The Case Of The $75m, Was It Or Wasn't It Invested; Boots Eyes 2027 IPO; The Onion To Take Over Infowars From Alex Jones
- Dipo Owolabi
- Apr 22
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 25
From fintech speculation to media shakeups and sweeping public health policy, today’s headlines cut across business, culture, and regulation. Flutterwave is pushing back against reports of a $75 million Nigerian government investment, casting doubt on renewed IPO chatter. In the UK, Boots is quietly preparing for a potential 2027 listing as owners explore a strategic overhaul. Meanwhile, in a bizarre but symbolic media twist, The Onion is moving to acquire Infowars, potentially turning a misinformation hub into satire. And on the policy front, the UK is set to introduce one of the world’s strictest anti-smoking laws, banning cigarette sales for an entire generation. From IPO uncertainty to cultural resets and regulatory shifts, all this and more in today’s Read It And Eat! |
Markets Around The World
Markets as of 22nd April 2026.. Cells in RED mean that the value is down, cells in Green mean the value is up.
MAJOR HEADLINES
Flutterwave Denies Knowledge Of Reported $75 Million Nigerian Government Investment
Flutterwave has said it has no knowledge of a reported $75 million investment by Nigeria’s federal government, pushing back against local media reports that suggested the deal had been approved as part of the company’s path toward a public listing.
Earlier reports on Monday, including a now-deleted tweet from a special assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stated that the president had authorised an investment of $75 million in the payments company through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MoFI). The reports also indicated that the startup was preparing to raise up to $250 million in an initial public offering. In a statement to Techpoint Africa, a Flutterwave representative disputed both claims, describing the information as inaccurate. “We’d like to clarify that the information circulating is inaccurate, including the reported $250 million figure,” the company said. “Flutterwave is not in any way close to an IPO, and they have made no announcements regarding a listing or fundraising tied to an IPO as described.”
The denial highlights the continued uncertainty surrounding one of Africa’s most closely watched potential listings. Valued at more than $3 billion at its last fundraising, Flutterwave has long been seen as a leading candidate for an African tech IPO, though timelines have repeatedly shifted amid changing market conditions and internal priorities. Chief Executive Officer Olugbenga Agboola has previously indicated that while the company intends to go public eventually, its immediate focus is on strengthening internal systems and achieving operational maturity. Techpoint Africa
UK Retailer Boots Preps For Potential 2026 London IPO
The owners of British pharmacy chain Boots are working with consultants on a possible strategy overhaul in preparation for a potential London stock market listing as soon as 2027, people familiar with the plans said.
Boots and its private equity owner, Sycamore Partners, have held talks with advisers in recent weeks about the possibility of an initial public offering. The consultants have been drafted in to explore growth initiatives around beauty and wellness as well. All four sources said discussions are at a preliminary stage and no final decision has been taken on whether to list Boots.A sale could also be a possibility, given private equity interest in the business, one of the people said.
Walgreens Boots Alliance was taken private by Sycamore last year in a deal valued at about $10 billion. Boots has since split into a standalone entity, with Italian billionaire Stefano Pessina and his family having reinvested in the business. An IPO in London would be a boost for the British capital after policymakers and regulators overhauled listing rules in an effort to make its market more attractive. Reuters
The satirical website The Onion has a new deal to take over Infowars, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' far-right media company. If approved by a Texas judge, the deal would take away his Infowars microphone and allow The Onion to resume its plans to turn the website into a parody of itself.
Families of those killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, who sued Jones for defamation, want the sale to happen. They're still waiting to collect on the nearly $1.3 billion judgment they won against Jones for spreading lies that they faked the deaths of their children to boost support for gun control. That prompted Jones' followers to harass and threaten the families for years. The families are also eager to take away Jones' platform for spewing such conspiracy theories. The deal not only would divorce Jones from his Infowars brand, but it would turn the platform against him by allowing The Onion to mock his kind of conspiracy mongering and advocate for gun control.
The families "took on Alex Jones to stop him from inflicting the same harm on others" by using "his corrupt business platform to torment and harass them for profit," said Chris Mattei, one of the attorneys for the families. "When Infowars finally goes dark, the machinery of lies that Jones built will become a force for social good, thanks to the families' courage and The Onion's vision, persistence and stewardship." For its part, The Onion called it a "significant step in an effort to transform one of the internet's more notorious misinformation platforms into a new comedy network for satire." The company says it could announce its new rollout of Infowars in a matter of weeks if the judge approves the deal. NPR |
Children who do not turn 18 before January 1, 2027, will effectively never be allowed to legally purchase cigarettes or tobacco products in the UK, under a landmark law that has now fully cleared parliament and is awaiting royal assent from King Charles III. The legislation introduces a “rolling age ban,” meaning the legal smoking age will rise incrementally each year, permanently locking out younger generations from ever accessing tobacco and positioning the UK at the forefront of one of the world’s most aggressive anti-smoking strategies.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill passed its final parliamentary stage on Monday after the House of Lords approved the last set of minor amendments, marking the culmination of a policy first introduced in 2024 under the current Labour Party government. The bill not only targets traditional tobacco products but also tightens regulations around vaping, including restrictions on marketing and youth access, reflecting growing concern over rising e-cigarette usage among younger demographics.
Globally, only the Maldives currently enforces a similar generational smoking ban, highlighting just how radical the UK’s approach is. A comparable effort in New Zealand, once seen as the blueprint, was reversed in 2023 following a change in government, underscoring the political sensitivity of such sweeping reforms. In contrast, the UK policy will be implemented uniformly across all four nations, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, developed in coordination with devolved governments in Belfast, Cardiff, and Edinburgh, signaling a rare level of nationwide alignment on public health policy. DW |
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