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What NEVER to eat if you suffer from allergies or asthma
2nd November 2009
* Why wait FOUR years for this new
asthma drug to be released when
you can try this NOW?
* The common food that helps you
breathe more easily
* What NEVER to eat if you're
asthmatic or suffer from allergies
This autumn, there was good news and
bad news for asthma sufferers
he good news a new wonder
compound called 'RPL554' (catchy!) is
being tested in The Netherlands. It could
mean that sufferers only have to take a
single daily puff of an inhaler to stop the
The bad news it's not exactly time to
put your order in with the doc.
According to the report in The Daily Mail
on September 10th, the drug could be
available in 'three to four years' time'.
This is according to Dr Clive Page,
chairman of Verona Pharma, the
company which is developing the
That's a long time to wait around. And
even then, we all know what happens
when many of these wonder drugs don't
quite match up to the first expectations.
And they don't usually come cheap
So what can you do in the meantime?
Well, here's one thing you should
definitely look into something which
newspapers have been calling 'A new
hope for asthma sufferers'.
Check this out:
|An easy drug-free trial that could offer
The salt pipe is an all-natural remedy for
asthma, hay fever, snoring, chronic
coughs and a host of breathing problems.
It's a small porcelain pipe that you
breathe through for 15 minutes each day.
Inside the pipe are 'halit salt crystals' from
the Transylvanian Praid Salt Mine in
Romania. This is a region that's long
been known for its healing salt therapy.
And it's not some crazy superstition
Just as holidays by the sea have long
been hailed in the UK as a way to ease
respiratory problems, so these salt mines
have helped many thousands of people
overcome breathing difficulties.
The mines are now luxurious clinical
health centres, visited by over 10,000
people every year.
So something's definitely working.
As you inhale through the saltpipe, the
air absorbs tiny salt particles. This helps
clean your air passages and cleans out
What's best about this little handheld
gizmo is that it's available to try out NOW.
You can test it at home and see for
yourself whether it works for you. The
manufacturers claim you'll notice the
effects within 2 weeks.
If not, you can send it back within 28 days
for a full refund. So it's well worth trying. It
could be the breakthrough you're looking
There's some superb background
information about the salt pipe here:
|And here's something else that could
Common foods that help you breathe
A report in the medical journal Allergy in
June 2008 came up with a very pleasing
suggestion.... that eating delicious, hearty
Mediterranean food could relieve asthma
The study was carried out by a team at
the University of Porto in Portugal. They
looked closely at the diet of 174
asthmatics. They found that those who
ate large quantities of Mediterranean
foods had fewer attacks and flare-ups.
So what's a Mediterranean diet?
Well, this is generally presumed to be a
diet high in fish, fruit, vegetables and
nuts and low in saturated fats.
This is the principle diet in Crete, for
example. An estimated 80% of the
children there eat fresh fruit at least twice
a day. And over two-thirds of them eat
fresh vegetables, twice a day.
On that island, very few children have
asthma or hay fever.
The main fruits recommended by the
report's authors include oranges, apples,
tomatoes and grapes.
The study also found that asthmatics who
eat nuts at least three times a week are
less likely to wheeze. As well as vitamin
E, nuts also contain a lot of magnesium,
which helps boost your lung power.
The report concludes: 'High adherence to
a Mediterranean diet reduced by 78 per
cent the risk of uncontrolled asthma.'
That's a fairly ringing endorsement.
But there was something else in the
report that interested me...
|What NEVER to eat if you're
asthmatic or allergic
The study found that children who ate
lots of margarine DOUBLED their
chances of asthma and allergic rhinitis
(which causes hay fever-like symptoms).
This backs up an Australian study from
2001. Those researchers also concluded
that a diet high in polyunsaturated fats -
found in many margarines - can double a
child's chances of having asthma.
In 2001, Dr Warren Lenney, a
spokesperson for the British Thoracic
Society (BTS), said:
'It would be sensible for parents to lessen
their children's intake of margarine and
foods regularly fried in polyunsaturated oil
as part of a diet rich in fruit and
I think this advice goes for adults too!
As always, more research needs to be
done to establish links and causes.
But whatever they discover in the coming
years, I'd advise that you give margarine
a wide berth. It's a synthetic food high in
trans fatty acids. A substance that many
critics claim that it can triple your risk of
coronary heart disease.
In 2006, Professor Marion Nestle, a
respected professor of Nutrition at New
York University wrote:
'All margarines are basically the same,
mixtures of soybean oil and food
additives. Everything else is theatre and
Michael Pollan, the author of In Defence
of Food (Allen Lane, 2008) puts it even
'The beauty of a processed food like
margarine is that it can be endlessly
reengineered to overcome even the most
embarrassing about-face in nutritional
thinking - including the real wincer that its
main ingredient might cause heart attacks
So perhaps it's best avoided, then!


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New Delhi: E-payments and e-commerce brand Paytm has crossed the 100 million mark on the Google Play Store, making it the first Indian payments app to achieve the milestone in the second week of December 2017.
"We are overwhelmed with the 100 million downloads mark, reaching this milestone is a testimony to the efforts of the incredible team at Paytm. This achievement will offer us a strong boost as we work towards our goal of making India a digital-first economy.”
Apart from mobile payments, Paytm plans on becoming a mobile-first financial services company, which offers banking, lending, insurance, and payments.
The company in November said it has introduced payments using BHIM UPI (unified payments interface) on its platform. According to the company, users can create their own Paytm BHIM UPI ID on the app, which will be issued by Paytm payments bank.
"Paytm users can link any of their savings bank account with this unique Paytm BHIM UPI id and start sending and accepting money," the company said in a statement.
The company said it will train its five million merchant partners to create their Paytm BHIM UPI ID and accept money using the same.
"As per the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) guidelines, users can send up to Rs 1 lakh a day using BHIM UPI; while there's no receiving limit," it added.
(With inputs from IANS)

domain: news


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BASF merges pesticide units
BASF is to consolidate its US specialty pesticide businesses and relocate them from St Louis, Missouri to Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The primary businesses known as Pest Control Solutions and Professional Turf and Ornamentals (T&O) and secondary businesses, including Professional Vegetation Management and Market Business Development, will be collectively known as BASF Specialty Products Department. “We are merging the businesses to stay ahead of the curve of the industries we serve,” Buberl said. The new structure is due to be in place by March 31.


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Once again we take a look at the valuations of the major 3D printing companies over the past week.
Publicly traded companies are required to post their financial reports, as well as appear on stock markets. From there we can calculate the total value of their company by multiplying the current stock price by the number of outstanding shares. This number is the market capitalization, and represents the current valuation of the company.
It’s a great number of compare companies, as the market capitalization can be leveraged to provide more capabilities for the company. Shares could, for example, be used as collateral for a loan. That and similar maneuvers could generate cash with which the company might undertake new projects.
In other words, “market cap”, as it is known, is quite important.
You might think it’s not important to monitor these companies each week, as their value is realized only when stocks are sold. However, events happen to companies occasionally that cause their value to rise and fall, and this weekly post is where we track such things.
Note that our list here does not include all major 3D print companies. Not all 3D print companies are publicly traded, and thus we cannot officially know their true size, such as EOS. Others, like HP or Siemens, have very large 3D printing divisions, but are part a much larger enterprises and we cannot know the true size of their 3D printing activities.
Let’s take a look at the 3D printing companies on this week’s list.
3D Printing Leaderboard
|19||Sigma Additive Solutions||11||0|
This week saw a pretty hefty decline overall, with the leaderboard shedding over eight percent of last week’s value. This is extremely curious, because the markets as a whole were up on the week by about a percent. For the 3D printing market to drop is quite a divergence. I am now wondering whether there has been a general feeling of manufacturing decline among major investors?
As usual, some companies on the leaderboard disagreed with the average and went their own way.
The winner of the week was no doubt FATHOM, which managed to raise their valuation by almost 20% — that in a week when the leaderboard dropped by eight percent. However, this really is not material, as you can see in this long-term chart:
FATHOM is still way down from their prior highs, and this week’s bump was basically noise. However, the company did announce they have received official Notice Of Noncompliance from the NYSE that their 30-day average stock price has fallen below US$1, and that they risk de-listing if not rectifying the situation within six months. FATHOM indicated they intend on responding to the situation in a “timely manner”.
Another winner was voxeljet, which recently reported their 2022 financials, with a rise in valuation of 18% this week. The company reported an increase in revenues from 2021 by twelve percent, and a net loss of €6M for the year, which is worse than 2021. However, it seems they have improved their operating net results and took some one-time write-downs that made the overall result worse than the company’s true state. It seems that investors believe in voxeljet, resulting in their bump this week.
It’s important to note that voxeljet is a very unusual company in that they sell massive systems. Each sale is worth a considerable amount, and they don’t make very many each year. While some 3D printer manufacturers might sell tens of thousands of units in a year, voxeljet sold only 15 systems in 2022. Thus, a single sale or two can dramatically affect their valuation.
Then there were a few companies on the wrong side of the average.
One was Shapeways, where their valuation plummeted yet again, with an 18% loss in value this week. Their financials were also reported in the past week, and there were several negative signals. Their revenue dropped slightly, as did their margins. More importantly, their net loss increased from US$4.5M to a whopping US$19.8M.
Like FATHOM, Shapeways is also on notice from the NYSE for having such a low stock price. The company intends on doing a reverse-stock split in coming months, which would raise the stock price to appropriate levels, but each investor would have proportionally fewer shares.
This is a symptom of the company’s troubles. When they first went public back in October of 2021, their valuation was in the US$500M range. That is very hard to comprehend, given their current valuation of a mere US$14M. They are down 97.5% in value from their highest point, which must be extraordinarily disappointing for their shareholders.
This week Velo3D somehow dropped in value by 14%, double the leaderboard average. As usual, I cannot find any particular reason for this, as Velo3D’s value bounces up and down quite erratically usually for no apparent reason. This is in spite of them announcing several high-profile sales of major equipment this week, which should have boosted their valuation.
Finally, we come to the ongoing corporate saga between Stratasys and Nano Dimension. If you haven’t been plugged in, Nano Dimension is in a massive legal battle with their own shareholders regarding the use of a huge US$1.1B cash hoard. Company management wants to spend it on acquisitions, but shareholders seem to have little faith in company management to execute successfully and want to change management immediately.
There have been a series of offers by Nano Dimension and rejections by Stratasys, and I’m anticipating another rejection sometime early next week.
How has the controversy affected these companies this week?
Stratasys incurred a bit of a boost when the offers started arriving, and has largely managed to maintain them. This week the company also announced a major healthcare deal that could generate huge growth in the future. Stratasys lost eight percent in value, about the average for the leaderboard this week — so pretty much flat.
On the other hand, Nano Dimension’s value fell over 13% this week. The company has suffered declines in value since the takeover sage commenced. What’s even more extraordinary about this situation is that Nano Dimension’s valuation, US$646M, is about half of their cash reserve. How can you be worth less than what’s in your bank account? I think that tells you what investors think about company management’s proposal to use the money on acquisitions: they almost certainly believe such investments will be wasted.
A company set to appear was Essentium, who announced plans to use a SPAC-merger to launch on NASDAQ. However, that deal has been suspended so we’re wondering what the company’s next steps might be.
One company I’ve started to watch is ICON, the Texas-based construction 3D printer manufacturer. This privately-held company has been raising a significant amount of investment to the tune of almost half a billion dollars. At that level it is likely they will be discussing a transition to public markets at some point, which would certainly place them at or near the top of our leaderboard.
Another company that would seem logical to go public is VulcanForms, a manufacturing service using an advanced metal 3D printing process. They are currently privately valued at over US$1B, and going public could cause that to go even higher.
If you are aware of any other publicly-traded 3D print companies that should be on our leaderboard, please let us know!
Others In The Industry
While we’ve been following the public companies, don’t forget there are a number of private companies that don’t appear on any stock exchange. These privately-held companies likely have significant value, it’s just that we can’t know exactly what it is at any moment. The suspected bigger companies include EOS, Carbon and Formlabs.
Perhaps someday some of them will appear on our major players list.
Finally, there are a number of companies that are deeply engaged in the 3D print industry, but that activity is only a small slice of their operations. Thus it’s not fair to place them on the lists above because we don’t really know where their true 3D print activities lie.


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(Photo for illustrative purposes only)
**Update May 9, 2017
Although we may think of Forever 21 as being a fast-fashion destination where the variety of clothing available changes from one day to the next based on the hottest trends, it’s recently broken onto the beauty scene in a big way, and it isn’t slowing down. As reported on by WWD, in latest news from the LA-based brand, it now also has plans to open freestanding beauty boutiques.
According to market sources, the stores will be called Riley Rose—no word yet on that particular name choice—and 10 locations could be open before end of year (just in time for the holidays). These sources describe the retailer’s new concept as “very experiential, Millennial-focused and Instagram-friendly.” Additionally, they report that if the initial response to the boutiques goes well, Forever 21 might consider opening another 10 locations by March 2018.
You May Also Like: The Most Popular Beauty Products at 10 Top Retailers
It’s being speculated as to which brands will be carried in the new boutiques, and a WWD source says they would have “offerings to compete with Sephora and ULTA Beauty”; however, Forever 21 has yet to comment on this.
Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL Strategic Research, told WWD: “For Forever 21, it has a reputation for younger fashion and fast trends and has sold beauty in-store before. That’s a logical leap into affordable, fashionable, fast beauty for younger shoppers.”
Stay tuned to NewBeauty.com for updates!
**Originally Published February 22, 2017
This month, Forever 21 is launching a new concept, the Forever 21 Beauty Shop, in its U.S. stores.
The dedicated section in each retail space will house products from the Forever 21–branded beauty line (everything from makeup and skin care to new tools and accessories), as well as products from other brands that ring true to the store’s clientele. A big focus will be on K-beauty brands including Peripera, I’M MEME and Pony Effect—look for tons of masks and playful packaging. Other brands you can expect to see in stores are NYX and Batiste. And on Forever21.com, the assortment gets even bigger, with names like Jouer and Sun Bum making an appearance.
“Our fans already know us for our fashion, and expanding our beauty was a natural progression,” said Linda Chang, Forever 21 vice president of merchandising. “This dedicated section will allow shoppers to complete their looks and find all their fashion and beauty must-haves in one place.”


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Chicago, IL – Chicago O’Hare Airport’s ambitious new-look Terminal 5 was inaugurated on Friday by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and master developer Westfield. [The Moodie Report attended the event and will bring further comment and images soon].
The US$26 million project delivered 24 new retail and dining locations, a strong mix of local and international brands plus a new 10,000sq ft duty free shop from Dufry, said to be the first full walk-through store at a US airport. In a new move due to reconfigured security, all departing passengers pass through the store after clearing the TSA checkpoint.
Through the reconfigured layout most of the commercial offer is now airside – previously 95% of the retail and food options were located pre‐security.
Read complete article >
Looking for more information on wholesalers and products? Check out our directory of useful links.
- Dead Sea Spa Care
- NOVA POS
- Christopher Adams Collection
- Animal Land
- Seacret Spa
View the full directory


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KRONOLOGI ASIA BERHAD IPO.
Stock code stock name Krono.
Opening of application27/11/2014
Closing of application04/12/2014
Balloting of applications08/12/2014
Allotment of IPO shares to successful applicants10/12/2014
Tentative listing date15/12/2014
INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LISTING OF KRONOLOGI ASIA BERHAD (“KRONOLOGI” OR “COMPANY”) ON THE ACE MARKET OF BURSA MALAYSIA SECURITIES BERHAD COMPRISING PUBLIC ISSUE OF 59,247,000 NEW ORDINARY SHARES OF RM0.10 EACH (“SHARES”) IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER:-
• 4,739,500 NEW SHARES AVAILABLE FOR APPLICATION BY THE MALAYSIAN PUBLIC;
• 7,109,500 NEW SHARES AVAILABLE FOR APPLICATION BY THE ELIGIBLE DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND PERSONS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESS OF KRONOLOGI ASIA BERHAD GROUP; AND
• 47,398,000 NEW SHARES BY WAY OF PLACEMENT TO IDENTIFIED INVESTORS;
AT AN ISSUE PRICE OF RM0.29 PER SHARE, PAYABLE IN FULL UPON APPLICATION
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 — Kronologi Asia Bhd aims to raise RM17.18 million from its initial public offering (IPO) on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia, with an expected listing date of December 15. The Singapore-based company, specialising in enterprise data management (EDM), is making a public issue of 59.25 million new ordinary shares with a par value of 10 sen each, at an issue price of 29 sen per share.
Kronologi Group chief executive officer Piti Pramotedham said 4.74 million shares are available for subscription by the Malaysian public, 7.11 million shares for directors, employees and individuals who had contributed to the group’s success, plus 47.40 million shares to be offered via public placement to identified investors.
“The proceeds from the IPO are earmarked for business expansion, research and development (R&D) expenditure, working capital and listing expenditure,” Pramotedham told reporters after launching the company’s prospectus today.
“As part of the group’s strategy, RM6.0 million of the proceeds will be used for expansion in existing and developing markets, RM3.5 million for R&D expenditure, RM4.48 million for working expenditure and RM3.2 million for listing expenses.”
Pramotedham said Kronologi plans to strengthen its markets in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and India, and sees potential in Vietnam, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
“We are poised to tap the growing EDM market in Southeast Asia where the compound annual growth rate is forecast at 7.3 per cent and is expected to reach RM3.0 billion in 2016,” he said.
“The group has carved a profitable niche in providing EDM solutions and services by providing back-up, storage, recovery and restoration of data for business assurance and operational continuity.”
The group recorded profit after tax of RM5.56 million for the financial year ended December 31, 2013, with revenue of RM42.17 million, and for the first half of this year, posted a RM3.41 million profit on revenue of RM28.10 million.
Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd has been appointed as the group’s principal adviser, sponsor, sole underwriter and placement agent for the listing.
Bank Islam managing director Datuk Seri Zukri Samat, who was at the launch, said Kronologi is the fourth IPO advised by the bank and the first listing on the ACE Market.
“By choosing Malaysia to launch the IPO, it has provided Malaysian investors with an opportunity to invest and participate in a company geared towards sustained profits,” Zukri said. — Bernama
Malaymail online 27 November 2014
ONLY WORLD GROUP HOLDINGS BERHAD IPO.
Stock code stock name OWG stock.
Opening of application26/11/2014
Closing of application05/12/2014
Balloting of applications09/12/2014
Allotment of IPO shares to successful applicants15/12/2014
Tentative listing date18/12/2014
New Straits Time online 27 nov 2014
KUALA LUMPUR: Only World Group Bhd (OWG), en route to listing on Bursa Malaysia, plans to raise RM50 million from its initial public offering (IPO).
OWG managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Richard Koh Cheng Keong said of the RM50 million, RM30 million will be used to refurbish the Komtar building in Penang, RM13 million for business expansion, RM2 million for working expenses and the balance as listing cost.
He was speaking after OWG’s prospectus launch, here, yesterday.
The IPO entails a public issue of 56.408 million new shares of 50 sen each at an offer price of 88 sen a share. It includes 9.25 million new shares for the Malaysian public and four million new shares for eligible directors and employees.
Another 18.5 million new shares will be placed out to approved Bumiputera investors while the remaining 24.658 million new shares are for selected investors.
OWG is scheduled to be listed on December 18.
On the progress of the Komtar building refurbishment, Koh said the face-lifting cost was estimated at RM30 million, of which renovation cost for the top five levels was RM6 million.
“It is more than halfway completed. We hope to wrap it up by the third quarter of next year,” he said.
Established in 1973, OWG is a leisure and hospitality services provider that incorporates the operations of food and services outlets, water amusement parks and family attractions.
Its main income is from its brand restaurants such as Only Mee Fresh Noodles, Shanghai 10, Noodle & Lok Lok and QiQi Taiwan Cuisine.
These food and beverage outlets are predominantly located at the main hotels in Genting Highlands.
OWG also operates two franchised Marrybrown restaurants at two hotels in Genting Highlands.
PUBLIC ISSUE OF 56,408,900 NEW ORDINARY SHARES OF RM0.50 EACH IN ONLY WORLD GROUP HOLDINGS BERHAD AT AN ISSUE PRICE OF RM0.88 PER SHARE PAYABLE IN FULL ON APPLICATION COMPRISING:
(l) 9,250,000 NEW ORDINARY SHARES OF RM0.50 EACH AVAILABLE FOR APPLICATION BY THE MALAYSIAN PUBLIC;
(ll) 4,000,000 NEW ORDINARY SHARES OF RM0.50 EACH AVAILABLE FOR APPLICATION BY THE ELIGIBLE DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND OTHER PERSONS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR GROUP;
(lll) 18,500,000 NEW ORDINARY SHARES OF RM0.50 EACH AVAILABLE FOR APPLICATION BY WAY OF PRIVATE PLACEMENT TO BUMIPUTERA INSTITUTIONAL AND SELECTED INVESTORS APPROVED BY THE MINISTRY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MALAYSIA; AND
(lV) 24,658,900 NEW ORDINARY SHARES OF RM0.50 EACH AVAILABLE FOR APPLICATION BY WAY OF PRIVATE PLACEMENT TO SELECTED INVESTORS,
IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR LISTING ON THE MAIN MARKET OF BURSA MALAYSIA SECURITIES BERHAD


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BMW Sales Up In November
BMW Motorrad reported high motorcycle sales in November, increasing
the number of machines sold by more than 43 percent compared to
2011. The company sold almost 800 new bikes in the month, which is
over 200 more than the same time last year.
Overall, the yearly sales for BMW bikes are up by about 15 percent in 2012 when compared to 2011, and that is without taking the sale of gear or motorcycle accessories into consideration.
"Supply is catching up with demand, making November the best sales month on record for BMW in the U.S.," said Ludwig Willisch, president of BMW of North America. "The momentum is strong in the final month of the year...and I am confident BMW Group will set a new U.S. sales record for 2012, beating the previous record year of 2007."
The best-selling models during the month were led by the manufacturer's new maxi scooters, which is made up of the C650GT and C600 Sport. There was also a large increase in sales of the S1000RR superbike, which saw its sales nearly triple. Ultimate Motorcycling reports. Sales of the F800GS got a 40 percent boost as well.


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When the anniversary update arrives in late July, it will bring with it many new features, updated themes, and now we are learning that it will also include additional promoted apps in the Start menu. Microsoft made this announcement at their WinHec conference and the slides you see in this post come from that event.
In Windows 10 as we know it today, there are currently five promoted apps but as Neowin spotted in the slides from WinHec, Microsoft is bumping that number up to ten. To make room for these additional apps, the company will be reducing their own apps from the Start screen region from 17 to 12.
The company says they are doing this to help promote and introduce the user to the Windows store. If you do not want these apps, they can be uninstalled and for commercial users, they can be blocked with a group policy.
At this time, we do not know what apps will be used in these promoted blocks but I do wonder if Microsoft is leveraging this change to help get large name developers to build apps for its store. We have seen Facebook and many others release new apps and if Microsoft is offering a default slot in the Start menu to these companies, that is a significant point of leverage as these apps will be viewed by millions of users.
What isn’t known at this time is if these apps will appear if a user upgrades from 1511 (November update) to 1607 (Anniversary update). While you would think that Microsoft would not interfere with a user’s menu who is already running Windows 10 and is simply upgrading, the company’s new aggressive stance with marketing its products does leave this question unanswered.
With the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft used this same tactic to pre-load Candy Crush games in the Start menu and seeing that they are increasing their efforts in this area, it must have been a huge success which is why they are dedicating more space to additional apps.
You can view all the slides from the presentation, here.
Tagged with Start Menu


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Bitcoin News Roundup for Sept. 15, 2020 - CoinDesk
Bitcoin - The Currency of the Internet
A community dedicated to Bitcoin, the currency of the Internet. Bitcoin is a distributed, worldwide, decentralized digital money. Bitcoins are issued and managed without any central authority whatsoever: there is no government, company, or bank in charge of Bitcoin. You might be interested in Bitcoin if you like cryptography, distributed peer-to-peer systems, or economics. A large percentage of Bitcoin enthusiasts are libertarians, though people of all political philosophies are welcome.
Bitcoin for Beginners is a subreddit for new users to ask Bitcoin related questions. **Do not respond to strangers direct messaging you, as over 99% of these people are Scammers.** This subreddit allows open discussion where peer review occurs. /BitcoinBeginners is not for posting new websites, memes, faucets, affiliate links, news, concern trolling, blog articles, or promoting altcoins and ICOs. **Bitcoin related Questions only** No url shorteners (auto spam)
Bitcoin News Roundup for Sept. 15, 2020. With BTC crossing into bullish territory and a new smart contract-powered tokenized DeFi Index, CoinDesk’s Markets Daily is back for your latest crypto ... Bitcoin Era software is an auto trading platform created by a group of traders/software engineers that promises to bring forward a new trading Era to Bitcoin when users buy bitcoin for an ... Bitcoin News-September 9, 2020 0 The francs may have had their day - instead, the Swiss National Bank is to issue a digital currency, the eFranc. Hans Gersbach and Roger Wattenhofer, two scientists from... Bitcoin News Bitcoin (BTC) was invented by a pseudonymous individual or group named Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 and is the world’s first enduring cryptocurrency that succeeded where decades of ... 26/09/2020 Trending Bitcoin News and Market Sentiment, Weekly Edition, 26th September 2020: Bitcoin Traditional Asset Decoupling as MicroStrategy Adopts Bitcoin Standard,; 21/09/2020 Blockchain-Powered Brand KIM Diamond Announces Flagship Store and Selene Moon Goddess Jewelry Line; 21/09/2020 Sportsbet.io Joins Hands With Arsenal FC As Official Betting Partner
Bitcoin Technical Analysis by Tom Crown! The Best Source on YouTube for Trade Setups, Blockchain Education and Market Updates. Coins analyzed include: Bitcoi... Follow Altcoin Daily: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbLhGKVY-bJPcawebgtNfbw/videos Protect your crypto with a Ledger - the world’s best hardware wallet: h... Thanks for watching! For donations: Bitcoin - 1CpGMM8Ag8gNYL3FffusVqEBUvHyYenTP8 Bybit $60 Bonus: https://www.bybit.com/app/register?ref=l2RA6 Bybit Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dnIDz1NLuw Bitcoin Technical Analysis & Bitc... ALL ABOUT THE WORLD BITCOIN: news, events, the facts, the course, analysis, HYIP, Mining, tap. ВСЕ О МИРЕ BITCOIN: НОВОСТИ, СОБЫТИЯ, ФАКТЫ ...


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Hotel owners and operators face significant revenue declines of more than 30 per cent over the next 12 to 24 months as the industry makes a slow and staggered recovery from the devastation wreaked by the global pandemic.
About 5500 hotel rooms in Sydney and Melbourne will exit the development pipeline as construction of new hotels becomes less feasible in a lower-growth environment, according to revised COVID-19 forecasts from hotel analysts Dransfield Hotels & Resorts.
"Both Sydney and Melbourne look set for significant revenue per available room [RevPAR] destruction of over 30 per cent in the next few years," said managing director Dean Dransfield.
"As Sydney is positioned earlier in its supply development life cycle compared to Melbourne, it has a greater opportunity to recalibrate to the lower demand, by delaying or cancelling proposals."
Dransfield forecasts that after four months of extreme declines, accommodation demand is expected to start picking up from September when the easing of domestic travel restrictions takes effect.
However, it won't be until mid-2021 when a more meaningful revival in demand starts in line with a resumption of international flights and the ending of all travel bans and social distancing measures
This could mean occupancy rates eventually returning to pre-pandemic levels of about 78 per cent and average daily rates rising back above $200 a night.
Current occupancy rates have tumbled to about 20 per cent, according to hotel analysts STR, with more than 400 hotels temporarily closed.
"The recovery will be gradual and in stages as travel restrictions and social distancing measures are lifted," said Dransfield.
In Sydney and Melbourne, the first two cities to undergo COVID-19 revisions to Dransfield's 2019 Hotel Futures Report, the gap to be made up is huge.
Before the pandemic, Sydney had enjoyed an 87 per cent average occupancy rate, among the highest in the world, with Melbourne at a very healthy 83 per cent.
Demand in both cities will starts to recover from September, but it won't be until the 2022 financial year that Sydney occupancy rates reach 75-80 per cent and 70-75 per cent in Melbourne.
At the same time, average daily rates, down about 15 per cent, won't start to recover until March next year "meaning RevPAR destruction over the next 12-24 months will be significant".
RevPAR is the key industry performance metric, calculated by multiplying occupancy by the average daily rate.
In Sydney, Dransfield anticipates 30-50 per cent RevPAR reductions to prior expectations over this period, or $80-120 a night per room.
In Melbourne, reductions of 30- 45 per cent are expected ($50-80).
Alongside the slide in performance, Mr Dransfield expected hotel values would be soft for at least another two years and only start to recover in three years' time.
Also affected will be hotel development, with 3000 fewer rooms expected to be completed in Melbourne and 2500 less in Sydney between now and 2028 as hotel development feasibility becomes more challenged.
"Constructions will delay or fail, proposals and future projects won’t eventuate at the same speed or volume," said Dransfield in its revised reports.
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Interactive One, known for serving digital driven African-Americans continues to expand its reach to the Latino market with the launch of ZonadeSabor.com, an entertainment news Web site targeting young, urban Latino Americans.
“We’ve built a reputation for launching new websites and growing established ones through our work with brands like HelloBeautiful.com, TheUrbanDaily.com, American Airlines’ BlackAtlas.com and NBC News’ TheGrio.com,” said Tom Newman, President, Interactive One. “Zona de Sabor extends our reach in the growing Latino community allowing us to provide our advertisers with more avenues to connect with minority audiences.”
In addition to original content, ZonadeSabor.com will partner with its various sister sites including NewsOne.com, TheUrbanDaily.com and HelloBeautiful.com on articles and video.
For Latino lifestyle and entertainment news, visit http://www.zonadesabor.com.Category: black media, Featured | Tags: African Americans, interactive one, latinos, media, migente, minorities, Zona de Sabor


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The latest developer preview of Microsoft Teams reveals that the company’s Skype for Business replacement will likely eventually offer a free version for customers who don’t have an Office 365 subscription. References to the free version reside at several places within the client-side code, but so far there is no indication of all the limits Microsoft plans to implement for non-subscribers.
The endgame is fairly obvious: Get everyone off competing service Slack and onto Microsoft Teams. The idea is to reel in potential customers with a free service and hook them to the point of unlocking the full platform using an Office 365 subscription. Slack does something similar although customers aren’t buying into a full suite of Office applications.
For instance, Microsoft Teams may restrict file sizes with its free tier, requiring an Office 365 subscription if users want to send files over a specific size to fellow team members. Microsoft may also limit team sizes, the number of supported teams, and how long messages remain in the chat history. Connections to bots and third-party services may also be disabled.
According to reports, lines of code in the latest developer preview point to a storage limitation in the unannounced free tier. Examples include “freemium_storage_exceeded_dialog_upgrade” and “Admin action to upgrade to paid version.” In other words, once your saved files hit a specific storage limit, the client will throw up a warning to upgrade if you require additional space.
By comparison, the free version of Slack provides a single 5GB capacity shared by all team members. To get additional space, companies can pay $6.67 per user to assign 10GB of personal space for that specific team member. For $12.50 per month per user, that team member gets 20GB of personal storage. Slack’s freemium tier is essentially an unlimited trial, and Microsoft Teams is apparently taking the same route.
Microsoft’s team-based collaboration client first appeared as Office Communicator in 2007 followed by the next-generation Lync 2010 client in 2011. By 2015, Microsoft decided to cram together its Lync and Skype products to release Skype for Business. Microsoft replaced this service with Microsoft Teams in September.
Basic features provided with Microsoft Teams include obvious team support, voice-over IP calling, instant messaging, video conferencing, and the integration of other software developed by Microsoft. For businesses that rely on Office-branded products, that’s a big selling point.
Microsoft considered purchasing Slack in 2016 for around $8 billion after Slack introduced new video and voice services. But Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and co-founder Bill Gates weren’t really keen on the idea, leaning more on beefing up Skype for Business rather than shelling out billions for a third-party service. Enter Microsoft Teams and a roadmap that promises to bring more Skype for Business capabilities to the newer platform.
The big problem Microsoft Teams faces right now is its inability to support Microsoft Account owners that do not subscribe to Office 365. They are likely using Slack’s free service, but that could change in the near future given the information pulled from the latest developer preview is in the platform’s future.
- This new Windows 11 feature will help you protect your passwords
- Malwarebytes resolves error that was blocking Google this morning
- This beloved TikTok hashtag just got its own app feature
- Windows 11 2022 Update: the best new features to try out today
- Windows 11 vs. Windows 10: Finally time to upgrade?


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British carmaker Aston Martin has announced that it will produce an all-wheel-drive electric version of the Rapide by 2017, sporting 800-hp and a 200-mile (322km) range.
Aston Martin CEO, Andy Palmer confirmed the company’s plans to produce the electric car when speaking with Automotive News at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.
The company has also confirmed an all-electric version of the forthcoming DBX crossover following on from the Rapide.
Aston Martin announced in April that it was considering producing an electric Rapide, but no confirmation was given at the time.
Reasons for the carmaker’s decision appear to be based around offering ‘greener’ options to offset emissions from V-8 and V-12 engines found in other models.
“If you want to keep making V-12 engines, then you’ve got to do something at the opposite end of the spectrum,” Palmer told Automotive News.
The electric Aston Martin Rapide’s 200-mile range is similar to that of the Tesla Model S, although Aston has suggested its offering will cost considerably more.
According to Automotive News, Palmer didn’t give a specific set price for the Rapide, but instead suggested it may be within the range of US$200,000 to $250,000.
“What Tesla clearly shows you is we haven’t hit the ceiling in terms of price.”
“But I think it’s hard, though not impossible, for them as a relatively new brand to keep pushing up and to go into that super premier area,” Palmer commented.
The top-of-the-line Tesla S variant – the P90D, comes in at around $142,000, considerably less than Aston’s electric Rapide.
When outlining potential customers for the Rapide, Palmer described them as people wanting something that isn’t just high-tech, but also leaves a legacy.
Palmer noted that Aston Martin plans to source batteries from a dependable supplier, which could be LG or Samsung, but not Panasonic.
Reportedly, Aston Martin is already testing a functional an all-electric Rapide but details were not disclosed.


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Tyre recycling, what happens?
Before 2014 and the recycling initiative, tyres were the most problematic source of waste in this country.
Australians produce 51 million EPU (equivalent passenger unit) end of life tyres each year. 16% of these tyres are recycled and only 5% are reused here in Australia.
The future potential use for tyres ranges from new rubber products, road construction, surface materials and artificial turf, playgrounds, sports grounds, convouyor belts, brake pads, commercial flooring, civil engineering, substitute for diesel in explosives and fuels for energy recovery.
Where do they go?
Australia's end-of-life tyres are currently being disposed through landfill, stockpiles, exported as baled tyres or illegally dumped and only a small proportion are being recycled.
Island Tyres, retailers, recyclers, collectors, fleets, manufacturers and importers, tyre brands and the local government are backing the TSA initiative. TSA or Tyre Stewardship Australia formed to implement the national Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme to promote the development of viable markets for end-of-life tyres.


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But don’t start writing the obituaries just yet. One thing to keep in mind is that Google+ is still in its field-testing stage and is still relying on network invitations to get more users. And the site only launched a month ago, exactly, on June 28.
Google+ is making several tweaks to its social network regarding businesses and public figures, particularly after a small debacle over its policy requiring a user’s real name.
On Monday, Google vice president of product management Bradley Horowitz said that the company will be making changes to its name policy to let users have better control over what names are linked to their accounts and, if an account is flagged, let them know why.
Horowitz said that the company is continuing to work on products that will make it easier for businesses to join Google+ — an important development as Facebook recently unveiled a streamlined page aimed at getting small businesses on its social network.


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Twitter suspended its newly relaunched blue tick verification system after the social media platform was flooded with a wave of imposter accounts.
The premium “Twitter Blue” the service is available to anyone for £ 6.99 per month in the UK ($ 8 per month in the US), having previously been used to authenticate accounts of public figures, including celebrities and journalists, who had been vetted and confirmed as authentic.
But the revamped model gave credit a myriad of fake accounts – with a parody that claims to be Jesus Christ getting the verification.
The person behind the satirical tale, who prefers to remain anonymous, started it 14 years ago in 2006.
“Even though I have had it for so long, I was never sure I could verify it,” he told Business Insider.
“I already applied for verification and was declined, but when Elon Musk changed the verification rules and you could sign up for Twitter Blue and purchase a verified check, I knew it was finally my time. It was instant. I bought Twitter Blue subscription and when I finished confirming Apple Pay and reopened Twitter, I was verified. “
Another fake account claimed insulin was free, forcing US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co to apologize.
Only fifteen days later paying $ 44 billion to take control of Twitter new owner in October Elon Musk saw his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, impersonated accounts.
And the richest man in the world also appears to have two verified accounts, including one operating under the name of @JoshMalina who proclaimed Wednesday, “Good night. Twitter cleanup starts now.”
The suspension took place a few hours after the billionaire entrepreneur’s warning Twitter could risk bankruptcyhaving half of the workforce laid off.
His new vision has prompted high-profile users, including Stephen Fry, to deactivate their accounts, as advertisers also raise concerns about the platform’s survival.
Musk posted on Thursday: “There are too many ‘verification’ ticks of the corrupted blue inheritance, so there is no choice but to remove the blue inheritance in the coming months.”
However, he also said that Twitter hit an “all-time high of active users” on Friday, adding, “Twitter usage continues to increase.
“One thing is certain: it’s not boring!”
There are now two categories of “blue ticks” – but they look identical.
One includes accounts verified before Musk took over, which state, “This account is verified because it is notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.”
The other confirms that the account subscribes to Twitter Blue.
Twitter Blue was not available on the online version of the platform, which said registration was only possible on the iPhone version. However, the iPhone version did not offer Twitter Blue as an option.
The platform also seems undecided about adding “official” labels to some prominent accounts, throwing them before deleting them hours earlier.
Musk and Twitter accounts, along with global brands including Amazon, Nike and Coca-Cola, do not have “official” status.


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Southeast Asian trip-hailing company grab is aiming to delivery the new yr with a bang and lots of bucks. The enterprise, which got Uber’s local enterprise earlier this yr, is planning to elevate as a good deal as $ 5 billion from its ongoing series H round, up from an normal target of $ three billion, a supply with talents of the plan told TechCrunch.
grab declined to comment for this story.
That sequence H circular has been open on the grounds that June. Already, it has seen participation from the likes of Toyota, Microsoft, booking Holdings and Yamaha Motors, which have pushed it near the customary $ three billion goal. just before raising $ one hundred fifty million from Yamaha, seize mentioned the circular stood at $ 2.7 billion. whereas it is true that the enterprise first announced that it become “heading in the right direction to elevate over $ 3 billion by means of the conclusion of 2018,” it isn’t public skills that it has set its sights as high as $ 5 billion.
a huge a part of that growth is a planned funding from SoftBank’s imaginative and prescient Fund which, as TechCrunch reported last week, is aiming to pump up to $ 1.5 billion into the business. including that to the $ three billion complete seems to leave a further $ 500 million allocation for other investors to soak up.
grab is already the most capitalized startup in Southeast Asia’s heritage, having raised around $ 6.8 billion from traders, in accordance with statistics from Crunchbase. The enterprise turned into closing valued at $ 11 billion — when Toyota invested the initial $ 1 billion in this collection H six months in the past — and it is unclear how an awful lot that valuation will enhance when the round is achieved.
The enterprise is additionally one of the most widest-accomplishing consumer web agencies in Southeast Asia, a vicinity of 650 million consumers. grab claims greater than a hundred thirty million downloads and more than 2.5 billion completed rides thus far, while it has elevated into fintech and it’s going past a journey-hailing app to offer Southeast Asia a “super app” within the mold of Meituan in China. On the monetary side, seize is assumed to not yet be ecocnomic. nonetheless it has observed that it made $ 1 billion in revenue and that it initiatives that the determine will double in 2019.
purchasing Uber’s business made it the dominant ridesharing operator in the vicinity — a position that saw it pay fines in Singapore and the Philippines — however Uber’s exit additionally saw Go-Jek, a rival in Indonesia, step up and extend its company into new markets. Go-Jek — which is backed by way of the likes of Tencent, Meituan and Google — entered Vietnam in August, and has recently launched in Thailand and Singapore as it bids to step into Uber’s shadow.
With Go-Jek aiming to carry $ 2 billion of its own, it certainly feels like seize’s extension of its already-significant sequence H circular is aimed toward increasing its struggle chest as the competition intensifies in put up-Uber Southeast Asia.


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The 12th edition of Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition attracted more than 9,000 visitors over five days, a 23% increase year-on-year, organisers have announced.
The event brought together fashion enthusiasts and influencers, families and aspiring designers to discover more than 150 local, regional and international brands from over 15 countries.
This year saw the largest number of established and emerging Qatari designers, with 65% of exhibitors coming from Qatar. New partnerships with Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar and Qatar Business Incubation Centre, provided visitors with expertise in everything from fashion marketing to finance, to how to get a fashion business off the ground. In addition, adding depth to this year’s programme were the collaborations with the Italian, Germany and Mexican embassies to help nurture and develop local design talent.
Beyond the unique shopping experience, Heya’s packed schedule of 11 workshops, eight forums and 21 fashion shows drew huge crowds seeking knowledge, guidance and inspiration. The event displayed the latest collection of abayas, kaftans, jalabiyas, evening gowns, veils and other accessories, including for the first-time perfume and make-up.
Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition was brought to visitors by Qatar Tourism Authority and delivered by partners Design Creationz.
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Coinbase Enables Instant Bitcoin Purchases With DebitYou can also receive bitcoin and Coinbase will execute an instant sell in the background.Good way of describing, and pleasant paragraph to get facts about.
How To Make Easy Money Buying Bitcoins - Coinbase Enable
Coinbase Provides 26 Countries Opportunity to Buy Bitcoin Instantly.On Wednesday the popular digital currency exchange service Coinbase made it possible for people to buy. bitcoin community.How to Buy Bitcoins. 1. Receive cash deposits from buyers on BitQuick.co instantly, and confirm these deposits with BitQuick.
5 Ways to Buy Bitcoin with Credit Card Instantly (NoNow that Bitcoin is mainstream and Bitcoin exchanges have advanced fraud detection systems, it is possible to buy bitcoins instantly.
Instant Bitcoin Purchases In Singapore and Canada by
Best 40+ Options To Buy Bitcoins Online Around The WorldSigned up for Coinbase, but cannot complete the ID verification.Bitcoin service Coinbase has been quite active recently, raising large amounts of investor capital, adding a multi-signature vault that allows users to control their.
The refuse to tell me what caused it or any form of explanation why is unfair.
Coinbase launches Instant Bitcoin Purchases to SingaporeThis makes using Moneygrams the best choice again, because they can be done the same day, whereas Coin Base now takes around a week to deliver the coins to you.
As Bitcoin and Ethereum become targets for thieves, how cryptocurrency companies are fighting back.How to Buy Bitcoins with Credit Card. five best bitcoin markets which accepting credit card for buy bitcoin. to buy Bitcoins with credit card with Coinbase.
How To Buy Bitcoin Using Coinbase [Complete Guide]
Coinbase to enable US customers to buy Bitcoin instantlyCoinbase has announced the launch of its Instant Exchange, which will allow users to buy and sell bitcoin whilst protecting them against volatility.
Please post this contact email address and request to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.Meanwhile I went through their ID verification process — failed with a Webcam but eventually got it done, and got a nice (automatic) e-mail confirming verification and inviting me to do transactions.You can use this wallet as a source of funds to buy bitcoin instantly.
There are several platforms where you can buy Bitcoin with credit and debit cards instantly.
Top 5 Best Bitcoin Exchanges 2017: Buy, Sell & Trade
They have a good review from me because they are by-and-large an excellent and well-run company.USD Wallets on Coinbase. Coinbase can process bitcoin purchases on-demand. the only way to instantly acquire bitcoin on Coinbase was to enable instant buy,.


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Medical device maker PerkinElmer has lowered the top end of its expected full-year earnings range for 2013 due in part to the government shutdown.
The Waltham-based company, which recently finished an expansion of its Hopkinton research site, on Wednesday reported financial results for the three months that ended in September, the company’s third quarter. Revenues came in at $524.3 million, up 3 percent from the same period last year, and earnings per share (adjusted to exclude one-time items) were 49 cents, both of which just barely beat analysts’ estimates.
For the full year, the company said it now expects to return earnings per share of between $2.04 and $2.07, versus its previous guidance of $2.03 to $2.10 per share. In a conference call following the earnings report, Chairman, President and CEO Robert Friel blamed the lowered high-end of the range on slower sales in southeast Asia and India and the recent government shutdown.
“We believe it is prudent to guide conservatively, given the current conditions in several of our markets and the potential for some impact from the U.S. government shutdown that may result in revenue shifting out of the quarter,” he said.
The company, which has 850 of its 7,500 worldwide employees in Massachusetts, makes medical instruments for government and academic uses, as well as environmental testing equipment. It has worked with several area life sciences institutions over the years, including Mass General Hospital, Biogen Idec and Cell Signalling Technology, and has bought local companies, most recently Caliper Life Sciences Inc. and CambridgeSoft, both in 2011.
In a research note following the quarterly report, Leerink Swann analyst Dan Leonard wrote that its reliance on the federal government for approval of its mass spectrometry instruments means potential delays in the sales of those items due to the shutdown.
“We view PKI as having heightened risk to the effects of the U.S. government shutdown,” he wrote. “PKI’s inductively coupled plasma mass spec instruments require government approval since they can be used for detection of radioactive materials … and typically have lead time of (approximately) 60 days.”
PerkinElmer’s stock closed the day Wednesday at $38.26, up 19 percent for the year so far.


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Chocolate. If there’s anything more delicious on planet Earth I haven’t found it yet. In addition to it’s deliciousness, it’s also super versatile and can be utilized in numerous mouth-watering recipes. Right up there with the best of them is this decadent melt-in-the-middle Molten Chocolate cake recipe that you guys have to try. Here’s how
Netflix is airing a British cooking show called The Big Family Cooking Showdown and safe to say, the grand prize is quite underwhelming.
A woman has failed a drug test post labour due to eating a lemon poppyseed cake the morning of giving birth. Known to originate from the opium poppy, the seeds can disrupt drug tests.
Ben & Jerry’s has launched a brand new, limited-edition ice cream called ‘Pecan Resist’ featuring chocolate ice cream with chunks of white and dark fudge, pecans, walnuts and fudge-covered almonds. But this is more than just an ice cream, it’s a political statement. The specially designed tub by artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez has a bold
Studies have shown our choice and enjoyment of food is based on more than just being hungry. It involves our whole network of senses including what we see, smell or even hear (think about that Snap, Crackle and Pop of Rice Krispies, mmm). However, German baker Karin Pfeiff-Boschek really has taken this to a whole


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BBM for Android and iPhone to aid separation
BlackBerry has a big plan with the BBM app for Android and iPhone, which means both of these new platforms are crucial for the brand to achieve their goals. It seems that BlackBerry want to position BBM with a cross-platform download on Android, iPhone’s iOS and other platforms to aid both a potential sale and separation into another company.
BBM Inc. an obvious direction – this move shouldn’t surprise our readers considering the rumors and news from the last few weeks. We have previously reported how the BBM app might create revenue on Android and iPhone, which could include a token fee or add-on services.
The BBM rivals have been enjoying Android and iPhone prosperity for a while now and some people wonder why it has taken BlackBerry so long to release this application? The need for the app was shown once again after a recent report highlighted the decline in BlackBerry phone sales, so separating the BBM app into a subsidiary and launching on two of the biggest mobile platforms is certainly the new direction needed that we talked about in an earlier article.
WSJ is the source of this latest rumor and they explain part of this move would be to give the new company a lot of independence with their chat app. This would hopefully bring more creativity and deliver focused features for BBM on Android, iPhone’s iOS and BlackBerry phones themselves. We have already seen a few differences between iOS and Android in the BBM beta manual download that leaked a few days ago.
It is thought that the BBM app has 60m users without iPhone or Android, so you can imagine the growth possible once the app hits a release date next month. We say next month, as this is the end of summer, although no BBM launch date has been given at the time of writing. Teens in particular have been buzzing about BBM coming to their Android or iPhone device, and this is welcomed by millions of users that used to be on BlackBerry and miss features like BBM pins.
Do you think creating BBM Inc. would help the app compete on Android and iPhone better? Competitors include ChatOn, WhatsApp, Skype and many more although we know there are thousands already lining up for BBM on Android or iOS, and these people have told Phones Review that BlackBerry Messenger is “light-years ahead of other apps” with better navigation and features.
It is worth pointing out that insiders claim a desktop version and cross-platform BBM service has been ready to launch for years, but executives wouldn’t give the go ahead and we feel this might have been one of BlackBerry’s worst decisions considering the power of apps in 2013.


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KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 10): Duopharma Biotech Bhd's first nine months of 2022 (9M2022) exceeded analysts' forecast on earnings per share (EPS) and core earnings.
However, in separate notes, CGS-CIMB Securities and RHB Investment Bank (RHB IB) Research both excluded the recent insulin contract award by the Ministry of Health (MOH) from their imputations.
CGS-CIMB reported its forecast for Duopharma's third quarter of 2022 (3Q2022) EPS rose 35.8% year-on-year (y-o-y), while its 9M2022 core EPS had beaten 82% of house FY2022 estimate.
According to CGS-CIMB analyst Sherman Lam, local revenue continued to grow slowly y-o-y in 3Q2022 at 2.1% compared to 14.4% (1Q2022) and 18.4% in 2Q2022.
He said this was due to stronger demand for ethical drugs from the public and private sectors, and customer’s inventory restocking activities.
Lam also added that in quarter-on-quarter terms, 3Q2022 local revenue for Duopharma dipped 4.7% in the lower ethical specialty and healthcare (CHC) sales, while CHC sales for 9M2022 decreased by 3% from 9M2021.
“Export revenue has picked up to pre-Covid-19 levels, climbing 32.9% quarter-to-quarter at RM13 million, possibly owing to new tender wins,” added Lam.
The analyst said that 3Q2022 gross profit (GP) margins improved by 6.8% y-o-y to 45.9% due to higher revenue mix from manufactured products while the manufacturing segment contributed 93-94% to 9M2022 revenue.
“We expect GP margin to soften quarter-on-quarter in 4Q2022F and 1Q2023F as insulin sales rise gradually and the impact of high raw material prices, exacerbated by the stronger US$/RM, kicks in 6-9-month lag,” he said.
Lam cut Duopharma's forcasted FY2022 core EPS by 4.9%, but raised FY2023 core EPS by 11.4%, as he factored in the recognition of the RM10 million reinvestment allowance in FY2023.
Meanwhile, RHB IB said Duopharma delivered core earnings growth of 67% y-o-y in 3Q2022 at RM27.5 million, and its 9M2022 core earnings of RM103.7 million exceeded house full-year estimates by 34%.
“The stronger-than-expected performance was mainly driven by the robust performance of its ethical classic segment, with the public health sector seeing relatively resilient demand during the quarter,” said RHB IB analyst Oong Chun Sung.
Oong added that 9M2022 gross processing margins (GPM) held up at 39.9% y-o-y from 36.9% in 9M2021 despite the impact of the ringgit depreciating against the US dollar.
“That said, we believe Duopharma’s timely average selling price (ASP) adjustment for its consumer healthcare segment could help mitigate the impact of elevated raw material prices,” said Oong.
In terms of earnings estimates, Oong made no changes as he expects to get better clarity on the company’s outlook and updates after the analyst briefing.
Both research houses highlighted the contract between Duopharma and MOH.
“We gather that private ethical sales stayed robust into Oct-Nov 22, while there has not been much incremental contribution from its new government insulin supply contract (inked in Apr 22) given the insulin shortage in the local market,” said Lam.
Meanwhile, Oong said the stronger-than-expected performance was mainly driven by the robust performance of the ethical classic segment with the public health sector seeing resilient demand during the quarter.
“We believe contribution from the 'Insugen' insulin supply agreement (signed in April) to MOH strengthened 3Q22 topline growth.”
Oong also commented on Duopharma’s approved products purchase list (APPL) contract extension.
“Duopharma’s APPL with MOH is due for an extension on Dec 31, 2022. To date, the company has yet to receive a response from MOH.
“Nonetheless, we expect the contract to be extended by 6-12 months, but at an unfavourable contract term as the procurement rate may be based on the US$/RM rate of 4.20 entered back in 2017,” said Oong.
According to a Bursa Malaysia filing on Nov 9, Duopharma group managing director Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar expressed optimism for a satisfactory performance in 2022.
“The outlook for Duopharma Biotech is positive in light of the continuous emphasis placed by the government on the healthcare sector every year.
“We will continue to explore new opportunities to expand our product portfolio in the health and wellness sector as a leading pharmaceutical company in Malaysia, and strengthen our commitment in the halal sector,” said Leonard Ariff.
Duopharma's third quarter net profit slipped 3.62% to RM16.35 million in September 2022, from RM16.96 million a year earlier due to higher finance and operating costs, according to its filing with Bursa on Nov 9.
Back in Sept 30 this year, Duopharma and MOH executed an agreement to procure insulin via direct negotiation for RM375.17 million, with the three-year agreement beginning from April 29, 2022 to April 28, 2025.
At the time of writing, Duopharma’s share price has decreased three sen or 2.16% to RM1.36. Its market capitalisation is RM1.03 billion.


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Google launches local news in France
After the US, the UK, India, Canada and Germany Google has launched their local news service in France. The local news section lets you see current events in the area you are in.
Google also announced its working to improve the local search algorithms:
Tagcloudindonesia google wave a4uexpo bing seo russia blogger business search privacy search engine website ppc analytics search engines youtube news street view sea mobile browser linkbuilding streetview matt cutts realtime marketing tools gmail ses london google research iphone video searchcowboys facebook google earth blog funny viral


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Med Ad News – the leading pharmaceutical business and marketing publication – reveals the winners of the 2021 Manny Awards, celebrating the best in the healthcare communications industry. The 32nd anniversary of the black-tie gala event was held virtually last night with more than 1,000 viewers. Manny Award were presented throughout the evening to healthcare agencies and networks achieving excellence across 29 categories.
Leading pharmaceutical business and marketing publication Med Ad News announces the nominees for the 32nd Annual Manny Awards, recognizing the best in healthcare advertising and communications. The 2021 Manny Awards ceremony will be held virtually on Thursday, April 22. Klick Health CEO Lori Grant is being honored as the 2021 Industry Person of the Year.
Laura Mizrahi is one of the few truly ambidextrous people in the healthcare communications industry. Yes, she can literally write, eat, play tennis, bat, and throw with both hands. But equally rare is her ability to create compelling campaigns that drive growth for both the HCP and DTC sides of our business. At FCB Health Laura leads teams focused on Women’s Health, Rare Disease, Gastroenterology, Oncology, Neurology and Dermatology.
The 32nd Annual Manny Awards, to be held virtually on April 22, 2021, features nearly 30 award categories. Sixteen creative award categories were voted on by leading creative talent throughout the healthcare communications industry via an online forum, with three finalists selected in each category. To help determine the winners, a second level of voting conducted by a carefully vetted jury of industry experts is being conducted by a select judging panel. The “MedAdvocate” jury, which is gathering virtually on March 18, consists of unbiased representatives who analyze the outstanding components of each finalist creative award campaign as part of an inspiring dialogue.
A seasoned Executive Creative Director with more than 16 years of experience in healthcare advertising, Mike Bonilla has worked on everything from PSAs, to high science brands, to patient initiatives across a wide range of therapeutic areas, including mental health, women’s health, GI health, respiratory, neurology and oncology. Continuously learning about new disease states and the unmet needs of both patients and HCPs keeps Mike on his toes. Over the last two years, Mike has led multiple campaign launches.
Simply put, Eric Delnicki designs communications that get noticed and have impact. His facility for delivering complex information in accessible, understandable visible executions has driven his success in a wide range of communication fields, especially healthcare. He has developed materials for every phase of the product life-cycle, from pre-launch market conditioning and disease awareness through complete launch suites, label expansions, patient retention, and sales training.
Michael Austin knows that an advertising agency will save the world one day (soon). That’s because creativity is the only muscle that outmaneuvers the tyranny of the day. And doing that advances the way people experience the world. He has taken advantage of exercising creative license for 20 years as an award-winning creative writer/director and has now honed that muscle as a creative business leader. Today he works across Syneos Health Communications to embolden creative thinking and execution across advertising and PR.
Currently at McCann Health NJ as CCO, Bruno was the Creative Lead at McCann Health São Paulo and LATAM for 7 years. With more than 80 brands in his background across all therapeutic areas, 17 years of experience and award-winning campaigns, Abner is raising the standards of the category globally.
Sam Glasgow is the Creative Director at healthcare marketing and strategy firm, Purohit Navigation. She utilizes her industrial design background and unstoppable drive to create breakthrough work. Glasgow can often be found anywhere from live gigs to architectural tours throughout Chicago.
CDM Princeton EVP, Executive Creative Director Gary Scheiner has had a pretty fulfilling career so far. His first commercial ran during the Super Bowl. He launched several new car brands for GM, a wine brand for Kraft, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation hand-in-hand with Michael J. Fox. He’s worked with A-list celebrities, Grammy-winning musicians and Academy Award-winning directors. He even recorded a Beatles song in Abbey Road Studios, using the same Hammond B3 organ that Paul McCartney played on the original track. But of all the amazing things he’s been a part of, he’s most excited about where he is right now – in healthcare, with all its innovation and game-changing, life-changing products and services.


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This high-end Creole restaurant in Louisville is the latest to announce closure
Another high-end Louisville restaurant has announced its closure due to impact from COVID-19.
Couvillion at 1318 McHenry St. is closing its doors after three years in operation. Its last day of service will be Nov. 28.
"We have put up the fight of our lives to try and continue to operate safely and effectively during these trying times, unfortunately this is no longer a possibility," owners wrote on Facebook. "Our goal is to look at possibly reopening in the future when the world is in a better place."
The Germantown restaurant earned a rare four-star review from The Courier Journal in 2018.
The restaurant is closed on Wednesday and Thursday for Thanksgiving but will be open for its last service on Friday and Saturday.
General manager Jane Embry said business had been dwindling over the summer, and as winter hits with no indoor dining allowed, it made more sense to shut down.
"We have the tent and can do heaters, but we can't put up four sides and a roof," she said. "Right now everything's up in the air. If we do reopen something in that spot (in the future) it'll probably be rebranded.
Dahlia Ghabour: 502-582-4497; email@example.com; Twitter: @dghabour.


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• Instagram partnered with Australian artist Tony Albert on the campaign.
• Partnering with Sydney Film Festival and Vice
‘We need to get better and faster at finding and removing hate from our platforms’
Australians will have access to new features launched specifically for Sydney Mardi Gras.
• Celebrities and creators share messages of support in first #gramfam Australia instazine.
• Five of the top 10 global accounts are musicians
• You can now save items to your shopping collection along with some other new features
Mosseri, the current vice president of product, will take on the new role immediately.
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have reportedly stepped away amid growing tensions with Mark Zuckerberg.
'We’re announcing our most exciting feature to date.'
Nielsen launched its Social Content Ratings in 2016
A look back at the top trends, creators and influencers in 2017
John Newton’s Gravity Media acquires Telstra’s Chief Entertainment
Kayo only place to see all 92 games FIBA World Cup live & on demand
2019 Art Music Awards winners announced by APRA AMCOS
Long story, short: 6-second video bidding is now available on Twitter
delicious. announces new sections in Daily Telegraph & The Advertiser
News Corp takes clients to ‘top end’ to showcase media and NT News


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Such has been the slowdown in India’s startup space that even the country’s most valuable company isn’t immune.
Reliance JioMart has laid off 1,000 employees and could lay off thousands more, ET reports. The layoffs are a result of Reliance having recently acquired B2B wholesale marketplace Metro Cash and Carry, which has rendered many roles irrelevant at JioMart. Reliance reportedly plans to trim its JioMart workforce of 15,000 by two-thirds, which indicates that there could be thousands of more layoffs in the offing.
“The company has asked over 1,000 people on ground including 500 executives at its corporate office to resign over the past few days,” a source said. “It also plans to have another large round of layoffs with hundreds of employees already put on performance improvement plan (PIP). Rest of the sales employees have been put on variable pay structure after Reliance lowered their fixed pay salary,” they added.
Late last year, Reliance had acquired the Indian operations of German retailer Metro Cash & Carry for Rs. 4,060 crore. As a result of the acquisition, 31 Metro stores and 3,500 Metro employees had become a part of the Reliance empire. Reliance now appears to now be rationalizing its workforce across JioMart and Metro Cash & Carry, which has contributed to the current layoffs.
Reliance has been looking to grow its presence in the wholesale space by selling products to small mom and pop kirana stores. It makes sense for Reliance to have a footprint in the B2B market — Reliance is already India’s largest retailer, and has a ready channel to sell products. Also, FDI regulations in India around B2B retail are hard to negotiate for foreign companies, so a company like Reliance, which both has deep pockets and enormous distribution, appears poised to take advantage.
But Reliance laying off employees, as opposed to housing them in one of its many other businesses, could indicate how there’s pressure in India’s broader tech space. As many as a dozen unicorn startups have laid off employees this year, and biggies such as Google, Meta and Amazon have also laid of employees from their Indian teams. Reliance isn’t usually known for layoffs, but for the company to retrench thousands of employees indicates how the difficult the job market might end up being for fresh jobseekers this year.


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Publishing powerhouse Square Enix has announced a new, upcoming iteration of its own video presentation series, Square Enix Presents, for this March 18 (March 19 for those of us in Australia).
In the announcement, Square Enix details what fans can expect to see in the presentation. While the lack of any mention of Final Fantasy will be an (entirely unsurprising) upset to some, there’s some exciting stuff on the table. Most notably, a new Life is Strange is apparently in the works and set to be revealed during the Presents.
The Life is Strange Twitter account shared the event post, along with the reveal that this next game will be another brand new cast of characters and powers:
The announcement calls out a few other properties set to make an appearance, such as Outriders, Marvel’s Avengers, Just Cause Mobile and Balan Wonderland, plus a certain 25th anniversary of Tomb Raider slow which likely will contain the recent rumoured/leaked trilogy release.
Some mysterious new Square Enix Montreal games (yep, plural) are also set to be unveiled at the event, which is set to kick off on March 18 at 5PM GMT time. That translates to the below timeslots for Aussies:
Melbourne/Sydney/Canberra/Hobart: 4AM, Friday March 19
Perth: 1AM, Friday March 19
Darwin: 2.30AM, Friday March 19
Brisbane: 3AM, Friday March 19
Adelaide: 3.30AM, Friday March 19
As always we’ll endeavour to bring you coverage as the presentation goes live, or soon after.


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"When Artists Come Together in One Place the Possibilities are Endless. Dragon Art is set to emerge on the world scene as a modern legacy platform."
Paul Moynan, CEO Dragon.
On November 22nd a unique and groundbreaking art exhibit opened at the Kempinski Hotel in Estepona in Southern Spain. The exhibition has been brought to the Costa Del Sol by Adam Sargent and our very own Dragon Art founder and former Royal Marine, Paul Moynan.
The recently launched Dragon Art blockchain platform connects artists to a worldwide audience as well as allowing swift, secure purchases for the art collector.
Music legends-turned-painters Brian Travers from UB40 and John Illsley from Dire Straits flew in to the Costa del Sol for the star-studded rock and roll launch of their paintings opened by the Mayor of Estepona in the Kempinski Hotel's unique art gallery.
Among the paintings on display is album art by Brian and John who, in recent years have swapped their saxophone and bass for paint brushes. Both painters went to art school before becoming award-winning musicians with their hugely successful bands. Art took a back seat. Until now.
The result is an exhibition showcasing 20 paintings from their collections. In a tribute to the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Brian Travers has painted the cover for UB40's 40th anniversary album called For The Many. John Illsley unveiled the proof of his painting of an abstract guitar which featured on the 2008 Dire Straits album Beautiful You.
All the artwork on display can be bought using Dragon Coin - the world's number one coin for entertainment. To find out more about the art on display at the Kempinski Hotel and how to purchase the pieces visit www.dragonart.io.
The free exhibition continues until January 10th 2019.


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Supermodel Cindy Crawford came to USC to share her perspective on building enduring brands at an event hosted by the USC Marshall School of Business’ Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.
The talk, moderated by David Belasco as part of his course, “The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Taking the Leap,” was the most recent in a series in which business leaders discuss their philosophies with budding entrepreneurs.
Crawford spoke to a crowd of 650 students and faculty, telling the story of her phenomenal ascent in modeling and then her transition as an entrepreneur, with projects including a best-selling exercise video series as well as skin care and home furnishing lines.
The businesswoman described the decisive moment she decided not to renew a lucrative contract with Revlon to instead launch Meaningful Beauty, a skin care enterprise that recently reached the billion-dollar mark in sales.
“There comes a point,” Crawford said, “where you want to participate. I guess I believed in myself and the idea and the intention of Meaningful Beauty and wanted to take the chance.”
She counseled those looking to create their own brands to clearly define not only who they seek to reach, but also what attributes their venture embodies.
“The more you can visualize who that person is, the better you can make the right connection and the right decisions,” said Crawford, who is protective of the personal brand she has spent 20 years building.
Crawford admitted that while celebrity status might help open doors when starting new ventures, it is not the magic answer to success.
“The product is the most important thing,” Crawford said. “You may be able to get someone to look at it, but the product needs to stand on its own.”


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Chip & PIN Solutions, the UK’s leading provider of card payment solutions, has been announced as the preferred card payments partner for The National Pharmacy Association.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is the trade association for independent pharmacy professionals in the UK. Established in 1921, their purpose is to represent, protect and support all members to help succeed professionally and commercially for the benefit of their patients.
Under the terms of the agreement, NPA members will receive discounted card payment solutions, and a complimentary rate audit to ensure that each member is on the best possible rate if they already accept card payments.
Over the years Chip & PIN Solutions has formed excellent partnerships with a number of trade associations, professional bodies and key stakeholders across the UK. Supporting their members by providing the latest card payment technology, highly discounted rates and excellent customer service.
The Managing Director of Chip & PIN Solutions announced, “We are delighted to be the recommended payments supplier with the NPA. This commercial agreement is expected to bring substantial benefits to NPA members. Our service portfolio offers cost effective and efficient payment solutions that are perfectly tailored to pharmacies.”
Laura Picton, Marketing Manager for NPA, said, “Our business partners are essential to our overall membership offer. We understand that our members welcome support and guidance across all areas of their business. Our members trust us to ensure that the products and services offered by our partners are to the highest quality and at the best possible rates. We are very excited to be working with Chip & PIN Solutions”.
How to safely accept card payments during the pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has brought us even closer to the cashless society that we’ve been approaching for a while now. [Read more...]
Service announcement: Caring for inactive card machines
Unfortunately, following the government’s recent announcement of a national lockdown, many UK businesses have been forced to close their doors [Read more...]
Why online business for SMBs isn’t just for Black Friday
It is absolutely no surprise that consumers are more focused on online shopping than ever before due to the outbreak [Read more...]


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West Realm Shire Services Inc. announced Tuesday that it had acquired the regulated Commodity Futures Trading Commission. (CFTC) futures and options on currencies, and the Ledgerx clearinghouse.
FTX acquires Ledgerx in order to exchange virtual currency options and futures
Ledger xThe cryptocurrency giant bought it FTXAccording to an Aug. 31 announcement. According to an Aug. 31 announcement, Ledgerx is a popular cryptocurrency derivatives platform that has “over 10,000,000 crypto options and swap contract” since 2017. Ledgerx claims it has “over 10 million crypto options and swap contracts” since 2017.
Tuesday’s announcement by FTX clarified that the “financial terms” of the deal had not been disclosed. The acquisition is ongoing at this time and will be completed once the usual closing conditions have been met.
Brett Harrison, president and CEO of FTX, said that this acquisition was a significant milestone for our rapidly expanding US business. US at the time the announcement was made. Harrison added:
We believe that integrating Ledgerx’s technology capabilities, product portfolio, track record, and extensive track record will improve our ability to provide innovative products to U.S. cryptocurrency traders. We are excited about this step and will work with US regulators for compliance with the existing derivatives license regime.
The announcement states that the new crypto exchange can now meet the needs “retail and institution traders” because the two entities have been combined. FTX also plans to build strong relationships with US regulators. It has stressed that it will “specifically work with the CFTC”.
Zach Dexter, CEO of Ledgerx and co-founder, believes FTX can help forge strong relationships with US regulators.
“US crypto derivatives are an incredibly underserved market,” Dexter said. “It took us time and resources to become a regulated entity under existing frameworks. FTX.US felt, which we share, that US regulators are ready and willing to partner on innovative products, and it is the responsibility of the industry as a whole to step up and work with agencies like the CFTC, ”Ledgerx CEO added.
Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of FTX, Tuesday NotedTwitter user @stylo_hloette said that “This is probably among the most exciting announcements I’ve ever had.”
What do YOU think of FTX’s acquisition of Ledgerx’s crypto derivatives platform? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Image credit: Shutterstock. Pixabay. Wiki Commons
DisclaimerThis article is intended for informational purposes only. This article does not constitute an offer to sell or solicit a sale, nor is it a recommendation or endorsement for any product, business, or service. Bitcoin.comThis company does not offer advice on investment, tax, legal and accounting matters. The author and neither the company are responsible for any loss or damage resulting from or allegedly caused in connection to the use or reliance of any content, good/service or information mentioned in this article.


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Prior to Covid, payments companies were several of fintech fastest-growing
Prior to Covid, payments firms were some of fintech‘s fastest-growing. As the pandemic triggered online deals to spike, these start-ups went on an unmatched tear. Stripe and Plaid nearly tripled their assessments in a year, getting to $95 and also $13.4 billion, respectively. Marqeta is preparing to go public at a evaluation reported to be north of $10 billion, up from $4 billion a year back.
Ten payments companies made the Fintech companies 50 this year. They vary from fraud-fighting fintech startups to a business that lets companies provide digital wallets} to Latin American customers to one that attempts to make moved financial institution funds offered in eventually, rather than 5.
Below are the payments companies that made the top fintech companies 50 in 2021:
Head Office: New York City City
Banks, fintech startups as well as sellers make use of Arcus‘ software application to supply electronic budgets and also on the internet payments to their end customers in Latin America. Walmart‘s digital financial application Cashi enables individuals in Mexico to transfer cash into a digital account and also pay utility costs thanks to Arcus.
Funding: $19 million from SoftBank, Citi Ventures, the Winklevoss doubles and others
Latest assessment: $75 million
Bona fides: 85 clients including BBVA and also fast-growing Mexican food distribution start-up Rappi
Cofounders & Co-CEOs: Edrizio De La Cruz, 40, that was an aircraft technician at JFK airport terminal before returning to university; Iñigo Rumayor, 30, who cofounded Arcus while still an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania
Headquarters: San Francisco
Its check out software application covers whatever from fraud avoidance and also loyalty programs to assimilation with buy-now, pay-later funding. Its 5.5 million signed up customers can buy items from Bolt customers in one click. During 2020, Covid pressed its business to expand by greater than 100%, refining $1 billion-plus in ecommerce transactions.
Funding: $215 million from Westcap, General Atlantic and Activant Funding
Most current appraisal: $850 million, according to PitchBook
Bona fides: Lately became the checkout company for Genuine Brands, which includes stores For life 21, Barney‘s as well as Brooks Brothers
Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer: Ryan Breslow, 27, who dropped out of Stanford‘s computer technology program in 2014 to start Screw
Head Office: San Francisco
Gives business a lot more control over their credit history and debit card handling, letting them maintain a bigger share of the fees that merchants pay, in some cases causing 0.4% even more on each deal. In 2020, while ecommerce surged, Finix‘s service expanded 300%. For each brand-new financing round Finix elevates, it has additionally dedicated to reserving 10% of the freshly issued equity for capitalists of color.
Funding: $102 million from Bain Resources Ventures, Inspired Capital, Lightspeed Venture Allies and others
Most recent evaluation: $450 million
Bona fides: Processed virtually $5 billion in purchases in 2020
Cofounders: Chief Executive Officer Richie Serna, 33, a previous Booz & Company expert as well as Sean Donovan, 38, that previously spent 14 years at large payment processor Vantiv ( currently WorldPay).
Headquarters: New York City City.
Utilizes machine finding out to aid retailers and also banks choose if a credit card transaction, rewards-points redemption or product return is deceptive. When Covid struck the UNITED STATE and also customers started behaving in a different way— as an example, by having online orders delivered to stores for curbside pick-up— Forter had to promptly retrain its versions so it didn’t decline a lot of deals. It nearly doubled profits throughout 2020, reaching $10 million a month.
Financing: $525 million from Sequoia Capital, Bessemer Endeavor Partners and also Salesforce Ventures.
Most recent appraisal: $3 billion.
Bona fides: 250 clients, including Nordstrom, Instacart and also Priceline; processing over $250 billion in transactions a year.
Cofounders: CEO Michael Reitblat, 39; head of state Liron Damri, 38; and chief analyst Alon Shemesh, 43. All 3 benefited an Israeli anti-fraud business acquired by PayPal.
Head office: Oakland, The golden state.
Processes debit card deals, offering firms that issue cards to workers and also consumers even more control over whether purchases are authorized. Instacart makes use of Marqeta to limit what things its food shipment people can purchase, minimizing fraudulence. Thanks to Covid, Marqeta‘s on-demand-delivery clients were processing three times as lots of purchases at the end of 2020 as a year previously, while its buy-now, pay-later customers had actually raised transactions fourfold.
Financing: $528 million from Granite Ventures, Iconiq, 83North and others.
Newest evaluation: $4.3 billion, with an IPO intended this year.
Bona fides: Large steady of fast-growing customers, consisting of DoorDash, Fintech 50 member Klarna as well as Square‘s Money App.
Owner and also Chief Executive Officer: Jason Gardner, 51, who started a rent payments company in 2004 that was gotten by MoneyGram for $28 million.
Head Office: New York City City.
In the UNITED STATE, employee paychecks, bank transfers and also expense payments still use up to 5 days to resolve. Orum aims to speed that up to someday by utilizing maker discovering to evaluate the danger of a transaction, allowing fintechs as well as financial institutions to progress cash to clients more quickly for purchases deemed secure.
Financing: $29 million from Bain Capital Ventures, Homebrew, Motivated Funding as well as others.
Bona fides: Evaluated $150 million in deals in the very first quarter of 2021 for 15 clients, consisting of electronic financial institution SoFi and also First Perspective Financial Institution.
Creator and also Chief Executive Officer: Stephany Kirkpatrick, 40, a certified financial planner who was previously basic manager at economic planning software program firm LearnVest.
Head Office: San Francisco.
Helps fintech apps like Robinhood, Coinbase and Venmo connect to customers‘ bank accounts, allowing consumers to make down payments as well as payments. In early 2021, Plaid introduced new features allowing consumers quickly change their direct-deposit financial institution and enabling lending institutions to swiftly validate debtors‘ earnings as well as analyze risk.
Financing: $745 million from Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA and others.
Most current appraisal: $13.4 billion, up from $5.3 billion 15 months prior.
Bona fides: Greater than 4,500 consumers, including the biggest names in fintech, up from 2,600 a year back.
Cofounders: Chief Executive Officer Zach Perret, 31, and also former CTO William Hockey, 33. They satisfied as junior Bain professionals before establishing Plaid in 2012.
Head Office: New York City.
Uses artificial intelligence to assist financial solutions companies joining new customers online to verify identities as well as avoid fraud. Analyzes data consisting of an applicant‘s email, IP address and also gadget type to predict exactly how likely someone is to be who they state they are.
Financing: $196 million from Accel, Business Ventures, Range Ventures and also others.
Latest assessment: $1.3 billion.
Bona fides: Greater than 400 consumers, consisting of 3 of the top five UNITED STATE financial institutions as well as 7 of the leading 10 credit score as well as debit card providers, plus digital banks Chime as well as Varo.
Cofounder as well as Chief Executive Officer: Johnny Ayers, 35, a Boston College graduate that began a recruiting firm prior to Socure.
Head Office: San Francisco.
Its software program allows firms varying from little startups to Amazon and also Zoom approve online payments in greater than 100 nations. In 2020‘s Covid economy, its company expanded greater than 50%, approximates MoffettNathanson. Recently introduced brand-new banking-as-a-service attributes, where Stripe clients can let their very own customers hold money, pay and earn passion.
Financing: $2.2 billion from Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global and also others.
Latest valuation: $95 billion, up from $35 billion a year prior.
Bona fides: Approximated 2020 earnings of more than $1 billion.
Cofounders: Chief Executive Officer Patrick Collison, 32, and head of state John Collison, 30, Irish-born bros.
Wise ( previously TransferWise).
Does online global cash transfers for customers at a 0.7% typical cost, compared with 3-4% from UNITED STATE banks, by matching money orders within a country. While Western Union‘s brick-and-mortar-heavy organization reduced in 2020 as a result of Covid, Wise‘s earnings expanded 70%, hitting $420 million. Its debit card can be utilized to hold funds, transfer money and make purchases in 55 various money.
Financing: $542 million (according to PitchBook) from Sir Richard Branson, IVP, Andreessen Horowitz and others.
Most current assessment: $5 billion.
Bona fides: 10 million consumers, up from seven million in very early 2020.
Cofounders: CEO Kristo Käärmann, 41, as well as chairman Taavet Hinrikus, 40, both initially from Estonia.


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B.A.S.S. is offering fishing fans a chance to win a new Toyota Tacoma pickup truck in its “Ultimate Tacoma Sweepstakes” contest, which began this week.
The grand prize winner will receive a 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road truck with Genuine Toyota accessories and other accessories packages from other manufacturers, all with a total value of $43,167.
The contest runs through Sept. 29. Contestants can enter up to once a day by going to www.Bassmaster.com/toyotatacomasweepstakes.
Genuine Toyota accessories include all-weather floor liners, a bed mat and a bed extender. Other extras include a B&W Trailer Hitches Tow & Stow adjustable ball-mount hitch, Covercraft custom seat covers for front and back seats and a cover and Dropsteps from Truck Gear by Line-X.
Go to Bassmaster.com for rules and additional information.


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Godus Wars was just announced yesterday, and there's already been some grumbling over it.
According to Eurogamer, there was a $4.99 microtransaction made available which provided access to a second continent.
Many of those who purchased the Steam Early Access title were miffed, as they had already dropped £11/$15 on the single-player RTS.
22cans eventually pulled the price tag off the continent and made it a free download, as the premium add-on "wasn't a popular choice."
"Whilst we think that it does represent good value, especially considering that Godus Wars has been delivered as a free update to hundreds of thousands of users and the lower purchase price of the main game, we understand previous Godus owners frustrations with this," 22cans CEO Simon Phillips said in a statement.
"Therefore, based on your feedback, the extra content will be available to all free-of-charge. Apologies for the frustrations and we hope you enjoy playing."
Godus Wars is available through Steam Early Access for PC and Mac for £10.99/€14.99/$14.99 and includes the original Godus as standard. A full release scheduled for later in 2016 and owners of the original Godus will get Godus Wars for free.