There are a lot of capability stories out there. There aren't a lot of stories or pictures about the client's experience. We're really trying to look at how we use client experiences as a true differentiator that we showcase.
Under chief executive Georges Elhedery, who took the helm in 2024, the bank targeted $1.5 billion (1.1 billion) in annual cost reductions by 2026. However, HSBC revealed on Wednesday it now expects to achieve this by the end of June – six months ahead of schedule.
Private equity giant Carlyle has thrown a £150m lifeline to online retailer Very - just as mounting debt threatens to sink the company. Sources say the refinancing deal will keep Very afloat, giving breathing space to a business grappling with sky-high borrowing costs, fierce competition, and a cash-strapped consumer market. An insider commented: "Without this deal, Very could have faced serious trouble. Carlyle is betting big to save its investment - the stakes couldn't be higher."
What started as a three-person team has grown into a global company of around 250 employees, with teams across the United States, India, and Mexico. The company's mission is straightforward-create better experiences for customers, employees, and operations using smart, human-focused technology. Rather than replace existing platforms, Epik builds around them. "We extend the value of what's already working," says the CEO. "That's what makes our solutions adaptable."
The Amsterdam-based neobank Bunq has reapplied for a U.S. banking charter, two years after withdrawing its previous attempt. The Dutch digital bank, a competitor of the U.K.-based fintech in Europe, announced on Wednesday that it formally filed for a U.S. de novo banking license with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Bunq, a subscription-based service that allows users to manage multiple international accounts and currencies in one application, is aiming to reach European "digital nomads" residing in the United States.
The founder of Starling Bank has reduced her shareholding in the fintech, as new filings reveal that Anne Boden has cut her stake during a secondary share sale that valued the business at up to £4 billion. Boden, who launched Starling in 2014 after senior roles at Allied Irish Banks and Lloyds, has lowered her holding to around 2.7 per cent from a previous 4.3 per cent, according to the disclosures.
For the Coca-Cola Music Experience 2025, Spain's premier youth music festival, Coca-Cola partnered with DIVE and Essence Mediacom to activate TikTok's Out of Phone program, transforming Madrid into a live, citywide feed of festival anticipation. From Sept. 5-11, high-impact DOOH screens showcased creator-led artist drops, countdowns and TikTok-native visuals that mirrored how fans engage on the platform. QR codes invited real-time interaction, turning everyday foot traffic into active participants.
Denmark-based Danske Bank will now allow customers to invest in cryptocurrency-linked products tied to Bitcoin, marking a shift for Denmark's largest lender after years of resistance to the asset class. The bank said customers using Danske eBanking and Danske Mobile Banking can now gain exposure through exchange traded products, or ETPs, that track the performance of Bitcoin or Ethereum. The offering includes three products at launch, with two linked to Bitcoin and one linked to Ethereum.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark-(BUSINESS WIRE)- Caliber, a stakeholder intelligence platform helping organizations build and protect trust, released its inaugural Stakeholder Intelligence Report, revealing global trends in brand, reputation, and data-driven communications. As economic anxiety, AI disruption, and geopolitical uncertainty intensify, leaders across industries are making higher-stakes decisions under conditions of compressed trust and heightened reputational risk. This report equips executives with data and actionable insights to support decision-making in 2026 and beyond.
Belgian business software company Odoo, also a unicorn, has reached a fresh milestone. Growth investor General Atlantic has increased its stake in the firm, buying additional shares from regional backer Wallonie Entreprendre and pushing Odoo's valuation to roughly €7 billion. This move isn't a typical funding round where a company raises new capital. Instead, it's a secondary transaction: General Atlantic bought existing shares that were previously held by Wallonie Entreprendre, the investment arm of Belgium's Walloon region.
The European Union has formally inaugurated NanoIC, a semiconductor pilot line backed by a €700 million investment under the European Chips Act. The facility aims to accelerate the development of advanced chip technologies and strengthen Europe's position in the global semiconductor landscape. Situated at the research hub imec in Leuven, NanoIC is designed as an open pilot line where companies, research institutes, and startups can prototype and test cutting-edge components before commercial deployment.
UBS Group AG is preparing to offer bitcoin trading to a select group of private banking clients in Switzerland. According to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter, the Swiss banking giant has been in discussions for several months about launching a cryptocurrency trading offering and is currently in the process of selecting external partners. The service would initially be limited to a small subset of Swiss private banking clients, with a broader rollout possible at a later stage.
Brands are blending digital platforms with real-world environments to create immersive, personalized experiences that translate online energy into human connection. From awareness to ownership and advocacy, this year's Digiday Marketing and Advertising Awards Europe nominees prioritize frictionless journeys that deepen loyalty, strengthen brand perception and deliver sustained business results. In the new Best Out-of-Home Campaign category, agency DIVE is nominated for its work with Coca-Cola Spain.
As the Director of CIBC's AI Applications Development team, you will lead a high-performing, full-stack team of AI engineers, developers, and QA specialists responsible for developing and supporting enterprise-grade AI solutions. In this leader-of-leaders role, you will provide technical leadership to ensure the successful design, development, and deployment of advanced AI applications across CIBC. You will oversee collaboration with other technology and business units to define solution architecture, integration contracts, and ensure seamless interaction between services, aligning with strategic business needs and technical standards.
For pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), the moment came following its $74 billion acquisition in 2019 of Celgene Corp., when BMS had to fund a major post-merger integration while preparing for the expiration of valuable pharmaceutical patents. Determined to make the most of the opportunity presented by the merger, one of the largest ever in the pharmaceutical industry, BMS leaders have since embarked on an enterprise-wide initiative to modernize departments and improve the use of technology and innovation.
According to Li Mandri, ING's centralised approach to AI development has resulted in a high success rate for pilot projects, with 90% moving to production compared to the industry average of 30. The bank has standardised on cloud-hosted AI models from preferred partners, which are then made available globally, allowing ING to scale. He says the platform is centrally managed with risk controls, guardrails and real-time monitoring.
But if you dig deeper into how businesses in this industry are actually approaching AI deployments - if you ask questions like how they are governing their data, how they are ensuring data quality, and how easily are they connecting AI tools directly to data platforms - you'll soon realize that claims about AI adoption in financial services don't always align with reality.
