Finance, Banking & Insurance

Hamilton – October 19, 2026 -- 24X Bermuda Limited has completed its second consecutive spot cryptocurrency client trade, a Bitcoin (BTC) transaction in which Standard Chartered acted as liquidity taker and Wintermute as liquidity provider.

The trade was executed on 24X's institutional multi-asset platform under its partnership with Standard Chartered, which the source describes as a global systemically important bank (G-SIB). 24X says it is one of a select few global venues offering both crypto spot and FX trading on a single, unified technology infrastructure.

Cumberland DRW provided liquidity on 24X's first spot crypto trade

The BTC transaction follows 24X's inaugural spot crypto trade, in which Cumberland DRW was liquidity provider. 24X says the two trades mark continued development of regulated, institutional-grade infrastructure for digital asset markets.

London – October 19, 2026 -- Transfers under $100 made up 77.4% of stablecoin transfers on BNB Chain in Q3 2026, while transfers of $10,000 or more carried 66.2% of total transfer value, according to a joint report from payments platform Mercuryo and BNB Chain.

The report, Stablecoins on BNB Chain: Fiat to Crypto and Back, combines Mercuryo's fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat transaction data with BNB Chain's on-chain data for the quarter. The median network fee for a stablecoin transfer on BNB Chain was $0.0068. Additional fees for purchasing, selling or converting into stablecoins may apply.

Non-US currencies fund 70% of dollar-stablecoin purchases through Mercuryo

Of the value used to buy dollar-denominated stablecoins on BNB Chain through Mercuryo, 70% was paid in non-US dollar currencies. The US accounted for 9.8% of purchase value. Asia was the largest regional market at 39.3%, followed by Europe at 33.4%.

London – October 19, 2026 -- Boots Group Finco L.P. and The Boots Group Luxco S.à r.l. have launched a consent solicitation covering €650 million of 5.375% and £375 million of 7.375% senior secured notes due 2032, offering holders a cash fee of 2.50 per 1,000 of principal for backing indenture changes tied to a pending change of ownership.

Wittington and Fairfax funds agree to acquire Boots Group parent on October 7

Oak UK Bidco Limited, owned directly or indirectly by funds linked to Wittington Investments, Limited, together with funds linked to Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, signed a share purchase agreement on October 7, 2026. Under it, the buyer will acquire all issued and outstanding ordinary shares of Blazing Star Boots Superco (Jersey) Limited from The Boots Group Limited. Completion is expected in the first half of 2027, though the agreement allows that date to be extended.

London – October 19, 2026 -- Lazard, Inc. (NYSE: LAZ) has appointed David Krap, formerly Managing Director and Co-Head of Consumer & Retail EMEA at J.P. Morgan, as Managing Director and Co-Head of European Consumer, Retail & Leisure.

Krap brings more than two decades of consumer M&A advisory experience to Lazard

Krap's focus areas are food and beverage, home and personal care, and select consumer health categories. Before J.P. Morgan, he held senior roles at Credit Suisse, Centerview Partners and UBS. He holds an honors degree from the European Business School London and is fluent in German and Spanish.

Krap will join Lazard's European financial advisory practice in London

He will sit within the firm's European financial advisory practice, led by Jean-Louis Girodolle and Cyrus Kapadia, who are both Co-Heads of European Investment Banking.

Tokyo – October 19, 2026 -- Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) drew more than 10,000 visitors to Global Startup EXPO 2026 (GSE2026) in Osaka and named 10 winners at the Nippon Startup Awards 2026, putting robotics and genome-editing startups at the center of its deep-tech push.

GSE2026 hosts 50+ sessions with global investors in Osaka

GSE2026 ran October 5-7 in Osaka and featured more than 50 conference sessions. METI said the event generated business matchmaking sessions between global investors and Japanese startups exploring strategic investments and collaborations.

Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and Andy Rubin, co-founder of Android, took part. METI plans to hold the Global Startup EXPO again next year.

Manila – October 19, 2026 -- Salmon Group, a technology-driven banking and lending platform in the Philippines, has secured an additional $140 million in financing to expand its lending operations in the country.

Financing combines $90 million in commitments with $50 million in bond proceeds

The round consists of $90 million committed by Spice Expeditions, WashU and Moore, plus $50 million of bond proceeds.

Proceeds will fund the scaling of profitable lending, specifically the Salmon Credit Line and in-store lending. They will also finance the nationwide roll-out of new products, including motorcycle and MSME lending.

Salmon reaches 9 million app downloads in under four years of operations

Salmon operates through two licensed entities: Salmon Bank (Rural Bank), licensed by the BSP, and Salmon Finance, licensed by the SEC. The company describes itself as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the Philippines.

United States – October 18, 2026 -- Coalition says policies it provided paid more than $315 million in cyber claims in 2025. The insurer is urging brokers to counter the belief that cyber insurance does not pay claims, an objection it says can stall coverage decisions.

Zero-indemnity closures reflect early intervention, Coalition argues

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) reported that 26% of cyber claims in 2025 closed with indemnity payments. Verizon reported a recorded pay-out on 55% of 2025 claims. Coalition says critics read claims closed without an indemnity payment as denials, when many reflect incidents contained early.

London – October 18, 2026 -- Coalition reports 130,000+ global policyholders and $1 billion in global gross written premium on a proforma basis, figures it presented at the debut of Activate Europe, its largest cyber broker event outside the US.

The event drew brokers, underwriters, reinsurers, incident response firms and legal experts, according to the company.

Allianz partnership extends Coalition's enterprise reach across 20+ geographies

Coalition announced a long-term strategic partnership with Allianz in July to bring Active Cyber Insurance to the global enterprise market. Allianz supplies AA-rated capacity, global reach and infrastructure for international programs. Coalition contributes real-time risk intelligence, data-driven underwriting, active protection and specialised claims response.

Chicago – October 18, 2026 -- Donnelley Financial Solutions (NYSE: DFIN) will release its third-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, October 18, 2026, via a Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

DFIN schedules 9:00 a.m. Eastern call for analyst questions on Oct. 29

The company will hold a conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time on the same day. Management will discuss the quarterly results, provide a general business update and respond to analyst questions.

Webcast registration opens 15 minutes before the call, replay to follow

A live webcast will be available on DFIN's investor relations website. Participants are asked to visit the site at least fifteen minutes before the start to register and download any necessary audio software.

Selangor – October 17, 2026 -- Founder Group Limited (FGL) will combine its shares at a ratio of 100 for 1 effective September 1, 2026, shrinking its Class A share count from 7,369,159 to approximately 73,693 as it works to regain compliance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5550(a)(2).

Class A shares move to a new CUSIP on September 1

Class A shares will trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market on an adjusted basis from the opening of trading on September 1, 2026. The ticker stays "FGL", but the shares carry a new CUSIP number, G3662E147. The company said the aim is to maintain its Nasdaq listing.

Class B count falls from 186,358 to about 1,865

Immediately before the combination, 7,369,159 Class A shares and 186,358 Class B shares, both of no par value, are issued and outstanding. Afterwards, Class A shares will total approximately 73,693 and Class B shares approximately 1,865.