Almost the weekend!

The timeline for a coronavirus vaccine is speeding up considerably, with a new outline for the US government’s Operation Warp Speed released on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, financial dealmaking remains at a fever pitch. Macquarie Group’s asset management arm announced plans to acquire Waddell & Reed Financial for $1.7 billion.

JPMorgan Asset Management also made a move, announcing a deal for 55ip, a financial tech company that works with advisors on strategies around handling taxes, for an undisclosed amount. 

Last chance to sign up for our webinar ‘How to land a job in private equity’ which is today at 1 p.m. ET. It features speakers from Bain Capital, The Carlyle Group, Apollo, and Odyssey Search Partners.

If you're not yet a subscriber, you can sign up here to get your daily dose of the stories dominating banking, business, and big deals.

Like the newsletter? Hate the newsletter? Feel free to drop me a line at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanDeFrancesco. 

Inside Nasdaq's bid for more board diversity

Nasdaq made some noise on Tuesday when it announced plans to ask the SEC for permission to implement a new rule requiring companies listed on its main exchange to have at least one woman board member and another from an underrepresented group. 

Yoonji Han and Jack Newsham spoke to six regulations attorneys to understand how the SEC will consider Nasdaq's proposal. 

Get the full rundown on what should be a hotly-debated topic throughout 2021. 

Click here to read the entire story.

A key chart in DoorDash's IPO filing doesn't 'pass the smell test,' and experts say the delivery giant may need to refile its S-1 to clear it up

As we close in on DoorDash's upcoming IPO, Alex Morrell with some nice analysis on its S-1. In short, one chart in the startup's filing has some experts raising concerns. Get the full rundown on what the issue is here. 

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A startup that's taking a SaaS approach to selling digital-banking tech just nabbed $81 million from Goldman Sachs

If you can't beat them, join them. Carter Johnson with a nice look at Amount, a fintech that partners with traditional banks looking to speed up their digital transformations. Read more about the $81 million Series C the startup raised. Check out the story here.