Global Business Insolvencies Rise 6% in 2025: 2026 Trajectory Revealed
Rising insolvencies, geopolitical tensions, trade protectionism and supply chain disruption are creating new risks for GCC companies expanding into international markets
Economic Forecast
India Card Payments Set for Steady Growth as Financial Inclusion and Credit Card Adoption Expand
India’s card payments market is expected to maintain steady growth in the coming years as financial inclusion expands, digital infrastructure improves and consumers increasingly shift away from cash. While debit cards continue to dominate the market, growing demand for credit cards and new use cases linked to India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) are expected to […]
European Borrowing Costs Jump to Levels Not Seen in 15 Years
Something unusual happened to Europe’s bond market right after the summer break, and it significantly differs from what investors have been witnessing in the United States earlier.
Bitcoin Hits $80,000 And Gold Is Rallying: Common Reason Revealed
Bitcoin’s price just broke an $80K threshold. But gold is climbing at the very same time, for the very same reason. Let’s take a closer look at both developments and how they’re connected.
Bond Yields Rise as Consumers Feel the Squeeze Ahead of Fed Minutes
Global bond markets today are not soothing investors concerned over the high costs of borrowing and the consequences this is having on household accounts.
What Today’s Yen, Emerging Markets and Fed Policy Signal for Fintech
Global financial markets are sending several signals at once: the Japanese yen remains weak despite an unusual currency intervention, investors are returning to emerging-market debt at the fastest pace in more than two decades, and expectations for U.S. interest rates remain uncertain. For banks, payment companies and fintechs, these developments matter most as they can […]
Oil, CPI and the Hidden Cost of Inflation for Payments Firms Revealed
Financial markets are heading into one of the week’s most important economic releases with oil prices adding another layer of uncertainty. The U.S. Consumer Price Index for July is due today, while producer-price data follows on August 13. Economists surveyed by Reuters expect headline CPI to rise 3.4% from a year earlier.
July Jobs Report Lands Amid the Fed’s Most Divided Vote Since 2016
The US labor market just handed new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh an unwelcome test of his authority and the timing could not be worse.
Wall Street’s September Fed Bet Just Got a New Oil Wildcard
The Federal Reserve holds its next rate decision on September 15–16, and for the first time in months, traders are leaning toward a hike, not a cut. The Fed’s rate-setting group, the FOMC, held its benchmark rate steady on July 29 for a fifth straight meeting, at 3.50%–3.75%. But three of its twelve voting members […]
AI Investment Is Now Driving About a Third of US Economic Growth
A growing body of research is pointing to the same uncomfortable number: somewhere around a third of US economic growth right now traces back to AI. Not AI products people use daily, but the spending behind them.
US GDP Growth Cools to 1.5% in Q2, But Private Demand Holds Firm as Energy Costs Bite
Q2 GDP growth moderated to an annualized 1.5%. This slowdown from prior quarters arrives alongside a steadier signal: underlying private-sector demand in the United States has not softened at the same pace. Brent crude has traded above $89 a barrel through the quarter, keeping energy costs elevated even as broader inflation readings show mixed signs […]
Markets Digest the Fed’s Hawkish Hold as Fresh ISM Data Lands
The Federal Reserve’s July 29 decision to hold its benchmark rate at 3.50%–3.75% is still working its way through markets, and Monday’s ISM Manufacturing PMI report gave investors their first hard data point to test the central bank’s internal split. For payments and lending, the combination points to a stretch of elevated borrowing costs running […]
Q2 GDP 2026 & June PCE: What Today’s Data Means After the Fed Split
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes the Q2 GDP advance estimate and the June Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index at 8:30 a.m. ET today, according to BEA’s official release schedule. The data release timing is less than 24 hours behind Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee decision to hold the federal funds rate at 3.50%-3.75%.
FOMC July 2026: Fed Holds Rates at 3.50%-3.75% in Warsh’s First Contested Vote
On July 29, Federal Open Market Committee has voted on the federal funds rate with a ratio of 9-3 in favor of maintaining the rate within the 3.50%-3.75% range. This was the first time Federal Open Market Committee Chair Kevin Warsh had to face dissenters since he took office. The opposition has come from three […]
Bitcoin Today: CLARITY Act Momentum Meets $1B ETF Inflows and US-Iran Risk
Bitcoin investors are weighing two opposing signals this week. On one side, nearly $1 billion in net U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF inflows landed over roughly six trading sessions, and the CLARITY Act (the U.S. bill meant to define a regulatory structure for digital asset markets) has regained momentum in the Senate. On the other side, […]
Fintech Earnings Face Middle East Oil Volatility as Investors Shift Focus to Q2 Results
Global markets entered the week caught between geopolitical uncertainty and the start of one of the busiest periods of the corporate earnings season, creating a challenging backdrop for payments and fintech companies preparing to report quarterly results.
