2023’s top headlines & highlights for FT Professional subscribers

The FT’s reputation for fair and impartial reporting opens doors with sources that other media outlets simply don’t have access to. This means the FT often breaks stories first, and in some cases these ‘scoops’ even have the ability to move markets.

Here are a few of FT's top-read scoops from 2023:

1. Toyota nears mass production of solid-state batteries
2. How Crispin Odey evaded sexual assault allegations for decades
3. China’s fishing fleet embroiled in rising tensions with US
4. Brazil and Argentina to start preparations for a common currency

The banking sector in crisis, war on the European continent and the next big technology shift kept readers coming back to the FT this year for expert commentary. Here are some of the biggest stories that FT Professional subscribers were following in 2023.

Journalists such as West Coast financial editor Tabby Kinder owned the reporting of the unravelling and fallout from the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, the lender to start-ups which became the second-largest bank collapse in US history.

The FT brought readers new perspectives on how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of business and finance. It will continue to be a defining story of 2024 as organisations figure out how to benefit from the technology, and the debate about how it's governed intensifies.

The strength of the FT's data journalism has helped to deliver detailed visual guides and explainers on how the war has unfolded. Informed opinion and commentary continues to keep readers on the pulse of developments both on and off the battlefield.

Professional subscribers had access to in-depth reporting on the bank’s last-minute rescue and its profound damage on Switzerland’s reputation for banking and regulatory proficiency.

FT Professional is investing in tools and features with the aim of making journalism more accessible, personalised and relevant for those using it for work or learning.

We’re constantly seeking input from Professional subscribers and recent launches have addressed needs ranging from making relevant articles easier to find, to providing deeper monetary policy analysis.

FEATURES

1. Related articles helps FT readers conduct secondary research with the use of AI to get recommended articles in areas they are most interested in without having to use the search bar.
2. Professional subscribers were able to test semantic search, an experimental feature that uses AI or article vectorization to think about the wider context and answer long and complex phrases.
3. The FT Digital Edition app is now available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and provides a digital replica of the Financial Times newspaper with various translations, as well as audio version available.

TOOLS

1. Sharing highlights is now possible as part of the highlighting feature, enabling readers to easily share data, quotes or other relevant parts of an article.
2. FT Workspace is a personal homepage for FT Professional subscribers offering recommended articles based on job functions and industry interests.
3. A new chat function on the FT for Microsoft Teams app can now take simple commands to surface the latest FT content.
4. A new markets data widget is being tested with a third of FT Professional subscribers on FT.com, showing the financial performance of up to three publicly traded organisations that are either mentioned or relevant to the article.

EDITORIAL CONTENT

1. Chris Giles on Central Banks is a weekly newsletter helping readers understand monetary policy. FT’s economics commentator, Chris Giles examines the latest pronouncements from policy makers & dissects the key emerging trends in relation to central banking. Click here to sign up.

Henry Foy is the new voice of Europe Express

Henry Foy continues to serve as the FT’s European diplomatic correspondent, based in Brussels. He reports on the EU's foreign policy, relations between Brussels and other world powers, and the diplomatic intrigues between member states.

Derek Brower is the US political news editor based in New York

Derek Brower will oversee the FT’s 2024 presidential election coverage and manages the FT’s Washington DC bureau, including reporting on foreign and military affairs, economic and monetary policy, and business regulation.

FT appoints Madhumita Murgia as its first Artificial Intelligence editor

Madhumita Murgia is the FT’s lead correspondent on the subject while also working with the technology news editor, Murad Ahmed, in the development of coverage, and provides expertise to other reporters as they increasingly encounter stories about how AI is upending industries around the world.

Soumaya Keynes is now the FT's economics podcast host and columnist

Soumaya Keynes writes about the new ideas, old arguments and current debates over the economy and how they are shaping our world. She'll be hosting a new weekly economics podcast that is due to launch later in 2024.

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