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Middle-Market CEOs Sound Alarm on Tariff Impacts and Tax Policy Uncertainty

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53% of CEOs Fear Tariffs’ Financial Impact, Prompting Price Increases, Workforce Reductions and Delayed Investments

CLEVELAND, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The latest CBIZ-Hofstra University CEO Survey highlights pressing concerns for middle-market CEOs as they navigate the dual challenges of proposed tariffs and uncertainty surrounding U.S. tax policies. The survey sheds light on how these factors are shaping business strategies in a shifting economic environment.

Tariffs emerged as a dominant issue, with 53.2% of CEOs expressing strong concern over their financial impact.

Tariff Concerns Force Strategic Adjustments

Tariffs emerged as a dominant issue, with 53.2% of CEOs expressing strong concern over their financial impact. In response, many companies are preparing for significant operational changes:

80.9% are considering relocating production to mitigate tariff-related costs.75.4% may reduce their workforce.72.3% plan to delay investments.66.4% are exploring new supplier options.50.0% are contemplating price increases.

“Our findings highlight the profound ripple effect that even the discussion of tariffs is having on the middle market, forcing CEOs and management teams to rethink their strategies at every level,” said Jerry Grisko, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBIZ. “These economic factors compel businesses to be more agile, re-evaluate their operational frameworks, and seek innovative solutions to maintain resilience and competitiveness. Understanding and anticipating these shifts are crucial for CEOs. “

Mixed Impacts of U.S. Tax Policies

The survey also reveals divided perspectives on the benefits of recent and proposed tax reforms:

42.6% of CEOs reported moderate benefits from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), including reduced corporate tax rates and bonus depreciation.51.9% anticipate positive effects if TCJA provisions are extended, though 30.1% expect no impact.43.3% have benefited from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), but nearly half (47.7%) reported no tangible gains.

“While tax reforms have provided relief for many, the overall impact remains uneven across industries,” said Bill Smith, National Director of Tax Technical Services at CBIZ. “The survey underscores the complexity of tax-driven economic policies and the need for individually tailored strategies to address them.”

Key Takeaways on Business Confidence and Planning

Beyond policy concerns, the survey reveals broader trends influencing CEO decision-making:

Economic concerns: Consistently the top issue, cited by 55.1% of CEOs.Talent availability: Ranked among the top three influences by 37.5%, reflecting persistent hiring challenges.Cybersecurity concerns: Growing in importance, increasing 6.7% since September.

Despite these challenges, optimism among CEOs rebounded in December, with 45.0% rating their outlook as highly positive, up from 34.5% in September.

The survey was developed, conducted, and analyzed by Zarb School MBA students, led by Dr. Andrew Forman, associate professor of international business and marketing, in partnership with CBIZ.

“The data from our latest survey underscores the heightened sensitivity of middle-market CEOs to both tariffs and tax policy uncertainties,” shared Dr. Andrew Forman. “As such, businesses are making difficult but necessary decisions to safeguard their profitability and maintain competitiveness.”

“Learning to adapt and adjust during uncertain times is an essential lesson for business students,” stated Janet A. Lenaghan, Dean of the Zarb School of Business. “Embracing change with a growth mindset empowers leaders to transform challenges into opportunities, drive innovation, solve problems effectively, and strategically position their businesses for long-term success.”

About the Survey

The CBIZ-Hofstra Survey is a periodic gauge of mid-market CEOs’ outlook and priorities for the next 12 months. The survey polled the leaders of companies with revenues ranging from $5 million to $1 billion-plus and was conducted the week of December 9, 2023. Two hundred fifty-six mid-market CEOs and leaders participated. Previously known as the Marcum – Hofstra Survey, the name was changed following CBIZ’s acquisition of Marcum last year.

About the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University

Hofstra University’s Frank G. Zarb School of Business prepares students to become tomorrow’s global leaders. Located just 25 miles from New York City, Zarb students have access to internships and networking opportunities across every industry. The Zarb School combines entrepreneurial, hands-on learning and research with real-world experience and mentorship in state-of-the-art facilities, including a Behavioral Research Business Lab, Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Core Skills Lab, and academic trading room. Our undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting, management and entrepreneurship, marketing and international business, finance, and business analytics are ranked and recognized by US News & World Report, Princeton Review, and Poets & Quants. Visit hofstra.edu/zarb for more information.

About CBIZ

CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE: CBZ) is a leading professional services advisor to middle market businesses and organizations nationwide. With unmatched industry knowledge and expertise in accounting, tax, advisory, benefits, insurance, and technology, CBIZ delivers forward-thinking insights and actionable solutions to help clients anticipate what’s next and discover new ways to accelerate growth. CBIZ has more than 10,000 team members across more than 160 locations in 21 major markets coast to coast. For more information, visit www.cbiz.com. 

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SOURCE CBIZ

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BinBase Launches 2026 BIN Database Featuring 6-11 Digit Waterfall Lookup for High-Precision Payment Routing

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31 minutes ago

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July 22, 2026

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BinBase introduces its upgraded 2026 BIN Database, offering 3.2M+ card ranges, 29 granular data attributes, and extended 8-11 digit accuracy to eliminate false-positives and optimize routing for global fintechs.

MIAMI, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — BinBase, a provider of payment intelligence and card issuing data, has announced the official release of its updated 2026 BIN Database. Engineered for payment gateways, acquiring banks, fraud prevention platforms, and e-commerce platforms, the updated dataset solves critical routing inaccuracies caused by the industry-wide shift from legacy 6-digit BINs to extended 8-to-11-digit card ranges.

Relying solely on 6-digit BINs in 2026 means misclassifying card products and losing money on interchange fees. Our 2026 release provides the surgical precision developers need for cost-effective payment routing.

Since ISO/IEC 7812 expanded the standard Bank Identification Number (BIN) length to 8 digits, traditional 6-digit lookup tables have struggled to correctly identify modern card profiles. This leads to false positives, misidentified interchange fees, and failed transactions. BinBase addresses this challenge by introducing a multi-tiered database structure supporting up to 11-digit precision, alongside a recommended “Waterfall Lookup Algorithm.”

To ensure 100% routing and verification accuracy, the Waterfall method executes a descending search sequence: checking 11-digit BIN ranges down through 10, 9, 8, 7, and 6 digits until an exact match is resolved.

Key technical specifications of the 2026 BinBase release include:

Over 3.2 Million Card Ranges: Full global coverage including Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, UnionPay, JCB, and regional networks.Extended Precision: Over 88% of the dataset consists of high-precision ranges (8–11 digits) to accurately isolate sub-brands, currencies, and card tiers.29 Granular Attributes: Beyond core issuer data, the database features advanced parameters including Durbin Regulation status, US Debit/ATM network routing (STAR, NYCE), Fast Funds (Visa Direct / Mastercard MoneySend indicators), commercial Level 2/Level 3 data, and digital wallet token ranges (Apple Pay / Google Pay).

“Modern payment processing requires surgical precision,” said a spokesperson for Damiko Inc. “Relying solely on 6-digit BINs in 2026 means misclassifying card products and losing money on interchange fees. Our 2026 release provides the underlying intelligence developers need to build resilient, cost-effective payment infrastructure.”

Developers and payment teams can evaluate the full 29-field database schema, review integration examples, and download a free 2026 sample dataset on the official GitHub repository.

To learn more about full commercial licensing options, instant CSV downloads, and custom API delivery, visit BinBase.

About Damiko Inc

Damiko Inc is a US-based fintech data provider specializing in card issuer analytics, payment routing data, and global BIN database solutions. Operating through its flagship product, BinBase.com, the company supplies high-precision transaction intelligence to help merchants and payment facilitators worldwide optimize approval rates and mitigate fraud.

Media Contact

Fedor Lavrikoff, BinBase, 1 +17866133333, sales@binbase.com, htttps://www.binbase.com 

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/binbase-launches-2026-bin-database-featuring-6-11-digit-waterfall-lookup-for-high-precision-payment-routing-302829291.html

SOURCE BinBase

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Redington Limited and AutomationEdge Announce Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Enterprise Automation and Agentic AI Adoption

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31 minutes ago

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July 22, 2026

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MUMBAI, India, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Redington, a leading technology aggregator and innovation catalyst, and AutomationEdge, a leading Agentic Process Automation platform for global enterprises, have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the adoption of enterprise automation and Agentic AI. The collaboration brings together Redington’s extensive distribution ecosystem and partner network with AutomationEdge’s enterprise-grade Agentic Process Automation platform to enable faster, scalable, and outcome-driven digital transformation for organizations.

As a part of the partnership, AutomationEdge’s portfolio of AI Agents and automation solutions is now available through the Redington AI Exchange Marketplace, enabling partners and customers to easily discover, evaluate, and deploy enterprise-ready AI solutions. This availability significantly reduces the time required to adopt AI-driven automation and provides organizations with access to proven use cases that can deliver measurable business outcomes.

The partnership is focused on delivering solution-led automation offerings that simplify adoption for enterprises and channel partners. By combining Redington’s go-to-market reach with AutomationEdge’s 10x automation capabilities, the two organizations aim to help businesses move from fragmented automation initiatives to enterprise-wide orchestration—driving efficiency, agility, and operational excellence.

Through this collaboration, both companies will jointly promote pre-built automation and AI Agent solutions across key business functions, including banking operations, insurance processes, IT / HR operations, customer service, and finance functions. These solutions include ready-to-deploy workflows, AI Agents, demonstration environments, and implementation frameworks designed to accelerate deployment and reduce complexity.

The partnership will also include joint go-to-market initiatives such as partner enablement programs, co-branded workshops, solution showcases, and proof-of-concept (PoC) engagements. These initiatives are designed to equip Redington partners with the knowledge, tools, and support needed to successfully position, sell, and implement AI-powered automation solutions for enterprise and mid-market customers.

Sayantan Dev, Global Head, Software Solutions Group, Redington, said, “The next phase of AI adoption will be defined by execution. Through the Redington AI Exchange Marketplace, we are bringing together the technologies and ecosystem needed to help partners deliver real business outcomes at scale. AutomationEdge’s Agentic AI and automation capabilities strengthen our ability to enable customers to accelerate AI adoption with greater speed, governance, and confidence.”

Prasad Likhite, Chief Sales Officer of AutomationEdge, said, “We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Redington and accelerate the adoption of next-generation enterprise automation and Agentic AI solutions across the market. The availability of AutomationEdge AI Agents through the Redington AI Exchange Marketplace marks an important milestone in democratizing AI-led transformation, enabling enterprises to rapidly scale intelligent automation initiatives with speed, agility, and measurable business impact. At the same time, it creates significant opportunities for partners to drive innovation, unlock new revenue streams, and deliver greater value to their customers.”

The collaboration also emphasizes localized support, implementation expertise, and customer success services, ensuring that organizations can seamlessly deploy, manage, and scale automation initiatives. By leveraging Redington’s strong partner ecosystem and AutomationEdge’s deep expertise in automation and Agentic AI, the partnership is well-positioned to address the evolving needs of modern enterprises.

As organizations increasingly prioritize productivity, operational efficiency, and AI-led transformation, this partnership marks a significant step toward making enterprise automation and Agentic AI more accessible, scalable, and impactful across industries.

 About Redington

Redington Limited (NSE: REDINGTON) (BSE: 532805), a leading technology solutions provider, empowers businesses in their digital transformation journeys. Guided by its brand narrative “Unlock Next”, Redington goes beyond distribution to remove barriers, accelerate digital adoption, and unlock access, growth, trust, efficiency, and impact—helping businesses, communities, and societies embrace what’s next in technology

About AutomationEdge

AutomationEdge is a leading Agentic Process Automation platform for global enterprises. Its platform enables organizations to automate complex business processes, deploy AI Agents at scale, improve operational efficiency, and accelerate digital transformation initiatives across industries.

Media Contact:
Rahul Wandile
rahul.wandile@automationedge.com

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/redington-limited-and-automationedge-announce-strategic-partnership-to-accelerate-enterprise-automation-and-agentic-ai-adoption-302831361.html

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Applied Intuition Launches Dana, the Agentic Platform for Physical AI

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31 minutes ago

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July 22, 2026

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New platform pairs agentic AI with the tooling, data, infrastructure and domain expertise Applied Intuition has built over nearly a decade to speed the safe development of intelligent machines for the physical world.

Dana is the first agentic platform for building, testing, deploying and operating physical AI systems across industries.Built on nearly a decade of Applied Intuition’s tooling, infrastructure, workflows and engineering expertise, Dana is purpose-built for safety-critical systems operating in the physical world.Dana helps companies build physical AI applications for any industry or use case, from autonomy and software-defined vehicles to fleet operations, robotics, construction, mining and intelligent in-vehicle experiences.Dana has already reduced critical phases of vehicle development from months to days in internal and select customer deployments.

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Applied Intuition, Inc., a leader in physical AI, today announced the launch of Dana, the first agentic platform for building, testing, deploying and operating physical AI systems across industries. Dana combines the power of agentic AI and rapid application development with nearly a decade of Applied Intuition’s tooling, infrastructure and engineering knowledge. The result is a unified system that accelerates the development of intelligent machines in the physical world.

“We believe physical AI will become one of the defining technologies of this century,” said Qasar Younis, co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition. “Our ambition is to help bring intelligence to a billion machines, and Dana is the platform we built to make that possible.”

Unlike general-purpose AI tools designed primarily for digital workflows, Dana is built for the complexities of machines operating in the physical world. Dana comes with all the platform capabilities needed to build and deploy safety-critical physical AI applications, including data, visualization and tooling, as well as the evaluation, traceability and governance these systems require. The platform was designed to work across industries and with a wide range of use cases, from software-defined vehicle development and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to mining and construction operations, truck fleet management, robotics and intelligent in-vehicle experiences. With Dana, customers can:

Deploy Applied Intuition’s reference applications — spanning autonomy, fleet operations, and more — or build their own.Use both natural language and command-line interfaces to complete complex development tasks more intuitively and accelerate iteration cycles across teams and systems.Integrate the platform with enterprise systems and collaboration tools, like Slack and Jira, helping organizations connect fragmented engineering and operational workflows while embedding agentic capabilities across the development process.

Applied Intuition has used Dana internally since last year, building and delivering solutions on the platform for long-standing customers across automotive, trucking, mining, and agriculture. Dana’s agent-driven workflows have reduced critical phases of vehicle development timelines from months to days in some cases. Applied Intuition has offered limited, early access to select customers, including heavy-equipment manufacturer Komatsu and Isuzu Motors, who is using the platform to accelerate L4 autonomy for its fleet of commercial trucks.

“We’ve been impressed by how Dana can streamline complex engineering workflows and accelerate development,” said Yasuhiro Yazawa, Director, Isuzu Motors Limited, Japan. “Dana gives our engineering teams greater confidence to develop, track and deploy safe autonomous-vehicle capabilities at a much faster pace.”

“Applied Intuition has been a valuable technology partner as we continue advancing the digital capabilities that support the next generation of mining equipment and solutions,” said Peter Salditt, CEO, Komatsu Mining. “Dana represents another step forward, bringing intelligent, agentic capabilities into our engineering workflows to help our teams innovate faster, improve efficiency and ultimately create greater value for our customers’ operations.”

Dana is designed to help companies keep up with the fundamental shift now underway across industries. As autonomous vehicles, robots and industrial systems become more capable, manufacturers need a more integrated way to build, validate and deploy them safely. Dana gives teams a faster path from idea to production, and the confidence to put increasingly intelligent machines into the real world.

The future of AI is physical. Dana was built for it.

To learn more about Dana and Applied Intuition’s physical AI platform, visit AppliedIntuition.com.

About Applied Intuition
Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with nearly two dozen offices across the globe, including in London, Munich, Tokyo, Seoul, and the Washington, D.C. metro area. Learn more at applied.co or press@applied.co.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/applied-intuition-launches-dana-the-agentic-platform-for-physical-ai-302831516.html

SOURCE Applied Intuition, Inc.

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