General News

November 27, 2023 @ 1:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Hyperscience, a firm focused on hyper-automation and a provider of enterprise AI software,  announced the appointment of Brian Weiss as the company’s Field Chief Technology Officer. Weiss joins the company at “a pivotal juncture when the demand for its turnkey enterprise AI software is on… Read More

November 27, 2023 @ 9:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The British Business Bank is launching its new £130 million Investment Fund for Wales, unlocking additional funding “to help smaller businesses to prosper and thrive.” The fund will drive sustainable economic growth by “supporting new and growing businesses across the whole of Wales through investment… Read More

November 27, 2023 @ 9:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Moonfare has appointed Marc Lamik as its Chief Product and Technology Officer, which is a newly-created executive committee position “reporting to Co-CEO Lorenz Jüngling.” Lamik, who is based in Lisbon, “joined Moonfare in July 2022 as VP of Product and Data.” In his new role… Read More

November 26, 2023 @ 11:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A total of 1,098 venture capital (VC) funding deals worth $12 billion were announced in the UK during January-October 2023. Both deal volume and value recorded year-on-year (YoY) decline “compared to the VC funding activity registered during January-October 2022,” reveals GlobalData, a data and analytics… Read More

November 26, 2023 @ 11:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Kingston University is collaborating with UK neobank Science Card in order “to drive major breakthrough in cervical cancer treatment.” Science Card claims that it is creating “a unique science funding infrastructure by collaborating with UK universities to enable users of its socially-conscious e-money current account… Read More

November 26, 2023 @ 7:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Lloyds Banking Group, a UK based financial services group, has released the first Housing Stocktake 2023 report sharing insights on “the stalling efforts to decarbonize the UK’s housing stock.” In the UK, homes are one of the highest emitting sectors, “with the 28 million residential… Read More

November 26, 2023 @ 5:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The non-profit sector performs a vital role in our society, providing relief and support to groups of the population in need, “at times of urgent crisis and often in challenging circumstances and regions.” Unfortunately, charitable fundraising has also “been used to provide cover for the… Read More

November 26, 2023 @ 10:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Stefan Rust, CEO of independent economic data aggregator Truflation, says that the resignation of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao or “CZ” as part of the exchange’s settlement with US authorities marks a “sad” day that should “serve as a clarion call for the build-out of decentralized… Read More

November 26, 2023 @ 10:13 am By Omar Faridi  |  

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is known for her anti-crypto stance, referring to virtual currencies as being highly speculative, completely worthless, and often used as a tool by bad actors/criminals for engaging in illicit activities. Recently, the ECB President Christine Lagarde claimed that her… Read More

November 25, 2023 @ 2:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Pitchbook notes that their extensive Country Snapshot series provides an overview of both macroeconomic and microeconomic trends in the region, “covering various countries across Europe.” Pitchbook researchers look at how “both public and private data points have trended in Q3 for the UK.” As noted… Read More

November 24, 2023 @ 5:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Australia’s mutual banks, building societies and credit unions (the “Mutuals”) increased total assets by 2.5 percent to $163.1 billion in the 2023 financial year, “compared to last year’s 8.4 percent jump (to $159.1 billion).” At the same time, overall operating profits before tax increased “by… Read More

November 24, 2023 @ 8:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Rental concessions—offers meant to entice tenants, such “as free months of rent or free parking—are at their highest level in more than two years despite strong renter demand,” Zillow‘s (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) data shows. That’s because property managers are now “likely competing for tenants,… Read More

November 23, 2023 @ 12:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Black Friday sales are fast upon us and while “nearly two thirds (62%) of consumers say they plan to take advantage of the discounts, nearly a third (29%) of people who have shopped over Black Friday in the past have regretted their purchases.” Buyer’s… Read More

November 23, 2023 @ 12:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Xero, the global small business platform, has launched several updates to its practice tools at UK Roadshow, including “a new tax manager feature in Xero HQ, an important feature in its plan to more seamlessly connect Xero Practice Manager (XPM), Xero HQ and Xero Tax.”… Read More

November 23, 2023 @ 11:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

AvidXchange, a provider of accounts payable (AP) automation software and payment solutions for middle market businesses and their suppliers, today announced the recent release of a white paper titled, “2024: Anticipating Tomorrow’s Trends.” The report highlights the findings of a September 2023 survey of 500… Read More

November 23, 2023 @ 9:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

There were several notable digital asset and blockchain-focused developments that were announced this past week, including Republic choosing Avalanche for its profit-sharing investment Note. This week also saw crypto exchange Kraken being sued by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for allegedly failing to… Read More

November 22, 2023 @ 10:52 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Cyber and digital technology risks are a key concern for businesses and risk leaders in 2023, even as 60% see GenAI “as an opportunity for their businesses,” according to PwC’s 2023 Global Risk Survey, published recently. More than 3,900 business and risks leaders – “from… Read More

November 22, 2023 @ 8:40 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Identity fraud rose by more than a fifth this year, “amid warnings that fraudulent activity is set to peak over the Christmas shopping period.” New analysis from Experian reveals “that identity fraud rose by 22% in 2023, when compared to 2022, with the trend expected… Read More

November 21, 2023 @ 11:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Europe’s economic recovery is getting a much-needed boost from rising wages and higher incomes, according to an update shared by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). But in countries where population aging is “shrinking the workforce, policymakers may soon face new challenges.” The IMF noted in… Read More

November 21, 2023 @ 10:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

For SMEs, the year 2023 could mark a “turning point.” They have shown resilience “despite persistent inflation and the war in Ukraine, but they are now having to face rising interest rates which is making life tough for them for three reasons,” according to iBanFirst,… Read More