Putin targets Nestle’s Russian business as Kremlin tightens grip on Western assets

PUBLISHED FRI, SEP 18 20267:

KEY POINTS

• Nestlé is assessing its options after Russia placed the Swiss food giant’s local assets under temporary external administration.

• The move could pave the way for Kremlin-friendly investors to take control of Nestlé’s Russian business, alongside assets linked to Auchan and Leroy Merlin.

• Moscow has seized dozens of Western corporate assets since Putin introduced the legal framework in 2023, including businesses owned by Carlsberg, Danone and Fortum.

Swiss food giant Nestle

said Friday it’s weighing its options after the Kremlin moved to place the Russian assets of its business under temporary external administration.

The maker of Nescafé coffee and KitKat chocolate bars said that it took note of the Russian presidential decree, which was published on the country’s official legal portal on Thursday, and is “assessing…

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/18/nestle-russia-assets-putin-ukraine-war.html

PERSONAL FINANCE

Social Security reform plans could sway voters in battleground Senate races, survey finds

PUBLISHED FRI, SEP 18 20269:15 AM EDT

KEY POINTS

• Senators elected this November are slated to be in office in 2032, when Social Security’s retirement trust fund is projected to run dry.

• Voters in five battleground states favor candidates with a plan for the program’s future, a new survey finds.

Senators elected this November are slated to be in office in the fourth quarter of 2032— the projected depletion date for the trust fund Social Security relies on to help pay retirement benefits.

Without action by Congress, that depletion may prompt a 22% cut to benefits for eligible retired workers, their spouses and children and survivors of deceased workers.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/18/social-security-senate-races-battleground-voters-survey.html