British surgical robot firm CMR valued at $3bn after Softbank-led funding June 28, 2021 British surgical robotics group CMR Surgical has raised $600m (£431m) in a Softbank-led funding round as it looks to expand its technology to hospitals worldwide. The Cambridge-based company said the cash injection was the largest ever medtech private financing round and gave it a valuation of $3bn. The funding was led by Softbank’s Vision Fund [...]
Prosus and Naspers post record revenues as internet investments pay off June 21, 2021 Technology investor Prosus today posted its strongest annual performance to date, with revenues soaring by a third to $28.8bn. Prosus, which is controlled by South African company Naspers, said the record revenues were driven by strong returns at its stake in Chinese internet giant Tencent. The group also doubled its e-commerce portfolio value to $39bn [...]
Bill Ackman’s Spac closes in on $40bn deal with Universal Music June 4, 2021 Billionaire Bill Ackman’s blank-cheque company is closing in on a deal to buy a 10 per cent stake in Universal Music Group for roughly $4bn (£2.8bn). Pershing Square Tontine Holdings is in talks with Universal’s French owner Vivendi over the deal, which would value the record label at around $40bn. Vivendi, controlled by billionaire Vincent [...]
Prosus snaps up Stack Overflow in $1.8bn edtech deal June 2, 2021 Prosus has bought Stack Overflow, an online community for software developers, in a $1.8bn deal as it seeks to capitalise on the demand for online learning. Prosus is one of Europe’s most valuable tech companies and investors and is the largest shareholder in Chinese tech giant Tencent. It is its first acquisition in the edtech [...]
Wall Street closes lower as inflation jitters spark broad sell-off May 11, 2021 US stocks closed lower today as rising commodity prices and labor shortages fed fears that despite reassurances from the US Federal Reserve, near-term price spikes could translate into longer-term inflation. While all three indexes pared their losses from session lows, the sell-off was fairly evenly dispersed across the sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell [...]
China issues warning to tech firms after record Alibaba fine April 13, 2021 Chinese authorities have issued a stark ultimatum to more than three dozen tech companies, warning them to stop engaging in any practices that fall foul of new regulations. The country’s market regulator, which last week slapped Alibaba with a $2.8bn fine, said it summoned 34 companies including Tencent, JD.com and Tiktok owner Bytedance. The State [...]
Jack Ma’s Ant Group forced to restructure after China crackdown April 12, 2021 Ant Group will be restructured as a financial holding company as part of a crackdown by Beijing on billionaire Jack Ma’s Alibaba empire. China’s central bank today said Ant Group had laid out a “comprehensive and feasible restructuring plan” following pressure from regulators. The agreement will mean the fintech firm cuts “improper” links between its [...]
NFTs and the rise of crypto frauds April 12, 2021 With the rise in popularity of NFTs comes the inevitable rise in bad players looking to exploit the market.
Optimism over reopening of pubs and shops tempered by concerns over next month’s elections April 12, 2021 In a week that saw the FTSE100 close at its best levels in over a year, optimism over this week’s economic reopening of outdoor pubs, shops, gyms and hairdressers, appears to be being tempered by concerns over next month’s local and regional elections. There is particular focus on how well the SNP might do in [...]
Wall Street dips on tech sell-off after FTSE 100 closes higher March 30, 2021 Wall Street closed in the red today following a sell-off of tech stocks as US Treasury yields hit a 15-month high. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones both dropped 0.3 per cent, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.1 per cent. It came after the FTSE 100 pushed higher following a volatile start to the week as [...]