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☆ Saudi Arabia goes big in Davos as it looks to become a top AI tech hub for the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A pop-up showcasing Saudi Arabia's Neom development features among the most prominent on the Davos promenade in 2024. But Saudi Arabia is keen to capture some of the limelight, and talent, from its neighbor on the Arabian Peninsula — an ambition laid bare on the Davos Promenade this year. "He's driving entrepreneurship, he's diversifying the economy ... And there are a lot of people that are really interested in working in Saudi Arabia," said Bremmer. "In the Emirates and in Saudi Arabia, you have millions of people that need upskilling, particularly Saudi Arabia which has a much larger population," Hidary said. Hidary, who was recently in Saudi Arabia, says that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are looking at countries like Singapore and Israel that have supported start-ups and are driven by technology.

Persons: Mohammed al, Jadaan, Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, Ian Bremmer, he's, Bremmer, Jamal Khashoggi, King Abdullah, KAUST, Harri Jarvelainen, Vera Futorjanski, Futorjanski, Israel Jack Hidary, Hidary, — CNBC's Karen Gilchrist Organizations: Saudi, CNBC, United Arab, prince's, —, Economic, Al, U.S, Eurasia Group, MBS, World Bank, Research Technology Centers, King, King Abdullah University of Science, Technology, UCLA, Riyadh's, Center, AI Research, AI, Artificial Intelligence Authority, Veritas Ventures, Emirates Locations: Davos, CNBC DAVOS, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Neom, Saudi, Riyadh, China, Istanbul, UAE, Singapore, Israel, Emirates

Thursday's analyst calls featured an upgrade to a car rental stock and a big downgrade to an airline. The bank also hiked his price target on the tech giant to $225 per share, implying upside of 23%. — Pia Singh 5:36 a.m.: Citi downgrades Spirit Airlines to sell Citi is throwing in the towel on Spirit Airlines . Week to date, Spirit shares are down nearly 60%. Spirit shares were down more than 4% in the premarket.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Hertz, Andrew Percoco, Percoco, — Pia Singh, Wamsi Mohan, Fred Imbert, Kirk Materne, Materne, Dan Dolev, Dolev, he's, CFRA, Kenneth Leon, Berkshire Hathaway, Leon, Ranjan Sharma, Sharma, bode, Adam Jonas, Jonas, Morgan, Stephen Trent, Trent Organizations: CNBC, flipside, Citi, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue, Bank of America, Apple Bank of America, Apple, Microsoft, ISI, Activision, Activision Blizzard, Mizuho, Fidelity National Information Services, Paramount Global, RedBird Capital, Warner Bros ., Comcast, Paramount's, Showtime, Paramount, JPMorgan, Grab Holdings, Hertz Global Holdings, Jan, Citi downgrades Spirit Airlines, Spirit, Airlines Locations: Berkshire, 1H24, Wednesday's

☆ Carmoola, a UK car financing fintech, just raised a further $19.7 million with this 14-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Car financing fintech Carmoola has raised a further $19.7 million in an extension to its Series A round. "The business has been growing strongly and revenues are up 5x," Aidan Rushby, Carmoola CEO and cofounder told Business Insider. The FCA moved to ban such commissions in 2021 and Rushby told BI that Carmoola was able to acquire customers at a lower cost by cutting out the middlemen. Rushby told BI that the round represented a 33% up round on its previous financing but declined to give specifics on the company's valuation. Check out Carmoola's 14-slide Series A extension deck below:

Persons: Carmoola, Aidan Rushby, we've, Rushby, It's Organizations: Business, FCA, InMotion Ventures Locations: London, InMotion Ventures , New York, Kyiv

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the 16-slide pitch deck that got Bolt cofounder Ryan Breslow to bet on a male birth control startup
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe market for male birth control is growing. AdvertisementThe reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022 has prompted many people to reevaluate their birth control choices, NEXT CEO L.R. Fox pointed to the increasing rate of vasectomies among younger men and men without children as more evidence that they want to participate in the decision-making process around birth control. Scientists are also working on a hormonal male birth control pill and a topical hormonal gel.

Persons: —, Ryan Breslow's, Roe, Wade, L.R, Fox, I'm, Contraline, Vasalgel Organizations: Service, Business, Sciences, NEXT, Venture, Particular Ventures, Keno, Ventures, Fund, Fox, Sciences isn't, Parsemus Foundation, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Africa

☆ Heading to Davos, here's what was overheard on connecting trains from Zurich to the World Economic Forum
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The small Swiss Alpine town is again playing host to the World Economic Forum (WEF), where the world's top brass in finance and politics convene each year to try to solve the biggest problems that plague our planet. But the long and winding road to Davos offers another lesser-known benefit, which makes the lengthier commute well worth the while. Here's what was overheard on the connecting trains from Zurich Airport to Davos Platz. OpenAI's media representative declined CNBC's request to interview Altman in Davos, citing a "tight" schedule. One Davos attendee noted their company was in the IP space and had just raised this summer, because "the rights issue is so complicated."

Persons: MacKenzie, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Davos MacKenzie Sigalos, Altman, Marc Benioff, Albert Bourla, reminisced, Sting Organizations: Volvo, Economic, Zurich Airport, Davos Platz, Swiss National Railway, Microsoft, Pfizer, The New York Times, Switzerland Cantonal Police, Disney, Landquart Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Manhattan, Scalettastrasse, Davos, Swiss, Zürich, Zurich, Zürich Hauptbahnhof, Saudi Arabia, Grisons, Brazil

☆ How to Open a Savings Account
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Kerri Anne Renzulli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

If you’re ready to get the most out of your spare dollars, take these steps to open a new savings account. Compare savings account optionsIf you plan to open a savings account online, there are hundreds to choose from. Banks may also require you to deposit a certain amount to open or maintain a savings account with them. If you want to open a savings account that will be shared with another person, like a spouse or partner, you should opt for a joint account rather than a single account. Fund the accountIf your chosen bank or credit union requires a minimum deposit to open a new savings account, you’ll need to fund it with a check, cash, credit or debit card payment, or transfer from another checking or savings account.

Persons: Kerri Anne Renzulli, Banks, You’ll Organizations: Insurance, U.S, government’s Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, National Credit Union Administration, Federal Reserve, Consumer Financial, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Social, ABA Locations: government’s, U.S

☆ 16 VCs that are funding the future of entertainment by backing generative AI and other disruptive tech
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

AdvertisementAfter a period of "wild west" investing in AI, Blank believes activity will favor AI companies that respect artists' consent and compensation. It recently co-led a $1 million seed round in Conduiit, which centralizes entertainment companies' production finance operations. Endeavor Venture InvestmentsEndeavor Venture Investments is the venture arm of entertainment and sports behemoth Endeavor. SWaN & LegendThe Virginia-based VC firm has a broad consumer portfolio that includes a number of entertainment investments. With Hollywood in contraction, SWaN has largely hit pause on new entertainment investments to get its portfolio companies on a strong footing.

Persons: Michael Blank, Blank, Jon Miller, Miller, Slack, Garnet Heraman, BDMI, Urs Cete, Michael, TMRW, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Elysian Park Ventures Jay Adya, Grant Lamos, Tom Brady, Gotham Chopra, Michael Strahan, Jay Adya, Morgan, Kushaan Ahuja, Drew Glover, Glover, Alex Harris, they've, Noah Doyle, Payback India, Jed Katz, Rich Greenfield, Rich, Ilya Pozin, Jamie Seltzer, LightShed, Steve Cohen's, it's, Sri Chandrasekar, Tripp Shriner, Ishan Sinha, That's, Wondery, Ian Doody, Raine, Gordon Rubenstein, Joe Ravitch, Jeff Sine, ‐, Fred Schaufeld, SWaN, that's, Oscar, Jose, Schaufeld, Sam Wick, Alex J, Investcorp, Paul Yoo, Edgar Bronfman Jr, Daniel Leff, Waverley, Leff Organizations: Service, Creative Artists, Connect Ventures, Business, Hollywood, Veteran, TPG, Integrated Media Co, Advancit, CAA, Bertelsmann, Waverley, Octopus Ventures, Accel, Facebook, Venture, Aperture Venture, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Fremantle, Connect, CAA Connect Ventures, New Enterprises Associates, TMRW Sports, Disney, Universal, Elysian Park Ventures, Elysian, Sports, Endeavor Venture, Endeavor Venture Investments, behemoth Endeavor, Dapper Labs, Fiat Ventures, Fiat Ventures Fiat Ventures, Fiat, Payback, Rent, LightShed, Rich Greenfield Influential, LightShed Ventures, Pluto, Apple, Octopus Ventures Octopus Ventures, Investments, Corp, Etsy, Re, Point72 Ventures New York Mets, Range Media Partners, Point72 Ventures, Sri, Powerhouse, Athletic, The New York Times Co, Evolution Media, Creative Artists Agency, Astro, Rave Digital Media, Accel Entertainment, Jose Andrés Media, Berliner, UTA Talent, UTA, UTA Ventures, Ventures, VR, Amazon, PFL Locations: blockchain, —, Conduiit, fintech, London, Australia, Papercup, Los Angeles, Virginia, UTA.VC

☆ UAE defies fintech slowdown with a 92% jump in funding — against a global plunge of 48%
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The data from Innovate Finance, a financial technology industry body, shows that investment in fintechs last year sank $51.2 billion, down 48% from 2022 when total investment in the sector totaled $99 billion. The total number of fintech fundraising deals also sank considerably, to 3,973 in 2023 from 6,397 in 2022 — a 61% drop. That marks the first time the UAE has made it to the top 10 list of most well-funded fintech hubs in 2023, according to Innovate Finance. "Some of the markets now adopting this technology, we're seeing that reflected in investment numbers," Innovate Finance CEO Janine Hirt told CNBC earlier this week. Hirt noted that the momentum in Asia and the Middle East offered an opportunity for the U.K. to boost cooperation and partnerships with countries in those regions.

Persons: Janine Hirt, Hirt Organizations: CNBC, Finance, United, East Locations: fintechs, United Arab Emirates, UAE, France, Germany, Asia

☆ The 2023 stock winners investors should let ride, sell or hedge in the new year
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-01 | by ( Michael Khouw | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Let 'em ride: Several of 2023's best-performing stocks were grossly undervalued at the beginning of the year. So while investors recognized the company could deliver massive earnings and free cash flow, they were afraid Zuckerberg had gone off the reservation. The stock sports topline growth, substantial margins, a strong balance sheet, substantial free cash flow, and a moat around its business. It's time to hedge some of those gains (or take profits): The second best-performing stock in the Russell 1000 for 2023 is Coinbase (COIN) . If you own, but don't want to sell, consider purchasing the March $45/$35 put spread as a particle hedge, as illustrated below.

Persons: David Ricardo, Ricardo, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, doesn't, Russell, cryptocurrencies, aren't, Equifax Organizations: Russell, Vertiv, Builders, Topbuild Corp, Nvidia, Investors, MU, Walmart, Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, Experian, PayPal, Palantir Technologies, Government Locations: uptrends

Here's the state of play globally for crypto regulation and enforcement in 2023 — and a look at what to expect in 2024. "However, much of their work has involved providing guidance to the industry through enforcement actions," continued Levin. Crypto market participants nevertheless hope that the spate of legal challenges brought to crypto companies in 2023 will bring clarity in the form of new regulations. The U.S.'s dominant role in global finance and its focus on consumer protection plays a crucial role in its leading position in crypto regulation enforcement. The region has been increasingly warming to crypto assets, despite a broader anti-crypto push from China, which banned bitcoin trading and mining in 2021.

Persons: Al Drago, Binance, Sam Bankman, Renato Mariotti, Mariotti, Richard Levin, Nelson Mullins Riley, Levin, ada, Changpeng Zhao, Damian Williams, Brian Armstrong, Armstrong, Alyse Killeen, Scarborough's Levin, FinCEN, Killeen, Diem, USDC, Braden Perry, it's, Kennyhertz Perry, Perry, Bafin Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Bloomberg, Getty, Regulators, Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S, Alameda Research, U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities, CNBC, Capitol, SEC, Futures Trading Commission, Department of Justice, Scarborough, CFTC, Protocol Labs, Southern, of, Stillmark, Meta, Visa, Mastercard, U.S ., European, IRS, European Union, EU, France's Financial Markets Authority, AMF, Treasury, Monetary Authority of, Three Arrows, Terra Labs, Terra, Hong Kong Securities, Futures Commission, SFC, OSL Locations: Washington, Europe, Asia, U.S, Alameda, of New York, European, Crypto, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Monetary Authority of Singapore, China, East, Africa

☆ Climate tech in 2023: More grants, experienced founders, and new laws help sector to standout year
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-29 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

While much of Europe's startup ecosystem has been hobbled by the rocky macroeconomic environment and soaring interest rates, climate tech has continued to lure funds from venture capitalists. Many climate tech companies work with hardware, meaning debt financing is also an attractive non-dilutive option for working capital between funding rounds. Global private market equity and grant funding for climate tech startups is actually down – it slid 40% to $65 billion in the 12 months ending September 30, according to PwC. Some smaller climate tech companies have made cuts, including vertical farming company InFarm, which retreated from Europe and was declared bankrupt in the Netherlands. Generally, however, layoffs have been a boon for climate as big tech talent has moved into or launched climate tech startups.

Persons: —, Siobhan Brewster, Atomico, Brewster, Piotr Bukanski, Mike Schroepfer, Greg Sandoval, retrofits, Barcelona's, Balderton Capital's Magda Lukaszewicz, Stuart Ferguson, Schroepfer, Warner, Aenu's Brewster Organizations: Service, Business, Venture, Energy, Beringea, Gigascale, Sustainable Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, Global, Ada Ventures Locations: London, Europe's, Ukraine, United States, Europe, Silicon, Netherlands

☆ British fintech Revolut hits record revenue, profit tumbles
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

British fintech Revolut's revenue rose 45% to a record 923 million pounds ($1.1 billion) in 2022, but net profit tumbled to 6 million pounds, down from 26 million pounds the year before, the company said in delayed annual accounts on Friday. The company had said it had 26.2 million customers, up almost 10 million from 2021. CEO Nikolay Storonsky said in the annual report that the company remains "committed to our ongoing UK banking licence application." Revolut, which ranked as the UK's most valuable start-up when it was valued at around $33 billion in 2021, applied for a UK banking licence early that year but is still awaiting approval. The company said in September it had received permission to delay filing its annual accounts for a second year running.

Persons: Nikolay Storonsky

☆ Plaid CEO on the state of fintech
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailPlaid CEO on the state of fintechPlaid CEO Zach Perret talks with CNBC's Kate Rooney on AI and crypto trends in the payments space, and the winners and losers in fintech amid a year of high interest rates.

Persons: Zach Perret, CNBC's Kate Rooney Organizations: Plaid, fintech Plaid

☆ Pleo appoints new CFO as it looks to get in shape for IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-13 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Danish fintech firm Pleo has appointed a new chief financial officer, the company told CNBC exclusively, beefing up its executive team — a sign the company is readying itself for an eventual initial public offering. Most notably, Lonning had experience as CFO at Danish food enzyme maker Chr Hansen. Chr Hansen, which is listed on the Danish stock exchange, is one of Denmark's most valuable publicly listed firms, with a market cap of more than $10 billion. The European Union recently approved a $22 billion merger between Chr Hansen and competitor Novozymes. That's a dilemma for companies, but even more so for the lifestyle of Pleo and tech companies."

Persons: Pleo, Soren Westh Lonning, Chr Hansen, Lonning, Novozymes Organizations: CNBC, Danish bioscience, WS Audiology, Danish, European Union

☆ SumUp, a rival to Jack Dorsey's Block, defies fintech funding slump with $307 million cash injection
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-11 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

SumUp Chief Financial Officer Hermione McKee said the fresh capital gives the company "more firepower to act on opportunities," including acquisitions and new country launches. British payments startup SumUp, known for its small card readers, on Monday announced it has raised 285 million euros ($306.6 million) in a bumper round of funding that values the company north of $8.6 billion. The round predominantly consisted of equity, though a small portion of the funds was raised as debt. Then we look at Asia, how do we think about that region, and then obviously opportunities across Africa. A SumUp spokesperson confirmed the deal is an up round, meaning its valuation is higher than it was previously.

Persons: Hermione McKee, McKee, SumUp Organizations: Monday, Sixth, Bain Capital Tech, Fin, CNBC Locations: SumUp, Australia, America, Asia, Africa

☆ Japanese tech giant Rakuten plans to launch proprietary AI model
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-11 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hiroshi "Mickey" Mikitani said the company is working on its own large language model, or LLM. Japan's Rakuten plans to launch its own proprietary artificial intelligence language model, its CEO told CNBC in an interview that aired Monday. The company plans to use the AI model internally to improve operational efficiency and marketing by 20%, Mikitani said. Telecommunications group NTT announced this month that its proprietary LLM will be available in March. Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify that a spokesperson from Rakuten says there is no timeline for the launch of its proprietary AI model.

Persons: Rakuten, Hiroshi, Mickey, Mikitani, Japan's Rakuten, SoftBank Organizations: Mobile, CNBC, Microsoft, Google, U.S ., Baidu, Telecommunications, NTT Locations: U.S, China, Rakuten

☆ There's a big disconnect between buyers and sellers in the deal-making space, says Broadridge CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThere's a big disconnect between buyers and sellers in the deal-making space, says Broadridge CEOTim Gokey, Broadridge CEO, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to talk quarterly earnings, the deal making landscape, the FinTech space, AI and more.

Persons: Tim Gokey

☆ Vietnamese companies eye the U.S. IPO market amid a lull in Chinese listings
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

While not strictly an IPO, the listing was soon followed by Vietnamese tech unicorn VNG's filing to list on the Nasdaq. As local companies grow, "they are outgrowing the ability of those markets to provide the capital that they need," said Drew Bernstein, co-chairman of accounting firm MarcumAsia. Since the fallout over Didi in the summer of 2021, regulation and a tepid U.S. IPO market have stalled most Chinese listing plans. She said given the success of Southeast Asian ride-hailing company Grab , more Vietnamese companies are starting to look beyond the domestic market to regional business. George Chan, global IPO leader at EY, expects "a lot" of companies from Southeast Asia will reach the IPO stage in the next 12 to 18 months, and might also consider the Hong Kong exchange.

Persons: Scott Mlyn, VinFast, Johan Annell, VNG, Drew Bernstein, It's, Bernstein, who'd he'd, Didi, Gary Dvorchak, Blueshirt, Nguyen Nguyen, Vu Van, ELSA, Van, George Chan Organizations: New York Auto Show, CNBC BEIJING, U.S, Spade, Nasdaq, ARC Group, China -, Renaissance Capital, Investor, CNBC, World Bank, Southeast Asia — Locations: Asia, U.S, Vietnam, Beijing, Cayman Islands, Malaysia, China, China - U.S, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with KBW CEO Tom Michaud
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with KBW CEO Tom MichaudTom Michaud, KBW CEO, joins 'Fast Money' to talk tomorrow's bank CEO hearing, the fintech space, the possibility of a breakout in the space and much more.

Persons: Tom Michaud Tom Michaud

A padlock is seen in front of the word 'spyware' and binary code in this illustration taken May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Lobby group Japan Association of New Economy has joined U.S. Big Tech to warn against proposed EU cybersecurity labelling rules that they said could hamper their access to the bloc's markets, according to a letter sent to the EU industry chief. A requirement that Amazon (AMZN.O), Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google, Microsoft (MSFT.O) and other non-EU cloud providers set up a joint venture with an EU-based company to qualify for the EU cybersecurity label has triggered criticism from some EU countries and foreign vendors. The Japan Association of New Economy also slammed these requirements. The Japan Association of New Economy is a business lobby group focused on e-business and developing new industries.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hiroshi Mikitani, Thierry Breton, Mikitani, Foo Yun Chee, Dave Dolan, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japan Association of New, U.S, Big Tech, European Union, Google, Microsoft, EU, Reuters, Japan Digital Partnership, Thomson Locations: EU, Japan, Japanese, Brussels, Tokyo

☆ Banks re-positioning for monster move, suggests KBW CEO Tom Michaud
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBanks re-positioning for monster move, suggests KBW CEO Tom MichaudTom Michaud, KBW CEO, joins 'Fast Money' to talk tomorrow's bank CEO hearing, the fintech space, the possibility of a breakout in the space and much more.

Persons: Banks, Tom Michaud Tom Michaud

☆ Twilio lays off 5% of employees in unit activists want to divest
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Jeff Lawson, chief executive officer of Twilio Inc., during the Singapore FinTech Festival in Singapore, on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Software provider Twilio said Monday it would lay off roughly 5% of its workforce citing underachievement in the growth of a unit that activist investors have targeted. The cuts will strike deepest in Twilio's Data and Applications unit, the same unit activist investors at Legion Partners and Anson Funds are pushing Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson to divest. Lawson said in his letter that Twilio will also change how it sells its Flex digital engagement product. Anson and Legion have pushed Twilio to sell the Data & Applications unit, if not the whole company.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, Twilio, Anson, Legion, Lawson, hasn't Organizations: Twilio Inc, Singapore FinTech Festival, underachievement, Legion Partners, Anson Funds, CNBC, Securities, Exchange Commission, Communications, Legion Locations: Singapore

☆ Klarna is freezing hiring and turning to AI tools such as ChatGPT to pick up the slack
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski says the company is in a partial hiring freeze. He told The Telegraph AI was "a threat to a lot of jobs" across the economy. As more AI productivity tools hit the market, some workers are concerned that widespread adoption of the tech could put their jobs at risk. AdvertisementSome CEOs have already bet that AI tools will boost worker productivity and lead to reduced headcount. Other companies including AT&T have even created their own AI tools to help employees with their work.

Persons: Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Siemiatkowski, —, We're, Klarna Organizations: Telegraph, Service, T's Locations: Swedish

☆ IMF chief makes the case for carbon pricing as 'writing on the wall' for oil and gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, speaks during the Singapore FinTech Festival in Singapore, on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — The head of the International Monetary Fund on Sunday underlined the case for carbon pricing at the COP28 climate summit, saying that the oil and gas industry recognizes "the writing on the wall." A long-time proponent of carbon pricing, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said this approach creates an incentive for polluters to rapidly decarbonize. Carbon pricing ascertains the cost that a company needs to pay for its planet-warming emissions and is widely regarded as the most cost-effective and flexible way to cut such pollution. "For those that have adopted a carbon price, how do we get big emitters to accept that we need to accelerate decarbonization?"

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Nature Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Singapore FinTech Festival, UNITED, EMIRATES, IMF Locations: Singapore, Dubai

☆ One ETF that focuses on employee happiness is outperforming the market this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Executives don't need to worry about Irrational misrepresenting their company, and participation can open them up to potential inclusion in products such as an ETF, van Adelsberg said. In total, the ETF recently held nearly 150 equities and is benchmarked to the CIBC Human Capital Index. Still, the team noted some challenges in building broader awareness of what human capital is or why it matters. "In this market, what we're seeing is that those companies who have strong human capital ratings are outperforming," van Adelsberg said. "The role that human capital plays in driving future equity performance isn't going down.

Persons: doesn't, Kristof Gleich, –, it's, Gleich, …, Morningstar, HAPI, David van Adelsberg, van Adelsberg, Eli Lilly, Johnson, Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, they've, It's Organizations: Capital Factor, Capital Advisors, Irrational, ETF, Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Meta, Morningstar, Mastercard, Berkshire, CIBC Human, JPMorgan, Securities, Exchange

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