General News

September 28, 2023 @ 9:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Lumu, creators of the Continuous Compromise Assessment cybersecurity model that enables organizations to operate cybersecurity proficiently, announced it has closed a $30 million Series B round “led by Forgepoint Capital, with participation from existing investors BIP Ventures, Exceptional Capital and SIMMA Capital. Forgepoint Capital Managing… Read More

September 28, 2023 @ 11:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The number of first-time buyers in Scotland reportedly “fell by 14% between January and August 2023, compared to the same period in 2022,” according to the latest Bank of Scotland First-Time Buyer Review. This fall is not as sharp as the picture “for the UK… Read More

September 28, 2023 @ 8:32 am By Michael Wong  |  

Startups in Southeast Asia continue to struggle with funding as ecosystem funding falls to a five-year low for the third quarter of this year, according to a report released by SaaS-based market intelligence platform Tracxn. The report said the tech startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia… Read More

September 28, 2023 @ 6:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Fastpath, a global firm focused on application governance, risk, and compliance, is expanding its partnership with the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (Chartered IIA), the internal audit firm focused on standards, certification, education, research, and technical guidance in the UK and Ireland. The alliance will… Read More

September 27, 2023 @ 10:58 pm By Michael Wong  |  

A survey jointly conducted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) showed money market funds were the top-selling collective investment schemes (CIS) as reported by the city’s licensed corporations (LCs) in 2022. It accounted for 61% of the… Read More

September 27, 2023 @ 2:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Federated Hermes, Inc. (NYSE:FHI), a global firm focused on active, responsible investing, announces the successful opening of its Federated Hermes GPE Innovation Fund II (HINF II) Commitments have been secured from British Business Investments and BT Pension Scheme (BTPS). HINF II is focused “on driving… Read More

September 27, 2023 @ 8:02 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance, which is being sued by US regulators for a wide range of issues along with facing other major compliance and operational challenges, has entered into an agreement to sell the entirety of its Russia business to CommEX. To ensure a smooth process for existing… Read More

September 26, 2023 @ 8:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Founding members including HSBC UK, Nationwide Building Society, Tesco Bank, NewDay, Co-operative Bank and Ovo have come together to launch Support Hub, a free platform powered by Experian that “shares access needs with multiple organisations in one go.” Nearly three-quarters (73%) of disabled people “have… Read More

September 26, 2023 @ 8:47 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Asia Pacific region continues to hold on to its position as the top source of global capital in H1 2023, with Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan seizing spots among the top five global deployers of capital. Colliers’ recently published Global Capital Markets: Insights &… Read More

September 26, 2023 @ 8:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A total of 9,527 deals (mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity, and venture financing deals) were announced in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region during January to August 2023, which was “a decline of 21.5% over the 12,142 deals announced during the same period in 2022,” according… Read More

September 26, 2023 @ 3:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Columbia Banking System Inc. (Nasdaq: COLB), today announced the findings of its 6th annual Business Barometer ― an in-depth study of the mood, mindset, and strategic priorities “of 1,250 leaders of small and midsize businesses across the U.S.” Business leaders… Read More

September 26, 2023 @ 10:44 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Assemble users can now view Carta Total Compensation benchmarking data and cap table information within the Assemble platform, making it easier to “build a startup compensation strategy.” In the past, Assemble customers had “to log in to Carta separately to access Total Comp or their… Read More

September 26, 2023 @ 9:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

High interest rates, continued uncertainty and low productivity could see the UK struggle to keep its head above water “in the second half of the year – with GDP growth forecast at 0.4% in 2023 and 0.3% in 2024,” according to KPMG’s latest UK Economic… Read More

September 25, 2023 @ 11:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

KPMG has shared its economics report which finds house / property prices are expected “to rise gradually over next nine months and then surge in FY25.” In Australia, home / real estate prices will “rise nationally by 4.9% over the next 9 months and then… Read More

September 25, 2023 @ 10:59 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million loan to bolster Indonesia’s progressive endeavors in streamlining investment climates, fortifying trade, and advancing enterprises. The approval is an extension of the Competitiveness, Industrial Modernization, and Trade Acceleration Program (CITA), following the success of its… Read More

September 25, 2023 @ 10:34 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Online pension provider, PensionBee, is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Cavanagh as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel. In 2015, Matthew served “as General Counsel to PensionBee.” He now rejoins as head of PensionBee Group’s legal function, “with responsibility for the provision of… Read More

September 25, 2023 @ 9:36 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Dawn Capital notes that this year, software spend globally topped $1 trillion. Less than a decade ago, this figure was reportedly half and by 2050 Gartner estimates it will reach $7 trillion. According to Dawn Capital, It has been “a challenging 18 months for tech,… Read More

September 25, 2023 @ 8:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

British Business Bank is supporting more than £12.4bn of finance through its core programs and meets its objectives, but “reports a loss for 2022/23 due to falls in market valuations.” Louis Taylor, CEO, British Business Bank, said: “The British Business Bank has continued to build… Read More

September 24, 2023 @ 10:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Metro Bank’s ‘Scam of the Month’ for September 2023 is a warning to drivers about the influx of second-hand car scams “as approximately a million drivers take possession of their new 73 licence plate cars from September.” Purchase scams can take many forms; “with the… Read More

September 24, 2023 @ 10:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Smart Pension, one of the UK’s workplace pension providers, announces its investment in the AMX-DWS Global Low Carbon Stewardship Fund. The fund is a new low-carbon global equity index strategy that “offers innovative stewardship voting capabilities, being one of the first pooled funds to offer… Read More