Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 01:22 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Steve Worthington

Adjunct Professor, Swinburne University of Technology
Steve Worthington is an Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University. He was previously Professor of Marketing at Monash University's Department of Marketing from 2002 to 2013, prior to which he worked at several universities in the United Kingdom and in executive roles at a UK bank and UK supermarket group. At Monash, Steve taught Strategic Marketing in the MBA program and Relationship Marketing and Marketing Financial Services in the Master of Marketing program.

His research interests are focused on the distribution of financial services, particularly through the channel of payment cards. These topics are of interest to both academics and practitioners. His paper Banking without the Bank, International Journal of Bank Marketing was ranked 12th highest downloaded article in 2012 (was 2nd most downloaded in 2011) and remains the 4th highest in terms of immediacy. This focused on the opportunities and challenges facing new entrants into the financial services market, particularly from brands such as Tesco Bank and Virgin Money. Steve is a member of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and of the Academic Standards Board of the International Academy of Retail Banking. He is also an associate of the Australian Centre for Financial Studies (ACFS) for whom he wrote a paper entitled, Regulatory Interventions and their Consequences in the Australian Payment Card System, which was published in October 2013.

The government wants to keep cash alive for buying essentials. Here’s why it’s such a challenge for businesses

Nov 20, 2024 23:10 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Cash usage has fallen off a cliff in Australia, but the federal government says it must have a future. So, its going to mandate one. The Australian government will require businesses to accept cash for essentials such...

Depending on who you are, the benefits of a cashless society are greatly overrated

Mar 21, 2019 13:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

After recreational cannabis use became legal in Canada last October, research shows the number of bank notes in circulation fell sharply. Before, marijuana buyers used cash to keep their transactions anonymous. After,...

Economy

NASDAQ Tech Selloff: Correction or Collapse? What Analysts Are Saying

The NASDAQ Composite has officially entered correction territory, posting its sharpest valuation decline since the dotcom era as markets react to escalating U.S.-Iran military tensions. While the selloff has rattled...

Brazil Meat Exports Weather Iran War Disruptions With Rerouted Shipments

Brazils beef and chicken exporters are navigating the fallout from the Iran conflict with measured confidence, absorbing higher logistics costs and finding alternative routes to keep Middle Eastern markets supplied. While...

India Slashes Fuel Taxes: A Ten-Rupee Relief Amid Global Energy Turmoil

Effective March 26, 2026, the Indian government made a decisive fiscal action by significantly lowering the Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) on motor fuels. This change in policy lowers the tax on gasoline from INR 13...

France's 2025 Budget Deficit Shrinks More Than Expected, Easing Fiscal Pressure

France made stronger-than-expected progress on its public finances in 2025, with the national budget deficit falling to 5.1% of GDP a notable improvement from 5.8% recorded in 2024 and well ahead of the governments own...

Oil Prices Slip as Trump Extends Iran Ceasefire Deadline Amid Ongoing War Fears

Global oil prices were on course for a weekly loss on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump granted Iran a 10-day extension before threatening to strike its energy infrastructure, offering markets a brief reprieve ...

Politics

Lavrov Claims U.S. Seeks Control Over Damaged Nord Stream Pipelines

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the United States of pursuing dominance over the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which were severely damaged by underwater explosions in September 2022. The...

Chinese Universities with PLA Ties Found Purchasing Restricted U.S. AI Chips Through Super Micro Servers

Procurement records reveal that four Chinese universities, two of which have direct ties to the Peoples Liberation Army, acquired Super Micro Computer servers loaded with restricted Nvidia AI chips over the past year. The...

U.S. Praises Kurdistan's Role in Oil Markets Amid Iran War Fallout

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a significant diplomatic call Thursday with Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, signaling Washingtons commitment to regional energy stability as conflict...

Russia Accused of Helping Iran Target U.S. Forces, European Powers Tell G7

European nations have formally accused Russia of providing military intelligence and drone technology to Iran to help target American forces in the Middle East, raising the issue directly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco...

Trump Signs Executive Order to Pay TSA Workers Amid Airport Security Crisis

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will sign an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees receive their pay,...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Blacklisting of AI Company Anthropic

A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Pentagon from enforcing its designation of Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk, dealing an early blow to the Trump administration in a growing dispute over...

SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn

Chinas top semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has reportedly been transferring chipmaking equipment to Irans military industrial complex, according to two senior Trump...

Google's TurboQuant Algorithm Sends Memory Chip Stocks Tumbling

Major memory chipmakers took a significant hit on Thursday after Google researchers introduced a groundbreaking compression algorithm that threatens to reduce artificial intelligence demand for memory chips. Samsung...

Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round

Nvidia-backed artificial intelligence startup Reflection AI is in advanced discussions to secure $2.5 billion in fresh funding, with negotiations pointing to a staggering pre-money valuation of $25 billion, according to a...

Nanya Technology Shares Surge 10% After $2.5 Billion Private Placement from Sandisk and Cisco

Shares of Taiwan-based memory chip manufacturer Nanya Technology soared to their daily limit of 10% on Thursday morning following the companys announcement of a major $2.5 billion private placement deal backed by prominent...