HSBC has stated it is not considering any acquisition of Citi's Mexico Consumer Bank, clarifying its strategic focus and signaling no intent to expand into the Mexican consumer banking segment through a merger or purchase.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 23.4% in the first quarter, purchasing 37,674 shares to bring its total ownership to 198,397 shares, representing 0.18% of the company's stock valued at $25.083 million. Other hedge funds also adjusted their positions, with Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC increasing its holdings by 1,170.0%, Sterling Capital Management LLC by 55.4%, Stamos Capital Partners L.P. by 44.6%, and Cohen & Steers Inc. by 40.9%. First Solar reported Q2 earnings of $3.18 per share, exceeding estimates, with revenue of $1.10 billion and a 8.6% year-over-year increase. The company has a market cap of $19.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.81, and a net margin of 28.95%. Analysts have issued varied ratings, with Goldman Sachs raising its target price to $255.00 and Hsbc Global Res upgrading to 'strong-buy'. Insiders, including the CTO, sold a total of 15,976 shares worth $2.515 million over the quarter, reducing their ownership to 0.48% of the company's stock.

Amundi Physical Metals plc has announced the issuance of 850,500 ETC securities as Tranche 737 of its Amundi Physical Gold ETC series, which will be admitted to trading on multiple European exchanges including Euronext Paris, Euronext Amsterdam, Deutsche Börse, Borsa Italiana, the London Stock Exchange, and the Mexican Stock Exchange. The total number of ETC securities in the series will reach 63,108,859. Each security entitles investors to 0.03966137 fine troy ounces of gold, with a nominal amount of $5.085 and an annual expense ratio of 0.12%. The securities are backed by physical gold held in custody with HSBC Bank plc and have a scheduled maturity date of May 23, 2118. The estimated total net proceeds from the issue are $113,487,913.35. Authorized participants include HSBC Bank plc, Jane Street Financial Limited, Flow Traders B.V., Optiver VOF, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC, and Virtu Financial Ireland Limited.

Entropy Technologies LP acquired approximately 172,343 shares of The AES Corporation in the first quarter, valued at $2.14 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.13% of AES stock, with notable increases in holdings by Point72 Asset Management, Ameriprise Financial, Invesco Ltd., Empyrean Capital Partners, and Raymond James Financial. AES reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, exceeding analyst estimates of $0.39, despite a 3% year-over-year revenue decline. The company achieved an 8.42% net margin and 19.02% return on equity, with revenue of $2.86 billion. It declared a quarterly dividend of $0.176 per share, yielding 5.4% annually. AES operates as a diversified power generation and utility company in the U.S. and internationally, with a market cap of $9.29 billion, P/E ratio of 9.19, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.46. Analyst ratings are mixed, with six buy ratings, two strong buy ratings, and one analyst upgrading from sell to hold. Citigroup, Jefferies, and HSBC lowered their target prices, while Argus maintained a hold. The stock traded at $13.05 on Wednesday, with a 12-month range of $9.46 to $20.30.

The global virtual credit card market was valued at USD 15.73 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 56.72 billion by 2034, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.86% from 2025 to 2034. Virtual credit cards, digital versions of physical cards, enhance payment security, reduce fraud risk, and support seamless online transactions. Key drivers include the rise in e-commerce, increased cybersecurity concerns, and corporate adoption for controlled spending. North America currently leads the market, while Asia-Pacific is expected to grow fastest due to expanding e-commerce, smartphone penetration, and favorable digital finance regulations. Major players such as American Express, Mastercard, Visa Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citibank, Revolut Ltd., Stripe, PayPal Holdings Inc., Marqeta Inc., and HSBC Holdings plc are investing in AI-driven fraud detection and cross-border payment solutions.