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June 5, 2018
Partnerships are not just a fast track to success in FinTech. Banks have also come to realize the tangible benefits of partnerships. Studies suggest that 87% of banks that have partnered with third-party financial service providers (FinTech companies) have been able to cut costs. Additionally, 54% of partnerships increased revenue, Forbes cites.
What started as a BankAmericard program in Fresno, Calif., grew into the Visa we know now, which operates in more than 200 countries and territories with products and services available on any device – cards, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. Visa played a unifying role for the financial institutions around the world, instead of remaining one of many localized connecting tissues for groups of institutions.
The largest FinTech startups are repeating the history of Visa, whether they want/realize it or not. Silicon Valley is the Wall Street of 2017, and to expect it to remain in infancy (under which we understand disjoint experiences and proprietary islands) would mean to misunderstand the importance of scale and convenience when it comes to delivering and consuming financial services.
Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off. – Franklin D. Roosevelt
TransferWise is adding a significant banking partner: BPCE Groupe, France’s second-largest bank. The partnership will see TransferWise provide international money transfer services for BPCE Groupe’s 15 million customers, which is the first time a major bank in Europe will directly integrate TransferWise’s API into its mobile banking apps.
TransferWise’s existing bank partnerships are with Estonia’s LHV and German challenger bank N26. It was due to add UK challenger bank Starling to the list, but the integration with the bank’s app never materialized, and last week, that partnership dissolved entirely.
The partnership between Groupe BPCE/Natixis Payments and TransferWise will launch at the beginning of 2019 when the bank’s customers will be able to send money outside of the eurozone at TransferWise’s standard fees via the banks’ app.
The original target for the company’s consumer and business money transfer app was incumbent banks who typically charge high fees for international money transfers and aren’t always transparent about the way they mark up the underlying exchange rate. And more recently, it has launched its Borderless account, a multi-currency banking product that includes a debit card and lets you deposit, send, and spend money. However, TransferWise Co-founder & Chairman Taavet Hinrikus has always insisted that the Borderless account is designed to work as a companion product to your main current account and not a full-fledged bank replacement.
Read more on TC.
Visa announced two new programs designed to support European FinTechs who are developing the next generation of digital payment solutions. Starting in July, FinTech startups based in Europe can onboard to Visa’s global network in as little as four weeks. The new FinTech fast-track program provides rapid onboarding and reduced fees to help early-stage startups gain access to the capabilities that lie within Visa’s global network to power their own ideas.
Additionally, Visa has launched a $100 million European investment program to support the FinTech ecosystem in Europe and grow its investment activity in startups.
Read more on Yahoo Finance.
Mastercard is looking at ways to integrate its payments system into voice assistants made by Google and Amazon to let people pay by talking to a device. Mastercard has a product called Masterpass that allows a user to upload credit card details and acts as an easy way to pay for things online. Recently, the company launched a facility for people to pay with Masterpass for products within Facebook Messenger.
We’re looking at all of these technologies and we’re thinking about how they link on the Mastercard network. – Ann Cairns, vice chairman at Mastercard
Masterpass can be used to pay for apps on the Google Play store, on Amazon and Google. Cairns said any integration into voice assistants would be an extension of the relationship between Mastercard and the technology firms.
Mastercard is watching for ways to adapt to the shifts in consumer behavior when it comes to payments. Masterpass was the company’s answer to products such as Apple Pay. A number of technology firms are increasingly dipping their toes into financial services and Mastercard is trying to stay ahead through some of these technology products.
Read more on CNBC.
Citi launched the Global Currency Account, which allows customers to use up to 10 global currencies through a single bank account with the linked debit card. The Global Currency Account allows customers to easily access foreign exchange rates and send or receive money in currencies including the Aussie Dollar, US Dollar, British Pound, Euro, Canadian Dollar, Hong Kong Dollar, Japanese Yen, New Zealand Dollar, Singapore Dollar, and the Swiss Franc. Foreign exchange through the account is done in real time, so users will always know the exchange rate on offer when they’re using their cash. There are also no local ATM fees, or International Money Transfer fees attached to the account or debit card.
According to Citi, two years ago, investment customers’ assets had a 36% international and 64% domestic split. That trend has reversed to a 61% international and 39% domestic investment ratio. Citi’s Wealth Management customers can access the account fee-free, while other customers looking to use the Global Currency Account will need to pay an $8 monthly fee.
Read more on Mozo.
Italy’s UniCredit is plotting to merge with French rival Société Générale in a bold move that would see two of Europe’s big banks join forces, leading the way for an expected round of banking mergers on the continent.
For SocGen, one of the main benefits would be gaining a leading position in Italy and Germany, both in retail and corporate banking. But any UniCredit-SocGen deal would be fraught with difficulty. Aside from Italy’s political turbulence – and hostility to foreigners owning or running Italian businesses – regulators may be unnerved by the combination of two lenders already deemed systemically important.
A merger between the two has been considered by SocGen on several occasions over the past 15 years and in recent months by senior executives. However, the bank on Sunday denied any board discussion regarding a potential merger with UniCredit. UniCredit declined to comment.
Europe’s banks are under increasing pressure to bulk up, due to their relative decline compared with booming US rivals.
The European Central Bank has signaled it would like to see cross-border deals as part of efforts to champion the pan-eurozone banking union.
Read more on FT.


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In RIL’s push for Jio Fiber-to-Home, Viacom18 & Sony merger talks shelved
Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is bullish on growing its digital media business, for which it plans to invest aggressively in this. Corollary to this decision, the proposed merger talks between Viacom18 and Sony Pictures Network have been called off. As is known, Viacom18 is a joint venture between RIL’s Network18 and Viacom Inc.
Sources close to the development informed Adgully that Reliance is not keen on conversation with Sony, as RIL is keen to retain management control over its digital operations and invest in creating India’s No. 1 OTT destination as well as broadcast platform.
The sources further said that digital media and entertainment form an essential part of Jio’s business strategy. “Entertainment is essential to Jio’s Fiber-to-Home Plan in partnership and collaboration with content and production companies. A lot of interest has been show by content companies and production houses in partnering with Reliance and Jio investors,” the sources added.
As reported earlier, the merger deal between Sony Pictures Network and Viacom18 was in its final stages. Industry sources had indicated that Sony would hold a majority stake in the proposed merged entity, while Viacom18 would retain the remaining stake. The merger deal was to have included the complete entertainment portfolio.

domain: news


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In the public market, this year is shaping up to be a significant one for the gaming industry. After a flurry of public offerings, publicly traded gaming companies are more valuable than ever. The gravy train will continue to choo-choo forward as games become a pillar of modern entertainment.
In anticipation of a mounting recession, brands and consumers limited their spending in the gaming industry. Following a wave of layoffs earlier this year, gaming companies have had to pivot into new business models and explore other cultural trends in order to keep investors happy in the first quarter of the fiscal year.
The round-up of executive commentary from the recent earnings reports of 12 of the largest publicly traded gaming and esports companies is listed in alphabetical order.
In a company announcement on April 26, Bobby Kotick said that Call of Duty was a key driver of growth and credited King for increasing in-game net bookings by 11 percent.
The earnings press release went out on the same day that the U.K.'s Competition was published.
The company would work aggressively with Microsoft to appeal.
According to Kenzo Tsujimoto, over 40% of the sales of his company in the last year were digital. As game developers shift to live service as a business model, these numbers are likely to increase even more.
Tsujimoto said that the adoption of digital sales on PC has allowed them to sell their games even in countries where dedicated game consoles are not available. In the previous year, we sold more than 300 different products in more than 200 countries and regions, with more than 40% of volume sold on the PC.
One of the most interesting tidbits from Corsair's earnings call on May 10 came in response to an analyst's question about the manufacturer's decision to step away from certain markets. Corsair focuses on the more expensive enthusiast market as a potential recession looms.
Andy Paul said that price points more in the $100 to $250 level tends to be more for pro-sumers.
As consumers spend more of their time hanging out and spending money inside social gaming platforms, the importance of titles like "FIFA" and "The Sims" has been highlighted. To build games tailored to massive online communities, create creator tools to help "amplify" those communities, and produce high-quality games and stories to keep them interested were all outlined by CEO Andrew P. Wilson to investors on May 9.
The social networks of the future will be games. A set of social and creator tools in and around our games are being innovated to amplify the power of community. The strategy is to help players make new friends.
Enthusiast is looking for a more cohesive identity. Enthusiast was clear on its call May 15 that it was looking to generate interest in investors by using artificial intelligence.
Nick Brien said that they were excited about being the largest independent player in the gaming media and entertainment industry. This will allow us to focus on the power of artificial intelligence for the benefit of our enthusiast communities, as well as the marketers who are partnering with us to create winning brand activations and engage in ad campaigns. Every relevant artificial intelligence tool will be tested to improve our sales, return on investment and user acquisition.
The company's outlook for the financial year has not changed despite some candid observations by the CEO on the earnings call.
Darrell said that most of the macroeconomic issues that impacted their fiscal year results continued. The central banks are raising rates to fight inflation and consumer confidence is low.
One of the companies that stands to benefit most from the recent flurry of interest in artificial intelligence is NVIDIA, and the CFO played this up in the company's May 24 earnings call.
Generative artificial intelligence is driving exponential growth in compute requirements and a fast transition to NVIDIA Accelerated Computing, which is the most versatile, most energy- efficient and the lowest-TCO approach to train and deploy it, according to the author. rative artificial intelligence drove significant upside and demand for our products.
On the May 10 earnings call, CEO David Baszucki talked about the upcoming roll out of the platform's new ad format.
There will be a small amount of advertising revenue in the second quarter. Baszucki said that the NFL shared that Portals helped them reach a high percentage of new users. There is a new ad format that meshes with image and video in a way that is native to Roblox.
During the company's May 17 earnings call, CEO Strauss Zelnick said that the acquisition of the mobile gaming giant was paying off. Take-Two's net bookings totaled $5.3 billion for the quarter, Zelnick said.
The rapid growth of the company's advertising revenue was highlighted by the "solid revenue growth" reported by the CEO. He paid lip service to artificial intelligence in the earnings report.
In order to better serve our users, customers and society at large, we're investing in our artificial intelligence capabilities and cloud infrastructure.
The CFO of the game developer said on May 16 that layoffs at the company wouldn't affect its projects.
It will be a combination of strict recruitment control and making sure that critical jobs are filled, as well as making for productions are well-staffed. We will pursue some targeted restructuring like we did a few months ago.
In the company's earnings report released on May 10, John S. Riccitiello mentioned that the company has sustainable competitive advantages in and around artificial intelligence.
The nature of our platform will benefit from artificial intelligence tools and content creation, and we are uniquely able to enable creators to make things where worlds come alive, or digital twins come alive.


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The final season of HBO’s Game Of Thrones is almost done and dusted, but Microsoft looks like they have something in store for fans of the show who aren’t ready to let go just yet.
Taking to Twitter, the official Microsoft Xbox account shared a 12-second video depicting flames that give way to what appears to be dragon scales and part of the Targaryen sigil. The short video is accompanied by the caption, “And now your wait begins. Stay tuned.”
And now your wait begins.
Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/gfnM1vtAEO
— Xbox (@Xbox) May 6, 2019
Nobody is quite sure what to expect, but many fans are hoping this could be the first official open world licensed Game Of Thrones title, allowing players to get their hands dirty in the Seven Kingdoms and attempt to claim the Iron Throne for themselves.
What’s more likely is Xbox will release a Game of Thrones-themed Xbox console, similar to the custom Godzilla Xbox One X they’ve just announced.
While we wait for more news on what exactly this new GOT themed release will be, you can watch the penultimate episode next Monday on Foxtel.


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Time to sell up? Leading timeshare sales company receives influx of Brexit enquiries
With only nine days until the EU referendum, UK timeshare holders are becoming increasingly anxious to know what impact a potential Brexit will have on their timeshare.
The summer season tends to be a quiet period for timeshare sales as the majority of owners spend their holidays in their timeshare properties. With the upcoming EU Referendum however, leading timeshare advisory authority SellMyTimeshare.tv has noticed an unusual influx in enquiries with one topic at the top of their agenda – Brexit.
Jodi Beard, Marketing Director of SellMyTimeshare.tv comments,
“We at SellMyTimeshare.tv have seen an increase in concerned timeshare owners enquiring as to how leaving the EU might affect their ownership. In particular, they are mostly concerned at how their future maintenance bills may increase as the pound weakens.”
With sterling already in decline due to Brexit jitters, timeshare holders may well find their maintenance bills, more often than not payable in euros, rise should Britain leave the EU. This sparks the question of whether timeshare holders should hold onto their timeshares or sell up?
With such uncertainty accompanying the EU referendum, SellMyTimeshare.tv prides itself on providing no-obligation advice to those in the timeshare community. With thousands of timeshare owners asking for advice in 2015, SellMyTimeshare.tv was able to help cancel or sell over 2,250 timeshare weeks.
Award-winning TV presenter and travel writer Julie Peasgood, SellMyTimeshare.tv’s brand ambassador comments,
“In a highly controlled industry, it’s great to see independent companies like SellMyTimeshare.tv offering timeshare owners independent, expert advice.”
With nothing set in stone, only time will tell what impact the Brexit verdict will have on timeshare holders but SellMyTimeshare.tv will certainly be on hand to assist those looking to exit their ownership.
For more information, please visit http://www.sellmytimeshare.tv/ or call Sell My Timeshare today on 0800 0124 637


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Short-video app Douyin, which is known outside of China as Tik Tok, found that one gateway it relied on for onboarding new users – via WeChat – had been shut down on Tuesday.
Douyin/Tik Tok, owned by world’s currently most valuable startup Bytedance, stated Wednesday that there was no technological malfunction on its side, adding that it had no idea why new users could no longer log in via their WeChat accounts.
Previously, new users could log in to Douyin via their third-party accounts on WeChat, QQ, or Sina Weibo.
WeChat belongs to Tencent, one of China’s biggest internet giants and in some ways a rival to the younger firm Bytedance. WeChat did not comment when contacted by 36Kr, KrASIA’s parent company.
This is not the first time that Bytedance faced sniping from Tencent, as its another social app Duoshan was blocked from opening within WeChat’s browser for “containing unsafe content and receiving user complaints” on Jan 15, the day it was launched, along with two other social apps, one called Liaotianbao and the other Matong (which means toilet).
Bytedance has been viewed as a potential threat to Tencent’s social media empire, although it still has a long journey ahead. The firm expected to barely meet its 2018 revenue target with US$7.4 billion to US$8.1 billion , due to delayed monetization and dampened ad spending in a sluggish national economy.
Editor: Nadine Freischladsee


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The Alfa Romeo Giulietta ended its career in 2020, after having been on the market for a decade and having undergone two restylings in 2013 and 2016. During its best years, this emblematic car from the house of the four-leaf clover has achieved sales of nearly 80,000 units in Europe. During 2022, the Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV has partly replaced the Giulietta, while in the summer of 2024 its little brother, the Alfa Romeo Milano, will try to win back another segment of customers. However, Jean-Philippe Learnato, Alfa Romeo's top executive, does not rule out the possibility of reintroducing a traditional compact sedan into the range in the future. So this suggests that a new Alfa Romeo Giulietta is still possible.
Speaking recently to Autocar, Jean-Philippe Learnato said a compact sedan could represent a significant source of profit for Alfa Romeo. This is particularly relevant today, given the strength of impact resulting from the merger with Stellantis. Even in France, it is believed that a new Alfa Romeo Giulietta is a feasible project and the website of L'Automobile Magazine has also published in recent hours a rendering which hypothesizes what this model could look like if the car manufacturer Biscione decided to actually consider the future of bringing her back to life.
If a new Alfa Romeo Giulietta were to be developed, with Alfa Romeo now part of the giant Stellantis, the car manufacturer could take advantage of the new STLA Medium technical platform, recently introduced by the Peugeot e-3008. This is a modern chassis on which Stellantis has the capacity to produce 2 million vehicles per year.
The new STLA Medium platform is a modular base capable of accommodating both electric vehicles and those equipped with internal combustion engines. It offers the flexibility of traction or all-wheel drive architectures thanks to two electric motors. From an electrical point of view, the range can reach 700 km, while the power can go up to 400 hp. These features are generating great interest, anticipating the possibility of an electric Giulietta GTA. This variant could help enhance the brand's image, an aspect that the previous Giulietta never took full advantage of.
However, a new Alfa Romeo Giulietta would be offered only and exclusively in Europe where it could enjoy some commercial success. We will therefore see what new developments will arrive in this regard and if in the end Alfa Romeo will really focus on the return of its famous model to further increase its registrations.


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The COVID 19 pandemic has sparked several compliance issues for the food and drink manufacturers around the world. With an increase in demand for products as a result of panic buying in the world, the supermarket sales might have risen however the food industry has been burdened to supply more products while battling the availability of packaging materials.
To meet the demands, it is essential to consider the impact of potential shortages on food packaging materials. Alternative packaging might be required in such a scenario. It is not necessary, however, to inform authorities of any changes to packaging, though the need for a risk assessment arises for products packed inside. Manufacturers should understand the new contamination risks presented by the change. Apart from packaging, Personal Protective Equipments (PPE) also requires attention from the manufacturer’s viewpoint. There has been a significant surge in demand among the public for PPEs and sanitizers, which is an essential safety requirement for meeting compliance standards in the industry. This calls for introducing alternatives to protective equipment (like hair covers, face masks, and protective suits) as well.
Plastic packaging has acquired attention while sparking debate at the same time, with some suggesting plastics as essential for protection from germs while others are pointing it out as a carrier of harmful bacteria. A rise in consumer demand for packaged food products has soared in countries like Italy, UK, and France. To save the environment from harmful effects of plastic, companies like Nestle and Mondelez have signed the European plastics pact to make 100% packaging recyclable or reusable and reduce the use of virgin plastic. The US Plastic Industry Association has claimed that “Single-use plastics are the most sanitary choice when it comes to many applications, especially the consumption and transport of food.” However, if buying products in single-use plastics directly from a seller’s hand, it makes no sense that the consumer remains safe. The prime message is to keeping the bags to yourself and washing hands regularly.
Even though plastic packaging is getting much attention in these difficult times, according to certain studies performed, the virus can survive on plastics for up to 72 hours compared to cardboards where the virus stays for 24 hours; however, there is no evidence for transmission of infection currently. Below are some health recommendations made by the World Health Organization (WHO):-
- Washing all packaging immediately when it enters the household with soap and water
- alternatively, transferring packaged goods from the packaging to clean containers for storage, and then discarding the packaging; or
- quarantining the items for up to three days in the household before touching them again.
These are very uncertain and unclear times when even the members supporting the plastic reduction movement are in a state of confusion right now, hence taking abundant precaution for this exposure route seems appropriate.
- FoodNavigator.com :- Plastic Packaging: Hero or Villain in the coronavirus era?
- Foodmanufacture.co.uk :- Coronavirus sparks food packaging shortage risks https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2020/04/09/Coronavirus-hit-food-industry-faced-with-packaging-shortages
- Food Packaging Forum: Coronavirus & Packaging


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|iPhone Dev Team delays release of iPhone PWNED|
I'm one of the iPhone users from the world that are really looking forward to the iPhone 2.0 software release. The update will be available in June, but the iPhone Dev Team already got their hands on this fine piece of software. Better yet: They hacked it to let it run 3rd party application. And the best: It will be released this week.
A downside: It was going to be released on the 30th of March, but it had a couple of delays. They're improving the script & making a Windows version of the application.
For more information about the PwnageTool and why it was delayed, check the iPhone Dev Team news page. You can also check out the interview on theiphoneproject with some images showing custom applications running on the iPhone 2.0 software.
Video showing Pwnage
I wonder when the first open source (Java?) applications will run on the iPhone 2.0 update. What do you think?
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|Or try the sitemap|


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WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) has announced Ball Corporation will sell eight U.S. aluminum can plants
and associated assets to Ardagh Group S.A. to settle allegations that its
proposed $8.4 billion acquisition of Rexam PLC would be anti-competitive.
The FTC believed the acquisition would eliminate direct
competition in the U.S. between Ball and Rexam, which are the No. 1 and No. 2 2
manufacturers, respectfully, of aluminum beverage cans nationally and globally. Without the
divestiture, the FTC charged, the proposed merger would lessen competition for
standard 12-ounce cans in the South, Southeast, the Midwest and West.
Additionally, the FTC alleges the proposed merger would
lessen competition for specialty cans that range in size from 7.5-ounce to 24-ounce
The acquisition could also lead to higher prices and reduced
quality, selection, service and innovation.
Under the terms of the settlement, the merging companies
will divest eight aluminum can plants to Ardagh, a worldwide producer of glass
bottles for the beverage industry and metal cans for the food industry. The
plants being sold are in Fairfield, California, Chicago, Whitehouse, Ohio,
Fremont, Ohio, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Bishopville, South Carolina, and Olive Branch, Mississippi.,
and Rexam’s aluminum can end plant in Valparaiso, Indiana.


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Facebook acquires Instagram for $1 billion
Facebook confirmed on its website that it has reached an agreement to purchase Instagram. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says, "I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook."
The release says the photo-sharing app developer sold for US$1 billion. Instagram's CEO says that the company will continue to offer its flagship apps for iOS and Android as independent products.
Software Updatesmore updates
- Apple Remote Desktop updated with Yosemite support
- OS X Yosemite 10.10.2, iOS 8.1.3 updates now available
- Sports Illustrated 120 SPORTS channel comes to Apple TV
- Logic Pro X update brings AirDrop support, new effects, tools, and more
- Parallels Access 2.5 released, adds file manager, computer-to-computer remote access
- The Google Translate iOS app is about to get a lot smarter


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Video Games Europe welcomes Roblox as a member
Today, Video Games Europe, representing the European video games industry, welcomes Roblox as a new member.
Roblox’s mission is to bring the world together through play. Every month, more than 80 million people around the world have fun with friends as they explore millions of immersive digital worlds. All of these digital worlds are built by the Roblox community, made up of over 2 million creators. The company believes in building a safe, civil and diverse community – one that inspires and fosters creativity and positive relationships between people around the world.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Roblox and its unique UGC platform to Video Games Europe”, says Simon Little, Managing Director of Video Games Europe. “The imaginative worlds on the Roblox platform provide entertainment to millions of gamers across Europe and beyond. We also applaud Roblox for empowering tomorrow’s creators through play with a focus on skills like coding and encouraging positive online interactions across its community.”


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Having already signed a definitive agreement, Nano Dimension is set to pay DeepCube shareholders around $40 million in cash and a further $30 million in American Depositary Shares (ADSs). The ADSs will stand still for varying periods of up to three years. The transaction is expected to close in the coming week, subject to customary closing conditions being met.
Deep learning with DeepCube
At the core of DeepCube’s proprietary technology is a number of deep learning algorithms that the company uses to improve data analysis and deploy complex artificial intelligence systems. The company boasts fast and accurate deep learning model training that can significantly improve inference performance and real-time metrics. As a bonus, DeepCube’s framework can reportedly be deployed on top of any existing hardware in both datacenters and edge devices, resulting in benefits such as speed improvement and memory use reduction.
The company’s technical staff – ML experts, defense force veterans, homeland security professionals, governmental big data agencies, and academics – are all expected to join Nano Dimension once the deal closes.
Towards distributed digital fabrication
So what does Nano Dimension want with a deep learning company? It starts with the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage being faced worldwide. According to Yoav Stern, CEO of Nano Dimension, similar supply chain issues are also hovering over the printed circuit board market, with PCB manufacturers being subjected to even greater margin pressures due to the prevalence of low labor costs in China.
Nano Dimension wants to tackle the issue with the development of an ML-based ‘Distributed Electronic Fabrication’ network. The platform will enable digital control of the entire supply chain for AMEs and 3D printed high-performance electronic devices (Hi-PEDs) produced using Nano Dimension’s 3D printers.
Stern explains, “The core of this solution will be DeepCube’s AI/ML/DL brain that is expected to manage a neural network of edge devices. They will self-learn and self-improve their efficacies, and self-manage and maximize yield throughout the total network. Nano Dimension machines shipping today, as well next generation devices which are under development, will be edge devices in this digital-fabrication-neural-network solution.”
Much like how personal computers went from standalone devices to nodes in local areas networks (and eventually the internet), Nano Dimension 3D printers will serve as contact points to a wider web. Nano Dimension customers will be able to 3D print as many electronic devices as they need, where they need them, with ML-optimized yields and price points.
Dr. Eli David, CTO and co-founder of DeepCube, concludes, “Over the last 18 months, DeepCube has been negotiating with a few of the world-leading integrated circuits and central processing unit (CPU) manufacturers which are still hoping to adopt its unique AI technology for dramatically improving the efficiency of deep learning deployments in the real-world. Those opportunities will be pursued as a part of Nano Dimension’s strategy.”
Machine learning in 3D printing
Complex machine learning models have a whole host of applicatications in 3D printing, beyond just distributed workflow optimization. Metal and composite 3D printer OEM Markforged recently launched its own AI-based Blacksmith software for use with the X7 3D printer. Leveraging the X7’s own existing laser micrometer and a patented scanning algorithm, Blacksmith can be used for on-the-fly part inspection mid-print.
Elsewhere, at the University of Tübingen, researchers recently 3D printed a robotic arm capable of mimicking the movements of an elephant’s trunk using machine learning algorithms. Equipped with a gripper on the tip, the FDM-printed robot can roam around and learn to adapt to new tasks, such as picking up small objects and transporting them.
Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter for the latest news in additive manufacturing. You can also stay connected by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.
Looking for a career in additive manufacturing? Visit 3D Printing Jobs for a selection of roles in the industry.
Featured image shows the DeepCube team. Photo via DeepCube.


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New marketing campaign invites the people of China to name Britain VisitBritain launches largest China campaign developed by Ogilvy & Mather Beijing National tourism agency, VisitBritain, along with the Home Office, is asking the people of China to give new Chinese names to hundreds of tourist attractions and places of interest scattered across Britain.
In a marketing first for a national tourist board, the contest will invite people in China to come up with the most fitting, amusing, and memorable Chinese names from a pre-defined list of British places, events and things. The campaign, “GREAT Names for GREAT Britain,” is an opportunity for people to make their mark in history, explore the whole of Britain in new ways and win great prizes.
Potential tourists will engage with the campaign through a specially developed microsite and on social media.
Names for 101 suggested points of interest can be submitted on the campaign microsite, where those with the most “loves” win prizes and the chance to have their names recognized in Britain. The idea is that travelers will then come to Britain and post photos of themselves experiencing a point of interest, along with their suggested Chinese name on VisitBritain’s Chinese social media channels (WeChat and Weibo).
Joss Croft, Marketing Director of VisitBritain, said, “Chinese consumers are at the very heart of this campaign, so it was important to give them the opportunity to create history and build an affinity with Britain they’ve never had before. We made sure the campaign was fully integrated around a strong social idea that will connect the Chinese with Britain and get the whole country talking.”
A series of online videos will be released featuring members of the public attempting to name some of the British points of interest. A VisitBritain GREAT campaign branded print and OOH campaign will also run, introducing points of interest with no Chinese name and inviting the consumer to become the namer of the place of that British attraction.
“The names of places, people, and events get people talking in China more so than in many other cultures. And at the same time we noticed that many British points of interest are let down by lack of a decent Chinese name.
So, we thought, why not invite Chinese people to give them a Chinese name?” said Graham Fink, Chief Creative Officer, Greater China.
"Potential tourists, in thinking up names for these attractions, will develop a deep understanding of Britain as a destination and develop a strong affinity to its points of interest. This is the power of a truly social idea," added Fink.


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Gov. Pritzker Signs Legislation Clarifying Powers and Duties of Illinois Liquor Control Commission
July 3, 2019
Today, Gov JB Pritzker took the following bill action:
Bill Number: HB 2577
Description: Allows the commission to appoint investigators who will possess the powers of a peace officer and clarifies that inspectors are not considered peace office officers. Also exempts small businesses from providing a bond to the Department of Revenue.
Moderation and the Icelandic Model
July 17, 2018
Source: Public Action Management
By Pamela S. Erickson, CEO
Overall, Americans are consuming less alcohol. This is especially true for young adults and underage youth who are drinking a lot less than past generations. Part of this phenomenon may be due to our focus on reducing underage drinking, but there is also a health trend that promotes healthy eating and fitness. Young adults may be more likely to look at labels for ingredients, calorie and alcohol content. It seems clear that a concern about health has impacted alcohol consumption. Millennials say that they anticipate not drinking as much as their parent's generation.
For alcohol this trend in moderation has spawned various projects and programs. An example is Dry January, which started in the United Kingdom in 2013 and this year had over 3 million participants. We have also seen programs touting "mindful drinking" whereby one chooses to drink less or not at all; and, organizations like Better Drinking Culture, Hello Sunday Morning and Club Soda have resources for joining the mindful drinking movement. Daybreakers has organized close to 200 drug-and-alcohol-free, morning dance parties since it started 5 years ago.
Federal Court Dismisses Antitrust Challenge To Connecticut's Liquor Pricing Law
June 6, 2017
Source: Hartford Courant
By David Owens and Edmund H. Mahony
A federal court on Tuesday dismissed an effort that would have lowered prices and increased competition in the Connecticut liquor market by overturning the outdated state system under which manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers combine to establish minimum prices.
In dismissing a suit by retailer Total Wine & More, Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall said the laws and regulations establishing the complex Connecticut pricing system cannot be preempted by federal antitrust law that prohibits activities restricting interstate commerce and competition in the marketplace.
Berkshire Hathaway vs the Three-Tier System - The Warren Buffet-owned McLane food distribution company moves forward with its quest for a Texas wine distribution license
June 5, 2017
By Liza B Zimmerman
While it's debatable whether the US's three-tier, wine-distribution system may be outdated and inefficient, most of the industry players in Texas seem to be happy with its current structure. - both the Texas courts and local wine executives seem to be showing a cold shoulder to a food service company's continued push to get a wine distribution license in Texas.
The current system has been outdated for 40 years, says a beverage attorney on background. "The big guys control the capital and they are making a lot of money." But they also provide a great service, he adds. Perhaps that is why many key players still value their services in Texas.
The McLane Company Inc - which has sold food products in Texas since the 1980s through the AmeriServ and McLane Foodservice trademarks - has been litigating with the state's regulatory board the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to get their own wine distribution license for several years.
Phusion Projects Issues Voluntary Recall of Signature Cocktails
March 27, 2017
Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois has been notified that Phusion Projects has issued a voluntary recall of a limited number of their 16 oz. Signature Cocktails products because some may contain very small, thin pieces of plastic film that have peeled away from the can’s liner.
Bootlegging - NOW A FELONY
Source: Illinois Liquor Control Commission
The practice of bootlegging has been a common, illegal practice since the time of prohibition and beyond. In the modern post-prohibition era, bootlegging still exists, but in a different form.
Bootlegging has become sophisticated in the modern era to circumvent the three-tier system that is the basic structure of the alcoholic beverage industry in Illinois. The three-tier system includes (1) the manufacturer, who sells the product to (2) the wholesaler/distributor, who then sells the product to (3) the retailer. By law, retailers must purchase their alcohol products from a distributor. If a retailer runs out of a product, the retailer is prohibited from purchasing it from another retailer for resale. This includes crossing state lines and transporting alcohol from another state and reselling it in Illinois.
Indiana Wine Seller Disputes Michigan Shipping Ban
January 23, 2017
Source: Courthouse News Service
By Andy Olesko
DETROIT (CN) – Three wine-loving Michiganders and an Indiana wine retailer filed a federal lawsuit Friday against Michigan officials, challenging a law that prohibits out-of-state retailers from sending wine to Wolverine State consumers.
Lebamoff Enterprises says it maintains an online site and ships wine to customers but is unable to obtain a retail license under Michigan law.
The company’s lawsuit – filed against Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Attorney General Bill Schuette and Andrew Deloney, head of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission – claims the state law is unconstitutional because it restricts interstate commerce and violates the U.S. Constitution’s Privileges and Immunities Clause.
SB2933 Fails on Third Reading
May 11, 2016
Good news! Senate Bill 2933 failed on third reading today and has been put on Postponed Consideration. This anti-business legislation would have unnecessarily put retailers confidential tax information at risk. We, along with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association would like to thank our industry members for engaging their legislators and requesting their NO vote. We will continue to keep a close eye on this legislation should it reappear in the coming weeks.
Public Supports Strong Alcohol Policies: New report available
April 27, 2016
A new report from the Campaign for a Healthy Alcohol Marketplace finds that the public is generally happy with current alcohol regulations. And, contrary to what you may hear in the media, there is no cry for greater convenience for buying alcohol products. The report, "Public Supports Strong Alcohol Policies," looks at a variety of policies and public attitudes as expressed in recent surveys. Link to full report here.
WSDI Bulletin - Consumer Instant Redeemable Coupon Practice In Illinois
April 20, 2016
Recently, there has been confusion expressed concerning retailer specific instant redeemable coupon (IRC’s) programs in Illinois. In particular, Jewel-Osco has advised WSDI Members that their in-store coupon program, wherein manufacturers and distributors would fund the printing of the coupons and furnish the manpower to merchandise the program by attaching the PLU/IRC’s to the in-store product, has received State regulatory approval. WSDI has discussed such practices with the Illinois Liquor Control Commission Staff and the below summarizes the current law on retailer IRC programing in Illinois.
Arsenic in Wine Lawsuit Thrown Out
March 24, 2016
By Blake Gray
A "meritless" legal action is dismissed, but an appeal could be on the cards.
California's wine industry won a big fight Wednesday afternoon without even entering the ring, as a judge dismissed a lawsuit claiming that some cheap California wines have dangerously high levels of arsenic.
The class-action suit, filed last year, said that 83 cheap, mass-production California wines had arsenic levels higher than those allowed in the state for water. But there is no standard for arsenic in wine in the US, and the arsenic levels cited in the lawsuit were half of those considered acceptable in Ontario, Canada, which has some of the most rigorous wine standards in the world.
In a brief statement, the Wine Institute called the lawsuit "meritless" and said, "The FDA has been monitoring the arsenic content in food and beverages for more than 20 years. Arsenic is naturally occurring in the environment in air, soil and water and is present in virtually all foods and beverages."
Chicago's Total, Effective Tax Rate on Liquor is 28%
March 21, 2016
Source: Illinois Policy
By Chris Lentino
The combined federal, state, county and city taxes on alcohol result in a 28 percent effective tax rate on a bottle of spirits bought in Chicago.
It costs a lot to make a cocktail in Chicago, even in your own home.
Take this example: A standard, 750 milliliter bottle of Absolut Vodka (40 percent alcohol by volume) costs $21.99 in Chicago – but the total taxes (seen and unseen) amount to $7.11. State alcohol taxes add $1.69 to the price of the liquor, while the federal government tacks on $2.14. These taxes are below-the-line taxes that are included in the price of the bottle, and consumers are generally unaware they are paying them. Add to those below-the-line taxes $1.03 in city and county alcohol taxes and $2.25 for the city’s 10.25 percent sales tax – which is the highest among any major city in the nation. At the register, the consumer will pay $25.27 for that bottle of vodka. The total tax burden for this alcohol: 28.16 percent.
California Court Dismisses Arsenic Lawsuit Against Wineries
March 23, 2016
Source: Wine Spectator
By Ben O'Donnell
For over a year now, some of California's biggest wine producers stood accused of "poisoning" consumers with excessive levels of arsenic in 83 wine brands. Today, a judge in California's Superior Court in Los Angeles dismissed the case.
The hearing was in response to the plaintiffs' supplemental filing alleging that the wineries were in violation of California labeling laws by not disclosing the presence of arsenic, per a series of regulations known as "Prop. 65." The wineries argued that their current labels, which warn about the dangers of alcohol, meet the law's requirements since there has been no government ruling that the trace levels of arsenic found in wine pose a health risk.
"The wine producers correctly argue that their existing Prop. 65 warnings comply with the Prop. 65 regulatory program," wrote Judge John Shepard Wiley in his decision.
New Colorado Sales Tax Reporting Requirements Could Affect Wineries
March 4, 2016
A Colorado law (C.R.S. 39-12-112.3.5), which imposes notification and reporting requirements on businesses that do not collect sales taxes on their sales in Colorado, was recently upheld by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. This law affects all “non-collecting retailers” that sell more than $100,000 per year in Colorado, a group that includes some out-of-state wineries making direct-to-consumer (DtC) sales into Colorado.
4th Annual Unity Dinner / Dance
March 5, 2016
Beverage Retailers Alliance, Inc. invites you to attend the 4th Annual Unity Dinner/Dance at Meridian Banquet and Conference Center, 1701 Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows, IL on March 5, 2016. Industry Honorees are Bharat Thakkar of Payless Tobacco & Liquor and Armanetti Wine & Spirits, Jake Leinenkugel of Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, and James Webster of Webster Powell, P.C.
Ivan Fernandez takes the reins as new ILCC Enforcement Director
February 19, 2016
Source: ILCC eNews
The Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) has promoted Ivan Fernandez into the newly created position of Director of Enforcement. As enforcement director, Fernandez will oversee the reorganization of the ILCC Investigations Division to better address statewide concerns, such as illegal importation, trade practice violations, and the sale of alcohol to minors.
A member of the ILCC staff since 1996, Fernandez has served in a variety of roles over the years, including legal counsel, associate director, and acting director. "Ivan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this new position," says Executive Director U-Jung Choe. "We could not have found a better-suited individual for taking the lead on the design of our new enforcement activities."
Goose Island sells brewpub to Anheuser-Busch
February 19, 2016
Source: Chicago Tribune
By Josh Noel
Five years after selling Goose Island's production brewery to Anheuser-Busch InBevin a deal that launched an era of consolidation in the craft beer industry, brewery founder John Hall is selling the brewpub where Goose was founded to the same global beer behemoth.
Terms were not disclosed.
Fulton Street Brewery, which operates as Goose Island Beer Co., will become the parent company of the brewpub on Clybourn Avenue, which Hall started in 1988 after a career in the corrugated box industry.
Hall said AB InBev was unable to buy the brewpub under Illinois law at the time of the first sale, in 2011, but also didn’t have much interest.
“They didn’t understand the value, which they do now,” he said.
Locals Oppose Plans to Bring Anheuser Busch Brewery to San Diego
February 18, 2016
By Laura McVicker
Local beer enthusiasts are opposing a project that would bring an Anheuser-Busch-owned brewery to San Diego's East Village.
The Downtown Community Planning Council on Wednesday approved the plan for beer giant Anheuser-Bush to open up 10 Barrel Brewing Brew Pub in the 1500 block of E Street.
But critics are opposing the brewery representing itself as a craft brewery.
Organizers of the San Diego Brewers Guild said they strongly oppose the brewery's opening. They say the brewpub will devalue local craft breweries whose beer is actually made in San Diego.
Craft brewers are teaming up to take on Big Beer
February 17, 2016
Source: Business Insider
By Kate Taylor
Every day, it seems like craft brewers are performing new acts of resistance against the giants of the beer industry.
On Tuesday, two major craft brewers, Victory Brewing Company and Southern Tier Brewing, joined forces under parent company Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV) to better compete in a category Big Beer is determined to dominate.
"As the first major transaction of 2016 within the rapidly evolving craft beer industry, this union presents a new model for craft beer partnerships by preserving brewery independence while pooling deep collective resources," the company wrote in a press release announcing the merger.
Anheuser-Busch Pushes Against Oklahoma Liquor Law Modernization Effort
February 17, 2016
Source: Public Radio Tulsa
By Matt Trotter
A state senator's effort to modernize Oklahoma liquor laws has the world's largest brewer on the defensive.
Anheuser-Busch is fighting Clark Jolley's bill to allow beer and wine sales in grocery stores because it would also end their ability to distribute low-point beer. They would have to use wholesalers, who are already required for moving regular beer.
In a statement, the company said the bill could force their exit from Oklahoma. Low-point beer accounts for 90 percent of Oklahoma beer sales, and Anheuser-Busch sells 60 percent of that.
Jolley said the goal isn't to put anyone out of or into business.
Alcohol Delivery App Thirstie Pours Itself a Double, Acquires DrinkFly
February 17, 2016
By Joao-Pierre S. Ruth
The race to be the top app that people use to order alcohol for delivery took a new turn on Wednesday.
New York-based Thirstie has acquired DrinkFly, a Chicago-based company also in the alcohol delivery business. With this deal, Thirstie gets into four new markets, bringing its coverage to more than 22 cities, says CEO Devaraj Southworth. The DrinkFly founders will remain onboard, operating in Chicago for Thirstie. Southworth would not disclose the size of the deal, but it was for cash and equity.
DrinkFly had been growing its sales, he says, and Thirstie wants to further scale up the business. "It's going to help us in the Chicago market," he says. "We had a presence there; it's going to make our presence much stronger." The multitude of craft brewers across Illinois, who could become supplier-partners, also made DrinkFly attractive.
Southern Wine & Spirits of America And Glazer's Announce Post-Combination Regional Commercial Structure And Leadership
February 17, 2016
Source: PR Newswire
MIAMI and DALLAS, Feb. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the preparations to launch Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC ("Southern Glazer's"), Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. ("Southern") and Glazer's, Inc. ("Glazer's") today announced the regional commercial structure that will take effect following the combination of the two companies, which is planned to close at the end of the second quarter 2016.
Southern and Glazer's also announced key leaders for the future Southern Glazer's commercial operation, each of whom will report directly to Southern Glazer's future Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Brad Vassar.
Brad Vassar commented, "We are pleased to announce today that Southern Glazer's will begin its work with the most experienced and talented group of commercial leaders in the industry. Our regional structure will empower our leaders and their teams to more effectively and efficiently serve our suppliers and customers, positioning the new company for growth and success. We congratulate these leaders on their appointments and look forward to communicating additional commercial leadership appointments as our integration planning process continues."
The commercial leaders for Southern Glazer's will be:
Virginia: Va.'s growing craft distillery industry pushes against regulatory roadblocks
February 14, 2016
Source: Washington Post
By Jenna Portnoy
Ever since Virginia slapped strict laws onto the sale of distilled spirits after Prohibition, enterprising businesspeople have looked for ways to set the devil's water free.
This year, the legislature is weighing bills pushed by local makers of small-batch liquor that would allow them to pocket more of the profit from their bottle sales and give customers inventive ways to imbibe the strong stuff.
The bills are among dozens seeking to ease alcohol regulations in Virginia, including efforts to serve drinks in cigar shops and art studios, reduce the amount of food restaurants must sell in order to be allowed to pour cocktails, and allow state-run liquor stores to sell tourism merchandise such as "Virginia Is for Lovers" swag.
Louisiana: Alcohol tax increase probable
Febraury 15, 2016
Source: The Times
By Noah Bryant Ballard
For the most part, Louisiana has not raised taxes on alcohol since 1948. That is likely to change as the State Legislature works to address an historic budget crisis.
State Rep. Kenny Cox, D-Natchitoches, has filed legislation to increase excise taxes on alcoholic beverages. In January, Gov. John Bel Edwards called for higher taxes on alcohol as a part of his menu of proposed tax options, and he repeated it in his address before the Legislature at the opening of the special legislative session Sunday.
Cox's bill, HB 27, aligns Louisiana's tax rates with other southern states, such as Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas.
Category Management and "Tied House"
February 11, 2016
In response to industry requests for clarification, TTB has issued general guidance concerning promotional activities commonly associated with category management programs and whether or not those activities are lawful.
Specifically, TTB Ruling 2016 -1, The Shelf Plan and Shelf Schematic Exception to the "Tied House" Prohibition, and Activities Outside Such Exception clarifies what is and what is not permissible in terms of shelf plans and shelf schematics.
The beverage alcohol industry has been experiencing phenomenal growth with many new, often small, businesses entering the market. Consequently, maintaining a level playing field has never been more important than today. We are committed to enforcing our trade practice jurisdiction so that consumers can continue to enjoy a wide selection of products and industry members can compete for those consumers in a fair and open marketplace.
Alaska: Gov. Walker proposes bill that doubles state's alcohol tax
February 11, 2016
Source: News Miner
By Matt Buxton
Another tax proposal, another hearing where legislators are left wondering about its economic impacts.
This time it was the House Labor and Commerce Committee that found itself frustrated when reviewing House Bill 248, a bill that would double the state's tax on alcohol.
The bill, put forward by Gov. Bill Walker as one of a myriad of proposals to help cover the multi-billion-dollar gulf between the state's income and spending, would increase the tax on an alcohol from 10 cents to 20 cents per drink.
"At Rest" Law Would Require Unloading of Booze in S.C.
February 10, 2016
Source: Free Times
By Eva Moore
It almost sounds like a joke: Under a bill pending in the state Senate, an alcohol distributor couldn't sell booze to a retailer unless the distributor had first unloaded the booze at a building somewhere in South Carolina. Wine and liquor would have to remain at the location for 24 hours before being loaded up again and delivered to a retailer; beer could be immediately reloaded onto a truck as soon as it had been unloaded.
"Isn't that just make-work?" asked Sen. Brad Hutto, an Orangeburg Democrat, who expressed skepticism during a pair of recent hearings on the bill. "I guess it'd be a full employment act for at least those five guys that had to unload the truck."
It's known as an "at-rest law," and many states have them. Law enforcement - and existing distributors - say it'll combat "paper wholesalers": alcohol distributors that have a licensed South Carolina location but actually just ship alcohol from a warehouse in another state to retailers in South Carolina.
Breakthru Beverage Group Announces Corporate Leadership Additions
February 2, 2016
Breakthru Beverage Group is pleased to announce key members of its corporate leadership team who will be overseeing the company's operational, human resource, finance and legal divisions. This team combines industry veterans with diverse experience and backgrounds from both legacy Charmer Sunbelt and Wirtz Beverage. All have been actively involved in the integration efforts since the company was announced last fall and will oversee their respective teams across the country.
"The wealth of experience and knowledge from each individual leading Breakthru's functions is among the best in the industry," said Greg Baird, CEO, Breakthru Beverage Group. "Our ability to close this complicated transaction, secure necessary licensing and financing and integrate efficiently is largely attributable to the hard work of this team."
The French Republic Elevated Mel Dick to Commandeur in the Order of Agricultural Merit
February 2, 2016
Source: PR Newswire
Mel Dick, President, Wine Division and Senior Vice President of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern) and has been elevated to the rank of Commandeur in the Order of Agricultural Merit. Mel Dick joined Southern in 1969 and is an early founder and leader of the company. On December 17, 2015, Philippe Létrilliart, the Consul General of France in Miami, officially presented Mel with the recognition and medal for the Order of Agricultural Merit-an honor bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contribution to agriculture.
Philippe Létrilliart, Consul General of France in Miami, said, "A great ambassador of the French Art de vivre, Mel Dick has dedicated his life to sharing the enjoyment of wine and fine products. For his constant efforts to promote French wine and the French culture through Southern Wines and Spirits' development, and for his unfailing friendship with my country, I was glad to award him with the collar of Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Mérite Agricole, as a new token of France's gratitude and appreciation."
Powdered alcohol found in two UK prisons
February 2, 2016
Source: The Spirits Business
By Melita Kiely
Powdered alcohol has been discovered in two UK prisons for the first time, according to national news reports.
As a result, prison guards throughout the UK have been warned to remain vigilant over inmates attempting to obtain powdered alcohol, reported The Sun.
Hm Prisons Inspectorate told the news site: "There have been two occasions recently where we have been to prisons where they have intercepted powdered alcohol.
"We know it is being developed.
Arizona: House panel OKs scrapping liquor-store buffer zone
February 2, 2016
Source: Arizona Daily Star
By Howard Fischer
A House panel voted Tuesday to make it easier for liquor stores to move closer, or next door, to schools and churches.
On a 5-3 vote the Committee on Rural and Economic Development agreed existing law, which requires a buffer of at least 300 feet, should be scrapped.
Under HB 2373, that buffer would not apply to stores of at least 4,500 square feet - as long as liquor sales comprise less than half their business and they also offer fresh produce for sale.
Several neighborhood activists objected.
Southern Wine & Spirits of America Announces Retirement of Will Conniff, EVP, GM of Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota
February 1, 2016
Source: PR Newswire
Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern)-the nation's leading wine and spirits distributor with operations in 35 markets-today announced the retirement of Will Conniff, Executive Vice President, General Manager of the company's Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota divisions. Conniff's retirement will be effective March 1, 2016.
The industry veteran has devoted 38 years to Southern after joining the Southern Wine and Spirits of Florida division in 1978, as a sales assistant in the Orlando, Fla. market. Over the years, Conniff has risen quickly through the ranks: In 1981, he was promoted to Restaurant Supervisor and then named Restaurant Division Manager in 1983. In 1993, Conniff was named Vice President and General Manager of Southern Wine and Spirits of Florida's South Florida sales region. Following the acquisition of two Kentucky distributorships in 1998 by Southern, Conniff became Executive Vice President, General Manager of Southern Wine and Spirits of Kentucky and continued to add additional markets under his leadership in the years that followed-Illinois in 2005 and Minnesota in 2012.
BACARDI FILES FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) REQUEST IN HAVANA CLUB RUM MATTER
February 1, 2016
Source: Business Wire
Bacardi has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the U.S. Department of Treasury to bring to light the reasons for the decision to grant the renewal of the illegally obtained trademark registration of Havana Club to the Cuban government. Bacardi contends this decision was done in violation of the language and spirit of U.S. law.
Bacardi seeks all documents, communications and files that were created, used, or maintained by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Department of State, Executive Office of the President of the United States (POTUS), the National Security Council (NSC), U.S. Department of Treasury and/or any third parties relating to the Havana Club rum trademark registration action.
The action stems from a January 11, 2016, decision by the U.S. government in violation of Section 211 and long-standing OFAC policy to abruptly reverse its position and grant the license. Within 48 hours, after years of inactivity, the PTO approved the renewal of the registration of a trademark for a brand which was confiscated without compensation from its founders into the hands of the Cuban government - even though Congress has prohibited U.S. courts from recognizing it.
Bill to allow wine shipping to Arizona homes introduced
January 28, 2016
Source: The Republic
By Richard Ruelas
A bill that would allow Arizona consumers to order wine and have it shipped to their homes or businesses was introduced in the Arizona Legislature on Thursday.
More than a dozen lawmakers signed on as primary sponsors of the measure, with another 21 listed as co-sponsors. The bipartisan group of lawmakers includes members of legislative leadership.
The bill was crafted by the California-based wine-industry group Free the Grapes, which has backed similar legislation in other states.
Arizona wineries were among the state interest groups that helped shape the bill, according to Gordon C. James, the Phoenix-based public-relations firm representing Free the Grapes in Arizona.
Right Distribution Is Key To Successful Beer Remedies
January 27, 2016
Source: Law 360
By Andre P. Barlow
In an indirect way, today's craft beer renaissance in the United States was made possible by prohibition. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, normally referred to as prohibition, was in part a reaction to the system of "tied houses" that dominated the alcohol retail market. Brewers at the time exerted tremendous exclusive control over retailers and used that control to pressure sales without concern for the safety of customers or the general public. When prohibition was repealed, the states were tasked with putting in place systems that would prevent a repeat of this harmful state of affairs. The answer was simple: They created a three-tiered system where independent distributors stand between brewers and independent retailers.
The three-tiered system was put in place to prevent brewers from having too much control over what consumers purchase. Truly independent distributors and retailers want to sell beer driven by consumer demand, and do not want to be beholden to one or two powerful brewers. Consumers can seek out whatever beer tastes the best, and retailers can get a diverse array of brands from their independent distributor.
Binny's unveils one-hour alcohol delivery service
January 27, 2016
Source: The Spirits Business
By Melita Kiely
Binny's Beverage Depot has teamed up with retail delivery firm Instacart to offer Chicago consumers a one-hour alcohol delivery service.
The new service is already active and offers same-day delivery of beers, wines and spirits to consumers of legal drinking age.
"We may be the biggest in Chicago, but we take pride on being locally and family owned," said Binny's owner, Michael Binstein.
"My father's delivery in 1948 was on foot. Then we hired bicyclists and eventually trucks.
"This is the next step in almost 70 years of evolution of putting the customer first."
When placing orders, customers must enter their date of birth at checkout to ensure they are over the legal US drinking age of 21, and a person of at least 21-years-old must be present to sign for the delivery and show valid photo ID.
9th Circ. Could Allow Retailers To Advertise Alcohol
January 25, 2016
By James M Seff and Carrie L Bonnington
In a decision released on Jan. 7, 2016, Retail Digital Network LLC v. Jacob Appelsmith, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned 29-year-old precedent set in Actmedia Inc. v. Stroh, which held that those portions of California Business and Professions Code Section 25503 that prohibit alcoholic beverage suppliers and wholesalers from paying for the privilege of advertising at a retail establishment did not violate the First Amendment.
In a decision with a potentially far-reaching impact, the court in Retail Digital Network applied recent U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence to overturn 29-year-old precedent and require heightened scrutiny to a California trade practice statute prohibiting alcohol beverage suppliers and wholesalers from, directly or indirectly, giving anything of value to retailers for advertising their products.
Breakthru Beverage Group Announces Sales and Commercial Leadership Team
January 25, 2016
Source: Breakthru Beverage Group
Breakthru Beverage Group is pleased to announce the key members of its leadership team who will oversee the company's sales and commercial efforts. This team brings experience and market-based successes from legacy Charmer Sunbelt and Wirtz Beverage operations. All will report directly to CEO Greg Baird and will drive an integrated approach to sales and commercial strategy across the US.
"Each of these leaders was selected for their insights and experiences, and we are excited to have a great mix of perspectives at the helm," said Greg Baird, CEO, Breakthru Beverage Group. "Breakthru represents some of the best brands in the country, and this team is poised to drive our business forward by delivering for existing partners and capitalizing on new found opportunities."
Traffic stop yields illegal transportation of alcohol
January 22, 2016
Source: Delaware Online
By Esteban Parra
A 54-year-old New York man was charged with illegally transporting alcohol without a license after police found 124 cases of alcohol in the van he was driving, state officials said Friday.
Darrow Wu, of Bayside, New York, was driving a 2014 Ford E-350 XLT Super Duty passenger van when he was stopped Tuesday by a state trooper for a traffic violation on Naamans Road near I-95 in Claymont, said Lt. James A. Diana, a spokesman for the state Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement.
When the trooper looked inside the van, the officer discovered a large amount of alcoholic beverages in the vehicle. The passenger compartment was filled with 124 cases of various brands of liquor valued at approximately $19,500, Diana said.
Oregon lawmakers consider liquor tax ahead of Nov. ballot
January 24, 2016
Source: The Seattle Times
By Kristena Hansen
Oregonians have many options for places to buy wine and beer. Hard alcohol, however, requires a separate trip to one of the limited state-owned liquor stores. But that could change if voters pass a ballot measure proposed for November that would allow hard alcohol to sit alongside beer and wine on grocery-store shelves.
It's certainly not the first attempt to privatize Oregon's liquor industry, nor have stakeholders on either side of the issue necessarily changed their opinions, but the approach this time around is different.
WHAT STARTED THE DEBATE AND WHO'S BEHIND IT?
Oregon's monopoly over the liquor industry dates back to Prohibition days, and it was a model most other states had also adopted at that time. Many states have since decided the business of buying and selling liquor is better off left to the free market, leaving Oregon in the minority pool of about 18 states that still control of distribution and sales.
Bodegas get their beer at Costco and beer distributors pop their tops
January 19, 2016
By Rosa Goldensohn
Local beer distributors are whipped into a froth over warehouse-style stores they say are stealing their bodega business.
Jumbo-sized discount stores like BJ's and Costco are not allowed to sell beer to other retailers for resale under state law. But bodega owners often pick up suds at the stores because they can be cheaper than distributors.
The State Liquor Authority is aware of the issue, and in fact worked out agreements last May requiring them to hang "not for resale" signs at their beer displays. In exchange, previous cases against the stores were dropped.
The distributors, who were in the dark about the deal until recently obtaining them through a records request, are incensed. They say they are already squeezed by rules that favor huge wholesalers and need tougher enforcement on the grocery clubs.
Colorado beer ballot fight won't include liquor sales
January 18, 2016
Source: The Denver Post
By John Frank
The coalition behind the push to rewrite Colorado's alcohol laws says it will not seek to expand liquor sales as part of the 2016 ballot campaign.
Your Choice Colorado, the organization pursing sales of full-strength beer and wine in convenience stores and supermarkets, will not author any measure tied to liquor sales, a spokesman told The Denver Post.
"Having spoken with Coloradans around the state, Your Choice Colorado will only seek to allow the sale of full-strength beer and wine in neighborhood markets when we go to the ballot in November," said the group's Matt Chandler.
Bacardi seething after Havana Club ruling
January 18, 2019
Source: The Drinks Business
By Neal Baker
The US government has been accused by Bacardi of turning its back on its own laws following a ruling that granted the Havana Club trademark to Pernod Ricard.
In a damning statement, Bacardi said that the decision by the US authorities to give Pernod Ricard the right to sell Cuban-made Havana Club rum in the States amounted to "confiscation without compensation".
Sources claim that the ruling could cost Bacardi around 4,000,000 case sales per year.
In 1994 Bacardi purchased the rights to sell Havana Club in the US from the brand's founding family, who had fled Cuba in the 1960s after the brand was seized by their country's government.
Monarch's bitter fight to sell hard liquor
January 17, 2016
Source: Indy Star
By Jeff Swiatek
Monarch Beverage has spent millions of dollars over the past eight years trying to join one of the state's most elite corporate clubs: the handful of companies with state permits to distribute hard liquor.
So far, Monarch's come up dry.
The company has been shipping beer since 1947 and wine since 1971, but Monarch's millions haven't earned it the right to move a single flask of hard stuff.
Monarch's efforts to win a hard liquor permit in the face of repeated rejection amount to one of the great failed corporate quests in Indiana.
The Indianapolis distributor has lobbied the legislature since 2007 to drop the state's longtime ban on letting beer distributors also sell hard liquor. This session, Monarch will try yet again to change the law.
Bill would allow Arizona wine orders by phone, online
January 15, 2016
Source: The Arizona Republic
By Richard Ruelas
The Napa Valley-based advocacy group Free the Grapes has readied legislation it expects to be introduced in the Arizona Legislature next week that would let customers order wines by telephone or online, provided they order no more than 216 bottles of wine annually from each winery.
The proposed bill, released Friday to The Arizona Republic and azcentral, would allow Arizonans of legal drinking age to have the equivalent of 18 cases of wine shipped directly to their homes or businesses. The bill requires that wineries verify the age of the customer, which, as a practical matter, is done by delivery personnel when the wine is received.
Current Arizona law discriminates among wineries based on their size. Most wineries can only ship a maximum of two cases of wine directly to a customer annually. That wine must be ordered and paid for while a customer is physically present at the winery. Smaller wineries, including all of those in-state, may take orders for wine by phone or online, with no cap on the amount shipped.
Under the proposed law, wineries wanting to ship to Arizonans would have to obtain a direct-shipping license.The cost of that license is not spelled out in the proposed legislation.
IRC Amendments Affecting Excise Tax Due Dates and Bond Requirements for Eligible Taxpayers and Revision of Hard Cider Tax Definition
January 15, 2016
On December 18, 2015, the President signed into law the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 ("the PATH Act"), which is Division Q of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114-113). The PATH Act contains changes to certain statutory provisions that TTB administers in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC) regarding excise tax due dates, bond requirements, and the definition of wine eligible for the hard cider tax rate (see 26 U.S.C. 5061, 5551, and 5041, respectively).
Please note that these amendments do not take effect until 2017.
Section 332 of the PATH Act changes the excise tax due dates and eliminates bond requirements for certain eligible taxpayers.
Merger creates super-distributor
January 14, 2016
Source: Napa Valley Register
By Paul Franson
A merger involving the largest and fourth largest wine and spirits distributors in America could make things easier for big wine companies but even tougher for small wineries and those trying to break into the market.
The Federal Trade Commission last week announced that it had no objections to the merger.
According to Shanken Communications, Southern Wine & Spirits, the industry’s largest distributor with $11.8 billion in sales last year, and Glazer’s Inc. with $3.7 billion, according to Impact Newsletter, merged this week to create a wholesale network serving 41 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C., Canada and the Caribbean.
Idaho: Lawmakers consider prohibition on powdered alcohol
January 13, 2016
By Jacob Melder
The first bill introduced in the 2016 Idaho Legislature would prohibit the possession, sale and consumption of powdered alcohol.
The measure was introduced at the House State affairs committee by the State Liquor Division. Director Jeff Anderson said the use of powdered alcohol brings concerns of underage consumption and substance abuse.
"Everybody knows there are issues with the societal costs from the misuse of beverage alcohol," said Anderson. "Adding another component that could lead to concealability on the part of minors or irresponsible adults of legal drinking age bringing them into sports venues or other places where alcohol is prohibited, it just doesn't seem like we need to go there right now."
Lawmakers to consider loosening alcohol restrictions
January 12, 2016
Source: The Anniston Star
By Tim Lockette
Alabama brewpubs and wineries would see some of the state's restrictions on their operations loosened under a trio of bills headed for the Legislature.
State law bans off-premises sales of alcohol by brewpubs - where beer is both brewed and served - and wineries. But a legislative study group Tuesday voted in favor of a plan to allow some off-site wine-tastings and beer sales to brewpub customers who want to take some beer home.
The Legislature's Alcoholic Beverage Study Committee also voted to support a plan to allow brewpubs at more sites. State law now allows brewpubs only in areas where a brewery was operated in the past; the committee voted to support elimination of that rule.
BACARDI APPOINTS SOUTHERN WINE & SPIRITS AND GLAZER'S TO CREATE A REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION NETWORK IN NORTH AMERICA
January 11, 2016
Source: Business Wire
Bacardi, the world's largest privately held spirits company, today announces it will move to a regional distributor network in North America across Open and Control markets, supported by select distributors in Franchise and other limited markets. Bacardi names Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. and Glazer's, Inc., which have signed a definitive agreement to form Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits LLC, to lead the distribution of its wine and spirits portfolio in more than 40 markets across the United States and Canada.
"This decision will enable us to expand our footprint with a single regional partner for the Open, Control and Canadian markets, generate incremental revenue and ultimately place Bacardi in a position to succeed for years to come," says Pete Carr, regional president for Bacardi in North America. "This is all about creating the best total value for Bacardi and reigniting top-line growth for our critical North America business in the most effective manner."
The combination of the region's first and fourth largest spirits and wine wholesalers creates a distribution force of unmatched capabilities, scope and dedication.
SOUTHERN WINE & SPIRITS OF AMERICA AND GLAZER'S TO COMBINE, CREATING THE ONLY COMPREHENSIVE NORTH AMERICAN WINE AND SPIRITS DISTRIBUTION FOOTPRINT
January 11, 2016
Source: PR Newswire
Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. ("Southern") and Glazer's, Inc. ("Glazer's"), two of the country's leading wine and spirits distributors, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement that will create the largest North American wine and spirits distribution company, serving supplier and customer partners from coast to coast.
The new company, Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC ("Southern Glazer's"), will distribute more than 150 million cases of wine and spirits annually, cover nearly 90% of the legal drinking age (LDA) population in the U.S., employ more than 20,000 team members, and have operations in 41 states plus the District of Columbia, the Caribbean, and Canada. The company will be headquartered in Miami, with significant ongoing operations, systems, executives, and team members to be based in Dallas.
G&M buys Dixon distributor
January 8, 2016
Source: The Register-Mail
By Marty Hobe
Local beer and beverage wholesaler G&M Distributors announced the acquisition of Dixon-based LRB Distributors Thursday, expanding its reach north of Galesburg.
G&M President Adam Vitale said the acquisition provides "a solid platform for growth" for the distributing company, gaining more volume and manpower.
"It gives us a solid platform for growth and positions us for future growth," Vitale said.
LRB is an Anheuser-Busch InBev wholesaler, so the acquisition positions G&M for better market share in Illinois with the beer behemoth. Vitale estimated the purchase will more than double G&M's Anheuser-Busch business.
Breakthru Beverage Group Launches
January 4, 2016
Source: Breakthru Beverage Group
Breakthru Beverage Group, the innovative beverage wholesaler formed by Charmer Sunbelt and Wirtz Beverage, was established on January 1 and launches today in markets across the country. The operations of the company and its affiliates will span 19 markets, and the company will represent a portfolio of premier wine, spirits and beer brands totaling more than $6 billion in annual sales.
"Breakthru Beverage is built upon the best of our legacy operations while setting a new path and approach forward," explained Greg Baird, Breakthru Beverage President & CEO. "Our vision for the future is focused on excellence and how we can be a stronger and more innovative partner for our suppliers and customers in all of our markets."


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Under the direction of the late Steve Jobs, Apple went on a hot streak, releasing ultra-hip devices like the iMac, iPod, MacBook and iPad. But even for tech addicted early adopters, the Apple Watch was a smart device too far.
Now, weak sales have convinced many printed circuit board suppliers that smartwatches don’t represent a growth market after all. Through insulation and epoxy dispensing, electronic devices of all kinds are designed to last longer. Like other polymers, potting compounds will shrink as they cure — as much as 2.3% for an unfilled epoxy potting compound.
The PCB supply chain helps produce the circuit boards that are ubiquitous in modern electronic devices, and the smartphone era has been a major source of growth for the industry. Last week, DigiTimes reported that many PCB firms were souring on the concept of smartwatches altogether after weak sales of the Apple Watch.
The site quoted industry sources as concluding, “In addition, the manufacture of flexible PCBs (FPCB) for use in smartwatches generate relatively lower profits than the manufacture of FPCBs for other consumer technology products like smartphones, the sources noted. With smartwatch shipments still far lower than smartphone shipments, production for smartwatches will be making an insignificant contribution to PCB suppliers’ sales as well as profitability for 2016.”
Even though the Apple Watch has an impressive 50% market share among smartwatches, overall sales for the wearable tech have been anything but. While many hip young writers practically drool whenever Apple unveils a new products, the Apple Watch was released to widespread scorn.
Critics say it’s a totally unnecessary and tacky luxury product. In a piece for Gawker, writer Sam Biddle released a withering rant against the watch titled, “Take the Pledge: I Will Not Have Sex With Anyone Who Wears an AppleWatch.”
“Yesterday, before an auditorium of engorged tech journalists, Apple revealed the final details of its dorkiest luxury item yet, the Apple Watch. It is an additional screen you can buy if you can’t be bothered to take your iPhone out of your pocket. It will be a trophy of sloth and status for the worst segment of our society, those with both ample disposable income and a vacuum of taste.”
While wearable tech like smartwatches and virtual reality headsets are much-hyped gadgets for the Brave New World of 2016, skepticism for these types of high-end electronics is growing stronger as well.
If the reaction of the PCB manufacturing world is any indication, Apple may have a genuine dud on its hands — or, rather, its wrists.


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OnePlus Warp Charge trademark filed in Europe, could be Dash Charge replacement
Since the release of the OnePlus 3 back in 2016, OnePlus has made use of its own fast-charging method dubbed Dash Charge, which the company claims can supply sufficient power for a whole days’ worth of use in just 30 minutes.
Following its introduction, and just as any company would, the Chinese brand applied to trademark the name in various markets across the globe. However, shortly after this, both Bragi and Amazon opposed the filings in Europe. In the case of the former, the company argued that it already sold wireless earphones under the Dash branding, whileAmazon, on the other hand, offers Dash Replenishment which allows products to be purchased automatically from Amazon. Because of these two claims, OnePlus’ trademark was ultimately rejected in the European Union back in March. Since then, the company has removed all references to the Dash Charge name from its websites, but it appears OnePlus may have a replacement up its sleeves.
Yesterday, the brand filed to trademark the “Warp Charge” name and its accompanying logo in the European Union, aiming to cover data cables, power adapters, wireless chargers, and more. Considering this is simply a trademark application, there’s no way of knowing if or when the company will make use of the name. But, after seeing the reputation that was slowly built up over time by the Dash Charge branding, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the company try and replicate this with a new name, one which won’t face any kind of trademark opposition.


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Samsung Introduces Smart Lighting Module to Simplify and Improve Connectivity in IoT Lighting ApplicationsShare open/close
Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced components, today introduced a multi-purpose Smart Lighting Module (SLM) – the most fundamental IoT building block – for the fast-growing, smart building and smart city markets. By providing the core building block for a wide variety of potential smart lighting systems, Samsung’s SLM will play a key role in speeding up system development, lowering risk, improving system quality and reducing time to market for smart lighting manufacturers. The module will be sampled with Samsung smart lighting partners and will be shipped to OEMs in April.
“After announcing our smart lighting platform concept last year, we are now rolling out what can be considered the most critical component in a smart lighting system,” said Dr. Jacob Tarn, Executive Vice President, LED Business Team, Samsung Electronics. “Our SLM solves many of the problems that OEMs are finding in today’s smart building and smart city IoT applications.”
Samsung’s SLM is at the heart of the Samsung Smart Lighting Platform, which is designed for integration with LED lighting systems in order to easily transform luminaires into smart, digital nodes. This Internet of Things (IoT) platform incorporates processing capabilities, firmware, connectivity and an open architecture connected to sensors for collecting data and creating new applications.
As the core element of the Smart Lighting Platform, the SLM serves as the essential connector for all types of devices used in smart luminaires including sensors and drivers. The new smart lighting module offers several ports for greater flexibility in making hardware connections, and a script engine that simplifies firmware connections. These allow OEMs to customize a smart lighting device to their needs much faster, permitting development time to be 50 percent shorter or even better with the SLM than without it.
The new Smart Lighting Module also features wireless software update functionality (OTA) and power metering. The SLM enables most smart devices to talk to one another by supporting all open wired and wireless communication protocols, utilizing not only Zigbee or DALI, but also the Bluetooth protocol. It seamlessly connects to most sensor networks and effectively interacts with smart control devices such as mobile phones. This enables smart luminaires to serve as the nodes within a wide variety of smart lighting environments.
Samsung SLM comes in three different types, SLM-D, SLM-A and SLM-P. The SLM-D uses DC input voltage of approximately 12 to 24V from AUX power, while the SLM-A has full functionality with AC voltage from 120 to 277V, and the SLM-P is an upgraded version of SLM-A, which adds a power metering function.
Samsung said that it will reinforce its SLM as a leading end-to-end connectivity solution by forming partnerships with providers of smart components, LED drivers, sensors and gateways to cloud and analytics solutions. Already, Samsung has formed key partnerships with Daintree for indoor applications, Silver Spring Networks for outdoor applications and FLIR for thermal image applications.
Samsung will continue to expand its smart lighting partnerships to enhance the extent of its end-to-end connectivity solution. Samsung will demonstrate its SLM and showcase most of its LED component line-ups at Booth B04 Hall6.2 of the Light + Building 2016 trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany, March 13th – 18th.


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Trump said oil would be released if needed to keep the market well supplied and he would expedite the approval of pipelines in Texas and other states.Marketsread more
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Some U.S. manufacturers say tariffs, if targeted, will help address longstanding unfair trade practices like intellectual property theft.Traderead more
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The decoupling of the world's two weightiest economies seems as inescapable as its extent and global impact remains incalculable.Politicsread more
BlackBerry has reinvented itself to become a leader in securing mobile communications and in embedded communications. Next year it plans to roll out new products. CEO John...Evolveread more
The U.S. economy is heading into a "new normal" of slower growth that likely will keep monetary policy restrained, New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said Wednesday.
After a year where the economy accelerated close to 3 percent, GDP likely will slow to 2 percent this year despite a mostly favorable backdrop domestically, the central bank official said in a speech to the Economic Club of New York. He cited three constraining factors: a global slowdown, geopolitical uncertainty and tighter financial conditions.
"Now, I know this talk of slowing growth is causing uncertainty, some hand-wringing, and even fear of recession. But slower growth shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise," Williams said in prepared remarks. "For quite some time, the economic fundamentals have pointed to GDP growth much lower than what we saw in the 1990s, for example."
However, "slower growth isn't necessarily cause for alarm," he said, calling the labor market "very strong" and saying the "overall picture of the economy is about as good as it gets" with low unemployment, "sustainable growth" and inflation right around the Fed's 2 percent objective.
In that picture, the Fed needs to be data dependent and can be patient.
"The base case outlook is looking good, but various uncertainties continue to loom large. Therefore, we can afford to be flexible and wait for the data to guide our approach," he said.
The Fed raised its target interest rate four times in 2018 and expects two more hikes this year, though the market is expecting the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee to stand pat with the funds rate in a target range of 2.25 to 2.5 percent.
"We'll consider the full range of data, the headline statistics, the market indicators, and we'll listen to our business contacts on the ground, as we aim to keep the economy on its current course of a strong labor market, sustainable growth, and 2 percent inflation," Williams said.


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The global chip shortage is making it harder for shoppers to get their hands on some of the most sought after tech gadgets of the holiday season.
In the six weeks leading up to Christmas, some of Apple’s biggest new products — including certain iPhone 13 models, some newer iPads and AirPods — are experiencing delays well into December, depending on model type, colors and the shopper’s location, according to analysts and online checks conducted by CNN Business. Last week, some Google Pixel 6 Pro devices were showing late January shipment dates for orders; by Monday, certain models were listed as out of stock on its website. Gaming consoles such as Xbox and PS5 are nearly impossible to find due to delays stemming from Covid-related production challenges and the large gap between supply and demand.
The wait times for popular tech products are always changing, but the challenge for shoppers is clear. “Right now, iPhone 13 and gaming consoles are seeing demand outstrip supply by roughly 20%, which is a telling [sign] for Black Friday and holiday shopping stress,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives told CNN Business. “We have also seen the new AirPods 3 already on back order with shortages into Christmas [week].”
The chip shortage, which also has had a major impact on the auto industry, also presents a massive challenge for tech products. For customers, it could require rethinking how early to shop and which specs and products they’re willing to live without. For companies, it risks hurting revenue for the all-important holiday sales season and cutting into the sales momentum for some of their recently launched products.
Take Apple (AAPL), which is known for having a sophisticated global supply chain to make its products. The iPhone 13, introduced in September, runs on Apple’s own A15 Bionic chip, which drives some of its new flagship camera features and an improved battery life. But it also relies on other companies for chips that power certain features, such as displays, power management and USB connectivity.


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Sonia Kabuguza was on Saturday night crowned Miss SFB 2010 at the School of Finance and Banking.
Kabuguza, a first year student, emerged best after beating a stiff competition from seven other ladies.
Poise, like many observers said, won her the title.
The event was graced by; the Minister of Culture and Sports, Director of the Association of Women in Sports (AKWOS), SFB’s Acting Rector, lecturers, students from different Rwanda universities, and well-wishers.
Also in attendance were; Miss Rwanda, Miss East Africa, Miss National University of Rwanda, Miss Kigali Institute of Science Technology (KIST), and the out-going Miss SFB.
The panel of five judges was chaired by John Peter Higiro, the founder of Nyampinga Beauty Pageant in Rwandan universities.
The Minister of Culture and Sports, Joseph Habineza, also the guest of honour evoked that a “Miss” should have a beauty with purpose—carrying beauty, brilliance, discipline and confidence.
Each contestant was asked two questions, which were answered in either English or French.
Kabuguza, scored 76.6 percent, and pocketed Frw200, 000, a brand new Nokia phone (worth Rfw130, 000), and airtime of Rfw5000. Other prizes included; a six months package of cosmetics by Sulfo Rwanda, and hair treatment, courtesy of Hair and Fashion Saloon.
The 1st and 2nd runner-ups were also awarded Nokia mobile phones—together with other prizes from Sulfo Rwanda, and Fair and Fashion saloon.
After the crowning ceremony, contestants and guests proceeded to Pasadena for the after party.
The pageant was sponsored by; MTN, AKWOS, Simba Supermarket, Sulfo Rwanda, Inyange, Shokola, Design Internet, No Limit Sounds, Caisse Sociale du Rwanda, Hair and Fashion saloon, and various FM stations.
The crowd was thrilled by local artists who included performances from Paccy, Young Junior, K8, King James and The Brothers.
The pageant which started at 4:00 p.m was really amazing. The maestro singers sent the crowd screaming and asking for more gigs. The sound system was perfect, and the DJ was also great.
The event was also marked by a fundraising campaign to support needy children. Over Rwf1million was raised, and AKWOS pledged sports equipment worth Rwf3million.