TIRANA, Albania — The leaders of five Western Balkan countries met Thursday in an effort to push ahead a European Union plan that promises financial aid and a faster road to membership in return for economic reform. Brussels’ plan calls for 6 billion euros (about $6.5 billion) to be sent to the Balkan states over … Read more
Shadowfax, one of the largest logistics service providers to hyper-local and on-demand delivery businesses in India, has raised $100 million in a new funding round as it clocks an yearly growth of over 35%. TPG NewQuest led Shadowfax’s Series E financing round, which includes some secondary transactions, the startup said on Tuesday. TechCrunch reported last … Read more
Taylor Swift performing onstage in Nashville, Tennessee. John Shearer/tas23 | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, and now Taylor Swift. Singapore is eyeing concert economics as its new growth driver, which is set to add hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism receipts. “The Lion City has traditionally been more a magnet … Read more
Robert Habeck, German Minister for Economy and Climate Protection and Vice Chancellor, is pictured during the weekly meeting of the cabinet on February 21, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Florian Gaertner | Photothek | Getty Images Germany’s gross domestic product is now expected to grow by just 0.2% this year, as the country wades in “tricky … Read more
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Marty Windle | Moment | Getty Images Vietnam is set to see the sharpest spike in wealth growth over the next decade as it cements its status as a global manufacturing hub, according to a report by global wealth intelligence firm New World Wealth and investment migration advisors Henley & … Read more
The logo of the Alibaba office building is seen in the Huangpu District in Shanghai, June 16, 2023. Costfoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group is betting on its overseas businesses while domestic consumption growth remains sluggish. One bright spot in Alibaba’s latest earnings report was its international e-commerce business unit, which posted … Read more
An editorialized picture of a falling graph against the Japanese flag. Natanael Ginting | Istock | Getty Images Japan’s central bank is expected to exit its negative interest rate regime this spring, though sluggish growth will limit its ability to alleviate depreciation pressure on the yen, according to a former Bank of Japan board member. … Read more
In 2023, Jumia revised its adjusted EBITDA loss guidance thrice: $100-120 million in Q1, $90-100 million in Q2, and $80-90 million in Q3, aiming for a 57-61% year-over-year reduction if met. The company exceeded these expectations and significantly outperformed in that regard. It ended the year with $58.2 million in adjusted EBITDA loss, marking a … Read more
Kanye West‘s fans are worried about the appearance of strange growth on his upper lip shortly after the rapper had his expensive titanium teeth installed. In a video shared by West on social media, fans of the star got a close-up look at his lips as he filmed himself walking through an airport after the Super … Read more
The price of bitcoin hit $50,000 today, a month after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved 11 applications for spot bitcoin ETFs. The issuers of those ETFs have seen demand skyrocket beyond initial predictions of a few billion. Assets under management at these issuers total around $28.35 billion, making for a market cap of … Read more