蘑菇AV

The news: Cohere wants to ease enterprise concerns around AI adoption with the launch of North, its new flagship platform. North is a privately deployable agentic platform that lets companies create, manage, and deploy AI agents entirely behind their own firewall. Our take: With the frenetic pace of AI model launches and the pressure for quick enterprise adoption, data governance and security can鈥檛 be an afterthought. Platforms like North give enterprises a path to adopt powerful AI tools without giving up control over sensitive information.

The news: Advertisers are increasing investment in up-and-coming digital advertising channels as the shift away from traditional continues, per a DoubleVerify study. Social media maintains the highest level of investment among North American marketers. Seventy-nine percent are already investing, while 19% have plans to. Our take: High-performing traditional ad formats are being overlooked because they鈥檙e harder to measure鈥攂ut optimizing for attribution over outcomes could come at a cost.

Imports like tequila and Canadian whisky are also expected to become more expensive. Energy costs may climb if the US enacts 鈥渟econdary tariffs鈥� on Russian and Venezuelan oil鈥攄uties that would extend beyond direct imports to products from any country sourcing oil from those nations. Auto prices are likely to rise as 25% tariffs on imported vehicles and parts take effect in April and May.

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) saw a $214 million boost from its acquisition of HSBC Canada. This contributed to the lender鈥檚 43% jump in profits, per Canadian Mortgage Professional. BMO鈥檚 acquisition of Bank of the West has increased its exposure to US markets, potentially shielding it from some Canadian economic challenges, per Wealth Professional.

Cross-border concerns: Banks with operations near Canada are wary of potential disruptions to cross-border ties and economic relationships, and how the strained relationships could impact the local economy. Over the next few years, community bankers expect:.

After a month of delays, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada before adding last-minute exemptions to goods that fall under USCMA (about half of all imports from Mexico and 38% from Canada) until April 2. The administration also added another 10% tariff on Chinese imports. China and Canada have since announced retaliatory tariffs.

In 2024, 蘑菇AV data partner GWI started offering data on respondents ages 65 and older in seven markets: the US, the UK, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, and Japan. For ease of comparison, our report features data for respondents ages 16 to 64 in all countries. But we have included the data for respondents 65 and older for those seven countries here as a supplement.

The news: Circle K owner Alimentation Couche-Tard has dropped its bid to buy Japan鈥檚 Seven & i Holdings, casting doubt on whether the 7-Eleven operator鈥檚 planned US IPO will proceed, Bloomberg reported. Our take: As 7-Eleven continues efforts to strengthen its core business, the failed takeover bid offers lessons for retailers and brands. Decisions involving globally recognized brands should be strategic, not reactive. Retailers must maintain flexibility to revisit IPO or spin-off plans as business circumstances change.

Spotify reported a successful January launch in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, and now plans to expand the program to eligible creators in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia starting April 29.