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ATHENS (Analysis)– Day by day, we’re moving towards a brave new world where every transaction is tracked, every purchase is recorded, the habits and preferences of everyone noted and analyzed. What I am describing is the “cashless society,” where plastic and electronic money are king, while banknotes and coins are abolished.
“Progress” is, after all, deemed to be a great thing. In a recent discussion, I observed on an online message board regarding gentrification in my former neighborhood of residence in Queens, New York, the closure of yet another longtime local business was met by one user with a virtual shrug: “Who needs stores when you have Amazon?”
This last quote is, of course, indicative of the brick-and-mortar store, at least in its familiar form. In December 2016, Amazon launched a checkout-free convenience store in Seattle—largely free of employees, but also free of cash transactions, as purchases are automatically charged to one’s Amazon account. “Progress” is therefore cast as the abolition of currency, and the elimination of even more jobs, all in the name of technological progress and the “convenience” of saving a few minutes of waiting at the checkout counter.
Still insist on being old-fashioned and stuck behind the times, preferring to visit brick-and-mortar stores and paying in cash? You may very well be a terrorist! Pay for your coffee or your visit to an internet cafe with cash? Potential terrorist, according to the FBI. Indeed, insisting on paying with cash is, according to the United States Department of Homeland Security, “suspicious and weird.”
The European Union, ever a force for positive change and progress, also seems to agree. The non-elected European Commission’s “Inception Impact Assessment” warns that the anonymity of cash transactions facilitates “money laundering” and “terrorist financing activities.” This point of view is shared by such economists as the thoroughly discredited proponent of austerity Kenneth Rogoff, Lawrence Summer (a famed deregulator, as well as eulogizer of the “godfather” of austerity Milton Friedman), and supposed anti-austerity crusader Joseph Stiglitz, who told fawning participants at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year that the United States should do away with all currency.
Logically, of course, the next step is to punish law-abiding citizens for the actions of a very small criminal population and for the failures of law enforcement to curb such activities. The EU plans to accomplish this through the exploration of upper limits on cash payments, while it has already taken the step of abolishing the 500-euro banknote.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which day after day is busy “saving” economically suffering countries such as Greece, also happens to agree with this brave new worldview. In a working paper titled “The Macroeconomics of De-Cashing,” which the IMF claims does not necessarily represent its official views, the fund nevertheless provides a blueprint with which governments around the world could begin to phase out cash. This process would commence with “initial and largely uncontested steps” (such as the phasing out of large-denomination bills or the placement of upper limits on cash transactions). This process would then be furthered largely by the private sector, providing cashless payment options for people’s “convenience,” rather than risk popular objections to policy-led decashing. The IMF, which certainly has a sterling track record of sticking up for the poor and vulnerable in society, comforts us by saying that these policies should be implemented in ways that would augment “economic and social benefits.”
The IMF’s Greek experiment in austerity
These suggestions, which of course the IMF does not necessarily officially agree with, have already begun to be implemented to a significant extent in the IMF debt colony known officially as Greece, where the IMF has been implementing “socially fair and just” austerity policies since 2010, which have resulted, during this period, in a GDP decline of over 25 percent, unemployment levels exceeding 28 percent, repeated cuts to what are now poverty-level salaries and pensions, and a “brain drain” of over 500,000 people—largely young and university-educated—migrating out of Greece.
Indeed, it could be said that Greece is being used as a guinea pig not just for a grand neoliberal experiment in both austerity, but de-cashing as well. The examples are many, and they have found fertile ground in a country whose populace remains shell-shocked by eight years of economic depression. A new law that came into effect on January 1 incentivizes going cashless by setting a minimum threshold of spending at least 10 percent of one’s income via credit, debit, or prepaid card in order to attain a somewhat higher tax-free threshold.
Beginning July 27, dozens of categories of businesses in Greece will be required to install aptly-acronymized “POS” (point-of-sale) card readers and to accept payments by card. Businesses are also required to post a notice, typically by the entrance or point of sale, stating whether card payments are accepted or not. Another new piece of legislation, in effect as of June 1, requires salaries to be paid via direct electronic transfers to bank accounts. Furthermore, cash transactions of over 500 euros have been outlawed.
In Greece, where in the eyes of the state citizens are guilty even if proven innocent, capital controls have been implemented preventing ATM cash withdrawals of over 840 euros every two weeks. These capital controls, in varying forms, have been in place for two years with no end in sight, choking small businesses that are already suffering.
Citizens have, at various times, been asked to collect every last receipt of their expenditures, in order to prove their income and expenses—otherwise, tax evasion is assumed, just as ownership of a car (even if purchased a decade or two ago) or an apartment (even if inherited) is considered proof of wealth and a “hidden income” that is not being declared. The “heroic” former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis had previously proposed a cap of cash transactions at 50 or 70 euros on Greek islands that are popular tourist destinations, while also putting forth an asinine plan to hire tourists to work as “tax snitches,” reporting businesses that “evade taxes” by not providing receipts even for the smallest transactions.
All of these measures, of course, are for the Greeks’ own good and are in the best interest of the country and its economy, combating supposedly rampant “tax evasion” (while letting the biggest tax evaders off the hook), fighting the “black market” (over selling cheese pies without issuing a receipt, apparently), and of course, nipping “terrorism” in the bud.
As with the previous discussion I observed about Amazon being a satisfactory replacement for the endangered brick-and-mortar business, one learns a lot from observing everyday conversations amongst ordinary citizens. A recent conversation I personally overheard while paying a bill at a public utility revealed just how successful the initial and largely uncontested steps enacted in Greece have been.
In the line ahead of me, an elderly man announced that he was paying his water bill by debit card, “in order to build towards the tax-free threshold.” When it was suggested to him that the true purpose of encouraging cashless payments was to track every transaction, even for a stick of gum, and to transfer all money into the banking system, he and one other elderly gentleman threw a fit, claiming “there is no other way to combat tax evasion.”
The irony that they were paying by card to avoid taxation themselves was lost on them—as is the fact that the otherwise fiscally responsible Germany, whose government never misses an opportunity to lecture the “spendthrift” and “irresponsible” Greeks, has the largest black market in Europe (exceeding 100 billion euros annually), ranks first in Europe in financial fraud, is the eighth-largest tax haven worldwide, and one of the top tax-evading countries in Europe.
Also lost on these otherwise elderly gentlemen was a fact not included in the official propaganda campaign: Germans happen to love their cash, as evidenced by the fierce opposition that met a government plan to outlaw cash payments of 5,000 euros or more. In addition, about 80 percent of transactions in Germany are still conducted in cash. The German tabloid Bild went as far as to publish an op-ed titled “Hands off our cash” in response to the proposed measure.
Global powers jumping on cashless bandwagon
Nevertheless, a host of other countries across Europe and worldwide have shunned Germany’s example, instead siding with the IMF and Stiglitz. India, one of the most cash-reliant countries on earth, recently eliminated 86 percent of its currency practically overnight, with the claimed goal, of course, of targeting terrorism and the “black market.” The real objective of this secretly planned measure, however, was to starve the economy of cash and to drive citizens to electronic payments by default.
Iceland, a country that stands as an admirable example of standing up to the IMF-global banking cartel in terms of its response to the country’s financial meltdown of 2008, nevertheless has long embraced cashlessness. Practically all transactions, even the most minute, are conducted electronically, while “progressive” tourists extol the benefits of not being inconvenienced by the many seconds it would take to withdraw funds from an ATM or exchange currency upon arrival. Oddly enough, Iceland was already largely cashless prior to its financial collapse in 2008—proving that this move towards “progress” did nothing to prevent an economic meltdown or to stop its perpetrators: the very same banks being entrusted with nearly all of the money supply.
Other examples of cashlessness abound in Europe. Cash transactions in Sweden represent just 3 percent of the national economy, and most banks no longer hold banknotes. Similarly, many Norwegian banks no longer issue cash, while the country’s largest bank, DNB, has called upon the public to cease using cash. Denmark has announced a goal of eliminating banknotes by 2030. Belgium has introduced a 3,000-euro limit on cash transactions and 93 percent of transactions are cashless. In France, the respective percentage is 92 percent, and cash transactions have been limited to 1,000 euros, just as in Spain. Outside of Europe, cash is being eliminated even in countries such as Somalia and Kenya, while South Korea—itself no stranger to IMF intervention in its economy—has, similarly to Greece, implemented preferential tax policies for consumers who make payments using cards.
Aside from policy changes, practical everyday examples also exist in abundance. Just try to purchase an airline ticket with cash, for instance. It remains possible—but is also said to raise red flags. In many cases, renting an automobile or booking a hotel room with cash is simply not possible. The aforementioned Department of Homeland Security manual considers any payment with cash to be “suspicious behavior”—as one clearly has something to hide if they do not wish to be tracked via electronic payment methods. Ownership of gold makes the list of suspicious activities as well.
Just as the irony of Germany being a largely cash-based society while pushing cashless policies in its Greek protectorate is lost on many Greeks, what is lost on seemingly almost everyone is this: something that is new doesn’t necessarily represent progress, nor does something different. Something that is seemingly easier, or more convenient, is not necessarily progress either. But for many, “technological progress,” just like “scientific innovation” in all its forms and without exception, has attained an aura of infallibility, revered with religious-like fervor.
Combating purported tax evasion is also treated with a religious-like fervor, even while ordinary citizens—such as the two aforementioned gentlemen in Greece—typically seek to minimize their outlays to the tax offices. Moreover, while such measures essentially enact a collective punishment regardless of guilt or innocence, corporations and oligarchs who utilize tax loopholes and offshore havens go unpunished and are wholly unaffected by a switch to a cashless economy in the supposed battle against tax evasion.
This is evident, for instance, in the case of “LuxLeaks,” which revealed the names of dozens of corporations benefiting from favorable tax rulings and tax avoidance schemes in Luxembourg, one of the original founding members of the EU. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, formerly the prime minister of Luxembourg, has faced repeated accusations of impeding EU investigations into corporate tax avoidance scandals during his 18-year term as prime minister. Juncker has defended Luxembourg’s tax arrangements as legal.
At the same time, Juncker has shown no qualms in criticizing Apple’s tax avoidance deal in Ireland as “illegal,” while having been accused himself of helping large multinationals such as Amazon and Pepsi avoid taxes. Moreover, he has openly claimed that Greece’s Ottoman roots are responsible for modern-day tax evasion in the country. He has not hesitated to unabashedly intervene in Greek electoral contests, calling on Greeks to avoid the “wrong outcome” in the January 2015 elections (where the supposedly anti-austerity SYRIZA, which has since proven to be boldly pro-austerity, were elected).
He also urged the Greek electorate to vote “yes” (in favor of more EU-proposed austerity) in the July 2015 referendum—where the overwhelming result in favor of “no” was itself overturned by SYRIZA within a matter of days. In the European Union today, if there’s something that can be counted on, it’s the blatant hypocrisy of its leaders. Nevertheless, proving that old habits of collaborationism die hard in Greece, the rector of the law school of the state-owned Aristotle University in Thessaloniki awarded Juncker with an honorary doctorate for his contribution to European political and legal values.
Cashless policies bode poorly for the future
Where does all this lead though? What does a cashless economy actually mean and why are global elites pushing so fervently for it? Consider the following: in a cashless economy without coins or banknotes, every transaction is tracked. Buying and spending habits are monitored, and it is not unheard of for credit card companies to cancel an individual’s credit or to lower their credit rating based on real or perceived risks ranging from shopping at discount stores to purchasing alcoholic beverages. Indeed, this is understood to be common practice. Other players are entering the game too: in late May, Google announced plans to track credit and debit card transactions.
More to the point though, a cashless economy doesn’t just mean that financial institutions, large corporations, or the state itself can monitor all transactions that are occurring. It also means that the entirety of the money supply—itself now existing only in “virtual” form—will belong to the banking system. Not one cent will exist outside of the banking system, as physical currency will simply not be in circulation. The banking system—and others—will be aware not just of every transaction, but will be in possession of all of our society’s money supply, and will even have the ability to receive a percentage of every transaction that is taking place.
So what happens if your spending habits or your choice of travel destinations raises “red flags”? What happens if you run into hard times economically and miss a few payments? What happens if you are deemed to be a political dissident or liability – perhaps an “enemy of the state”? Freezing a bank account or confiscating funds from accounts can take place almost instantaneously. Users of eBay and PayPal, for instance, are quite aware of the ease with which PayPal can confiscate funds from a user’s account based simply on a claim filed against that individual.
Simply forgetting one’s password to an online account can set off an aggravating flurry of calls in order to prove that your money is your own—and that’s without considering the risks of phishing and of online databases being compromised. Many responsible credit card holders found that their credit cards were suddenly canceled in the aftermath of the “Great Recession” simply due to perceived risk. And if you happen to be an individual deemed to be “dangerous,” you can be effectively and easily frozen out of the economy.
Those thinking that the “cashless revolution” will also herald the return of old-style bartering and other communal economic schemes might also wish to reconsider that line of thinking. In the United States, for instance, bartering transactions are considered taxable by the Internal Revenue Service. As more and more economic activity of all sorts takes place online, the tax collector will have an easier time detecting such activity. Thinking of teaching your child to be responsible with finances? That too will have a cost, as even lemonade stands have been targeted for “operating without a permit.” It’s not far-fetched to imagine that particularly overzealous government authorities could also target such activity for “tax evasion.”
In Greece, while oligarchs get to shift their money to offshore tax havens without repercussion and former Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis has been acquitted for failure to submit a declaration of assets, where major television and radio stations operate with impunity without a valid license while no new players can enter the marketplace and where ordinary households and small businesses are literally being taxed to death, police in August 2016 arrested a father of three with an unemployed spouse for selling donuts without a license and fined him 5,000 euros. In another incident, an elderly man selling roasted chestnuts in Thessaloniki was surrounded by 15 police officers and arrested for operating without a license.
Amidst this blatant hypocrisy, governments and financial institutions love electronic money for another reason, aside from the sheer control that it affords them. Studies, including one conducted by the American Psychological Association, have shown that paying with plastic (or, by extension, other non-physical forms of payment) encourage greater spending, as the psychological sensation of a loss when making a payment is disconnected from the actual act of purchasing or conducting a transaction.
But ultimately, the elephant in the room is whether the banking system even should be entrusted with the entirety of the monetary supply. The past decade has seen the financial collapse of 2008, the crumbling of financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers in the United States and a continent-wide banking crisis in Europe, which was the true objective behind the “bailouts” of countries such as Greece—saving European and American banks exposed to “toxic” bonds from these nations. Italy’s banking system is currently teetering on dangerous ground, while the Greek banking system, already recapitalized three times since the onset of the country’s economic crisis, may need yet another taxpayer-funded recapitalization. Even the virtual elimination of cash in Iceland did not prevent the country’s banking meltdown in 2008.
Should we entrust the entirety of the money supply to these institutions? What happens if the banking system experiences another systemic failure? Who do you trust more: yourself or institutions that have proven to be wholly irresponsible and unaccountable in their actions? The answer to that question should help guide the debate as to whether society should go cashless.


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Meituan-bakced EV Li Auto aims to raise US$950 million in its initial public offering of 95,000,000 American depositary shares, or ADSs. Li Auto anticipates that the IPO price per ADS will be between US$8.00 and US$10.00.
Meituan Dianping Statistics, Trends, Insights
Meituan Dianping (Meituan), founded in March 2010 and China’s leading e-commerce platform for local lifestyle services, went IPO in 2018 on Hong Kong Exchanges.
Meituan has developed into an all-rounded company providing a wide selection of daily-life services to consumers, such as food delivery, reviews, hotel & travel services, transportation, new initiatives and other, which was just a simply group-buying website eight years ago.
Continue reading below for statistics, trends, and insights related to Meituan Dianping.
BrandZ released its China version of Top 50 Global Brands list for 2020. Huawei is ranked as the top global brand from China, followed by Lenovo, Alibaba, ByteDance, and Xiaomi.
Meituan’s total revenues decreased by 12.6% year-over-year to RMB16.8 billion from RMB19.2 billion in Q1 2019. The operating loss for Q1 2020 expanded on a year-over-year basis from RMB1.3 billion to RMB1.7 billion, while operating margin decreased from negative 6.8% to negative 10.2%.
Meituan’s total revenues increased by 49.5% year-over-year to RMB 97.5 billion in 2019 from RMB 65.2 billion in 2018. Total gross profit increased by 114.0% year-over-year to RMB32.3 billion from RMB15.1 billion in 2018.
Total Gross Transaction Volume (GTV) on Meituan platform grew by 33.6% to RMB194.6 billion in Q3 2019 from RMB145.7 billion for Q3 2018 according to its financial results. Annual Transacting Users on Meituan platform grew by 14.0% to 435.8 million from 382.3 million in Q3 2018.
Total Gross Transaction Volume (GTV) on Meituan Dianping’s e-commerce platform grew by 28.7% to RMB159.2 billion in Q2 2019 from RMB123.7 billion in Q2 2018. Annual transacting users in the last twelve months ended June 30, 2019 grew by 18.4% to 422.6 million from 356.9 million in the last twelve months ended June 30, 2018.
China’s market for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) for at-home consumption remained robust in 2018, despite general concerns about a slowdown. Total spending on FMCG rose 5.2%, a slight increase over last year’s 4.7% gain. Overall, the two-speed growth scenario Kantar identified in 2016 has continued to evolve, with home care and personal care categories growing […]
Meituan Dianping’s total revenues increased by 70.1% year-over-year to RMB19.2 billion in Q1 2019 from RMB11.3 billion in Q1 2018 and decreased by 3.2% quarter-over-quarter from RMB19.8 billion.
China’s online accommodation booking market grew by 18.5% to US$7.01 bn in Q4 2018. The top 3 players combined accounted for 73.2% of the total. Ctrip placed first with a share of 46.4%. Meituan Dianping (14.3%) overtook Qunar (12.5%) to be the first runner-up. The online accommodation booking market totaled 47.11 billion yuan (US$7.01bn) in […]
Meituan reported total gross transaction volume (GTV) growth of 44.3% year-on-year to 515.6 billion yuan (US$76.65bn) in 2018. Annual transacting users increased by 29.3% year-on-year to 400.4 million. On average, the annual number of transactions each transacting user made increased to 23.8 transactions in 2018 from 18.8 transactions in 2017. Annual active merchants grew by […]
The annual growth rate of FMCG is the same as in 2017. Q4 performance is weaker than the previous quarter. The top players in the modern trade sector combined accounted for 37% of sales in 2018. Sun Art group maintained its leading position with 8.4% of share. Yonghui remained the fastest growing top players in 2018. 65% of China urban families […]
The online travel market in China grew by 9.3% to US$39.25 billion in Q3 2018, driven by the summer vacation and the mid-autumn festival holiday. 68.6% of transactions are generated from online transportation booking. Ctrip (37.6%), Qunar (19.78%), and Fliggy (16.46%) combined accounted for 73.84% of air ticket booking transactions. Ctrip led online accommodation with a share […]
WeChat is testing a new feature allowing users to find nearby restaurants according to Yiou News. This feature locates on the top level menu, in parallel with WeChat Moments, People Nearby, Mini-Programs, etc.
Meituan Dianping (Meituan), China’s leading e-commerce platform for local lifestyle services that went public in Hong Kong on September 20, 2018, announced its total revenue surged by 97.2% year-on-year to 19.1 billion yuan (US$2.75 bn) in Q3 2018. Annual Transacting Users increased by 30.3% to 382.3 million as of September 2018. On average, the annual […]
China’s online hotel booking market had 91.09 million monthly active users (MAU) in Q2 2018, an increase of 20.1% quarter-on-quarter, setting a record high since 2016. There are around 20 million newly added users, 70% of them came from tier-3 cities and below. Of the total, over 50% of them were from tier-3 cities and below. […]

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A 62-mile traffic jam going into Beijing, China has entered its 10th day. Roadside vendors have quadrupled prices on noodles. Interviewed drivers say they’re not leaving because alternate routes would use up more gas.
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Daewoo has announced that it will import modern luxury buses from King Long, beginning in early 2022. Daewoo Pakistan has begun importing 13 million 49-seater buses from the Chinese manufacturer King Long as Complete Built-up Units (CBUs), according to reliable sources.
In a brochure, Daewoo also mentioned that the inside would feature a front VIP cabin and a back economic zone. The interiors of the buses have been designed to promote comfort and elegance.
The buses are low riders with a double windshield design, which means their bodies are closer to the ground for added stability at high speeds. The impact of rapid braking is likewise lessened with a low-riding body.
On July 27, Javed Afridi, a significant MG Pakistan shareholder, said that JW Forland brought the luxury bus experience to Pakistan, adding that 20 of the 50 vehicles had already joined Faisal Movers.
For a long time, Pakistan’s public transportation system has been in desperate need of improvement. These moves are expected to be well received by the public.


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There are many of you who work and maintains all the expenses of your family through online earning. There are some people who work for local clients and get payments through local money receiving systems like local banks and other payment services.
On the other hand, there are others who work freelancing and getting clients in an online international freelancing website like a fiver, up work and others.
The main problem occurs while receiving your payment is the payout method, and the article is also focused on one of the oldest and effective payment gateways.
What is PayPal?
It’s an American company that is operating and managing a worldwide online payment system for all those who prefer online money transfers.
The company was founded in December 1998, in California, United States. The current CEO of this Company is Daniel Schulman. The parent company of PayPal is eBay, which is an American multinational e-commerce corporation based in San Jose.
When is it coming to Pakistan?
The question is arising from a few months about its release in Pakistan. The current Federal Minister for Finance, Revenue, and Economic Affairs said in a statement back in the October 2018, that he has given four months of time to the IT ministry of Pakistan to convince PayPal to come to Pakistan.
If we talk about PayPal facilities in Pakistan, so there are more than 2 lac freelancers, who are earning more than $500 million.
All of them are still using non-banking informal channels to receive payments. It is also mentioned by the govt about its target of $10billion in IT exports by 202, and if this platform implements in Pakistan, there would be thousands of hurdles settle down in the meantime.
But, the question is still at the same point that when they will convince PayPal as the deadline is ending soon at the end of this month.
This needs to sort out as soon as possible because online shopping and other things are the future of this world, and if the government will play its part sincerely then it would be better for the economy of Pakistan.
But, there is also a confusion happening in the mind of the Pakistani citizen. Asad Umar in a show said that in the future Pakistani would have a payment platform so all the freelancers could easily do their businesses easily.
He didn’t mention the name of PayPal clearly but if there is another payment receiving method the govt introducing let’s pray about its security assurance too.


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Smartpay is an innovator in easy-to-use payment solution technology, from wireless handheld EFTPOS terminals to free ‘till in your pocket’ apps. The New Zealand-owned and –operated company, which is traded on the NZX and ASX, is the market leader in world-class payment solutions. Smartpay launched Till2Go in May 2014 and released an updated version, with the Bill2Go tax invoicing feature, in October 2015.
Smartpay has supplied over 45,000 EFTPOS machines to more than 15,000 merchants across New Zealand and Australia. The free app has been downloaded from the Apple app store more than 1,000 times. It doesn’t charge for debit card acceptance and credit card processing is charged at bank rates. Secure Wi-Fi is also required.
Alexander PR was briefed to help Smartpay identify an effective and meaningful way to communicate the convenience of the new app to business owners while positioning Smartpay as a thought leader in the market. The key to reaching Smartpay’s audience was in simplifying the technical and industry-specific nature of the product and demonstrating its use in a situation familiar to any retailer or consumer.
Alexander PR assisted Smartpay in its outreach for an app tester to prove the app’s efficiency and ease of use. Seven-year-old Whenuapai resident Dexter (‘the Dude’) was appointed the company’s youngest app tester. In selling bags of lemons and grapefruit at his cash-only roadside stall, Dexter ran into a typical problem among stall-holders, and found that he was losing sales to potential customers who weren’t carrying cash. The tech-savvy young entrepreneur turned to technology and became a product tester for Smartpay when he put the company’s Till2Go app to the test and began taking payments via EFTPOS.
The news of this new app tester caught the attention of mainstream, local and industry media, which were curious to learn more about Dexter and how his use of the Till2Go app changed his business. Articles ran in BizEdge, North Harbour News and Nor-West News. Stuff.co.nz produced a feature about how parents can help entrepreneurial kids become start-up success stories.
News of the young entrepreneur and Till2Go caught the attention of TVNZ’s Matty McLean, who visited Dexter to see him in action selling his lemons. TVNZ interviewed Dexter along with Smartpay CEO Bradley Gerdis and a passerby who stopped to purchase lemons with EFTPOS. TVNZ’s ‘Cashless society prompts new Smartpay app’ featured on ONE News at 6pm on 12 December 2015, and was shared widely on social media by supporting shows including Seven Sharp. Downloads of the Till2Go app doubled after Dexter’s story appeared on ONE News.


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Ways Nintendo Switch Can Absolutely Dominate In 2018
01 February, 2018, 00:36 | Author: Cecelia Webb
In less than a year.
Nintendo now expects to sell 15 million Switch units by March, an increase of one million from the previous forecast - which was already an upgrade from an earlier projection to sell as many as 10 million units.
Super Mario Odyssey is the most popular title on the Switch, accounting for 9.07 million sales of the consoles total 47 million video game sales. Overall, 52.7 million Switch games have been sold to date. However, this means that Nintendo is back in the game after a worrying generation of console sales and lackluster titles, so the future looks as bright as ever for Mario and crew. Second place goes to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with 7.33 million copies sold and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild comes in at third with 6.7 million. At other times it has been a bit of a flop, like with the Wii U. The current-gen Nintendo Switch (See on Amazon) is shaping up to be a big hit for the company.
Operating profit in the December quarter came in at 116.5 billion yen, based on figures derived from reported nine-month results.
Death Road to Canada will release on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch worldwide in April 2018.
Pokemon games are typically among the best-selling titles for Nintendo's consoles, but a Pokemon adventure for the Switch has yet to be released. Nintendo's latest hardware was hard to find on shelves a year ago, and was the best-selling console for a majority of the months after launch. After 7.23 million Switch console got sold like hotcakes, the total tally nearly doubled.
Kimishima: We can compare the numbers in around two years after release.
It's not even been a year since Nintendo's hybrid handheld console The Switch was released.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is on 7.33 million sales, followed by Zelda: Breath of the Wild with 6.7million units and Splatoon 2 at almost 5 million.
The deal is reportedly valued at $660 million annually. (This excludes the Thanksgiving night game, which will still air on NBC). The NFL has typically split the " Thursday Night Football " package between two broadcasters.
Lavrov brushed off criticism "from Paris, Washington and several other capitals" that the Congress is not representative enough. Two-thirds will be chosen from supporters of Assad's government and one-third from the opposition.
While in Davos, Switzerland, last week for the World Economic Forum, Trump again dismissed reports that he tried to fire Mueller. Russian Federation denies such collusion, and Trump frequently denounces the probe as a "witch hunt".
At trial, his lawyers argued that the gifts and Menendez's advocacy were explained by his longtime friendship with Melgen. He and Melgen were accused of conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud, among other charges.
In 2014, things seemed to have been better when they were spotted partying together at Riccardo Tisci's birthday. The pair used to be inseparable - posing for paparazzi and hitting the club scenes together in the mid-2000s.
I was quite close to coming last summer but it didn't happen. "I'm very lucky to be here and I'm very happy to be here". Michy Batshuayi, meanwhile, is another who could leave Chelsea on a temporary deal in the January transfer window.
The WWE was well prepared for Rousey's debut and is already offering two different T-shirts for her at their online shop . Rousey hasn't fought since she suffered a 48-second loss to Amanda Nunes in a December, 2016 UFC match.
And then, like, you know, like, a dress that I could do a split on cause you never know! "I am pretty nervous. Enjoy it"; Cardi's is-he-or-isn't-he-boyfriend Offset retweeted several links about her new record.
The network says Jones will attend Olympic events, meet athletes and spread her enthusiasm for the games on television and online. The last winter olympics took place in Sochi, Russia in 2014, where the United States brought home 28 Olympic medals.
Marvel has released the first teaser trailer for Ant-man sequel, Ant-man and The Wasp following a brief tease this morning. Following the success of the Ant-Man movie back in 2015, it wasn't surprising that Marvel had a sequel in the works.
America's next-generation 5G network could be owned and operated by the United States government, according to leaked plans. Axios noted that AT&T and Verizon have both announced plans to deploy 5G networks to customers.
Killer whale reported to imitate human speech
Though the recordings are not flawless , they are recognizable, including when she says, " Amy ", the name of her trainer. The whale words were also analysed in waveform and matched the human words when the acoustical recordings were compared.
Ex-Governor Will Be Interim Leader at Michigan State
Schuette served in John Engler's cabinet when he was Governor and Engler has already endorsed Schuette's run for Governor. When the conversation ended, Tracy said she felt concerned about the culture and attitudes toward sexual assault at MSU.
Chelsea snap up defender Emerson from Roma
Emerson never really got much attention in Brazil as he didn't have much time to succeed in his home country. But he was injured on the final weekend of the Serie A season and was forced to withdraw from the squad.
"Super" Chance to See a Celestial Event Wednesday Morning
Weather forecast for Wednesday morning - There will be widespread mid/high-level clouds moving across the region at that time. The full moon will rise on the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 30, and set around daybreak on Wednesday, Jan. 31, local time.
Miami Awaits David Beckham's Soccer Group Announcement
"Our mission to bring an MLS club to Miami is now complete, and we are deeply satisfied, grateful and excited", said Beckham . MLS, which will stream the event live on its website, said they were participating in what will be "a special announcement".
Apple halving iPhone X production in Q1
The latest report states that the iPhone X will continue its production run until at least 2019. KGI also said that only 13 million units of Apple iPhone X will ship in second quarter of 2018.
Day needs extra day to win Farmers Insurance Open in playoff
Tiger Woods made an even-par 72 to finish at three-under in his US PGA Tour comeback, and the 14-time major victor tied for 23rd. However, with light fading, the four-hole playoff has pushed play into an extra day and will resume on Tuesday morning (AEDT).


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By Emma Forge
GENEVA (Reuters) – US Trade Representative Katherine Toy on Thursday reaffirmed the Biden government’s commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO), saying reforms are possible as the organization prepares for a major ministerial conference next month.
The 25-year-old global trade body is battling questions about its relevance, and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is under pressure to make swift reforms at the November 30 meeting and conclude its first multilateral trade agreement in several years. 3rd
“Biden-Harris hopes the government can be a good force in promoting trade and WTO-healthy competition and facing global challenges,” he said in a speech in Geneva this Thursday. Switzerland is the headquarters of the World Trade Organization.
“We all realize the importance of the WTO and we all want it to succeed.”
But Toy reiterated US criticism of the WTO’s appeals system, saying the dispute resolution panel had become “case-like” and he was “long, expensive and controversial.”
He was very optimistic about the WTO negotiations, saying that the reform could succeed, adding that “if we create a more flexible WTO and change the way we deal with problems collectively, we can improve transparency and integration and restore the advisory function of the organization.”
Fusion Media No one associated with Fusion Media will be liable for any loss or damage resulting from relying on information on the Website, including the purchase / sale of data, quotes, charts and signals. Please be fully informed about the risks and costs associated with financial market trading, which is one of the potentially risky investment forms.
“Internet addiction in terminals. Award-winning beer expert. Travel expert. General analyst.”


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Rosie Arnold, BBH’s deputy creative director and former president of D&AD, has expressed her concern at the advertising industry ‘diluting its game’ through disruptive advertising across multiple channels, while speaking to The Drum’s editor at large, Dave Birss as part of a series of interview for Assorted Nuts.
The interview, recorded while Arnold was still president of D&AD, has been released to highlight her involvement as one of the creative minds featured in Julian Hanford’s Assorted Nuts coffee table book of portraits representing the best creative talent in the UK, in association with The Drum.
Her main focus of concern, she explained, was the growing number of opportunities that the marketplace was creating to distract and annoy audiences across the growing number of media channels.
“We should behave like consumers and one of the things that we have to watch out for as advertisers is, in the past, we used to engage people and they loved looking at the ads. Now, too much we are doing interrupts people. People stop liking you when you do that,” she warned.
“If an advertiser has something pop up on YouTube advertising a product before the thing I want to watch, then I am annoyed by that. We have to be more responsible about how we use different media and think about what it’s like to be a consumer. At the moment, there are too many toys and marketers want to do it all without thinking how it feels to the person we are talking to. We must be mindful of that. We need to interrupt people but we need to do it in a way that is going to surprise and delight and add to their day, not just be a modern frustration.”
She added: “We need to be sensitive about the environment you’re in, how you’re communicating with people, what products they are going to like – and we have that information more than ever before.”
Arnold also aired her view that female creatives careers are hampered by the number of men judging creative awards, meaning that they award more male orientated brands.
“If you think about the films that women like, they are very different from what guys like. Primarily on awards juries we have a lot of guys, so no wonder the Nikes and the sports brands do well and we need to address that problem because the work we create isn’t going to appeal to the juries. I would be quite interested in trawling through the awards and see how many brands aimed at women win awards and how many brands aimed at men win awards. It is quite a different sensibility and your career progresses because you win awards and if you’re not being recognised.”
Arnold also discussed the challenges and experiences of being a female creative, some of her work in leading D&AD and the use of cross media by agencies and brands.
Yesterday, The Drum ran an interview with another subject of Assorted Nuts, advertising legend and BBH co-founder, Sir John Hegarty, who was outspoken on his belief that the quality of advertising in the UK was now ‘shit’.
More on the Assorted Nuts project can be found at The Drum dedicated page.


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Preferences of Chinese consumers are changing fast and differentiating. Author Helen Wang of “The Chinese Dream
summarizes the five most important trends for 2013. Certainly, China is going to be the largest e-commerce market in the world, she writes in Forbes.
Heleen Wang about the section of younger consumers:
Younger Chinese consumers are distinctive in their own right. They are more self-indulgent in their purchasing, more individualistic in their wants, and more loyal to their favorite brands. They are acting more like their developed country counterparts.
For example, 45 percent of consumers under age thirty-four surveyed in the McKinsey report said they spend on personal care products purely for their own enjoyment, compared with 37% of consumers aged 35-65 who said so. Unsurprisingly, younger consumers are also more Internet savvy. 44 percent of them said they need the Internet to help make purchasing decisions, while only 16 percent in the older age group depend on the Internet in their purchases.
2013 will be a big year. Not only will it be the largest e-commerce market, China will also likely to be the largest retail market in the world. In order to succeed in this must-win battleground, companies need to think out of the box, develop innovative products that are relevant to Chinese consumers’ tastes, and adjust their marketing strategies to reach diverse groups of customers.
Helen Wang is a speaker at the Chinese Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.
How would your life in China look like without VPN? That question a lot of people are asking themselves as the internet filter systems gained the ability to shut down their VPN’s and China’s media kindly point out foreign VPN’s are illegal in China anyway. The China Weekly Hangout will focus on Thursday 20 December on this issue. Read the full announcement here, or register directly here.
- The China middle class: close to half a billion – Helen Wang (chinaherald.net)
- What did Barbie wrong in China? – Helen Wang (chinaspeakersbureau.info)
- Get a European butler, the latest China trend – Rupert Hoogewerf (chinaherald.net)
- The illegal VPN’s – China Weekly Hangout (chinaherald.net)
- Porn, the thriving force for China’s internet – Tricia Wang (chinaspeakersbureau.info)


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Patch Tuesday was exactly one week ago, but Microsoft is already releasing another round of cumulative updates. Today's new builds are for all supported versions except for 1903 and 1507.
As per usual, Microsoft has released a new build of the Windows 10 SDK Preview, which aligns with the Windows 10 build released to Insiders in the Fast Ring last week, with no significant changes.
The Windows Terminal, a tool first announced at this year's Build, now has a brand new icon that falls in line with the design ideology Microsoft has been using for its product and app icons.
Capcom has announced an opportunity for PlayStation 4 players to play the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion before anyone else. These open beta sessions kick off this weekend.
Samsung has announced its plans for neural processing units in the next decade. It hopes to create 2,000 new jobs by 2030 in order to deliver the new NPUs which will power future AI applications.
Boost Mobile has introduced a new handset today, offering the Coolpad Legacy for $99.99. The handset has a large 6.39-inch 1080p display, dual rear cameras, USB Type-C, and a 3,980mAh battery.
Cities: Skylines console edition owners can now purchase the Industries expansion for their Xbox One and PlayStation 4 systems. This brings in supply chains of industries, postal services, and more.
Microsoft has released a new SDK for WebView2, the new version of its WebView control that's powered by the new Chromium-based Edge. Like the browser itself, the SDK only works with Windows 10.
A group of 16 companies, including Google, Facebook, and Twitter, have joined forces to form the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, which aims to improve the safety of the online space.
This week's Edge Dev update is a big one, since it upgrades the browser to Chromium 77. Other than that, it also contains a range of fixes and improvements for the browser on Mac and Windows.
Meet new experience mandates across channels and devices with flexible decoupled development modes provided by Acquia and Drupal. You can claim your complimentary eBook for free, today!
Today, Microsoft released Windows Server Insider Preview build 18917, corresponding to last week's Fast ring build. It's the first Windows Server preview build that's from the 20H1 development branch.
ROLI, makers of the Seaboard, have launched a new device through Kickstarter that attempts to make learning music an easier process. THE LUMI is a small MIDI controller that offers light up keys.
Microsoft has launched a set of four games on the Microsoft Store under the "Eyes First" branding. These titles are based on popular mobile games, but adapted to be played with eye tracking.
Verizon announced today that the LG V50 ThinQ will be available for purchase from June 20. It will be the second 5G smartphone to go on sale through the wireless carrier after the Galaxy S10 5G.
Microsoft today added a number of new AI features to PowerPoint, building on top of its Designer tool. Designer now works with branded templates, and there's also a new Presenter Coach.
How will you improve this year? How about prioritizing your mental health? We can help you on your way to a better life with a massive discount while you relieve stress and anxiety with this app.
As was reported over a month ago, Microsoft is now offering the 15-inch Surface Book 2 with an Intel Core i7-8350U and no dedicated GPU, along with 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD for $1,999.
Palm announced today an unlocked version of its standalone smartphone that debuted in April. The device can be pre-ordered now for $349 and it works with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and MetroPCS.
Facebook has announced a new cryptocurrency, dubbed Libra, and the crypto wallet, Calibra. The products are intended to launch in 2020 and will allow for low-cost or free transactions.
Walking back an earlier denial, Huawei's PR representatives have now confirmed that the lock screen ads were, indeed, coming from its own servers. The company has apologised for the error.
According to a prolific leakster, Microsoft has been trialing a new "Office key" in conjunction with a range of keyboard shortcuts and gathering feedback about other potential applications of the key.
As HITEC commences, Microsoft has explained how its 365 suite of services is being employed by the hospitality industry to transform the firstline worker experience, along with other enhancements.
In three weeks, Nintendo will unleash its next game title aimed for mobile platforms, Dr. Mario World, which combines traditional concepts from the original game with new characters, items, and more.
In a bid to become "a world leader in digital services for the aerospace industry", Airbus has teamed up with Microsoft to deploy a number of mixed reality solutions to its workforce and customers.
Google has decided to stop waiting around for carriers to enable support for RCS messaging on Android phones, and it will start giving users the option to opt into it later this month.
AMD's new Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.6.2 driver doesn't list support for any new games, but does deliver support for several Vulkan graphics API extensions alongside bug fixes.
GitHub, the open-source development platform Microsoft acquired last year, has made a new purchase of its own, absorbing Pull Panda and making all of its features available for free.
Popular lyrics website Genius has alleged that Google steals content from its website and shows it directly in search results, which consequently means less viewership for the website.
Microsoft has announced a total of thirty new features and improvements for OneNote and Class Notebooks based on the feedback it has received from educators over the past school year.
After going missing for nearly a month due to the current ban in the United States, Huawei's lineup of MateBook Windows 10 PCs have returned to the Microsoft Store, including the MateBook 13 and D.
Today, Apple released the second developer beta builds of its next major updates, which include iOS 13, iPadOS 13, watchOS 6, tvOS 13, and macOs 10.15 Catalina. There are new configuration profiles.
Becoming a master of networking has never been easier. Get the one networking book that's designed to replace an entire shelf of books you'd otherwise have to buy. Offer expires tomorrow!
After weeks of trying to find ways to work around the restrictions imposed by the United States government, Huawei has finally talked about the estimated financial impact of the measures.
While you might have thought you only got a boring Linux Subsystem update in the latest Windows 10 build, think again because you can now control notifications right from the banner!
With today's highlighted deal, you can stay ahead of the business curve with the leading book summary service and save big in the process. Save over $2000 off the cost with our discounted deal!
Comcast introduced today the Xfinity X1 eye control, a new service designed to help people with physical disabilities navigate their television using only their eyes. The feature is free to use.
Samsung's Galaxy Note9 is beginning to receive a QR scanner and the Night mode treatment for its camera in Germany, after the feature rollout to the Galaxy S10 series in April of this year.
After launching To-Do for pre-order on Mac a week ago, Microsoft is now rolling out the productivity app to the Mac App Store for everyone. It has the same design as its versions on other platforms.
Choosing the right cloud partner is a big decision. 18 items in this free checklist will provide you with the essential criteria for selecting the right cloud partner and signing on the dotted line.


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Black Friday? Most Holiday Shopping Happens In December
As soon as they finish digesting their Thanksgiving feasts, many Americans will head out for a mammoth shopping splurge. The National Retail Federation recently reported that an estimated 137.4 million people are considering getting a head start on their holiday shopping over the course of this year’s Thanksgiving weekend.
According to Deloitte, however, the vast majority of holiday shopping still happens in December. Only 9 percent of Americans will do the majority of their holiday shopping on Black Friday while 40 percent are going to do it in December.
This chart shows when Americans plan to do the majority of their holiday shopping.
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The Australian dollar weakened versus the US dollar on Tuesday and is extending those losses across the European session on Wednesday. The Aussie dollar US dollar exchange rate is trading down 0.3% at US$0.6882 at the time of writing. This is the worst level that the pair has trade at in 5 days.
Reports that the US will not remove trade tariffs on Chinese imports until after the US Presidential elections in 2020 meant the Chinese proxy, the Australian dollar, struggled to gather any strength. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, however, did say that President Trump could consider lifting the tariffs under a phase two deal. His comments have failed to lift sentiment as investors remain dubious as to whether a phase two deal can be achieved.
The US and China are due to sign the first phase trade deal at 16:30 GMT today. Details of the deal still haven’t been made public but are expected to be released ahead of the signing. Investors are expected to scrutinize the deal carefully in an attempt to gauge how beneficial to the global outlook the deal really is.
Given the sparse nature of Australian economic data over the coming days, the Aussie will be particularly susceptible to any changes in market sentiment following the release of the trade deal details.
Thursday’s US Retail Sales Next Big Release
The US dollar finished Wednesday’s session marginally higher despite disappointing US inflation data. US inflation increased 2.3% year on year in December, just off 2.4% analysts forecast. With consumer prices increasing at 2.3% and wage growth moderating at 2.9% US household’s spending power is coming under increased pressure. This could well limit the upside in consumer spending and economic growth should the trend continue.
US dollar investors are also looking towards US – China relations. The disappointment surrounding the Chinese tariffs has boosted demand for the safe haven greenback.
Looking ahead, investors could pay some attention to US empire manufacturing results, however any reaction could be limited as investors look ahead to US retail sales data tomorrow.
|What do these figures mean?|
|When measuring the value of a pair of currencies, one set equals 1 unit and the other shows the current equivalent. As the market moves, the amount will vary from minute to minute.
For example, it could be written:
1 USD = 0.6784 AUD
Here, $1 is equivalent to approximately A$0.67. This specifically measures the US dollar’s worth against the Australian dollar. If the Aussie dollar amount increases in this pairing, it’s positive for the US dollar.
Or, if you were looking at it the other way around:
1 AUD = 1.4739 USD
In this example, A$1 is equivalent to approximately $1.47. This measures the Australian dollar’s worth versus the US Dollar. If the US dollar number gets larger, it’s good news for the Aussie dollar.


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A Richmond-based pharmaceutical company is bringing back its auto-injector for treating allergic reactions beginning next month.
According to a CNN report, McDonald’s is about to go company-wide with the release of the new Mac Jr. and the Grand Mac.
The scam notifications attempt to scare the user into believing that suspicious activity on their Facebook account has resulted in their acc…
Pour yourself a drink and raise a toast to the record 6.6 million bottles of Virginia wine sold last year – an increase of more than 6 perce…
A statement from the store said the majority of the cuts are at the store level.
In the fourth installment of Let’s Eat RVA, and the first of the new year, Candice Cole and Roxie Bustamante go to Asado – The Wing & Taco C…
Boosted is voluntarily recalling its 2nd Generation Boosted Dual+ electric skateboards after two reports of the battery packs overheating an…
Maryland, New Jersey and New York SNAP users may soon have the option to buy through Amazon online.
Six high-level Volkswagen employees from Germany were indicted in the U.S. on Wednesday in the VW emissions-cheating scandal
The merger agreement began about a year ago when Nexstar paid about $4.6 billion to acquire all outstanding shares of Media General.
About 1,400 vehicles registered in the Richmond area may be under recall.
State gaming officials say the opening of MGM National Harbor helped Maryland’s six casinos bring in record revenue.
Sen. Kaine’s amendment, if passed, will prevent the Senate from considering legislation that might increase health insurance premiums and ou…
An undisclosed number of employees in Richmond will be laid off as a result of the company’s decision to close shop in town.
Nineteen states, including New York and California, will ring in the year with an increase in the minimum wage.
There have been three reported accidents related to the issue.


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The Irish Times selected for Google News Initiative Subscriptions Academy 2022
The Irish Times has been selected, along with seven European publishers to participate in the Google News Initiative Subscriptions Academy 2022. Google, the International News Media Association (INMA), and FT Strategies last month launched the third edition of the Google News Initiative (GNI) Subscriptions Academy for Europe (previously Subscriptions Lab), an ambitious and intensive eight-month programme that will address every step of the digital subscriptions process, from discovery to conversion to retention.
The programme is designed to strengthen and accelerate growth of the subscription businesses and help publishers deliver customised plans such as optimising the sales funnel and developing new monetisation strategies. Building on the success of last year’s edition, the 2022 programme attracted applicants from publishers in 22 European countries.
The eight participants who have been selected following a rigorous selection process are:
The Irish Times (The Irish Times DAC), Ireland
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (INFOR PL SA), Poland
Handelszeitung (Ringier Axel Springer), Switzerland
La Repubblica (GEDI Digital SRL) Italy
Observador (Observador On Time), Portugal
Der Spiegel (Spiegel-Verlag) Germany
Hamburger Abendblatt (Funkemedien), Germany
Jutarnji list (Hanza Media), Croatia
The selection panel focused on ensuring that the final cohort of eight publishers represented a broad cross-section of the industry: a mix of local, regional, and national focus; a range of sizes of publisher; and participants at different stages of their subscriptions journey. This exciting cohort of publishers helps to spread the Academy’s benefits across the European publishing landscape.
Speaking at the first visit by the FT Strategies team to Irish Times headquarters in Tara Street, Clíona Mooney, Subscriptions and Reader Insights Director, commented, “The Irish Times team is delighted to have been selected as one of eight European publishers on the Google News Initiative Subscriptions Academy. It’s 7 years since we were the first daily news publisher in Ireland to launch a digital subscriptions model and accelerating growth is a key priority for us and fundamental to our revenue strategy. Our goal is to create a sustainable future that allows us to provide our readers with a best-in-class news service. The rigour and innovation which the GNI Subscriptions Academy will deliver with The Irish Times team will contribute enormously to the next phase in our growth and development.”
Sulina Connal, Director, News and Publishing Partnerships, EMEA, Google “We are committed to supporting the future of news publishing and are so pleased to be extending our partnership with FT Strategies and INMA to bring you the third round of GNI Subscriptions Academy for Europe. The programme will enable participating publishers to learn the mechanisms to strengthen their digital subscriptions capabilities and grow reader revenue.“
Tara Lajumoke, Managing Director, FT Strategies “We’re proud that 16 publishers from 11 different countries have now participated in Subs Academy. All have consistently rated the experience very highly and enjoyed strong reader revenue results following the programme – including 31%
subscriptions growth for our 2020 cohort one year on. Much has changed in the industry over the past two years, but the importance of capturing the reader revenue opportunity has remained a pressing constant. This programme remains a proven way to execute an in-depth diagnostic of subscriptions performance and lay the foundations for the organisational transformation required by news publishers to achieve meaningful change.”
Earl J. Wilkinson, Executive Director and CEO, International News Media Association (INMA) “The Google News Initiative Subscriptions Academy is a valued contributor to European publishers’ evolution, and INMA is pleased to partner on this third annual class with GNI and FT Strategies. During the past three years of INMA’s Readers First Initiative, news media publishers who are INMA members, on average, doubled their subscription base. At the same time, some brands grew faster — the 25% best-performing brands grew their digital subscriber base 7.5 times and revenue 3.2 times faster than the bottom 50%. The fastest-growing brands have built an engine for growth. This includes culture, strategy, structure, and workflows. In this year’s academy, we will share the best practices from the INMA network aiming at accelerating the transformation of the selected companies.”
About The Irish Times
The Irish Times Group is Ireland’s leading quality news media publisher comprising two national titles, The Irish Times and Irish Examiner, seven regional newspapers, two radio stations, MyHome.ie and a number of other digital assets, and the largest contract printer in Ireland.
About Google News Initiative and Digital Growth Programme
The Subscriptions Academy is a part of the Google News Initiative’s (GNI) Digital Growth Programme, which was created to provide European news publishers with training and other resources to grow their digital business. The Google News Initiative represents Google’s largest-ever effort to help journalism thrive in the digital age. Through its partnerships, programs and products, the Google News Initiative works with thousands of organisations worldwide to support quality independent journalism, financial sustainability, and development of new technologies that drive innovation. Google allocated US$300 million over three years to energise these collaborations, and to lay the foundation for new products and programs for a diverse set of news publishers, to benefit the entire ecosystem. This includes supporting thought leadership on topics like consumer revenue, advertising, and data that are critical to the future of the news industry.
About FT Strategies
FT Strategies is the digital growth consultancy from the Financial Times, providing the expert insight, integrity and consulting excellence required to transform its clients’ future based on real world, first-hand experience. FT Strategies empowers your ambitions by delivering a sustainable growth strategy, built upon leading-edge capabilities that improve your customer engagement, retention, revenues and profit. Staffed by the experts who successfully transformed the FT’s business model in the face of disruption, FT Strategies works with other organisations worldwide from a wide range of sectors, helping them grow their digital revenue, increase customer engagement and future-proof their businesses. The firm has deep expertise in reader revenue, customer engagement, and analytics, enabling companies to build profitable digital relationships with their audiences, thrive in the new digital economy, and future-proof their business.
The International News Media Association (INMA) is a global community of market-leading news media companies reinventing how they engage audiences and grow revenue in a multi-
platform environment. The INMA community consists of 16,000+ members at 850 media companies in 70+ countries and features strategic initiatives dedicated to digital subscriptions, data, and product.
Pictured (L to R ) are: Paul Mulvaney, Group Managing Director, The Irish Times; Liat Fainman-Adelman, Senior Consultant, FT Strategies; Clíona Mooney, Subscriptions and Reader Insights Director, The Irish Times; Sahas Bhatia, Consultant, FT Strategies; Tim Part, Senior Manager, FT Strategies


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We’ll List Bitcoin Futures ‘asap’ Says Major Japan Exchange Learn about Bitcoin futures and options at CME Group, including contract. on futures developed by the leading and largest derivatives marketplace. Expand your choices for managing cryptocurrency risk with Bitcoin futures and. I would like to receive communications regarding CME Group products, services, & events. In October 2013, Kraken announced that it had discovered major flaws in the Namecoin protocol and would not list the cryptocurrency until they were removed. 18 Mar 2019. Cboe Global Markets has decided to stop adding new bitcoin. The first U.S. exchange to introduce bitcoin futures will stop listing. says it “does not currently intend”
The UK stock market is climbing after the ECB decision to maintain interest rates to stimulate the Eurozone. However, all may.
22 Jan 2019.
The current bear trend is now within weeks of becoming the longest winter in the history of the cryptocurrency markets. Despite nearly.
5 Feb 2019.
Bitcoin Price at $1,800? The Longest Bear Market in History Could End With a Spiraling Collapse. Author: Joseph Young @iamjosephyoung.
Bitcoin had an eventful May: a halving on May 11, a breakout above $10,000 and the movement of Bitcoin mined in 2009 causing.
2 Feb 2019.
Bitcoin's price has officially continued to print lower price highs for the longest amount of time in the cryptocurrency's 10 year history.
We saw recently that Bitcoin successfully went through its third halving this week, with the number of Bitcoin rewarded to.
Bitcoin has performed extremely well since the $3,700 lows. Data from TradingView suggests that from the lows, the.
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Apple looks set to boost iCloud, turning it into a single sign–in service for websites listed on iOS devices.
Newly discovered code in the developer version of iOS 11.3 points towards a new system that will allow users to input their Apple ID and password on third-party websites, ending the need to create new usernames and passwords when logging in.
Such a system would allow websites to access names and email addresses from Apple, but no other personal information.
Google and Facebook already offer widespread single sign–in options, although the shared data from those major tech players has been a cause for concern among privacy campaigners for some time.
Any iCloud sign–in tool is unlikely to launch until March, when Apple offers iOS 11.3 to the general public.
Keen to find out more about iOS 11.3? Here's what we know so far.
It has already confirmed that the software update will come with the option to switch off battery management tools that hamper an iPhone’s performance, as well as a new battery health screen.
Last week it was reported that Apple is dropping cosmetics changes to iOS 12, due for release in late 2018, in a bid to boost the stability of its iPhone and iPad platform.


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Join top executives in San Francisco on July 11-12, to hear how leaders are integrating and optimizing AI investments for success. Learn More
Twitter’s lawyers are taking a long, hard look at Google’s new social search features, and they don’t like what they see.
With Google’s new mode of searching, social media results powered by Google+ show up among regularly ranked links and images.
However, searching for a Twitter handle with these Google+ results included won’t necessarily get you to a Twitter page. Instead, you might be shown Google+ profiles instead — a move that doesn’t seem fair or competitive to the Twitter team.
Twitter general counsel Alex Macgillivray tweeted today, “Folks asked for examples. Here’s what a user searching for ‘@wwe’ will be shown on the new @Google.” He included the screenshot below:
While Twitter couldn’t provide any additional comment, a company spokesperson said these search results speak for themselves — and as you can see, searching for this particular Twitter handle doesn’t seem to yield much in the way of Twitter.com results.
We thought we might see non-Google+ social results by turning off Google+-powered search altogether. However, this wasn’t the case. Searching for “@wwe” in a non-Google+ search session yielded the same results. Whereas a day or two ago, we could easily find Twitter profiles in Google search, these results from Twitter.com are now shoved down on the page and designed to be ignored by users.
Granted, you can find Twitter-specific results easily if you search for a name or handle and add “Twitter” to the query (for example, searching for “wwe twitter” will take you directly to the brand’s Twitter profile). But as Twitter pretty much owns the “@” symbol and its place in online handles, it seems odd to show Google+ results for an intentionally Twitter-focused query.
Yesterday, a Twitter rep sent us the following statement in an email:
For years, people have relied on Google to deliver the most relevant results anytime they wanted to find something on the Internet.
Often, they want to know more about world events and breaking news. Twitter has emerged as a vital source of this real-time information, with more than 100 million users sending 250 million Tweets every day on virtually every topic. As we’ve seen time and time again, news breaks first on Twitter; as a result, Twitter accounts and Tweets are often the most relevant results.
We’re concerned that as a result of Google’s changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone. We think that’s bad for people, publishers, news organizations and Twitter users.
The statement struck us as uncharacteristically pointed, and we wondered what would come of it. Apparently, those were fighting words from the startup to the search incumbent, and having legal counsel look into the matter is only a first step.
Google launched these social search features just yesterday. In addition to the usual assortment of links, pictures, news items and shopping results you’d see in a typical Google search results page, logged-in Google+ users can now also find several kinds of Google+ content sprinkled in among the normal search results. There are even promoted Google+ profiles and pages — an attempt to compete with Facebook’s highly successful social ads, we’re betting.
Even as Twitter sends out its examples, some commentators are already murmuring about possible antitrust violations.
“Google has had a form of social search in its main results for a while, but this is a significant redesign that gives a lot more prominence to social and to Google’s own social product, Google+,” wrote analyst Rocky Agrawal on VentureBeat yesterday.
“The biggest losers are Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and TripAdvisor. Twitter and Facebook stand to lose if brands choose to move some of their efforts to Google+ to benefit from enhanced Web search rankings.”
In a conversation with VentureBeat, a Google spokesperson said, “As always, our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and comprehensive search results possible. That’s why for years now we’ve been working with our social search features to help you find the most relevant information from your friends and social connections, no matter what site that content is on.
“However, Google does not have ready access to incorporate all the information from some sites, so it’s not possible for us to surface all that content in real time.”
In other words, if Twitter wanted to see its pages appearing in Google’s social search results, it shouldn’t have revoked access to the Twitter firehose back in July 2011 or started using
nofollow tags for links shared on Twitter — but that’s another story altogether.
The course of real-time search never did run smooth, and we’ll be following this testy war of words to its conclusion. Stay tuned.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


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Customers getting free Cloud DVR with price increase
Sling TV announced a $5 price increase for new customers.
The price hike means any new customer signing up for Sling Orange or Sling Blue will now pay $35 per month. Subscribing to both Sling Orange and Blue will cost $5 per month more as well at $50 per month.
Existing customers won’t see the price increase until July as part of Sling’s 1-year price guarantee made last summer.
“As disheartening as it is to us and our new customers, pricing disputes between pay-TV services and programmers are becoming ever more common,” Michael Schwimmer, group president of Sling TV said in a statement. “These disputes hinge on one simple factor — increased programming fees. The fact of the matter is, SLING TV doesn’t own the programming we provide to customers, and programming fees only go up.”
Sling TV hasn’t been alone with recent price hikes. Hulu, YouTube TV and fuboTV have all increased its price for its live TV services in the last year.
Sling TV has offered smaller channel packages since its inception in 2015. After picking a main channel bundle — called Sling Orange or Sling Blue — customers have the option to pay for extra sports, entertainment or news channels.
The build-your-own bundle approach has allowed Sling to offer a lower cost option to customers. But even the extras will cost a little more now.
Prices for Extra bundles
The Sling TV Sports Extra is now $11 per month for new customers with a subscription to SLING Orange or SLING Blue (an increase of $1 per month).
New customers who subscribe to both SLING Orange and SLING Blue will continue to pay $15 for Sports Extra.
All other extra bundles, including Comedy Extra, Kids Extra, News Extra, Lifestyle Extra, Hollywood Extra and Heartland Extra, are now each priced at $6 per month for new customers. Those packages are also increasing by $1 per month.
Schwimmer said that the company will continue to “prioritize our customers and deliver the most choice and flexibility at the best value in the industry, allowing you to save hundreds of dollars each year compared to cable.”
During the announcement on the price hike, Schwimmer added that all customers will now get 50 hours of Cloud DVR as part of their subscription. The feature used to cost $5 per month.
And customers now have the option to upgrade to 200 hours as part of a new “DVR Plus” option for $5 per month.
Customers are also being treated to a free preview of four extra bundles. Kids Extra, News Extra, Lifestyle Extra and Comedy Extra are available to Sling Orange and Sling Blue customers until Feb. 15. The bundle of all four extras costs $12 per month.
For more news on streaming, how-to guides and reviews, head over to the main page of The Cord Cutting Report or follow the CCR on Google News.
Founder and Editor of The Cord Cutting Report. Before launching the site in 2016, he worked for more than two decades as a staff writer or correspondent for a number of daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. His enthusiasm for tech began with the Atari 2600. Follow @james_kimble
Even though we knew this was coming since their “price guarantee” a couple months ago was only referring to existing customers, it still sucks. We have got to get someone that will give us at least a semi ala carte. I don’t see for example how abc can force a subscriber to take any of the fox channels. Let us do some kind of content selecting. For probably most of us the packages are packed with stuff we never watch. I had to look to even see all this junk youboobtv has that I was “paying” for.
Otherwise I am still going back to sling to save some money just on principle. I do 99% of my tv on dvr so that is important. So for now this will still be the same price for the package as now I won’t have to pay the extra $5 for 50 hrs of dvr. The upping to a potential 200 hours is a nice option, but I think with proper management I am likely good with the 50.
(And I am still in mourning over the loss of Playstation Vue a year ago. I still regularly am reminded how good it was for a few years. Bring it back someone.)


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The success of new products is never a given. The risk associated with innovation can become magnified by a difficult economy, when budget cuts are the norm for both manufacturers and consumers.
Yet companies that pull back entirely risk losing out to competitors, while those that go for it might have an easier time attracting attention. Gehl Foods didn't let a tough 2010 economy dissuade it from launching a shelf-stable yogurt drink that can be stocked with soft drinks.
The Germantown, Wis., dairy foods manufacturer recognized the strength of the concept behind Main Street
Café Protein Smoothies, its first branded item for the mass market, and proceeded. "The down economy is all we've known with Main Street Café Protein Smoothies," says Katherine Gehl, chairman and chief executive officer of the privately held family business, which has $200 million in sales.
"Our position was: Forget the economy. This is a big innovation," says John Slawny, vice president of sales and marketing at Gehl. "We didn't want to put an innovation like this on the backburner because of the economy. We felt our new products fit a longer-term consumer trend and believed there might actually be less clutter today as other companies were backing down from lesser innovations."
Gehl Foods' endeavor paid off. Since launching the product in December 2010, the company has sold more than 1 million bottles of Main Street Café drinks, which retail for $1.99 to $2.09 for an 11-ounce serving and have a shelf life of six months.
"Consumer goods companies have historically been among the most prolific product innovators in the world," says Bryan Seyfarth, director of product strategy for Sopheon Corp., a Minneapolis-based supplier of innovation management software.
MISSING THE MARK
Yet development and success don't always go hand-in-hand. While CPG companies derived an average of 25.7 percent of their revenue from products introduced over the past three years, only half the products achieved their profit goals, according to an October 2011 CPG innovation study by Sopheon and Consumer Goods Technology magazine.
A lack of product differentiation and poor market analysis can lead to disappointing results, the survey indicates. "Only 18 percent of the consumer goods products that come to market are what their creators call truly innovative. The rest are line extensions, packaging changes and incremental work," Seyfarth says. A sound market analysis should be brought to bear in the early stages of product development to decide whether to continue or to drop a project, he says.
Reinventing Product Lines
CPG manufacturers have to continually reinvent their product lines, says Todd Bamberg, founder of Chicago-based Launchpad Consulting, which works with CPG manufacturers on new product development. "They've got to keep having new offerings up there for customers to just keep stimulating that loyalty and that brand recognition. Otherwise, they may just end up getting a little complacent, a little stagnant, and maybe competitors will come in and even start trying to capitalize on that lack of drive and determination to succeed."
The CPG's goal should surpass the success of the latest new product introduction to center on boosting awareness of the overall brand, says Bamberg, who is also a former senior global grocery buyer at Whole Foods Market.
"It's really all about positioning your brand, growing awareness of your brand, inciting trial, getting customers to hopefully change their shopping habits and pick a new product over something they may have been habitually shopping over time," he says.
Even in a bad economy, companies need to look ahead to better times, so they should budget more for new product development and marketing, Bamberg and other experts suggest. Yet CPG companies don't always heed that advice. Since 2008 when the economy entered recession, the number of new food and beverage introductions has declined 20 percent, says David Sievers, consumer products and retail practice leader at Archstone Consulting, a division of The Hackett Group. The drop compares with a 25 percent increase in new CPG rollouts in 2006 and 2007 from the previous three years, according to a 2008 Archstone report.
While many CPG companies are more cautious with their research and development budgets, Sievers says, "If you're Kraft or PepsiCo, product introductions [and] product innovation is a central tenet to a successful formula."
In good economic times or bad, consumer packaged goods companies and their retail partners strive for category growth, says Barry Calpino, vice president of breakthrough innovation at Kraft Foods in Northfield, Ill.
"I don't know that there's been a recent big shift in terms of how we think of innovation," he says. "For all the retailers that I've talked to, the biggest issue is how do we drive category growth." When the economy is growing at a snail's pace, innovation is one way to push growth.
In December, Kraft announced a broad list of 70 new product introductions for 2012, including new meal options Kraft Fresh Take and Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit as well as MiO Energy Liquid Water Enhancer and belVita Breakfast Biscuits, which are whole-grain, on-the-go biscuits.
Kraft looks for innovative ideas from retailers, consumers, Kraft employees, product teams and research and development. "A part of success in our innovation is making sure when you're trying to come up with new ideas that you spread out and you hit them from a lot of different places," Calpino says. "There are so many constituencies and angles at how they look at the brands, and [they] have fresh approaches and fresh ideas."
Kraft attempts to "harmonize" its product introductions with retailers' needs by including retailers in its go-to-market planning, Calpino says. For example, several retailers had cooks provide in-store demonstrations of Philadelphia Cooking Creme to generate traffic and create in-store excitement when the product launched in 2011, Calpino says.
Market Changes Bring Opportunity
New product ideas can come from anywhere, but watching shifting demographics and changing tastes is often a good starting point. Chester, N.J.-based Run-A-Ton Group, maker of Wholly Wholesome pies and crusts, took notice of smaller family sizes as well as the challenging economy when it introduced smaller, six-inch pie shells. Consumers can buy three smaller shells for the price of two larger ones. "There is a lot of interest in people saving money [by] making their own food," says Doon Wintz, chief executive of the company. "So there is a down economy angle and pocketbook issues here."
Run-A-Ton Group, which sells to Wegmans Food Markets, King Soopers, Publix, Giant Eagle and Whole Foods, also launched an organic rolled pie dough for consumers who want to use their own pie pans and a reformulated dairy-free pumpkin pie aimed at vegans and lactose-intolerant consumers. In retrospect, the company might have introduced the organic rolled pie dough a year earlier, says Wintz, but held back because he felt the dough was too expensive for the down economy.
The company introduced the rolled dough in 2011 at a higher price, and the market has been receptive. "I hate to have lost the year, and we may have been too conservative," Wintz says. "Live and learn."


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Zoom is launching Zapps, where apps developers can build within the video conferencing experience, and a new event marketplace called OnZoom aimed at a wide range of content creators with monetization for ticket sales.
Combine the two efforts and it’s clear Zoom is leveraging its scale and popularity to build an ecosystem for a wide range of partners.
Zoom outlined its new efforts during its Zoomtopia virtual customer event. The updates come as Zoom is holding a financial analyst meeting during Zoomtopia. “Zoom has become more than just a video communication platform,” said CEO Eric Yuan during his keynote. “It’s a people-centric platform. Zoom has become a thing you do.”
This year’s Zoomtopia, which is virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is going to get more attention than previous years since Zoom has become the go-to platform for remote work and education. Zoom supports more than 3 trillion annualized meeting


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Drug pricing remains pharma’s most contentious issue. Under tremendous pressure, the industry continues to evolve pricing strategy to satisfy intensive regulation, social/political scrutiny and competitive market forces — how other industries face the challenge of pricing may offer fresh insight
Acquisition has become a favorite tactic by contract pharma’s most prominent players, but there’s more than one path to sustained growth, especially for those seeking the scale, global presence and technical acumen the bio/pharmaceutical industry is demanding. This article reveals other sustainable strategies for CDMO growth.
Customer experience within the healthcare industry is important. Currently, the healthcare industry is in the midst of a turbulent global transformation, and with the advent of technology and the ability to reach consumers across country boundaries, cultural value based strategy and messaging is more important than ever before. Multicultural influence will be driving trends in the pharmaceutical industry and personalized medicine. CMO’s will have to stay ahead of these trends and adapt to these influences, culture shifts, and demands on medicine.
That’s Nice LLC, a research-focused strategic marketing agency dedicated to life science markets, and Haig Barrett, Management Consultants based in Los Angeles, today announced at CPhI Worldwide the launch of Nice Consulting, a service designed to offer strategic and specialized consulting tailored to the needs of companies in life sciences. This partnership combines the expertise of a global life sciences marketing agency and a world-class consulting firm in a single, integrated operation.


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News tagged Globalfoundries
Last update: Wednesday 3 June 2015 [158 news items]
ProMOS fails again to sell 12-inch fab
Dec 12, 22:09
ProMOS Technologies failed, for the second time, on December 12 to sell its 12-inch fab located in Taichung, central Taiwan, through an open bid despite offerings from Vanguard International...
Globalfoundries to buy stake in UMC, report says
Newswatch - Dec 6, 14:19
Globalfoundries reportedly will buy a stake in fellow foundry chipmaker United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), and the next move for the pair is to form a strategic alliance,...
ProMOS announces massive layoffs
Oct 4, 01:10
DRAM chipmaker ProMOS Technologies has announced plans to lay off as many as 1,300 employees as part of its restructuring project. The number of jobs affected is higher than the expected...
UMC July sales up
Aug 8, 15:03
Contract chipmaker United Microelectronics (UMC) has reported revenues of NT$9.61 billion (US$321 million) for July 2012, up 3.5% on month and 9.1% on year.
Foundries shine in IC ranking, says IC Insights
Aug 6, 16:05
Market research firm IC Insights has updated its list of the world's top 20 semiconductor suppliers by revenue in the first half of 2012. Three pure-play foundries - included in the...
Globalfoundries to expand Fab 8
Jul 25, 16:02
Globalfoundries has announced it is moving forward with the final construction for the extension of Module 1 at its Fab 8 campus in New York. The project will add 90,000 square feet...
Socle 1Q12 revenues hit record
Apr 17, 15:03
Socle Technology, an IC design service company partnering with Globalfoundries, hit record high revenues in the first quarter, with sales from the ASIC segment reaching NT$185 million,...
TSMC in race to buy ProMOS fab
Apr 16, 10:28
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has entered the race to buy the 12-inch wafer fab of ProMOS Technologies, which is seeking new funds and investors to restructure...
Globalfoundries announces executive changes
Dec 1, 12:23
Globalfoundries has announced that it has appointed a new CFO while assigning two other senior executives to key positions. The foundry chipmaker also reiterated plans to ramp capacity...
Foundries eyeing DRAM fabs
Nov 24, 01:30
DRAM chipmakers Powerchip Technology and ProMOS Technologies are reportedly considering selling fabs in order to preserve cash and strengthen their financial structures. Bidders for...
Globalfoundries, Samsung extend fab sync
Sep 2, 01:00
Globalfoundries and Samsung Electronics have jointed announced they expect to broaden collaboration, and synchronize global semiconductor fabrication facilities to produce chips based...
Globalfoundries tapes out 20nm test chip
Aug 30, 16:40
Globalfoundries has announced that it successfully taped out a 20nm test chip using flows from EDA partners Cadence Design Systems, Magma Design Automation, Mentor Graphics and Synopsys...
TSMC wins orders for 28nm GPU from AMD, says paper
Newswatch - Jun 17, 14:46
AMD reportedly has completed the tape-out of its next-generation GPU, codenamed Southern Islands, on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) 28nm process with High-k Metal...


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May we live in interesting times – and it certainly is that, not least for Midlands Industrial businesses, who are having to cope with the normal raft of day-to-day commercial issues, overlaid by a large dose of uncertainty brought about by Brexit
How are they coping? Surprisingly well and many are doing what they do best – simply getting on with it.
As with most things, there are winners and losers. Some are struggling to pass on price rises as a result of the higher costs of imports in the face of weakening consumer demand, while others are benefitting through a more buoyant export market.
Certain parts of the industrial community are actually seeing a positive impact from Brexit. A number of automotive supply chain businesses have seen an uptick in enquiries as the major car manufacturers with facilities in the UK, fearful of levies being imposed in the future on imported parts, look to source locally.
Over recent years the Midlands has performed well against many of its peers and I remain broadly optimistic about the regions prospects.
If a yardstick on general sentiment is the appetite of private equity, then there are positive signs here too. There remains a desire to invest in good quality industrial assets by private equity firms as witnessed by the recent acquisition by Midlands-based LDC of leading water pump and pressure solutions business Stuart Turner.
Whilst we have witnessed occasions of European corporates citing Brexit as a reason for not acquiring at the moment in the UK, we continue to see overseas interest for high quality UK and Midlands based manufacturing businesses.
UK corporates are also active in the search for leading edge manufacturing business as evidenced by Halma’s acquisition of designer and manufacturer of pipeline inspection camera systems, Mini-Cam.


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Martin Lewis has said there is an epidemic of scams in the UK, but fraudsters are getting off “scot-free”.
The MoneySavingExpert founder labelled the latest Royal Mail scam “twisted genius”.
That scam involves fraudsters telling Royal Mail customers they must pay a delivery fee in order to receive their parcel.
It reads: “Royal Mail: Your Package Has A £2.99 Shipping Fee, To Pay This Now Please Visit: uk-royal-mail-fees.com action will be taken if you do not pay this fee.”
Martin Lewis told The Guardian: “The impact of fraud on victims is appalling.
“As well as potentially being life-destroying financially, it has a huge impact on self-esteem and mental health.”


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Bermuda’s Premier Leads Delegation to Consensus 2023
- News |
- Press Release
Hamilton, Bermuda, April 24, 2023 — A delegation from Bermuda led by the Premier and Minister of Finance, the Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP, will set off to Consensus, the world’s largest gathering of digital asset, blockchain and Web3 enthusiasts, in Austin, Texas this week.
Premier Burt will be speaking on Consensus’ main stage this Friday, 28 April, with Michael Casey, CoinDesk’s Chief Content Officer, on a keynote conversation entitled ‘Bermuda’s Strict but Progressive Path to Crypto Hub Status’. This speaking appearance will be preceded by Bermuda’s inaugural networking reception at Consensus, presented by the Bermuda Business Development Agency, in partnership with Walkers, RELM and NEXT Bermuda.
Premier Burt said, “I am pleased to be leading this mission to Consensus on behalf of the Government of Bermuda. Bermuda is leading the ‘race to top’ when it comes to providing regulatory clarity to digital asset businesses. And this week’s announcement that Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S. has received their full license from the Bermuda Monetary Authority is further proof that global companies are taking note of this. The Government of Bermuda looks forward to supporting the ongoing evolution of global financial services and – there isn’t any better place for this to occur than here in our growing ecosystem.
We also look forward to supporting the continued growth of our local fintech industry, with more global companies coming to our shores, creating opportunities for Bermudians to join in this exciting industry that is taking shape right here in Bermuda. ”
David Hart, BDA CEO said, “The timing of this business development mission to Consensus could not be more perfect as it comes on the heels of Coinbase’s recent announcement that it has received its full digital asset business licence from the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA). We are looking forward to connecting with many innovative companies at Consensus to share Bermuda’s attributes as a safe and secure domicile offering regulatory and legal clarity to quality FinTech companies looking to set up shop in a blue-chip domicile.”
These activities all build on announcements made at Consensus last year including the formation of Bermuda’s first digital asset business industry group, NEXT Bermuda and that Jewel Bank became Bermuda’s first new bank in over 20 years after it was issued its combined full banking licence and digital asset business licence.
The BDA and other members of the Bermuda delegation will hold business development meetings with business leaders who have expressed an interest in joining Bermuda’s FinTech ecosystem. If you wish to arrange a meeting with the Bermuda delegation, email email@example.com.
The Bermuda Reception will be held on Thursday 27 April from 5pm to 7.30 pm at Cedar Door, on 201 Brazos Street, in Austin and will feature signature Gosling’s cocktails and entertainment by Bermudian Gianluca Gibbons & Trio (featuring singer and “Bel-Air” actress Simone Joy Jones). Reception attendees will be entered in a draw to win a trip for two to the BDA’s Bermuda Tech Summit in November, including airfare, hotel and delegate passes. If you are interested in attending the Bermuda Reception at Consensus, email firstname.lastname@example.org.