Breaking News: Investing
Mastercard says it’s acquiring stablecoin startup BVNK in $1.8 billion bet on future of payments
Key Points Mastercard said it agreed to acquire stablecoin infrastructure startup BVNK for up to $1.8 billion — including $300 million in performance-contingent payments — in its biggest crypto deal ever. The deal gives the payments giant the ability to connect traditional rails with blockchain-based systems supporting stablecoins and tokenized deposits. BVNK, founded in 2021 […]
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Apollo’s John Zito questions private equity’s software valuations: ‘All the marks are wrong’
Key Points Apollo executive John Zito said private equity firms are broadly misstating the value of their software holdings, telling UBS clients last month that “all the marks are wrong.” Zito warned that lenders to smaller software companies could recover as little as 20 to 40 cents on the dollar, implying deep losses. Apollo sought […]
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Inside JPMorgan Chase’s push to become the startup world’s new Silicon Valley Bank
Key Points JPMorgan gained three years’ worth of new clients in a single weekend when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. The Jamie Dimon-led bank has since quadrupled its startup client base to nearly 12,000, served by 550 bankers. JPMorgan’s goal is to be the one-stop shop for founders from seed round to IPO and beyond. Source
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JPMorgan Chase reins in lending to private credit firms after marking down software loans
Key Points JPMorgan is marking down collateral held by private credit firms and reducing their borrowing capacity — a preemptive move driven by market valuations, not actual loan losses. The markdowns target software company loans, where AI advances have sparked fears of disintermediation, triggering a private credit downcycle and abnormally high redemptions at firms like […]
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As Iran war disrupts oil prices, consumers could be ‘hammered,’ economist says
In February, Americans were feeling pretty good about their financial standing. But that was before the Iran war, which is threatening to upend household budgets. A New York Federal Reserve survey released Monday found that consumers expected inflation to be lower in the year ahead, and households, overall, said they were better off than a year ago. The New York […]
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There’s another energy market that may get hit harder than oil by Strait of Hormuz closure
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker on a digital screen at the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Christopher Pike | Bloomberg | Getty Images Oil prices jumped Monday with traffic in the Strait of Hormuz at a near standstill, but the longer-term implications of the Strait’s closure may […]
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The $100 oil playbook: How pro investors are investing around this energy shock
Professional investors are reshuffling portfolios as crude oil surges past $100 a barrel , rotating into sectors tied to commodities while adding hedges against the risk that geopolitical tensions could trigger a broader economic shock. The jump in energy prices tied to the Middle East conflict is prompting money managers to rethink positioning. Many say […]
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