Category: 3. Business

NEW YORK AND CHICAGO, December 22, 2025 – Today, FanDuel, the premier online  gaming company in North America and part of Flutter Entertainment (NYSE: FLUT, LSE: FLTR),  and CME Group (NASDAQ: CME), the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, launched  FanDuel Predicts in Alabama, Alaska, South Carolina, North Dakota and South Dakota,  beginning a phased national rollout over the coming weeks. FanDuel Predicts will expand  access to financial and sports markets for millions of U.S. customers over the coming months. 

FanDuel Predicts will provide customers with a platform to express their views on the day’s  biggest stories across financial indicators, cultural moments and sports. This new mobile  application will be available in the Apple App Store and Google Play and will integrate  FanDuel’s “Know Your Customer” sign-up process, requiring customers to submit their birth  date, Social Security number, home address, banking information and a government-issued ID.  Once the Predicts account is created, customers can buy or sell event contracts ranging in price  from as little as $0.01 to $0.99 by choosing “Yes” if they think an event will happen or “No” if  they don’t. 

The platform will offer event contracts in all 50 states on benchmarks such as the S&P 500 and  Nasdaq-100, prices of oil and gas, gold, cryptocurrencies, and key economic indicators such as  GDP and CPI. In addition to financial markets, sports contracts will be available across baseball,  basketball, football, and hockey in states where online sports betting is not yet legal, except on  tribal lands. As new states legalize online sports betting, FanDuel Predicts will cease offering  sports event contracts in those states. 

“We’re giving our customers a new platform to engage with the world around them – whether  that’s the next Fed rate decision or a sports event,” said James Cooper, Senior Vice President,  Flywheel and New Ventures at FanDuel. “This launch in five states will provide valuable insights  into customer engagement with this new platform, enabling us to refine our approach as we  expand to additional states in 2026.” 

“CME Group prediction markets will enable a new generation of users to express their views on  global benchmarks, economic indicators, sports and more,” said Lynne Fitzpatrick, President and  Chief Financial Officer, CME Group. “This launch is a pivotal step for expanding the reach of our  products to FanDuel’s millions of registered users across the U.S.”  

The rollout of FanDuel Predicts will continue to other states through early 2026. 

FanDuel will extend its commitment to consumer protection to the FanDuel Predicts app. At  launch, customers will be able to set deposit limits, deposit alerts or self-exclude if needed with  mental health services provided by Kindbridge Behavior Health. 

About FanDuel 

FanDuel Group is America’s premier mobile gaming company, consisting of a portfolio of  leading brands across mobile wagering including America’s #1 Sportsbook FanDuel  Sportsbook, its leading iGaming platform FanDuel Casino, the industry leader in horseracing  and advance-deposit wagering FanDuel Racing, and its daily fantasy sports product. In addition,  FanDuel Group operates FanDuel TV, its broadly distributed linear cable television network, and  FanDuel TV+, its leading direct-to-consumer OTT platform. FanDuel Group has a presence  across all 50 states with approximately 17 million customers and 25 retail locations. The  company is based in New York with offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Jersey City. 

About CME Group 

As the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com)  enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and  analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture  opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products  across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, cryptocurrencies, energy, agricultural products and metals. The company offers  futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex platform, fixed income trading  via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform. In addition, it operates one of  the world’s leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing.  

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are  trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile  Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a  trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec is a trademark of BrokerTec Americas LLC  and EBS is a trademark of EBS Group LTD. The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones  Indices LLC (“S&P DJI”). “S&P®”, “S&P 500®”, “SPY®”, “SPX®”, US 500 and The 500 are  trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones®, DJIA® and Dow Jones Industrial Average are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. These trademarks have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Futures  contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored, endorsed, marketed, or promoted by S&P DJI, and S&P DJI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

Media Contacts: 

Alex Pitocchelli, FanDuel 
press@fanduel.com

Laurie Bischel, CME Group 
news@cmegroup.com

Investor Contacts: 
Paul Tymms, Flutter 
Ciara O’Mullane, Flutter 
Chris Hancox, Flutter 
investor.relations@flutter.com

Adam Minick, CME Group 
investors@cmegroup.com

CME-G

SOURCE CME Group

Nate Callister to Succeed Paul Burdiss as Zions Bank’s CEO

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Zions Bancorporation, N.A. today announced the upcoming retirement of Paul Burdiss, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company’s Zions Bank division, operating in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, on December 31, 2025. Mr. Burdiss joined Zions Bancorporation in 2015 as its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, serving in that role until he assumed his current position with Zions Bank. During his more than 35-year career in the financial services industry, he also held positions at SunTrust Bank and Comerica.

Harris H. Simmons, Zions Bancorporation’s Chairman and CEO, stated “We extend our most sincere thanks to Paul Burdiss for his years of service to the Company and Zions Bank. Paul has been instrumental in building a very strong finance team for the Company, and more recently in continuing to strengthen Zions Bank’s position as the Intermountain West’s premier banking organization. I’m pleased that he has agreed to consult with the Company in coming months to promote a smooth transition in leadership.”

Mr. Simmons concurrently announced that Mr. Burdiss will be succeeded by Nathan Callister, who currently serves as Executive Vice President and Executive Director of Commercial Banking at Zions Bank. Prior to joining Zions Bank, Mr. Callister was at Wells Fargo Bank, where he was Executive Vice President/Market Executive for Commercial Banking in Utah and Idaho. He is a graduate of BYU and the University of Southern California and has been deeply involved in community affairs and organizations in Salt Lake City, including as board chair for the Salt Lake Chamber. Mr. Simmons stated, “We’re very pleased to have Nate Callister assuming this new position. He brings a wealth of banking expertise and strong relationships in the community, and I wish him great success in his new role.”

Zions Bancorporation, N.A. is one of the nation’s premier financial services companies with approximately $89 billion of total assets at December 31, 2024, and annual net revenue of $3.1 billion in 2024. Zions operates under local management teams and distinct brands in 11 western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The Bank is a consistent recipient of national and state-wide customer survey awards in small- and middle-market banking, as well as a leader in public finance advisory services and Small Business Administration lending. In addition, Zions is included in the S&P MidCap 400 and NASDAQ Financial 100 indices. Investor information and links to local banking brands can be accessed at www.zionsbancorporation.com.

SOURCE Zions Bancorporation

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 22, 2025–
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced that Dr. Reshma Kewalramani, Chief Executive Officer and President, will present at the 44^th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Monday, January 12, 2026, at 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT.

A live webcast of management’s remarks will be available through the Vertex website, www.vrtx.com, in the “Investors” section under the “News and Events” page. A replay of the conference webcast will be archived on the company’s website.

About Vertex

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases and conditions. The company has approved therapies for cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia and acute pain, and it continues to advance clinical and research programs in these areas. Vertex also has a robust clinical pipeline of investigational therapies across a range of modalities in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, including neuropathic pain, APOL1-mediated kidney disease, IgA nephropathy, primary membranous nephropathy, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, type 1 diabetes and myotonic dystrophy type 1.

Vertex was founded in 1989 and has its global headquarters in Boston, with international headquarters in London. Additionally, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices in North America, Europe, Australia, Latin America and the Middle East. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry’s top places to work, including 16 consecutive years on Science magazine’s Top Employers list and one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. For company updates and to learn more about Vertex’s history of innovation, visit www.vrtx.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222363465/en/

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

Investors:

InvestorInfo@vrtx.com

Source: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

In France, Arkema sites joined forces to support those most in need, working alongside renowned organizations such as the Red Cross and Secours Populaire.

Teams at CETIA, CRRA, and Pierre-Bénite prepared “solidarity boxes” filled with essential items and thoughtful gifts to bring comfort. The Feuchy site partnered with the initiative “A Christmas Gift for the Most Vulnerable – Shoe Boxes Arras”, helping many families enjoy a warmer holiday season.

In the Southwest, the Lacq-Mourenx, Mont, Lannemezan, and GRL sites took part in Secours Populaire’s Green Santa campaign, donating toys and treats for children. At Serquigny and Cerdato in Normandy, employees organized a gift collection for young children in collaboration with the Red Cross, while the La Défense headquarters supported the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Conference in Colombes.

Finally, the Jarrie site exemplifies Arkema’s long-standing commitment: on December 5, it donated chocolates and sweets to Secours Populaire of the city of Vizille Drac Romanche, continuing a partnership of more than ten years. School supplies, hygiene products, Christmas toys—these initiatives reflect the teams’ ongoing efforts to support local families. As Damien Gaspard, Secretary of the Drac-Romanche Committee, emphasized: “These gestures show that solidarity can be found everywhere to help those in extreme need. It plays an important role in reducing inequalities.”

Northern Minnesota’s largest power company is backing away from plans to develop a proposed $1 billion gas-fired power plant in northern Wisconsin as a result of legal challenges and permitting delays.

In a filing on Friday to Minnesota utility regulators, Duluth-based Minnesota Power said it will no longer buy power or capacity from the planned plant in Superior. On Wednesday, the company terminated an agreement with subsidiary South Shore Energy, which holds a 20-percent share of the project.

The utility was working with La Crosse-based Dairyland Power Cooperative and a subsidiary of Basin Electric Power Cooperative in North Dakota to build the Nemadji Trail Energy Center, or NTEC. Owners of the natural gas plant, which would produce between 550 and 625 megawatts, said it would provide reliable power as they shift away from coal and invest in renewable energy.

Minnesota Power and other owners worked diligently to develop the plant, said vice president of public policy Jennifer Cady in the filing, but delays as a result of litigation and permitting have made it no longer viable.

“Minnesota Power must aggressively pursue procuring dispatchable generation to bring online to ensure reliability of the grid as it intends to meet its cease coal dates of 2030 and 2035,” Cady wrote.

Cady wrote that in Wisconsin, air, wetland and construction stormwater permits have expired due to delays despite more than a dozen permits obtained for the project.

The city of Superior previously denied local approvals. Superior Mayor Jim Paine said the utility’s decision is not surprising.

“It’s been dead for a while,” Paine said of NTEC. “It really did not have a functional path forward after the city opposed it.”

Dairyland Cooperative owns 50 percent of the plant. A Dairyland spokesperson said the cooperative and NTEC partners are evaluating next steps for the project.

Paine argued that Dairyland is unlikely to build a plant outside its service territory on land owned by Minnesota Power. In a statement, Minnesota Power said it’s exploring other locations for gas-fired plants, saying its need for natural gas remains unchanged.

Concerns over the project have been mounting in recent years among residents, tribes and environmental groups. They have raised issues with the plant’s contribution to heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and effects on wetlands.

Jadine Sonoda, campaign coordinator for the Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter, said the decision is a step in the right direction.

“We would love to see (Dairyland) talk more about their future investments in transitioning to clean energy and making the electric sector, climate and world that we’re living in safer,” Sonoda said.

In its filing, Minnesota Power said South Shore Energy will continue to work with the projects’ owners to examine a path forward that “balances economic, community and environmental considerations” while addressing the concerns of other stakeholders and tribes.

Lee Sandok Baker lives within two miles of the proposed plant. She’s with the citizens group Neighbors Against NTEC.

“Not only do we not want to see additional fossil fuel plants be built anywhere, we just believe that the spot that they chose here was definitely not the right place for that,” Sandok Baker said.

The proposed plant would be built near a Superior cemetery that contains the remains of roughly 200 ancestors of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

The plant’s supporters touted the 350 construction jobs and 25 full-time jobs that would be created with the project along with the contribution of $1 million annually in tax revenues.

The project has faced multiple legal challenges from Indigenous and environmental groups. Last year, Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to review its lawsuit challenging the state’s Public Service Commission’s decision to approve the plant. Wisconsin’s highest court declined to hear the case.

Minnesota Power’s decision comes after the sale of its parent company Allete to a Canadian pension fund and a subsidiary of BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager. Opponents feared the $6.2 billion deal would increase utility bills for customers, but the utility argued it would help the company fund its transition to renewable energy. Minnesota mandates electric utilities provide 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040.

Minnesota Power said it wouldn’t seek to recover the costs of developing the project from customers.

On December 19, 2025, the Market Participants Division (“MPD”) of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) issued relief (see CFTC Letter No. 25-50) on an interim basis permitting certain commodity pool operators (“CPOs”) registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as investment advisers to claim relief from CPO and commodity trading advisor (“CTA”) registration while the CFTC considers further rulemaking.

Background

In 2012, the CFTC rescinded prior Rule 4.13(a)(4) (the “QEP Exemption”), which provided an exemption from registration as a CPO with respect to certain privately offered commodity pools whose investors were limited to qualified eligible persons (“QEPs”) (or alternatively, in the case of non-natural person investors, certain types of accredited investors). QEPs include (i) “qualified purchasers,” as defined in Section 2(a)(51)(A) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), (ii) “knowledgeable employees” as defined in Rule 3c-5 under the 1940 Act, and (iii) certain other categories of investors.¹ The CFTC is presently considering reinstating the QEP Exemption in some form.

No-Action Relief Granted

The relief granted provides that MPD will not recommend pursuing an enforcement action for failure to register against a CPO that is an SEC-registered investment adviser and currently either (i) is registered or would be required to register with the CFTC as a CPO or (ii) relies on an existing exemption from CPO registration pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.13, in each case, with respect to a pool:

• in which interests are exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 and are sold without marketing to the public in the United States;²
• whose investors the CPO reasonably believes are limited to QEPs; and
• with respect to which the CPO files a Form PF.

In order to rely on this relief, CPOs must file a notice via email to the CFTC.

The relief also provides that MPD will not recommend pursuing an enforcement action against a CPO relying on this relief if such CPO fails to register, or withdraws from registration, as a CTA, solely with respect to the relevant pools.

The relief further states that CPOs that deregister solely due to this relief are not subject to the provisions of CFTC Rule 4.13(e)(2), which would otherwise require such CPOs to offer all participants in the relevant pools an automatic right to redeem their interests from the pools in connection with such deregistration.

By its terms, the relief will remain available until the CFTC promulgates rules addressing the reinstatement of the QEP Exemption or publicly determines not to promulgate such rules.

Please contact Leigh R. Fraser, Jeremy A. Liabo, Katherine J. Forrester-Quek or the Ropes & Gray attorney who usually advises you for further information or with any questions you may have.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings, together with her counterparts in Connecticut and Maryland, led a coalition of 50 attorneys general announcing a nearly $150 million settlement with Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler AG for violating state laws prohibiting unfair or deceptive trade practices by marketing, selling and leasing vehicles equipped with illegal and undisclosed emissions defeat devices designed to circumvent emissions standards. The settlement also includes more than $200 million in potential consumer relief.

“For nearly a decade, Mercedes sold vehicles that were marketed as clean and environmentally responsible while secretly polluting far beyond legal limits,” said AG Jennings. “This settlement holds Mercedes accountable for deceiving consumers, evading emissions laws, and putting public health at risk. We expect honesty in the marketplace and clean air in our communities. Today’s agreement delivers both meaningful penalties and real relief for affected drivers.”

“Vehicle emissions are one of the largest contributors to air pollution in Delaware, so our air quality depends on properly operated vehicle emission control systems,” said Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control Sec. Greg Patterson. “All vehicle manufacturers need to do their part by meeting the emission requirements, and we appreciate Attorney General Jennings and her staff leading this multistate investigation and settlement concerning our air.”

Beginning in 2008 and continuing to 2016, the states allege Mercedes manufactured, marketed, advertised, and distributed nationwide more than 211,000 diesel passenger cars and vans equipped with software defeat devices that optimized emission controls during emissions tests, while reducing those controls outside of normal operations. The defeat devices enabled vehicles to far exceed legal limits of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, a harmful pollutant that causes respiratory illness and contributes to the formation of smog. Mercedes engaged in this conduct to achieve design and performance goals, such as increased fuel efficiency and reduced maintenance, that it was unable to meet while complying with applicable emission standards. Mercedes concealed the existence of these defeat devices from state and federal regulators and the public. At the same time, Mercedes marketed the vehicles to consumers as “environmentally-friendly” and in compliance with applicable emissions regulations.
Today’s settlement requires Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler AG to pay $120 million to the states upon the effective date of the settlement. An additional $29,673,750 will be suspended and potentially waived pending completion of a comprehensive consumer relief program. Delaware will receive $3.6 million through today’s settlement.

The consumer relief program extends to the estimated 39,565 vehicles that had not been repaired or permanently removed from the road in the United States by August 1, 2023. Mercedes must bear the cost of installing approved emission modification software on each of the affected vehicles. The companies must provide participating consumers with an extended warranty and will pay consumers $2,000 per subject vehicle.

The companies must also comply with reporting requirements, reform their practices, and refrain from any further unfair or deceptive marketing or sale of diesel vehicles, including misrepresentations regarding emissions and compliance.
Today’s settlement follows similar settlements reached previously between the states and Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler and German engineering company Robert Bosch GmbH over its development of the cheat software. Automaker Fiat Chrysler and its subsidiaries paid $72.5 million to the states in 2019. Bosch paid $98.7 million in 2019. Volkswagen reached a $570 million settlement with the states in 2016.

Delaware co-led this multistate investigation and settlement with the attorneys general of Connecticut and Maryland. They were assisted by Alabama, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, and Texas.  The final settlement was also joined by Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico.

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