Global – October 15, 2026 -- Sixty-eight percent of manufacturing executives say shifts in global trade and economic order are having a high impact on their organizations, according to 2026 Voice of Our Clients research. The finding is driving a move from linear supply chains toward adaptive value networks, where resilience depends on the wider network and not on a single enterprise.

Manufacturers are responding with end-to-end visibility, diversified sourcing and regionalized supply networks. They are also using AI to improve forecasting and speed up decisions. Looking toward 2030, supply networks are likely to become more predictive and increasingly autonomous, using AI, digital twins and real-time collaboration to anticipate disruption.

Global – October 15, 2026 -- Some 64% of organizations surveyed in CGI's 2026 Voice of Our Clients insights intend to use AI in core business processes, versus 17% in administrative functions and 15% in IT-only applications. CGI cites the figures as it argues that insurers should treat rating as a connected pricing life cycle rather than an automation task.

Pricing cycles are shrinking from months to days or hours

CGI says traditional rate changes can take days, weeks or even months because sophisticated models require extensive analysis, validation and implementation. Insurers now need to model, test and implement changes in days or, in some cases, hours. Legacy systems force teams to move data among separate tools to test rates, which lengthens cycles.

Global – October 15, 2026 -- Only 19% of insurance executives believe their operating model is agile enough to support digital transformation, even though 71% say digitalization is already affecting it, according to CGI's 2026 Voice of Our Clients research.

Agentic AI moves insurers from managing interactions to orchestrating outcomes

Conversational AI can explain what a policyholder should do after storm damage. An agentic system could go further: authenticate the customer, check coverage, open the claim, collect information, arrange services, initiate permitted payments and send proactive updates. A human claims professional steps in when judgment or extra support is required.

Europe – October 15, 2026 -- 75% of banks are exploring agentic AI, yet 39% remain in the proof-of-concept phase, according to CGI's latest Voice of Our Clients research. CGI argues that lenders must now prepare for customers who delegate product selection to AI agents.

APIs replace the app as the bank's front door

CGI says AI agents will compare, calculate and negotiate based on structured product information, reliable APIs, transparent pricing and lending criteria that software can interpret, rather than on app design. An agent could assess a bank's offering in milliseconds, reject its API and move on to a competitor. CGI frames API quality as a business capability and a source of competitive advantage, not only an IT metric.

Global – – October 15, 2026 -- Launching a global capability center (GCC) no longer differentiates a bank, according to CGI, which identifies five attributes that separate high-performing banking GCCs from those that fall short of their potential.

Top GCCs are judged on business outcomes, not headcount or utilization

Many centers are still measured on headcount growth, utilization rates, cost savings and project volumes. CGI argues that leading banks instead tie GCC success to the initiatives it accelerates and the value it helps create in modernization, growth, resilience and customer experience.

Los Angeles – October 15, 2026 -- Chubby Group has closed a $50 million Series A led by Prysm Capital at a $500 million valuation and signed a letter of intent to acquire 47 U.S. GEN Korean BBQ restaurants and four development sites from GEN Restaurant Group (Nasdaq: GENK) in a transaction valued at up to $100 million.

The round is Chubby's first institutional funding. The restaurant operator behind Chubby Cattle, Wagyu House, The X Pot, NIKU X, Chubby Skewers and Chubby Bowls says the deal would make it one of the largest Asian dining groups in the U.S.

GEN deal includes $1.5 billion convertible note and perpetual brand license

GEN will hold a note convertible into Chubby Group equity at a $1.5 billion valuation as part of the consideration. Chubby will receive a perpetual license to the GEN brand. Closing remains subject to definitive agreements, license and lease transfers, and regulatory approvals.

Arlington – October 15, 2026 -- U.S.-based travel agency air ticket sales totaled $29.7 billion in the third quarter of 2026, up 18% from $25.1 billion a year earlier, according to Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) data.

September sales rise 18% while passenger trips grow 2%

Agency air ticket sales reached $10.2 billion in September 2026, an 18% increase from September 2025 and 4% above August. Passenger trips totaled 25.7 million, up 2% year over year. Sales growth therefore far outpaced growth in passenger volume.

Third-quarter trips climb 3.5% to 77.4 million

Agencies ticketed 77.4 million passenger trips in the quarter, a 3.5% increase from the same period in 2025. ARC Chief Commercial Officer Steve Solomon said demand held firm despite geopolitical uncertainty and inflationary pressure, and that passenger volume stayed steady as the summer season ended.

St. Louis – October 15, 2026 -- Graybar, the electrical, industrial, automation and connectivity products distributor, has won four Top Workplaces Culture Excellence awards, three Featured awards and the Distribution Industry award from workplace-survey firm Energage for 2026.

This is the sixth consecutive year Graybar has received Culture Excellence awards. It is also the fifth consecutive year the company has won the Distribution Industry award. Graybar was one of just three distributors with more than 2,500 employees to receive the industry honor.

Graybar collects four Culture Excellence and three Featured awards

The Culture Excellence awards cover Work-Life Flexibility, Purpose & Values, Employee Well-Being and Professional Development.

Irving, Texas – October 15, 2026 -- Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) has allocated up to $10 million to prepare North Carolina workers for modern manufacturing and industry technician roles. It is the sixth allocation under the company's five-year, $100 million Building the Future Workforce Initiative.

Caterpillar pairs $10 million training fund with a $1 billion North Carolina build-out

The workforce money follows Caterpillar's announcement that it plans to invest approximately $1 billion in North Carolina. The capital will expand manufacturing capacity for its Cat Compact business, which supplies compact equipment to small contractors and growing businesses. The plan includes a new facility in Sanford to increase production of compact track loaders and telehandlers.

Caterpillar's Clayton facility in the state already builds small wheel loaders and supports distribution of backhoe loaders.

Washington – October 15, 2026 -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has eliminated federal requirements for fuel additive containers, saving businesses an estimated $10.7 billion over 30 years and removing $545.7 million in annual regulatory costs.

CPSC rules fuel additives are not flammable liquid fuels under the Portable Fuel Container Safety Act

The action clarifies that additives used to clean engines, improve performance, extend engine life, prevent weather-related effects, or stabilize fuel do not qualify as "flammable liquid fuels" under the Act. Manufacturers of these products will not have to equip containers with flame mitigation devices designed for gasoline cans and other portable fuel containers.