An empty restaurant serving only takeout due to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak is seen in Washington, DC, on March 18, 2020. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
JPMorgan Chase will invest $8 million in small businesses in the U.S., Europe, and China that have been hit hard by the public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
The investment is part of a much larger $50 million global philanthropic commitment to help provide emergency healthcare, food, and other humanitarian relief to vulnerable communities and existing nonprofit partners.
Chase will deploy the first $15 million “promptly” and the remainder over time. As consumers self-quarantine and cities go on lockdown, small businesses have already been majorly disrupted by the pandemic and are preparing for much worse over the coming weeks.
About half of small businesses have 14 or fewer cash buffer days, according to a JPMorgan research report on small business financial health in urban communities. In black or Hispanic communities, most small businesses have fewer than 21 cash buffer days.
Chase is working with its customers, including small businesses, to waive fees, extend payment due dates for cards, auto loans, and mortgages, and increase credit lines as needed due to coronavirus-related challenges, a spokesman for the company said.
Like most banks, it’s also directing people to its mobile app, but many small businesses still require branches to make change for drawers and to deposit cash.
The bank’s financial commitment follows one by Facebook, which said Tuesday it would invest a whopping $100 million in now struggling small businesses. Delivery startups like Grubhub and DoorDash are deferring or waiving commissions to encourage people to continue giving business to independent local restaurants.
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Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
