Core Insights - Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.'s (MMC) arm, Marsh, released a global cybersecurity report indicating that 75% of organizations are "highly confident" in their cyber-risk management strategies, with significant regional variations [1][9] - The report highlights that 66% of respondents plan to increase cybersecurity investments in the next year, with 26% expecting budget increases of 25% or more [2][9] - The findings suggest a shift in perception, positioning cybersecurity as a core business priority rather than just an IT issue, driven by the prevalence of third-party incidents and ransomware concerns [3][9] Investment Priorities - The top investment priorities identified in the report include cybersecurity technologies and mitigation tools, incident-response planning, and hiring security talent [2] - The report indicates that 70% of organizations experienced at least one major third-party cybersecurity incident in the past year, underscoring the need for enhanced security measures [2] Strategic Positioning - For MMC, the report positions the company as a trusted advisor in the growing global demand for cybersecurity risk management, potentially leading to increased service demand and higher premiums [4] - As organizations allocate higher budgets to cyber-defense, MMC could see revenue growth in its risk advisory and insurance brokerage lines [4] Financial Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MMC's revenues indicates a 10% increase for 2025 and a 4.7% increase for 2026, with EPS estimates of $9.61 for 2025 (9.2% growth) and a further 6.9% increase for 2026 [5] - MMC has consistently beaten earnings estimates in the past four quarters, with an average surprise of 3.5% [5]

Cybersecurity Threats & Solutions - Sandbox AQ announces Active Guard, a cyber platform protecting against AI and quantum threats for the Pentagon [2] - The platform has been in testing for over two years with the Pentagon and DISA and is now in production [2] - AI is being used as a vector of attack, with a Chinese state-sponsored actor using Anthropic's code generation tool to attack 30 US firms [3] - 75% of companies are using Gen AI, but only 6% have a cyber defense plan for its use, highlighting significant vulnerabilities [4] - The Pentagon is concerned about quantum attacks from China, with "Q day" approaching when Chinese quantum computers can deconstruct RSA encryption [7][8] US-China Tech Competition - Constraining China's access to hardware requires balancing with the growth of Chinese chip companies [5] - Chinese chip companies like Huawei, Morethreads, and Cambricon are gaining traction, supported by a domestic ecosystem [5][6] - The US needs to ensure a level playing field for firms like Nvidia to access global markets [6] AI & Quantum Computing - AI attacks are happening more frequently, using Gen AI as a vector for infiltration into US companies and sensitive areas of the Pentagon [3][7] - Quantum computing advancements pose a threat to current encryption methods like RSA, used by the Pentagon and US companies [7][8]

Cyber Security Threats & Trends - Cyber attacks are evolving from individual hackers to organized criminal groups with economic, political, or ideological motivations [4][5] - Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used by attackers to automate attacks, reduce the time to compromise a system (potentially from 10 days to a few hours), and lower the cost of entry by providing access to expertise and malware creation capabilities [19][20][21] - Attackers are shifting from technical exploits to social engineering, including voice clone attacks that can replicate the voice of a CEO or IT leader to gain unauthorized access or credentials [21][22] - Disinformation campaigns using AI-generated video, audio, and images are expected to increase, requiring users to verify information from trusted sources [26] Incident Response & Recovery - Incident response teams focus on transforming catastrophic events into learning opportunities to improve skills, collaboration, and knowledge within an organization [9] - A real-world example highlights a company with billion-dollar revenue that was completely encrypted, with all backups lost, leaving them at the mercy of the attacker [10][11][12] - In the aforementioned case, a partially compromised production file allowed the incident response team to develop code to reconstruct the file and restore production, preventing further losses [13][14][15] - Even with production restored, the company was still severely impacted, with technical departments lacking files, payroll unable to function, and customer/supplier trust damaged [17][18] Mitigation & Future Strategies - Companies should invest in training and education to promote the correct use of digital tools and data management [27] - Developing critical thinking skills is essential to avoid over-reliance on technology and pre-packaged responses [23][24] - Organizations need to evolve, develop critical thinking, and preserve human skills to navigate the digital landscape effectively [29]

Core Insights - CrowdStrike is experiencing strong momentum in its Next-Generation Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) as it aims to protect enterprises from evolving cyber threats, with record net new Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) in Q3 of fiscal 2026 [2][10] - The company has secured significant customer wins, including a major European bank that replaced its legacy SIEM with Falcon Next-Gen SIEM in a large eight-figure deal [3][10] - An expanded partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) allows millions of AWS users to access Falcon Next-Gen SIEM directly, broadening CrowdStrike's customer base [4][10] Company Performance - CrowdStrike's Next-Gen SIEM is rapidly growing and is becoming a key component of its platform, with strong customer demand and deeper AWS integration suggesting continued growth [5] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates a year-over-year revenue increase of approximately 21% for both fiscal 2026 and 2027 [5] Competitive Landscape - Competitors like Palo Alto Networks and SentinelOne are also expanding through platform innovation, with Palo Alto Networks reporting a 29% year-over-year increase in its Next-Gen Security ARR [6] - SentinelOne achieved a 23% year-over-year growth in its ARR, driven by the adoption of its AI-first Singularity platform [7] Stock Performance and Valuation - CrowdStrike's shares have increased by 51.4% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Security industry's growth of 15.9% [8] - The company trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 22.76, significantly higher than the industry average of 12.36 [12] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CrowdStrike's fiscal 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year decline of 5.6%, while fiscal 2027 earnings are expected to grow by 28.8% [15] - Recent revisions to earnings estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2027 have been upward by 4 cents and 3 cents, respectively [15]

Core Insights - VersaBank reported strong financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended October 31, 2025, highlighting significant growth in its Digital Banking operations and credit assets [2][10][19]. Financial Performance - Consolidated total revenue increased by 29% year-over-year to a record $35.1 million, driven by a 20% increase in credit assets [10][13]. - Consolidated net income for the fourth quarter was $5.2 million, down from $5.5 million in the same quarter last year, impacted by one-time reorganization costs [10][13]. - Adjusted net income rose by 91% year-over-year to $10.5 million, reflecting improved operational efficiency [10][13]. - Total assets reached $5.8 billion, marking a 20% increase year-over-year, primarily due to growth in the Receivable Purchase Program (RPP) [10][22]. Digital Banking Operations - Total Digital Banking credit assets increased by 20% year-over-year to a record $5.07 billion, with significant contributions from both the US and Canadian RPP portfolios [12][22]. - Digital Banking operations revenue grew by 31% year-over-year to $32.9 million, driven by the expansion of credit assets [15][22]. - The net interest margin on credit assets was 2.65%, reflecting a 13% year-over-year increase due to lower funding costs [15][22]. Strategic Initiatives - The company plans to launch the first tokenized deposit in both US and Canadian currencies, leveraging its proprietary encryption technology [10][21]. - Anticipated growth in the RPP portfolio is expected to continue, particularly in the US market, which is viewed as a significant growth opportunity [10][19]. Shareholder Actions - As of October 31, 2025, the Bank has purchased and cancelled 573,251 common shares under its Normal Course Issuer Bid, representing approximately 8.99% of its public float [10][22].

Core Insights - Insight Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:NSIT) is viewed as a strong hardware stock by analysts, with a consensus 1-year median price target of $117, indicating a potential upside of 38.89% [1] - A recent coverage initiation by Luke Morison from Canaccord assigned a 'Hold' rating with a price target of $100, suggesting an 18% upside from the current price [2] Financial Performance - In the third quarter, Insight Enterprises reported an EPS of $2.43, which was $0.06 below estimates, and revenue of $2 billion, missing forecasts by $0.15 billion [3] - The company anticipates a modest improvement in demand from large clients, with guidance indicating flat gross profit for hardware and a slight increase in cloud services [4] Future Outlook - The full-year EPS projection for Insight Enterprises is set between $9.60 and $9.90, reflecting management's cautious optimism [4] - The company's strategic focus on AI and cybersecurity through recent acquisitions positions it favorably in emerging sectors [3][4]

Core Insights - Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. is facing significant challenges in recovering from a cyberattack that severely impacted its production and distribution capabilities, leading to a notable decline in alcohol sales in Japan [1][2]. Sales Performance - In November, Asahi's alcohol sales in Japan fell over 20% compared to the previous year, worsening from a nearly 10% decline in October [1]. - Soft drink sales showed some recovery, with a decline of around 25% in November, an improvement from a roughly 40% drop in October [2]. - Food product sales decreased by about 10%, which is better than the more than 20% decline experienced the previous month [2]. Cyberattack Impact - The cyberattack in September caused significant disruptions, shutting down key internal systems for order and shipment management, forcing the company to process transactions manually [2]. - Asahi expects its supply chain to be largely restored by February, but the attack has resulted in a projected delay of over 50 days for the company's financial results following the fiscal year-end [3]. - The company acknowledged that a "short-term impact" on earnings in Japan is unavoidable due to the cyberattack [3]. Competitor Performance - In contrast to Asahi, Kirin Holdings Co. reported a 1% increase in beer sales in November, while Sapporo Holdings Ltd. experienced a 12% drop in sales volume for the same period [3]. Data Breach - Asahi disclosed that up to 1.9 million records of private information may have been compromised during the cyberattack, although no ransom was paid [4]. - Additional leaked information was found on the dark web following the attack [4]. Stock Performance - Despite the challenges, Asahi's shares rose by 0.2% on Wednesday, with a total increase of 6.2% for the year [4].

Company Overview - Mobilicom Limited is a provider of critical software, cyber, and hardware solutions essential for drones, robotics, and autonomous platforms [3] - The company positions itself as a sole and core solutions provider within the drone and robotics market, emphasizing its unique offerings [3] Market Differentiation - Mobilicom's uniqueness stems from two key factors: a strong focus on cybersecurity and being an end-to-end provider of critical elements for drones and robotics [3] - The company believes that cybersecurity will be a critical factor in the market going forward, which is integrated across its various products [3]

Japan still lags behind the US and Europe in defending against cyber threats and improvements are needed across the corporate sector, the nation’s new cyber chief said https://t.co/Ic8EAInHkA ...

This research was led by @_igorshilov as part of the Anthropic Fellows Program.https://t.co/O83ndSIXczIgor Shilov (@_igorshilov):New Anthropic research!We study how to train models so that high-risk capabilities live in a small, separate set of parameters, allowing clean capability removal when needed – for example in CBRN or cybersecurity domains. https://t.co/jX7ThUf0SF ...