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☆ Exclusive: French VC firm Ventech has exited digital music company Believe and launched its 6th fund
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewVenture capital firm Ventech has sold its stake in digital music company Believe, saying the company's lack of liquidity has led to it being "chronically undervalued" on the Paris Stock Exchange. "It wasn't really possible to use the Believe stock to accelerate its build-up," he added. Related stories"The management wanted to size the company, but the stock price and liquidity wasn't allowing that," he said. Ventech has raised an initial closing for its sixth fund, targeted at around €225 million ($241 million). Ventech has made initial deals from its sixth fund, backing French startup Firecell and German real-estate management company Einwert.

Persons: —, Ventech, Jean Bourcereau, Thomas Bravo, Bourcereau Organizations: Service, Paris Stock Exchange, Business, London Stock Exchange Locations: Ventech, €, Europe, Stockholm

☆ Subway's about to become the latest chain that asks you: 'Is Pepsi OK?'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-20 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Under a 10-year agreement, Subway will start selling drinks including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Tropicana, and Lipton. Subway's US stores will start making the switch in January 2025. AdvertisementCoke fans, watch out — Subway is ditching the drinks supplier in favor of rival Pepsi in the US. Subway announced on Tuesday that it had signed a 10-year agreement to supply PepsiCo drinks at its US stores from the start of 2025. This means that as well as Pepsi, Subway customers will also be able to get other beverages such as Mountain Dew, Tropicana, Lipton, and Gatorade.

Persons: Lipton, —, Arby's, Culver's Organizations: Pepsi, Subway's, Service, . Subway, PepsiCo, Subway, Tropicana, Lipton, Gatorade, Cola, Restaurant Business, Coca, Business Locations: Canada, Germany, Netherlands

☆ Women in Iceland want you to know it's not a gender equality utopia, despite what the statistics say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

AdvertisementBoth Icelandic and foreign-born women told BI that though they largely feel safe in Iceland, it's no feminist paradise. "That was like a wake up call for many women," Thorgerdur J. Einarsdóttir, professor of gender studies at the University of Iceland, told BI. Some groups of women are more vulnerable to violence and low wages, including foreign-born women, women with disabilities, and trans women, the interviewees said. Older generations fight so younger ones can flourishBut despite these concerns, the women BI spoke to said that they largely felt safe living in Iceland. Women BI spoke to largely said they felt optimistic about the changes that future generations would bring.

Persons: —, Arni Torfason, Saadia Zahidi, Valenttina Griffin, Grace Dean, Adolphsdóttir, Einarsdóttir, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Sigurðardóttir, Iceland's, Halldor Kolbeins, Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir, Þorbergsdóttir, Inclusivity, Alice Olivia Clarke, Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix, they'd, Steinars, she'd, she's, Ása Steinars, Alondra Silva Muñoz, Griffin, Silva Muñoz, Sigrún, Rósa, that's, Shruthi Basappa, I've, it's, Jewells Chambers, Silva Muñoz –, millennials –, … Organizations: Service, Viking Women, Stockings, Women's Rights, Nordic, Red Stockings, United Nations, Farmers ' Union, University of Iceland, Getty, Iceland, UN, Statistics, Sweden –, Icelandic Teachers ' Union, SEI Locations: Iceland, Reykjavik, Icelandic, Denmark, AFP, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Statistics Iceland, Colombia, Lithuania, Spain, Poland, India, Chile, WomenTechIceland, it's, Brooklyn, New York City, Thorhildur

☆ Y Combinator-backed trading app Pluto Markets just raised $2.6 million with this 14-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Pluto Markets, a trading app backed by famed accelerator Y Combinator, has raised $2.6 million in fresh funds. The Danish fintech startup, founded in 2021, wants to upend the market for retail trading offerings in Europe. "Companies raised a lot of money to blitz scale across the EU but have now focused on their core markets. Unlike most fintech brokerages, Pluto secured an EU-wide investment license before it had raised $1 million in funding, having bootstrapped and stayed lean. You can check out Pluto Market's 14-slide pitch deck below:

Persons: Joakim Bruchman, Goldman Sachs, We've, Bruchmann, Pluto, Oscar Vingtoft Organizations: Business, Companies, Trade Republic, Saxo Bank, EU Locations: Danish, Europe, Denmark, France, Germany, Berlin

☆ Tesla’s clash with Swedish workers risks spilling over into a regional fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Danish dockworkers and drivers are threatening to stop transporting Teslas to neighboring Sweden if the carmaker does not reach a deal with striking Swedish workers within two weeks. It is the first time a labor union outside of Sweden has threatened industrial action against Tesla in solidarity with the Swedish workers. “IF Metall and the Swedish workers are fighting an incredibly important battle right now. About nine out of 10 workers in Sweden and more than eight in 10 in Denmark are covered by such agreements. At least three attempts to organize by Tesla workers in the United States have failed, mainly as a consequence of aggressive tactics by the company and weak protections for labor in the country.

Persons: ”, Tesla, Jan Villadsen, IF Metall, ” IF Metall, Anu Hietala, Elon Musk, —, “ Organizations: London CNN, Danish, IF Metall, CNN, IF, ” IF, Denmark’s, Nordic, Nordic Transport Workers ’ Federation, New York Times Locations: Sweden, Swedish, dockworkers, Finland, Norway, Stockholm, Denmark, United States

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The labor conflict against Tesla in Sweden is spreading to neighboring Denmark where transport workers with the country’s largest trade union said Tuesday they will take action in solidarity with Swedish workers against the Texas-based automaker. Tesla is non-unionized globally, but the Swedish workers are demanding that the carmaker sign a collective bargaining agreement, which most employees in Sweden have. “Concretely, this means that dock workers and drivers will not receive and transport Tesla’s cars going to Sweden,” 3F said in a statement. Swedish mechanics stopped servicing Tesla cars and several unions, including postal workers, have joined in a wave of solidarity with IF Metall’s demands. Dockworkers at Sweden’s four largest ports also stopped the delivery of Tesla vehicles to put more pressure on the automaker.

Persons: Tesla, ”, ” Jakob Lykke, ” Lykke, Jan Villadsen, ” Villadsen, Dockworkers, Elon Musk Organizations: Tesla, The United Federation of Workers, IF Metall, IF Metall’s, Sweden’s Transport Agency Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sweden, Texas, Esbjerg, Denmark’s, Danish, Swedish, Scandinavian

☆ Learn how to drive performance on TikTok from these award-winning brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Tiktok For Business With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Additionally, there was a significant boost in searches and sales on search channels during the TikTok campaign, with a remarkable 4x increase in daily searches compared to the pre-campaign period. The brand then leveraged TikTok's new end-to-end automation solution Smart Performance Campaign, which maximizes delivery outcomes for businesses. ERGO's campaign shows the effectiveness of scaling your TikTok ad creative to combat fatigue and drive results. If you'd like to learn more about TikTok and the TikTok Ad Awards, sign up for their newsletter. Read about the winners of the Greatest Creative category at the TikTok Ad Awards 2023.

Persons: TikTok, PureGym, Italy Ray, Cosmétiques, Read Organizations: Agency, Nepa, Value Media, Mobile, Orange, Spain ING, Señora, Banking, ING, CPA, Business, Insider Studios Locations: Europe, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, TikTok

☆ Level up your ad creative with the help of award-winning brands on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Tiktok For Business With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The TikTok Ad Awards are back in full force for 2023, with brands and agencies across Europe being recognised for amazingly creative, high-performing campaigns. Lidl harnessed this power to launch its brand on TikTok, drive new followers and foster brand love in the process. The content positioned Ford as a brand that understands the TikTok platform, interacts with the community, and responds quickly as well as entertainingly to viral moments. For more tips, explore their Creative Center or check out their Creative Codebook. If you'd like to learn more about TikTok and the TikTok Ad Awards, sign up for their newsletter.

Persons: TikTok, Lidl, Leo Burnett, Fiat, Gabriele Vagnato, MASPEX, @Foxx.gotuje, Ford, @officieldace, Read Organizations: Creative, Fiat Stellantis, Fiat, Cloetta Suomi, Bängeri, SPACE CAT, Creative Spain Samsung, BE, Samsung, Deutschland, Ford, BNP, Creative Center, Center, Business, Insider Studios Locations: Europe, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Creative Spain

☆ Telenor tops Q3 profit expectations, narrows 2023 outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOSLO, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Norwegian telecoms operator Telenor (TEL.OL) on Wednesday reported third-quarter earnings above expectations, supported by growing mobile service revenue and lower energy prices in the Nordics, and narrowed its full-year projections. Telenor's Nordics service revenue grew 4% and EBITDA by 8% in the quarter. Similarly, it expects EBITDA to grow by 3-4% this year, which earlier was also seen at "low-to-mid single-digit growth". Telenor reiterated it expects capital expenditure in the Nordics to be around 17% of revenues for the period. ($1 = 11.1481 Norwegian crowns)Reporting by Victoria Klesty; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sigve Brekke, Telenor's, Victoria Klesty, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Telenor, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Rights OSLO, Norwegian, Asia, Nordic, Malaysia, Thailand

☆ We moved to Copenhagen to raise our young kids. Childcare is astronomically cheaper and better, but we miss the convenience of shopping on Amazon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

I wanted to raise my children in EuropeOwens, her husband, Shawn, and their three children. I brought my kids outside all the time even before we got here. I feel safe enough to leave my kids outside when I go run into a convenience store or a bakery. If you want to do Amazon, you can do Amazon Germany, but it's more expensive to ship from there to here. Ellie OwensIf you are okay with living outside the city and commuting in, you can find a lot cheaper housing.

Persons: Ellie Owens, —, Shawn, he'd, Europe Owens, he's, They're, I've, Owens, it's, We're Organizations: Service Locations: Denmark, Copenhagen, Ridgefield , Connecticut, New York, Detroit , Michigan, Bremen, Germany, Europe, Swedish

☆ Another US venture capital firm, Leonardo DiCaprio-backed Regeneration.VC, moves a general partner to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US venture capital firm Regeneration.VC, backed by Leonardo DiCaprio, has moved a founding partner to Europe and is raising its second fund. Michael Smith, a general partner at LA-headquartered Regeneration.VC, moved his family to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in August. Smith set up Regeneration.VC in 2020 to back seed and Series A stage companies in what he dubbed "consumer climate technology." "For our first fund, we had investors and then companies in our portfolio in Europe. Around one third of Regeneration.VC's first fund has gone to European companies so far, Smith said.

Persons: Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Smith, Smith, Regeneration.VC, Biden's Organizations: LA, Lightspeed Ventures, Economy Foundation Locations: Regeneration.VC, Europe, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sequoia, Denmark, New York, New Zealand, California

☆ Cellnex’s Nordic towers sale is a good omen
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Marco Patuano is starting with a small but firm step. After years of M&A-fuelled expansion, the new CEO wants to return Cellnex to investment grade and focus on organic growth and efficiency. Cellnex shares shot up 4% Friday, adding 1 billion euros to the group’s market capitalisation. If Patuano can keep finding buyers for his assets, he may soon return his company to investment grade. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Marco Patuano, Patuano, Pierre Briancon, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, X, Thomson Locations: Italian

☆ Norwegian AI startup Strise helps banks tackle financial crime. It just raised a $10.8 million Series A round with this 8-slide pitch deck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Norwegian AI startup Strise has raised $10.8 million in Series A funding. Strise will use the funding to expand its operations to the UK, where it plans to open an office. Strise, an AI startup that helps businesses deal with anti-money laundering (AML) and compliance issues, has raised $10.8 million in funding. Strise's Series A funding round was led by Atomico, with participation from existing investors including Maki.vc plus angels like Camilla Giesecke, COO at Klarna, and Riya Grover, CEO at Sequence. Check out Strise's Series A pitch deck below:

Persons: Orrick, It's, Marit Rødevand, Rødevand, Atomico, Camilla Giesecke, Riya Grover Locations: Oslo, Norwegian

☆ In AI push, Telenor hires Google Cloud's Amol Phadke as CTO
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Telenor recruits Chief Tech Officer from Google CloudAmol Phadke to implement AI strategyTelecom sector's AI adoption is going slowly, Phadke saysAlso appoints Petter-Boerre Furberg as head of Asia unitOSLO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor (TEL.OL) has recruited Google Cloud's Amol Phadke as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to strengthen its AI activities, Telenor said on Tuesday. Phadke most recently headed Google Cloud's (GOOGL.O) telecom business and has previously worked for British Telecom, Alcatel-Lucent and Accenture's network services unit. He said he wanted Telenor "to use AI in all of our operations to make operations more efficient, develop new products, increase energy efficiency." Phadke said Telenor would use AI will to make business operations more efficient, for example to predict traffic demand and allocate more bandwidth to areas with more users, and to improve interactions with customers. "We do not believe that AI will directly result in job reductions," Phadke said, adding he envisaged using AI to augment and enhance, not substitute, humans in processes.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Phadke, Petter, Boerre Furberg, Sigve Brekke, Brekke, Arentz, Rostrup, Furberg, Victoria Klesty, David Evans Organizations: Telenor, REUTERS, Google, Telecom, Technology, British Telecom, Alcatel, Lucent, Reuters, Telenor Nordics, Thomson Locations: Asia, OSLO, Norwegian, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Southeast Asia

[1/2] Storelv river flows through Hoenefoss Center as the extreme weather "Hans" is expected to cause significant water damage in the coming days, in Hoenefoss, Norway, August 9, 2023. NORWAY OUT. Strong winds, intense rain and landslides hit the Nordic region earlier this week, knocking out power lines and bringing public transport to a standstill. According to the institute, data shows that precipitation in Norway has increased by around 18% over the last 100 years, with the biggest rise taking place in the last 30-40 years. Jana Sillmann, a research director at the Oslo-based Centre for International Climate Research, said extreme weather events, such as the torrential rain seen this week, will be more frequent as the climate warms.

Persons: NTB, Annika Byrde, Read, Ingvild Villa, Jana Sillmann, heatwaves, El, Sillmann, Terje Solsvik, Christina Fincher Organizations: Center, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, International Climate Research, UN, El Nino, Thomson Locations: Hoenefoss, Norway, NORWAY, OSLO, Oslo, Sweden, Nordic

Factors such as cheaper airfares and weaker currencies in Scandinavia could play a role, but one of the world's biggest tour operators TUI (TUI1n.DE) said on Wednesday that climate change will also drive more tourists northbound. Tour operators in places like northern Norway also see an increased demand. This had resulted in more direct flight routes to Northern Norway being created, it said. Heather Storgaard, a Scottish tourist, planned her summer vacation this year in Denmark, with a stop in Northern Germany. Wissenbach is often in Italy due to work but said she preferred the north for holidays.

Persons: Sebastian Ebel, Ebel, TUI, Fabio Scaglione, Diego Bruno, Bruno, Heather Storgaard, we'd, Margit Wissenbach, Joanna Plucinska, Marie Mannes, Rachel More, Alberto Chiumento, Mark Potter, William Maclean Organizations: Mastercard, TUI's, Stockholm, Thomson Locations: Europe, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Scandinavia, Poland, Belgium, Greece, Rhodes, Northern Norway, Turin, Italy, Italian, Spain, Scottish, Northern Germany, France, Germany, Switzerland, Gothenburg, Wissenbach

☆ Storm continues to sweep over the Nordics, causing landslides
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A view shows damaged residential buildings in the aftermath of Storm Hans in Valdres, near Oslo, Norway August 8, 2023. NTB/Cornelius Poppe via REUTERSSTOCKHOLM, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Norwegian emergency services evacuated hundreds of people in various locations on Tuesday, the second day that heavy rains caused landslides, with the risk of more, as a storm sweeps over the Nordics. Strong winds, intense rain and landslides hit parts of the Nordic region, knocking out power lines, flooding villages and bringing public transport to a standstill in the worst-affected areas. The storm, which has been called "Hans," hit Sweden late on Sunday and reached Norway on Monday, with parts of Denmark and Finland also affected. In southern Norway, floods and landslides blocked roads and halted key train services.

Persons: Storm Hans, NTB, Cornelius Poppe, Hans, Marie Mannes, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Valdres, Oslo, Norway, REUTERS STOCKHOLM, Nordic, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Hemsedal, Swedish

☆ UK's Currys drops dividend on uncertain economic outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The group also reported a 38% fall in full year profit, hurt by the weak performance of its Nordics business. Accordingly, we're being prudent in our planning, and in further strengthening our balance sheet," CEO Alex Baldock said. Baldock said Currys had taken actions to maximise operating cashflow through margin improvement, delivering cost savings and reducing capital expenditure. Nevertheless, the economic outlook remains uncertain in our main markets," Currys said. The group reported a statutory loss before tax of 450 million pounds for the year, driven by a previously announced non-cash goodwill impairment of 511 million.

Persons: we're, Alex Baldock, Baldock, Currys, Mike Ashley's Frasers, Frasers, James Davey, Sarah Young, Jason Neely Organizations: Consumers, Revenue, Ireland, Thomson Locations: British, Europe, Currys

☆ Sweden sees 'cause for concern' on retailer margins as food prices surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Marie Mannes | Thomson Reuters | Stockholm-Based Company News Correspondent Who Mainly Covers Anything To Do With Retail | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sweden's competition authority on Tuesday will publish the initial findings from an investigation into food prices and competition requested by Sweden's finance ministry in March. "When we look at the margins on the retail and wholesale side, we see some cause of concern in terms of how they're developing," Martin Mandorff, head of market abuse at the competition authority, told Reuters. The agency is investigating the whole food supply chain from producers, wholesalers to the retail sector and has collected data from Sweden's main supermarkets on prices and margins. Premium food chain ICA had a 53% market share in 2022 according to the competition authority. "We have a frequent and constructive dialogue with the Swedish Competition Authority and look forward to the conclusions of the investigation," the company said.

Persons: Anders Wiklund, Martin Mandorff, Mandorff, Coop, discounter Lidl, Elisabeth Svantesson, Svantesson, Axfood, Marie Mannes, Helen Reid, Simon Johnson, Greta Rosen Fondahn, Conor Humphries Organizations: TT News Agency, Reuters, ICA, Finance, SVT, Swedish Competition Authority, Thomson Locations: Stockholm, Sweden, STOCKHOLM, Hungary, Ukraine, Swedish

☆ Exclusive: Mondelez 'singled out' in boycott over Russia business, exec says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"If you look in most kitchen cupboards, you will see many products from food and beverage companies that have not exited Russia." Mondelez rivals in chocolate including Nestle (NESN.S) still operate in Russia as do many other consumer products companies. Reuters GraphicsShipments of all Mondelez products to Russia jumped to 45 million kilograms from 28.7 million kilograms in the same time periods, according to the data. Mondelez also said Thursday it was continuing to reduce its activities in Russia and expects further volume and sales declines. Jan Kæraa Rasmussen, head of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability at Mondelez investor PensionDanmark, said the Danish pension fund considers the "downscaling of their business in Russia a progression.

Persons: Vinzenz Gruber, Gruber, Mondelez, Mondelez's, Nestle, Nestle didn't, Jan Kæraa Rasmussen, PensionDanmark, Rasmussen, Jessica DiNapoli, Maurice Tamman, Terje Solsvik, Anna Driver Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Mondelez, SAS, Ukraine's National Agency for, Facebook, Russian Embassy, Nestle, confectionary, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Thomson Locations: Europe, Russia, Nordics, Sweden, Norway, Nordic, Ukraine, Russian, Washington ,, Danish, New York

German specialised property lenders such as Aareal Bank (ARLG.DE), Deutsche Pfandbriefbank (PBBG.DE) and Berlin Hyp, have a bigger concentration of real estate exposure, analysts added. Blackstone (BX.N) recently blocked withdrawals from its $70 billion real estate income trust after facing a flurry of redemption requests. Open-ended real estate funds in Britain have also battled to meet strong demand for redemptions. In Europe, CRE exposure for smaller banks, more at risk of deposit flight, is estimated at under 30% of all loans, Capital Economics said. "On the other, real estate owners themselves are going to face quite material increase in costs."

[1/4] Chinese President Xi Jinping and France's President Emmanuel Macron meet at the Guandong province governor's residence, in Guangzhou, China, Friday, April 7, 2023. Macron's comments came in an interview on a trip to China that was meant to showcase European unity on China policy, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also taking part, but highlighted differences within the European Union. A senior diplomat from Central and Eastern Europe, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "President Macron is not speaking for Europe or the European Union. The French foreign ministry cancelled a planned debrief on the trip for foreign diplomats in Paris on Tuesday as officials scrambled to make sure they had a consistent message and to limit any fallout with Washington. But even some of those broadly supportive of Macron's agenda lamented the handling of the China trip, in which von der Leyen received a much more muted welcome than the French president.

☆ This Sequoia-backed startup bringing a form of buy now, pay later to B2B payments just raised $19.3 million. Check out the 10-slide pitch deck Two used to land the funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sequoia-backed payments startup Two just raised $19.3 million in a Series A round. The Oslo-based company plans to bring a version of buy now, pay later to B2B transactions. Check out the 10-slide pitch deck Two used to land the fresh cash below. A Sequoia-backed startup that wants to bring a version of the buy now, pay later model to B2B transactions just raised $19.3 million in fresh funds. Two's solution is to effectively offer a form of buy now, pay later for B2B payments to both small and medium-sized businesses and multinational corporations.

☆ Factbox: Four-day working week: some are seeing a win-win
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Whether they will have the longevity of France's landmark 35-hour working week bill, enshrined into law in 2000, remains to be seen. The country's telecom giant Telefonica separately offered its employees a four-day week - but in exchange for a 12% pay cut. ITALY - Italy's biggest bank Intesa Sanpaolo last year offered staff the option of a four-day working week on the same salary from this January, the first such move by a major Italian employer. Travel company Nordic Visitor, with offices in Iceland, Scotland and Sweden, reduced the working week to 35 hours from 40. Consumer goods giant Unilever has also experimented with a four-day working week for local staff.

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arrive at a meeting in Ankara, Turkey February 20, 2023. REUTERS/Cagla GurdoganANKARA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday Washington strongly supports Sweden and Finland's quick NATO accession given steps they have already taken, even as his Turkish counterpart stressed the need for more concrete action. The Nordic countries' NATO bids have been stalled because Turkey has refused to ratify them, saying Stockholm in particular has harboured what it calls members of terrorist groups. "If they take steps that convince our parliament and people, there could be a development in this direction," he added. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defence pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey.

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