jakie skarpety do garnituru SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials are struggling to determine what caused a deadly plane crash that killed 179 people, with the nation saddened, shocked and ashamed over the country's worst aviation disaster in decades. Many observers also worry how effectively the South Korean government will handle the aftermath of Sunday's crash as it grapples with a leadership vacuum following the recent successive impeachments of President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minster Han Duck-soo, the country’s top two officials, amid political tumult caused by Yoon’s brief martial law introduction earlier this month. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel has failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on Monday sent its long-awaited report to President Joe Biden, a longtime opponent of the deal. Some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks. That's according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump opposed the merger and vowed to block it. Nippon Steel says it is confident the deal will go ahead. Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Survey: Small businesses are feeling more optimistic about the economy after the election A survey shows small business owners are feeling more optimistic about the economy following the election. The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Small Business Optimism Index rose by eight points in November to 101.7, its highest reading since June 2021. The Uncertainty Index declined 12 points in November to 98, following October’s pre-election record high of 110. NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said small business owners became more certain about future business conditions following the presidential election, breaking a nearly three-year streak of record high uncertainty. The survey also showed that more owners are also hoping 2025 will be a good time to grow. Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue just as the Christmas travel season kicks into overdrive and winter weather is threatening more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. American flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about one hour after a national ground stop order was issued by federal regulators Tuesday. The American groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, while Erik and Pete Nordstrom — part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company — recused themselves from voting. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. Stock market today: Wall Street rallies ahead of Christmas Stocks are broadly higher in trading on Wall Street, led by gains in Big Tech stocks. The S&P 500 was up 0.7% Tuesday. Chip company Broadcom was again helping to pull the index higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite was up 1%. American Airlines fell 0.4% after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. Treasury yields rose. U.S. markets will close at 1 p.m. Eastern and stay closed Wednesday for Christmas. An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally. In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration. What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. American consumers feeling less confident in December, Conference Board says American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market tumbled more than a dozen points to 81.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future. Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda's U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market.Alexis Mac Allister and substitute Cody Gakpo got the goals as Liverpool beat Champions League holders Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield to make it five wins from as many games in the league phase for Arne Slot’s men. The Reds took the lead when Mac Allister played a one-two with Conor Bradley and slotted past Thibaut Courtois seven minutes into the second half. Real had the chance to equalise with a penalty just past the hour, but Kylian Mbappe saw his strike saved by Caoimhin Kelleher. 🛑🛑🛑 pic.twitter.com/bUR6j4xtT5 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 27, 2024 There was then an unsuccessful spot-kick from the hosts as Mohamed Salah missed from 12 yards, before Gakpo popped up with a 76th-minute header from Andy Robertson’s cross as the Merseysiders recorded a first win over Real in 15 years and gained some revenge for their defeats in the 2018 and 2022 finals. While Liverpool top the table, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real are down in 24th place – the final play-offs berth – with just six points from their five matches. Aston Villa are outside the top eight on goal difference after a 0-0 draw with Juventus in which Morgan Rogers had a stoppage-time finish for the hosts ruled out for a foul, with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez having earlier made a fantastic save to deny Francisco Conceicao. Celtic, lying 20th, drew 1-1 at home with Club Brugge thanks to a curling Daizen Maeda strike that cancelled out a remarkable own goal by Cameron Carter-Vickers, who passed back without looking to send the ball into the net. Borussia Dortmund moved into the top eight with 3-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb, where Jamie Gittens, Ramy Bensebaini and Serhou Guirassy got on the scoresheet. A point apiece on matchday five in the Champions League. #AVLJUV || #UCL pic.twitter.com/rtjBsmYsO7 — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 27, 2024 Monaco dropped to eighth after suffering their first loss of the league phase, 3-2 at home to Benfica. Despite having Wilfried Singo sent off just prior to the hour mark, the French side took the lead for a second time via Soungoutou Magassa in the 67th minute, only for late goals from Arthur Cabral and Zeki Amdouni to give Benfica all three points. Lille, in 12th, have the same amount of points as Monaco and Villa thanks to a 2-1 win at Bologna, with Ngal’Ayel Mukau notching a brace. PSV Eindhoven, now 18th, produced a dramatic late turnaround to beat 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2 at home. The visitors led 2-0 through Danylo Sikan and Oleksandr Zubkov before having Pedrinho sent off in the 69th minute, and PSV then hit back with three goals in the closing stages, Malik Tilman scoring in the 87th and 90th and Ricardo Pepi then notching the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Red Star Belgrade registered their first win of the league phase by thrashing Stuttgart 5-1, as did Sturm Graz, beating Girona 1-0.

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South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, who introduced legislation last month to eliminate the Department of Education, told ABC News closing the agency could take "a couple of years." "We want to do it right," Rounds said, making it unlikely the department will see major changes on Day 1 of the next administration. "This is not just a 'make noise' bill. This is a serious [bill]. It's taken us a year and a half to write this bill." Rounds' "Returning Education to Our States" bill builds on one of President-elect Donald Trump's key campaign promises. It has a road map to elimination, sending block grants to states and redistributing major federal funding to other agencies, but it needs 60 votes in the Senate to pass and then be signed into law. "We've tried to set this up so that some of it could be done within reconciliation. Some of it we'll have to gain consensus on by executive order, some of which may very well take 60 votes. So we might not get everything we want," Rounds acknowledged. Rounds said he has not met with or discussed the bill with Linda McMahon, Trump's education secretary pick . Meanwhile, Rounds insisted that federal programs affecting vulnerable students and those with special needs will not be gutted. MORE: Congressional Republicans continue to introduce bills eliminating the Department of Education "We don't want to lose the specific offices that deliver particular congressionally directed funds, such as special education, IDEA and so forth," said Rounds, referencing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. "All of that is included in a redirection to other locations, but all those offices still remain with the focus of sending that money back [to the states]." Earlier this week, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a member of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, told ABC News that reaching a 60-vote threshold to pass legislation that dismantles the agency would be "very difficult." "We need to downsize it," Tuberville said. "More money needs to go back to the states, every state, and you know, we can have a group up here that can -- they can supposedly be the Department of Education, but to have [4,000] or 5,000 people up here makes no sense. I mean, we need to take as much money as we can, put it back in the states, put it back in the schools and give these students a chance." Augustus Mays, vice president for partnerships and engagement at the advocacy group The Education Trust, said block grants could disproportionately affect marginalized students. "If you were to take away, or block grant, the funding that goes towards IDEA, then you will have a situation where students with disabilities may not be getting the support they need towards a free and appropriate public education, which is required by law," Mays told ABC News. "That could be $34 billion from the federal government that would be going out to all these states to support those needs, and states would be picking up that bill. ... [Lawmakers] need to understand what that would actually mean if they were to eliminate Department of Ed," he warned. However, if the president-elect and his Cabinet picks start firing federal employees, education experts suggest it would be too tall a task for a diminished department to administer Education Department funds to states and have states distribute them to school districts. Clare McCann at American University said that is something skilled employees at the Department of Education would be equipped to do. "There's a reason the Department of Education was created, and it was to have this kind of in-house expertise and policy background on these [education] issues," McCann told ABC News. "The civil servants who work at the Department of Education are true experts in the field." North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican, said he disagreed with McCann's stance. "The goal is more education, right?" he said. "And do you need a massive government bureaucracy to do that? Probably not." Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie told ABC News he will also be bringing forward legislation to abolish the Department of Education within the "first few weeks" of the 119th Congress. "There'll be one sentence -- only thing that will change is the date: The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2026," Massie told ABC News. However, experts have told ABC News that Massie's one-sentence bill may not be realistic as all the funding that currently goes to the department will have to be redirected. "The Department of Education administers a whole lot of laws," said Neal McCluskey, an education analyst at the libertarian think tank The Cato Institute. "Those laws have to be changed about who runs student aid and who is tasked with making decisions about cancelling student debt and who decides or who administers Title I and lots of these other federal programs."

RAWALPINDI: As the ruling coalition and embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have officially entered dialogues, the latter sought government’s “timeframe” in connection with progress on their demands. Talking to journalists outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, following a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan, the former ruling party’s Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Tuesday said: “There should be progress on our demands within [a specified] time frame.” “Dialogues should be held within [a specified] timeframe,” he said, quoting the incarcerated PTI founder, who has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-I — one of the dozens cases registered against the former premier since his ouster from power in April 2022. The development came a day after the ruling coalition and the PTI came to table to defuse political tensions in the cash-strapped country. Negotiating committees, formed by the government and the PTI, conducted their much-hyped meeting in a conducive environment and resolved to continue dialogue process. National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who presided over the meeting, had said that the next session will be held on January 2 and PTI’s team would present a charter of their demands in the huddle. During his interaction with journalists today, the PTI chairman said that he briefed Khan on their talks with the government. “It was a routine meeting that lasted for half an hour.” The PTI founder expressed his satisfaction over initiating the negotiation process, he added. Gohar expressed hope that the government would address their legitimate demands. Responding to a question, the PTI chairman said that matters related to the civil disobedience movement were not discussed in the meeting.

What's New? America's billionaires enjoyed a stellar 2024, their collective net worth soaring by hundreds of billions of dollars on the back of a sustained boom in the tech sector. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which ranks daily the world's wealthiest individuals, nine out of the 10 individuals who saw the largest growth in their net worth since January are U.S. citizens. Elon Musk , the South African-born CEO of SpaceX , Tesla , and X (formerly Twitter), saw his net worth skyrocket by an astounding $222 billion for a total of $451 billion as of December 24. His shares in Tesla, which make up a significant portion of his total fortune, have grown by 81 percent over the same period. Taken together, the 10 centibillionaires—which included perennial frontrunners Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos —notched an additional $730 billion onto their collective net worth in 2024, a few billion shy of Taiwan's GDP. Why It Matters The staggering accumulation of wealth—boosted in early November by the re-election of Donald Trump and a surge in U.S. stocks—sheds light on the dynamics of economic inequality in the U.S. and its broader implications. These debates had already been ignited by the impacts of inflation and wage stagnation as suffered by America's middle- and working-classes, and in the past such high figures have prompted calls for higher taxation on the super-wealthy, as well as examinations into the influence of money in the American political system. What To Know The individuals on Bloomberg's list, ranked by the increase in their net worth over the past 12 months, are: Elon Musk (+$222 billion), Mark Zuckerberg (+$84 billion), Nvidia founder Jensen Huang (+$77.9 billion), Jeff Bezos (+$67 billion), Larry Ellison (+$67 billion), Michael Dell (+$46.6 billion), Larry Page ($46.1 billion), Sergey Brin (+$42.2 billion), and Walmart heirs Jim (+$39.6 billion) and Alice Walton (+$39.0 billion). The nature of the billionaires on Bloomberg's list also highlights the outsized and growing impact of technology on the global economy today, nearly all of the billionaires deriving their wealth from ownership of companies in this sector. The global reach of communication technologies, and the high scalability of companies dealing in cutting edge tech, means that businesses positioned at the forefront of the digital transformation are poised to reap even greater rewards, promising today's billionaires even greater fortunes in the future. On the other end of the spectrum, the continued downturn in the luxury goods sector has seen many well-known billionaires shed significant portions from their net worth. Bernard Arnault, the founder and CEO of LVMH who once held the title of the world's richest person, saw his wealth decline by $32 billion in 2024. Arnault is followed by Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, businesswoman and heiress to the L'Oréal fortune, whose net worth sank by $25.6 billion so far this year. What People Are Saying Peter Oppenheimer , Chief Global Equity Strategist and Head of Macro Research in Europe at Goldman Sachs, spoke to financial outlet Boring Money about the future of the tech boom: "The drivers of this success have reflected their ability to leverage software and cloud computing and to fuel high profitability generated by extraordinary demand growth. But their more recent surge in performance since 2022 owes much to the hopes and aspirations around AI." What Happens Next? Some analysts have likened the tech boom to the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and warned that this too could burst, hurting those who hedged their fortunes on the transformative power of AI. For now, however, technology appears to have triggered an unparalleled rise in net worth for those at the pinnacle, leading to levels of individual wealth never before seen in history. Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.

US, China agree to extend Science and Technology Agreement for five years

This is CNBC's live blog covering European markets. European markets are expected to open higher Tuesday, with investors keeping an eye on political upheaval in France this week. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 18 points higher at 8,322, Germany's DAX up 15 points at 19,922, France's CAC up 29 points at 7,245 and Italy's FTSE MIB up 43 points at 33,601, according to data from IG. Data releases Tuesday include U.K. retail sales and Spanish unemployment figures. France's financial markets will be closely watched Tuesday after Prime Minister Michel Barnier turned to special constitutional powers to pass a contested budget bill without a parliamentary vote. Opposition parties on both the left and right say they will back a no-confidence vote to bring Barnier's minority government down. The vote could take place Wednesday. The French CAC 40 index recorded a choppy session on Monday, starting the day lower before turning positive and then tumbling back into negative territory again. Overnight, Asia-Pacific markets traded higher , tracking gains on Wall Street after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite rose to new records overnight. U.S. stock futures were near flat Monday night. Goldman Sachs just refreshed its conviction lists of global stocks, giving 3 over 40% upside Goldman Sachs has refreshed its lists of top global stock picks for December by adding some and removing others. The stocks are featured in the investment bank's "Conviction List - Directors' Cut," which boasts a "curated and active" list of buy-rated stocks. There have also been plenty of additions to the Directors' Cut, including the following three stocks which Goldman gives more than 40% upside potential over the next 12 months. CNBC Pro subscribers can read the full story here . — Amala Balakrishner CNBC Pro: Buy this Canadian dividend growth stock with a 5% yield, Scotiabank says One of Canada's large financial holding companies appears to be an attractive dividend investment opportunity, according to Scotiabank analysts. The investment bank believes the value of the dividend growth is "not reflected" in the stock price and is "underappreciated" by the market. The stock is currently offering investors 5% dividend yield. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Ganesh Rao S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite close at new record highs The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both closed at new records on Monday. The broad market benchmark added 0.24% to settle at 6,047.15. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.97%, finishing at 19,403.95. On the other hand, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 128.65 points, or 0.29%, to close at 44,782.00. — Lisa Kailai Han European markets: Here are the opening calls European markets are expected to open higher Tuesday. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 18 points higher at 8,322, Germany's DAX up 15 points at 19,922, France's CAC up 29 points at 7,245 and Italy's FTSE MIB up 43 points at 33,601, according to data from IG. Data releases Tuesday include U.K. retail sales and Spanish unemployment figures. — Holly EllyattAlexis Mac Allister and substitute Cody Gakpo got the goals as Liverpool beat Champions League holders Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield to make it five wins from as many games in the league phase for Arne Slot’s men. The Reds took the lead when Mac Allister played a one-two with Conor Bradley and slotted past Thibaut Courtois seven minutes into the second half. Real had the chance to equalise with a penalty just past the hour, but Kylian Mbappe saw his strike saved by Caoimhin Kelleher. 🛑🛑🛑 pic.twitter.com/bUR6j4xtT5 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 27, 2024 There was then an unsuccessful spot-kick from the hosts as Mohamed Salah missed from 12 yards, before Gakpo popped up with a 76th-minute header from Andy Robertson’s cross as the Merseysiders recorded a first win over Real in 15 years and gained some revenge for their defeats in the 2018 and 2022 finals. While Liverpool top the table, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real are down in 24th place – the final play-offs berth – with just six points from their five matches. Aston Villa are outside the top eight on goal difference after a 0-0 draw with Juventus in which Morgan Rogers had a stoppage-time finish for the hosts ruled out for a foul, with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez having earlier made a fantastic save to deny Francisco Conceicao. Celtic, lying 20th, drew 1-1 at home with Club Brugge thanks to a curling Daizen Maeda strike that cancelled out a remarkable own goal by Cameron Carter-Vickers, who passed back without looking to send the ball into the net. Borussia Dortmund moved into the top eight with 3-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb, where Jamie Gittens, Ramy Bensebaini and Serhou Guirassy got on the scoresheet. A point apiece on matchday five in the Champions League. #AVLJUV || #UCL pic.twitter.com/rtjBsmYsO7 — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 27, 2024 Monaco dropped to eighth after suffering their first loss of the league phase, 3-2 at home to Benfica. Despite having Wilfried Singo sent off just prior to the hour mark, the French side took the lead for a second time via Soungoutou Magassa in the 67th minute, only for late goals from Arthur Cabral and Zeki Amdouni to give Benfica all three points. Lille, in 12th, have the same amount of points as Monaco and Villa thanks to a 2-1 win at Bologna, with Ngal’Ayel Mukau notching a brace. PSV Eindhoven, now 18th, produced a dramatic late turnaround to beat 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2 at home. The visitors led 2-0 through Danylo Sikan and Oleksandr Zubkov before having Pedrinho sent off in the 69th minute, and PSV then hit back with three goals in the closing stages, Malik Tilman scoring in the 87th and 90th and Ricardo Pepi then notching the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Red Star Belgrade registered their first win of the league phase by thrashing Stuttgart 5-1, as did Sturm Graz, beating Girona 1-0.

New Delhi, December 30: The share of Ola Electric fell around 3 per cent on Monday after some fresh high-level exits at the company, including its Chief Marketing Officer Anshul Khandelwal and Suvonil Chatterjee, Chief Technology and Product Officer. On Monday, the share was trading less than Rs 86 apiece, after falling nearly 3 per cent. Khandelwal and Chatterjee stepped down from their roles at the company, effective December 27, citing personal reasons. Both executives initially joined Ola's ride-hailing business before transitioning to Ola Electric Mobility. Ola Electric Sees 2 High-Level Resignations, CMO Anshul Khandelwal and CTO Suvonil Chatterjee Resign Citing 'Personal Reasons'. Several top executives of the company have tendered their resignations this year as the company faces mounting pressure. N Balachandar, Group Chief People Officer, left the EV company in November after overseeing HR for Ola Electric, Ola Cabs, and Krutrim AI. In October this year, Ravi Jain, Business Head of Krutrim AI, and Sidharth Shakdher, CBO of Ola Mobility, left the company. After a blockbuster sales figure in October due to the festive season, Ola Electric vehicle registrations dropped by 33 per cent in November. According to Vahan portal data, the number of registrations of Ola Electric vehicles in November fell by 33 per cent on a month-on-month (MoM) basis to 27,746 units. In October last year, this figure was more than 40,000 units. Xiaomi SU7 Surpasses Annual Delivery Target of 1,00,000 Units and Company Sells Around Total 1,30,000 Electric Sedans: CEO Lei June. Due to fewer registrations, the company's market share dipped to 24 per cent in November, which was 30 per cent in October. However, the company still maintains the first position in the electric two-wheeler market by sales. Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola Electric has seen volatility in sales in recent months. The reasons for this were attributed to increasing competition in the market and poor service and product quality. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2024 11:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com ).Ganesh Gopalan, CEO and Co-founder of Gnani.ai, has over 25 years of experience in marketing and technology. Under his leadership, Gnani.ai has emerged as a leader in voice-first conversational AI, delivering transformative solutions for the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) sector. Ganesh shares insights into how generative AI (Gen AI) is reshaping BFSI processes, enhancing customer experience, and improving cybersecurity. Streamlining Loan Approvals and Risk Assessment Ganesh explains how Gen AI optimizes loan approvals by automating decision-making and improving credit scoring. "By using machine learning models and predictive analytics, Gen AI evaluates financial behaviour, payment history, and even non-traditional data like social media activity to generate precise credit scores," he says. This reduces human bias, speeds up approvals, and enables personalized loan offerings. Additionally, AI-driven tools help lenders identify risks more accurately and customize products to match borrower profiles. Enhancing Customer Experience with Personalization Personalisation is at the core of improving customer experience in BFSI. Ganesh emphasizes how Gen AI analyses customer data to tailor financial recommendations. "Our AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants ensure instant, round-the-clock support, making interactions seamless," he adds. Gen AI predicts customer needs using analytics, streamlines processes like onboarding and claims handling, and reduces wait times while adhering to strict data security protocols, ultimately building trust and satisfaction. Fraud Detection Without Disrupting Genuine Transactions Gnani.ai’s innovations also bolster fraud detection capabilities. “Using Gen AI, BFSI institutions can analyse large datasets in real time to spot anomalies and predict fraudulent behaviour,” Ganesh notes. Gnani.ai’s voice biometrics provide an extra security layer by verifying users through unique vocal patterns, preventing identity theft or spoofing. The adaptive learning models continuously evolve to counter new fraud tactics, maintaining a balance between security and user experience. Strengthening Cybersecurity in BFSI Cybersecurity remains a critical challenge, and Ganesh highlights how Gen AI addresses it. "Our AI models detect and predict cyber threats by analysing vast datasets for vulnerabilities like phishing or ransomware,” he says. AI-powered simulations help identify weaknesses, while automated systems mitigate breaches swiftly, minimizing disruptions. By adopting this multi-faceted approach, BFSI institutions achieve robust security and regulatory compliance. Transforming Debt Recovery with Voice AI Gnani.ai’s solutions have significantly improved debt recovery for financial institutions. "We helped a top Indian bank collect over $1 billion last year using our voice-bots, achieving high conversion rates at reduced costs," Ganesh shares. Another leading bank saved over 30% in customer service costs using Gnani.ai’s generative AI voicebots. "Our voice biometrics ensure secure conversations, addressing privacy concerns," he adds. With over 100 BFSI clients, Gnani.ai streamlines processes from onboarding to debt collections. "We enable financial institutions to achieve operational efficiency while ensuring better customer engagement," concludes Ganesh.

The judge said he’ll make his decision after Combs’ lawyers and federal prosecutors file letters, due Monday, addressing outstanding issues.