Oli Scarff/Getty Images News Barclays ( BCS ) to acquire children's debit card and money management platform GoHenry from U.S. fintech Acorns, expanding its presence in youth banking and strengthening its offering for family households. Barclays ( BCS ) will acquire GoHenry's UK business, while Acorns will retain ownership of the brand's U.S. operations. The transaction is expected to complete in ...
Oli Scarff/Getty Images News Barclays ( BCS ) to acquire children's debit card and money management platform GoHenry from U.S. fintech Acorns, expanding its presence in youth banking and strengthening its offering for family households. Barclays ( BCS ) will acquire GoHenry's UK business, while Acorns will retain ownership of the brand's U.S. operations. The transaction is expected to complete in Q4 2026. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. GoHenry is a UK 2012 founded fintech platform that provides prepaid debit cards, a mobile app and financial education tools for children and teenagers aged 6 to 18. It was founded by Louise Hill, who described the acquisition as an opportunity to expand its reach. The company was later acquired by U.S. fintech Acorns in 2023 and now serves parents and children across the UK and U.S. markets “Our mission has always been to make every kid smart with money. Joining forces with Barclays gives GoHenry a platform to accelerate that mission in the UK. It also enables us to offer GoHenry members a pathway to continue their money journey when they hit 18 - because financial education shouldn’t have a start or end date. GoHenry isn’t going anywhere. What changes is our ability to do more," Hill commented . Barclays ( BCS ) said the deal will help to attract and retain family customers, including more affluent households seeking financial education tools for younger family members. The bank also sees an opportunity to build long-term customers, enabling GoHenry users to move into Barclays ( BCS ) products as they reach adulthood. More on Barclays Barclays: Buy Retained, External Factors Reduce Upside Confidence Barclays PLC (BCS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Barclays PLC 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Banks rethink hiring as AI shrinks entry-level roles, reshapes recruiting Ten foreign financial stocks, ten strong buy ratings
Hong Kong’s financial regulators have pledged to uphold strict compliance standards and crack down on illicit activity, as Beijing intensifies efforts to tighten oversight of cross-border capital flows. “We will always be steadfast guardians of the market, driving development and encouraging innovation while never compromising on our bottom line,” said Kelvin Wong Tin-yau, chairman of the Securiti...
Hong Kong’s financial regulators have pledged to uphold strict compliance standards and crack down on illicit activity, as Beijing intensifies efforts to tighten oversight of cross-border capital flows. “We will always be steadfast guardians of the market, driving development and encouraging innovation while never compromising on our bottom line,” said Kelvin Wong Tin-yau, chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong. “Through rigorous regulatory systems, forward-looking...
niphon/iStock via Getty Images By Carsten Brzeski The ECB has done it. Today, it became the first major central bank to increase interest rates as part of the fight against stagflationary pressures triggered by the war in the Middle East. It opted for a 25bp hike, bringing the deposit interest rate to 2.25%. To be clear, this rate hike is more of a symbolic move to signal the ECB’s willingness and...
niphon/iStock via Getty Images By Carsten Brzeski The ECB has done it. Today, it became the first major central bank to increase interest rates as part of the fight against stagflationary pressures triggered by the war in the Middle East. It opted for a 25bp hike, bringing the deposit interest rate to 2.25%. To be clear, this rate hike is more of a symbolic move to signal the ECB’s willingness and determination to avoid being too late in carrying out its policy response. It’s not a rate hike that will derail the eurozone economy, but a decision made with clear communication and reputation in mind; the risk of doing nothing and potentially falling behind the curve is larger than the risk of any adverse effects on growth from higher interest rates, as suggested by Chief Economist Philip Lane in a recent speech. More stagflationary pressures in staff projections but no reason for aggressive hikes During the press conference, ECB President Christine Lagarde mentioned the broadening of inflationary pressures and indirect effects as the main reason for today’s rate hike. Still, we can’t shake the idea that the ECB is actually fighting ghosts from the past – more specifically, its reaction that came far too late in responding to the inflation shock in 2021 and 2022. Remember that, at the time, the central bank lingered too long on the idea that an inflation surge driven by supply shocks was 'transitory' and could be looked through. If not for the experience of 2022, “transitory” could well be the label used today. So far, the increase in headline inflation has remained moderate. And while the knock-on effects of higher energy prices on other prices (e.g., transportation and food) will be hard to avoid, the latest survey-based inflation expectations have actually come down slightly. This relatively well-behaved inflation trajectory is also reflected in the ECB’s latest staff projections. Headline inflation is expected to come in at 3.0% this year, 2.3% in 2027 and 2.0% in 2...
OlekStock/iStock via Getty Images By Michiel Tukker ECB ready for more hikes but oil still the big unknown The ECB hiked yesterday, as expected, but during the meeting, markets were probably looking for a clearer commitment to future hikes to sustain the hawkish pricing. Nevertheless, the broader rates picture hasn’t really changed. Markets continue to see a considerable chance of a July hike and ...
OlekStock/iStock via Getty Images By Michiel Tukker ECB ready for more hikes but oil still the big unknown The ECB hiked yesterday, as expected, but during the meeting, markets were probably looking for a clearer commitment to future hikes to sustain the hawkish pricing. Nevertheless, the broader rates picture hasn’t really changed. Markets continue to see a considerable chance of a July hike and are sticking to the view of two to three hikes in total. We still think two hikes are more realistic, but until we have more clarity on second-round inflation risks, we won’t push hard against current pricing. And July seems like a realistic possibility too for the second hike, especially given the latest comments from governing council members who don't seem to push against that idea. The big unknown remains oil, which continues to make big swings every day. This morning we're below $90 for the first time. Even though just yesterday, US President Donald Trump threatened a military escalation. We think Brent oil can also still easily make a move above $100 again. The longer the conflict remains unresolved, the more supply shortages will feed into higher prices. This could already happen in July and potentially be a trigger for the next ECB hike. In our scenario where oil surges far above $100 for sustained periods, we see three hikes by the ECB. But we shouldn’t discount the associated growth risks with tightening monetary policy. Higher oil prices will initially pose upward pressure on rates, but as inflation starts coming down in 2027, we will likely face a worsening economic outlook. In that case, the ECB would have to consider a steep easing path in 2027 and 2028, which would also bring longer rates down sharply. Friday's events and market view Data-wise, we have the University of Michigan sentiment indices, which consensus sees improving slightly in June. Apart from the headline index, the inflation components should be of interest. One-year inflation expectations are ...
Inflation has been a wrecking ball for risk assets like cryptocurrency. The standard sequence of events is well rehearsed at this point: Prices rise faster than desired, the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, which then causes liquidity to dry up, leaving cryptos to endure a drought of capital that sends prices lower. Alas, we could be in for another go around, as the Consumer Price Index (CPI)...
Inflation has been a wrecking ball for risk assets like cryptocurrency. The standard sequence of events is well rehearsed at this point: Prices rise faster than desired, the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, which then causes liquidity to dry up, leaving cryptos to endure a drought of capital that sends prices lower. Alas, we could be in for another go around, as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May 2026 posted a 4.2% year-over-year increase, making it the hottest reading since April 2023. But, there's a bit of a wrinkle to the dynamic. One cryptocurrency's revenue model now plugs directly into short-term Treasury yields, so the hotter inflation runs, the more money it makes for doing nothing. Let's unpack how that works and why it means Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE) could benefit from higher inflation. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
A move by the National Pension Service to temporarily suspend portfolio rebalancing has fueled volatility in South Korea’s stock market and added pressure on the won , according to Barclays Plc . “While the rebalancing waiver contributed to superior returns for the NPS and Kospi, we believe the key tradeoff was really the increased volatility,” Bum Ki Son , an economist at Barclays, wrote in a not...
A move by the National Pension Service to temporarily suspend portfolio rebalancing has fueled volatility in South Korea’s stock market and added pressure on the won , according to Barclays Plc . “While the rebalancing waiver contributed to superior returns for the NPS and Kospi, we believe the key tradeoff was really the increased volatility,” Bum Ki Son , an economist at Barclays, wrote in a note. “Pensions are typically considered a stabilizer in the financial market. However, we believe the NPS tweak of its operations became an amplifier instead.” The NPS, Korea’s biggest pension fund and also the largest holder of stocks, in January temporarily waived rules requiring it to realign its portfolio when asset allocations drifted beyond preset limits. Continued adjustments amid heightened market volatility — especially when domestic equities exceed their target range — could have an outsized impact on local stock and foreign-exchange markets, the NPS’ management committee warned at that time. While optimism over artificial intelligence and the ensuing demand for memory chips have spurred unprecedented gains in Korea’s stock market, a build-up of margin debt and developments in the Iran war have triggered bouts of intense volatility. Investors paid the highest-ever premiums to hedge against market swings after the benchmark Kospi soared 24% in January, a record monthly advance that was eclipsed by a 31% rally in April. As the Kospi extended its 2026 rally as the world’s hottest benchmark, the NPS last month sharply ramped up its allocation target for local stocks while cutting back its target for foreign equities. The pension fund posted a return of 21.7% on domestic equities during the first quarter, official data show, and oversaw 1,526.1 trillion won ($1 trillion) in total assets as of March 31. “We ran a counterfactual analysis on ‘what if’ the NPS had continued normal rebalancing and estimate that the return would have been smaller at 11.1% by the end of May,” S...
Beloved royal, said to have embodied ‘everything good in Thailand’, died in hospital after nearly four years in coma At King Chulalongkorn Memorial hospital in Bangkok, mourners dressed in black sat side by side, their eyes pink from crying for the woman whose portraits they cradled in their laps. Some images were framed in gold, others in plastic sleeves, charting the life of Thailand’s Princess ...
Beloved royal, said to have embodied ‘everything good in Thailand’, died in hospital after nearly four years in coma At King Chulalongkorn Memorial hospital in Bangkok, mourners dressed in black sat side by side, their eyes pink from crying for the woman whose portraits they cradled in their laps. Some images were framed in gold, others in plastic sleeves, charting the life of Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha from a rosy-cheeked baby to a young royal in red military dress replete with shining badges and ceremonial sword. Later photos showed her posing with one of the dogs she was out training in 2022 when she became gravely ill with heart problems. Continue reading...
Mattress maker Sleep Number Corp. has agreed to merge with Sleep Country Canada through a court-supervised process after years of weak demand and mounting financial pressure. The company filed for a voluntary Chapter 11 sales process to facilitate the transaction, it said in a statement on Friday. It listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10...
Mattress maker Sleep Number Corp. has agreed to merge with Sleep Country Canada through a court-supervised process after years of weak demand and mounting financial pressure. The company filed for a voluntary Chapter 11 sales process to facilitate the transaction, it said in a statement on Friday. It listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion, according to court documents submitted in the Southern District of New York. Sleep Number expects to secure up to $260 million of debtor-in-possession financing as part of the deal, including up to $65 million in new financing, it said in the statement. The cash is expected to support the business during the court-supervised process, including paying wages and suppliers, it added. Sleep Number, known for its customizable beds, has been crunched by declining store traffic, tariffs, and broader industry pressures. It said it would continue to review its footprint with the aim of retaining as many retail locations as possible. The company slashed its adjusted operating expenses by $136 million last year, but that was not enough to compensate for a 16% drop in sales. Shares have plummeted roughly 95% over the past four months as its financial situation has deteriorated.
John Waldron, Goldman Sachs president and chief operating officer discusses SpaceX's record IPO and whether markets can absorb two other possible big IPOs by the end of the year. "Capital markets are demonstrating a willingness to finance these extraordinary companies as we build out this AI infrastructure," he tells Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
John Waldron, Goldman Sachs president and chief operating officer discusses SpaceX's record IPO and whether markets can absorb two other possible big IPOs by the end of the year. "Capital markets are demonstrating a willingness to finance these extraordinary companies as we build out this AI infrastructure," he tells Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)