UGN Security Forums Active Threads

Swedish payments firm Klarna may list on the stock market without raising money by selling new shares, its CEO told Reuters, as banking sources said the company was close to securing more private funding. The “buy now, pay later” firm completed a $650 million funding round in September from a group of investors led by Silver Lake that valued it at $11 billion. Reuters sources said it was finalizing another private funding round to raise at least $500 million that could be completed within days.

The post Reuters exclusively reports Klarna may opt for direct listing as private funding looms appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

In a special report, Reuters revealed that Amazon has for years given preferential treatment to a small group of sellers on its India platform, publicly misrepresented its ties with the sellers and used them to circumvent increasingly tough foreign investment rules. The revelations are contained in hundreds of internal Amazon documents reviewed by Reuters. The documents, dated between 2012 and 2019, provide an inside look at the cat-and-mouse game Amazon has played with India’s government, adjusting its corporate structures each time the government imposed new restrictions aimed at protecting small traders. With Amazon facing increasing scrutiny by Indian regulators, news of the strategy detailed in the documents could deepen the risks for the company in one of its key growth markets.

The post Reuters Special Report: Amazon documents reveal company’s secret strategy to dodge Indian regulators appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters exclusively reported that Europe’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, has warned Apple to treat all apps equally on its platform after its planned privacy changes drew strong criticism from Facebook, advertisers and app developers worried that the modifications would slash their revenues with users likely to opt out from such tracking used for targeted advertising. This is the first comment from Vestager on the issue. She is now investigating Apple over its App Store and Apple Pay policies.

The post Reuters exclusively reports EU’s Vestager warns Apple to treat all apps equally amid privacy dispute appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters reported exclusively that suspected Chinese hackers exploited a flaw in software made by SolarWinds Corp to help break into U.S. government computers last year, marking a new twist in a sprawling cybersecurity breach. Two people briefed on the case said FBI investigators recently found that a federal payroll agency was among the affected organizations, raising fears that data on thousands of government employees may have been compromised.

The post Reuters exclusively reports suspected Chinese hackers used SolarWinds bug to spy on U.S. payroll agency appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters revealed that China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is in early-stage talks to sell its premium smartphone brands P and Mate, a move that could see the company eventually exit from the high-end smartphone-making business. The talks between the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker and a consortium led by Shanghai government-backed investment firms have been going on for months, Reuters sources said.

The post Reuters reveals Huawei to sell premium smartphone brands appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters broke the news that the United States has warned India that it won’t get a waiver on its decision to buy Russian air defense systems, raising the risk of sanctions similar to those imposed on Turkey last month for buying the same missile batteries. The $5.5 billion deal is the first point of friction with the new Democratic administration led by president Joe Biden.

The post Reuters breaks news on India’s friction with U.S. rises over planned purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters revealed that China plans to push tech giants, including Ant Group, Tencent and JD.com, to share consumer loan data to prevent excess borrowing and fraud, in Beijing’s latest tightening of scrutiny. The plan, if implemented, would effectively end the government’s laissez-faire approach to the industry. Large Internet platforms have tended to resist handing over their data, a crucial asset that helps them run operations, manage risk and lure new customers. Chinese regulators, including the central bank, plan to instruct internet platforms to feed their vast loan data to some of the nationwide credit agencies.

The post Reuters reveals Chinese regulators to push tech giants on consumer credit data appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters was first to report that French IT consulting firm Atos has made a more than $10 billion bid approach for U.S. rival DXC technology to create a digital services powerhouse with a global presence. Atos is working with advisers to take control of New York-listed DXC, a former Hewlett Packard Enterprise business, and made a formal approach this week, Reuters sources said. %. If successful, a combination with DXC would give Atos access to a wide range of clients and B2B products including analytics and cloud applications, as well as IT outsourcing services. The deal, which would rank as Atos’ biggest ever acquisition, would also lead to synergies and cost savings.

The post Reuters reveals French IT firm Atos made $10 bln DXC bid approach; market reacts appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters reported exclusively on Monday that Apple Inc is moving forward with self-driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The post Reuters exclusively reports Apple targets self-driving car production by 2024; market reacts appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters exclusively reported that Facebook Inc will shift all its users in the United Kingdom into user agreements with the corporate headquarters in California, moving them out of their current relationship with Facebook’s Irish unit and out of reach of Europe’s privacy laws. The change takes effect next year and follows a similar move announced in February by Google here. Facebook later confirmed the move. 

The post Reuters exclusively reports Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters reported exclusively how China’s market regulator is now gearing up to put more transactions under scrutiny, after having levied fines and announced a probe into deals backed by the likes of Alibaba Group and Tencent. The regulator is particularly keen to “make an example” of a $3.5 billion plan for search engine Sogou Inc to be taken private by shareholder Tencent Holdings. Also in its sights is a bid by private-equity firm MBK Partners to buy China’s top online car rental firm, due to concerns it could cause competition issues as MBK already owns the industry’s No.2 player. 

The post Reuters exclusively reports China to crank up anti-trust heat on Big Tech appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters broke the news that hackers believed to be working for Russia have been monitoring internal email traffic at the U.S. Treasury Department and an agency that decides internet and telecommunications policy. The hack was so serious it led to a National Security Council meeting at the White House, a Reuters source said. The breach presents a major challenge to the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden as officials investigate what information was stolen and try to ascertain what it will be used for. 

The post Reuters breaks news on suspected Russian hackers spied on U.S. Treasury emails appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

The U.S.-China tech war rages unabated. Nation-state hackers are meddling in everything from COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. politics. Big Tech companies and governments are facing off over misinformation, data protection, taxes and more. As geopolitics shapes the future of the global technology industry, Reuters is leading the way with exclusive news, in-depth special reports and the context and data that readers and clients need to stay ahead.

The post Global tech and politics collide | Edition 2 appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters was first to report on Sunday that the Trump administration is close to declaring that 89 Chinese aerospace and other companies have military ties, restricting them from buying a range of U.S. goods and technology. The list, if published, could further escalate trade tensions with Beijing and hurt U.S. companies that sell civil aviation parts and components to China, among other industries.

The post Reuters first with news that U.S. has drafted list of 89 firms with military ties; market reacts appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters exclusively reported that the Trump administration has put on hold an effort to blacklist Ant Group Co Ltd, the Chinese financial technology company affiliated with e-commerce giant Alibaba, following a phone call between a company executive and a top U.S. government official. Reuters previously broke the news that the U.S. State Department had submitted a proposal to add Ant Group to a trade blacklist in order to deter U.S. investors from taking part in its initial public offering, which was expected to rake in a record $37 billion before being postponed. 

The post Reuters exclusively reports Trump administration shelves bid to blacklist China’s Ant Group appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters reported exclusively that Amazon.com Inc has complained to India’s market regulator that its local partner Future Retail Ltd misled shareholders by incorrectly saying it was complying with its contractual obligations to the U.S. e-commerce giant. Amazon is locked in a bitter legal dispute with Future Group, which in August sold its retail assets to Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd for $3.4 billion. The deal, Amazon alleges, breaches 2019 agreements by Future.

The post Reuters exclusively reports Amazon tells India regulator its partner is misleading public appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

On Oct. 21, Reuters was first to report that payments company PayPal Holdings Inc would allow cryptocurrency buying, selling and shopping on its network. Other mainstream fintech companies, such as mobile payments provider Square Inc and stock trading app firm Robinhood Markets Inc, already allow users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies, but PayPal’s launch is noteworthy given its vast reach. The company, based in San Jose, California, has 346 million active accounts around the world and processed $222 billion in payments in the second quarter.

The post Reuters reveals PayPal to allow cryptocurrency buying, selling and shopping on its network; market reacts appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters reported exclusively that Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is in talks with Digital China Group Co Ltd and other suitors to sell parts of its Honor smartphone unit in a deal that could fetch up to 25 billion yuan ($3.7 billion). Embattled Huawei is resetting its priorities due to U.S. sanctions and will focus on its higher-end Huawei phones rather than the Honor brand, which is aimed at young people and the budget conscious.

The post Reuters exclusively reports Huawei to sell part of Honor smartphone business appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters exclusively reported that EU antitrust regulators may narrow the scope of their year-long investigation into Amazon to speed up the case against the U.S. online retail giant. Splitting up the Amazon case could address complaints by rivals that antitrust enforcers take too long to address harm done to them through anti-competitive practices and that rulings fail to keep pace with evolving markets. 

The post Reuters reveals EU antitrust regulators may narrow Amazon investigation appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters exclusively reported on Oct. 8 that telecoms operators Orange Belgium and Proximus have decided to progressively replace Huawei-made mobile equipment in Belgium and Luxembourg with Nokia gear, effectively ousting Huawei from the heart of the EU. The moves are among the first by commercial operators in Europe to drop Huawei from next-generation networks, and they come after months of diplomatic pressure from Washington.

The post Reuters reveals Orange venture in Belgium to replace Huawei mobile gear with Nokia kit appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

This week, Reuters was first with key IPO news, revealing that home rental company Airbnb Inc is aiming to raise around $3 billion in its upcoming initial public offering, taking advantage of the unexpectedly sharp recovery in its business after the COVID-19 pandemic roiled the travel industry. The company’s current plan is to make its filing publicly available in November after the U.S presidential election and is targeting an IPO some time in December. Reuters also broke news on Roblox and C3.ai’s plans to go public, which could come next year.

The post Reuters ahead with key tech IPO news appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters broke the news that AT&T Inc is considering offering wireless phone plans partially subsidized by advertising as soon as a year from now. The consideration underscores AT&T’s commitment to the advertising business as the U.S. phone carrier reviews its portfolio to identify assets to sell in order to reduce its debt load. Companies including Amazon.com Inc, Virgin Mobile USA and Sprint’s Boost Mobile have tested advertising supported phone services since the early 2000s but they have not caught on.

The post Reuters first to report AT&T considers cellphone plans subsidized by ads appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters was first to report that the U.S. Commerce Department was planning to issue an order on Sept. 18 that will bar people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok starting on September 20, as TikTok owner ByteDance races to clinch an agreement over the fate of its U.S. operations. ByteDance has been in talks with Oracle Corp and others to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address U.S. concerns about the security of its users’ data. ByteDance still needs Trump’s approval to stave off a U.S. ban.

The post Reuters first to report Trump’s plans to shut off TikTok/WeChat for new U.S. users appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters broke the news that telecoms giant Saudi Telecom Co (STC) has asked banks to pitch for roles in a potential public offering of its products and services development arm, in a deal that could value the company at about $2.4 billion. The latest IPO plans come amid a flurry of public offerings this year as companies tap into Saudi demand for shares since oil giant Aramco’s record listing last year.

The post Reuters breaks news Saudi Arabia’s STC asks banks to pitch for subsidiary IPO appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Reuters broke the news that Canada is signaling it might not compensate major telecommunications providers if the federal government bans equipment made by China’s Huawei from 5G networks, setting up a potential fight over a bill that could hit C$1 billion ($758 million). If Ottawa does announce a formal ban, affected companies have made clear they want compensation for tearing out their existing Huawei gear, Reuters reported. 

The post Reuters reveals Canada looks set for a fight over C$1 billion compensation for Huawei gear appeared first on Reuters News Agency.