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Supply woes continue to spoil Canada's legal cannabis debut
It's been three months since Canada legalized recreational cannabis. And while the country has quickly moved beyond the moral debate, the legal pot industry has struggled to meet the demands of cannabis consumers.
"In the past, it has certainly been a bit of a famine market," Mark Goliger, CEO of National Access Cannabis Corp., told BNN Bloomberg in a television interview this week. NAC is Canada's largest private cannabis retailer, operating seven cannabis stores in Manitoba under its Meta brand and 14 in NewLeaf-branded locations in Alberta.
That's not to say pot producers aren't distributing plenty of product. One industry player, Aphria Inc., recently reported it has sold 1,900 kilograms of cannabis for the recreational market since legalization. But the big issue has been getting all that product (and more) to the end customer.
Wall Street research firm Cowen & Co. examined the supply picture in five provinces and found that as of mid-December, 50 per cent of the cannabis products that were supposed to be available were simply out of stock. Suppliers are frequently blaming governments for red tape, while bureaucrats are blaming suppliers and even other levels of government.
Ontario is a prime example of the cannabis supply struggles. While legal pot is currently available for purchase online, actual stores have not yet opened their doors. The province held a retail license lottery last week, with the goal of the first 25 locations opening by April. Even if Ontario's initial retail rollout is successful this spring, it will still mean less than a dozen legal cannabis stores will be operating in Toronto and the GTA. For context, data released by Environics Analytics found that Torontonians consume the equivalent of 141.7 million joints each year.
The province initially planned to approve more store openings, but has since cited Ottawa for its decision to scale back.
"It's a big step to get into this market, and we wanted for [retailers] to have some kind of commercial certainty over supply," Ontario's Attorney General Caroline Mulroney told BNN Bloomberg in a television interview last week. "It's up to the federal government, which is in charge of supply, to address these supply shortages. These don't just affect us in Ontario, they are affecting provinces across the country."
Beyond Ontario, critics have complained about limited store hours in provinces such as Quebec. And British Columbia, which was the biggest provincial cannabis producer in 2017, has been called out for dragging its feet.
Regardless of who is responsible for the shortfall, it's having an impact on prices. Statistics Canada recently reported that the average price paid for dried cannabis from legal suppliers is $9.70 a gram. That's 49 per cent more than the $6.51 average price for a gram of dried cannabis purchased from illegal suppliers.
One of the federal government's key goals with legalization was to reduce the amount of cannabis coming from the illicit market. But until the supply shortages are worked out, industry players expect a significant number of cannabis consumers will continue accessing pot illegally.
"Until we have access points that are convenient for consumers, we will still have a thriving black market. And we will have that price fluctuation for a couple years to come," said NAC's Goliger.
Cannabis Canada is BNN Bloomberg’s in-depth series exploring the stunning formation of the entirely new – and controversial – Canadian recreational marijuana industry. Read more from the special series here and subscribe to our Cannabis Canada newsletter to have the latest marijuana news delivered directly to your inbox every day.


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Your Morning Fashion and Beauty Report: Lady Gaga wears Versace. Charlene Wittstock talks fashion. Heidi Klum shines.
There's another royal wedding coming up this summer when Monaco's Prince Albert marries former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock on July 1. Wittstock is more open about talking fashion than Kate Middleton was before her. For instance, we already know that her wedding gown was designed by Giorgio Armani. whereas Middleton's dress designer was top secret until the big day. She also admits to some qualms about dressing the part of a princess. “Finding my fashion feet has certainly been the biggest challenge,” she says. Luckily she's had help, from the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Michael Kors and is considering starting a Monaco Fashion Week. [Vogue]
Lady Gaga is attempting to wear only Versace for the next two months, and she got off to a good start in her just-released music video "The Edge of Glory," clad in vintage Versace. [Telegraph]
Man to watch: James Middleton, younger brother of Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Pippa Middleton, who is being noted for his sense of style. It's not so much what he wears as how he wears it. [WWD]
Heidi Klum's first fragrance, Shine, is scheduled to hit department stores this September. It's described as an oriental scent made of pink peppercorn, pear and mandarin top notes; a mimosa absolute, sunflower, and lily of the valley heart; and musk cosmone, vanilla and Venezuelan tonka bean drydown. [StyleList]
In the late 1970s, famed British photographer Brian Duffy burned bundles of negatives of his work from the previous decades. But not all were destroyed and after months of searching, enough have been found in various places for a new book, "Duffy," and an exhibition of his work at London's Idea Generation Gallery. [Telegraph]
Indie brands are making Made in America the latest buzz in fashion. [WWD] (Subscription required.)
Milan men's fashion week is in full swing, and we've got our stylish boots on the ground. For up-to-the-minute coverage follow Adam Tschorn's reports on All the Rage.
-- Susan Denley
Photo: Prince Albert of Monaco with fiancee Charlene Wittstock, who is finding her fashion feet with the help of some top designers. Credit: Associated Press

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Last night, Comcast introduced a new cord-cutter alternative. Called Stream, the service gives you online access to broadcast networks and HBO for $15 a month. Well, probably not you. And probably not just those channels. Right now, Comcast doesn’t have a streaming service any more than an acorn has limbs and leaves.
Let’s review the Stream that Comcast announced today before we consider the Stream that will actually find its way into most people’s homes sometime in 2016, if only because it’s such an odd duck. A handful of channels, delivered via Comcast Internet subscription, to your mobile device or computer browser. Add to that cloud DVR storage and Streampix, a collection of mostly old or unfamiliar on-demand movies.
That seems fine enough, especially given that a streaming HBO Now subscription on its own costs the same $15. It gets less appealing from there, though. Because the service is “IP-managed,” you can only take advantage of it in your own home. Simultaneous streams are limited to two devices, which should be enough for most households but may be too strict a constraint for some. And perhaps most discouragingly, as of now Comcast won’t be offering the service on Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV, or any other set-top box. In other words, barring HDMI cable contortions, this isn’t just a deal for cord-cutters; it’s for people who only want to watch television on the smallest screens they own.
Which is a strange choice! It’s difficult to fathom who exactly would want a service like this, especially given that it will at first be limited to Comcast customers in Boston this summer, then Seattle and Chicago later this year. Consider, too, that Comcast already offers a very similar “skinny bundle” of Internet plus broadcast TV that’s nearly identical to the streaming version, just limited to phones, tablets, and laptops rather than television sets. It’s worth noting, as Recode has, that the cable version of the plan ends up being significantly cheaper.
If the whole thing causes brain cell strain, fear not: It’s all moot anyway.
“We have no clue what the service will actually look like when it comes to consumers,” says streaming-media analyst Dan Rayburn. “I look at all these announcements and think nothing of them… It’s hard to judge a service if you don’t truly know what it’s going to look like.”
Which, frankly, we don’t. For all the headlines grabbed, Stream right now is barely a trickle. It’s more accurately thought of as a pilot program, a tiny trial balloon being tentatively floated rather than an orbit-smashing streaming rocket. The details Comcast outlined will be available in Boston, sure. They’ll just as surely change as Comcast figures out what exactly consumers want.
“What happens if they roll it out in a couple of test markets and realize that it’s not potentially what they thought it was, they don’t have as much interest as they thought? A lot of things can happen,” explains Rayburn. “That’s the thing with these services, you never know what they’re going to turn into. Until they’re actually on the market and we can judge them on the merits of the actual service, it’s a complete guessing game.”


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Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R, C, I, SAM-Meco) showed his appreciation for local farmers in the Fulton and Montgomery counties this past weekend during the Farm to Table Tour. This tour was the first in the history of the counties. Thirty-two family farms participated in the tour. The event was created to generate a connection between farmers and consumers and raise awareness about the agricultural benefits of buying produce locally.
“Connecting local farms with local consumers is a fantastic way to create more revenue for the area and support New York’s number one industry,” Smullen said. “I take pride in the hard work our local farmers put into their products. I am glad Fulton and Montgomery counties can celebrate these family-owned farms with this new annual event.”


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BPA Worldwide opened an office in Beijing to support its growing membership base in China and the Asia-Pacific region, the auditor said yesterday.
The new office in the Chinese capital will run audit scheduling, sales and customer service for the region, replacing a Hong Kong outpost. Other services include audits of events and trade shows, Web sites, e-mail newsletters, databases, subscriber profile studies and pass-along receivership studies.
BPA audits more than 30 Chinese business publications and consumer magazines. It is auditor for another 50 titles published in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.
The Shelton, CT, company soon will offer the first newspaper audits in China, a market where it has had a presence for eight years.
Despite a challenging media market, China's print media business continues to grow, requiring ever more advertiser-sought verification of circulation by third-party auditors. According to ZenithOptimedia, total consumer and business-to-business print ad spending grew 14.7 percent last year to $211 million.
The media-buying agency predicts Chinese print ad spending will jump another 15 percent this year to $243 million, small by U.S. standards but an achievement for a country whose media is under tight government monitoring.


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In less than two weeks, the Camas Farmers Market will hit the heart of downtown with locally grown produce for its seventh year.
From 3 to 7 p.m. each Wednesday between June 4 to Oct. 1, growers will set up shop in front of the Camas Public Library, at 625 N.E. Fourth Ave., to sell seasonal fruit, vegetables, flowers, eggs, grass-fed meat and other foods. The market also will feature hot food vendors, live music and wine samplings. Members of Washington State University’s Master Gardeners program will offer tips and answer questions about gardening.
People on food stamps can receive up to $5 in tokens to use at the market through the Fresh Match program funded by New Seasons Market.
For more information, visit www.camasfarmersmarket.org.


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Browse by author
- Multi-award winning aquatic shop up for sale!
- Fancy moving to beautiful Cornwall to run an award winning, nationally famous fishkeeping institution? Well your dream could come true as four times PFK readers poll ‘Retailer of the Year‘ winner Tri-Mar Aquatics and Reptiles is on the marke...
Bob Mehen on Wednesday 20 May, 2015, 16:02
- Review: COLLAR aPUMP and aPUMP MAXI air pumps
- Bob Mehen checks out two tiny air pumps from a company that's new to the fishkeeping sce...
(No votes) 1 comment
Bob Mehen on Wednesday 22 April, 2015, 15:56
- Review: JBL AutoFood fish feeder
- Bob Mehen gets his hands on a new easy-to-use automatic feed...
Bob Mehen on Wednesday 28 January, 2015, 17:19
- New Maidenhead Aquatics store for Cornwall
- Cornish fishkeepers now have a second Maidenhead store after the popular aquatic chain opened a new shop near Wadebridge on the North Cornish coas...
Bob Mehen on Saturday 3 January, 2015, 16:18
- Review: Aquael LEDDY SMART lamp
- Bob Mehen spotlights a stylish lamp for smaller aquariu...
Bob Mehen on Friday 12 December, 2014, 12:23
- Should I buy the cheaper catfish?
- Bob Mehen has some advice for a reader who's trying to decide between two differently-priced, but similar-looking fi...
Bob Mehen on Thursday 6 November, 2014, 16:05
- Review: JBL CristalProfi m greenline internal power filter
- Bob Mehen puts this easy-clean shrimp-safe filter through its paces...
(No votes) 4 comments
Bob Mehen on Thursday 30 October, 2014, 9:29
- Goldfish has life-saving surgery to remove tumour
- In a world filled with stories of the disposable treatment of goldfish, it’s refreshing to come across one where these often abused fairground fodder and pet shop staples are given the level of care most pet owners would not think twice of affording their cat, dog or rabbit but might baulk at providing for their aquatic p...
Bob Mehen on Wednesday 17 September, 2014, 16:36
- Marine specialist closes in Cornwall
- Nemo’s Place in St. Austell, Cornwall, which Practical Fishkeeping reviewed in its shoptour in the October 2014 issue, has clos...
Bob Mehen on Wednesday 3 September, 2014, 12:33
- Lock up your goldfish! Fish are on spiders' menus worldwide
- Don’t tell your guppies, but fish eating spiders can be found on every continent apart from Antarctica, a new study has foun...
Bob Mehen on Thursday 19 June, 2014, 16:01


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University of the South Pacific’s Head of Marine Science, Professor Ciro Rico has called on the Ministry of Fisheries and Forests to conserve the scalloped hammer-head sharks’ nursery in the Rewa River.
The Consumer Council of Fiji has called on maritime provinces to participate and make submissions on the review of shipping fares.
Council chief executive Premila Kumar in a statement said shipping services is extremely important for maritime provinces as this is the only means of transportation and these services are essential for sustaining the livelihoods of the people residing in outer islands.
Kumar said consumers in outer islands are greatly affected and they have been receiving complaints against shipping companies for poor service delivery.
She said complaints include passengers stranded despite holding valid tickets, overloaded ships, passengers offloaded in the middle of the journey and asked to find their own transportation to travel to their destination, lost luggage and change of schedule without notice.
She also said inconsistent shipping services contribute to rise in price of goods sold on the islands and consumers loose out by digging deeper in their pockets.
The Council is hopeful to see positive changes in the maritime service and they also will be making its submission to the Commerce Commission.
SPSE targets land owning unitsThe iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) and South Pacific Stock Exchange (SPSE) today signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to attract landowners to participate and invest in Fiji’s stock market.
Pair fined $10k, eligible to play in IDCFiji Football Association has fined Lautoka’s Kolinio Sivoki and Suva’s Sakaraia Naisua $10,000 each and suspended the two players for the remainder of this season.


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ADP step in with Oasis bid
Associated Dental Practices (ADP) has made an £84.9m offer for Oasis Healthcare, trumping a previous £76.9m bid for the company.
Britain’s largest dental firm had initially been offered £76.9m from private equity company Duke Street Capital last week.
But now ADP, itself the UK’s third biggest dental firm which currently owns more than 18% of Norwich-based Oasis, said it would seek a meeting with the company’s board.
The company aims to gain a recommendation for the offer and said a combination of the two businesses would create a dental giant with 190 practices nationwide and a ‘strong platform’ to grow private and NHS business.


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More and more modern cameras allow shooting in 4K. Of course, it gives you better video quality, but there’s more to 4K than just high resolution. If you still prefer shooting in 1080p, Peter McKinnon gives you several reasons why you should switch to 4K.
The official announcement of iPhone 8 is about a month away. What we are most interested in are, of course, the cameras, and it seems there could be some interesting novelties in the latest model of iPhone.
Judging from the report on Brazilian website iHelp BR, the latest Apple’s phone could shoot 4K video on both rear and front camera. And what’s more, both cameras will shoot 4K at 60fps.
Getting clean stable footage is often one of the more difficult challenges with video. Especially while you’re still figuring everything out. Recently, we showed you several tips for getting stable handheld footage. Even relatively smooth handheld footage, though can benefit from a little extra assistance.
As technology advances, there are many ways to make your footage more stable. Using both software and hardware solutions. This video from YouTuber eevnxx goes through four of those methods to help get your footage as smooth as possible.
As technology is advancing, our notion of what’s “standard” changes. The resolution used to be measured in lines, and today 4K is rapidly becoming a standard. But according to Matt Granger, 8K is to replace it in the near future. In this video, he explains why it’s important to embrace 8K as soon as you can, even though it’s still quite challenging. He gives the typical reasons against it but tries to beat them with his reasoning why you should be ahead of the curve and start investing in 8K.
3 axis handheld motorised gimbals seem to be the hot new toy at the moment. Electronic image stabilisation in small systems like action cameras and mobile phones sucks. Optical image stabilisation is rare, and still not amazing. So, a motorised gimbal helps to keep things smooth and steady and level. I got one myself about six months ago, the Zhiyun Smooth C, and they are extremely handy.
For Chinese drone manufacturer Zerotech, though, handheld gimbals just don’t go far enough. So, they’ve built one inside their recently announced Rollcap, and action camera that doesn’t require external motorised control. Photo Gear News got to check it out in person at CES recently.
I’ll save you some time and give you the short version. If you thought the 5D Mark III was awesome, then you’ll think the 5D Mark IV is awesome. It’s at least as good as its predecessor. It has a few significant new features, but overall, it may not be worth the cost for 5D Mark III owners to upgrade. But it might. If you want to know a little more, keep reading and watching.
In this set of videos from Jim Goldstein at All Things Photo, we get a great in-depth look at the 5D Mark IV’s features. There’s a lot of videos, so you might want to sit back with a large drink, and schedule a bathroom break. There’s a big review, a quick review, and a look at some of the 5D Mark IV’s most asked about features.
The Yi 4K Action camera from Yi Technology was launched in China back in May. If buyers in other countries wanted it, they’d have to order from there and deal with often fairly long shipping times. Now, the Yi 4K has been officially launched in the USA and is available on Amazon.
Normally, Chinese action cams don’t tend to be a big deal, but the original Yi HD 1080p action camera proved itself to be a pretty worthy contender which, for the most part, held up well against the GoPro Hero3+ Silver, especially once you started hacking it.
Packing the 24.3MP X-Tranx III APS-C sized CMOS sensor also seen in the X-Pro2, the new camera also includes an upgraded hybrid AF system with 325 focus points, as well as an AF selection joystick on the back.
Xiaomi have been teasing us about their foray into the drone market for a little while now. Now they have officially announced the Mi Drone, a 4K quadcopter which also shoots RAW stills, for a mere $460.
Boasting an array of impressive features, the Chinese electronics company looks all set to take on the big boys at a fraction of the price.
After years of prototypes and concepts, virtual reality headsets are finally starting to go mainstream with lower prices and better availability. One problem concerning a few in the tech industry is the lack of VR content.
Already, companies like GoPro and Google are getting in on VR content creation. But they’re not the only ones. Today, VR firm VideoStitch announced Orah 4i, a plug-and-play device that can both capture and broadcast live VR footage.[Read More…]


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Wahaca’s lenders have agreed to write off millions of pounds of debt to keep the Mexican restaurant chain afloat.
Wahaca, co-founded by Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers, has launched a company voluntary arrangement that will see its shareholders and lenders give the business a £5m cash injection to help return it to an even keel, Sky News first reported.
As part of the restructuring deal, NatWest is said to have agreed to write off the £13m it is owed, while shareholders are also writing off the £12m previously loaned to the business.
It comes after Wahaca said it would shut about 10 of its 30 sites as part of the CVA as it blamed high rental costs in city centre locations which made running them “untenable”.
The chain, which employs about 1,000 people, said it would try to save as many as jobs as possible and has not confirmed whether redundancies have already occurred.
Co-founder Mark Selby said: “We have every confidence that the outcome of this will allow us to focus positively on the future by continuing with our reopening programme, as well as an ongoing dedication to our core offering of sustainable, high quality, fresh food and a fantastic customer experience - with the aim of strengthening the position of our remaining sites and returning to growth as the market recovers.”
Wahaca opened its first restaurant in Covent Garden in 2007, two years after Ms Miers won the BBC cookery competition.
It is among a string of restaurant chains and retailers to launched CVAs in recent months in a bid to cut costs during the pandemic. In addition to closing sites, a CVA will also enable Wahaca to negotiate reduced rents with landlords.
In an email to Wahaca staff, Mr Selby said the company's lenders and shareholders had been "unbelievably supportive of us as a business".


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Grubhub Acquired by Just Eat Takeaway.com; Matt Maloney and Jitse Groen Comment
AMSTERDAM - A new player is grabbing up its share of the food delivery sector, as Just Eat Takeaway.com has unveiled its finalized acquisition of 100 percent of shares of Grubhub, symbolizing the company’s entry into online food delivery in the U.S. market.
"I couldn't be more excited to enter this next chapter of Grubhub's story with the global leadership and experience of the Just Eat Takeaway team,” said Matt Maloney, Founder of Grubhub. “Our companies share an unwavering focus on supporting restaurants and our communities around the world. Together we will continue to innovate and break new ground in our industry as we each have separately for the past 20 years."
As a result of the recent deal, Matt Maloney’s appointment to the Just Eat Takeaway.com management board, as well as the appointments of Lloyd Frink and David Fisher to the supervisory board, will become effective shortly after completion, subject to each confirming the acceptance of their respective appointments, a press release noted.
Through this acquisition, the company now occupies four of the world’s most competitive markets in online food delivery—the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany—drastically increasing its ability to bolster its brand presence in each of these key regions.
"I have always believed that the combination of Takeaway.com, Just Eat, and Grubhub is a winning combination,” Jitse Groen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Just Eat Takeaway.com, said. “The new company is the market leader in Europe, Canada, and Australia, with very strong positions in the most important markets in the United States. It is humbling to run such a company after our start in Holland more than twenty years ago. We welcome Matt and his team to this great company."
How will this acquisition alter the role of fresh produce in food delivery? We covered the initial news last year, so click here to read more about the transaction.
As always, stick with AndNowUKnow for the latest news in the retail and foodservice biz.


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Assassin’s Creed III – Debut Gameplay Trailer
The highly anticipated gameplay trailer for Assiassin’s Creed III has been released.
Featuring the radical change of landscape, an angry bear and freestyle running through buildings, the latest installment of the Ubisoft series is look very promising indeed.
Assassin’s Creed III is due for release on 31 October 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. A Wii U edition is expected to launch alongside the console’s release.


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When most people hear about buying bitcoin (BTC) or other cryptocurrencies, they immediately think of the largest stock exchanges, most of which are located in Asia. Today, countries such as China and South Korea have become the epicenter of blockchain innovation. However, it is still unclear in many countries whether cryptocurrencies are allowed, and if so, what their status is.
So here’s how the regulation of the cryptocurrency market in Asia is shaped and what you can expect from governments in the near future.
China goes digital in yuan
Today, China is home to many cryptocurrency projects, but cryptocurrency has already been banned for several years. In 2017, the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, banned the first foreign exchange offer and cryptocurrency exchange. Then the Shanghai branch of the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) announced that they intended to eradicate the cryptocurrency industry in the country, and equate the sale of tokens with an illegal supply of securities or fundraising. Shortly afterwards, the country’s largest crypto exchange, Huobi and OKCoin, announced the end of internal trading.
The turning point came in July 2019 when a Chinese court ruled that Bitcoin is digital property. The court’s ruling marks a shift in the adoption of cryptocurrency, and in October 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for more efforts for blockchain development. In addition, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) said it was prioritizing the launch of the central bank’s digital currency. However, the Chinese government is still very cautious about both cryptocurrencies and digital assets in general, and has not yet issued rules.
Konstantin Anisimov, CEO of CEX.IO, believes that recent events in the world, such as the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn, could push the Chinese government against the legal adoption of cryptocurrencies:
To maintain its position as a leader in technology and financial markets, China, which was far too restrictive just a few years ago, is stepping up efforts to create a legal framework to regulate cryptocurrency trading and is even considering creating its own digital currency. . … ”
But so far the government has not introduced a national digital currency, apparently due to the fact that they not only want to offer an alternative to digital money, but also create a global payment system like Alipay that will be used everywhere. World. PBoC is currently conducting pilot projects on cryptocurrency in several regions of the country and has registered at least several patents for digital currency.
In early August, it also became known that some commercial banks in the country are conducting tests with digital wallets with yuan. At the end of the month, the Chinese Communist Party again announced that it is tapping blockchain as the primary tool for nationwide innovation in social services.
It is also worth noting that in late July 2019, a national project known as the Blockchain Service Network or BSN was launched to support medium-sized companies in the development of blockchain projects by creating public blockchains that comply with Chinese law and operate internationally. It was also announced that BSN will include support for stack coins, albeit not earlier than 2021, and may become the infrastructure for the digital yuan.
Despite all these positive signs of “adoption” of the blockchain, some Chinese companies still do not believe that the government will legalize cryptocurrencies because digital money does not function as a currency. Ewan Hee, CEO of Red Date Technology, a technology company operating at BSN, told Cointelegraph:
“As far as China is concerned, it is clear that cryptocurrencies will not be legalized in China in the foreseeable future. Even today, I see cryptocurrencies as a form of investment and not as a currency. When trading real currency, most of the time is spent buying goods or services. When most digital currencies are in circulation today, 99% of the volume is used for investment purposes. Therefore, of course, they will not replace paper money, because they do not act as currency. ”
Singapore is leading the way
The city-state of Singapore has a positive attitude towards cryptocurrencies and does not ignore them, and its financial regulators were among the first in 2020 to adopt relevant laws within the framework according to which cryptocurrency companies operate in the country.
In January, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the country’s central bank, passed the Payment Services Act, which regulates cryptocurrency trading and related business activities that must be AML / CFT compliant. Cryptocompanies must first register and then apply for a license to operate in Singapore. To illustrate how to obtain the license, Cryptocurrency Association Enterprises and Startups presented Singapore


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Food safety experts believe they have uncovered horsemeat being passed off as beef at two British meat plants. Police tonight raided a slaughterhouse in West Yorkshire and a meat processing plant in west Wales.
More top news
A chip shop in Cullompton has created a special Christmas Dinner - completely deep fried in batter. But how does it taste?
The council say feeding birds encourages vermin who spread disease.
The legislation would slash tax rates for big business and lower levies on the richest Americans in a massive £1.13 trillion bill.


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As of Thursday, August 24, 2017
Buyers placing orders for Spring merchandise turned out at a steady pace at the Gentle Fawn booth at the Project Womens show, held Aug. 14–16 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
“We’re always really busy. This is our best show,” said Sesi Teal, owner of the One Of Eight Showroom in Los Angeles, which represents Gentle Fawn as well as Sam & Lavi, which was showing nearby.
Teal said she saw stores from across much of the country, including several new accounts at the show.
“People are writing January through June [orders],” she said. “We cut to order so you have to order now or you won’t have it. [Gentle Fawn is] always a good brand. It sells well for people at good prices.”
At the Spiritual Gangster booth, Tasia Skochil, national sales manager, and Caroline Strother, sales representative, were “slammed” on the second day of the show.
“It’s been consistently busy, which is really nice,” Skochil said, adding that much of the traffic was appointment-driven and buyers turned out from across the country as well as Canada.
It was similarly busy at the Show Me Your Mumu booth, where representatives for the Los Angeles–based line were juggling a mix of appointments and walk-in traffic.
Ashley Morgen, the Southeast rep for the company, was seeing a lot of Florida buyers at the show while other regional reps were seeing more West Coast stores.
“It’s primarily appointment-driven, but we got some good foot traffic from new accounts,” Morgen said on the last day of the show. “Yesterday was slammed.”
Gregg Fiene, owner of contemporary label Lavender Brown, saw increased business but lighter-than-usual traffic.
“We got really nice orders,” he said. “We did almost as much on the first day as all of the last show with less customers. Business is strong. My customers are buying more depth of the line. We don’t have the customer buying one or two styles.”
Fiene said much of the traffic in his booth was from existing customers, but he also landed some new business from retailers who were placing Spring orders.
But he said he also spoke with buyers who said they had to choose among a crowded trade-show calendar that includes big trade shows such as Project as well as regional markets around the country.
“It’s hard for me to be out of the office,” he said. “There are too many big shows and too many regionals.”


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The central government’s 12 ministries are currently trying to boost the indigenous demand for drone services and India will need approximately one lakh drone pilots in the coming years, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday.
“We are taking the drone sector forward on three wheels. The first wheel is of policy. You have seen how fast we are implementing the policy,” Scindia said at a Niti Aayog event.
The second wheel is to create incentives, he said. “The PLI (production linked incentive) scheme, which has been implemented under the leadership of Prime Minister, will give a fresh boost to manufacturing and services in the drone sector,” he added.
The PLI scheme came in September 2021 as a follow-through of the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021, released by the ministry on August 25, 2021.
Scindia said the third wheel is to create indigenous demand and the 12 ministries of the central government have tried to create this demand. Today, a drone pilot can be trained by being a 12th class pass, no college degrees are required, he said.
“With 2-3 months of training, this person is in his or her job as a drone pilots with around Rs 30,000 per month salary,” he noted. “We need close to a lakh drone pilots in the years to come. So the opportunity is tremendous,” he stated.
Scindia had on September 16 last year said that the Indian drone industry will have a total turnover of up to Rs 15,000 crore by 2026.


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Peggy Jean's Pies can't be made without the proper supplies, while Tin Roof Monogram & Gift doesn't have a successful holiday season without enough merchandise.
To avoid these problems in the midst of the national supply chain crisis, they've both turned to a different solution: ordering in bulk.
Peggy Jean's Pies recently rented a storage container 20 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8.5 feet tall to store all of the supplies it has recently ordered in bulk. It realized it would have to start doing this after experiencing major delays in its orders.
"Our custom printed bags are taking so much longer than normal," Peggy Jean's Pies owner Rebecca Miller said. "We ordered our last round in July and just got them this morning."
Airlines around the country have seen an increase in staff shortages and more delays and cancellations.
The Columbia Regional Airport (COU) has had several flights in the past few months either delayed or canceled. The airport is currently expanding one of the runways as well as building a new terminal.
An American Airlines representative told KOMU 8 there were five scheduled departures at COU Wednesday and three of them were canceled due to weather conditions.
The main carriers at COU are United and American Airlines.
This issue has been a national problem as the demand for air travel is returning to pre-pandemic levels and as COVID-19 travel restrictions loosen.
This week is the 4th annual Buy Missouri week, an initiative started in 2017 by Governor Mike Parson. Buy Missouri Week takes place on the 2nd Saturday of October every year and promotes the Buy Missouri Program.
The Director of Buy Missouri, Casey Adrian, said the goal of the program is to encourage residents to purchase Missouri-made products and support the businesses that make them. In order to qualify for the program, businesses have to manufacture at least 51% of their product in Missouri.
There are 21 Boone County businesses participating in the program, including DogMaster Distillery. Founder Van Hawxby originally heard about Buy Missouri from other people in the distilling industry. He applied to the program in order to promote his business and Missouri.
A 'test to stay' option will now be an option for Missouri public school students and staff who are obligated to quarantine due to being a close contact.
The 'test to stay' option was added to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's reopening and operating guidance, which was updated on Oct. 8.
According to the guidance, close contacts would be able to stay in school and forgo quarantining if they continue to test negative for COVID-19 and do not show symptoms.
The guidance says quarantine outside of school setting is recommended, but close contact students may stay in school and participate in extracurricular activities.
Students at Two Mile Prairie Elementary School finally have the opportunity to admire their hard work after planting pumpkins and sunflowers last spring.
In May, Two Mile Prairie students took part in Agriculture Day, where they were allowed to extend their learning outside the classroom.
The “Ag Day” helped kick off the transformation. Students got up close to cows, chickens, sheep and alpacas, as well as a half-dozen kinds of rain-spattered tractors.
One of the activities students took part in was the planting of their pumpkin patch and sunflower field.
Five months later, the field is full of life.


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The continuous march of technology never stops – as proven by the fact that you can now turn yourself into a human bank card thanks to microchip implants that can be inserted into your hand. In fact, they’ve been around for a few years now.
Patrick Paumen, a 37-year-old from the Netherlands, has been using his hand as a de facto bank card since 2019 after undergoing a simple injection that he said feels like nothing more than a pinch.
The moment a lot of people have patiently waited for, including myself..
My newest implant: VivoKey Special Project – contactless payment!https://t.co/wi653XeMLuhttps://t.co/1OmJBgbJ66 pic.twitter.com/3lGAk3brv1
— Patrick Paumen (@Vicarious1984) April 5, 2019
Speaking to the BBC, Paumen reveals that he is one of many that have been making people double-take by holding their hands up to card readers instead of a bit of plastic or their phone.
The security guard and self-styled “Biohacker/cyborg with 11 magnet and 21 RFID implants”, had been eagerly awaiting this technology for some time and finally got the contactless microchip inserted into his hand thanks to US company, VivoKey.
Paumen says “The reactions I get from cashiers are priceless!” (pun intended).
Despite many having already received earlier, experimental versions of the tech, British-Polish company, Walletmor, announced back in January 2021 that they would become the first manufacturer to make such implants publicly available.
The implant community is an enthusiastic and varied one, with a 2021 piece by Vice detailing how people have gotten everything from contactless payment implants to medical records and electronic key/fob microchips for their cars and homes.
In Walletmor’s safety video, they insist that like many body modifications, the technology used has been thoroughly tested for security purposes and to ensure it is not only “biocompatible” but even “hypoallergenic”.
A man in Australia made a similar body mod last week, as he decided to get his Woolies rewards card tattooed on his arm — and it still worked.
- Scientists invent moving slime that could be used in human digestive systems
- This is why Boris Johnson was gifted a ceramic cockerel in Ukraine
- You can get paid £15 an hour to watch porn from home
‘I returned home to find someone parked in my driveway – so I ruined their weekend’
By Charlie Herbert


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Federated Department Stores, Inc. (NYSE:FD)(PCX:FD) today reported diluted earnings of $2.55 a share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, which was at the high end of the company's prior guidance of $2.50 to $2.55 a share. Earnings in the quarter ended January 29, 2005 topped earnings of $2.50 a share in the same period last year, when a one-time tax adjustment added 21 cents a share to earnings. Excluding the effect of the tax adjustment, the company's fourth quarter 2004 EPS were up 11.4 percent.
For the full 52 weeks of fiscal 2004, Federated reported diluted earnings of $3.86 a share, compared to $3.71 a diluted share in fiscal 2003. Excluding one-time costs of $.20 per diluted share related to the company's repurchase of long-term debt in 2004 and the one-time tax adjustment of $.20 per diluted share in 2003, fiscal 2004 earnings were up 15.7 percent.
"We had a very strong year and a fourth quarter that finished at the high end of our expectations despite a slow start to the holiday shopping season," said Terry J. Lundgren, Federated's chairman, president and chief executive officer.
"In 2004, we intensified our strategic focus on our four key priorities for improving our business - differentiating and editing merchandise assortments, simplifying pricing, improving the overall shopping experience and communicating better with our customers through more effective marketing," Lundgren said. "Our results for the year indicate that we are continuing to make progress on these strategies and our customer is responding enthusiastically. We are excited about the prospects for our company that will come from the conversions to the Macy's brand, which will take place across our regional department store divisions on March 6th, as well as from a continued focus on our four key priorities for running the business."
For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, Federated's sales totaled $5.074 billion, up 0.4 percent from total sales of $5.053 billion in the final 13 weeks of 2003. On a same-store basis, the company's fourth quarter sales were up 0.8 percent, which came on top of a solid same-store sales performance during the same period last year.
Federated's fiscal 2004 sales totaled $15.630 billion, up 2.4 percent from total sales of $15.264 billion in the 52 weeks of fiscal 2003. On a same-store basis, Federated's annual sales were up 2.6 percent.
Federated opened four new department stores in fiscal 2004 and closed four stores nationally. (See attached chart for store listings.)
For the 13-week fourth quarter ended January 29, 2005, Federated's operating income was $763 million or 15.0 percent of sales, compared to $758 million or 15.0 percent of sales for the same period last year. Federated posted operating income of $1.400 billion or 9.0 percent of sales for the 52 weeks of fiscal 2004, compared to operating income of $1.341 billion or 8.8 percent of sales for fiscal 2003.
Federated's operating income includes store closing, centralization and consolidation costs of $13 million in the fourth quarter this year, compared to $12 million for the same period last year. On a full year basis, store closing, centralization and consolidation costs amounted to $99 million, compared to $59 million last year.
Cash Flow from Operations
In 2004, Federated generated $1.51 billion in cash flow from operating activities, compared to $1.78 billion in fiscal 2003. Last year's cash flow from operating activities benefited from lower income tax payments, reflecting the use of Fingerhut net operating losses. In 2004, Federated used $727 million of cash for investing activities as compared to $748 million in fiscal 2003.
The company continued to put its strong cash flow position to work in increasing shareholder return, including increasing the quarterly cash dividend paid to shareholders in 2004 by 8 percent, and continuing its share buyback program. The company used approximately $901 million of excess cash to repurchase approximately 18.3 million shares of Federated common stock in 2004. The company also repurchased $274 million of 8.5 percent senior notes during fiscal 2004.
Inventories at the end of fiscal 2004 were down 3 percent from prior year-end levels, which Federated believes positions the company well for the start of the new retail year.
Federated's net income totaled $440 million or $2.55 a diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2004, compared to $2.50 a share in the same period last year. Excluding the 21 cents a share favorable tax adjustment last year, diluted earnings per share of $2.55 for the fourth quarter of this year increased 11.4 percent compared to $2.29 a share for the same period last year.
For the 52 weeks of fiscal 2004, Federated's net income totaled $689 million or $3.86 a diluted share, compared to $693 million or $3.71 a share in the same period last year. Excluding one-time costs of 20 cents related to the company's repurchase of $274 million of its long-term debt in 2004 and the 20-cent one-time tax adjustment in 2003, diluted earnings per share of $4.06 in fiscal 2004 increased 15.7 percent compared to $3.51 a share in fiscal 2003.
Lundgren said Federated expects same-store sales for fiscal 2005 to increase approximately 2 percent, with annual earnings per share in the range of $4.55 to $4.65 on a diluted basis.
The company said same-store sales in the first half of the year are expected to be up about 1 percent on top of last year's 5 percent increase over prior year performance. February's same-store sales are expected to be flat to down slightly. In the second half of the year, a same-store sales increase of approximately 3 percent is anticipated. Total sales are expected to approximate same-store sales for the periods.
Federated is expecting to generate earnings of 45-50 cents a share in the first quarter of 2005, and 80-85 cents a share in the second quarter. For the second half of the fiscal year (the combined third and fourth quarters), the company said it is anticipating earnings per share of $3.20 to $3.30.
The company plans to convert all of its regional department stores to the Macy's brand effective March 6, 2005. This will include stores that now operate as Bon-Macy's, Burdines-Macy's, Goldsmith's-Macy's, Lazarus-Macy's and Rich's-Macy's.
In addition, Federated plans to open two new stores in the coming year - a Macy's in Wheaton Plaza, Wheaton, MD, and a Macy's in Simi Valley, CA.
Federated, with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, is one of the nation's leading department store retailers, with annual sales of more than $15.6 billion. Federated operates more than 450 stores in 34 states, Guam and Puerto Rico under the names of Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Bon-Macy's, Burdines-Macy's, Goldsmith's-Macy's, Lazarus-Macy's and Rich's-Macy's. The company also operates macys.com and Bloomingdale's By Mail.
This release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect current views of the financial performance and future events of Federated. The words expect, plan, think, believe and other similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Future results of Federated operations could differ materially from historical results or current expectations because of a variety of factors that affect the company, including transaction costs associated with the renovation, conversion and transitioning of company retail stores in regional markets; the outcome and timing of sales and leasing in conjunction with the disposition of company retail store properties; the retention, reintegration and transitioning of displaced company employees; competitive pressures from department and specialty stores, general merchandise stores, manufacturers' outlets, off-price and discount stores, and all other retail channels; and general consumer-spending levels, including the impact of the availability and level of consumer debt, and the effects of weather.
(NOTE: Additional information on Federated is available on the Internet at www.fds.com/pressroom. A live webcast of the yearend earnings call with analysts can be accessed through the Federated website, or by dialing in at 1-800-347-3350 to listen to the broadcast in real time, beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET. Pre-registration is requested. The webcast will be archived for replay beginning approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live call.)
ASAP Fashion News Fast - Fashion news for the apparel industry
and consumers to learn more about the clothing business. Apparel Search
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Kuo: Apple Watch Series 8 Could Get A Body Temperature Sensor After Missing Apple Watch Series 7
Apple’s upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 could benefit from a new feature that would allow people to measure their body temperature for the first time. That’s according to a new series of tweets by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In those tweets, Kuo says that Apple had originally planned to be able to add the same body temperature sensor to the previous Apple Watch Series 7 device that went on sale last year.
However, that all ended up going wrong after the company was unable to get the feature to work the way that it wanted to. However, Kuo believes that Apple will intend to get the feature into the Apple Watch Series 8 that will be announced later this year — but only if the previous issues have been corrected.
Apple canceled body temperature measurement for Apple Watch 7 because the algorithm failed to qualify before entering EVT stage last year. I believe Apple Watch 8 in 2H22 could take body temperature if the algorithm can meet Apple’s high requirements before mass production.
Previous reports by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had previously suggested that we wouldn’t be seeing any new sensors in the new Apple Watch Series 8 this year, but if this report is accurate, that isn’t the case at all.
We’re still a while away from Apple announcing the new Apple Watch, which does indeed give Apple time to get things ready to go. We’ll know for sure as we get closer to the big release in or around September or October.


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China XD Plastics Reports Halved Revenue in Q1, Stock Drops
Polymer composite materials supplier for the auto market, China XD Plastics Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq: CXDC) reported a net loss on Monday. The company has agreed to a buyout deal to go private.
The Harbin-based chemical company said in a statement today that revenue in the first quarter dropped to $144.8 million, down 52% year-over-year. Net loss in the three months through March hit $11 million, or 16 cents per share, compared with a net income of $11 million, or 16 cents per share, in the same period of 2019.
China XD Plastics reported its shipped volume plummeted to 28,326 metric tons in the first quarter, down 70% year-over-year.
In response to the outbreak, the company temporarily shut down its manufacturing facilities in Harbin and Sichuan and suspended its Dubai operations at the facilities since early February.
Instead, the plastics company turned to the production of raw materials for personal protective equipment such as goggles and masks. Additionally, the company boosted the sales price of high-priced semi-finished goods in the domestic market.
"We are pleased to see an overall increase of 65.6% in the average RMB selling price of our products, to partially offset the decreased sales volume of 70%," Jie Han, the chief executive officer, said in a statement.
China, the world's biggest vehicle market, saw changes from the supply chain disruption and decreased demand in first quarter. Industry data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed year-over-year decreases of 19%, 79%, and 43% in January, February, and March in auto sales.
Given that poor performance in the Chinese auto market, some Chinese auto suppliers listed in New York reported disappointing financial results. China Automotive Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CAAS) said its revenue is down 33% year-over-year.
"Our extraordinary sales decline reflects the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on China's economy and especially the domestic Chinese automobile industry," Qizhou Wu, the chief executive officer of CAAS, said in the statement.
Auto solutions provider Bitauto Holding Ltd.'s (NYSE: BITA) said revenue in the first quarter down 36% year-over-year. Bitauto's automobile finance facilitator business, Yixin Group Ltd. (SEHK: 2858), saw revenue in the first quarter drop 48%.
On rising hopes of a quick recovery, auto sales in China jumped in April and May, up 6% and 15% year-over-year, respectively.
On May 8, China XD Plastics received a "going-private" proposal from its management team and said on June 15 that it has agreed to a buyout deal and a merger with Faith Dawn Ltd. and Faith Horizon Inc. Under the agreement, Faith Dawn will acquire all the outstanding shares of China XD Plastics for a cash consideration equal to $1.20 per share.
Shares in China XD Plastics traded at $1.14 per share, down 1% intraday Monday.
Moderna Soars 8% on Promising Covid-19 Vaccine News
Bank of America Stock Drops 3% Despite Q2 Earnings Beat
China Sees GDP Growth in Q2, but Markets Plunge on Ongoing Fears
Xinyuan Property Management Arm Completes HK$127.2 Million Follow on Offering
China Bohai Ends Flat in Hong Kong Debut
More China IPOs Led by VC, PE, Hillhouse Capital


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Kaufman Franco duo, Ken Kaufman and Isaac Franco will design new uniforms for American Airlines personnel, according to a Jan. 25 WWD report. This will be the first uniform overhaul for the airline in over 20 years. This new designer news comes on the heels of news that the company will have a new logo.
According to WWD, this design partnership is the first of its kind in both the design and the airline industry; it includes new uniforms for flight attendants, customer service agents and premium service team members. The design process will reportedly last approximately 24 months from sketch to rollout of the new uniforms. “We want them to look timely, but timeless, too,” said Kaufman.
Those not familiar with KaufmanFranco should just look to the red carpet. Earlier this week, country superstar Taylor Swift wore a white Kaufman Franco dress to the 40 Principales Awards at Palacio de los Desportes in Madrid. The dress featured a deep plunging neckline and a short enough length for the singer to flaunt her long legs.
Also on the KaufmanFranco fashion kick this week is Jennifer Lopez who wore one of the designs to the premiere of her new movie, “Parker” in Las Vegas. Her white dress was a much longer length than Swift and what it made up for in length it lacked in breath. It featured sheer mesh detailing on the very low back and sides. It was the kind of dress where one had to make a choice to breathe or wear underwear. She chose to breathe.
If the American Airline uniforms are anything remotely close to these two Kaufman Franco dresses, then flying the friendly skies will take on a whole new meaning for certain segments of the flying population.
If you enjoyed this article, please spread the love. Like it, share it with Facebook friends or tweet it. Want more? Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and stay tuned to the Fashion Examiner.
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2020 Ford Bronco Teaser - 2020 ford bronco teased - photo , At a press conference today, ford gave us an outline of its next few years, including a look at the 2020 bronco.it's just a teaser of a truck under a cover right now, but it gives us a hint of the. Ford bronco 2020 | bronco confirmed - release date, Ford plans to bring four or even five new utilities in the next few years, and 2020 ford bronco is a part of this plan. the thing that will especially delight the fans of the company and this model is the fact that the new suv will be produced in wayne assembly plant in michigan.. 2020 ford bronco: expect ford’ reborn , Based on a teaser image ford released earlier this year, we expect the new bronco will sport a squared-off two-box shape like the original, with an upright windshield, big side-view mirrors. 2020 / 2021 ford bronco forum, info, news, owners club, Ford has just released new photos teasing the upcoming yet-unnamed “baby bronco” (the front end of which was teased earlier this year).. the silhouette photo shows that it will be loosely based off of the 2020 bronco, with a short hood, flat roofline and boxy proportions.. Confirmed: ford bronco arrive 2020, It’s official: the ford bronco will return for 2020. during a special event in michigan today, ford confirmed the iconic bronco nameplate would return for 2020. the automaker released a teaser. Here 'view' 2020 bronco - page 2 - ford, If, in fact, that covered vehicle is the new bronco, it is quite reminiscent of this concept that came out a while back, with the exception that the fenders are different.. Ford’ future: trucks, suvs, hybrids - detroitnews., Dearborn — ford motor co. signaled its biggest step yet away from the u.s. car segment thursday when it said nearly nine out of every 10 vehicles sold in 2020 will be a truck, suv or commercial. What' updated 2019 ford raptor , Please let us know in the comments below what other changes you want to see from the updated ford f-150 raptor. here is a 2018 ford f-150 on the ike gauntlet™ – world’s toughest towing test.. 2021 ford bronco | news, rumors, specs, release date, Ford has confirmed it will bring the bronco back to american showrooms in a few short years. while it's still very much a work in progress, this is what we expect from the blue oval's born-again.
2020 ford bronco teased see the first photo of the new → Ford bronco 2020 new bronco is confirmed release date → 2020 ford bronco what to expect from ford’s reborn off → 2020 2021 ford bronco forum, info, news, owners club → Confirmed new ford bronco will arrive for 2020 → Here it is first 'view' of the 2020 bronco page 2 ford → Ford’s future more trucks, suvs, hybrids detroitnews → What's next for the updated 2019 ford raptor and the → 2021 ford bronco news, rumors, specs, release date →


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Autolib began operations in the fall of 2011 in Paris with its all-electric "Bluecars" (pictured above is the concept version, the B0) with customers paying between $6 and $11 per half-hour in addition to a $200 annual membership fee. Bolloré's goal at the time was to have as many as 5,000 electric vehicles parked at more than 1,000 locations in Paris by the end of this year. Last year, the company received a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) worth about $100 million for Autolib and now operates the service in more than 50 towns around Paris.
By investing in Autolib, Renault would join Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler as a major European automaker with a stake in a car-sharing company. Daimler owns Car2go, which operates carsharing programs in Europe and North America. Check out Renault's press release on the Bolloré partnership below.
September 12, 2013 | ID: 50699
The Renault and Bolloré groups have signed a letter of intent to study the joint development of car-sharing solutions and the implementation of industrial and commercial cooperation agreements in the field of electric vehicles.
1 - Joint marketing of complete car-sharing solutions concerning the use of electric vehicles in the city.
Following the success of Autolib' in 55 municipalities in and around the Paris region, and the contracts already won by the Bolloré Group in Lyon, Bordeaux and Indianapolis, the Renault and Bolloré groups will look at the possible founding of a joint venture to win and implement new projects in order to meet growing demand in France and on international markets for electric car-sharing services. In the first instance, Renault could join forces with the Bolloré Group by taking a stake in Bluely (Lyon) and Bluecub (Bordeaux).
2 – Bluecar production in France
The expected increase in the number of Bluecars - the existing 4-seater model - and the convertible model to be launched next June will lead to a rise in production. The two groups will look at the possible transfer of some production processes to the Renault group's Dieppe plant, alongside the supply of parts and components by Renault
3 – Development and production of a 3-seater vehicle using a 20 kWh Bolloré battery
Autolib', the world's biggest electric-car sharing service to date, is now entering its third year in operation, and data show that three-quarters of rentals concern a maximum of three passengers. As a result, the two groups will look at the possible support that Renault could provide the Bolloré group for the development and production of a three-seater electric vehicle (3.1m long) with an autonomy of over 200 km.


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Digital banks & fintechs strive to set themselves apart with slogans that stress innovation, inclusion and frequently anti-bank
Blending physical 'branches' it doesn't own with digital service about to be revved up helps Green Dot make money from people of modest
Apple Pay expands with a BNPL option, so people can make installment purchases at retail stores using its proprietary mobile
Becoming a fintech unicorn confers status on disruptors with fresh banking ideas, but investors demand they produce even fresher
Investing has never been more accessible, and banks and credit unions are losing deposits (and relationships) to investing fintech startups.
The tech giant's startup acquisition could enhance credit card penetration in the U.S. and beyond while improving Apple Pay
Account-to-account (A2A) payments reduce interchange income and could hasten the decline of payment cards, but also bring new
Experience, being nimble and competing in business banking, rather than the consumer side, could put young Grasshopper into the black.
Change won't wait for digital laggards, yet many banks and credit unions still aren't focused on answering fintech and neobank
Money poured into fintechs through 2021, prompting banks to respond with investments in both R&D and directly in fintechs
The student loan refi lender is building a new banking model around payments and digital banking platforms, plus a national
Sure, it only operates in Latin America, yet it has nearly the same digital presence as BofA. Here's why banks must keep an eye on Nubank.
American Express presses further into banking, rolling out digital rewards checking. Experts assess what the card giant has in mind.
Primary institution satisfaction is strong, but new data shows switching activity is rising as people spread their banking business
Banks, credit unions and digital newcomers step up lending to lower credit tiers to build balances & revenues. The great unknown:
Every bank is wrangling technology to help them be innovative. Here's an inside look at how Chase tackles digital with a unique strategy.
Neobanks and traditional institutions face a period of intense change, driven by technology, but framed within new political
Neobanks that crave capital remain wary of losing control in an acquisition with a big corporation. They remember Simple and
With over five million customers and a focus on sustainable finance, Aspiration's strategy couldn't be more different from its
What the heck is "DeFi" and "Baas"? Few in banking would admit they don't really understand many of these new buzzworthy
A charter is a plus for the fintech, but the impact for traditional institutions may depend on the status of their digital
Free business checking offered with Green Dot Bank serves as a tie-in for firms using QuickBooks and as part of a 'starter kit' for future


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It looks like Suzuki's popular Swift Sports is making its way into the Indian market. Swift Sports, the sporty performance oriented version of Swift has been spotted testing in India, giving us the clue that the company may launch the hot hatchback in the country soon.
Thanks to the folks at GaadiWaadi for the latest spy shots of Swift Sports. Maruti, which premiered Swift Sports at Delhi Auto Expo 2014, is now seen testing the car at the automaker's Manesar plant.
In the latest photos, we can see the car with LED-DRLs and if you take a closer look, also can see a larger air-dam.
Expected to make its India debut during this festive season, possibly in October, the Swift Sports likely to get features like head-lamps with washers, automatic headlights, power-folding wing mirrors, sports seats, stainless steel sport pedals and Bluetooth-compatible music system.
On the safety front, the car is likely to come fitted with ABS (anti-lock braking system) with EBD (electronic brake force distribution), ESP (electornic stability programme), dual front, electronically adjustable side-view mirrors, dual airbags in the front, curtain airbags and a knee airbag for the driver.
In the international markets, Suzuki Swift Sport is sold in three-door and five-door body style. In India, the car maker is likely to bring five-door version of Swift Sport.
We don't know yet the power plant options for India-specific Swift Sports, but chances are that the car would get the same 1.6-litre 4-cylinder motor that we saw at Delhi Auto Expo.
The 1.6-litre 4-cylinder motor of Swift Sports can churn out a power of 100PS at 6,900rpm and a peak torque of 160nm at 4,400rpm. The vehicle can accelerate from 0-100kmph in 8.7 seconds and can attain a top speed of 193kmph.
Maruti is also expected to launch its Swift facelift in India in October. The new Swift facelift will carry over the same tried and tested 1.2-litre petrol and the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engines and is expected to get fresh alloy wheels, electrically adjustable ORVMs, new front fascia with reworked grille, headlights and front bumper.


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Diamonds and Dogs
A win for Wynn in a down market for this diamond. Wynn Resorts (WYNN) surged 11% on four times its normal volume closing just below $100 a share. The casino owner and operator had a great day after pre-releasing quarterly results and also updating shareholders on future properties including converting its Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas into a lake resort to create hundreds of millions in future profits. The announcements were coupled with an upgrade from Telsey Advisory Group with a $112 price target. It may not be long before the analyst has to raise his price target again.
Being sold to the max! CarMax (KMX) is seeing its shares drop over $3 or 7% following earnings today. Quarterly sales and profits topped estimates compared to the same quarter a year earlier, however, investors apparently were hoping for faster growth. CarMax has struggled in recent quarters amid rising incentive costs and some leveling off from surging sales after the Great Recession. The company is expecting to face a more challenging sales environment in the second half of the year.


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Stablecoins and CBDCs do not threaten the stability of the financial system, says Bank of England exec
Contrary to some press headlines, even such a dramatic shift does not inherently constitute a financial stability risk as long as it happens in an orderly manner, says Christina Segal-Knowles.
Fri, 11 Jun 2021, 06:19 am UTC
While it is cautious when it comes to cryptos like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), the Bank of England (BoE) does not have any problems with stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBCDs). In fact, a bank executive recently stated that stablecoins and CBDCs don’t pose an inherent risk to financial stability even if they displace bank deposits.
“Stablecoins and other new forms of innovation in payments potentially offer benefits,” Christina Segal-Knowles, executive director of financial market infrastructure at the BoE, said on a speech. “They could reduce cost and offer new convenience and functionality. They could increase the resilience of payments – by offering alternative new ways to pay. And there could be potential long-term financial stability gains from new forms of digital money.”
She explained that while the technology behind stablecoin is new, the basic elements of a stablecoin are very old. “In fact, as old as money itself,” she added.
Ninety-five percent of the money businesses and households hold is in commercial bank deposits rather than cash. The pandemic has accelerated the decrease of cash usage as many opted for non-cash options in their transactions.
Segal-Knowles also downplayed concerns that holding stablecoins and CBDCs might undermine the traditional banking model, according to Coindesk. Some are worried that “consumers might choose to use them rather than depositing their money into a commercial bank.”
“The discussion paper models what would happen if a large number of households and businesses moved their deposits from banks and into a stablecoin or Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC),” the BoE executive explained. “Contrary to some press headlines, even such a dramatic shift does not inherently constitute a financial stability risk as long as it happens in an orderly manner.”
Segal-Knowles believes that the right regulation could make stablecoins safer. “But it is equally true that private money can be made acceptable as a widespread means of payment – indeed, as I covered earlier, the vast majority of money held for transactions in the United Kingdom is already private,” she added. “So, with the right regulation, a stablecoin could potentially be made safe for wide-scale use.”
This means that stablecoins must meet the core elements of the regulatory framework for private money. These include a legal claim, capital requirements, liquidity requirements, and a backstop to compensate coinholders such as the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
<Copyright © TokenPost. All Rights Reserved. >


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- As manufacturers dive deeper into digital items, Adidas on Wednesday created a brand new product class for digital gear in an effort to speed up its “community-based, member-first, open metaverse technique.”
- The brand new product class comes as Adidas releases its first non-fungible token assortment of digital wearables. The 16-piece Adidas Originals assortment may be discovered at adidas.com/metaverse, in accordance with an organization launch.
- The clothes is designed particularly for digital avatars, and every bit is interoperable with different digital worlds and tasks. “Because of this the Adidas assortment is ready to reply and adapt to the metaverse environments being constructed, in order that the ‘Digital Gear’ is prepared for all frontiers of Web3,” the corporate stated.
Adidas is all-in on the metaverse.
“We’re laying down a marker on this new age of originality — one which unquestionably serves the neighborhood, heroes the purveyors and collectors of rising type and tradition, advantages the worth creators, and helps the variety of expression and utility that blurring digital worlds has allowed us all to discover,” Vice President of the Adidas Three Stripes Studio, Erika Wykes-Sneyd, stated in a press release. Wykes-Sneyd added that Adidas plans to “discover each viable utility, platform, and expertise inside Web3 to unlock new prospects for our wearables, with a deal with tangible worth and immutable utility for our neighborhood members.”
The NFT wearables assortment, which went stay Wednesday, consists of limited-edition merchandise from Bored Ape Yacht Membership, Gmoney and Punks Comics, and is on the market for buy throughout “related NFT marketplaces.” Clients who personal Adidas’ Capsule NFT Assortment can select to lose their Capsule NFT and obtain a random one of many new wearables. Sooner or later, holders of Adidas’ digital wearables and appropriate associate collections may have entry to a instrument that attire their NFTs with Adidas wearables.
Adidas’ dedication to the metaverse and dedication of a complete product class to digital items comes simply days after rival Nike launched .Swoosh, a market to gather and finally commerce digital items. Nike will drop a digital assortment on the platform in 2023 and can enable some clients to co-create merchandise like jerseys and sneakers. The efforts come as manufacturers search for methods to tie metaverse efforts to income and experiment with connecting digital items to bodily merchandise.
“As a model, Adidas has at all times been about exploring the perimeters of creativity and pushing the boundaries to search out what’s past,” Nic Galway, senior vp of inventive course for Adidas Originals, stated in a press release. “However Web3 affords our designers and collaborators a brand new outlet to think about, and reimagine, how our model may be represented in augmented and digital worlds.”


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Written by Thembani Magazi – May 25, 2022
Reviewed by Asaf Kedem
The all-new 2023 RX has made its first tease appearance thanks to Toyota-owned car maker Lexus. This marks the fifth generation of the RX; a car which started the luxury crossover craze back in the late 90s. The Lexus 2023 RX peeks its fresh new face, sporting its iconic headlights ahead of its debut.
Lexus has been quite busy of late. Recently the smaller, second-generation Lexus NX and the brand’s first bespoke EV, the Lexus RZ 450e were debuted by the company. The RX is set to be heavily upgraded inside and out in an attempt to better rival the German marques and their dominant models the Audi Q7, the BMW X5 and the Mercedes-Benz GLE. Tough competition indeed. Luckily, designers at Lexus seem to have been working overtime to produce one of the most elegant looking products in Lexus’s range yet.
The image released by Lexus gives a small look at the RX’s new front end. The spindle grille is alive and well, mixing a mostly black mesh design with a partly-blocked-off white panel at the very top. The reshaped headlights feature the iconic check-mark lighting signature yet the headlights themselves remain shrouded in darkness. The prominent intake vent on the edge of the front bumper suggests the teaser image shows an F Sport variant.
Auto Trendy expects the entry level RX350 to have the same turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four as the NX350. Rated at 275 hp, 430 Nm and with an eight-speed auto transmission, the drivetrain is sure to impress. We also expect a hybrid variant dubbed the RX450h. Finally, we believe the RX lineup will feature a plug-in hybrid. We know Toyota applied for the RX500h trademark about two years ago, and since Lexus’s PHEV models are usually named with a “+” at the end, the plug-in variant could be called RX500h+.
Auto Trendy’s take:
Overall, it is likely that Lexus's designers will have pursued a similar evolutionary approach aimed at sustaining the RX's continued popularity (it's the company's most popular model in the US) while emphasizing the brand's renewed push to promote the dynamic appeal of its models. If they continue down this set trajectory, they are likely to remain successful not just with this model, but all models across their range. Perhaps they’ll even have a fighting chance among their German rivals. We haven’t seen much of the new RX beyond some of its front stylings, but it is likely to be a total stunner. Our calendars are set to June 1st.


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Creams Cafe has a pretty big following in town but if the lockdown has made it harder for you to get to your nearest branch - they're now bringing something new to you.
They've just launched two new doughnut boxes, being delivered by Deliveroo or Uber Eats, as part of a whole new doughnut range.
First, there's the Creams "Playful Box" which includes a rainbow
Many offices remain closed in London and while most of us aren't missing the daily commute itself, we are missing the daily and easy access to all the shops and restaurants that London has to offer. But if you've been a fan of Crosstown Doughnuts but are now no longer near one of their stalls or stores - they're coming to you instead.
Crosstown are now offering national next-day delivery on their
They kicked things off at Boxpark Wembley, now long finger-doughnut sellers Longboys are opening in King's Cross. They're the latest place to open in Coal Drops Yard.
Longboys has two impressive pastry chefs at the helm. Graham Hornigold was Group Pastry Chef for the Hakkasan group and Heather Kaniuk was former Executive Pastry Chef at the Mandarin Oriental and the Shangri-La at The Shard. So you
They've been popping up across town and even have a lockdown DIY kit - but now Treats Club Dessert Bar are settling down with their first permanent shop in Hackney.
If you're yet to come across them, then the key thing you need to know is that
London's doughnut producers are the equal to anyone's (if the award-winning doughnuts we tried in Miami the other week are anything to go by). So anyone new coming into the scene is really going to have to bring their A-game. But a look at the credentials of the folk behind new doughnut purveyors Longboys shows they've thought of that already.
The duo behind it are the former Group Pastry Chef for the Hakkasan group, Graham Hornigold, and Heather
The last few years have seen Crosstown Doughnuts expanding all across London and they're getting ready to open their latest outpost. This will be their Hammersmith branch - and is also the first time they've appeared in West London. So, if you're a fan of their sourdough doughnuts and you live or work in Hammersmith, this one's for you.
But it's not just Hammersmith that's getting a dose of Crosstown love - they've a number of specials hitting all of their
If you're a south Londoner who really wants their weekend fix of vegan doughnuts and coffee, but simply can't muster the energy required to head to Marylebone where Crosstown's vegan shop is, then the mountain (of doughnuts) has come to you instead.
From this Saturday Crosstown Doughnuts will be trading at Brockley Market every Saturday with a stall stocking all 9 of their vegan doughnut flavours each week, including seasonal flavours exclusive to their
London's vegans are getting their own Crosstown coffee and doughnut bar opening in the heart of the West End
We are VERY big fans of the St John Bakery doughnuts and any extra opportunity to buy them is to be welcomed. So news that the bakery is popping up at Old Street station is very welcome indeed.
The doughnuts will, of course, be on sale, as will all the sourdough, pastries and eccle cakes that St John is best known for. The bakery will be there for just three weeks, so don't miss your chance for doughnuts on the
Ever been wandering around Notting Hill, looking for something to satisfy a doughnut craving? Yes, that's quite specific, but bear with us - because a new Doughnut Time (the Aussie import that's been popping up
Fitzrovia is the latest London location to see a Crosstown doughnut and coffee bar open up. And this one will be entirely cash-free
After enjoying considerable success in Shaftesbury Avenue, Doughtnut Time are moving to a second base in Old Street - and plans for two new stores yet to come…
We're pretty certain this isn't a very early (or late) April Fool's joke, but today newcomers to the London doughnut scene have added a rather different doughnut to the menu. Apparently launched in line with "I'm a Celebrity..." it's based on their famed Bushtucker Trial (and named that too). It is a doughnut-laden with edible bugs.
What can you expect? A milk
Popular Australian doughnut company is on the move and the first of a UK rollout will be its store on Shaftesbury Avenue
Crosstown are squeezing in a third new opening this year, going back to its roots in Piccadilly to distribute its gloriously glazed sourdough doughnuts and cold brew coffee to its fans. Plus, they’ve launched three new flavours just for the occasion, and they sound *amazing*.
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HONG KONG (AP) — China’s exports declined at a slower pace in August, even as the world’s second-biggest economy remains under pressure from weaker demand both domestically and abroad.
Exports for August slumped 8.8% from the same time last year, totaling $284.87 billion, and were slower than the 14.5% last month, according to customs data Thursday.
Imports slid 7.3% from a year ago to $216.51 billion, but beat consensus estimates of a 9% decline.
China’s trade surplus contracted 13.2% to $68.36 billion, lower than the $80.6 billion in July.
Chinese leaders have in recent months rolled out several policy measures to shore up the economy after a post-COVID rebound fizzled earlier than expected.
China’s central banks have eased borrowing rules, relaxing borrowing rules and lowering mortgage rates for first-time home buyers as well as implementing some tax relief measures for small businesses.
However, authorities have yet to announce large-scale stimulus spending or tax cuts.
Demand for Chinese exports weakened after the Federal Reserve and central banks in Europe and Asia began raising interest rates last year to cool inflation that was at multi-decade highs.
Exports to the U.S. fell 17.4% from a year earlier to $45.03 billion, while imports of U.S. goods slid 4.9% to $11.98 billion.
China’s imports from Russia, mostly oil and gas, increased 13.3% from a year ago to $11.52 billion.
Chinese purchases of Russian energy have swelled, helping to offset revenue lost to Western sanctions imposed to punish the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine.
Exports to the European Union tumbled 10.5% from the same time last year to $41.29 billion, while imports of European goods declined 2.5% to $24.56 billion.


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September 29, 2022
Renault Group accelerates its Renaulution strategy
Capital Market Day on November 8, 2022
Boulogne-Billancourt, September 29, 2022 - Renault Group will hold a Capital Market Day on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022. On this occasion, Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group and Thierry Piéton, CFO of Renault Group, will present an update on the Group's strategy and the mid-term financial outlook of the Renaulution plan.
A physical conference will be held in Paris and will be broadcast live on the website renaultgroup.com.
About Renault Group
Renault Group is at the forefront of a mobility that is reinventing itself. Strengthened by its alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, and its unique expertise in electrification, Renault Group comprises 4 complementary brands - Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Mobilize - offering sustainable and innovative mobility solutions to its customers. Established in more than 130 countries, the Group has sold 2.7 million vehicles in 2021. It employs nearly 111,000 people who embody its Purpose every day, so that mobility brings people closer. Ready to pursue challenges both on the road and in competition, Renault Group is committed to an ambitious transformation that will generate value. This is centred on the development of new technologies and services, and a new range of even more competitive, balanced and electrified vehicles. In line with environmental challenges, the Group’s ambition is to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040. https://www.renaultgroup.com/en/
|RENAULT GROUP INVESTORS RELATIONS|| ||Philippine de Schonen|
+33 6 13 45 68 39
|RENAULT GROUP |
| ||Frederic Texier|
+33 6 10 78 49 20
Astrid de Latude
+33 6 25 63 22 08
2022-09-29 PR Capital Market Day Notification
© OMX, source GlobeNewswire - EU Press Releases


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Kate Spade stock soars 23% on report of luxury handbag brand's possible sale
Shares of luxury handbag maker Kate Spade leaped 23.1% Wednesday after news reports surfaced about a possible sale of the company.
The move comes amid a deteriorating environment for upscale handbags and a strong U.S. dollar that's dampening foreign tourist spending.
The handbag, clothing and jewelry maker "is working with an investment bank and has contacted possible buyers," the Wall Street Journal reported. Kate Spade stock jumped $3.35 to $17.86 on the day as investors cheered the prospect of a deal.
The move comes after an activist hedge fund, Caerus Investors, urged a potential sale in November, saying it was "deeply concerned about the precipitous decline in the share price of Kate Spade over the last two and a half years brought about by management’s inability to meet their own stated goals."
The company has been grappling with a sluggish luxury market, lower growth in China and unfavorable currency rates, which have made it more expensive for foreign tourists to buy its goods in the U.S. In August, Kate Spade lowered its full-year profit outlook.
The broader luxury market is also sagging, as evidenced by the S&P Global Luxury Index's 2.6% decline over the last year.
The North American handbag market has slowed to annual sales growth in the "low single digits," retail analyst Marie Driscoll of The Robin Reportwrote Nov. 15.
"A variety of factors stalled growth, including reduced mall traffic, fewer international consumers shopping at full price and at flagship outlet destinations, smaller and less expensive bags, increased promotional activity online and in department stores, and more competition from new entrants," Driscoll said.
Kate Spade spokesperson Emily Garbaccio declined to comment.
The Journal reported that potential suitors could include rival Coach, other luxury goods makers or private equity firms.
Kate Spade has 431 stores worldwide, including 174 company-owned locations in the U.S.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.


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Many of us look forward to April 1 for that once-a-year opportunity to prank our friends or loved ones.
Well, for April Fool’s Day this year, a number of customers who ordered pizzas certainly got something more than expected.
Instead of getting their pizzas delivered by our regular “Abang and Adik” delivery boys on motorcycles, theirs arrived in a red Ferrari.
Pizza Hut said it was one of their cheeky ways to uplift customers spirits and turn ordinary delivery moments into some fun.
Emily Chong, the chief marketing officer for Pizza Hut Malaysia said they decided to ramp up the fun this April Fool’s Day with this unexpected twist in their delivery service.
Customers got their pizzas delivered in a red-hot Ferrari with the Pizza Hut decals at the side.
So, were you among the lucky few who got your pizza delivered in a Ferrari?


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The French division of Samsung Electronics prematurely hanged a banner promoting the Galaxy S9 Plus earlier this week, with the advertisement being seen decorating the Center of New Industries and Technologies (CNIT) in the La Défense district of Paris. The image seen above captured by French tech blog Mac4Ever documented the installation of the banner on Friday, with the ad itself seemingly showing the Lilac Purple variant of the upcoming Android flagship. The local unit of the South Korean tech giant is reportedly often hanging promotional banners at CNIT but rarely does so to advertise products that are yet to be announced.
The promo itself doesn't provide a full look at the flagship but does confirm its dual-camera setup consisting of two vertically aligned sensors and a dual-LED (dual-tone) flash, in addition to showing a heart rate monitor to the right and a fingerprint reader resting below the main imaging system of the phablet. The handset is seen displaying an image of a dandelion with a heavy purple hue, though it remains to be seen whether that shot ends up being one of the official wallpapers of the Lilac Purple version of the Galaxy S9 Plus. By most accounts, the 6.2-inch phablet will be a much more significant upgrade over the Galaxy S8 lineup than the smaller Galaxy S9; besides being the only member of the new product family with a dual-camera setup, it's also expected to debut with 6GB of RAM instead of 4GB. A dual-SIM model has so far only been rumored in the context of the larger phablet and the same goes for an ultra-premium variant with 256GB of internal flash memory, though that particular product may not be available for purchase outside of select Asian markets.
Samsung has been in the process of teasing its next high-end mobile offerings for several weeks now, having already confirmed the duo will be announced on Sunday, February 25. Both handsets should become available for pre-orders no later than March 1 and be released on a global level on March 16, according to previous reports. Recent rumors also suggested Samsung is planning to increase the prices of its next two Android flagships by approximately $100 compared to their predecessors which started at around $700 and $800, depending on the market.


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Los Angeles – Built in the late 1940s, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza is considered the longest standing and operating regional shopping center in the United States.
Los Angeles – CBRE Capital Markets has arranged a $75 million structured financing for Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall, an 860,000-square-foot shopping center in Los Angeles. CBRE represented the owner, Capri Urban Investors LLC, a fund managed by Capri Capital Partners LLC. The transaction was led by the vice president of CBRE’s Chicago Capital Markets Debt & Structured Finance team, Molly Green, and Keith Huizinga and Peter Marino, senior vice presidents.
— Scott Reid


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It's been a long road back to the high. After approaching $20,000 in December 2017, it experienced a crash that saw the value of one bitcoin plummet to just over $3,000 a year later.
The previous spike of the decentralized currency, built by an anonymous developer (or group of developers) in 2008, was driven by Asian investors, but CoinDesk suggests the current run is built on institutional investors in North America.
Square, the payments provider founded by Twitter's Jack Dorsey, announced it had invested $50 million in Bitcoin in October. "We believe that bitcoin has the potential to be a more ubiquitous currency in the future," Square Chief Financial Officer Amrita Ahuja said.
Organizations like PayPal are also on board. A few weeks after Square's announcement, the online payments giant said it would begin allowing cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, to be bought, sold and held on its platform in early 2021. Some analysts see it as an alternative to gold, a store of value that can protect against inflation.
Bitcoin's price is highly volatile, driven in large part by the buy and sell cycle, uncertainty, the news cycle, and concerns over its application. After reaching its record high Monday, the value dipped slightly and as of writing, one Bitcoin is worth around $19,600. Still, some analysts expect it will climb over the $20,000 mark during this rally and be more sustainable long-term.
It's not all rosy highs for Bitcoin, though.about the electricity use required to mine Bitcoin. Mining the currency requires high levels of computing power, which solve mathematical puzzles to earn new coins. In 2018, researchers suggested an increase in the cryptocurrency's popularity could create a demand for electricity that would generate excessive carbon emissions.