Finance

This year, Bulgarians will head to the polls. This election day will mark the eighth time since April 2021 that the Balkan nation has held parliamentary elections, securing its status as emerging Europe’s most politically volatile nation. However, the vote will be held just as Bulgaria should be celebrating its …

South Africa’s largest mobile operator, Vodacom Group, announced that it will take control of Safaricom, East Africa’s biggest telecom, in a $2.4 billion transaction. Vodacom will hold 55% after buying 15% from the Kenyan government and 5% from Vodafone International Holdings. The government retains 20%, and 25% remains publicly traded on …

Home Executive Interviews After Maduro: Why Regime Change Doesn’t Mean Stability For Venezuela—Or Investors Economist Abigail Hall explains what Maduro’s removal means for Venezuela, global markets, and the risks of US-led regime change. The sudden ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following a US-led operation has shaken global markets, energy …

Home Executive Interviews Standard Bank’s Arno Daehnke On Corporate Risk And Liquidity Strategies The chief finance and value management officer at the Johannesburg, South Africa-based bank explains how companies are strengthening liquidity, diversifying funding, and adopting digital tools to manage rising debt pressures and global volatility. Global Finance: What risk …

For decades, international payments were powered by linear models designed for batch processing, correspondent banking and office-hour settlement cycles. That architecture was effective in a world of physical documents, fixed hour clearing and unilateral data ownership. Today’s global economy moves differently. Commerce flows through digital platforms, e-marketplaces and 24/7 ecosystems. …

Home Executive Interviews ‘Compliance Is the Foundation’: Kawa Junad On Banking Digitally In Iraq Few executives have shaped Iraq’s digital transformation as directly as Kawa Junad, founder of First Iraqi Bank. An award-winning corporate chair, innovator, and philanthropist, Junad rebuilt Iraq’s telecom networks after the 2003 war, launched the country’s …

Flush markets, easing rates, and shifting tax incentives are driving a surge in dividend recapitalizations—an increasingly popular way for companies and private equity firms to return capital, even as legal scrutiny intensifies. As the 2025 financial year approaches its end, more companies announce dividend distributions and dividend recapitalization (also known …

Toyota is revving up its US manufacturing ambitions. Last month, it announced—or seemed to announce—plans to invest up to $10 billion across its American operations over the next five years: a pledge that arrived just as its first US-based electric-vehicle battery plant officially began production. The Japanese automaker, which has …

Home Insurance Hurricane Melissa Devastation Saddles Jamaica With Multi-Billion-Dollar Bill Jamaica faces an $8 billion-plus price tag to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa. Wind gusts hit a record-breaking 252 miles per hour between October and November. The catastrophe claimed 45 lives, 15 remain missing, and a further nine …

Nimish Panchmatia, chief data & transforma-tion officer at DBS, elaborates on how the Singaporean bank effectively leverages AI, with a focus on purpose and empathy. Global Finance: How does DBS’ AI-first strategy differ from other banks’ digital transformations? Nimish Panchmatia: Our early commitment to AI has resulted in deep expertise, …