Bloomberg Fintech Fundbox Inc has raised $176 million in a new funding round from investors including Allianz SE and General Catalyst. The company was expected to announce the funding on Tuesday, along with a new $150 million credit facility. A Fundbox spokesman said the new round valued the company at between $500 million and $1 billion, but would not disclose ...
Read More »International News
VW chairman, CEO charged with market manipulation
Bloomberg Volkswagen AG’s two top leaders, Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess and Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch, were charged with market manipulation in Germany over allegations they failed to inform investors early enough about the diesel-emission scandal. Former CEO Martin Winterkorn was also charged in the case, according to the indictment filed by Braunschweig prosecutors. The shares fell as much as ...
Read More »Alibaba buys a third of Jack Ma-controlled Ant Financial
Bloomberg Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has bought a third of Ant Financial, the online financial services behemoth controlled by billionaire Jack Ma, augmenting a global array of investments now worth $83 billion. The Chinese e-commerce leader has closed the acquisition of 33 percent of newly issued equity in Ant, a long-gestating deal that cements ties between two of the country’s ...
Read More »China’s NIO to slash global staff by 20%
Bloomberg NIO Inc reported a worse-than-expected quarterly loss, prompting the struggling Chinese electric-vehicle maker to pursue thousands of job cuts by the end of this month and the spinoff of some businesses by year-end. Second-quarter net losses widened 83 percent from a year earlier to about 3.3 billion yuan ($463 million), according to a statement on Tuesday. The figures were ...
Read More »Japan’s factory activity hits seven-month low
Bloomberg Activity in Japan’s manufacturing sector contracted at the fastest clip in seven months in September, according to the latest PMI data, as US-China trade tensions continued to cloud the global outlook. The Jibun Bank Purchasing Managers Index fell to 48.9 from 49.3 in August, matching the lowest reading since 2016. The latest release comes with the Bank of Japan ...
Read More »Xiaomi launches big 5G challenge to Huawei in China
Bloomberg Xiaomi Corp introduced its first phones compatible with the latest, fifth-generation cellular technology in China, as the country’s once-biggest smartphone maker prepares for an uphill battle against domestic rival Huawei Technologies Co. At an event in Beijing, billionaire co-founder Lei Jun introduced the 5G-capable Mi 9 Pro, the latest of Xiaomi’s classic product line, and gave the world a ...
Read More »Indonesian economy expected to grow at fastest pace in seven years
Bloomberg Indonesia’s economy is projected to expand at its fastest pace in seven years in 2020, despite the deteriorating global outlook and rising risks of recession abroad. The economy is forecast to grow 5.3 percent next year, according to the Indonesian parliament. Coming after the government twice revised down its growth forecast for this year, it would mark Indonesia’s fastest ...
Read More »Apple may get early clues about winning tax case of the century
Bloomberg Apple Inc may only need to wait until Tuesday to get early clues about its chances of success in the biggest tax case in recent history. The iPhonemaker has been arguing its case at the European Union’s General Court to topple a record 13 billion-euro ($14.3 billion) EU tax order. This week the same panel of judges will deliver ...
Read More »Vonovia becomes Swedish top landlord with $1.3 billion deal
Bloomberg Vonovia SE will become the largest landlord in Sweden after buying Stockholm-based apartment owner Hembla AB for about $1.3 billion. Following its 2018 purchase of Victoria Park, the deal is the German company’s second in the Swedish market and will increase its portfolio in the country to more than 38,000 apartments, overtaking Rikshem and Heimstaden, according to Vonovia. Germany’s ...
Read More »Google to listen to users’ audio snippets again, but ask first
Bloomberg Google workers will listen to audio snippets of people speaking to its digital voice assistant to help improve the product’s quality — if users give the company permission to do so. Alphabet Inc’s Google paused all human review of assistant audio in July after a Dutch contractor leaked some clips to a journalist, who was then able to identify ...
Read More »