General News

July 20, 2025 @ 5:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Visa (NYSE:V) and Mastercard (NYSE: MA) are once again under legal scrutiny, facing a fresh multi-billion-pound class action lawsuit. The case, lodged in the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, accuses the two companies of imposing excessive interchange fees, which are alleged to violate competition laws. This… Read More

July 20, 2025 @ 4:12 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Riverside Company, a US-based global investment firm focused on lower middle market investments, has announced the final close of its Riverside Value Fund II (RVF II), reaching its hard cap of $750 million. The fund was significantly oversubscribed and closed at more than twice… Read More

July 16, 2025 @ 2:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

More than half of U.S. companies (57%) reported declining gross margins as a direct result of tariffs, according to the new KPMG Tariff Pulse Survey. As tariffs continue to reshape the global trade landscape, American businesses are already feeling “negative impacts, while anticipating that they… Read More

July 15, 2025 @ 12:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A long-simmering legal battle between veteran Chicago floor traders and CME Group, the world’s largest derivatives marketplace, finally reached the courtroom. Nearly 4,000 traders, once the lifeblood of Chicago’s iconic trading pits, are seeking over $2 billion in damages in a class-action lawsuit that accuses… Read More

July 15, 2025 @ 8:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Uncertainty over the business outlook and budget constraints led companies to reduce their hiring activity again in June, according to the latest KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs survey, compiled by S&P Global. Permanent staff appointments fell at the steepest rate “for nearly two… Read More

July 15, 2025 @ 8:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ireland is positioning itself as a global Fintech hub, with the Department of Finance unveiling a strategy to create 8,000 to 10,000 new jobs in the sector over the coming years. In an interview with FinTech Magazine, Minister of State for Finance, Robert Troy, outlined… Read More

July 14, 2025 @ 10:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bank of England has announced a comprehensive review to ensure continued access to physical currency, particularly for the most vulnerable members of society. This decision comes amid reports that some Britons, especially those reliant on cash for daily transactions, are increasingly facing challenges as… Read More

July 13, 2025 @ 5:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released its Consultation Paper and Policy Statement (CP25/18) addressing non-financial misconduct (NFM) within the financial services sector. Effective from September 1, 2026, these new rules extend the FCA’s Code of Conduct (COCON) to non-banking firms, aligning their regulatory… Read More

July 13, 2025 @ 4:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Q2 2025 US Private Equity (PE) Breakdown, released by PitchBook, offers a detailed analysis of the US private equity landscape, highlighting key trends in deal activity, exits, fundraising, as well as overall market dynamics. As the PE industry adapts to evolving economic conditions, the… Read More

July 12, 2025 @ 6:45 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

QuiX Quantum, a Dutch photonic quantum computing pioneer, has secured more than $17 million in Series A funding to deliver the world’s first single-photon-based universal quantum computer in 2026. The round was co-led by Invest-NL and EIC Fund, with participation from existing investors PhotonVentures, Oost… Read More

July 9, 2025 @ 6:54 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The UK economy is at a pivotal moment, with recent reports from KPMG highlighting key developments in banking regulation, consumer sentiment, and credit conditions. Collectively, these updates reflect cautious optimism amid ongoing economic challenges, with implications for policymakers, businesses, and households. The United Kingdom’s ring-fencing… Read More

July 9, 2025 @ 5:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Middle market business professionals remain resilient despite economic uncertainty, according to JP Morgan’s (NYSE: JPM) 2025 Business Leaders Outlook Pulse Survey. Compared with the start of the year, “optimism for the national economy fell by more than half, dropping from 65% as reported in January,… Read More

July 8, 2025 @ 9:37 am By Michael Wong  |  

SEALSQ Corp, a global player in quantum-resilient cybersecurity technologies, said on Monday it has expanded its Quantum Investment Fund to more than $35 million from the original $20 million to accelerate the integration of post-quantum cryptography, satellite communication, edge security, and digital identity into a… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 10:05 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is drafting a new circular aimed at mitigating risks from online gambling for users of digital financial platforms, as part of its broader financial consumer protection and wellness agenda. The proposed circular would apply to BSP-supervised institutions (BSIs), including… Read More

July 7, 2025 @ 11:21 am By Omar Faridi  |  

KPMG UK has offered commentary on economic and regulatory updates, reflecting the firm’s engagement with the UK’s financial landscape. Drawing from its experience in financial services, KPMG’s professionals have analyzed the Bank of England’s (BoE) Q2 Credit Conditions Survey, Money and Credit data, inflation figures,… Read More

July 2, 2025 @ 10:12 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

New research from JD Power reveals that the overall financial health of retail bank customers in the United States declined in May following two consecutive months of improvement as they confront an uncertain economy and persistently high cost of goods. The top reasons cited among those… Read More

July 2, 2025 @ 1:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Business confidence remains steady in the United Kingdom, according to a report from Lloyds Bank. Business confidence saw a small rise in June, “up one point to 51%,” according to the latest Lloyds Business Barometer. This follows the 11-point rise seen in May, “offsetting April’s… Read More

July 1, 2025 @ 10:44 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Post-pandemic economic strain and increased digitization are two reasons behind a years-long surge in tax scams, a new report from the Kaplan Group suggests. The Kaplan Group analyzed 1,384 tax scam reports submitted to the Better Business Bureau. So far this year, tax scams have… Read More

July 1, 2025 @ 10:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Banco Central do Brasil (BCB), Brazil’s central bank, has recently announced a series of significant updates that confirm its commitment to fostering financial stability, transparency, and innovation in the country’s financial system. These updates cover new regulations for credit fintechs, the issuance of digital… Read More

June 26, 2025 @ 4:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In 2025, nearly 8,500 users from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) faced cyberattacks where malicious or unwanted software was disguised as popular online productivity tools, Kaspersky reports. Based on the unique malicious and unwanted files observed, the most common lures included Zoom and Microsoft Office,… Read More