Japanese technology conglomerate SoftBank Group is seeking a loan of up to 40 billion USD to finance its growing investment in artificial intelligence developer OpenAI, according to reports citing people familiar with the negotiations. The planned borrowing would represent the company’s largest dollar-denominated loan to date and reflects a broader strategy by founder and chief executive Masayoshi Son to deepen…
Visa and Mastercard have reached a revised settlement with U.S. merchants over long-running claims that the card networks impose excessive “swipe” (interchange) fees, according to a November 10, 2025 letter filed in Brooklyn federal court. While the initial filing signaled agreement in principle, subsequent reporting indicates the new proposal would trim interchange fees by about 0.1 percentage point from levels…
The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has referred the proposed $3.7 billion merger of Getty Images and Shutterstock to an in-depth Phase 2 investigation, saying initial remedies offered by the companies did not dispel concerns that the tie-up could lead to higher prices, worse terms, and lower quality for editorial and stock imagery customers in Britain. The decision follows…
Leading financial institutions are progressively revising their long-term outlooks for the price of gold, reflecting profound shifts in global fiscal, monetary, and geopolitical landscapes. In a significant adjustment, Bank of America (BofA) Global Research recently announced a sharp increase in its price forecast for the precious metal, now projecting that gold could reach an unprecedented high of $5,000 per ounce…
Banco Santander posted a record Q3 2025 attributable net profit of €3.5 billion, up about 7.8% year on year (y-o-y), surpassing analyst expectations and marking the sixth straight quarterly record. Management said the group remains on track for its 2025 objectives after a quarter in which higher fee income and disciplined costs offset softer lending revenue. Results Overview And Key…
Dutch digital bank Bunq B.V., headquartered in Amsterdam, announced on 27 October 2025 that it has obtained a licence to operate as a broker-dealer in the United States. This approval marks a pivotal step in Bunq’s strategy to extend its operations beyond Europe and enter the U.S. market. With this new licence, Bunq becomes authorised to offer U.S. stocks and…
Strong Capital Gains Fuel Earnings Jump Blackstone Inc. reported distributable earnings of US $1.89 billion, equivalent to US $1.52 per share, for the third quarter, an increase of 48% compared with the same period last year. This figure surpassed analysts’ estimates, which had projected around US $1.23 per share. The firm attributed the robust performance to heightened asset sales and…
