Priya Sharma 
Reliance Retail’s net profit fell 14.1% to 2,805 crore rupees in the June quarter even as revenue rose 8.2%, exposing a margin squeeze across Indian retail. Digital commerce surged 46% while the group parent posted a record first-quarter profit.
Signals point to stablecoins reaching US retail checkout on card-network rails, not retailer-issued coins. The first at-scale rail likely goes live before the end of Q1 2027.
Avenue Supermarts reported an 11% rise in first-quarter net profit, missing analyst estimates as revenue growth cooled to 15%. New CEO Anshul Asawa flagged slight margin gains, but quick-commerce rivals keep pressuring DMart value model.
The June cluster of Nuvei-Payoneer and Deluxe-Celero deals signals that another $1bn+ cross-border payments acquisition is likely before the end of 2026. Here are the three signals and what could still delay it.
Klarna filed on July 6 to establish Klarna Bank USA, a Utah-chartered industrial bank, applying to the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the FDIC. A charter would let the BNPL leader fund loans with customer deposits and cut its reliance on partner banks.
AO World’s full-year results show revenue up about 11% to roughly £1.26bn and adjusted profit near £50m. Founder John Roberts says the online electricals retailer is just getting started on a five to 10 year plan.
Debenhams Group, the retailer formerly known as Boohoo, narrowed its annual pre-tax loss to £108m and lifted adjusted EBITDA to £53m for the year to February 2026. The results confirmed its shift to an online marketplace model is restoring profitability, and that PrettyLittleThing will stay in the group after returning to profit.
Coupang’s Taiwan flywheel has crossed the demand-proof threshold, and its market-entry pattern points to Japan as the next capex magnet. The likely outcome: a deepened Japan footprint signalled by Q4 2026, not a brand-new country.
Three independent signals from the last month point to network-tokenized rails, not closed-loop platform checkout, becoming the default settlement layer for agentic commerce. The shift looks likely to be visible by the end of Q3 2026.
Academy Sports and Outdoors beat Wall Street expectations for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, with net sales up 6.7% to $1.44 billion and comparable sales returning to growth. The sporting goods retailer raised the low end of its full-year guidance and lifted its dividend.