Business
JD.com offers EU concessions in Ceconomy takeover probe
Chinese e-commerce giant proposes remedies to address Brussels' concerns over MediaMarkt-Saturn deal. EU regulator targets alleged state subsidies and deepens antitrust scrutiny.
AI bots waste millions of hours of scammers' time, firms say
Australian startup Apate deploys nearly 200,000 AI personas to engage fraudsters, extracting intelligence for banks and telcos while disrupting illicit operations.
HOOPP names interim private equity heads after senior exit
Mark Cormier and Roman Gula appointed as acting co-heads following departure of global private equity head Lori Hall-Kimm. Private equity assets under management rise to C$24.2 billion.
Chery’s robotics unit AiMOGA plans IPO amid push into global police robot market
AiMOGA Robotics, Chery Automobile’s robotics division, is preparing for an IPO to fund expansion into overseas markets for its humanoid police robots. The unit has already deployed 110 units across Chinese cities and targets 10,000 global deliveries by next year.
M&G appoints Daiichi Life executive as non-executive director
Hitoshi Yamaguchi joins M&G’s board as part of a strategic partnership with Daiichi Life Group. The appointment strengthens ties between the insurers and takes effect in September 2026.
DX expands global delivery network to 220 countries with new portal
UK logistics firm DX Group rolls out international parcel and freight service to 220 countries via road and air networks, backed by a digital booking and tracking portal.
Viseca posts 6.2% profit drop in H1 2026 despite transaction growth
Swiss payments provider Viseca reports lower net income as interest and fee revenues decline, offsetting higher transaction volumes and card issuance growth.
Dutch insurer ASR Nederland posts 9.8% H1 operating profit rise
Net profit surged to €809 million as real estate revaluations and rate moves offset costs, while fee-based businesses grew 32% on HumanTotalCare acquisition.
Aon names Doug Hammond to lead middle market segment
Hammond, formerly NFP CEO, will oversee Aon’s middle market strategy globally. Three NFP executives promoted alongside the transition.
EFG sells UK wealth unit to Canaccord Wealth for strategic focus
EFG International to divest Harris Allday’s client assets and front-office teams to Canaccord Wealth, improving CET1 ratio by 30bps and boosting pre-tax profit by CHF 20 million. Deal expected to close Q4 2026.
OpenAI launches ad business in Switzerland and Europe
ChatGPT ads to roll out Monday across 31 markets including Switzerland, Germany, France and Italy. Free-tier users to see targeted placements, with paid tiers remaining ad-free.
Oasis urges Kakaku.com to reject EQT bid, seek higher price
Activist investor Oasis Management calls for Japanese online platform Kakaku.com to reject a 3,570 yen bid from EQT-led consortium, citing Bain Capital’s higher 3,640 yen offer as more realistic.
H. Lundbeck posts 16% H1 2026 revenue growth on Vyepti strength
Danish drugmaker’s net profit surged 36% to DKK 2.8 billion as migraine drug Vyepti’s U.S. market share topped 13%. Full-year guidance raised toward upper range.
KKR takes minority stake in India’s BookMyShow for live entertainment push
Global investment firm acquires undisclosed stake in India’s largest ticketing and live events platform. Deal subject to regulatory approvals.
Bank of America reshuffles Asia Pacific industrials banking leadership
Yuta Komori named chair of Asia Pacific Global Industrials Investment Banking while Meng Gao and Masashi Toda appointed co-heads in a regional restructuring.
Analog Devices, Carlsberg, Geberit and Straumann to report earnings this week
Five European and U.S. companies issue quarterly results this week, including Swiss industrials Geberit and Straumann and Danish brewer Carlsberg. Analysts will watch for signs of margin pressure and demand trends.
Anthropic plans dual-class shares for founders ahead of potential IPO
AI startup Anthropic is preparing to issue supervoting stock to CEO Dario Amodei and co-founders as it gears up for a public listing, The Information reports. The unusual governance structure could support a record-breaking IPO.
eXoZymes achieves 10-fold NCT manufacturing productivity gain
Optimized enzyme-based process slashes reaction time by over 80% and cuts costs more than 100-fold, accelerating commercialization plans for the nutraceutical compound.
Pennsylvania imposes strict rules on AI data centers amid growing scrutiny
Governor Josh Shapiro signs executive order requiring environmental safeguards, local approvals and transparency for new AI data centers. Amazon’s $20 billion investment in Pennsylvania is affected.
FCC probes Disney’s DEI practices as agency defends investigation
FCC Chair Brendan Carr says no decision has been made yet on revoking Disney’s ABC licenses amid a probe into diversity initiatives. The agency faces pushback over its early review of the broadcaster’s eight owned stations.
Genentech completes $2 bln North Carolina biomanufacturing facility
Structural framework finished for Genentech's first East Coast plant, part of a $50 bln Roche commitment to U.S. biotech infrastructure. Facility to employ 2,000+ once operational.
Taboola to power NBC News display ads in expanded deal
Partnership expands beyond native ads to programmatic display campaigns on NBCNews.com and TODAY.com, leveraging Taboola's Realize platform for performance-based advertising.
Total Wireless, Western Union expand money transfer services to 2,000+ U.S. stores
Partnership enables fee-free monthly transfers for eligible customers through 2026. Services include bill payments and money orders alongside 5G plans.
U.S. sanctions British Virgin Islands firm linked to Venezuela oil sector
Sanctions target Bluwaves Properties Limited, an offshore entity with ties to North American Blue Energy Partners, a major Venezuelan private oil producer. The move follows a $300 million sale by U.S. energy magnate Harry Sargeant III.
Etched raises $700 million at $21 billion valuation for AI inference chips
AI hardware startup Etched secures $700 million in fresh funding, doubling its valuation to $21 billion as it scales production of specialized inference clusters. Lead investor Jane Street among backers including Sequoia and Blackstone.