Latest news with #Braintree
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Migrant camp Labour vowed to shut will be expanded
An asylum camp on a former RAF base which Labour promised to shut is to be expanded to take more migrants in the face of a summer surge in Channel crossings. The Home Office announced the number of migrants housed on Wethersfield RAF base near Braintree, Essex will be increased by 445 from the current limit of 800 to 1,225 as a contingency. Sir Keir Starmer pledged in July, just before the election, that he believed Wethersfield 'needs to close' as Labour sought to move asylum seekers off large sites and out of hotels. The two other major sites identified by the Tories – the Bibby Stockholm barge and RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire – have both been abandoned and will be shut by Labour as accommodation for asylum seekers. However, the Home Office is facing a continued surge in migrants crossing the Channel with more than 24,000 having reached the UK so far this year, up 45 per cent on last year. In an updated statement, the Home Office said Wethersfield regular occupancy was now just under 800 but there were 445 contingency bed spaces 'which can be brought into use to help manage short-term pressures across the wider asylum accommodation estate.' 'If called upon, the contingency bed spaces will only be utilised on a temporary basis until such time as the wider accommodation estate is able to manage demand, and the number accommodated at Wethersfield will be reduced back down to 800 bed spaces as soon as possible thereafter,' it said. 'Any increase in inflow onto the site to use contingency bed spaces will be gradual (increasing the maximum inflow from the normal 60 per week to 100 per week) and subject to the same rigorous procedures and reviews as for regular occupancy inflow.' MDP Wethersfield in Essex is just 30 miles from the scene of confrontations over migrants being housed at a hotel in Epping and has been home to hundreds of single male asylum seekers since July 2023. The Tories, Essex Police and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst and Epping district council have urged the Home Office to close the Bell Hotel and move the migrants out. A further protest by around 1,000 people is expected at the hotel on Thursday. The Epping protests were triggered when Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a 38-year-old asylum seeker from Ethiopia, was charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Mr Kebatu denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford magistrates' court on July 17. 'Failed to reduce small boat crossings' Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly, whose constituency covers Wethersfield, urged ministers to shut it. 'I was never happy that asylum seekers were held at Wethersfield and while Home Secretary, secured a cap on the numbers of asylum seekers at there. I remain opposed to any increase,' he said. 'Starmer said the site needs to close, but is now increasing numbers. He and Cooper are doing this because they scrapped the Rwanda plan and failed to reduce small boat crossings. The first half of the year has the highest number of arrivals numbers on record. 'I will keep pushing the Government to reverse this decision and close the site as soon as possible.' Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel, a local MP who has also campaigned against the use of the site as an asylum camp, said: 'In opposition Labour said they'd close this site down but now they are expanding it because of their stark failure to get to grips with illegal migration. 'Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper opposed every new law I advanced to deal with dangerous people smuggling gangs, including life sentences, and they scrapped my Rwanda partnership, which would have meant illegal migrants being sent there rather than Wethersfield and hotels. 'Labour's dishonesty, incompetence and lack of transparency is making this situation worse and encouraging more illegal migrants to come to Britain.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
PayPal Beats on Strong Venmo Growth
Key Points PayPal beat top- and bottom-line expectations, posting 6% revenue and 18% earnings-per-share growth. The company raised its full-year guidance and said it continues to make progress on key initiatives related to stablecoins and other new tech. Expenses came in higher than last quarter, and free cash flow fell, but PayPal continues to reduce its share count. 10 stocks we like better than PayPal › Here's our initial take on PayPal's (NASDAQ: PYPL) latest financial report. Key Metrics Metric Q2 2024 Q2 2025 Change vs. Expectations Revenue $7.9 billion $8.3 billion 5% Beat Adjusted EPS $1.19 $1.40 18% Beat Total payment volume $416.8 billion $443.5 billion 6% n/a Active accounts 429 million 438 million 2% n/a PayPal Exceeds Expectations on Key Metrics PayPal grew revenue by 6% in the quarter and earnings per share by 18%, topping Wall Street expectations for both, as the campaign by CEO Alex Chriss to boost profitability at the payments giant appears to be gaining traction. Transaction margin dollars, a way to measure profitability, increased by 7% to $3.8 billion, and total payment volume climbed by 6% to $443.5 billion. PayPal is still finding ways to add new users to its ecosystem, boosting its number of active accounts by 2% year over year and 0.4% sequentially to 438 million. The company also reported 20% Venmo revenue growth and said that its Braintree payment processing solution returned to transaction growth. Free cash flow for the quarter totaled $692 million, about half of what was generated a year ago. And PayPal's $6.8 billion in operating expenses was up 3% year over year and up 8% from the $6.3 billion in the previous quarter. But PayPal continues to put its cash to use for shareholders. The company returned $1.5 billion in the quarter, including repurchasing 22 million shares of its stock. Over the past three years, the company has reduced its share count by more than 13%. Immediate Market Reaction There had been a lot of positive commentary from Wall Street analysts ahead of earnings, and investors apparently were hoping for more from PayPal. The company's stock traded down 5% following the earnings report release but ahead of the market's opening in New York on Tuesday morning. What to Watch PayPal expects to earn between $1.18 and $1.22 per share in the current quarter, in line with Wall Street's $1.20-per-share consensus estimate. The company did boost its full-year guidance to $5.15 to $5.30 per share, ahead of its previous estimate of $4.95 to $5.10 per share. Even at the low end, that's higher than the $5.09 per share analysts had forecast. Chriss started at PayPal in September 2023 with a mandate to focus operations and boost profitability. Results from the quarters since his appointment suggest the CEO is well on his way toward accomplishing that goal. PayPal, through Venmo and its checkout options, is already a major force in payments processing, and the company is investing heavily in areas like AI and stablecoins that represent both future opportunities and competitive threats. For long-term-focused investors, PayPal appears to be on the right course. Helpful Resources Full earnings report Investor relations page Should you invest $1,000 in PayPal right now? Before you buy stock in PayPal, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and PayPal wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $633,452!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,083,392!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,046% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 183% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025 Lou Whiteman has positions in PayPal. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends PayPal. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2027 $42.50 calls on PayPal and short September 2025 $77.50 calls on PayPal. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. PayPal Beats on Strong Venmo Growth was originally published by The Motley Fool
CNBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
PayPal beats on earnings, raises full-year outlook as Venmo growth accelerates
PayPal reported better-than-expected results for the second quarter and raised its full-year guidance for transaction margin dollars and earnings per share. Here's how the company did compared with Wall Street estimates, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG: Sales increased 5% from $7.89 billion a year earlier, as CEO Alex Chriss worked to roll off lower-margin revenue streams. Transaction margin dollars, a key measure of profitability, rose 7% to $3.84 billion, marking the company's sixth straight quarter of growth. Total payment volume, an indication of how digital payments are faring in the broader economy, beat estimates, coming in at $443.6 billion, compared with the $433.6 billion analysts had projected, according to StreetAccount. The number of active accounts rose 2% to 438 million, versus expectations of 437.8 million. PayPal shares have fallen 8.4% for the year, as of Monday's close, while the Nasdaq is up about 10% in 2025. Venmo revenue grew more than 20% from a year earlier, following a 20% jump in the first quarter, though the company didn't provide a dollar figure. Total payment volume for Venmo increased 12%, its highest growth rate in three years. Chriss has focused on better monetizing key acquisitions such as Braintree and Venmo. DoorDash, Starbucks and Ticketmaster are among businesses now accepting Venmo as one way consumers can pay. "We delivered another quarter of profitable growth, driven by continued strength across many of our strategic initiatives ranging from PayPal and Venmo branded experiences" to acting as payment service provider and other services, Chriss said in the statement. For the third quarter, PayPal forecast adjusted earnings per share of $1.18 to $1.22, compared with the average analyst estimate of $1.20. Transaction margin dollars are expected to increase 4% to between $3.76 billion and $3.82 billion, the company said. Ahead of PayPal's earnings, some analysts had struck a cautiously optimistic tone. Goldman Sachs noted that branded checkout growth was likely to improve sequentially to around 6%, up from 4% in the first quarter. Morgan Stanley pointed to stronger e-commerce data and progress on PayPal's checkout initiatives. Advanced integrations are now live at 45% of U.S. merchants, up from 30% in December, and are expected to help branded checkout volumes reaccelerate. The bank also flagged ongoing momentum in Braintree volumes. PayPal now expects full-year adjusted earnings per share of $5.15 to $5.30, up from its prior forecast of $4.95 to $5.10. While third-quarter guidance is roughly inline with expectations, the updated outlook implies a stronger fourth quarter. The company also projects free cash flow of $6 billion to $7 billion for the year.
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Is your CRM growing your business or just helping you survive the chaos?
Eldon Bothma, Sales Executive, and Hayley Blane, Dynamics 365 CE Practice Head and Solution Architect, at Braintree ask if CRM should do more than just keep the business afloat. Technology decisions are increasingly being measured by outcomes, not functionality. Decision-makers want to know more about how technology enables concrete business results such as customer retention, innovation or revenue growth, says Gartner. In its AI study, McKinsey found that executives are tracking revenue changes, cost changes and productivity improvements over technical deployment metrics. And yet, research from Gartner, Forrester and IDC has found that companies are not using the full potential of their CRM systems due to adoption and integration challenges, data quality issues, limited operationalisation, data silos and lack of skilled employees. In South Africa, many CRM environments remain either server-based or partially migrated which limits adoption of value-driving features such as deeper automation, AI and analytics. Even among companies that have moved to the cloud, appetite for investing in the advanced tools that unlock true scale remains low as companies are uncertain as to the return on investment and value provided by these investments. This reveals a deeper issue – many platforms are still treated as administrative platforms. Their function is limited to recording interactions, managing leads and story contacts. As a result, growth is disconnected from the system and dependent on manual workarounds, external spreadsheets or siloed departmental processes. It's just another piece of technology. Customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, once deployed as compliance tools or pipeline trackers, need to move beyond simply treading water and become enablers of sustainable growth. The question is – how? The start is to change the perception of CRM from a technology that merely replicates existing processes in digital form and helps the company meet a quarterly target into a strategic tool that enables expansion. To go beyond reporting dashboards and low-level automations and become more integrated within the business while delivering measurable benefits. When CRM is properly integrated into business growth strategy, it has the potential to move the business beyond reactive engagement towards proactive decision-making. This step takes CRM use cases deeper into smarter tools and capabilities thanks to improved data visibility and smarter customer segmentation. Sales, marketing and service functions start to operate in coordination rather than in isolation. Next, companies need to confront the maturity gap in their CRM strategy. It's easy to fall into a pattern of doing just enough – responding to leads, issuing quotes, reporting weekly figures, rarely using the system to anticipate trends, personalise outreach or drive customer lifetime value (CLV). Addressing this means assessing what the business is working towards and how CRM can get it there – features don't drive growth, alignment does, and that alignment begins with understanding. Many companies still lack clarity around what their CRM is capable of, others have inherited legacy configurations that no longer serve the business or are dealing with outdated workflows that actively impact responsiveness. In some cases, CRM tools are so heavily customised that future upgrades are either impossible or prohibitively expensive. Escaping this cycle means changing approach. Rather than viewing CRM as a technology purchase it needs to become a growth initiative. The implementation is scoped according to business objectives and functional rollout is phased according to user readiness and impact. Advanced features such as automation, AI and customer intelligence should be introduced as deliberate steps, accelerating performance on a strategic level. Fortunately, this isn't as complicated as it sounds. A dynamic deployment structure ensures companies benefit from rapid time to value within a scalable architecture using phased optimisation. Companies can start small and build towards a mature CRM estate over time, evolving both legacy and new processes alongside the business and what it actually needs. The right partner will also ensure the business is taking full advantage of every part of its CRM investment. The most successful CRM initiatives are those supported by advisory relationships where business analysts, security specialists and solution architects collaborate to map out capability pathways that consistently align with the company's revenue, compliance and service goals. CRM has to fit. It has to help the business anticipate needs and market demands. And it must deliver value. Otherwise, it's just technology. Copyright © 2022 - All materials can be used freely, indicating the origin Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bryan Johnson net worth 2025: Inside the fortune of the anti-aging tech millionaire
Bryan Johnson discusses brain-computer technology, age reversal, and Bryan AI as part of his goal to outlive biology. If you've been anywhere near the world of tech, wellness, or longevity trends in the past year, chances are you've heard of Bryan Johnson. No, he's not a Hollywood actor or a pop star, but his name carries some serious buzz. Why? Because this former tech entrepreneur has made it his life's mission to reverse aging. And he's putting his money where his mitochondria are. So just how much is Bryan Johnson worth in 2025? And what exactly is he doing with his millions? Who is Bryan Johnson? Before he became the poster child for age reversal, Johnson made his fortune in fintech. In 2013, he sold his company Braintree, which had acquired the now-ubiquitous Venmo, to PayPal for a cool $800 million. That single deal gave him the kind of financial freedom most people only dream about. But instead of retiring to a beach in the Maldives, Johnson decided to go full cyborg and challenge human biology itself. Now in his mid-40s, Johnson isn't interested in slowing down. In fact, he's doing the opposite, he's trying to turn back the biological clock. What's Bryan Johnson's net worth in 2025? As of mid-2025, Bryan Johnson's net worth is estimated to be around $400 million to $500 million. That's down from the nearly $800 million peak he hit after the Braintree deal, but it's by no means a fall from grace. In fact, much of that decline is intentional—he's spending millions annually on his passion project: Project Blueprint. He's been pretty transparent about his finances and his radical wellness routine. Johnson has said he spends $2 million per year on his health, tracking everything from his liver enzymes to his erections (yes, really). With a team of 30+ doctors and specialists, he's essentially turned himself into a full-time lab experiment with one goal: stop aging. Johnson's Blueprint includes everything from daily MRIs, vegan meals weighed to the gram, and sleep monitoring, to bizarre experiments like plasma transfusions from his teenage son (a move that made headlines—and raised eyebrows). He's invested heavily in anti-aging research, building out a company called Kernel, which focuses on brain-machine interfaces and cognitive enhancement. He's also pouring money into startups and science-driven platforms that align with his 'future of humanity' vision. It's not just about the cash—though there's plenty of it. It's also about the cultural moment Bryan Johnson has tapped into. In an era where longevity science, biohacking, and performance tracking are trending hard, Johnson has become a lightning rod. Some call him a pioneer, others call him eccentric. Either way, he's getting results: his biological age (as measured by various markers) is said to be nearly 10 years younger than his actual age. Bryan Johnson isn't your typical millionaire. He's not buying islands or launching space rockets. He's investing in himself—literally—and trying to become the 'most optimized human' on Earth. While critics question whether all the data, testing, and green mush smoothies are worth it, Johnson seems undeterred.
