Welcome to Markets Desk, your midday read on what's moving markets.
The UK government is pushing deeper into blockchain-based finance, selecting six banks as joint lead managers for its Digital Gilt Instrument pilot — known as Digit. The move signals a meaningful step toward tokenized sovereign debt, with the Treasury testing whether distributed ledger technology can modernize gilt issuance infrastructure.
Shifting to corporate dealmaking, Uber is acquiring ezCater for two point three billion dollars, marking its entry into the corporate catering space. The deal expands Uber's delivery footprint well beyond restaurant meals into large-scale, scheduled food orders — a higher-margin segment that could meaningfully broaden the platform's revenue base and give gig workers access to bigger, more lucrative deliveries.
And in equities, Airbnb shares snapped a four-week losing streak after KeyBanc Capital Markets issued a buy call on the stock. Shares of ABNB closed at one hundred sixty-two dollars and forty-three cents on Friday, gaining roughly four point two percent over five sessions, as KeyBanc pointed to new business lines Airbnb is integrating as a catalyst for renewed growth.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
