News

Denver – – September 28, 2026 -- EverPeak Insurance used National Manufacturing Week to spotlight its workers' compensation coverage for light manufacturers and machine shops across the United States.

EverPeak ties its coverage model to Pinnacol Assurance's century of underwriting experience

The Denver-based insurer said its workers' comp offering draws on more than 100 years of underwriting, claims, and risk management experience from Pinnacol Assurance. EverPeak positions itself as a provider for businesses it describes as carrying some of the toughest operational risks, including precision manufacturing and machine shop operations.

Delray Beach, Fla. – September 28, 2026 -- The global smart shopping cart market is projected to grow from $0.59 billion in 2026 to $1.65 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of 18.7%, according to new data from MarketsandMarkets. The market stood at $0.33 billion in 2025, reflecting near-doubling growth in a single year as retailers accelerate deployment of AI-enabled carts to automate checkout and deepen in-store digital engagement.

Los Angeles – September 28, 2026 -- Fewer than 15% of Los Angeles properties covered by the city's mandatory non-ductile concrete retrofit program had submitted retrofit plans more than a decade after the ordinance took effect, according to research published in Earthquake Spectra in July 2026.

Colombia's $13.28 Billion Earthquake Loss Underscores Retrofit Stakes

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia in August 2026, damaging more than 225,000 structures and causing an estimated $13.28 billion in direct physical damage, according to a United Nations Development Programme assessment. The scale of destruction has renewed scrutiny of Los Angeles buildings that share similar structural vulnerabilities.

Middletown – September 28, 2026 -- Makera is enabling small businesses and independent entrepreneurs to move precision CNC manufacturing from outsourced suppliers into their own workshops with its Carvera Air desktop machine, cutting costs and shortening production cycles for niche manufacturers.

Knifemaker adds complex components without losing handcrafted quality

Jesse Jarosz, founder of Jarosz Knives, integrated Carvera Air into his workflow to produce precision handle scales, backspacers and custom inlays that traditional manual methods could not efficiently achieve. The desktop CNC allowed his small-batch knife business to scale design complexity while preserving craftsmanship. "CNC gave me an opportunity to effectively add greater complexity to my knives in a way that was actually practical from a business standpoint," Jarosz said.

New York – September 28, 2026 -- Boldyn Networks has signed 20 new and expanded agreements with U.S. colleges and universities to modernize campus connectivity and IT infrastructure, the company announced.

Boldyn expands ResNet and Managed Campus services across 20 institutions

The agreements are anchored by Boldyn's residential network services (ResNet) and include expanded Managed Campus network services, managed IT services, network monitoring and specialized professional services such as executive advisory, cloud assessments and security assessments.

The institutions range from community colleges and private universities to large public universities, with each engagement scoped to the specific technology needs of the campus.

Los Angeles – – September 28, 2026 -- An independent fairness assessment by FairPlay found no statistically significant disparities between protected class and non-protected class consumers evaluated using Prism Data's CashScore, a cash flow underwriting score built on real-time deposit transaction data.

CashScore shows no proxy risk for protected status

FairPlay's data study tested whether CashScore correlates with protected status in ways that could function as a proxy for discrimination. The assessment found no such correlation.

Underwriting outcomes match across consumer groups on a risk-adjusted basis

Protected class and non-protected class consumers evaluated using CashScore showed no statistically significant differences in underwriting outcomes once adjusted for risk. Protected class consumers were also equally likely as non-protected class consumers to have sufficient transaction data to generate a CashScore.

New York and London – September 28, 2026 -- The Visualize Group has completed its acquisition of eCOGRA, combining the gaming compliance provider with BMM Testlabs to create a testing, inspection, certification, and compliance (TICC) platform holding licenses or accreditations in more than 800 jurisdictions worldwide.

The deal, first announced June 30, 2026, closed after receiving customary regulatory approvals. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Combined platform covers nearly every regulated gaming jurisdiction globally

The merger positions the combined entity to support gaming suppliers entering newly regulated markets immediately, according to Visualize. eCOGRA joins BMM Testlabs, which Visualize acquired earlier in 2026, as the private investment firm builds out its regulated-gaming services portfolio.

Las Vegas – September 28, 2026 -- IGT will unveil a new brand identity at the 2026 Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas, running Sept. 28 through Oct. 1, marking a formal repositioning of the gaming technology provider following its combination with Everi Holdings.

IGT ties new identity to four operational pillars for casino operators

The rebrand centers on integrated solutions across the casino floor, in-demand game content, applied industry expertise, and a stated commitment to customer growth outcomes. IGT describes the identity as built on being 'fluid, frictionless and magnetic,' departing from its previous corporate visual style.

New York – September 28, 2026 -- Women trying to conceive spend a median of $543 and track three hormone cycles out of pocket before fertility insurance coverage typically begins, according to a real-world analysis released by Oova and Flora Fertility.

Analysis tracks 49 users who conceived using at-home hormone monitoring

The study examined data from 49 Oova users spanning 2021 to 2026 who subsequently reported a pregnancy. Users tracked a median of four hormone cycles overall, with some spending more than $2,000 across multiple years before conceiving.

Median conception journey runs three cycles, with 73% succeeding within six

Among the group, the median time to conception was three tracked cycles, and 73% conceived within six cycles. The average monitoring spend of roughly $543 compares with a published average of $1,000 for a fertility diagnostic workup and $38,000 for a single IVF cycle.

Jacksonville, Fla. – September 28, 2026 -- The U.S. independent workforce reached a record 74.9 million people in 2026, driven by a 114% surge in full-time independent professionals since 2020, according to the 16th annual State of Independence study released by MBO Partners by Beeline.

Full-time independents now account for 22% of all full-time U.S. workers

That share is nearly double the level recorded in 2019, marking a structural shift from supplemental gig work toward independence as a primary career path. Among independent professionals surveyed, 78% plan to remain independent or scale a larger business, with nearly six in 10 intending to continue working independently and one in five aiming to grow their operations.