Russell 2000 small caps surged nearly 22% in the first half of 2026, their best since 1991, powered by AI-linked chipmakers and rising debt risk.
Category: Finance
Five Years On, a $10,000 Bet on ASX Tech Shares Barely Broke Even
A$10,000 in Australia's benchmark tech ETF five years ago is worth about A$10,143 today, as a Xero derating and WiseTech's governance crisis offset years of gains.
Banks Keep Ceding Their E-Commerce Credit Gap to Fintech Lenders
A $1.2 trillion e-commerce credit gap has opened across Asia Pacific as banks cede merchant financing to faster, data-driven fintech lenders.
UK Bank Bonuses Hit £16.4 Billion, the Highest Since 2008
UK banks paid £16.4 billion in bonuses in early 2026, the highest quarterly total since 2008, as unions push for a bigger windfall tax.
NZ Banks Hold Mortgage Test Rates After First OCR Hike in Three Years
After the RBNZ lifted the OCR to 2.50% on July 8, ANZ NZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank and Westpac all left their mortgage serviceability test rates unchanged for now.
Axos to Buy Arc Technologies, an AI Fintech Serving Tech Firms
Axos Financial will acquire San Francisco AI fintech Arc Technologies to fold its cash-management platform into Axos Bank. The deal closes in July.
Japan’s Nikkei Falls in Volatile Trade as Tech Tracks Nasdaq Selloff
Japan's Nikkei closed down 1.63% on July 8, 2026 after Tokyo Electron, Taiyo Yuden and Advantest tracked an overnight Nasdaq chip selloff triggered by Samsung earnings.
China Holds Seven of the Top 10 World Banks Spots in 2026 Ranking
The Banker's 2026 Top 1000 World Banks shows Chinese lenders holding seven of the top ten spots, but the ranking editor warns state support is doing the heavy lifting.
South African Banks Pour Billions Into East Africa as Returns Diverge
Tanzania and Kenya's 2022-2025 returns of 59% and 36% beat South Africa's 24%, per BCG. South African banks have deployed nearly R18bn in 2026 East Africa deals.
Rate Cuts Are Squeezing Ghana’s Banks, and PwC Sees a Pivot Coming
PwC's 2026 Ghana Banking Survey warns that with interest income still nearly 70% of revenue, the sector's margin squeeze is set to deepen as the policy rate falls.