Author: Charlotte

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is opening an office in Chicago with five incoming partners, significantly expanding its capabilities in serving middle-market private equity firms, family offices, and other private capital clients. Ryan Harris, Cole Parker, Kyle McHugh, Ryan Jackson, and Ziyad Ziyadzade will join Simpson Thacher as partners and form the initial leadership group for the firm’s Chicago office. Harris will serve as Managing Partner of the new office. The expansion gives Simpson Thacher a permanent presence in one of the country’s major private equity and investment centers while bringing in a team with long-standing experience advising middle-market sponsors and…

Despite the rapid expansion of mobile financial services (MFS), internet banking, agent banking, and the recently introduced Bangla QR payment system, Bangladesh is witnessing a historic surge in cash held outside banks. For an economy striving for greater financial inclusion and a modern digital payment ecosystem, this growing preference for cash is a serious macroeconomic challenge. Because it deprives the formal financial sector of liquidity, weakens monetary policy transmission, constrains private sector lending, and complicates the fight against inflation. Bangladesh Bank data in this context reveal a remarkable upward trend over the past decade. Currency outside banks stood at approximately…

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino rejected claims placing the issuer in a $1 billion stablechain race, saying USDT (USDT) will remain on outside blockchain networks. Key Points: Ardoino said Tether is not building its own blockchain and has no plans to launch one. CoinMarketCap had grouped Tether with Stripe and Circle in a stablechain push worth more than $1 billion. Tether continues to favor broad USDT distribution across third-party networks instead of owning the underlying rails. Tether Blockchain Denial Ardoino posted the denial Aug. 15 after CoinMarketCap published research grouping Tether with Stripe and Circle in a broader push to build…

Dogecoin (DOGE) is trading near the $0.07 level as traders look ahead to a White House crypto meeting that could provide fresh signals on U.S. digital asset policy.DOGE gained about 0.8% over the past 24 hours and has been consolidating after failing to sustain its recent move above $0.0720. Meanwhile, Bitcoin remains below $63,000, XRP is hovering around $1, and Ethereum has struggled to hold key support levels.The upcoming meeting could give the broader crypto market a new catalyst, while Dogecoin’s recent whale accumulation may provide another source of support for the meme coin.Trump to lead White House crypto meetingPresident…

Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Media information Gland/Zurich, 13 August 2026 Results for the 1st half of 2026 Swissquote delivers continued client growth and resilient profitability amid macroeconomic headwinds. Client assets reach record level of CHF 96.3 billion . The first half of 2026 was marked by significant geopolitical uncertainty, yet Swissquote was able to deliver growth. The total number of accounts increased by +64,011 accounts in 6 months, bringing the total to 1,220,818 and representing a growth of +5. 5% since 31 De- cember 2025. Net new mon ey reached a near-record CHF 5.1 billion (-2.0%…

Nigeria’s listed technology companies are entering a new investment phase as stronger cash positions and improving economic conditions give them greater capacity to fund expansion, although high financing costs and expensive technology equipment are forcing companies to deploy capital selectively. A BusinessDay analysis of six listed technology companies — Chams Holding Company, CWG, E-Tranzact International, Legend Internet, NCR Nigeria and Omatek Ventures — shows that combined capital expenditure (CAPEX) rose to N3.23 billion in the first half of 2026, from about N1.85 billion in H1 2025, representing an increase of roughly 75 percent. At the same time, combined cash and…

Walking a perilous path.© 4×6—iStock/Getty ImagesWill 2024 be known throughout history as the year of the meme coin? As cryptocurrency investing entered a new bullish phase after bottoming out in the fall of 2023, digital tokens based on nothing more than a cute or funny meme began getting plenty of attention. Meme coins may inspire your fear of missing out—FOMO—but they’re also undeniably risky.Interested in speculating on meme coins—hopefully with small amounts of money that you can afford to lose? Stay sensible—and start by learning the key characteristics of meme coins, their history, and some popular tokens.Specific cryptocurrencies are mentioned…

July’s CPI report keeps inflation above the Fed’s 2% target, and shelter costs sit right at the heart of that story. When rent and housing stay firm, some stocks tied to residential real estate and homebuilding can feel more pricing power, while others face affordability pressure. This article walks through three stocks from our U.S. residential REITs and homebuilder screener that appear particularly exposed to this latest inflation twist. The stocks covered below are just a starting sample. The full screen surfaced 36 more companies with equally compelling narratives that are not covered in this article. To go deeper on…

Bitcoin’s next major move could be shaped by a seasonal pattern, according to Swan Bitcoin CEO Cory Klippsten. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Klippsten suggested that BTC may form a bottom in October before staging a recovery toward roughly $130,000 ahead of the 2028 halving.Klippsten’s framing also includes a potentially painful downside scenario: in his view, Bitcoin could drop to the $57,000 area—or even as low as $53,000—before any rebound. At the same time, other market analysts are watching for signs of an earlier bear-market bottom, pointing to an August threshold based on monthly closes.Key takeawaysKlippsten expects Bitcoin could bottom in October…

U.S. dollar banknotes Jose Luis Gonzalez | ReutersMany investors are turning to short-term investments, particularly ultra-short bond funds, amid persistent concerns that the equity market is headed for an inevitable downturn and long-term bonds like the 10-year treasury are not providing the diversification benefits that they have provided within portfolios historically.Stock market returns have been strong over the past decade, with the S&P 500 Index delivering double-digit gains for most of the past decade. The last several years have been especially robust, buoyed by the “Mag 7” technology stocks and the AI boom. “Investors have enjoyed one of the strongest…