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Weekly Recap: 11 Finance Press Releases You Need to See

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A roundup of the most newsworthy financial press releases from PR Newswire this week, including the latest US labor market report and the five best metro areas to buy a home this spring.

NEW YORK, April 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help finance journalists and consumers stay on top of the week’s most newsworthy and popular releases, here’s a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn’t be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Workday Puts AI Agents Center Stage with Rock Stars Gwen Stefani, Paul Stanley, and Billy Idol The rockers, dressed in business attire, hilariously try to navigate the corporate world — refusing to believe that Workday’s AI agents are making people “rock stars.” The two new TV commercials, titled “Carmen the Rock Star,” and “Goodnight Rock Stars,” are debuting at The Masters from April 7-13.The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) Increased in March The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in March to 109.03, from a downwardly revised 108.47 in February. “The ETI rose slightly from February’s five-month low,” said Mitchell Barnes, Economist at The Conference Board. “This ETI reading preceded the April 2 tariff announcement and suggests that the US labor market remained healthy in March.”The 5 best metro areas to buy — and sell — a home this spring Zillow identifies where buyers will find more options and discounts, and where sellers will get top dollar this spring. Home buyers have more opportunity this spring than previous years: more than 1 million homes were for sale nationwide in February — the most for that month since before the pandemic.PayPal Doubles Down on Checkout and Pay Later with New Will Ferrell Campaign and Biggest Sweepstakes Ever
Will’s signature humor will be on display as he embarks on a shopping journey to show all the ways you can pay with PayPal now and over time, with Pay Later available at merchants that accept PayPal. Through ‘The Great PayPal Checkout’ – the company’s biggest sweepstakes ever – PayPal is giving away up to $10M just for checking out with PayPal.Deloitte Announces Collaboration with The Walt Disney Studios’ StudioLAB to Propel Innovation in the Media and Entertainment Industry This collaboration will equip the storytellers at Disney with the next generation of tools to bring their creative visions to life, leveraging Deloitte’s emerging technology capabilities and deep sector knowledge of its Media & Entertainment Practice. The teams have already started working together on a concept for the future of production previsualization in Virtual Reality.Mark Wiedman Joins PNC As President “I’m thrilled Mark has joined us in this role,” said PNC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William S. Demchak. “Banking today is nothing like your father’s bank — not even close. Mark brings deep experience from a fast-moving, tech-forward, consolidating industry that aligns perfectly with where we are headed, and which is why Mark is the right fit for this role.”OneUnited Bank Teams Up with Esusu to Empower Renters, Unlock Better Credit and Open Doors to Homeownership By reporting on-time rental payments, this alliance simplifies credit building, paving the way to homeownership and delivering essential financial literacy tools and AI technology to help close the wealth gap.The Future is Freelance: 92% of Side Hustlers Say the Gig Economy Is Just Getting Started According to a new TaxAct® survey, a staggering 92% of respondents believe more people will be working side hustles, signaling side hustles becoming the “new normal.” Despite this, 56% admit they are lost when it comes to filing taxes on their side hustle income. This revelation comes amidst a surge in gig work, freelancing, content creation, online marketplaces and more.Starwood Capital Group Acquires 11 Master-Planned Communities in Texas from Hines The acquisition, valued at approximately $800 million, comprises 11 master-planned communities that are in advanced stages of development, with more than 16,000 remaining residential lots and over 600 acres of commercial land, across three of the ten largest U.S. new home markets: Dallas, Houston, and Austin.New Survey Signals Drivers are More Distracted Than They Appear Although most drivers recognize the importance of safe driving, a new survey from Nationwide, released in conjunction with National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, reveals a troubling gap between awareness and action. Many admit to risky behaviors behind the wheel — often involving smartphones and other distractions.Intuit Further Simplifies Tax Prep for Millions of TurboTax Customers this Tax Season with Google Cloud AI
With Google Cloud’s generative AI capabilities, Intuit is expanding done-for-you autofill of tax returns for the ten most common U.S. tax forms (1099, 1040) – which can vary significantly in complexity – saving time and boosting accuracy.

For more news like this, check out all of the latest finance-related releases from PR Newswire.

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Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they’re signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger’s next story.Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles.Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire is the industry’s leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world.

For questions, contact the team at media.relations@cision.com.

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Mox Breaks Even in Q1 2026 amid Strengthening Profitability Outlook, Launches Mox+ Wealth Solutions and Mox Invest Upgrades

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Bringing Wealth Within Reach of all in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mox Bank Limited (“Mox” or “the Bank”), on the back of delivering a financial breakeven quarter for Q1 2026, today announced the launch of Mox+. This wealth solution is engineered for Hong Kong’s young professionals and emerging affluent and will be a driver of sustainable profitability for the Bank. Mox+ combines wealth capabilities with curated lifestyle benefits, marking Mox’s evolution from everyday banking to a comprehensive wealth partnership.

The financial achievement was driven by robust momentum across all business lines and achieving a significant milestone demonstrates the success of the accessible business model which after 5 years is now used and valued by over 750,000 customers in Hong Kong.

Barbaros Uygun, CEO of Mox, said, “Achieving financial breakeven for the first quarter of 2026 on the back of a strong 2025 set of results, shows our direction of travel. We have the momentum to drive positive change, providing wealth opportunities to all in Hong Kong and do so in a profitable manner. Our client-centric business model is proving that it is the right one for sustainable profitability. 

Our digital wealth management platform serves as a trusted partner for our over 750,000 customers at every stage of life, empowering them to manage their finances with confidence and unlock new possibilities. We are entering a new chapter of growth as we continue to expand our product portfolio and wealth management offerings, with the launch of Mox+ being one such initiative.”

He continued, “To support this evolution, we are evolving into an AI-native bank, doubling our operational capacity through a strategic human-bot partnership, equipping every staff member with a personalised AI assistant to deliver even greater service and efficiency.”

Mox+ members enjoy preferential fees and charges on Mox Invest and preferential pricing on foreign exchange, enhanced deposit rates (3.5% p.a. up to HKD5 million), as well as priority customer support and early access to experiences and new products. These benefits can be gained simply by maintaining an average daily balance of HKD 600,000 or above across all deposits and investments which will lead to automatic qualification for Mox+ for the following month. The programme integrates financial advantages with lifestyle benefits—including curated dining rebates, free hotel stays, Starbucks coffee vouchers, health benefits and exclusive member experiences—reflecting Mox’s belief that wealth building should be both strategic and rewarding.

Jayant Bhatia, Chief Business Officer of Mox, commented, “At Mox, we are dedicated to establishing the financial well-being of Hongkongers. Designed and tailored for Hong Kong’s young professionals and emerging affluent segment, which is underserved in Hong Kong, Mox+ offers solutions for daily savings and preferential wealth management service fees for long-term wealth creation as well as rewarding lifestyle benefits. This is strategically significant as one of our key initiatives to drive business growth and make Wealth Within Reach for Hongkongers.”

Throughout 2025, Mox has already strengthened its product portfolio with new solutions in Mox Invest. The Mox Invest platform saw trading volumes increasing to 2.4 times and assets under management (AUM) growing to 2.6 times that of last year. More than 10% of Mox customers have opened a Mox Invest account, reflecting strong demand for its wealth solutions driven by new products and services. In 2026, we will continue our momentum in launching new and innovative products and services and are already scaling up to serve the next generation of wealth builders in Hong Kong. Having already recently launched a crypto trading service, Mox Invest is set to introduce an IPO subscription service later this year.

The Bank has clear reasons for continuing to develop wealth management products. The “Wealth Behaviours: Insights into how individuals are saving and investing” survey conducted by Mox in collaboration with Ipsos revealed that Hongkongers continue to take a conservative approach to investing, with 63% of their liquid assets kept in cash and deposits – a trend that contributes to “cash drag” and limits potential wealth growth. More than two-thirds of respondents indicated they require an average of 5.6 months to save up to their desired investment threshold and typically delay investing their savings by a further 2.75 months on average, resulting in missed opportunities for long-term wealth accumulation[1]. This survey will continue as an ongoing research initiative to deepen our understanding of Hongkonger’s wealth management behaviours and enable the Bank to develop tailored solutions that puts wealth within reach.

After Mox was amongst the first wave of banks in Asia to offer a crypto trading service, Mox Invest now further offers One Click Investments (a simplified process for buying equities based on themes such as AI, technology, amongst others), Trading Signals, and gives customers access to professional  fund strategies including Signature CIO funds developed in partnership between Standard Chartered Bank CIO office and Amundi. The Signature CIO funds offer four different type of funds based on individuals’ risk appetite which could be Conservative, Income, Balanced or Growth. Customers also have options amongst a wide range of funds offered by other world-class fund houses.

A Track Record of Rapid Scale and Adoption in the Last 5 Years

Since its launch in September 2020, Mox has brought to the market more than 15 market-first products or services and achieved significant scale with over 750,000 customers, reflecting the trust and growing preference of Hong Kong consumers for a seamless digital banking experience. To date, Mox customers have driven a cumulative spend of HKD70 billion, supported by a robust volume of 176 million card transactions and approximately 2 billion Asia Miles earned through Mox Card and other banking services. Its commitment to delivering tangible value to customers is further evidenced by the HKD2 billion distributed in cash rewards.

Beyond daily spending, Mox has become central to its customers’ financial lives, facilitating approximately 50 million outward FPS transfers and more than 5 million bill payments. As a preferred companion for travelers, the Mox Card has been used over 31 million times in overseas transactions, contributing to a total of 250 million app engagements as we continue to redefine digital banking for the Hong Kong community.

To learn more about Mox, please visit: mox.com.

About Mox Bank Limited (“Mox”) 
Mox is a pioneering digital bank licensed in Hong Kong, and a registered institution (CE number: BNO808) powered by Standard Chartered in partnership with PCCW, HKT and Trip.com. Launched in September 2020, Mox is reimagining banking, unlock more of life’s possibilities, and setting global benchmarks for digital banking from Hong Kong.   

Mox is well on track to be the number one digital bank for cards, lending and wealth. In 2026, it was awarded as Best Pure-Play Digital Bank for CX in Hong Kong and Outstanding Digital CX in Banking App/ Platform by The Digital Banker Digital CX Awards. It was also recognised as NeoBank of the Year, Retail Banking, Hong Kong and Best Retail Banking Experience, Hong Kong by The Asset Triple A Digital Finance Awards. In 2025, Mox is ranked as the number one digital bank in Hong Kong in Neobank Ranking 2025 by The Banker, a publication by Financial Times. It was also awarded the Best Digital Bank in Hong Kong by The Asian Banker for three consecutive years, and the Digital Bank of the Year in Hong Kong by Asian Banking & Finance for two years in a row. It was also recognised as one of Asia’s Top 5 mobile banking app and the number one Hong Kong digital banking app in Sia Partners’ 2025 International Mobile Banking Benchmark. Mox Credit Card held its position as the seventh-largest credit card portfolio among all retail banks in Hong Kong[2]. Through a scalable platform, lower cost-to-serve, top-notch customer experience and the unique promise of safe, simple, smart, and fun banking, Mox has found immense affinity among Hong Kong customers: Mox app is the top-rated Hong Kong digital banking app in Apple App Store in Hong Kong[3], scoring 4.8 out of 5. Mox’s influence extends beyond Hong Kong, as shown by the company’s technology and know-how being transferred to Trust Bank in Singapore. 

Join us in shaping the future of banking.

Follow Mox on mox.com, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn and YouTube for our latest updates.

[1] The “Wealth Behaviours: Insights into how individuals are saving and investing” study was conducted in collaboration with Ipsos and it surveyed 2,500 working adults with a monthly household income above HKD15,000 in Hong Kong between August 2025 and April 2026.

[2] According to TransUnion’s Market Insights and Intelligence Dashboard (MIID) for the period from January to December 2025.

[3] As of the period from 28 January 2025 to 5 May 2026.

 

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UK Students Recognised in National AI Investment Challenge

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University teams apply AI to real-world investment problems, with Lancaster University team taking the top prize.

LONDON, May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, has announced the winner of its inaugural AI Investment Challenge, with the top prize awarded to a student team from Lancaster University.

Some 28 teams from 15 universities took part in the competition.

Delivered by CFA Institute and CFA Society UK, the competition brought together students from universities across the United Kingdom to tackle real investment challenges using artificial intelligence. The focus was on practical application, responsible use, and real-world relevance. 

Finalists came from Durham University, Heriot-Watt University, Lancaster University, University of Exeter, and University of Manchester. 

Teams presented AI-powered solutions to a range of industry challenges, from assessing how carbon pricing affects portfolio values to analysing large volumes of company disclosures and extracting insights from company earnings calls. The winning team from Lancaster University impressed judges with its design of a Disclosure Degradation Detection System – an early-alert tool for analysts that monitors upstream exposure to disclosure risk by analysing company and supplier filings for increasingly vague, complex, or weakening language.

Peter Watkins, Head of University Relations, CFA Institute, said:

“It’s encouraging to see how quickly students can apply technical skills to real investment problems. The strongest teams combined solid analysis with a clear understanding of how AI can be used responsibly in practice. This reflects where the investment industry is heading, with professionals expected to use new technologies effectively while continuing to apply sound human judgement.”

Nick Bartlett, CFA, ASIP, Chief Executive, CFA Society UK, adds:

“It’s been great to see students from across the UK take part. Opportunities like this help people build practical skills, make connections in the industry, and gain confidence in applying what they’ve learned. Bridging that gap between education and industry is increasingly important, as the skills needed for a career in the investment profession continue to evolve.” 

The winning team members from Lancaster University are Connor O’Keeffe, Ebro Dossajee, and Bradley McCann.  

Connor O’Keeffe, speaking on behalf of the winning team, said: 

“The CFA Institute AI Investment Challenge gave us the chance to work on a real investment problem and engage directly with industry professionals. Presenting our work and receiving feedback has been invaluable, and we’re proud to bring first place back to Lancaster. It’s been a great experience for the whole team.”

Steve Young, Professor of Accounting at Lancaster University Management School, commented:

“The AI Investment Challenge is a fabulous initiative from CFA Institute that helps students formulate and execute artificial intelligence solutions to assist investment analysis professionals, and we are thrilled that Brad, Connor, and Ebro have been able to make such a positive contribution to the competition. Congratulations to all teams involved and thank you to CFA Institute and CFA Society UK for organising such an inspiring event.” 

The competition was judged on practical relevance, quality of analysis, innovation in the use of AI, responsible use of technology, and clarity of presentation. The final was judged by a panel of six investment industry professionals based in the UK. 

University representatives and students can opt-in to be the first to hear about future AI Investment Challenge events via Information Waitlist.

Notes to Editors

The AI Investment Challenge was held on Thursday 30 April 2026 in London.

First, second, and third-place teams received prizes of £2,000, £1,200, and £800, respectively. In addition, all finalist team members received a CFA Program Access Scholarship and the opportunity to showcase their work on CFA Institute platforms. 

More information about the AI Investment Challenge is available here: CFA Institute AI Investment Challenge

About CFA Institute
As the global association of investment professionals, CFA Institute sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. We champion ethical behavior in investment markets and serve as the leading source of learning and research for the investment industry. We believe in fostering an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. With more than 200,000 charterholders worldwide across 160 markets, CFA Institute has 8 offices and 157 local societies. Find us at www.cfainstitute.org or follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe on YouTube.

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Huawei SPN Helps Yunnan Power Grid Build a Next-Gen High-Speed Bearer Network

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KUNMING, China, May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As a key energy hub in Southwest China, Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd. (Yunnan Power Grid) is tasked with large-scale clean energy transmission and smart grid development. However, the region’s complex terrain and long transmission lines have made this transformation challenging, rendering the digital and intelligent upgrade increasingly urgent. The explosion of production data and the rise of complex service scenarios further amplify this urgency, imposing ever-stricter requirements on the underlying communication bearer network.

Network Transport Challenges in the Digital and Intelligent Transformation of the Power Industry
To tackle these issues, Yunnan Power Grid has chosen SPN to drive the evolution of its next-gen bearer network, incorporating it into both the 14th and 15th Five-Year Plans. The company has progressively rolled out the technology on a large scale across 16 cities, laying a communication foundation for the next two decades. In this strategic upgrade of electric power services, Huawei has emerged as a key partner.

Dual Dividends: Ultimate Experience and Long-Term Value
Since the pilot in 2022, SPN has evolved from a technical trial to a standard architecture across Yunnan Province. With SPN now being deployed in Zhaotong and Pu’er, the full value of the next-gen bearer network is being unleashed.

First, the bandwidth bottleneck has been resolved. The next-gen SPN bearer network resolves bandwidth bottlenecks by breaking the 155 Mbit/s–10 Gbit/s capacity limit. SPN devices boost access layer (substations, power stations, customer centers) bandwidth to 1 Gbit/s, meeting China Southern Power Grid standards. Aggregation and core layers scale up to 50 Gbit/s or 100 Gbit/s based on site and service size. The solution enables 10 Mbit/s fine-granularity hard pipes for end-to-end isolation of power private lines, supporting high-bandwidth services like transmission video surveillance and ensuring smooth evolution.

Second, the bandwidth upgrade has significantly improved inspection and maintenance efficiency. Huawei’s SPN solution enables real-time SLA monitoring (latency, packet loss) and fault localization within minutes, cutting maintenance costs linked to SDH equipment failures. At Qujing Power Supply Bureau, single inspection time dropped from 30 to 3 minutes, and full-cycle maintenance from over 7 hours to 21 minutes. The O&M center now detects major defects 15 days earlier via preset monitoring points. Over six months, site visits fell from 112 to 61—a 45.54% reduction.

Third, the intelligence level of service transport has been greatly improved. Huawei’s SPN solution supports diverse electric power services—from latency-sensitive teleprotection and dispatching to high-traffic video—with reliable transmission. Using FlexE hard and soft slicing, it ensures rigid isolation between services while enhancing bandwidth reuse. IPv4/IPv6 dual stack enables flexible local forwarding and easy IoT access, such as transmission line monitoring and source-grid-load-storage integration.

Finally, SPN provides long-term investment protection. The evolution to 25 Gbit/s to 400 Gbit/s rates can be supported through low-cost upgrades, avoiding repeated construction.

For detailed solutions, please visit our official website:
https://e.huawei.com/en/case-studies/industries/grid/202604-yunnan-power-grid-spn 

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2973652/1panbiyi.jpg

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