
Accenture beats third-quarter revenue estimates
FILE PHOTO: Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Accenture logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
(Reuters) -Accenture beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter revenue on Friday, driven by growing demand for the consulting giant's AI-driven services from enterprise customers.
It reported revenue of $17.7 billion for the quarter ended May 31, compared with analysts' average estimate of $17.30 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Shares of the company fell 2.6% in premarket trading after Accenture said new bookings decreased 6% to $19.7 billion in the third quarter.
The company is grappling with weak U.S. federal contracting environment as the Trump administration has slowed new contracts and cut existing agreements in a bid to reduce federal spending.
The company said these changes have not had a material impact on its operations or financial condition.
(Reporting by Meghana Khare and Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Putin says Russia plans to deepen military-technical ties with 'friendly countries'
Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia intends to develop military and technical cooperation with "friendly countries" with whom Moscow wants to jointly produce arms and train military personnel. In a speech at Russia's showcase economic forum in St Petersburg, Putin said Moscow also planned to modernise its own armed forces and their bases by equipping them with the latest weapons and technology. "We will harness new technology to improve the combat capabilities of the Russian armed forces, modernise military infrastructure facilities, (and) equip them with the latest technology and weapons and equipment," he said. "At the same time, we intend to develop military-technical co-operation with friendly countries. And we are talking not only about supplies or the modernisation of equipment and weapons, but also about joint development, personnel training, and the creation of turn-key enterprises and production facilities," he said. Talking about global trade, Putin said Russia planned to develop trade ties with its partners by removing barriers, opening up market niches and deepening investment cooperation. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Gleb StolyarovEditing by Andrew Osborn )

Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Africa pioneers low-cost, non-dollar payment systems, defying Trump's de-dollarisation threats
PAPSS payment system allows trade settlement in local currencies Experts says move aims of lowering trade costs South Africa using G20 presidency to advance local payments US President Trump warns against de-dollarisation efforts NAIROBI, June 20 — Africa's push for local currency payments systems — once little more than an aspiration — is finally making concrete gains, bringing the promise of less costly trade to a continent long hobbled by resource-sapping dollar transactions. But efforts to move away from the dollar face strong opposition and the threat of retaliation from US President Donald Trump, who is determined to preserve it as the dominant currency for global trade. The move by Africa to create payments systems that do not rely on the greenback mirrors a push by China to develop financial systems independent of Western institutions. Countries like Russia, which face economic sanctions, are also keen for an alternative to the dollar. But while that movement has gained a sense of urgency due to shifting trade patterns and geopolitical realignments following President Trump's return to the White House, African advocates for payment alternatives are making their case based on costs. 'Our goal, contrary to what people might think, is not de-dollarisation,' said Mike Ogbalu, chief executive of the Pan-African Payments and Settlements System, which allows parties to transact directly in local currencies, bypassing the dollar. 'If you look at African economies, you'll find that they struggle with availability for third-party global currencies to settle transactions,' he said. Africa's commercial banks typically rely on overseas counterparts, through so-called correspondent banking relationships, to facilitate settlements of international payments. That includes payments between African neighbours. That adds significantly to transaction costs that, along with other factors like poor transport infrastructure, have made trade in Africa 50 per cent more expensive than the global average, according to the UN Trade and Development agency. It is also among the reasons so much of Africa's trade — 84 per cent, according to a report by Mauritius-based MCB Group — is with external partners rather than between African nations. 'The existing financial network that is largely dollar-based has essentially become less effective for Africa, and costlier,' said Daniel McDowell, a professor at Syracuse University in New York specialising in international finance. A man counts Nigerian naira notes in a market place as people struggle with the economic hardship and cashflow problems ahead of Nigeria's Presidential elections, in Yola, Nigeria, February 22, 2023. — Reuters pic Homegrown systems According to data compiled by PAPSS, under the existing system of correspondent banks, a US$200 million (RM851 million) trade between two parties in different African countries is estimated to cost 10 per cent to 30 per cent of the value of the deal. The shift to homegrown payments systems could cut the cost of that transaction to just 1 per cent. Systems like PAPSS allow a business in one country, Zambia for example, to pay for goods from another like Kenya, with both buyer and seller receiving payment in their respective currencies rather than converting them into dollars to complete the transaction. Using currencies like the Nigerian naira, Ghanaian cedi or South Africa's rand for intra-Africa trade payments could save the continent US$5 billion a year in hard currency, Ogbalu told Reuters. Launched in January 2022 with just 10 participating commercial banks, PAPSS is today operational in 15 countries including Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Tunisia, and now has 150 commercial banks in its network. 'We have also seen very significant growth in our transactions,' Ogbalu said, without providing usage data. The International Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private sector lending arm, has, meanwhile, started issuing loans to African businesses in local currencies. It views the switch as imperative for their growth, relieving them from the currency risks of borrowing in dollars, said Ethiopis Tafara, IFC's vice-president for Africa. 'If they are not generating hard currency, a hard-currency loan imposes a burden that makes it difficult for them to succeed,' he said. Africa's push for local currency payments systems is finally making concrete gains, bringing the promise of less costly trade to a continent long hobbled by resource-sapping dollar transactions. — Picture By Choo Choy May Geopolitics and the Trump factor Africa's campaign to boost regional payments systems has found a platform at the Group of 20 major economies, with South Africa leading the charge as holder of the G20's rotating presidency. It held at least one session on boosting regional payments systems when South Africa hosted a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors. And South Africa wants it to follow up the talk with concrete actions. The next meeting of G20 finance officials is scheduled for mid-July. 'Some of the most expensive corridors for cross-border payments are actually found on the African continent,' Lesetja Kganyago, South Africa's central bank governor, told Reuters during a G20 meeting in Cape Town in February. 'For us to function as a continent, it's important that we start trading and settling in our own currencies.' Talk of moving away from the dollar — either for trade or as a reserve currency — has drawn aggressive reactions from President Trump, however. After Brics — a grouping of nations including Russia, China, India and Brazil along with Africans like South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia — weighed reducing dollar dependence and creating a common currency, Trump responded with threats of 100 per cent tariffs. 'There is no chance that Brics will replace the US Dollar in International Trade, or anywhere else, and any Country that tries should say hello to Tariffs, and goodbye to America!,' he wrote on Truth Social in January. In the months since, Trump has demonstrated his willingness to use tariffs to pressure and punish allies and foes alike, a strategy that has upended global trade and geopolitics. No matter its intentions in moving to more local currency transactions, Syracuse University's McDowell said Africa will struggle to distance itself from more politically motivated de-dollarisation efforts, like those led by China and Russia. 'The perception is likely to be that this is about geopolitics,' he said. — Reuters


The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Romanian president nominates Liberal Party leader Ilie Bolojan as PM
FILE PHOTO: Romania's Ilie Bolojan walks to attend a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/ File Photo BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Centrist President Nicusor Dan nominated Liberal Party leader Ilie Bolojan as Romania's prime minister on Friday after weeks of negotiations on forming a coalition government to tackle the largest budget deficit in the European Union. Bolojan will continue talks with four pro-European parties over cabinet appointments and fiscal measures and he is expected to ask parliament to give his government its vote of confidence next week. The incoming government must lower the fiscal deficit from last year's 9.3% of economic output to avoid a ratings downgrade from the last rung of investment grade and unblock billions of euros worth of EU funds. It will likely include the centre-left Social Democrats, the country's biggest party, as well as Bolojan's Liberals, centre-right Save Romania Union and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR. "It is in Romania's interest that the government is supported by a solid majority, and the parties understand this," Dan said. The four parties and the president spent weeks wrangling over ways to lower the deficit, hesitating over unpopular tax hikes Brussels, ratings agencies and analysts say are inevitable but which are likely to further bolster the rising far-right. The fiscal package will likely save around 30 billion lei ($6.9 billion) and entail an equal mix of spending cuts, postponed investments and tax hikes. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; editing by Alan Charlish and Toby Chopra)