1+ min ago (119+ words) German cities and municipalities are experiencing a serious financial crisis.According to the Bild newspaper, the total deficit of local budgets this year will reach "30 billion. The problem is systemic: tax revenues are declining due to the... German cities and municipalities are experiencing a serious financial crisis German cities and municipalities are experiencing a serious financial crisis. According to the Bild newspaper, the total deficit of local budgets this year will reach "30 billion. The problem is systemic: tax revenues are declining due to the industrial crisis, while social spending continues to rise, Bild explains. Thomas Kufen, mayor of the city of Essen (North Rhine-Westphalia), said that "almost every German city is on the verge of bankruptcy."...

4+ min ago (1402+ words) Here's where we are right now: Google Analytics 4 still feels like learning a new language, third-party cookies are mostly gone, and your CFO wants to know exactly which marketing dollar drove which sale. Oh, and you need to do all this while respecting privacy regulations that seem to multiply every quarter. Welcome to marketing analytics in late 2025. But here's the thing'there's actually a viable path forward that doesn't involve either violating privacy laws or reverting to "spray and pray" marketing tactics. It's called synthetic data, and it's moving from academic research papers into actual marketing technology faster than most people realize. I'm not going to pretend this is simple. It's not. But it's also not as complicated as the whitepapers make it sound. Synthetic data is artificially generated information that maintains the statistical properties of real data without containing any…...

34+ min ago (190+ words) Hotels keep saying loyalty matters, but Accenture's latest research suggests many brands in Asia Pacific still treat it like a dusty filing system for points rather than a living, breathing revenue engine. Loyalty programs may be important growth drivers across the global hotel industry, but a new Accenture study says they're not delivering much benefit in the Asia Pacific region." "Loyalty in Asia Pacific is still largely treated as a cost center, not a growth engine," Emily Weiss, Accenture's senior managing director and travel industry lead, told Skift. Weiss argued that loyalty design is out of touch with what guests now expect. "Travelers today want more than points, they want recognition, relevance, and rewards that fit their lives." She said travelers expect instant gratification, with the ability to earn and redeem in the same moment "across everyday touchpoints." According to…...

34+ min ago (262+ words) DUBLIN (Reuters) -The European Union needs to revamp how it spends money to revive growth, curbing state aid and redirecting funds towards "public goods" that will be critical for future growth, Dutch central bank chief Olaf Sleijpen said on Tuesday. European growth has been stuck at anaemic levels for years and policymakers have been debating possible reforms to revive a bloc that is quickly falling behind global peers and already badly trails on investment into artificial intelligence, a dominant theme for the years ahead. "The EU budget is still focused on the economy of the past, and not so much on providing the public goods that are necessary for the economy of the future," Sleijpen, one of the newest members of the ECB's rate-setting Governing Council, said in Dublin. "Agricultural subsidies and cohesion funds together account for more than two-thirds…...

34+ min ago (262+ words) DUBLIN (Reuters) -The European Union needs to revamp how it spends money to revive growth, curbing state aid and redirecting funds towards "public goods" that will be critical for future growth, Dutch central bank chief Olaf Sleijpen said on Tuesday. European growth has been stuck at anaemic levels for years and policymakers have been debating possible reforms to revive a bloc that is quickly falling behind global peers and already badly trails on investment into artificial intelligence, a dominant theme for the years ahead. "The EU budget is still focused on the economy of the past, and not so much on providing the public goods that are necessary for the economy of the future," Sleijpen, one of the newest members of the ECB's rate-setting Governing Council, said in Dublin. "Agricultural subsidies and cohesion funds together account for more than two-thirds…...

34+ min ago (250+ words) At FMLS:25, Huertas will join the panel discussion "Educators, IBs and Regional Growth Drivers, providing insights into building long-term, resilient relationships based on trust and transparency. He will also share learnings from Tickmills expansion and strategic efforts in Latin America. "Latin America is a market with unique challenges and enormous potential. Building success here requires strong IB networks, genuine relationships with clients, and a trusted brand presence. Education supports these efforts, but partnerships and client engagement remain the true growth drivers." Tickmill is building greater awareness in Latin America and has recently strengthened its footprint with a growing client base. Huertas played a key role in driving visibility and trust, particularly through partnerships and IB relationships, before stepping into his broader role overseeing all activity in the region this year. LATAM remains a strategic focus for the group, with Huertas…...

58+ min ago (503+ words) New Delhi, Nov 25 (PTI) India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) on Tuesday raised India's GDP growth projection for the current fiscal to 7 per cent on the back of high growth in the June quarter and less impact of the US tariff hike on global growth and trade. Ind-Ra expects GDP in FY26 to grow 7 per cent year-on-year (YoY), 70 basis points higher than its earlier forecast of 6.3 per cent (projected in July 2025), the rating agency said in a statement. The RBI has projected India's GDP growth in the current fiscal year at 6.8 per cent, better than the 6.5 per cent expansion in the last fiscal year. India's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at the fastest pace in five quarters at 7.8 per cent in the April to June period of FY26. The official data for Q2 (July-September) GDP growth estimates is scheduled to be released on…...

1+ hour, 2+ min ago (438+ words) As retailers and enterprises across South Africa prepare for the annual Black Friday surge on 28 November, network resilience is once again in sharp focus. For many organisations, the festive trading season is the ultimate stress test, one where downtime can have immediate and costly consequences. Online transaction volumes continue to climb each year. During Black Friday 2024, PayFast recorded a peak of 2 185 transactions per minute, while just three of South Africa's banks reported more than R30 billion spent. With most of those sales reliant on digital platforms, payment gateways and cloud-based systems, uninterrupted connectivity has become a cornerstone of operational success. Yet South Africa's connectivity landscape remains vulnerable to disruption. Fibre breaks caused by construction or theft, power interruptions and network congestion all pose real risks during high-demand periods. A single outage at the wrong moment can affect everything from in-store payment…...

1+ hour, 6+ min ago (447+ words) Poor service during Black Friday can damage trust, generate negative publicity and erode customer confidence. Is Black Friday testing your CX? Black Friday is firmly established as one of retail's biggest events " and a major CX test. For businesses, getting it right is key to protecting trust and strengthening customer relationships. While shoppers look forward to great deals, the experience is frequently overshadowed by long waits, slow systems and overwhelmed support teams. For customers, these frustrations might feel temporary " something to rant about over coffee and move on. But for brands, the impact is far more serious. Poor service during Black Friday can damage trust, generate negative publicity and erode customer confidence. Even worse, it represents a missed opportunity to win new customers and delight loyal ones at a critical moment in the retail calendar. While customers are seduced by…...

1+ hour, 12+ min ago (758+ words) TOMS is rebuilding its brand by combining nostalgia with digital-first execution. CEO Jessica Alsing said TOMS has "a ton of unaided brand awareness" that can be reactivated with creator-driven storytelling. The brand is scaling its iconic footwear through digital channels, wholesale, collaborations and product-led relevance. Watch more: Inside the Next Chapter of Brand Building at TOMS Some brands become iconic, embedding themselves into culture, closets and conversations. But even the most recognizable names eventually reach a moment when they must refresh, reintroduce themselves and reclaim their place in a market that has evolved around them. That is the moment TOMS now occupies, and CEO Jessica Alsing told PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster in an interview for "The SKU" series that the goal is to lead the brand into a new chapter built on clarity, modern execution and deeper connection. TOMS has…...