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Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers?( MENAFN - The Rio Times) Agibank, a Brazilian fintech company, has secured a R$ 400 million ($ 64 million) investment from Lumina Capital Management. The investment values Agibank at R$ 9.3 billion ($ 1.5 billion), positioning it as a major player in the Brazilian financial technology sector. Daniel Goldberg, founder of Lumina Capital, spearheaded this strategic move. Goldberg brings a wealth of experience to the table. He served as Brazil's Secretary of Economic Law from 2003 to 2006. In 2022, he founded Lumina Capital, which now manages approximately R$ 7.32 billion ($ 1.2 billion) in assets. Goldberg's investment strategy often involves unconventional choices that yield significant returns. Agibank's financial performance has impressed investors. The company achieved a 46.5% return on equity in the third quarter of 2024. Projections indicate Agibank will close the year with R$ 8 billion ($ 1.3 billion) in revenue and R$ 30 billion ($ 4.84 billion) in assets. The company aims to expand its credit portfolio to R$ 100 billion ($ 16 billion) by 2030. The fintech operates a unique hybrid model. It combines a full digital bank with over 1,000 smart hubs. These physical stores provide assistance to customers navigating digital accounts. This approach caters to an estimated 100 million Brazilians with limited internet access. Agibank's strong cash generation and high profitability set it apart from competitors. Agibank's Self-Sufficiency and Strategic Growth Unlike many in the sector, Agibank can finance its own growth without relying heavily on external capital. This self-sufficiency has attracted investors seeking stable, high-performing assets. The investment from Lumina Capital marks a new chapter for Agibank . It provides the resources needed to fuel the company's ambitious growth plans. Goldberg will join Agibank's board of directors, bringing his expertise to guide the company's strategic decisions. This development signals a shift in the Brazilian fintech landscape. Agibank's success demonstrates the potential for innovative financial services in underserved markets. The company's growth trajectory challenges traditional banking models and highlights the importance of adaptable, customer-centric approaches. Agibank's rise reflects broader trends in Brazil's financial sector. The country's large unbanked population presents significant opportunities for fintech companies. In short, Agibank's model combining digital services with physical presence, addresses the unique needs of this market segment. MENAFN24122024007421016031ID1109028379 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

A local Jubo Dal leader was killed during a clash between two factions of BNP in Ulipur upazila of Kurigram last night. The deceased Ashraful Islam, 38, was joint convener of Kurigram's Ulipur Upazila Jubo Dal. He was a supporter of Tasvirul Islam, former president of Kurigram District BNP. Police and local BNP men said the clash took place between supporters of former district BNP president Tasvirul Islam and Rangpur divisional joint organising secretary Abdul Khalek at Ulipur Police Station premises at 7:30pm. The clash broke out while leaders of the party tried to settle an non-political dispute between some leaders and activists. Jubo Dal leader Ashraful, who tried to stop the altercation, was seriously injured in the clash. He was taken to Ulipur Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead. Tension spread in Ulipur upazila town soon after the news of his death came out. Angry leaders and activists of Tasvir Group vandalised the Sahawan Hotel owned by Khalek's supporter Aminul Islam and also set fire to the houses of Krishak Dal leader Abu Jafar Sohel Rana and former Chhatra Dal leader Firoz Kabir Kajal, who were present at the meeting. Kurigram Civil Surgeon Dr Manjur-e-Murshed said one person was brought to the hospital dead after the clash. Several others were admitted to the hospital. The Civil Surgeon could not immediately provide any information on the injury marks on the deceased's body. Ulipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zillur Rahman said he was on leave. He has received a report of clash between two BNP groups near the police station premises. One person has died. However, it is not yet confirmed whether he died of a beating or stroke. A local Jubo Dal leader was killed during a clash between two factions of BNP in Ulipur upazila of Kurigram last night. The deceased Ashraful Islam, 38, was joint convener of Kurigram's Ulipur Upazila Jubo Dal. He was a supporter of Tasvirul Islam, former president of Kurigram District BNP. Police and local BNP men said the clash took place between supporters of former district BNP president Tasvirul Islam and Rangpur divisional joint organising secretary Abdul Khalek at Ulipur Police Station premises at 7:30pm. The clash broke out while leaders of the party tried to settle an non-political dispute between some leaders and activists. Jubo Dal leader Ashraful, who tried to stop the altercation, was seriously injured in the clash. He was taken to Ulipur Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead. Tension spread in Ulipur upazila town soon after the news of his death came out. Angry leaders and activists of Tasvir Group vandalised the Sahawan Hotel owned by Khalek's supporter Aminul Islam and also set fire to the houses of Krishak Dal leader Abu Jafar Sohel Rana and former Chhatra Dal leader Firoz Kabir Kajal, who were present at the meeting. Kurigram Civil Surgeon Dr Manjur-e-Murshed said one person was brought to the hospital dead after the clash. Several others were admitted to the hospital. The Civil Surgeon could not immediately provide any information on the injury marks on the deceased's body. Ulipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zillur Rahman said he was on leave. He has received a report of clash between two BNP groups near the police station premises. One person has died. However, it is not yet confirmed whether he died of a beating or stroke.Los Alamos National Laboratory chief engineer joins nuclear fusion startup Fuse

Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns National Politics | Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Economists Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Executives Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020

Steve Mann: Have yourself a merry little fill-up

Washington (CNN) — Former President Bill Clinton was discharged from a hospital on Tuesday one day after being admitted for the flu, his office said. “President Clinton was discharged earlier today after being treated for the flu. He and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided by the team at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and are touched by the kind messages and well wishes he received. He sends his warmest wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season to all,” his office said in a statement. This story is breaking and will be updated. The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

New AD Eric Roedl comes home, seeking to build ‘championship culture’ at VillanovaThe AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Bryce Thompson scored 17 points, Marchelus Avery had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Oklahoma State beat Miami 80-74 on Friday in the consolation bracket of the Charleston Classic. Oklahoma State (4-1) will play in the fifth-place game on Sunday, while Miami (3-2) will try to avoid going winless in the tournament. Oklahoma State led 43-27 at halftime after making 8 of 15 from 3-point range, while Miami was just 8 of 27 overall. Four different Cowboys made a 3-pointer in the first half, with Brandon Newman making three. Thompson banked in a shot early in the second half to give Oklahoma State a 20-point lead at 49-29. Miami, which opened the game by missing 7 of 8 shots, went 1 for 8 from the field to begin the second half. Miami trailed by double figures the entire second half until Matthew Cleveland made a difficult shot in the lane while being fouled. He made the free throw to pull the Hurricanes within 75-67 with 49 seconds left. Arturo Dean restored a double-digit lead by making two free throws at 43.8. Thompson reached the 1,000 career points with the Cowboys on a shot in the lane with 13:01 left in the second half to give Oklahoma State a 55-38 lead. RELATED COVERAGE Thiero, Fland lead No. 20 Arkansas past Little Rock 79-67 Williams, Gary score 16 each and Nebraska shuts down Kalkbrenner in 74-63 win over No. 14 Creighton Tugler has 17 off the bench in No. 7 Houston’s 80-44 win over Hofstra Nijel Pack scored 20 points and Brandon Johnson had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Miami. Cleveland finished with 11 points, and Lynn Kidd and Paul Djobet each had 10. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballWASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday due to a technical issu e just as the Christmas travel season kicks into overdrive and winter weather is threatening more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. American flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about one hour after a national ground stop order was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. There were 1,447 delays for flights entering or leaving the U.S. early in the day, with 28 cancellations. Snow was falling early in New York and Dallas-Fort Worth International, which is American Airlines' main hub, was getting hit with rain. Dallas-Fort Worth had the most delays, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington, New York, Chicago and Miami Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. That’s because finding a last-minute flight on another airline yourself tends to be very expensive. Just before 7 a.m. Eastern time, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all American Airlines flights grounded in the U.S. at the airline’s request. American had reported a technical issue affecting its entire system with millions traveling for the holiday. American said in an email that the problem Tuesday morning was caused by a vendor technology issue that “impacted systems needed to release flights.” The groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Friday and Sunday, and on Dec. 26, Dec. 27 and Dec. 29. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. “Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company. —— AP Reporters David Koenig, Mae Anderson and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.