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A Moody’s Ratings report highlights that artificial intelligence (AI) is set to boost global productivity by around 1.5% annually, but with uneven benefits, as advanced economies could see gains closer to 2% compared to roughly 1% in emerging markets due to stronger infrastructure, skills, and digital access. The research warns that AI will reshape labor markets through both job augmentation and displacement, with up to one-third of workers in advanced economies and nearly a quarter in emerging markets at risk - particularly in mid-level clerical and administrative roles, where women are disproportionately represented. While AI could strengthen public finances through higher tax revenues and improved tax collection, it may also strain government budgets as displacement impacts employment and consumption. Crucially, outcomes will depend on policy responses, with countries that invest in reskilling, education, and labor market support likely to strengthen their economies and credit profiles, while those that fail to manage the transition risk long-term damage to growth, social cohesion, and fiscal stability.

 

FinTech Futures

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued warnings to Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, and Stripe against denying customers access to financial services based on political or religious views, citing a recent executive order from President Trump targeting so-called “debanking.” FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson said that removing customers or restricting access in ways inconsistent with company policies could trigger investigations and enforcement under consumer protection laws, with particular scrutiny on allegations that some platforms have excluded users for ideological reasons. The move forms part of a broader push by the administration to address claims of discrimination within the financial system, though the companies have not publicly responded to the warnings.

 

Wall Street Journal

Judges in New York’s federal appeals court have overturned a ruling that found Argentina liable to pay $16bn to former shareholders of the oil major YPF. Burford Capital, which financed the case, described the decision that overturned a judgement against Argentina for nationalizing YPF in 2012 "very disappointing" and an "abandonment of minority shareholder rights." Bloomberg observes that the ruling is a significant victory for Argentine President Javier Milei, who had refused to negotiate with the plaintiffs, and helps clear his government’s path to a return to international markets at some point.

 

Financial Times

The U.S. Department of Justice has sent ​subpoenas in its investigation of Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, in a move which ‌shows the DOJ is moving ahead with its probe into the $110bn deal that would combine the two major studios, as well as the companies' streaming services and news operations. Reuters notes that Hollywood and Wall Street are intensely interested in the deal, which would bring together some of the entertainment industry's most lucrative franchises but be a blow ​to film and television jobs.

 

Reuters

A U.S. federal judge has dismissed Elon Musk’s X’s lawsuit alleging that major advertisers and industry groups, including the World Federation of Advertisers, the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, Unilever, Mars, Shell, and Lego, coordinated a boycott of the platform, ruling that the company failed to demonstrate harm under antitrust law. The court found that advertisers acted independently in response to changes in content moderation following Musk’s takeover, which had led to concerns over harmful content and declining ad spending.

 

The Hill

Bloomberg

Courthouse News Service

Reuters

A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Pentagon from designating artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic as a supply chain risk and halted a broader directive to ban federal agencies from using its technology, ruling that the government’s actions appeared punitive rather than justified by security concerns. The decision follows a dispute over a defense contract, where Anthropic sought to restrict use of its AI in autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance, and the court emphasized that while agencies may choose not to use the company’s products, they cannot impose retaliatory measures without proper grounds.

 

US News and World Report

Bloomberg reports that Amazon is offering $1,000 prizes to delivery drivers who share what they love about their jobs. The "My Why" contest from the world’s largest e-commerce company is for drivers employed by delivery service partners, a network of small businesses that Amazon contracts with to manage workers who bring its packages to customers. Amazon said the competition is meant to "spotlight the drivers employed by our partners and celebrate the diverse motivations for doing this work and supporting their communities." Jerome Sloss, a New York City delivery driver and a Teamsters union activist who supports a New York bill that would require companies such as Amazon to directly employ last-mile delivery workers, said: “They’re not even acknowledging us as actual employees, but they’re offering us $1,000 to talk about why we like ‘delivering smiles.’”

 

Bloomberg

U.S. consumer sentiment declined in March, with the University of Michigan index falling to 53.3 from 56.6 in February, as rising gasoline prices and uncertainty linked to the Iran war weighed on confidence. The drop, which was steeper than expected, was driven by weaker short-term economic expectations, although longer-term outlooks remained relatively stable for now. Higher fuel costs, up around 33% month-on-month to nearly $4 per gallon, alongside stock market declines that hit wealthier households, contributed to the downturn. The survey also showed rising short-term inflation expectations, raising concerns for policymakers that sustained pessimism could influence spending behavior and wage demands. “The persistence of high prices continues to be the dominant factor for consumer views of the economy, with 47% of consumers spontaneously noting that prices are currently eroding their personal finances,” Joanne Hsu, director of the survey, said in a statement. “Consumers with middle and higher incomes and stock wealth, buffeted both by escalating gas prices and volatile financial markets in the wake of the Iran conflict, exhibited particularly large drops in sentiment."

 

USA Today

Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving a surge in energy demand that is increasingly forcing major technology companies to rely on fossil fuels, putting their climate commitments at risk. Companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta are struggling to meet ambitious emissions targets as they build energy-intensive data centers, with many now acknowledging their goals may be delayed or harder to achieve. Despite record purchases of renewable energy, overall emissions have risen sharply - by nearly 50% at Google and more than 60% at Meta - while natural gas has become a key power source for data centers amid limited clean energy supply and grid constraints. Policy shifts, including reduced support for renewables, are further complicating the transition, prompting companies to adopt an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that risks prolonging reliance on fossil fuels even as they continue investing in clean technologies.

 

Los Angeles Times

U.S. multinationals are increasingly considering relocating intellectual property back to the U.S. due to more favorable tax conditions, but the process involves complex legal and operational challenges beyond tax savings. Companies can either transfer existing IP from offshore affiliates or assign ownership of new IP to U.S. entities, both of which require significant restructuring, including updating intercompany and third-party licensing agreements, ensuring enforceability of rights, and revising employment and R&D contracts. Successful IP migration depends on close coordination between tax and legal teams to manage ownership, compliance, and protection risks in a more complex global tax environment.

 

Bloomberg Tax

The private-credit industry is coming under increasing strain, with investors withdrawing more than $11bn over the past two quarters, even as funds raised $12.4bn in new capital over the past five months, albeit at a slowing pace. Record redemption requests have prompted many funds to impose withdrawal limits, underscoring liquidity pressures and raising concerns about whether the sector can sustain growth and continue supporting borrowers’ refinancing needs. While some managers argue that inflows still offset outflows and that redemption caps are protecting investors and stabilizing funds, others warn that continued withdrawals and weaker fundraising could signal a more challenging environment ahead, particularly if investor sentiment deteriorates further.

 

Wall Street Journal

A PYMNTS report shows that corporate adoption of stablecoins remains cautious, with 88% of firms converting them into U.S. dollars immediately, signaling that chief financial officers view them primarily as transactional tools rather than stores of value. This behavior reflects a risk-focused mindset, as CFOs prioritize financial stability, regulatory clarity, and balance sheet certainty, avoiding exposure to concerns around issuer transparency, compliance, and systemic risk. Instead of holding stablecoins, companies are using them selectively to improve payment efficiency - particularly in cross-border transactions, real-time payouts, and operations in regions with weaker banking infrastructure - where they can reduce settlement times and potentially lower costs. Adoption remains modular rather than transformational, with firms integrating stablecoins into specific workflows where benefits are clear, while maintaining traditional currency frameworks for core accounting and treasury functions.

 

PYMNTS

Research by the U.K.'s University of Sussex and King's College London which mapped sales, production and supply chain exposures of ​companies listed on Germany's DAX and MDAX indices suggests that German firms are so deeply connected to both the United States ​and China that they cannot decouple from either without ‌taking a severe economic hit. "Leading industrial players like ‌Siemens ⁠and BMW were built in a fundamentally globalized system and can't decouple from either China or the U.S. without devastating losses," University of Sussex political economist Steven Rolf, a ​co-author of the study, observed.

 

Reuters