B.C. clean-tech companies have requested Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to allocate a $500 million venture capital (VC) fund. An alliance comprising 51 clean-tech and investment firms from B.C. province has written a letter to the Prime Minister Trudeau to extend support to clean-tech industry.
Industry
Porsche Design Tower Attracts Billionaires With Its Car Elevators and Luxurious Amenities
Porsche is constructing its residency tower with hydraulic lifts that could transport residents’ cars to the garage next to their units. The garages will have floor-to-ceiling windows right outside the living room, where car enthusiasts can keep and enjoy their cars in the luxury personal garage while enjoying the buildings post amenities.
CaixaBank may acquire Isabel Dos Santos' stake in BPI
Spain-based Caixabank is planning to buy the stake of Isabel Dos Santos in Portugal's Banco BPI SA. The negotiations over the acquisition are still going on and may be completed soon.
China to lower cap on foreign investments in 2016
The world's second largest economy will lower threshold for foreign investments in 2016. The Commerce Ministry of China has confirmed that the government is in the process of lowering the limit on foreign investment for 2016 year. China recorded 6.4 percent growth in foreign direct investment during 2015.
Scotiabank's profit soars on global banking
Canada-based Bank of Nova Scotia witnessed a strong profit surge as banking activity in domestic and international operations rose. Scotiabank has increased provision for bad loans in the oil and gas sector. The bank is expanding in Mexico, Chile, Columbia and Peru.
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The Sacramento Kings announced a tech startup contest for local entrepreneurs. Supported by local investment firm Velocity Venture Capital, finalists will get an opportunity to pitch their ideas to judges and a chance to win a cash prize and consultation sessions with the Kings executives.
Gold purchase in India increased 62% during the month of January. The government lifted the import duty on gold citing the growing prices in global market.
The bigger companies are getting global through acquiring operations in the regional markets, which has become a trend in the multi-billion dollar market. Following the trend, Hong Kong based firm Mobvista has announced on Monday acquiring NativeX for $24.5 million. Through the deal, NativeX has been expected to contribute for achieving Mobvista’s international goals and successes.
Following slow start of the year, tech companies began to come to life. As Palo Alto Networks, Splunk and Salesforce.com brought Nasdaq to soar 2% in the last five trading days.
Volkswagen unveiled Phideon as its new luxury car today, ahead of Geneva International Motor Show. The successor of Phaeton will only be sold in China.
Facebook’s WhatsApp announced that they will stop supporting older mobile platforms, including BlackBerry, Nokia, as well as older Android and Windows operating systems. The decision would allow the app to further improve its features beyond older smartphones’ capabilities.
Danske Bank has reportedly spent $60 million against its workforce compared with a year earlier. Meanwhile, the bank company has recently achieved an average ‘buy’ rating from most of the analysts. To retain the achievement with further upgrading, the bank has adopted cost cutting measures which include job cuts in 46 positions of mostly the IT portfolio.
Cities like Austin, Texas, and Seattle, and Seattle have become a new target for tech workers. They are areas in which the tech startups are increasing in large number.
Recently, Google has released video demonstrating operations of its Chromecast Audio featured by popular actors. On Monday, Google has announced another feature, 'Chrome for Work Assist', which offers 24/7 phone and email based customer support for businesses. Through these efforts, Google is probably trying to glorify its image as a consumer friendly entity.
