Author: nripn

Froda, an embedded finance company, has entered into a strategic partnership with SpareBank 1 Østlandet, a major Norwegian bank that serves over 433,000 customers. This collaboration marks one of the first instances in Europe of embedded SME lending facilitated by a bank and fintech alliance, allowing the bank to incorporate Froda’s automated loan application into its current customer experience. The partnership aims to address the persistent €400 billion funding shortfall for SMEs across Europe. Traditional banks have historically faced challenges in small-ticket lending due to high operational costs and low margins, rendering such loans unfeasible. By implementing “Froda Embedded,” SpareBank…

The Iraq fintech ecosystem in 2026 is a story of gradual reconstruction rather than overnight transformation. After years of conflict, institutional fragmentation, and dependence on oil revenues, the country is leaning on digital financial services to widen inclusion, improve transparency, and modernize its economy. The biggest near-term forcing function is the Central Bank of Iraq’s mandate that all government payments move to electronic channels by July 2026, a deadline already reshaping how every financial institution and fintech in the country plans for the year. This is the through-line that defines the country’s digital finance shift today: a state-led push, a…

The Bogle investment strategies pioneered by Vanguard founder Jack Bogle remain among the most reliable playbooks available to retirement savers, particularly those over 50 looking to make the most of their final working decades. The three-part framework of minimizing fees, staying invested, and maximizing contributions is straightforward enough to follow without an advisor, yet powerful enough to add tens of thousands to a portfolio over a working career. Bogle, who founded Vanguard in 1975 and passed away in 2019, built his legacy on the argument that costs and patience matter more than stock picking. The Bogle investment strategies that flowed…

The Buffett costly mistake at the top of his advice list is letting emotions drive investment decisions. Warren Buffett has built a 60-year track record at Berkshire Hathaway by treating that single discipline as the foundation under everything else, and the Buffett costly mistake warning carries extra weight in 2026 as markets sit at all-time highs and his cash pile hits records. Buffett stepped down as Berkshire’s CEO at the end of 2025, with Greg Abel taking the operational reins in January 2026. He remains chairman, and the investing principles that drove Berkshire’s compound annual growth of nearly 20 percent…

Snabbit Eyes New Funding to Boost Valuation to $400 Million Snabbit, a Bengaluru-based instant house-help startup, is reportedly nearing a new funding round that could elevate its valuation to approximately $400 million. This financing initiative, led by Susquehanna Venture Capital, could see the company raising around $50 million, although sources suggest the amount might reach $55 million or even higher due to robust investor interest. Participation from Leading Investors Highlights Growing Demand The upcoming funding round is expected to attract investments from several key players, including Mirae Asset, FJ Labs, and existing backers such as Lightspeed Venture Partners and Bertelsmann…

The Kiyosaki embrace failure mantra at the heart of Rich Dad Poor Dad has become the through-line of Robert Kiyosaki’s personal finance philosophy. The argument is straightforward: fear of failure stops most people from building wealth, and the Kiyosaki embrace failure framing reframes mistakes as the most valuable lessons available to entrepreneurs and investors. According to Money, Kiyosaki captures the view as “failing boldly and rising rich,” a position he has pushed for nearly three decades since the 1997 release of Rich Dad Poor Dad, which has now sold more than 32 million copies worldwide. How fear of failure blocks…

Unlike many tech conferences that often employ vague themes, SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 is focused on four well-defined technology domains. Each domain will feature live demonstrations, dedicated exhibit floors, and sessions led by key innovators and investors shaping these technologies around the world. TechCrunch is proud to be an official media partner for SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026. Our Startup Battlefield team will be present to identify a standout semifinalist from the SusHi Tech Challenge, who will then advance to the prestigious TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield 200—recognized as one of the top platforms for emerging tech startups. Here’s what attendees can…

The Allica Bank brand campaign launched this week alongside the lender’s 2025 annual results, with the UK’s fastest-growing SME challenger reporting a 34 percent surge in underlying pre-tax profit to £43.7 million. The Allica Bank brand campaign carries the tagline “Like your business bank again” across TV, out-of-home, and digital channels, taking direct aim at the impersonal nature of incumbent business banking. According to Financial IT, the campaign is the bank’s most significant marketing investment to date, building on a year that saw gross revenue rise 27 percent to £371.3 million and Business Reward Account customers grow 133 percent to…

The Petual SOX compliance platform has announced a $20 million funding round to scale its agentic AI tools for internal audit and Sarbanes-Oxley testing inside large public enterprises. Investors backing the Petual SOX compliance raise include Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, Cowboy Ventures, and angel investor Elad Gil. According to the official announcement on PR Newswire, the new capital will accelerate product development and expand go-to-market efforts. The platform automates the collection of evidence and the creation of work papers for SOX testing, processing both structured and unstructured data such as screenshots, PDFs, and Excel files in a fraction of…

Tim Cook to Step Down as CEO, Passing Leadership to John Ternus Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to resign from his position in September, transitioning leadership to John Ternus, currently the company’s hardware chief. This move marks a significant shift in the company’s stewardship as Cook has been a pivotal figure in shaping Apple for decades. John Ternus Faces New Challenges in a Changing Ecosystem While Ternus is taking over one of the most resilient businesses in the technology sector, he will encounter a markedly different landscape than the one Cook navigated. The App Store’s longstanding 30% commission structure…