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New Deloitte Canada report series highlights smarter regulation as a catalyst for faster growth, investment, and productivity 0

New Deloitte Canada report series highlights smarter regulation as a catalyst for faster growth, investment, and productivity

Accelerated progress is needed now as Canada intensifies its efforts to attract investment and strengthen its economic competitiveness across all sectors New York, NY (Sept. 10, 2026) – Deloitte Canada is pleased to announce the release of a new report series, Smarter Regulation: Unlocking Canada’s growth potential, which examines how regulatory modernization can help address Canada’s persistent productivity and competitiveness challenges. At a time when businesses are navigating economic uncertainty, global trade changes and slowing investment, the research finds that increasingly complex and fragmented regulatory requirements are limiting Canada’s ability to drive economic growth, foster innovation, and deliver on national priorities. “This new Deloitte series underscores the critical role that smart and effective regulation plays in driving and protecting investment, enabling innovation, and supporting economic growth for our country,” said Nino Montemarano, a Regulatory and Risk leader at Deloitte Canada, and lead author of the series. “Regulatory modernization is a powerful, controllable policy tool as Canada navigates heightened trade and geopolitical uncertainty. It’s imperative that the country’s regulatory framework is efficient, coordinated, and designed to reduce unnecessary complexity and unlock economic growth across all sectors.” As external economic pressures continue to create uncertainty, Canada must focus on controllable barriers to...

Trade war puts more than 50,000 Canadian small businesses at risk: CFIB 0

Trade war puts more than 50,000 Canadian small businesses at risk: CFIB

Toronto, ON (Sept. 10, 2026) – New estimates from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business find that 53,112 businesses are directly impacted by either U.S. tariffs, Canadian counter-tariffs, or both. Of that total, 13,160 are exporters, while 45,414 are importers. “While government has made a few important and welcome changes to the main tariff supports, the programs continue to exclude about half of the small business community,” said Corinne Pohlmann, CFIB executive vice-president, advocacy. “We have been telling government that the counter-tariffs would have a far broader impact than the U.S. tariffs. Programs that only help a few thousand businesses are unacceptable when tens of thousands need support. This week’s announcement that some Canadian goods will be outright banned from US import at the end of the month only underscores the need to get supports right ASAP.” CFIB is proposing three important measures: A dedicated Small Business Tariff Relief (SBTR) program, where impacted exporters and importers who can provide direct evidence they paid the tariffs directly, or adjusted prices to absorb part or all of the tariff, would be eligible to receive initial tariff relief up to $70,000 CAD. An SME Desk for Tariff Remissions to speed up decisions on eliminating...

Experian Launches AI-Enabled Decisioning Platform, Bringing Real-Time Underwriting and Cash Flow Intelligence to its Consumer Marketplace 0

Experian Launches AI-Enabled Decisioning Platform, Bringing Real-Time Underwriting and Cash Flow Intelligence to its Consumer Marketplace

Experian Activate™ combines credit, cash flow and consumer-permissioned data to improve offer matching, expand financial access and help lenders reach more qualified consumers AI-enabled decisioning engine brings real-time lender defined underwriting criteria to Experian Marketplace, its consumer comparison-shopping platform for credit cards, personal loans and auto insurance. First-of-its-kind platform to combine credit data, AI, and consumer-permissioned cash flow insights in one decisioning engine, helping match Experian’s 90+ million members to offers they’re likely to qualify for. Real-time, in-session consumer-permissioned data gives lenders a better view of a consumer’s finances and enables offers that reflect their financial profile. 60% of previously denied or under-offered borrowers believe the outcome would have changedi if lenders had factored in recent income and banking activity, underscoring the financial-inclusion stakes of the launch. Costa Mesa, CA (Sept. 10, 2026) – As lenders increasingly seek more personalized ways to evaluate consumers and expand access to credit, Experian® has rolled out Experian Activate™, an AI-enabled decisioning engine powering the Experian Marketplace, a leading consumer comparison-shopping platform for credit cardsii, personal loansiii and auto insuranceiv. Designed to help connect Experian’s more than 90 million members with offers they’re more likely to qualify for, Experian Activate is the only platform...

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New York Sues Polymarket, Says It Ran Illegal Gambling Operation

Article 0 Comments New York’s attorney general sued Polymarket on Thursday, escalating her battle against prediction markets, an industry that she says violates state laws against illegal gambling. Attorney General Letitia James filed her petition nearly two months after bringing a similar case against Polymarket rival Kalshi. She filed similar petitions in April against two other prediction market operators, Coinbase Financial Markets and Gemini Titan James’ case against Polymarket is the latest effort by US states to crack down on an industry that has soared in popularity since faring better than pollsters in predicting that Republican Donald Trump would beat Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Those states are also at odds with the Trump administration, with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission claiming exclusive authority to regulate prediction markets. Federal appeals courts are divided over who should oversee the industry, raising the prospect the US Supreme Court may need to decide. Prediction markets are best known for letting people wager through so-called event contracts on the outcomes of sports events, though people can also often wager on elections and cultural events such as the Oscars. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot) Topics Lawsuits...

Financial Horizons becomes the first major Canadian MGA to leverage Equisoft’s integrated insurance and segregated funds platform 0

Financial Horizons becomes the first major Canadian MGA to leverage Equisoft’s integrated insurance and segregated funds platform

The integrated platform will provide a more connected experience and help independent advisors spend less time on administration and more time supporting clients Kitchener, ON (Sept. 10, 2026) – Financial Horizons, one of Canada’s largest life and health managing general agents (MGA), is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Equisoft, a Canadian technology provider, for a centralized, fully integrated platform to enhance the capabilities of its independent advisor network. The investment is a foundational step in Financial Horizons’ multi-year technology transformation that takes a phased approach through 2027. Financial Horizons is the first major Canadian MGA to partner with Equisoft to harness the platform’s full capabilities to bring insurance and segregated funds operations together on a single system. “We know the challenges independent advisors have faced piecing together client information, and this new partnership is an important step toward creating a single client picture,” said Sean Downey, President & CEO of Financial Horizons. “As advisor and client expectations continue to evolve, we remain committed to investments that help advisors operate more efficiently today so they can spend more time with clients, strengthen relationships and continue growing their businesses for the future.” The platform will centralize systems that advisors and...

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FBI Investigating Hackers’ Claims of Stealing Employee Data

Article 0 Comments The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing hackers’ claims that they broke into the bureau’s systems and stole thousands of current and former employees’ data, the bureau said in a statement Sept. 23. A group known as ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the alleged hack on Tuesday. The gang said it had attacked the FBI in retaliation for statements the bureau had made accusing it of making exaggerated claims in the past. One of the hackers shared samples of allegedly stolen FBI documents with Bloomberg. The documents outlined what looked like health reports on FBI employees, which outlined medical conditions and prior mental health issues of named personnel. Bloomberg News couldn’t independently verify those claims. In an emailed statement the FBI said it “is aware of claims regarding unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov, a bureau career website, and is currently investigating.” Fbijobs.gov on Sept. 23 returned an error message saying the site was “temporarily unavailable.” A bureau spokesperson declined to comment further. On Wednesday morning, the FBI emailed all personnel saying it was investigating the hackers’ allegations, according to a person familiar with the matter. The email didn’t confirm that there actually had been a cybersecurity breach but urged...

Growing protection needs as risks become more complex and interconnected: Swiss Re 0

Growing protection needs as risks become more complex and interconnected: Swiss Re

Monte Carlo, Monaco (Sept. 7, 2026) – The reinsurance market enters Rendez-Vous de Septembre and the upcoming renewal season against the backdrop of an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing risk landscape. In this environment, Swiss Re is supporting clients in identifying evolving exposures and risk accumulations through data and analytics, underwriting expertise and tailored solutions to manage this complex environment. Urs Baertschi, Chief Executive Officer Property & Casualty Reinsurance at Swiss Re, said: “The underlying need for protection continues to grow as the risk landscape evolves and becomes more interconnected. Our clients need more than reinsurance capacity from us – they need risk expertise, data and solutions that help them navigate an increasingly complex environment. We combine these capabilities to help our clients understand emerging exposures, manage volatility and build resilience.” Growing natural catastrophe risk reinforces protection needs Natural catastrophe risk remains a significant driver of reinsurance demand. Insured natural catastrophe losses continue to follow a 5–7% annual growth rate, driven by increasing exposures, rising asset values and changing hazard patterns. Swiss Re’s modelling indicates that insured losses could reach around USD 320 billion in a 2026 peak loss scenario, illustrating the value of reinsurance protection against low-frequency, high-severity events....

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Google to Fund Power-Capacity Increases at Two Georgia Nuclear Plants

Article 0 Comments Alphabet Inc. agreed to fund capacity increases at two nuclear plants operated by a Southern Co. subsidiary that will add about 96 megawatts of new supplies amid a data center-driven jump in electricity demand. Alphabet’s Google will finance so-called uprates at the Vogtle and Hatch nuclear plants in Georgia via a new tariff, according to a statement Monday. An uprate is a way of expanding power output from a reactor by doing things such as replacing some mechanical gear. Southern’s Georgia Power subsidiary co-owns the Vogtle and Hatch facilities, and the parent’s Southern Nuclear business operates them. The arrangement is subject to regulatory approval. The deal comes amid growing scrutiny over who should pay for additional power infrastructure needed to accommodate soaring energy demand. The agreement with Google will help shield residential and other industrial customers from the cost of the upgrades, Georgia Power said. In a similar arrangement last year, Constellation Energy Corp. agreed to sell power from an Illinois nuclear plant to Meta Platforms Inc., while investing in improvements to the facility’s infrastructure. Nuclear power has emerged as one of the biggest winners from the AI-fueled surge in electricity demand due to its ability to...

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Missouri Contractor Faces $180K Judgment Over Fraudulent Home Repairs

Article 0 Comments Missouri Attorney General Hanaway announced that her office secured more than $180,000 in a restitution judgment against Daniel M. Carbone, owner of Concrete Impressions. Carbone was sentenced on 12 felony counts related to contractor fraud stemming from deceptive home repair practices in Franklin County. Through Concrete Impressions, Carbone falsely promised to provide concrete and other exterior remodeling work in exchange for large down payments. Despite being paid in advance, Carbone would do minimal work before abandoning the project completely, and in some cases did no work at all. Carbone left consumers with no materials for their payments and refused multiple demands for refunds. After being indicted by a Franklin County grand jury in April of 2023, Carbone pled guilty to all 12 felony counts in the indictment. As a result of his guilty pleas, the Court ordered Carbone to pay back $180,953.27 in restitution. Carbone was subsequently sentenced to 10 years for the felony Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person counts, seven years for each felony Stealing count, and four years for each Deceptive Business Practices count, all to be served in the Missouri Department of Corrections. All counts will run concurrently, with the execution of those...

SPECTRA Launches First Certification Framework for Insurable AI, Reinforcing the Critical Role of MSPs in Helping Businesses Deploy and Manage AI Safely 0

SPECTRA Launches First Certification Framework for Insurable AI, Reinforcing the Critical Role of MSPs in Helping Businesses Deploy and Manage AI Safely

New AI risk framework—built with leading MSPs, cybersecurity experts, and re/insurers and brokers—enters pilot as carriers move toward affirmative AI coverage for small and mid-market businesses Atlanta, GA (Sept. 10, 2026) – SPECTRA, the cyber risk management platform behind the first and only robust certification of cyber resilience for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), is pleased to announce an AI risk framework of 20 AI deployment controls, giving MSPs, their small and mid-market business customers, and the insurers who cover them a common standard of insurability for the deployment of AI. Over the last 12 months, the MSP industry has moved quickly from viewing AI as transformative for the channel and its customers to focusing on safe, scalable deployment that generates recurring revenue for MSPs. AI was the single most prominent topic at Pax8 Beyond, GTIA ChannelCon, CRN XChange and other major channel events this summer. SPECTRA expects the shift to create an opportunity for MSPs on the scale of the cloud migration that reshaped the channel two decades ago. Operating where managed cybersecurity and insurance converge, SPECTRA has seen MSPs of all sizes accelerate their go-to-market for deploying and securing AI as customers rush adoption into their operations. At the...