Latest news with #Later
Business Insider
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
The creator economy is on track for a record year of M&A deals, according to a new report
Creator economy mergers and acquisitions are on pace for a record year, according to a recent report from the M&A advisory firm Quartermast Advisors. Quartermast tracked 52 deals that had been announced in the first half of the year. According to the firm's analysis, that's a 73% year-over-year increase. So far this year, two key players are inking deals in the creator economy: private equity firms and industry incumbents. For instance, private equity firm PSG Equity invested $150 million to take a majority stake in the creator economy startup Uscreen, which helps influencers launch their own apps. "Private equity is looking at some of these businesses that have been built and saying, 'Hey, there's a lot more we can do with growth equity,'" Quartermast founder James Creech said. Summit Partners, another private equity firm, made a strategic investment that funded influencer marketing platform Later's $250 million acquisition of affiliate startup Mavely. Media and advertising incumbents are also snapping up creator startups. An example is advertising giant Publicis Groupe's recent acquisitions of BR Media Group, an influencer marketing agency, and Captiv8, an influencer marketing platform for managing campaigns. Creech also pointed to traditional media companies buying up creator startups, like Fox's acquisition of Red Seat Ventures, a digital media company behind conservative streaming shows and podcasts (including several from former Fox News stars). "Traditional companies realize the creator economy is an important category," Creech said. "They need to have this DNA, they need to have these capabilities in-house, so they're looking to acquire them." A recent data point that backs that up: Creator-driven platforms will overtake traditional media companies in ad revenue this year, according to a recent report from WPP Media, an arm of the ad giant WPP. M&A is heating up "We track every single creator economy acquisition," Creech said, adding the firm uses SEC filings, PitchBook data, press releases, and other public sources to gather its report on creator economy M&A. Across the creator economy landscape, here's where deals are being made so far in 2025, according to Quartermast's analysis: Software companies, such as influencer marketing platforms and content creation tools, account for about a quarter of the deals so far in 2025 (26.9%). Deals in this category include Later acquiring Mavely and Publicis acquiring Captiv8. Quartermast's report counts 14 deals in this category between January and June. Media properties, which Quartermast defines in its report as "digital publishers, short-form video studios, and creator media companies," were the second largest category (19.2%). The report lists 10 media deals, including Wonder acquiring Tastemade and Whalar Group acquiring The Business of Creativity. Talent management firms continue to be a space for consolidation, making up 13.5% of deals in the first half. Shine Talent Group announced its acquisition of Spark Talent in January, and firms like The Outloud Group and Fixated have made multiple acquisitions so far this year. Influencer marketing agencies are also cutting deals as consolidation runs through the industry, making up 13.5% of first-half M&A. Publicis is another buyer here. It acquired BR Media Group, an influencer marketing agency based in Brazil. Audio companies, such as podcasting and music startups, made up 9.6% of deals. Creech listed Alex Cooper's Unwell Media as an example. It announced two acquisitions at the start of the year. Quartermast also included Epidemic Sound's acquisition of music recognition startup Song Sleuth in this category. Meanwhile, other categories made up a smaller portion of the pie, such as gaming (3.8%), commerce (3.8%), and a generalized "other" (9.6%). What the rest of 2025 holds for the creator economy M&A What's in store for the second half of 2025? Creech, whose firm has brokered two M&A deals so far in 2025, predicts that the creator economy could see more than 100 deals by the end of the year. Categories that Creech said could ramp up include creator services, talent management firms, and influencer marketing. Influencer marketing has continued to be a busy sector for M&A for the last few years, which have been freckled with deals on both the agency and platform side. Publicis, for instance, has already announced two influencer marketing acquisitions in 2025 and acquired Influential for $500 million last year. The French company told shareholders in February that it anticipated "investing €800 million to €900 million" in acquisitions (roughly $930 million to $1.04 billion). "That might not all be creator economy, but I think other influencer agencies or software will be part of that," Creech said about Publicis' potential deals through the end of the year. Creech also expects to see more international deals in the second half of the year. While 40% of acquisition targets in the first half of 2024 were international, that shrank to 21% for the first half of 2025.
Business Recorder
04-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
India bars Jane Street from its securities market, citing manipulation of stock indexes
MUMBAI: Indian regulators barred U.S. securities trading company Jane Street from the local market and seized $567 million of its funds, saying an investigation found it manipulated stock indices through positions taken in derivatives. In its most stringent action ever against a foreign trading firm in the country, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in an interim order dated July 3 said that Jane Street and its related entities (JS Group) would no longer be able to participate in the domestic securities market. SEBI also impounded an unprecedented 48.4 billion rupees ($566.71 million) from Jane Street, which it said were the 'unlawful gains earned' from the alleged misconduct. '(JS Group) entities are restrained from accessing the securities market and are further prohibited from buying, selling or otherwise dealing in securities, directly or indirectly,' SEBI said. It said the ban will stay in place until a final order is issued after the completion of investigations. SEBI has asked Jane Street to deposit the impounded funds in an escrow account and asked its bankers to ensure that no debits are made without the regulator's permission. Its action comes at a time when about half a dozen global trading firms, from Citadel Securities and IMC Trading to Millennium and Optiver, are ratcheting up their presence in India's booming derivatives markets. India is the world's largest derivatives market, accounting for nearly 60% of global equity derivative trading volumes of 7.3 billion in April, the Futures Industry Association says. Jane Street, in an emailed response, said it disputes the findings of the SEBI interim order and will further engage with the regulator. 'Jane Street is committed to operating in compliance with all regulations in the regions we operate around the world,' the firm said. The regulator's action is a blow for Jane Street, which started its India operations in December 2020 and, according to SEBI, made a profit of about $4.3 billion for the period between January 2023 and March 2025 on its India trades. The company can file its reply or any objections to the order within 21 days, SEBI said. It can also challenge the order judicially via the Securities Appellate Tribunal. Allegations SEBI, in its 105-page order, alleged that Jane Street and its India incorporated entities took large derivative positions to manipulate the Bank Nifty index a grouping of 12 financial sector firms and a favourite in the derivative markets. The investigation tracked Jane Street's trading patterns over more than two years and found two key strategies that were designed to manipulate stock indexes, the regulator said. It said Jane Street and its related entities bought large quantities of constituents in the Bank Nifty index in the cash and futures markets to artificially support the index in morning trade, while simultaneously building large short positions in index options. Indian court orders probe of former market regulator chief Later in the day, they reversed these trades to profit from their options positions, SEBI said. 'By moving the BANKNIFTY index with large and aggressive buying followed then by large and aggressive selling, JS Group was creating a false or misleading appearance of market activity. In the bargain, it was enticing unsuspecting entities trading in BANKNIFTY index options to trade at interim levels that were artificial and temporary,' SEBI said. The regulator said Jane Street's trades revealed a pattern of 'highly concentrated activity' in the final hour before market close on expiry days to influence the index settlement price in favour of their large options positions. SEBI said the trading practices employed by Jane Street represent manipulation under its regulations. The trading patterns amounted to 'egregious manipulation of the prices of securities and benchmark indices for their own illegal gains, to the detriment of several lakhs of small market participants,' it said. SEBI also said that by incorporating entities in India, Jane Street managed to 'work around' Indian regulations that prohibit foreign portfolio investors from undertaking intraday positions in the cash market. Market implications 'Not all foreign players are abusing the market,' said Deven Choksey, managing director at DRChoksey FinServ. 'We do not see other foreign investors either unwinding any positions or being nervous because of the SEBI order.' A source familiar with the regulator's thinking said the decision to bar Jane Street was announced on a Thursday evening after the derivative cycle expiry for the week to limit any wider impact on the markets. Also, starting July 1, the regulator has tightened rules for positions being taken in derivatives which would help limit the impact if any, the source said. Market liquidity is unlikely to be impacted, the source said, declining to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media. An email sent to a SEBI spokesperson was not immediately answered.
Business Wire
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Later Builds Social Creator Commerce and Revenue Opportunities with Domo
SILICON SLOPES, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Domo (Nasdaq: DOMO) today announced that influencer platform Later is using Domo's AI and data platform to collect, visualize, and scale its data to drive decisions and accelerate its leadership in the retail and marketing space. 'We're thrilled that Later chose Domo to support the organization and its thousands of creators and influencers with the data and insights they need to drive revenue opportunities.' - Mark Maughan, chief operating officer at Domo Share Later is an influencer platform that helps everyday creators earn real income by connecting them with top retailers and brand campaigns. In 2022, the company experienced a wave of explosive growth, becoming the platform of choice for brands and influencers. As thousands of new creators joined the platform, Later found itself with more data than it could handle. It struggled to manage this explosive growth in data, while also needing to provide insights to its social media creator network more effectively. With Domo's AI and data products platform, Later has been able to capture the volume and complexity of its data, using data and Domo to support its creators in selling and earning more. Creators are earning revenue faster as Domo helps Later identify and map how its 750 most successful creators use the Later platform and establish a 'golden path' to success. With these unlocked insights, Later now provides creators with the insights and actions they can take to make the most of their experience on Later, increasing engagement while delivering more value to brand partners. 'Domo is literally at every level of our business, and it has really created a data-driven culture here,' said Emily Sutton, chief of staff at Later. 'Not only are we looking at it from a C-suite perspective, but people at all levels are using Domo daily to drive decision-making for the business.' As it continues to grow and expand, Later is looking at its potential to rival paid search and social with the same level of simplicity and data. Instead of viewing influencer marketing as a top-of-funnel way to drive brand awareness, Later is utilizing Domo's platform to help brands understand how creators can drive revenue. 'With the rapid expansion and use of social platforms, Later has captured the power of data so that its creators can grow and scale efficiently in the fast-paced retail and marketing space,' said Mark Maughan, chief operating officer at Domo. 'We're thrilled that Later chose Domo to support the organization and its thousands of creators and influencers with the data and insights they need to drive revenue opportunities.' To learn more about how innovative organizations like Later are using Domo to build AI and data products that generate measurable business value, visit About Later Later is the leader in data-driven influencer marketing and social media management. Our integrated platform and services help enterprise brands and agencies turn creator partnerships into predictable revenue channels through proprietary insights from 200K+ high-affinity creators and billions of social interactions. We deliver unmatched transparency and real-time performance data that shows the full-funnel impact of every campaign. Learn more at About Domo Domo is an AI and Data Products platform that helps companies of all sizes leverage data and AI to drive value in today's data-driven world. Built around our customers' preferred data foundation, powered by our award-winning solution, and enriched with our partner ecosystem, the Domo platform enables users to prepare, visualize, automate, distribute, and build end-to-end data products that provide solutions across the entire data journey. From hydrating your data foundation, to building fully embedded applications that can be shared with your employees and customers, to deploying AI models across a variety of providers, Domo gives users the ability to build data products that generate measurable value for the business. For more information, visit You can also follow Domo on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook. Domo is a registered trademark of Domo, Inc.
Los Angeles Times
28-06-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Buy now, pay later loans will soon affect some credit scores
NEW YORK — Hundreds of millions of 'Buy Now, Pay Later' loans will soon affect credit scores for millions of Americans who use the loans to buy clothing, furniture, concert tickets, and takeout. Scoring company FICO said Monday that it is rolling out a new model that factors the short-term loans into their consumer scores. A majority of lenders use FICO scores to determine a borrower's credit worthiness. Previously, the loans had been excluded, though Buy Now, Pay Later company Affirm began voluntarily reporting pay-in-four loans to Experian, a separate credit bureau, in April. The new FICO scores will be available beginning in the fall, as an option for lenders to increase visibility into consumers' repayment behavior, the company said. Still, not all Buy Now, Pay Later companies share their data with the credit bureaus, and not all lenders will opt in to using the new models, so widespread adoption could take time, according to Adam Rust, director of financial services at the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America. Here's what to know. Typically, when using Buy Now, Pay Later loans, consumers pay for a given purchase in four installments over six weeks, in a model more similar to layaway than to a traditional credit card. The loans are marketed as zero-interest, and most require no credit check or only a soft credit check. The main three credit reporting bureaus, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, haven't yet incorporated a standard way of including these new financial products in their reports, since they don't adhere to existing models of lending and repayment. FICO, the score of the Fair Isaac Corporation, uses data from the bureaus to calculate its own credit score, and is independently choosing to pilot a new score that takes the loans into account. BNPL providers promote the plans as safer alternatives to credit cards, while consumer advocates warn about 'loan stacking,' in which consumers take on many loans at once across several companies. So far, there's been little visibility into this practice in the industry, and the opacity has led to warnings of 'phantom debt' that could mask the health of the consumer. In a statement, FICO said that their new credit score model is accounting for the growing significance of the loans in the U.S. credit ecosystem. 'Buy Now, Pay Later loans are playing an increasingly important role in consumers' financial lives,' said Julie May, vice president and general manager of business-to-business scores at FICO. 'We're enabling lenders to more accurately evaluate credit readiness, especially for consumers whose first credit experience is through BNPL products.' FICO said the new model will responsibly expand access to credit. Many users of BNPL loans are younger consumers and consumers who may not have good or lengthy credit histories. In a joint study with Affirm, FICO trained its new scores on a sample of more than 500,000 BNPL borrowers and found that consumers with five or more loans typically saw their scores increase or remain stable under the new model. For consumers who pay back their BNPL loans in a timely way, the new credit scoring model could help them improve their credit scores, increasing access to mortgages, car loans, and apartment rentals. Currently, the loans don't typically contribute directly to improved scores, though missed payments can hurt or ding a score. Since March, credit scores have declined steeply for millions, as student loan payments resume and many student borrowers find themselves unable to make regular payments on their federal student loans. Nadine Chabrier, senior policy and litigation counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, said her main concern is that the integration of the loans into a score could have unexpected negative effects on people who are already credit-restrained. 'There isn't a lot of information out there about how integrating BNPL into credit scoring will work out,' Chabrier said. 'FICO simulated the effect on credit scoring through a study. They saw that some users' scores increased. But if you factor in something that, last week, didn't affect your credit, and this week, it does, without having very much information about the modeling, it's a little hard to tell what the consequences will be.' Chabrier cited research that's shown that many BNPL users have revolving credit card balances, lower credit scores, delinquencies, and existing debt. Women of color are also more likely to use the loans, she said. 'This is a credit vulnerable community,' said Chabrier. Rust, of the Consumer Federation of America, said he doesn't expect this to be a game-changer for consumers who already have a credit profile. 'Are we at a point where using BNPL loans will dramatically alter your credit profile? Probably not,' he said. 'I think it's important that people have reasonable expectations.' Rust said the average BNPL loan is for $135, and that repaying such small loans, even consistently, might not result in changes to a credit score that would significantly move the needle. 'It's not about going from 620 to 624. It's about going from 620 to 780,' he said, referring to the kind of credit score jumps that affect one's credit card offers, interest rates on loans, and the like. Still, Rust said that increased transparency around the loans could create a more accurate picture of a consumer's debts, which could improve accurate underwriting and keep consumers from over-extending themselves. 'This addresses the problem of 'phantom debt,' and that's a good thing,' he said. 'Because it could be something that keeps people from getting too deeply into debt they can't afford.' Lewis writes for the Associated Press.
26-06-2025
- Business
Buy Now, Pay Later loans will soon affect some credit scores
NEW YORK -- Hundreds of millions of 'Buy Now, Pay Later' loans will soon affect credit scores for millions of Americans who use the loans to buy clothing, furniture, concert tickets, and takeout. Scoring company FICO said Monday that it is rolling out a new model that factors the short-term loans into their consumer scores. A majority of lenders use FICO scores to determine a borrower's credit worthiness. Previously, the loans had been excluded, though Buy Now, Pay Later company Affirm began voluntarily reporting pay-in-four loans to Experian, a separate credit bureau, in April. The new FICO scores will be available beginning in the fall, as an option for lenders to increase visibility into consumers' repayment behavior, the company said. Still, not all Buy Now, Pay Later companies share their data with the credit bureaus, and not all lenders will opt in to using the new models, so widespread adoption could take time, according to Adam Rust, director of financial services at the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America. Here's what to know. Typically, when using Buy Now, Pay Later loans, consumers pay for a given purchase in four installments over six weeks, in a model more similar to layaway than to a traditional credit card. The loans are marketed as zero-interest, and most require no credit check or only a soft credit check. The main three credit reporting bureaus, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax, haven't yet incorporated a standard way of including these new financial products in their reports, since they don't adhere to existing models of lending and repayment. FICO, the score of the Fair Isaac Corporation, uses data from the bureaus to calculate its own credit score, and is independently choosing to pilot a new score that takes the loans into account. BNPL providers promote the plans as safer alternatives to credit cards, while consumer advocates warn about 'loan stacking,' in which consumers take on many loans at once across several companies. So far, there's been little visibility into this practice in the industry, and the opacity has led to warnings of 'phantom debt" that could mask the health of the consumer. In a statement, FICO said that their new credit score model is accounting for the growing significance of the loans in the U.S. credit ecosystem. 'Buy Now, Pay Later loans are playing an increasingly important role in consumers' financial lives,' said Julie May, vice president and general manager of business-to-business scores at FICO. 'We're enabling lenders to more accurately evaluate credit readiness, especially for consumers whose first credit experience is through BNPL products." FICO said the new model will responsibly expand access to credit. Many users of BNPL loans are younger consumers and consumers who may not have good or lengthy credit histories. In a joint study with Affirm, FICO trained its new scores on a sample of more than 500,000 BNPL borrowers and found that consumers with five or more loans typically saw their scores increase or remain stable under the new model. For consumers who pay back their BNPL loans in a timely way, the new credit scoring model could help them improve their credit scores, increasing access to mortgages, car loans, and apartment rentals. Currently, the loans don't typically contribute directly to improved scores, though missed payments can hurt or ding a score. Since March, credit scores have declined steeply for millions, as student loan payments resume and many student borrowers find themselves unable to make regular payments on their federal student loans. Nadine Chabrier, senior policy and litigation counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, said her main concern is that the integration of the loans into a score could have unexpected negative effects on people who are already credit-restrained. 'There isn't a lot of information out there about how integrating BNPL into credit scoring will work out,' Chabrier said. 'FICO simulated the effect on credit scoring through a study. They saw that some users' scores increased. But if you factor in something that, last week, didn't affect your credit, and this week, it does, without having very much information about the modeling, it's a little hard to tell what the consequences will be.' Chabrier cited research that's shown that many BNPL users have revolving credit card balances, lower credit scores, delinquencies, and existing debt. Women of color are also more likely to use the loans, she said. 'This is a credit vulnerable community,' said Chabrier. Rust, of the Consumer Federation of America, said he doesn't expect this to be a game-changer for consumers who already have a credit profile. 'Are we at a point where using BNPL loans will dramatically alter your credit profile? Probably not,' he said. 'I think it's important that people have reasonable expectations.' Rust said the average BNPL loan is for $135, and that repaying such small loans, even consistently, might not result in changes to a credit score that would significantly move the needle. 'It's not about going from 620 to 624. It's about going from 620 to 780,' he said, referring to the kind of credit score jumps that affect one's credit card offers, interest rates on loans, and the like. Still, Rust said that increased transparency around the loans could create a more accurate picture of a consumer's debts, which could improve accurate underwriting and keep consumers from over-extending themselves. 'This addresses the problem of 'phantom debt,' and that's a good thing,' he said. 'Because it could be something that keeps people from getting too deeply into debt they can't afford.' The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
