Connect with us

Technology

Meta Reports Second Quarter 2024 Results

Published

2 years ago

on

MENLO PARK, Calif., July 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024.

“We had a strong quarter, and Meta AI is on track to be the most used AI assistant in the world by the end of the year,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO. “We’ve released the first frontier-level open source AI model, we continue to see good traction with our Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, and we’re driving good growth across our apps.”

 Second Quarter 2024 Financial Highlights

Three Months Ended June 30,

 % Change

In millions, except percentages and per share amounts               

2024

2023

Revenue

$                  39,071

$                  31,999

22 %

Costs and expenses

24,224

22,607

7 %

Income from operations

$                  14,847

$                    9,392

58 %

Operating margin

38 %

29 %

Provision for income taxes

$                    1,641

$                    1,505

9 %

Effective tax rate

11 %

16 %

Net income

$                  13,465

$                    7,788

73 %

Diluted earnings per share (EPS)

$                      5.16

$                      2.98

73 %

 

 Second Quarter 2024 Operational and Other Financial Highlights

Family daily active people (DAP) – DAP was 3.27 billion on average for June 2024, an increase of 7% year-over-year.Ad impressions – Ad impressions delivered across our Family of Apps increased by 10% year-over-year.Average price per ad – Average price per ad increased by 10% year-over-year.Revenue – Total revenue was $39.07 billion, an increase of 22% year-over-year. Revenue on a constant currency basis would have increased 23% year-over-year.Costs and expenses – Total costs and expenses were $24.22 billion, an increase of 7% year-over-year.Capital expenditures – Capital expenditures, including principal payments on finance leases, were $8.47 billion.Capital return program – Share repurchases were $6.32 billion of our Class A common stock and dividend payments were $1.27 billion.Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities – Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $58.08 billion as of June 30, 2024. Free cash flow was $10.90 billion.Headcount – Headcount was 70,799 as of June 30, 2024, a decrease of 1% year-over-year.

CFO Outlook Commentary

We expect third quarter 2024 total revenue to be in the range of $38.5-41 billion. Our guidance assumes foreign currency is a 2% headwind to year-over-year total revenue growth, based on current exchange rates.

We expect full-year 2024 total expenses to be in the range of $96-99 billion, unchanged from our prior outlook. For Reality Labs, we continue to expect 2024 operating losses to increase meaningfully year-over-year due to our ongoing product development efforts and investments to further scale our ecosystem.

While we do not intend to provide any quantitative guidance for 2025 until the fourth quarter call, we expect infrastructure costs will be a significant driver of expense growth next year as we recognize depreciation and operating costs associated with our expanded infrastructure footprint.

We anticipate our full-year 2024 capital expenditures will be in the range of $37-40 billion, updated from our prior range of $35-40 billion. While we continue to refine our plans for next year, we currently expect significant capital expenditures growth in 2025 as we invest to support our artificial intelligence research and product development efforts.

Absent any changes to our tax landscape, we expect our full-year 2024 tax rate to be in the mid-teens.

In addition, we continue to monitor an active regulatory landscape, including the increasing legal and regulatory headwinds in the EU and the U.S. that could significantly impact our business and our financial results.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

Meta will host a conference call to discuss the results at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET today. The live webcast of Meta’s earnings conference call can be accessed at the Meta Investor Relations website at investor.fb.com, along with the earnings press release, financial tables, and slide presentation. 

Following the call, a replay will be available at the same website. Transcripts of conference calls with publishing equity research analysts held today will also be posted to the investor.fb.com website.

Disclosure Information

Meta uses the investor.fb.com and about.fb.com/news/ websites as well as Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook Page (facebook.com/zuck), Instagram account (instagram.com/zuck) and Threads profile (threads.net/zuck) as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

About Meta

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.

Contacts

Investors:
Kenneth Dorell
investor@meta.com / investor.fb.com

Press:
Ryan Moore
press@meta.com / about.fb.com/news/

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our future business plans and expectations. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors including: the impact of macroeconomic conditions on our business and financial results, including as a result of geopolitical events; our ability to retain or increase users and engagement levels; our reliance on advertising revenue; our dependency on data signals and mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control; changes to the content or application of third-party policies that impact our advertising practices; risks associated with new products and changes to existing products as well as other new business initiatives, including our artificial intelligence initiatives and metaverse efforts; our emphasis on community growth and engagement and the user experience over short-term financial results; maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation; our ongoing privacy, safety, security, and content review efforts; competition; risks associated with government actions that could restrict access to our products or impair our ability to sell advertising in certain countries; litigation and government inquiries; privacy, legislative, and regulatory concerns or developments; risks associated with acquisitions; security breaches; our ability to manage our scale and geographically-dispersed operations; and market conditions or other factors affecting the payment of dividends. These and other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on April 25, 2024, which is available on our Investor Relations website at investor.fb.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. In addition, please note that the date of this press release is July 31, 2024, and any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. We undertake no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.

For a discussion of limitations in the measurement of certain of our community metrics, see the section entitled “Limitations of Key Metrics and Other Data” in our most recent quarterly or annual report filed with the SEC.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our condensed consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP), we use the following non-GAAP financial measures: revenue excluding foreign exchange effect, advertising revenue excluding foreign exchange effect, and free cash flow. The presentation of these financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Investors are cautioned that there are material limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures as an analytical tool. In addition, these measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, limiting their usefulness for comparison purposes. We compensate for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures.

We believe these non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with useful supplemental information about the financial performance of our business, enable comparison of financial results between periods where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in operating our business.

Our non-GAAP financial measures are adjusted for the following items:

Foreign exchange effect on revenue. We translated revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 using the prior year’s monthly exchange rates for our settlement or billing currencies other than the U.S. dollar, which we believe is a useful metric that facilitates comparison to our historical performance.

Purchases of property and equipment; Principal payments on finance leases. We subtract both purchases of property and equipment, net of proceeds and principal payments on finance leases in our calculation of free cash flow because we believe that these two items collectively represent the amount of property and equipment we need to procure to support our business, regardless of whether we procure such property or equipment with a finance lease. We believe that this methodology can provide useful supplemental information to help investors better understand underlying trends in our business. Free cash flow is not intended to represent our residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures.

For more information on our non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures, please see the “Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results” table in this press release.

 

META PLATFORMS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(In millions, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2024

2023

2024

2023

Revenue

$           39,071

$           31,999

$           75,527

$           60,645

Costs and expenses:

Cost of revenue

7,308

5,945

13,948

12,054

Research and development

10,537

9,344

20,515

18,725

Marketing and sales

2,721

3,154

5,285

6,198

General and administrative (1)

3,658

4,164

7,114

7,049

Total costs and expenses

24,224

22,607

46,862

44,026

Income from operations

14,847

9,392

28,665

16,619

Interest and other income (expense), net

259

(99)

624

(19)

Income before provision for income taxes

15,106

9,293

29,289

16,600

Provision for income taxes

1,641

1,505

3,455

3,102

Net income

$           13,465

$              7,788

$           25,834

$           13,498

Earnings per share:

Basic

$               5.31

$                3.03

$             10.17

$               5.24

Diluted

$               5.16

$                2.98

$               9.86

$               5.18

Weighted-average shares used to compute earnings per share:   

Basic

2,534

2,568

2,540

2,577

Diluted

2,610

2,612

2,619

2,604

(1) The second quarter 2024 general and administrative expenses include a charge for the recent settlement with the State of Texas. The settlement amount is fully accrued as of June 30, 2024.

 

META PLATFORMS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In millions)

(Unaudited)

June 30, 2024

December 31, 2023

Assets

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$                  32,045

$                  41,862

Marketable securities

26,035

23,541

Accounts receivable, net

14,505

16,169

Prepaid expenses and other current assets                            

3,846

3,793

Total current assets

76,431

85,365

Non-marketable equity securities

6,207

6,141

Property and equipment, net

102,959

96,587

Operating lease right-of-use assets

14,058

13,294

Goodwill

20,654

20,654

Other assets

9,929

7,582

Total assets

$                230,238

$                229,623

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

$                    3,173

$                    4,849

Operating lease liabilities, current

1,917

1,623

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities                                                 

21,914

25,488

Total current liabilities

27,004

31,960

Operating lease liabilities, non-current

17,685

17,226

Long-term debt

18,389

18,385

Long-term income taxes

7,897

7,514

Other liabilities

2,500

1,370

Total liabilities

73,475

76,455

Commitments and contingencies

Stockholders’ equity:

Common stock and additional paid-in capital

78,270

73,253

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(2,695)

(2,155)

Retained earnings

81,188

82,070

Total stockholders’ equity

156,763

153,168

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$                230,238

$                229,623

 

META PLATFORMS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In millions)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2024

2023

2024

2023

Cash flows from operating activities

Net income

$      13,465

$        7,788

$      25,834

$      13,498

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization

3,637

2,623

7,011

5,147

Share-based compensation

4,616

4,060

8,178

7,111

Deferred income taxes

(1,643)

(1,137)

(2,098)

(1,757)

Impairment charges for facilities consolidation, net

41

232

280

1,002

Other

(6)

212

(71)

204

Changes in assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable

(1,171)

(1,424)

1,350

1,122

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

(84)

(54)

16

767

Other assets

54

37

(41)

67

Accounts payable

250

(51)

(862)

(1,155)

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

(497)

5,174

(1,771)

5,268

Other liabilities

708

(151)

790

33

Net cash provided by operating activities

19,370

17,309

38,616

31,307

Cash flows from investing activities

Purchases of property and equipment, net

(8,173)

(6,134)

(14,573)

(12,957)

Purchases of marketable debt securities

(3,289)

(717)

(10,176)

(803)

Sales and maturities of marketable debt securities

3,233

1,816

7,858

2,351

Acquisitions of businesses and intangible assets

(57)

(83)

(129)

(527)

Other investing activities

(12)

(85)

(12)

(10)

Net cash used in investing activities

(8,298)

(5,203)

(17,032)

(11,946)

Cash flows from financing activities

Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards

(3,208)

(1,692)

(6,370)

(2,701)

Repurchases of Class A common stock

(6,299)

(898)

(21,307)

(10,263)

Dividend payments

(1,266)

—

(2,539)

—

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt, net

—

8,455

—

8,455

Principal payments on finance leases

(299)

(220)

(614)

(484)

Other financing activities

(106)

(353)

(115)

(231)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

(11,178)

5,292

(30,945)

(5,224)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

(152)

(14)

(440)

71

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

(258)

17,384

(9,801)

14,208

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of the period

33,284

12,420

42,827

15,596

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period

$      33,026

$      29,804

$      33,026

$      29,804

Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash to the
condensed consolidated balance sheets

Cash and cash equivalents

$      32,045

$      28,785

$      32,045

$      28,785

Restricted cash, included in prepaid expenses and other current assets

100

165

100

165

Restricted cash, included in other assets

881

854

881

854

Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

$      33,026

$      29,804

$      33,026

$      29,804

 

META PLATFORMS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In millions)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2024

2023

2024

2023

Supplemental cash flow data

Cash paid for income taxes, net

$        5,929

$        1,102

$        6,559

$        1,507

Cash paid for interest, net of amounts capitalized

$           124

$             —

$           245

$           182

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

Property and equipment in accounts payable and accrued expenses and other
current liabilities

$        3,229

$        3,845

$        3,229

$        3,845

Acquisition of businesses and intangible assets in accrued expenses and
other current liabilities and other liabilities

$           267

$           217

$           267

$           217

 

Segment Results

We report our financial results for our two reportable segments: Family of Apps (FoA) and Reality Labs (RL). FoA includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and other services. RL includes our virtual, augmented, and mixed reality related consumer hardware, software, and content.

The following table presents our segment information of revenue and income (loss) from operations:

Segment Information

(In millions)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2024

2023

2024

2023

Revenue:

Advertising

$      38,329

$      31,498

$     73,965

$     59,599

Other revenue

389

225

769

430

Family of Apps

38,718

31,723

74,734

60,029

Reality Labs

353

276

793

616

Total revenue

$      39,071

$      31,999

$     75,527

$     60,645

Income (loss) from operations:

Family of Apps

$      19,335

$      13,131

$     36,999

$     24,351

Reality Labs

(4,488)

(3,739)

(8,334)

(7,732)

Total income from operations                                           

$      14,847

$        9,392

$     28,665

$     16,619

 

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results

(In millions, except percentages)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2024

2023

2024

2023

GAAP revenue

$      39,071

$      31,999

$      75,527

$       60,645

Foreign exchange effect on 2024 revenue using 2023 rates

371

265

Revenue excluding foreign exchange effect

$      39,442

$      75,792

GAAP revenue year-over-year change %

22 %

25 %

Revenue excluding foreign exchange effect year-over-year change %

23 %

25 %

GAAP advertising revenue

$      38,329

$      31,498

$      73,965

$       59,599

Foreign exchange effect on 2024 advertising revenue using 2023 rates             

367

261

Advertising revenue excluding foreign exchange effect

$      38,696

$      74,226

GAAP advertising revenue year-over-year change %

22 %

24 %

Advertising revenue excluding foreign exchange effect year-over-year
change %

23 %

25 %

Net cash provided by operating activities

$      19,370

$      17,309

$      38,616

$       31,307

Purchases of property and equipment, net

(8,173)

(6,134)

(14,573)

(12,957)

Principal payments on finance leases

(299)

(220)

(614)

(484)

Free cash flow

$      10,898

$      10,955

$      23,429

$       17,866

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/meta-reports-second-quarter-2024-results-302211512.html

SOURCE Meta

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Monday Trade Brings Top NASDAQ Stocks On-Chain, Launching First Tokenized Stock Trading on Monad Network, Powered by Anchored

Published

18 minutes ago

on

April 18, 2026

By

Monday Trade enables 24/5 trading of several major U.S. stocks with 1:1 backing and on-chain settlement

HONG KONG, April 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Monday Trade, a decentralized trading platform built on Monad, launched trading today for ten top tokenized stocks, becoming the first platform to give users exposure to these instruments on Monad’s high-performance Layer 1 network. The tokenized stocks are issued and backed through Anchored’s end-to-end tokenization infrastructure, with each token backed 1:1 by the underlying U.S. asset held in regulated custody.

The launch enables traders to access tokenized stocks of several major companies through their Web3 wallets, settling trades in USDC with full on-chain custody. Unlike traditional brokerage accounts, users can trade 24/5 with real-time settlement while maintaining complete ownership of their assets.

This expansion marks a strategic evolution for Monday Trade from a crypto-native DEX into a comprehensive trading house bridging traditional finance and decentralized finance. The platform already offers spot and perpetual futures trading, and now positions itself as the liquidity hub for real-world assets on the Monad network.

Institutional Infrastructure Meets DeFi Accessibility

The tokenized stocks listed on Monday Trade are issued through Anchored’s institutional-grade infrastructure. Each tokenized stock on Monday Trade is backed 1:1 by underlying securities held through licensed institutional broker partnerships. The platform seamlessly converts USDC stablecoins to tokenized stocks, eliminating the friction of traditional brokerage onboarding while preserving the security of self-custodial wallets.

Built on Monad’s architecture, which delivers 10,000 transactions per second with sub-second finality, Monday Trade executes trades in milliseconds, enabling traders to capitalize on market movements in real-time. The platform supports both market and limit orders with professional-grade charting powered by TradingView, real-time market data, and comprehensive portfolio tracking.

“Bringing tokenized stocks to Monad represents a fundamental shift in how traders can access traditional financial markets,” said Mark Lee, Core Contributor at Monday Trade. “By combining Anchored’s tokenization infrastructure with the speed and transparency of Monad, we’re eliminating the barriers that have kept everyday traders from accessing global stocks with the same efficiency as institutional players. This launch is just the beginning of our vision to make all asset classes accessible on the Monad network.”

The launch comes as real-world asset tokenization emerges as one of crypto’s fastest-growing sectors. On-chain real-world assets now exceed $21 billion in total value excluding stablecoins, with tokenized U.S. Treasuries alone accounting for over $9 billion, demonstrating institutional appetite for blockchain-based traditional assets.

“Monday Trade’s integration is exactly the kind of distribution partnership Anchored was built for: giving DeFi-native users seamless access to institutional-grade, fully backed tokenized stocks without leaving their on-chain environment,” said Wenny Cai, Co-Founder & CEO of Anchored. “This is the first step in a broader rollout across the Monad ecosystem, with more tokenized stocks on the roadmap.”

“Monday Trade’s launch of tokenized stock trading showcases Monad’s capability to handle complex financial applications at scale,” said Keone Hon, Co-Founder and GM at Monad Foundation. “With 10,000 TPS and sub-second finality, Monad provides the infrastructure needed for real-world financial markets to operate seamlessly on-chain. We’re excited to see Monday Trade pioneering this new category on the network and demonstrating the future of high-frequency finance.”

Bridging TradFi and DeFi

The tokenized stock offering is part of Monday Trade’s Q2 2026 roadmap focused on capital efficiency and expanding asset class availability. By combining Anchored’s full-lifecycle tokenization infrastructure with Monday Trade’s trading platform and Monad’s performance layer, the partnership creates a vertically integrated stack where tokenized stocks can be traded with the same speed, transparency, and self-custody that defines Web3.

Traders can access Monday Trade’s tokenized stock markets at monday.trade beginning April 16, 2026. The platform integrates with major Web3 wallets including MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, and WalletConnect.

About Monday Trade

Monday Trade is an all-in-one DEX for on-chain trading on Monad that offers the best of CEX and DEX trading experience. Built on Monad’s high-performance Layer 1 blockchain, Monday Trade offers millisecond execution for spot trading, perpetual futures, and now tokenized equities. Learn more at monday.trade.

About Monad

Monad is a Layer 1 blockchain built to enable high-frequency finance by delivering 10,000 transactions per second, single-slot finality, and 0.5-second block times. Powered by consumer-grade hardware and full EVM compatibility, Monad provides the performance infrastructure for the next generation of decentralized applications on-chain. Learn more at monad.xyz.

About Anchored

Anchored is the global digital operating system for real-world assets, providing end-to-end infrastructure for the compliant tokenization, distribution, and trading of RWAs. The platform supports the full asset lifecycle: origination, compliance, issuance, distribution across DeFi and CeFi venues, secondary market liquidity, and redemption. Anchored currently offers two product verticals: tokenized stocks and tokenized fund products.

Operating under a compliance-first, multi-jurisdictional architecture, Anchored serves institutional investors, centralized exchanges, market makers, and DeFi protocols seeking regulated on-chain access to traditional financial instruments.

Learn more at anchored.finance.

Media Contact:

Tracy Giap
Monday Trade
tracy@monday.trade

Toni Morales
Anchored
toni@anchored.finance

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/monday-trade-brings-top-nasdaq-stocks-on-chain-launching-first-tokenized-stock-trading-on-monad-network-powered-by-anchored-302744664.html

Continue Reading

Technology

New FCA-Authorised Credit Broker Gemini Launches to Bridge the UK’s Small Loans Gap

Published

18 minutes ago

on

April 18, 2026

By

Bolton-based Gemini.co.uk goes live with a full suite of short-term loan products and a free 28-guide financial education library, targeting the millions of UK consumers left underserved by mainstream lenders

BOLTON, England, April 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Gemini, a new FCA-authorised credit broker, today officially launches at Gemini.co.uk, offering UK consumers access to short-term loans from £100 to £5,000 alongside one of the most comprehensive free financial guidance resources available online.

“We are proud to be launching a product that genuinely puts the customer first, backed by FCA regulation and consumer protections that people deserve.”

Operated by Swift Money Limited, a company with an established track record of helping over one million UK residents access short-term finance. Gemini has been built from the ground up with transparency, regulatory compliance and genuine consumer value at it’s core.

Filling a Gap the High Street Won’t Touch

Despite rising demand for smaller, accessible loans, every major UK high-street bank, including HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds, and Santander, sets the minimum personal loan amount at £1,000. Data published by the Financial Conduct Authority shows the average short-term loan taken out in the UK is approximately £250, a product that mainstream lenders structurally do not offer.

Gemini starts from £100.

The platform connects a single application to a carefully selected panel of FCA-regulated specialist lenders, covering five distinct product areas: small loans, payday loans, short-term loans, bad credit payday loans, and same day loans. All products are governed by the FCA’s price cap for high-cost short-term credit, meaning interest is limited to 0.8% per day, default fees are capped at £15, and consumers will never repay more than double the original amount borrowed.

Gemini is a credit broker, not a lender, and charges no fees to borrowers at any stage.

Free Financial Guidance – No Sign-Up Required

Alongside its lending products, Gemini launches with a library of 28 free financial guides covering borrowing, credit scores, debt management, money management, benefits entitlements, and financial difficulty. Written in plain English and requiring no registration to access, the guides represent a significant investment in financial education for the consumers Gemini serves.

Topics include how to budget, how to improve your credit score, what a CCJ means for your finances, how to deal with debt collectors, and how to build an emergency fund, among others.

What Gemini Offers Consumers

Loans from £100 to £5,000 over 1 to 36 monthsInstant eligibility decision via soft credit search, no impact on credit scoreSame day funding via the UK Faster Payments Service, operating 24/7Bad credit considered – decisions based on current affordability, not credit history aloneZero broker fees – completely free to use28 free financial guides – no sign-up requiredFull FCA price cap protection on every loan arranged

Spokesperson Quote

Mark Scott, Company Director at Gemini, said:

“We built Gemini because there is a very real and largely ignored gap in the UK lending market. When someone needs £200 for an emergency car repair, their bank will tell them the minimum they can borrow is £1,000. That is not a solution, it is a problem that leaves people with nowhere to turn.

“Gemini exists to fill that gap properly: with regulated products, complete transparency, and no fees. But we also wanted to do something more than just match people with loans. Our free guides library is designed to give people the financial knowledge to make better decisions, whether that means taking a loan, or realising they don’t need one.

“We are proud to be launching a product that genuinely puts the customer first, backed by FCA regulation and consumer protections that people deserve.”

About Gemini

Gemini is a trading name of Swift Money Limited, an FCA-authorised and regulated credit broker (FCA Reference: 738569, Company Number: 07552504). Based in Bolton, Greater Manchester, Gemini connects UK consumers with a panel of FCA-regulated specialist lenders offering short-term finance from £100 to £5,000. Gemini charges no fees to borrowers and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO Registration: ZA069965).

Website: gemini.co.uk FCA Register: register.fca.org.uk (Ref: 738569) Registered Office: Hamill House, 112-116 Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL1 4DH Telephone: 0330 088 2359

Notes to Editors

Gemini is a credit broker, not a lender, and does not make credit decisionsAll loans arranged through Gemini are subject to the FCA’s price cap for high-cost short-term creditRepresentative APR: 79.5% variable. Min APR 48.1%, Max APR 1721%. Terms from 1 to 36 monthsRepresentative example: £1,000 borrowed over 18 months at £89.22/month. Total repayable £1,605.96. Fixed interest rate 59.97% per annum. 79.5% APR variableWarning: Late repayment can cause you serious money problems. For help, visit moneyhelper.org.ukHigh-resolution brand assets and additional background information available on request

Press contact: Gemini / Swift Money Limited: press@gemini.co.uk, 0330 088 2359

Media Contact

Mark Scott, Swift Money Limited, 44 0330 088 2359, Mark@Gemini.co.uk, https://www.Gemini.co.uk

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/new-fca-authorised-credit-broker-gemini-launches-to-bridge-the-uks-small-loans-gap-302745510.html

SOURCE Swift Money Limited

Continue Reading

Technology

Host of the Italian Wine Podcast Receives Vinitaly Lifetime Achievement Award

Published

3 hours ago

on

April 18, 2026

By

Professor Attilio Scienza, host of the Italian Wine Podcast show “Everybody Needs a Bit of Scienza”, has been awarded Vinitaly’s highly prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at a formal inauguration ceremony in Verona on Sunday 12 April 2026. Launched in 2025, the Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes figures who have made a fundamental contribution to the Italian wine sector.

VERONA, Italy, April 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Professor Attilio Scienza is a prominent academic, geneticist, and one of the world’s leading experts in viticulture and oenology. A full professor at the University of Milan (now retired), he has led important research on the physiology, genetics, and agricultural techniques of the grapevine, and has authored over 350 scientific publications. Alongside Stevie Kim, he has hosted the popular “Everybody Needs a Bit of Scienza” podcast show in which he responds to questions from the international wine community, since 2017. He is also the Chief Scientist of the Vinitaly International Academy which trains and certifies a global network of Italian Wine Ambassadors.

Professor Scienza remains extremely active in the wine community and is a highly sought after speaker and oenological consultant. At this year’s Vinitaly, he delivered advanced seminars on the subjects of Italy’s autochthonous vines, Sangiovese and the concept of vocation, and the complex inter-relationship between woodlands and vineyards. He also found time to launch his latest book, An Italian Wine Pilgrimage, another successful collaboration with Italian wine evangelist Stevie Kim.

Translation of Professor Attilio Scienza’s acceptance speech (delivered in Italian): “Vinitaly should have the courage to become not just an annual showcase, but also a think tank. It should produce a manifesto. A manifesto that clearly states the current critical issues, the sector’s priorities, and proposals to address them. A cultural and political platform, a meeting point for producers, consumers, institutions, research, and regions. European wine can defend itself if it can reposition itself within a broader narrative, capable of speaking not only to producers but to society, one that rethinks wine as one of the most significant forms of Mediterranean and European culture, one that has allowed it to become an extraordinary “tool” for socialization. The annual meeting at Vinitaly should include French, Spanish, and Greek partner institutions. Perhaps it’s just a dream, but one day I hope it will even be possible for Italy and France to come together with the common purpose of promoting their wine together.”

Stevie Kim, Professor Scienza’s co-host on the Italian Wine Podcast, said “I am absolutely delighted that Vinitaly has recognized the truly remarkable contribution of my friend and mentor, Professor Attilio Scienza. Not only is he the world’s leading academic expert on Italian wine, with a depth and breadth of knowledge that is mind blowing, he is also unfailingly generous with his time and expertise, sharing his passion and knowledge of Italian wine and his gift for storytelling with the Italian Wine Podcast’s international audience of listeners and the global community of students of the Vinitaly International Academy. We are truly blessed to have him.”

The motivation accompanying Professor Scienza’s Lifetime Achievement Award reads: “A central figure in the history of Italian wine, an internationally renowned academic, vine geneticist, agronomist, and narrator of the anthropology of wine, Attilio Scienza has opened new horizons in the study and understanding of wine as an expression of culture and in education, thereby defining key concepts such as terroir, identity, and tradition. As Chief Scientist of the Vinitaly International Academy since 2018, he continues to inspire producers, students and enthusiasts by translating scientific knowledge into narratives that ennoble Italian winegrowing and strengthen the positioning of Italian wine in the global scientific and cultural panorama, thereby opening new perspectives on the link between science, culture and wine storytelling”.

About the Italian Wine Podcast: Cin Cin with Italian Wine People! launched in 2017 as a project dedicated exclusively to the Italian wine world. The program uncovers the unique world of Italian wine in conversation with some of its key protagonists. Under the umbrella brand of Mamma Jumbo Shrimp, Italian Wine Podcast aims to inform, educate, and entertain listeners with content for wine professionals and casual listeners alike. The only daily wine podcast in the world, content includes wine business, food & travel, diversity and inclusion, wine producers, science, and marketing and communication. Italian Wine Podcast is available on SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, XimalayaFM (for China), and on the official website. It now boasts over 2,600 recorded episodes with a growing online following of over 8 million listens. Donations to the show are welcomed and help fund a portion of the show’s equipment, production, and publication costs. To advertise on the show, please request a prospectus and/or customized advertising plan from info@italianwinepodcast.com. Cin Cin!

www.italianwinepodcast.com
Listen on SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and XimalayaFM
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/host-of-the-italian-wine-podcast-receives-vinitaly-lifetime-achievement-award-302746059.html

SOURCE Italian Wine Podcast

Continue Reading

Trending