General News

May 18, 2025 @ 10:47 am By Michael Wong  |  

The Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) and GFH Financial Group have formed a strategic partnership to develop a comprehensive book on Islamic capital markets, in a move aimed at reinforcing Bahrain’s status as a global hub for Islamic finance education and innovation. The… Read More

May 18, 2025 @ 7:48 am By Michael Wong  |  

Gulf International Bank B.S.C. (GIB) has closed its debut $500 million syndicated Murabaha financing facility, marking a milestone in its funding strategy and expanding its footprint in the Islamic finance market, according to a company announcement. The three-year Shariah-compliant facility was significantly oversubscribed, attracting strong… Read More

May 3, 2025 @ 2:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In its Global Markets Snapshot, PitchBook has examined the private and public market landscape, offering insights for investors navigating a complex economic environment. The report highlights key trends in venture capital (VC), private equity (PE), and mergers and acquisitions (M&A), while addressing the impact of… Read More

May 1, 2025 @ 7:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

After a strong first quarter, business confidence fell by 10 points in April to 39%, according to the Lloyds Business Barometer, though it remains higher than “levels seen in first quarter and above the long-term average of 29%.” The decline was driven mainly by “a… Read More

April 28, 2025 @ 6:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

Pepperdine University, Graziadio Business School, recently announced that it is currently accepting applicants for the list of the most fundable companies. The competition is open to all startups generating between zero (pre-revenue) to $10 million in revenue based in the US. Pepperdine reports that thousands… Read More

April 25, 2025 @ 12:26 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

New research from Bain & Company finds that 70% of companies are failing to effectively integrate their sales plays into their revenue technology tools, such as solutions used for customer relationship management (CRM). That limits their ability to achieve their expected growth gains. For its 2025… Read More

April 24, 2025 @ 1:19 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Donald Trump’s claim that he has “no intention” of firing Jerome Powell is not an act of restraint—it’s a “recognition of reality”, deVere Group CEO Nigel Green believes. Green spoke after Trump on Monday continued his criticism of the Federal Reserve chair, calling him a… Read More

April 14, 2025 @ 3:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation) released preliminary findings from the National Financial Capability Study, which will be published in July. The FINRA Foundation is previewing the data this month—National Financial Capability Month—to “provide insight into the overall financial knowledge of adults in the… Read More

April 13, 2025 @ 12:36 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The gold reserves of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates rose 7% in January to AED24.571 billion ($6.69 billion), up from AED22.981 billion in December 2024, according to data from the central bank’s monthly statistical bulletin. The rise in gold holdings was part… Read More

April 12, 2025 @ 5:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Research from Barclays Eagle Labs shows Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol contain the strongest clusters of high-growth companies outside London, demonstrating “how local entrepreneurial and tech incubator networks are showing up for growth.” The Tech in the UK 2024 report from Barclays Eagle Labs shows “where… Read More

April 12, 2025 @ 11:16 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Recent research from J.D. Power shows most retirement plan providers offer a poor digital experience to their customers. J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Retirement Plan Digital Experience Study is available here. Just 21% of retirement websites and mobile apps are living up to customer expectations for… Read More

April 6, 2025 @ 5:41 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

This week, Entrust, a provider of identity-centric security solutions, and DocuSign (Nasdaq: DOCU) released the results of a joint global study examining the escalating costs of identity fraud and the trade-offs enterprises face between security and customer experience. The Future of Global Identity Verification research… Read More

April 5, 2025 @ 3:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Preqin, an independent provider of private markets data, recently released its Alternatives in North America 2025 report. The report estimates show that North American private capital growth slowed as both fundraising and performance “continue to come off previous highs from 2021 and 2022.” Regardless, the… Read More

April 5, 2025 @ 1:55 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

The fifteenth edition of its annual LexisNexis True Cost of Fraud Study: E-commerce and Retail Report – US and Canada Edition reveals merchants pay nearly $5 in costs for every $1 they are defrauded. The report, based on a survey of 569 fraud and risk executives,… Read More

April 3, 2025 @ 8:03 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Central Bank (ECB) released the results of its Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) for February 2025, offering a look into how euro area households perceive inflation, economic growth, and their financial prospects. Conducted monthly across 11 euro area countries with around 19,000 adult participants,… Read More

March 31, 2025 @ 10:33 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

In an uncertain economic environment in which overall consumer financial health, total deposits, annual household income and total investments are declining, retail bank customer satisfaction is on the rise. According to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, released this week, this counterintuitive improvement… Read More

March 28, 2025 @ 12:58 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In an uncertain economic environment in which overall consumer financial health,1 total deposits, annual household income and total investments are declining, retail bank customer satisfaction is on the rise. This, according to an update from JDPower. According to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Retail Banking… Read More

March 28, 2025 @ 11:21 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Backbase, the engagement banking provider, announces Tirana Bank has chosen its Engagement Banking Platform to power an ambitious digital transformation that will aim to “reshape banking experiences for their new and existing customers.” The partnership represents Tirana Bank’s “largest-ever” technology investment, surpassing previous “core banking… Read More

March 28, 2025 @ 9:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Kaspersky has identified and helped patch a sophisticated zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome (CVE-2025-2783) that allowed attackers to bypass the browser’s sandbox protection system. The exploit, discovered by Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT), required no user interaction “beyond clicking a malicious link and… Read More

March 26, 2025 @ 9:11 am By JD Alois  |  

While certain malcontents bemoan successful individuals, the reality is that when markets reward innovative entrepreneurs, they tend to use this success to support others attempting to do the same. This is one of the reasons the US innovation ecosystem has been thriving, creating the most… Read More