At a glance A transforming workforce and the long-term slowing in population growth are likely the greatest threats to many banking organizations. These shifts can have a long-lasting impact on financial institutions that do not act now. Enhancements to current working conditions, company ... READ MORE >
financial services
Hybrid funds emerge as a growing force in venture capital: Spring 2022 outlook
At a glance Record fundraising from traditional investors gave U.S. venture capital funds the dry powder needed to fuel explosive growth in 2021. A growing list of nontraditional VC investors allowed startups to raise even more capital and resulted in the emergence of hybrid funds. Hybrid funds ... READ MORE >
Automating compliance management can help firms offset rising costs: Spring 2022 outlook
At a glance Financial services firms are growing increasingly concerned over rising costs to maintain compliance amid constant regulatory changes. Emerging regulatory technologies offer many options to streamline regulatory compliance and risk management programs. Companies that embrace regtech ... READ MORE >
Financial services industry outlook: Spring 2022
Emerging technologies and major shifts in the U.S. labor landscape are among the most significant forces affecting the financial services industry as we look to spring. Whether it’s exploring new ways to use automation, honing a strategic approach to technology investments, or planning employee upskilling ... READ MORE >
Private equity showing signs of another strong year ahead
Following a bumper year in 2021, private equity activity is expected to carry on the momentum through 2022. Deal volume reached record levels in 2021, measured by dollar value and deal count, according to data from PitchBook. This year may not exceed the impressive totals from 2021, but conditions appear ... READ MORE >
Already hot ‘buy now, pay later’ space gets a big boost from Amazon
Amazon, which has been slowly adding financial services products to its portfolio, has entered the hot “buy now, pay later” space. Last Friday, the e-commerce giant announced its partnership with Affirm, a buy-now-pay-later platform that allows customers to pay for purchases in installments. This ... READ MORE >
Booming first half for private equity activity sets stage for a record year in 2021
At the current run rate, private equity deal activity is on pace for its best year on record. With $457 billion worth of deal activity recorded over the first half of the year, according to data from PitchBook, the cumulative activity midway through the year is the strongest it has ever been in terms of ... READ MORE >
Executive order targeting banking M&A expected to bring more scrutiny
An executive order signed by President Biden in early July is expected to bring more scrutiny of banking mergers, a significant development given that the number of deal announcements continues to gain steam heading into the second half of the year. The order encourages the Department of Justice, the ... READ MORE >
SPAC IPO market pauses as investors and regulators reevaluate
Initial public offerings of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have almost ground to a halt, a rapid and spectacular reversal of one of the hottest trends in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. SPACs’ share price performance—as reflected by the Defiance Next Gen SPAC Derived Exchange-Traded ... READ MORE >
5 key themes from SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s House testimony
With Gary Gensler sworn in as the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission in April, the direction of the agency under his leadership is now beginning to take shape. This was especially clear during the third and final House Financial Services Committee hearing Thursday on the surge in meme stock ... READ MORE >