Deadpool's got marketing tips for you.
Happy Friday. Welcome to The Chaos Coordinator! We are Brain Candy's snarky little sister, delivering carefully curated news happening across the industry (that you should probably care about) right to your inbox, with a hefty dose of irreverence.
?
In this issue, we dive into:?
What's happening in.....
PE/VC?
Blackstone's Side Hustle Just Got Real
Regulators are already practicing their concerned parent look.
Blackstone’s credit arm just became the cool kid at the $1.1 trillion asset manager party, surpassing its real estate biz with a casual $354.7 billion in assets. And, according to Gilles Dellaert, Blackstone’s global head of credit and insurance, this is just the opening act. "We’re in the very early days" of private credit's rise, and investment-grade lending alone could hit $30 trillion. Cha-ching!
But don’t let those dollar signs blind you—regulators have definitely noticed the rapid growth of this secretive market. With Blackstone raking in 185 basis points of sweet excess spread, they’re making it look easy. But can they stay under the radar? Not likely. The bigger the spread, the bigger the target. Stay tuned—this show’s just getting started.
?
?
Read more here.?
Capital Markets
Crypto's Got 99 Problems, But a $1.1B Deal Ain’t One
Stripe’s move into stablecoins means fintech's diving deeper into the crypto pool—and they're not alone.
Stripe just dropped $1.1 billion on Bridge, a stablecoin payments startup, signaling a new wave of fintech-crypto mashups. According to Bernstein analysts, it’s the biggest crypto acquisition by a fintech giant yet. This deal isn't just about the cash; it’s a vote of confidence in stablecoins as the next big thing for payments—minus the traditional banks. As analyst Eric Risley put it, the shift represents a “disruptive challenge to the traditional banking system.” Other crypto players are joining the M&A party, too. Komainu is eyeing Singaporean Propine Holdings, while Circle and Kraken are flirting with IPOs. Even Bitcoin miners are getting in on the action with a series of stock buyouts. Get your popcorn ready, because crypto’s merger game is just heating up.
?
?
Read more here.?
Generative AI / Tech?
领英推荐
AI Just Took Over the Trading Floor
Great at data, terrible at small talk.
Morgan Stanley is embracing generative AI in a big way. The investment banking giant has expanded its use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT tech to its prestigious institutional securities group. Dubbed AskResearchGPT, the AI assistant digs into the bank’s massive research library to answer employee questions at lightning speed, replacing those tedious phone calls and emails. According to global research director Katy Huberty, the tool is a "game changer," making staff up to ten times more productive. In fact, half of the company’s 80,000 employees are already using this AI-driven system.?Huberty isn’t worried about the bots replacing humans any time soon. "It’s humans who make the call," she reassures, though it’s clear that the machines are doing most of the grunt work. Welcome to the future of finance, where algorithms are the new intern.
?
?
Read the blog? here.?
Marketing
Deadpool Giving Marketing Tips? Yeah, That's Happening
Relax, your ad doesn't need to hang in a museum.
Ryan Reynolds may be known for his role as Deadpool, but he's also killing it in the ad world. Speaking at the 2024 Inc. 5000 Conference, Reynolds shared his philosophy: ads should be entertaining and culturally relevant—without taking themselves too seriously. “Too much time and too much money will murder creativity,” he warned, making the case for “fastvertising”—creating ads at the speed of culture.
Reynolds’s marketing company Maximum Effort (now part of MNTN) thrives on these quick, impactful campaigns, like the 2020 Match.com ad where Satan dates "2020" set to Taylor Swift’s Love Story. His key to success? Ads don’t have to be timeless. “A lot of companies are thinking, how do we create an ad that will one day flicker across the screens in the Smithsonian?" Reynolds joked. “It doesn’t work like that.” So, next time you’re tempted to craft an ad with the weight of a Marvel finale, take a cue from Reynolds: entertain, don’t overthink.
?
?
Read more here.?
The Chaos Challenge
Ready to flex those brain cells? Take on this week's Chaos Challenge.
Chick-fil-A launched the "Chick-fil-A Play" App this week—a clever move that expands their brand into a whole new digital playground. So, what’s the strategy behind this latest innovation?
Like what you read? Share the wealth and forward to a friend!