Standard & Poor's (S&P) has cut rating on Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as it's suffering from lower oil prices. The long -term foreign and local currency sovereign credit has been lowered to 'A minus/ A-2' from 'A plus / A-1.'
Sectors
Healthcare VR Startup MindMaze Achieve Unicorn Status With $100 Million Fund From an Early Round
MindMaze has secured a total of $100 million funds from an early round led by India’s Hinduja Group. MindMaze, which until now is focusing on developing virtual reality interfaces in the healthcare sector aims to form future contracts and service centers, as well as expanding the technology for other uses in the form of gaming, educational and fitness applications.
Glencore Plc signs loans to refinance credit facility
Glencore signed new loan commitments of $8.45 billion revolving credit facility. The company took on the new liabilities when it was already struggling to pay off its existing debt of $30 billion. Despite being pulled to the lowest rank in the investment grade, the Swiss commodities trader received support from its loyal lenders, which came as a surprise for some.
3-D printer Massivit finds an investor in Stratasys
Stratasys, the leading player in the 3-D printing and additive manufacturing industry, has extended its investment arm towards the promising start-up, Massivit. The start-up is just the kind of venture Stratasys likes to support, with disruptive technologies like their proprietary Gel Dispensing Printing and the 1800 3D printer which produces 3D printed sculptures.
Google Announces 13 New Additional Languages to Its Google Translate
Google Translate has now 13 new additional languanges giving it a total of 103 that surpasses the 100 mark. Based on the Google's estimate, it envelops 99% of the online population which is about 120 million people around the globe.
Latest News
A startup offering up to $10,000 loan to help couples fund their wedding had shifted its business concept to a crowdfunding platform. The move infuriates many couples expecting the loan, whereas the startup said that the couple wouldn’t have to pay it back as long as they stay together. The change of business plan was due to overwhelming demand and regulation challenges, stated the company.
On Wednesday, Meta demonstrated its new augmented reality headset at TED conference in Vancouver, Canada. The new Meta 2 headset mesmerized the audience and showed to be rival for Microsoft Holo Lens.
Wavecell is a startup company that focused on providing cloud communcation service. The company has just received its Series A Funding led by Qualgro Asean Fund.
On Wednesday, the data storage specialist NetApp reported its revenue at a lower than expectation. The company suffered a low demand of its product and will cut 12% of its employees.
Yahoo announced another round of layoff after early February cutoff. Around 300 employees in California office will lose their jobs.
Apple Pay is targeting China as its largest market. The mobile payment system was released Thursday and was hoping to convince retailers to use the system since there are hundred million users of Apple. A lot of banks will support Apple Pay including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
The US-based Victory Brewery and Southern Tier Brewing companies are forming an alliance to increase sales volume. However, the two mid-sized breweries will work independently under the parent company Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV).
Japan’s auto workers unions had agreed on slimmer pay raise of 3,000 yen, only half the amount they demanded last year. That would hinder Prime Minister Abe’s determination to put an end to the country’s economy stagnation by boosting domestic growth and reviving exports.
Honest Co was accused for a fraudulent labeling in its home and personal care products. The plaintiffs claim that more than 40 of its products contained chemical and toxic ingredients.
