Your commercial news round-up: GoHenry, Apple, Mondelez, Japanese ice cream

Ellie Nicholl (she/her) is senior content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net.

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Have you been keeping up with the commercial news? Barclays is buying children’s banking app GoHenry and Apple has warned that product price rises are likely as AI-driven chip costs surge. Meanwhile, Mondelez has defended continuing to operate in Russia despite criticism over its tax contributions to the war in Ukraine and Japan’s competition watchdog has raided major ice cream makers over suspected price-fixing. Read on for more!

• Barclays has announced plans to buy the UK business of children’s debit card and money app GoHenry from US fintech Acorns. The deal, for an undisclosed price, is expected to complete next year, with the GoHenry brand set to remain. Founded in 2012, GoHenry provides prepaid debit cards and a money app with parental controls for six to 18-year-olds, and has around 500,000 UK users and more than two million customers globally. The business was reportedly valued between $200 million and $500 million in 2022, and was sold to Acorns in 2023.
  
  Analyst at RBC Capital Markets Benjamin Toms said GoHenry has been loss-making, suggesting the acquisition is focused on building long-term customer relationships rather than profit. Barclays UK CEO Vim Maru said the deal would “turbocharge” the bank’s offering for households and families. Meanwhile, GoHenry founder Louise Hill noted that the brand currently “isn’t going anywhere” but will be able to “do more” under Barclays. Barclays’ takeover strengthens its position in youth banking as traditional banks compete with fintech firms such as Revolut and Monzo, which have launched savings accounts for children. NatWest made a similar move in 2021 when it acquired RoosterMoney in 2021, which provides similar products to families.
   
• Apple plans to increase the prices of its products after a surge in the cost of memory chips linked to growing demand for AI, according to its CEO Tim Cook. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Cook described the situation as “unsustainable” and said price rises were “unavoidable”, although he didn’t specify when they’d happen or which products would be affected. The price of Ram, which is typically one of the cheapest components in computing, has more than doubled since October 2025. Costs have been pushed higher not only by AI demand but also by disruptions to helium supplies, caused by the war in Iran, which is affecting semiconductor production. According to research firm Omdia, global smartphone prices are forecast to increase by around 20% in 2026, reaching a record high. Omdia analyst Chiew Le Xuan said: "This is the new pricing reality, not a temporary spike."
   
• Dirk Van de Put, CEO of Mondelez, which makes Cadbury chocolate, has defended the company’s decision to continue operating in Russia despite acknowledging he’s "not pleased” its taxes contribute to the war in Ukraine. Van de Put said remaining in Russia after the 2022 invasion was the right choice, arguing that leaving would have risked thousands of jobs and allowed the Kremlin to seize its operations. While many Western firms exited the market, Mondelez said it halted new investments and advertising there. He emphasised that the company is trying to stay neutral, but admitted its taxes support the war. Russia generates between $1 billion (£745 million) and $1.4 billion in annual sales for the business.
  
  Mondelez has faced political pressure to withdraw from the Russian market. Last year, more than 70 UK MPs signed a letter from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine. Chair of the group Alex Sobel wrote: "Continuing to operate in a nation responsible for the deaths of countless Ukrainian civilians and the abduction of thousands of children cannot be justified under any definition of 'business as usual'." However, Van de Put argued that exiting could have handed Russia greater financial benefit. The company also continues operating in Ukraine. Van de Put highlighted that Mondelez has rebuilt damaged facilities in Ukraine, alongside maintaining staff, increasing pay and committing to ongoing investment despite repeated attacks.
   
• Japan’s competition watchdog Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has raided some of the country’s biggest ice cream makers over suspected price-fixing. Six firms, Meiji, Morinaga Milk Industry, Lotte, Morinaga, Ezaki Glico and Akagi Nyugyo, were subject to “on-site inspections” by the JFTC over suspicions that they fixed the prices of frozen desserts. The companies are suspected of inflating prices beyond increases in raw material costs, with reports suggesting popular desserts were raised "several times by 5-10% over the years", according to Japanese broadcaster NHK, citing anonymous sources. Some firms said they would cooperate with the investigation, while the JFTC has said it isn’t releasing a statement regarding the investigation. The probe comes as Japan faces a hot summer with record high temperatures. Earlier this year, Japan introduced a new term for days that reach 40 degrees Celsius or higher, following the country’s hottest summer on record in 2025.

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