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FTX's bankruptcy case includes more than 100,000 creditors, and this number could surpass 1 million, the filings said. The numbers were disclosed as FTX requested that multiple FTX group companies file one consolidated list of major creditors, rather than separate ones. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationCrypto lender BlockFi, which previously acknowledged it has significant exposure to FTX, plans to lay off workers while preparing to file for bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reported. Separately, bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital no longer plans to sell itself to FTX, Bloomberg reported, while Canadian crypto exchange Bitvo said it terminated its deal to be bought by FTX. I'm meeting in-person with regulators and working with the teams to do what we can for customers," he said on Twitter.

SummarySummary Companies FTX in contact with federal, state, international regulatorsMore than one hundred thousand creditors involved in the bankruptcy case, maybe over one millionBahamas regulator appoints provisional liquidatorsFrench cen. "FTX faced a severe liquidity crisis that necessitated the filing of these cases on an emergency basis last Friday," the court filing stated. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsFTX's bankruptcy case includes more than one hundred thousand creditors, and this number could surpass one million, the filings said. The numbers were disclosed as FTX requested that multiple FTX group companies file one consolidated list of major creditors, rather than separate ones. Canadian crypto exchange Bitvo said on Tuesday it had terminated its deal to be bought by FTX, a deal that had been due to close in the third quarter of this year.

☆ Bahamas financial regulators appoint liquidators for FTX unit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 15 (Reuters) - Financial regulators in the Bahamas on Monday appointed liquidators to run FTX's unit in the country, just days after authorities said they were looking for any "criminal misconduct" by the collapsed crypto exchange. The Securities Commission of The Bahamas said it had won court approval and appointed two members from PwC to oversee FTX Digital Markets Ltd, a subsidiary of FTX licensed in the country. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who lives in the Bahamas, has also been the subject of speculation about his whereabouts and he denied rumors on Twitter that he had flown to South America. When asked by Reuters on Saturday whether he had flown to Argentina, he responded in a text message: "Nope". Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Private equity is opening up to the public cloud, setting up a new battleground for AWS, Microsoft, and Google to win over Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Like other Wall Street firms upended by the technology, PE firms' motivation to make the move is tied to harnessing the copious amounts of data they manage. GFT works with more than 20 private-equity firms for digital transformation, including a handful of tier-one PE companies, he said. Some PE firms have tried to leverage their scale for pricing discounts among cloud providers, Mahenthiran said. Major cloud providers, like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, have been hungry for more Wall Street market share. But the wait-and-see approach has put PE companies far behind their Wall Street peers.

☆ Macau Under Spotlight Amid U.S. Inspections of China-Based Audits
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

The PCAOB, which began inspections of China-based audits in September, will decide by year-end whether China is complying with the agreement. “We do not know if these firms, especially in the U.S., have been adequately supervising the Macau firms,” she said. The Macau firms’ work isn’t immune from PCAOB inspection. PwC Macau is a separate legal entity, but it is run as part of the firm’s China operations, a spokesman said. “The China firm is taking responsibility, treating it as a branch office,” Ms. McKenna said.

☆ Talent and Leadership
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | 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 EmailTalent and LeadershipPwC US Chairman Tim Ryan is someone who spends a great deal of his time thinking about how we work today–from the importance of building diverse, inclusive teams to leadership to how companies can meet employees where they are to reduce churn and retain top talent. In this interview, we'll dig deep on some of the top issues facing employers today and get his insights on how you can navigate the current climate to build for success.

☆ How airlines plan to create a new generation of pilots amid fears of decade-long cockpit crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Bob Woods | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Focusing more long-term, though, airlines are boosting training programs to unprecedented levels and trying to attract a younger and more diverse next generation of aviators. That formula has been adopted by regional airlines, too, such as Mesa Air Group , Republic, Envoy, Cape Air and SkyWest . The regionals have always been an entry point for the mainline airlines' pilots, providing them the requisite number of hours of flight time needed before advancing. "The pilot shortage has abated to some extent," Murray said, "but at the expense of lower frequencies and fewer connection opportunities for travelers." Regional airline Republic has its own flight school, the Leadership in Flight Training Academy, in Indianapolis.

☆ Britain's Next to buy failed furniture retailer Made.com, jobs at risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - British fashion retailer Next (NXT.L) will buy the brand of collapsed online furniture seller Made.com (MADE.L), which entered administration last week after running out of cash. Made, which had a nearly 18-month run as a public company, last week became one of the most high profile British retailers to fail, hurt by supply chain issues and as consumers cut back on discretionary spending. It said on Wednesday that while Next would buy Made.com's brand, domain names and intellectual property, the company's administrators PwC would take control of its remaining assets including payments made to creditors. Made said in September it was cutting jobs and considering a sale, with some reports saying as much as 35% of the workforce was likely being let go. Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 3 ways late-stage startups can prevent IPO delays from becoming wasted time, according to a Fidelity senior VP
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Fidelity SVP tells Insider how founders can use the lull for employee education and readiness checks. Stegman works with startups from the early stage to IPO and helps them with everything from stock-plan administration to employee education. Educate employees on IPO effectsDuring the IPO lull, companies can use the time to create an educational program for employees, Stegman said. These restrictions can be nuanced and require careful planning on the company's part beyond general employee education, according to Stegman. By providing education on these restrictions early, startups can prevent employees from feeling disappointed about what they're allowed to do following an IPO, Stegman said.

☆ Britain's Next to buy failed furniture retailer Made.com with 500 jobs at risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

British fashion retailer Next will buy the brand of collapsed online furniture seller Made.com after it fell into administration, putting around 500 jobs at risk. Made had a nearly 18-month run as a public company, selling sleek furniture online, backed by a large advertising budget. It performed particularly strongly during the COVID-19 pandemic as shoppers, stuck at home, spent freely on sofas, coffee tables and lamps. Made, which currently employs around 500 people, could see its entire workforce laid off, a source familiar with the matter said. Next, which trades from over 500 stores and online, has been picking up stakes in or acquiring smaller retailers in recent years including brands such as Victoria's Secret UK and Reiss.

Airbnb users will soon be able to see the total cost of booking a stay before they check out, a reversal of the platform's longstanding policy that had peeved many users. Starting in December, guests will have the option to view the total price of a booking, including all fees, before taxes. Users will also be able to view a full price breakdown that shows Airbnb’s service fee, discounts, and taxes. The change means total price, instead of nightly price, will be prioritized in its search ranking algorithm. Guests are still charged an Airbnb service fee, a cleaning fee, an extra-guest fee if applicable, plus any taxes and deposits.

☆ High rates and inflation are here to stay, says PwC's real estate practice leader. Here's what it means for major metro areas, and why cities will need to be completely reimagined in the next great ho
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

High inflation and interest rates are here to stay in 2023, said PwC's Byron Carlock. To the dismay of real estate investors everywhere, Byron Carlock says that higher interest rates are here to stay for 2023. And while housing input prices and the costs of raw materials have begun to moderate, he doesn't believe that these can completely offset the ongoing increase in interest rates. But there's also a few obstacles in the way of reimagining entire cities, Carlock. "Cities are going to have to step up their game with respect to zoning and entitlement processes," he added.

☆ Culture of sustainability
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Schneider Electric | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

As early as 2005, the company had launched its first sustainability barometer — the Schneider Sustainability Impact (SSI) — which produces quarterly measurements of its ESG performance. In short, it has created a remarkable culture of sustainability throughout its operations. Watch the video below featuring Gwenaelle Avice-Huet, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Schneider Electric. The results have been highly encouraging, both in terms of advancing the company's sustainability drive, and in creating a happier and more engaged workforce. To help its customers and partners arrive at this ambition, Schneider Electric applies a programmatic approach to drive sustainability impact: strategize, digitize, decarbonize.

☆ Hungary picks PwC partner to lead new anti-graft body overseeing EU funds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Hungary's State Audit Office has picked PricewaterhouseCoopers forensic partner Ferenc Biro to lead a new anti-graft body to be launched by mid-November as part of efforts to regain access to European Union funds locked up over corruption risks. Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has been locked in battles with Brussels over corruption, migration, LGBTQ rights and democratic standards. The body, to be launched by Nov. 19, will be tasked with reinforcing the prevention, detection and correction of fraud, conflicts of interest and corruption. It will have extensive powers such as instructing contracting authorities to suspend a procurement procedure and requesting probes. ($1 = 1.0229 euros)Reporting by Gergely Szakacs Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Startups, Investors Bet on Remote Work Future
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Even as more employers signal an end to remote work, tech startups and their investors are betting that it is here to stay, offering a range of digital tools designed to support a permanent workforce outside of the office. “Investors are super-pumped on remote,” Mr. Salam said. “Remote work is a durable phenomenon,” said Ravi Gupta, a partner at Sequoia who led the firm’s investment in Remote. Mr. Riggs said Frameable currently has hundreds of commercial customers, who rent its software with rates varying by the number of users. “I may be a bit biased, but I absolutely believe remote work is here to stay,” said Remote’s Mr. van der Voort.

☆ Fidelity is the latest employer to offer free college education to workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Despite growing economic uncertainty, employers are still waging a war for talent, and employees are coming out ahead. Now, more businesses are expanding their benefit offerings with free college programs to attract and retain workers. Most recently, Fidelity Investments said it will offer fully funded undergraduate degrees to 18,000 employees, including entry-level customer service phone representatives. Roughly 38,000 Citi front-line consumer banking employees are eligible for its education benefits program, including free college. Now, 48% of employers said they offer undergraduate or graduate tuition assistance as a benefit, according to that survey.

☆ Auditor exodus at embattled China property firms triggers governance concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HONG KONG, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Auditors of at least 14 Hong Kong-listed Chinese property firms have exited this year, securities filings showed, raising governance concerns about the debt-ridden developers several of whom are yet to publish long-pending financial results. Embattled developers including Sunac China (1918.HK), Shimao Group (0813.HK) and Kaisa Group (1638.HK) are among those whose auditors have parted ways in recent months. In many cases, firms outside the Big-Four accounting firms have been roped in as replacements. The trend, which accelerated earlier this year, has seen auditors, including the world's top auditing firms PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Deloitte, resigning from their roles. Deloitte in Hong Kong declined to comment on the reasons for ending their auditing mandates for some Chinese property developers.

LONDON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Fresh vegetables and fish are falling off the menu. Joanne Farrer used to regularly serve her three children roast beef dinners or stews packed with fresh vegetables. Volume sales of fresh vegetables fell by more than 6% and fresh meat by over 7% in August, for example, while sales of snacks and candy rose almost 4%. "We also know that cheap highly processed foods are the ones most likely to cause obesity." "If fresh food is cheaper then we'll get that, but it's not often on offer."

☆ U.S. business sentiment in China hits record low as zero-COVID persists, survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Josh Horwitz | Scott Murdoch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Optimism among U.S. businesses in China has hit record low levels, an annual survey showed on Friday, as competitive, economic, and regulatory challenges compound the stresses already imposed by Beijing's ongoing zero-COVID policies. Just 55% of 307 companies surveyed by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and consultancy PwC China described themselves as optimistic about the five-year business outlook. "What keeps a lot of businesses up at night is competition and rising competition from Chinese competitors," Sean Stein, chairman of the chamber told a news conference. He added that in the past chief rivals may have been state-backed Chinese rivals, but private digital players were increasingly dominant in the local market. Reporting by Josh Horwitz Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] People buy food at stalls promoting China's digital yuan, or e-CNY, during the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China September 1, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu WangHONG KONG/SHANGHAI, Oct 27 (Reuters) - China's digital yuan took the centre stage in the world's largest cross-border central bank digital currency (CBDC) trial to date, a report showed, pointing to how Beijing is speeding up yuan globalization efforts amid rising geopolitical tensions. China's digital currency, or e-CNY, was the most issued, and actively transacted token in the $22 million pilot that used CBDCs to settle cross-border trades, a Bank of International Settlement (BIS) report showed. The PBOC's participation in m-Bridge represents its ambition to eventually promote global, wholesale use of the e-CNY. But China's yuan internationalisation, digital or not, faces challenges amid a slowing economy ravaged by COVID flare-ups, and a property debt crisis.

☆ Airbus is paying nearly all of its 126,000 employees a $1,470 bonus to help them cope with the cost of living crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Stephen Jones | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Around 120,000 Airbus employees will receive a cash bonus to help cope with rising living costs. They'll receive the 1,500 euro ($1,470) payment in their next paycheck, Airbus confirmed to Insider. Around 120,000 employees will receive an "exceptional premium" in their next payroll, a spokesperson for Airbus told Insider. Rolls-Royce — whose engines are used in several Airbus planes — gave thousands of employees a cash bonus equivalent to $2,500 and a back-dated pay rise in June. Later the same month, Big Four accountancy firm PwC said it had increased its annual bonus pool by $12.3 million amid rising living costs.

☆ Mattel to Pay $3.5 Million to Settle SEC Allegations Over Misstatements
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Mattel Inc. agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle claims over misstatements the toy maker made in its 2017 financial statements. Mr. Abrahams, the lead auditor on the PwC account at the time of the alleged misstatements, failed to verify the uncorrected $109 million error was documented even though he knew about it, the SEC said. Mr. Abrahams worked at PwC from 2004 until 2019, when he resigned. Mattel didn’t admit to or deny the SEC’s claims when it agreed to pay the fine. Mr. Abrahams and Mr. Euteneuer didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

☆ Toymaker Mattel agrees to pay $3.5 million SEC fine for misstatements in 2017 earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Toymaker Mattel has agreed to pay a $3.5 million fine to settle charges related to misstatements in two quarters of earnings in 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced Friday. The SEC said Mattel "violated numerous professional standards" by understating its tax-related valuation for the third quarter of 2017 by $109 million. Mattel's $109 million tax expense error went uncorrected until its November 2019 restatement. The SEC said Mattel did not admit or deny the findings of its probe. While we're not going to comment on the underlying facts, we appreciate the SEC's recognition of the company's remedial measures," a Mattel company spokesperson said Friday.

☆ Toymaker Mattel agrees to pay $3.5 million to settle SEC charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Chris Prentice | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - California-based Toymaker Mattel Inc (MAT.O) has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges over financial misstatements in 2017, the agency said on Friday. Mattel, which makes Barbie and Fisher-Price toys, incorrectly reported its losses during the third and fourth quarters of 2017 due to tax reporting errors, the SEC said. The issue went uncorrected until November 2019 and the lack of internal control for financial reporting related to the error remained undisclosed. A spokesperson for Mattel, which did not admit or deny the SEC's findings, said the firm is pleased to have the matter behind it. He further failed to maintain auditor independence by advising Mattel's then-chief financial officer about who should be selected for a senior position at the company.

☆ Gold rush: Lawyers are flocking to Arizona to take advantage of new rules resulting in a flood of outside investments in law firms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In 2021, Arizona changed its rules to let non-lawyers co-own law firms, many of which are highly profitable: They collectively made an estimated $320 billion in the US last year. Today, 47 states — all but Arizona, Utah, and Washington — ban anyone but lawyers from owning law firms. Some of the firms Arizona has approved have said they plan to advertise nationwide, and refer cases to other law firms that will actually do the work. Pre-settlement funding, which is one of the riskier kinds of loan for plaintiffs' law firms, often has interest rates of 12 to 20 percent, Ziser said. The UK has allowed outside investment in law firms since 2007 without major scandal, he said, but it also takes a loser-pays approach to lawsuits that can cut down on frivolous claims.

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