Buy now, pay later is growing globally — with various companies expanding to, and in, different parts of the world, such as Africa, Latin America and Asia. Here in the U.S., Affirm and Klarna are big players, and Square recently announced plans to acquire Afterpay, which also is eyeing growth here. Traditional buy now, pay […]
Dispo launches a test to gauge user interest in selling their photos as NFTs
The photo-sharing app that emulates disposable cameras, Dispo started rolling out a test yesterday that will record user interest in selling photos as NFTs. Some users will now see a sell button on their photos, and when they tap it, they can sign up to be notified when the ability to sell Dispo photos launches. […]
Soccer-Wenger says ‘very positive response’ to new World Cup plan
September 9, 2021 By Simon Evans (Reuters) – FIFA’s plan to double the number of World Cups by holding the tournament every two years has received a “very positive response”, Arsene Wenger, the man fronting the proposals, said on Thursday. The former Arsenal manager is FIFA’s head of Global Football Development and has been pushing […]
China-focused equity funds see outflows for second month in August
September 9, 2021 By Gaurav Dogra and Patturaja Murugaboopathy (Reuters) – Global investors sold China-focused equity funds for the second straight month in August on concerns over a regulatory crackdown on local firms and the economic impact of the Delta coronavirus variant. China-focused equity funds saw net sales worth $392 million, following outflows of $596 […]
China to auction off state crude oil reserves to help refiners
September 9, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s state reserves administration said on Thursday it would release crude oil reserves to the market via public auction to ease the pressure of high feedstock costs on domestic refiners. The release, described as a first, will be made in phases and is mainly for integrated refining and chemical plants, […]
Iranian, Qatari ministers meet amid Iran-U.S. tensions
September 9, 2021 DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister met his visiting counterpart from U.S.-allied Qatar on Thursday, state media reported, as Tehran and Washington appear to be at an impasse over the fate of talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal. Iran on Wednesday warned Western states against rebuking it at the International Atomic […]
Motor racing-F1 considering mandatory Friday practice for young drivers
September 9, 2021 (Reuters) – Formula One teams could be obliged to run young drivers in Friday practice sessions from next season to provide an opportunity for fresh talent to gain track time and shine. The sport’s chief executive Stefano Domenicali told Italian media ahead of their home grand prix at Monza that the matter […]
Chad hopes for ‘favourable opinion’ from Glencore on debt restructuring
September 9, 2021 By Mahamat Ramadane N’DJAMENA (Reuters) – Unable to honour internal debt commitments, authorities in Chad are hoping for a “favourable opinion” from Glencore Plc on restructuring the country’s commercial debt, Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke said on Thursday. “Glencore represents for Chad today more than 98% of the country’s commercial debt,” Padacke […]
Cricket-India cancel practice after physio tests positive for COVID-19
September 9, 2021 MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -India’s practice session ahead of the fifth and final test against England was cancelled on Thursday after a member of their support staff tested positive for COVID-19, an Indian cricket board official said. Second physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar tested positive on Wednesday and the team were awaiting the results of […]
U.S. weekly jobless claims near 18-month low
September 9, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week to the lowest level in nearly 18 months, offering more evidence that job growth was being hindered by labor shortages rather than cooling demand for workers. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 35,000 to a […]
ECB takes token step towards dialling down pandemic-era stimulus
September 9, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – The European Central Bank said on Thursday it would slow bond purchases under its 1.85 trillion-euro Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) from the 80 billion euros monthly pace registered in the past two quarters. Markets reacted modestly to the move, which is a token step towards unwinding the emergency […]
U.S. airlines flag hit to bookings from surge in Delta variant
September 9, 2021 (Reuters) – Several U.S. airlines on Thursday warned of a slowdown in ticket sales and cut revenue forecast as the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus threatens to blunt the recovery in travel that had started following the roll out of vaccines. American Airlines expects third-quarter total revenue to be down about […]
Quicken, one of the ‘first fintechs,’ is being sold again
Five and a half years after being acquired by a private equity firm, personal finance software company Quicken is announcing that it is being acquired by another private equity firm. In April 2016, an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital acquired Quicken from Intuit Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Today, Menlo Park, California-based Quicken is announcing that […]
White House pulls nomination of gun control advocate to lead firearms agency
September 9, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House has withdrawn President Joe Biden’s nomination of gun control advocate David Chipman to head the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. Chipman had faced strong Republican opposition in the Senate, undermining his chances of winning […]
Nobel laureate Doudna’s biotech Mammoth hits over $1 billion in valuation
September 9, 2021 By Manas Mishra (Reuters) – Mammoth Biosciences, co-founded by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, touched a valuation of more than $1 billion after raising $150 million in its latest funding round. Doudna, who shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Emmanuelle Charpentier for developing the CRISPR/CAS9 gene editing tool, co-founded the biotech […]
ECB trims emergency support but insists “no tapering”
September 9, 2021 By Balazs Koranyi and Francesco Canepa FRANKFURT (Reuters) -The European Central Bank will trim emergency bond purchases over the coming quarter, it said on Thursday, taking a first small step towards unwinding the emergency aid that has propped up the euro zone economy during the pandemic. After the ECB pulled out all […]
Walmart to scrap quarterly bonuses for store workers – WSJ
September 9, 2021 (Reuters) -Walmart Inc is phasing out its decades-old quarterly bonuses for store workers as it implements hourly wage raises for employees, the Wall Street Journal reported https://on.wsj.com/3BUrgpZ on Thursday, citing an internal memo. The report added the U.S. retailer would scrap the benefit, dubbed MyShare, at the end of its fiscal year […]
Bennifer have arrived! Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in Venice for filmfest
September 9, 2021 VENICE (Reuters) – Looking radiant and holding hands, singer Jennifer Lopez and actor Ben Affleck arrived for the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, getting into a water taxi to be whizzed off to their luxury hotel in the lagoon city. Affleck is in Venice for the festival premiere of Ridley Scott’s medieval epic […]
Biden to lay out ‘path ahead’ in COVID-19 fight
September 9, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Thursday will press for new approaches to control the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, which rages on despite the wide availability of vaccines, with surging cases in some U.S. states overwhelming local hospitals. In a speech, Biden will focus on new plans to get more […]
Varo Bank raises massive $510M Series E at a $2.5B valuation as it eyes the public markets
Varo Bank, which last year became the first U.S. neobank to be granted a national bank charter, announced this morning it has raised a staggering $510 million in a Series E funding round at a $2.5 billion valuation. The massive “oversubscribed” financing comes nearly seven months after the fintech startup raised $63 million in a […]
