News

Digital Banking
Citi Debuts Digital Platform for Commercial Banking Customers
July 10, 2023

Citi has launched a “single entry point” digital platform aimed at its commercial banking clients. The platform, dubbed CitiDirect Commercial Banking, gives customers a better view of their banking activity with Citi in terms of cash, loans, trade, foreign exchange and onboarding, according to a Monday (July...

IPO
China’s IPO Applications Plunge in First Half of 2023
July 10, 2023

So far, 2023 has not been a good year for the Chinese IPO (initial public offering) market. As Reuters reported Monday (July 10), IPO applications in that country dropped by a third in the first half of the year, with candidates scared off by a rocky earnings...

Retail
Amazon Uses Prime Day Deals to Drive Traffic to Physical Stores
July 10, 2023

Amazon is offering Prime Day deals to draw shoppers to brick-and-mortar stores as well as its website. Both leading up to and during Prime Day, which begins Tuesday (July 11), Amazon Prime members are being offered discounts on in-store purchases of groceries and fashion items, Amazon said in a Thursday...

Retail
Levi’s Cuts Prices as Consumers Cut Spending  
July 10, 2023

The story of consumer cutbacks on discretionary items, like apparel and beauty products, continues. But a new narrative is starting to emerge, as brands and retailers demonstrate a willingness to reevaluate their prices to align with changing consumer expectations.   For example, Target’s quarterly earnings confirmed...

Retail
Walmart Goes Back in Time With Back-to-School Prices
July 10, 2023

Walmart is letting parents shop for the 2023 school year at 2022 prices. “With 80% of customers expecting to spend more on supplies this year, …we’re excited to offer the school supply basket at the same prices as last year,” the retailer said in a news release last...

Banking
Big Banks’ Loan Losses Spike as Credit Card Charge-Offs Rise
July 10, 2023

America’s big banks are due to report their largest increase in loan losses since the pandemic. As the Financial Times reported Monday (July 10), analysts project the six largest banks in the U.S. — J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs...

eCommerce
Study Finds US Consumers Look a Lot But Buy Little on Social Media
July 10, 2023

Tapping or clicking the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt will bring users to pages upon pages of videos in which TikTokers show off viral purchases they first discovered on the platform: iced coffee slushy cups, hair gem stampers, live pet axolotls, levitating bulb lamps and beyond. The hashtag...

B2B Payments
B2B Platforms Need to Think Globally, Act Locally to Drive Business Growth
July 10, 2023

As companies look to steer their business strategy to drive growth, Pierre Lion, chief growth officer at FinTech firm Mangopay, says thinking globally should be a priority right from the onset. “When you start building your project or your proof of concept, especially for a...

Regulation
America’s New Merger Rules Could Add Months to Process
July 09, 2023

Proposed regulations for mergers and acquisitions could add months to the deals process. That’s according to antitrust lawyer Kara Kuritz, who spoke with Seeking Alpha on Sunday (July 9) about the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) proposed revisions to the...