Business & Markets — September 26, 2026

Court rules states can regulate Kalshi. A federal appeals court ruled Friday that states can regulate Kalshi's sports prediction markets, the second such decision in a month affirming states' authority over sports-event contracts.

The ruling follows a similar appellate decision issued within the past month, suggesting a pattern of courts siding with state regulators over prediction-market operators, according to CNBC. Kalshi and similar platforms have expanded quickly by offering contracts tied to sporting events, and the back-to-back losses complicate their argument that such products fall outside state gambling oversight. The decisions could shape how these fast-growing platforms operate across different jurisdictions going forward.

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Anthropic signs $11.6 billion Akamai deal. Anthropic committed $11.6 billion over seven years to Akamai's cloud infrastructure, an unusual arrangement that could grow to about $20 billion -- and gives Anthropic a stake.

The seven-year commitment stands out for its structure as well as its size, according to TechCrunch. Beyond the initial spending pledge, the agreement includes provisions that could push its total value toward roughly $20 billion, and it grants Anthropic an equity position in Akamai, tying the AI company's interests to its infrastructure provider in a way that goes beyond a typical vendor contract for cloud capacity.

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Walmart rolls out digital shelf labels. Walmart will install digital shelf labels in every Walmart and Sam's Club by year's end. But its CEO vows AI will never set prices using shoppers' personal data.

The rollout has drawn scrutiny because electronic price tags can enable rapid, remote price changes, raising concerns about so-called dynamic or surge pricing in stores. Walmart's chief executive addressed those worries directly, telling Inc. the company won't use artificial intelligence to adjust prices based on individual shoppers' personal data. The commitment attempts to separate the operational benefits of digital labels from more controversial personalized-pricing practices as the technology reaches every U.S. location.

Inc. · Read more →