Wagely, a fintech company from Indonesia, has made a name for itself with earned wage access: a way for workers in Southeast Asian countries to get an advance on their salaries without resorting to higher-interest loans. With half a million people now using the platform, the startup has expanded this work into a broader “financial wellness” platform, and to give this effort an additional boost, the company has now raised $23 million. This news is particularly noteworthy given the collapse in funding that startups in Indonesia have faced in the past two years, underscoring how developing countries are being hit…
Author: ricardofrancois
“It's more than just 'do it.' [It’s more like]”Don't be afraid to fail. Be persistent and face big challenges. Don't give up.”Makiko Ono tries to describe the concept of yatte Minahare, a key part of the philosophy of Japanese beverage company Suntory Holdings. She explains that there is no accurate translation in English. If she's not too humble to make that connection, her four-decade career at Suntory might be a good example.Last year, Ono became one of the few female executives in Japan when she was promoted to a top position at Suntory Beverage & Food, a listed unit of…
The Chinese flag flies over the Great Hall of the People before the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, in Beijing, China, October 18, 2023.Edgar Su | ReutersBEIJING – China is scheduled to begin its annual parliamentary meetings this week, which investors are closely watching for signs of economic stimulus.The country's GDP grew by 5.2% in 2023, but the overall recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic has been slower than many expected. A prolonged slump in the huge real estate market and a decline in global demand for…
Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.Letters from the Archives of Rutherford Hall, Critical Communications StrategistWhatsApp to Stephen: Greetings from Riyadh – where, yes, I'm still stuck under the weight of the business I'm securing for us. Money is not an issue here; We just need to keep feeding them ideas to gain prestige. Interestingly, they are talking about buying a British newspaper. They've seen the UAE upset the Telegraph Group and now they want The Times. Whatsapp to Stephen: So the telegraph deal is still in limbo?…
A Pomona man was arrested Saturday after he drove under the influence and crashed into another car, killing three women, police said.Police arrested Victor Siharath late Saturday night after responding to a two-car traffic collision around 11 p.m. at White Avenue and Phillips Boulevard in Pomona. Siharath had a prior DUI conviction, according to Ali Mejia, a spokesman for the Pomona Police Department.All those involved in the accident suffered “moderate to serious injuries,” and were treated by Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel, police said in a press release.Police said two women died of their injuries at the scene. Three…
Open Editor's Digest for freeRula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.Rates of theft and violence against shop staff across Britain have risen to record levels, according to new data. About 5.6 million theft incidents were recorded in 2023, more than five times the previous record of 1.1 million theft incidents recorded in 2022, according to a report issued by the Convenience Stores Association published on Monday. James Lowman, chief executive of ACS, which represents 49,000 convenience stores across the UK, said the problem had “worsened” and “cannot be allowed to continue”. The…
A screen shows the Nikkei 225 average stock index number on the trading floor at Nomura Securities' headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on January 11, 2024. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets appear poised to rise, tracking gains made by Wall Street as both… Standard & Poor's 500 And the Nasdaq Composite It hit all-time highs on Friday.Japan Nikki 225 It was also expected to hit a record high, with futures in Chicago and Osaka hitting 40,250 and 40,190 respectively compared to the index's Friday close of 39,910.Investors will also be watching the “two sessions” meetings in China today.The “two…
A rare snowstorm sent its final waves of snow and high winds across California's Sierra Nevada on Sunday, shutting down some major roads and shuttering ski resorts from Lake Tahoe to Mammoth.Mammoth Mountain Ski Area was closed due to winds as strong as 70 mph, with higher wind gusts, blowing across the mountains and blowing away snow.“It is still too windy to operate and allow lift maintenance to safely complete their checks or ski patrol to complete necessary avalanche mitigation,” Mammoth Mountain said on its website.The blizzard dumped 5 to 7 feet of snow in parts of the Sierra Nevada…
Salma, Alaa — Atty. Voting rights are at risk in much of the country, Gen. Merrick Garland told parishioners at a Selma church service commemorating the 59th anniversary of the attack by Alabama law enforcement officers on civil rights protesters.Garland said at Bloody Sunday Mass that decisions made by the Supreme Court and lower courts since 2006 weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was passed in the wake of the police attack. Protesters were beaten by officers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965, as they attempted to march through Alabama in support of voting rights.…
Washington – GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Sunday that she no longer feels bound by the pledge that requires all GOP contenders to support the party's eventual nominee in order to participate in the primary debates. The Republican National Committee had made this pledge a prerequisite for all candidates, and almost all of the major contenders signed it, with the exception of Donald Trump, the current front-runner, who was absent from the debates. When Haley, Trump's only remaining major rival for the nomination, was asked on NBC's “Meet the Press” whether she had to honor that commitment, she said:…