. Fine Chemicals opened around 17% below its issue price, while International fell about 18% on the NSE but edged up...
Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) has asked the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) to approve a plan that bridges a ₹528.1 crore net revenue deficit for FY 2024‑25. The shortfall stems from higher power procurement costs, rising finance expenses and a 5.8%...
The National Bank of Ethiopia announced sweeping foreign‑exchange reforms, letting exporters retain 100% of their foreign‑currency earnings in designated accounts and permitting banks to issue payment cards linked to those accounts. The minimum $100 requirement for foreign‑exchange savings accounts has...

Fibe, the former EarlySalary, posted FY25 operating revenue of Rs 1,228 crore, a 49% increase from the prior year, while net profit rose 13% to Rs 114 crore. Interest on loans remained the dominant revenue stream, exceeding Rs 1,000 crore and representing over...

Blackstone and EQT have agreed to acquire Spain’s waste‑management firm Urbaser for an enterprise value of €5.6 billion. The purchase price reflects an 11‑times multiple of the company’s projected 2025 EBITDA, underscoring strong confidence in the sector’s cash flow generation. The...
Recruitment agencies often focus on headline funding percentages, but the true cost is driven by how funding behaves under real‑world conditions. Factors such as debt protection activation, margin release timing, invoice aging, credit limits, and ancillary charges shape cash‑flow stability...

Vietnam’s finance ministry reported a record $106.6 bn state budget revenue in 2025, surpassing forecasts by 35.5 %. The ministry issued 144 circulars—about a quarter of all national normative documents—while rolling out 28 laws and 86 decrees to support digital transformation, new...
Naturals, one of India’s largest organised salon chains with about 900 outlets, is negotiating a stake sale with Reliance but talks have stalled over control, with Reliance seeking a 51% stake while Naturals wants to retain 49%. The company reported...

Danaher, a US healthcare conglomerate, is close to finalizing a roughly $10 billion acquisition of Masimo, the maker of pulse‑oximetry and other medical monitoring devices. The deal, still subject to antitrust clearance, would add Masimo’s sensor technology to Danaher’s Life Sciences...
IFS posted 23% annual recurring revenue growth and a 114% net retention rate for FY 2025, indicating industrial AI is moving from pilot projects to large‑scale operational use. The company’s new IFS Nexus Black and Agent Studio platforms let enterprises...

Apax Partners pulled its £575 million takeover bid for FTSE 250 software firm Pinewood on February 16, citing challenging market conditions. The withdrawal triggered an immediate 31% drop in Pinewood’s share price, the steepest decline in weeks. Analysts view the move as a...
Indexes are increasingly dominated by a handful of AI‑focused mega‑cap firms, turning passive funds into de‑facto concentrated bets. Peter Corey of Pave warns that investors often mistake broad ETF holdings for true diversification, while underlying exposure remains clustered around the...
The February Consumer Discretionary Dashboard shows the sector’s services segment trading about 14% below its 11‑year average, while autos and components remain the most overpriced subsector. Fidelity’s FDIS ETF and SPDR’s XLY deliver comparable long‑term Sharpe ratios, but FDIS offers...

Deep‑tech startups often stumble not because the science is weak but because the risk profile between a working prototype and a scalable business is mis‑designed. Traditional venture capital timelines of five to seven years clash with the ten‑plus‑year gestation required...
Brokerage houses have highlighted five Indian equities that could deliver 10‑40% returns by 2026. Motilal Oswal sees Indraprastha Gas (IGL) rising 41% to ₹235 and Siemens Energy up 31% to ₹3,600. Citi maintains a Buy on Lupin with a 15% upside,...

Baby Bunting posted record half‑year sales of $271.4 million, a 4.9% increase year‑on‑year, driven by a mix of new large‑format stores, small‑format openings, and six "store of the future" refurbishments. Online sales climbed to 24.8% of total revenue, up 18%, reflecting...
Sir John Templeton’s adage that the best buying opportunities arise at peak pessimism is highlighted as a timeless investing principle. The article notes that widespread fear compresses valuations, allowing strong companies to be bought at discounts, while emphasizing the need...
Lundin Mining secured an additional credit facility to fund its flagship copper development, expanding the financing previously arranged for the project. The new credit line, sourced from a syndicate of international banks, adds $500 million to the existing $1.2 billion pool,...

Investors received the FX option expiry list for 17 February 10 am New York cut, detailing strike levels and notional amounts across major pairs. EUR/USD options total roughly €2.6 billion at strikes 1.1900, 1.2000 and 1.2025. USD/JPY carries about $2.86 billion at 156.00 and 151.00,...
HFMA’s FastFinance podcast highlights new off‑campus HOPD reporting requirements that could impose significant cost burdens on health systems. The episode also cites a "Weird Number"—a 3‑5% annual net revenue loss attributed to inefficient electronic health records and billing platforms. Additionally,...
Effective Jan. 1 2028, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 requires hospitals to assign separate NPIs and submit two provider‑based attestations for each off‑campus hospital outpatient department (HOPD) or lose Medicare OPPS reimbursement. Compliance documentation can be extensive—up to 200 pages per...

Independent Franchise Partners (IFP) has acquired a 3.01% stake in Universal Music Group (UMG), valued at roughly €1.09 billion ($1.29 bn). The holding makes IFP the sixth‑largest shareholder and adds to its existing positions in Vivendi, Rightmove and Warner Music, signalling a...
Fitch Ratings assigned an ‘A’ rating to Lee County, Florida’s airport revenue bonds, Series 2026, and affirmed the rating on existing bonds with a stable outlook. The rating reflects a balanced carrier mix serving a leisure‑focused market and enplanements that...

J.P. Morgan’s Kinexys platform demonstrated kinetic treasury by instantly minting $40 million of stablecoins using a tokenized vacation‑home as collateral, freeing a semiconductor shipment for a Rotterdam logistics firm. The transaction bridged a retail client’s idle digital asset with an institutional...

Thailand's finance ministry has instructed state‑owned enterprises to fund new investments primarily from internal revenues, limiting reliance on borrowing that is classified as public debt. The policy follows a backdrop where public debt stands at 66.1% of GDP, close to...
Leading European large‑cap equity funds rebalanced portfolios in December, increasing exposure to financial services, healthcare and, to a lesser extent, industrials. At the same time, allocations to basic materials, consumer defensive and technology stocks were trimmed. ASML emerged as the...
Plus500’s chief executive, chief financial officer and chief marketing officer announced the sale of 1,500,000 ordinary shares, representing roughly 2.14% of the company’s issued capital. The transaction will be executed on the secondary market through Goldman Sachs International, with Panmure...

Japanese fintech PayPay Corp. announced a U.S. market entry strategy that pairs a Visa partnership with an upcoming initial public offering. The collaboration will enable PayPay to bundle its Balance, Card and Bank services into a single Visa credential, expanding...

Howard Rubin, founder of The Technology Economists, warns that rising IT budgets are being eroded by inflation that outpaces spending, with average budget growth of 3.1% versus 6.9% inflation. His research shows that even sectors like banking see real IT...

Crypto taxpayers are increasingly exposed to tax liabilities because many cannot substantiate the cost basis of their digital assets. When the IRS cannot verify basis, it treats the entire proceeds as taxable gain, potentially invoking civil penalties or criminal fraud...
The NAHB’s AD&C Financing survey shows that in Q4 2025 the cost of credit for residential builders fell to its lowest level since 2022. Contract rates dropped across land acquisition, development, speculative and pre‑sold single‑family loans, and effective rates fell even...
Goldman Sachs increased its stake in Aye Finance by buying 16.8 lakh shares for about Rs 22 crore, bringing its total exposure to roughly Rs 91 crore. The NBFC’s IPO was 97 % subscribed, yet the shares opened flat at Rs 128.80, just 0.16 % below the issue...

The Dutch House approved a Box 3 overhaul that will tax the annual change in value of liquid assets such as Bitcoin at a flat 36 % rate, effective Jan 1 2028 pending Senate approval. The regime treats crypto like a marked‑to‑market security, meaning...

Denmark’s state‑run pension fund PenSam, which manages €27 billion of assets, said it will keep its exposure to U.S. private equity despite recent market turbulence. The fund’s head of private capital and real assets, Jeppe Starup, indicated that the firm is...