Financial Services

Summit, N.J. – September 15, 2026 -- Simplicity Group has acquired Whitney and Associates, LLC, a Des Moines, Iowa-based independent marketing organization, along with its affiliated Altitude Capital Management RIA, an integrated wealth and investment management platform.

Simplicity adds two new partners through the deal

Mitchell Whitney and Charles Johnson join Simplicity Group as Partners as part of the transaction. Both previously led Whitney and Associates, a wholesale IMO specializing in annuity, life insurance and wealth management solutions for independent advisors.

NEW YORK – September 15, 2026 -- Macabacus has launched Deck Check AIR, an AI-powered review tool embedded directly in PowerPoint, as up to 62% of finance teams report shipping AI-generated errors in financial models and deal documents to clients.

Deck Check AIR audits financial logic across entire presentations

The tool uses generative AI to scan every slide in a deck, flagging miscalculations and logic inconsistencies rather than just formatting issues. It was built to review high-stakes documents including pitch books, investment committee memoranda, M&A consequences analyses, portfolio reviews, and board materials.

Limassol – – September 15, 2026 -- Global multi-asset broker FP Markets has obtained a Category 5 license from the United Arab Emirates' Capital Markets Authority (CMA), formerly the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), marking its formal entry into the UAE market.

FP Markets gains authorization to solicit clients across Dubai and the wider Emirates

The license, held by group entity FP Markets MENA Securities L.L.C. S.O.C., permits the broker to conduct marketing, promotional and client acquisition activities throughout Dubai and the UAE. The Australian-founded broker joins a growing list of brokers, fintechs and financial service providers establishing regulated bases in the UAE to build regional client rosters.

Limassol – September 15, 2026 -- FP Markets, a multi-asset Forex and CFD broker founded in Australia, has obtained a Category 5 license from the United Arab Emirates' Capital Markets Authority (CMA), formerly known as the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), extending its global regulatory footprint into one of the world's fastest-growing financial hubs.

License holder FP Markets MENA Securities L.L.C. S.O.C. gains rights to market and onboard clients across the UAE

The license permits FP Markets to conduct marketing, promotion and client acquisition activities in Dubai and across all seven Emirates. The UAE has drawn a growing number of brokers, fintech firms and financial service providers seeking to operate under a more robust regulatory framework as they expand regional client bases.

New York – September 15, 2026 -- Federal securities class actions are on pace to reach roughly 236 filings in 2026, surpassing the prior peak set in 2023, after 118 new suits were lodged in the first half of the year, according to NERA Economic Consulting data cited by litigation attorney Thomas Przybylowski. The 2025 dip in filings and a 25 percent drop in plaintiffs' bar attorneys' fees masked a shift in legal targeting rather than a retreat, Przybylowski said.

NEW YORK – September 15, 2026 -- Lynn Chen-Zhang, CEO of Zhang Financial, served as Co-Chair of the China Institute of America Centennial Grand Fashion Gala, held September 8, 2026, at The Pierre in New York City to mark the institute's 100th anniversary.

Gala draws top fashion designers and cultural leaders to mark 100-year milestone

The event was chaired by television personality and cultural ambassador Yue-Sai Kan, with designers Guo Pei and Vera Wang serving as Gala Ambassadors. Featured designers included Jason Wu, Vivienne Tam, Grace Chen and Laurence Xu. The gala also honored Fern Mallis, credited as the creator of New York Fashion Week.

San Francisco – September 15, 2026 -- Fast Company has named Corgi Insurance to its Best Workplaces for Innovators in North America 2026 list, citing the AI-native insurance carrier's embedded culture of technology and rapid experimentation.

Corgi operates as a full-stack, AI-native insurance carrier across the underwriting lifecycle

The company uses automation throughout claims, underwriting, trucking and other emerging lines of business, while expanding into new product categories built for modern commercial clients.

Corgi built custom AI tooling and hundreds of internal automation skills for employees

The company has developed proprietary agent clusters and custom tools that let staff automate workflows across departments, reducing manual steps in core insurance operations.

New York – September 15, 2026 -- AXA XL has appointed Rana Gillmon to a newly created role, Head of Private Equity Client Relations, Americas, tasked with deepening the insurer's ties to private equity firms and their portfolio companies.

AXA XL creates dedicated role to serve private equity sector

The position is designed to align AXA XL's risk management offerings with the operational and portfolio-level needs of private equity clients across the Americas. Gillmon will act as the primary point of contact for these clients, working alongside regional and global underwriting teams to structure tailored insurance solutions.

New York – September 15, 2026 -- FlexFactor has become the only organization shortlisted in six categories at The Card & Payments Awards US 2026, according to the company's review of the published finalist list.

FlexFactor recovers 15% to 20% of eligible declines across live merchant deployments

The payments technology firm is live with more than 100 merchants using AcceptIQ, its AI-native platform for real-time payment decline decisioning. AcceptIQ evaluates transaction, issuer, merchant, data-quality, acquiring, and routing signals to determine whether a declined payment is recoverable and identify the appropriate recovery path.

Berwyn, Pa. – September 15, 2026 -- Envestnet has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Vestmark, merging a wealthtech platform serving more than a third of U.S. advisors with $8 trillion in assets with a trading and portfolio management provider supporting $2 trillion in assets and over five million investor accounts.

Envestnet gains institutional-grade trading and tax transition technology from Vestmark

The acquisition adds Vestmark's portfolio management technology, institutional-grade trading infrastructure, and outsourced investment management services to Envestnet's ecosystem. Vestmark, headquartered in Wakefield, Massachusetts and founded in 2001, has built its client base over 25 years working with wirehouses and firms running institutional-scale trading operations.