Insider Intelligence spoke with Sanyu Dillon, executive vice president and CMO at Penguin Random House US, about brands building cultural fluency, entering the metaverse, and building digital communities with younger audiences.

ESG ratings lack the consistency and timeliness to inform research, according to a unit of Goldman Sachs.

Lower internet costs, faster speed could propel broadband adoption: The White House, members of Congress, and 20 ISPs are on board to connect low-income households, but ongoing fiber shortages could delay efforts.

Restaurants are experimenting with robots, but customers aren’t enthused: Labor crunches and high costs are pushing fast-food chains like Chipotle and Panera Bread to adopt automation front and back of house.

Biden administration raises alert on retaliatory Russian cyberattacks: The White House has briefed hundreds of American companies on potential threats, but municipal utilities and power companies could be most vulnerable.

House passes $52B chip R&D and acceleration bill: Tech companies are clamoring for the infusion of funds, which can increase the US’ 12% share of global semiconductor production capacity.

UK-based Monese’s in-house Credit Builder product lets customers develop credit histories through savings deposits. The data could also grow its lending.

Service providers are using their existing relationships with small businesses to move into financial services, taking on financial institutions by offering solutions like lending and bank accounts that are powered by partnerships, digital banking developments, and even in-house banks.

Fragrances will see about $240 million in US ecommerce sales this year, following a massive 72.9% growth rate in 2021, when consumers returned to social activities but stuck with their pandemic-induced habit of shopping online.

Biden Administration prepares to promote innovation through tighter regulation: The DOJ’s support for antitrust bill could level the playing field for smaller firms but risks putting Big Tech on the defensive.

EBA Clearing and The Clearing House are working with Swift to speed up and lower the cost of cross-border payments.

This sentiment runs counter to White House arguments that corporate mergers and declining competition lead to higher prices for consumers. It remains to be seen if additional lobbying pressure will quell the government’s toughening stance on regulation and if White House appointees can outlast lobbying efforts.