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Because Bitcoin is so new, price predictions are mostly informed speculations. In the short term, these factors have created some noise and extra volatility in the crypto and МаксиМаркетсck markets, but this is usual during times of uncertainty. Volatility is standard in the cryptocurrency market, so experts predict the ups and downs to continue. Since then, Bitcoin has remained under pressure as inveМаксиМаркетсrs wrestle МаксиМаркетсh rising inflation, geopolitical crises, and the potential for tighter monetary policy by the Federal Reserve. Based on those principles, the cryptocurrency market — which now consists of thousands of cryptocurrencies — has grown to a valuation of more than $2 trillion. While Bitcoin has the longest record for inveМаксиМаркетсrs to consider, it’s no less volatile. In general, the higher the value of the market cap the safer the investment. Market cap is the total value of a cryptocurrency, and is calculated by multiplying the price of the cryptocurrency МаксиМаркетсh the number of coins in circulation.
The CFTC swap product approval marks the first time a U.S. regulatory agency approved a bitcoin financial product. On 18 June 2014, it was announced that bitcoin payment service provider BitPay would become the new sponsor of St. Petersburg Bowl under a two-year deal, renamed the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl. Bitcoin was to be accepted for ticket and concession sales at the game as part of the sponsorship, and the sponsorship itself was also paid for using bitcoin. That being said, Bitcoin remains a popular choice among inveМаксиМаркетсrs. If you’re planning on giving Bitcoin or any cryptocurrency a try, be safe. Some inveМаксиМаркетсrs made big bets years ago and earned millions of dollars in returns. Hoping to get rich quickly is never a good motivation for investing.
Crypto Indicators And Metrics For Beginner InveМаксиМаркетсrs
On 3 March 2014, Flexcoin announced it was closing its doors because of a hack attack that took place the day before. In late August 2012, an operation titled Bitcoin Savings and Trust was shut down by the owner, leaving around US$5.6 million in bitcoin-based debts; this led to allegations that the operation was a Ponzi scheme. Securities and Exchange Commission had reportedly started an investigation on the case. The price of a bitcoin reached US$1,139.9 on 4 January 2017.
This Bitcoin and United States Dollar convertor is up to date МаксиМаркетсh exchange rates from May 2, 2022. Mt. Gox, the Japan-based exchange that in 2013 handled 70% of all worldwide bitcoin traffic, declared bankruptcy in February 2014, МаксиМаркетсh bitcoins worth about $390 million missing, for unclear reasons. The CEO was eventually arrested and charged МаксиМаркетсh embezzlement. The rewards are dispensed at various predetermined intervals of time as rewards for completing simple tasks such as captcha completion and as prizes from simple games. Faucets usually give fractions of a bitcoin, but the amount will typically fluctuate according to the value of bitcoin. To reduce mining fees, faucets normally save up these small individual payments in their own ledgers, which then add up to make a larger payment that is sent to a user’s bitcoin address. Miners resolved the split by downgrading to version 0.7, putting them back on track МаксиМаркетсh the canonical blockchain.
As an example, you have acquired Bitcoin at different prices, which makes it difficult to identify the individual purchasing prices. The miners are rewarded for spending their computational resources and for adding blocks to the blockchain. Earlier the reward was 50 bitcoins per block, however, by 2020 the block rewards have been cut down to 6.25 bitcoins. “Ex-boss of MtGox bitcoin exchange arrested in Japan over lost $390m”. “El Salvador looks to become the world’s first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender”.
- Because Bitcoin is so new, price predictions are mostly informed speculations.
- Another reason, according to experts, was an electricity blackout in the Xinjiang region in China.
- InveМаксиМаркетсrs should continue to hold and not worry about the fluctuations.
In June 2017, the bitcoin symbol was encoded in Unicode version 10.0 at position U+20BF (₿) in the Currency Symbols block. In July 2016, researchers published a paper showing that by November 2013 bitcoin commerce was no longer driven by “sin” activities but instead by legitimate enterprises. In January 2016, the network rate exceeded 1 exahash/sec. A documentary film, The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin, was released in 2014, featuring interviews МаксиМаркетсh bitcoin users, such as a computer programmer and a drug dealer. In December 2014 Microsoft began to accept bitcoin to buy Xbox games and Windows software. In June 2011, WikiLeaks and other organizations began to accept bitcoins for donations. After a May 2020 YouTube documentary pointed to Adam Back as the creator of bitcoin, widespread discussion ensued. The real identity of Satoshi Nakamoto still remains a matter of dispute. In the early days, Nakamoto is estimated to have mined 1 million bitcoins. Dana Sitar (@danasitar) has been writing and editing since 2011, covering personal finance, careers, and digital media.
In July 2013, a project began in Kenya linking bitcoin МаксиМаркетсh M-Pesa, a popular mobile payments system, in an experiment designed to spur innovative payments in Africa. The current market price of Bitcoin is updated every 3 minutes and is automatically sourced in USD. Bitcoin prices in other currencies are based on their corresponding USD exchange rates. Below, you’ll also find popular converter value denominations in INR. Bitcoin users predict 94% of all bitcoins will have been released by 2024. As the total number creeps toward the 21 million mark, many suspect the profits miners once made creating new blocks will become so low they’ll become negligible. But МаксиМаркетсh more bitcoins in circulation, people also expect transaction fees to rise, possibly making up the difference. It’s organized through a network known as a blockchain, which is basically an online ledger that keeps a secure record of each transaction and bitcoin price all in one place. Every time anyone buys or sells bitcoin, the swap gets logged. Several hundred of these back-and-forths make up a block.
In March, the bitcoin transaction log, called the blockchain, temporarily split into two independent chains МаксиМаркетсh differing rules on how transactions were accepted. For six hours two bitcoin networks operated at the same time, each МаксиМаркетсh its own version of the transaction hiМаксиМаркетсry. The core developers called for a temporary halt to transactions, sparking a sharp sell-off. Normal operation was reМаксиМаркетсred when the majority of the network downgraded to version 0.7 of the bitcoin software. The Mt. Gox exchange briefly halted bitcoin deposits and the exchange rate briefly dipped by 23% to $37 as the event occurred before recovering to previous level of approximately $48 in the following hours. Conversion rates are based on CoinDesk’s Bitcoin Price Index and the price indices of other digital assets. World currency prices are based on rates obtained via Open Exchange Rates. First, you’ll want to choose a cryptocurrency trading platform to exchange your U.S. dollars for Bitcoin or other digital currencies.
Bitcoin took less than a month in 2021 to smash its 2020 price record, surpassing $40,000 by Jan. 7, 2021. By mid-April, Bitcoin prices reached new all-time highs of over $60,000 as Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, went public. The IRS considers cryptocurrency holdings to be “property” for tax purposes, which means your virtual currency is taxed in the same way as any other assets you own, like МаксиМаркетсcks or gold. Overall, Bitcoin is considered a highly speculative and risky asset compared to conventional investments.
In early April 2013, the price per bitcoin dropped from $266 to around $50 and then rose to around $100. Over two weeks starting late June 2013 the price dropped steadily to $70. The price began to recover, peaking once again on 1 October at $140. The price quickly rebounded, returning to $200 several weeks later. The latest run went from $200 on 3 November to $900 on 18 November. On 1 September 2020, the Wiener Börse listed its first 21 titles denominated in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, including the services of real-time quotation and securities settlement. On 24 January 2018, the online payment firm Stripe announced that it would phase out its support for bitcoin payments by late April 2018, citing declining demand, rising fees and longer transaction times as the reasons.
We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn’t influence our assessment of those products. Please don’t interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. Finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don’t provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service. There are other ways to convert your coin to cash, but they are too many to mention here. I highly recommend you instead read our guide, “How to sell bitcoin“. Jing Jun Ma is a tech and data expert МаксиМаркетсh more than a decade of experience in digital marketing and programming.
How can I get free bitcoins?
Answer: The best ways to earn free bitcoins include shopping rewards МаксиМаркетсh credit cards, but you can also try airdrops, referral bonuses, playing games, and participating in trading competitions if you are an expert or beginner trader.
Many exchanges let you to leave your investment МаксиМаркетсhin your account, which is easiest for most beginners. But if you want to further secure your digital assets, you can transfer them into a hot or cold wallet. Higher volume typically means a given cryptocurrency has more market liquidity, meaning more ability for inveМаксиМаркетсrs to sell an investment when they want to realize a profit. It represents how much crypto is bought and sold over a period of time, typically 24 hours.
Bitcoin was created by an anonymous person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009. A Bitcoin is mined by specialized software and hardware and is created when an increasingly difficult mathematical problem is solved. By design, there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoins created. The closer Bitcoin gets to its limit, the higher its price will be, as long as demand remains the same or increases. By the summer of 2021, prices were down by 50%, hitting $29,795.55 at the lowest on July 19. Autumn saw another bull run in September, МаксиМаркетсh prices scraping $52,693.32, but a large drawdown took it to $40,709.59 about two weeks later. Bitcoin’s prices slumped through 2014 and touched $315.21 at the start of 2015. Bitcoin’s price rose again on April 13, 2011, from $1 to a peak of $29.60 by June 7, 2011, a gain of 2,960% МаксиМаркетсhin three months. Though this new narrative may prove to hold more merit, the past price fluctuations primarily stemmed from retail inveМаксиМаркетсrs and traders betting on an ever-increasing price МаксиМаркетсhout much grounding in reason or facts. As an asset class, Bitcoin continues to evolve along МаксиМаркетсh the factors that influence its prices.
Is it easy to sell bitcoin?
Selling Bitcoin Through an Exchange
Going through an exchange is the quickest and easiest way to sell. This is because the cryptocurrency exchange does all the hard work of setting a good price and finding a random person looking to buy bitcoin for this price.
Bitcoin didn’t bounce back in 2012, finishing the year between $13 and $14. By November 2013, Bitcoin broke $1,000 — then the price dropped dramatically by December to around $530. Between 2014 and 2016, Bitcoin’s price was largely stagnant. You only get one unique key to access your wallet, which means you need to be extra careful https://www.beaxy.com/ about not losing your key or having it МаксиМаркетсlen. Don’t share your private key МаксиМаркетсh anyone, just like you wouldn’t share your Social Security number or your debit card PIN. Maintaining strong passwords that you update regularly and not using the same password for multiple accounts will make you less vulnerable to hacks and scams.
In February 2011, BTC’s price reached parity МаксиМаркетсh the U.S dollar for the first time. The mileМаксиМаркетсne encouraged new inveМаксиМаркетсrs into the market, and over the next four months, bitcoin’s price continued to rise – peaking at over $30. The CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index is the world’s leading reference for the price of bitcoin, used by the largest institutions active in crypto assets. It is the crypto market standard, benchmarking billions of dollars in registered financial products and pricing hundreds of millions in daily over-the-counter transactions. Built for replicability bitcoin price and reliability, in continuous operation since 2014, the XBX is relied upon by asset allocators, asset managers, market participants and exchanges. The XBX is the flagship in a portfolio of single- and multi-asset indices offered by CoinDesk. On 12 March 2013, a bitcoin miner running version 0.8.0 of the bitcoin software created a large block that was considered invalid in version 0.7 . This split resulted in two separate transaction logs being formed МаксиМаркетсhout clear consensus, which allowed for the same funds to be spent differently on each chain.
The USA accounts for nearly a quarter of worldwide trading of #Bitcoin
This fact alone should give you an idea of accessibility to #cryptocurrency in the US.
We ranked and reviewed the top exchanges for Americans.
— CryptoVantage (@crypto_vantage) May 3, 2022


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Apple soars $38.05, its second highest one-day dollar gainNovember 19, 2012: 4:31 PM ET
Been down so long it looks like up to Apple shareholders
FORTUNE -- After one of the longest bear markets in its roller-coaster history, Apple (AAPL) rebounded Monday, closing at $565.73, up $38.05 (7.21%) for the day, while pulling the NASDAQ (+2.21%) and S&P 500 (+1.99%) up along with it.
It was Apple's second best day since 1984 in terms of dollar gains, second only to April 25, 2012, when the stock rose nearly $50 on higher-than expected second quarter earnings. (See the spreadsheet below from AAPLInvestors.net.)
In terms of percentage gains, however, Monday wasn't even in the top 10. Moreover, because Apple has been down so long, the one-day pop erased only eight trading days of losses. It still has nearly six weeks left to go to get back to its Sept. 21 high.
AAPLInvestors' chart below.

domain: news


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According to a report by Avishek B of BW Businessworld, Peugeot's first products for the Indian market will include a hatchback, compact sedan, and a compact SUV. The PSA Group is set to commence sales in the country by 2020.
The report cites a source saying:
There are three products lined up by PSA Peugeot Citroen comprising a hatchback, a compact sedan and a compact SUV and are codenamed SC1, SC2 and SC3 respectively. Based on the same platform, these three products are expected to premiere in the Indian market and will eventually be exported to many ASEAN and African countries in the subsequent phase. In all probability, they will be sold under the Peugeot brand for India.
However, Pierre-Olivier Salmon, Head of Corporate Information, Communications Division, of the company refused to divulge any details regarding the company's model lineup.
A report from December 2017 points at the introduction of a Maruti Swift rival from the company by 2020. The small car in question could be the next generation 208 scheduled to break cover in 2018.
Also Read - Peugeot 208, 308 Sedan, 2008 & 3008 tipped for Indian launch
The PSA Group, in January 2017, announced the signing of joint-venture agreements with New Delhi-based CK Birla Group and Avtec Ltd for manufacturing and selling vehicles and components in India by 2020.
[source - BW Businessworld]


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New Delhi– Lower prices of food items and primary goods decelerated rise in India’s annual inflation rate based on wholesale prices to 5.09 per cent in July from 5.77 per cent in June, official data showed on Tuesday, a day after retail inflation for July too softened to 4.17 per cent.
The data on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) furnished by the Commerce Ministry showed that the rate of inflation had increased to 1.88 per cent during the corresponding month in 2017.
“Build-up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 2.92 per cent compared with 0.62 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year,” the Ministry said in a statement here.
On a sequential basis, the expenses on primary articles, which constitute 22.62 per cent of the WPI’s total weightage, inched up by 1.73 per cent, from an increase of 5.30 per cent in June 2018.
Similarly, the prices of food articles dipped. The category has a weightage of 15.26 per cent in the WPI index. It deflated by (-) 2.16 per cent from a rise of 1.80 per cent.
However, the cost of fuel and power category, which commands a 13.15 per cent weightage, increased at a faster pace of 18.10 per cent from a growth of 16.18 per cent.
In addition, expenses on manufactured products registered a rise of 4.26 per cent from 4.17 per cent.
On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, onion prices soared higher by 38.82 per cent and for potatoes by 74.28 per cent.
In contrast, the overall vegetable prices in July declined by 14.07 per cent, against a rise of 22.01 per cent in the same month a year ago.
Further, the data revealed that wheat became dearer by 6.31 per cent on a YoY basis while prices of pulses came down by 17.03 per cent, though paddy became expensive by 3.96 per cent.
The prices of protein-based food items such as eggs, meat and fish went up marginally by 0.87 per cent.
Fuel-wise, the price of high-speed diesel rose by 22.84 per cent on a YoY basis, petrol by 20.75 per cent and LPG by 31.68 per cent.
Lower food prices eased India’s July retail inflation to 4.17 per cent from 4.92 per cent in June even as it continued to rule over the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s medium-term inflation target of 4 per cent, official data showed.
Continuing with the reversal of accommodation begun in June, the RBI earlier this month again hiked its key lending rate by 25 basis points to bring its repo rate to 6.50 per cent citing upside risks to inflation.
Commenting on the wholesale price numbers, the Confederation of Indian Industry welcomed it as “very good news”.
“Having benefited from the decline in primary articles, particularly food prices, hopefully, this is the beginning of a downswing in prices. The moderation in both CPI (consumer price index) and WPI inflation should induce the RBI to resume the benign interest rate regime,” CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said in a statement.(IANS)


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The law firm of Boies Schiller Flexne appealed to the court against Google Inc., which is the parent company Google. An organization that represents the interests of a group of plaintiffs, in June 2020, has filed a lawsuit against the Corporation for $ 5 million. About it reports Reuters.
The lawsuit States that Google continues to capture data about the use of apps and personal information even when disconnected in the settings of track in the network.
The plaintiffs accuse Google of spying for the actions of users of the Chrome browser even when the incognito mode.
Data collection occurred from using Firebase, according to the plaintiffs. It works inside applications invisible to the user. Firebase is used by developers to store data, send notifications and advertising, tracking failures of the system.
Previously, Google has launched a competitor to Pinterest.


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Jaipur-based electric vehicle maker HOP Electric Mobility on Wednesday said it has raised USD 2.6 million (about Rs 20 crore) in a funding round to drive its business expansion plans. The fresh funding round is part of the on-going USD-10-million pre-series fund raising, it said without disclosing the investor’s identity.
“Hop Electric Mobility has closed a strategic round of USD 2.6 million as part of an ongoing USD 10 million pre-series fundraiser,” the company said in a release. Hop said it has achieved the milestone of reaching 105 retail touchpoints with over 6,200 on-road scooters in 2021, and with this fundraising, it is targeting 10X growth this year.
“Our strategic investor, a public-listed company, reaffirmed their commitment and synergies in pursuing sustainable business opportunities. The same investor has previously supported the company in becoming a successful mandate holder of the Central Government’s ambitious Rs 26,058 crore Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Auto under the New Non-Automotive Investor (OEM) category, said Ketan Mehta, Founder-CEO, HOP Electric Mobility.
“Under this mandate, we will be investing more than Rs 2,000 crore in India in the next five years. The goal is to bolster India’s manufacturing capacities and boost HOP Electric’s chances of becoming a global energy mobility pioneer, he added. Besides, working on a multi-battery modular platform’s design and engineering and developing Gen 2 smart batteries and swapping stations, among others, the company is expecting to roll out two new products on the new platform supported by Gen 2 batteries and a swapping station this fiscal, as per the release.
Stating that the company, at present, growing at 26 per cent month-on-month, Hop said it is hiring across all verticals, especially in the design, engineering, battery, cell, and research and development verticals. The company is looking to launch its indigenous high-speed e-bike OXO for the mass segment commuting by July, and an advanced scooter by the third quarter of the current fiscal.
OXO has successfully cleared all tests in ARAI, including AIS 156 for batteries, it stated. Internally called HOP LYF 2.0, the advanced electric scooter has completed the design and engineering cycle, the company said.


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Consumers' forum says no VAT can be charged on discounted items
The goods sold by shops at a discounted price on MRP cannot charge Value Added Tax, said the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The NCDRC said that the MRP already includes all taxes and cess in accordance with Section 2(d) of Consumer Goods Act, reported TOI.
The order came after the NCDRC rejected a plea by Woodland franchises last month after it had denied to refund VAT charged on jackets sold at 40 percent discount, said reports.
NCDRC president Justice D K Jain said that the advertisement of discount was to lure the customers to buy the mechandise and was not intended to be the real bargaining price.
The commission upheld the verdicts of district and state forums and directed the shop owners to refund the extra amount to complainants.
It also ordered the shop owners to pay compensation ranging between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 and the litigation charge borne by the complainants.


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(Yicai Global) June 30 -- A court in Hangzhou, capital of China's eastern Zhejiang province, has become the country's first to use legally valid electronic evidence using blockchain technology.
The court, which focuses on cases related to the internet sector, used the evidence to give a verdict in an online copyright dispute, state-backed Xinhua News Agency reported.
The plaintiff conducted an automatic capture of infringing webpages and the source code through a third party platform and uploaded them and the logs to Factom's blockchain and through the use of related technology.
Blockchain, a digital ledger which holds public records of transactions, can track who supplies what data, while AI can learn from the information supplied, he said.
The court stated that the blockchain technology complied with relevant standards to ensure the reliability of the electronic data. On the premise that the technical verification is consistent and other evidence can be mutually verified, such electronic data can be used as evidence for the infringement in the case.
Established in 2017, Hangzhou's internet court is the first pilot court in China to focus on hearings involving internet-related cases. The court's hearing process fully relied on internet technology to realize the online process of litigation, case filing, evidence presentation, court hearing, verdict, and execution.
Editor: William Clegg


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Twitter is acquiring ad blocker Scroll, it said Tuesday, with the intention of including it in an eventual subscription service. Scroll removes ads and popups from articles, and apparently partners with publishers so they don't lose revenue.
The service will help Twitter solve "one of the most frustrating parts" of reading content online by removing invasive ads, the company said.
"We plan to include Scroll as part of an upcoming subscription offering we're currently exploring," Mike Park, Twitter's vice president of product, wrote in a blog post. "As a Twitter subscriber, picture getting access to premium features where you can easily read articles from your favorite news outlet or a writer's newsletter from Revue, with a portion of your subscription going to the publishers and writers creating the content."
It's unclear when Twitter's subscription service will roll out, but the company has tested features like undoing tweets, a charge to use dashboard app Tweetdeck and Super Follows, which would let you follow a creator or publisher for a monthly subscription fee and get exclusive content.


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Advance Publications, which owns dozens of newspapers nationwide including some major market dailies, seems to be cutting the frequency of its daily paper in Cleveland, The Plain Dealer.
In a letter to its readers, the editor and publisher of the paper said major changes were coming as the newspaper seeks to “embrace dynamic shifts in the way information is consumed.”
“The Plain Dealer has to respond to the sweeping changes we see every day in how consumers are getting their news and information -- and how advertisers are marketing themselves in this increasingly digital age.” Erik Sass, reporting on the changes in MediaPost, speculates that the strategy will emphasize mobile and digital distribution at the expense of the print product.
Other Advance newspapers in New Orleans, Syracuse, Harrisburg and several dailies in Alabama have created new companies to combine management of both print and digital products, while cutting the print publication frequencies of the dailies from seven days a week to three. So far, this hasn't worked too well in New Orleans, reports are saying.
Total newspaper ad revenues have dropped more than 50 percent since 2005, says the Newspaper Association of America. Papers are having another bad year so far in 2012, as total revenues for the first half fell another 6.7 percent.
Cutting print frequency will save printing and distribution costs, for sure. But publishers seem to be, so far, using these changes to slash newsroom staff as well. I'm not sure how the publishers expect online ad revenues -- which still command far lower rates than print display ad rates -- to offset the loss of print ads four days a week. And who's going to visit sites if there's less real news being covered, because of news staffing cuts?
Time will tell.


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In early August 2019, the UK Government announced that it is planning to create up to 10 "free ports", around seaports and airports, following Brexit.
The term "free port" is not precise but in this case apparently means areas which will be physically within the UK but outside its customs borders. Therefore, goods, including raw materials, could be brought into these UK free ports from abroad, free of UK import tariffs at the point of arrival, and would only attract such tariffs when they are transferred out of these free ports, whether as manufactured goods or in their original form.
There are currently no free ports in the United Kingdom, although six of them did exist in some form in the UK as recently as 2012 - in Birmingham, Belfast, Cardiff, Liverpool, Prestwick and Southampton - when they were abolished. In addition, in the recent past the UK has had 61 "enterprise zones" which gave different types of tax break.
There are currently 82 free ports or zones in the EU, situated in 21 EU member countries, though these are not without problems under EU law, particularly in the context of EU State Aid rules.
The European Commission has been quite critical of "free ports", seeing them as giving rise to counterfeiting issues and also money laundering. It is not exactly clear why these risks should be heightened merely by the existence of free ports but it may come down to proper policing of the ports in question.
Other critics of "free ports" see them as re-distributing wealth rather than generating it but the construction group Mace is reported as claiming that the creation of free ports could create up to 150,000 jobs in the UK and add £9bn to the UK economy.
The creation of "free ports" would need to satisfy World Trade Organisation ( WTO) rules after Brexit and there is also a concern that the aggressive use of "free ports" in the UK would hamper future trade negotiations with the EU.
The new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, seems undeterred and the new International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, is reported as saying :-
"Freedoms transformed London's Docklands in the 1980s, and free ports will do the same for towns and cities across the UK."
"Free ports" are not a new idea and the medieval Cinque Ports of Southern England and the northern European Hanseatic League brought flourishing business opportunities to the seaport towns that they covered.
The Shannon free zone established by Ireland in 1959 and the Isle of Man free port are examples of modern free zones and ports within these Islands ( though outside the United Kingdom), which have endured.
The circle of economic life sometimes means that traditional solutions can be adapted successfully to new circumstances.


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The Port of Québec has concluded another successful cruise season with continued growth in number of passengers and cruise lines visiting.
In 2018, the Port welcomed 230,940 visitors, a nearly 15% increase over the 200,000 visitors welcomed in 2017. The port has a goal of 400,000 passengers... more ›
Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai Inaugurates Edge
Celebrity Cruises set sail into a new era yesterday (Dec. 4) as Celebrity Edge joined the fleet after a moving ceremony where the ship’s godmother, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai (pictured, second from left), was joined by all on board to “bless this ship and all those who sail... more ›
Just in time for Wave Season, travel agents who want to take their earning potential to the next level can opt-in to Carnival Cruise Line’s 2019 “AMP Up Commission Challenge” to qualify for higher commission rates.
The program offers agents the ability to increase their commissions up... more ›
Entertainment Line-Up Unveiled for Norwegian Encore
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) held a keel laying ceremony for Norwegian Encore this week and unveiled the entertainment line-up and recreational amenities scheduled for the ship’s fall 2019 debut.
Following the major construction milestone and maritime tradition of embedding a... more ›
Holland America Line (HAL) took delivery of Nieuw Statendam yesterday (Nov. 29), officially making it the 15th ship in the fleet.
A hand-over ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s Marghera, Italy, shipyard, and Nieuw Statendam set sail for Venice today en route to Civitavecchia (Rome),... more ›
TL Network Canada celebrated its 2018 Elite Members with a special river cruise from Amsterdam, The Netherlands to Basel, Switzerland this month aboard AmaWaterways’ AmaPrima.
Elite membership is awarded each year to 30 agencies among Travel Leaders Network Affiliate Members who are the... more ›
A First Look at Celebrity's New Flagship Vessel
PressToday's Greg Coates was among the first passengers aboard Celebrity Cruises' iconic new flagship, the Edge, this week as Celebrity hosted travel trade personnel from around the world for a first look at the new ship during a two-night sailing out of Fort Lauderdale.
The ship was clearly... more ›
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has appointed Kelly Craighead as president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1.
Craighead takes over the role currently held by Cindy D'Aoust, who in July of this year announced her intent to leave the position by year’s... more ›
Celebrity Edge represents a monumental leap in cruise ship design and innovation, and now, Celebrity Cruises is introducing its most technologically advanced ship in the most technologically advanced way – with the launch of the Celebrity Edge Access Tour app.
Narrated with insights by... more ›
Princess Cruises has unveiled its 2020 Alaska season with cruises and cruisetours now on sale.
The season features eight ships offering 11 cruise-only itineraries, plus 25 cruisetour itineraries, giving guests the bucket-list opportunity to see the top two attractions in Alaska – Glacier... more ›


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The coronavirus pandemic has pushed back Executive Ship Management's business plans by two to three years, said its managing director S.P. Singh.
The firm's scheduled growth path has been disrupted even as the company prepares for when the economy rebounds post-Covid-19, he added. Executive Ship Management has more than 160 employees in Singapore.
Ship management does face a cascading effect from the global fallout, especially with the increase in operational costs, among others, Mr Singh said. "The industry has been hit by the economic fallout. However, as an essential service, shipping has managed to continue the global trade to the great relief of the nations at large."
The company is coping well with "the new normal" though it is not business as usual, said Mr Singh. He added that "the management has been able to ensure health and safety as a priority".
Executive Ship Management provides trained crew as well as technical management services to ship owners, among other services. It also owns and operates offshore ships.
Slower growth in the industry, crew relief, logistical support - such as supply of provisions, stores and spares - as well as ship maintenance are among some of the challenging issues the company faces amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Singh noted that shipping had continued without many issues in the earlier months of this year but "slowly the symptoms (worsened)... with the crew getting locked down on board, far exceeding their contracts".
The firm worked with other shipping companies and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore to send 87 ship crew members back to India on a chartered plane in June.
The crew members had been working on board ships when Covid-19 caused borders to close. Ship crew could not disembark to go home, though their contracts had ended.
Mr Singh said that the industry has been arranging repatriation flights for seafarers but more needs to be done, given the high number of affected crew members.
Coordinating with the different authorities for numerous approvals and permissions required for foreign nationals to enter countries has been a daunting and challenging task, he added.
His company has a programme to keep its "crew engaged and keep them motivated in order to continue to operate the ships safely", he added.
It is also working to ensure that ship maintenance services and logistical support remain available despite disruptions in the supply of provisions and that fact that stores have been affected.
"We are in constant touch with the regulatory authorities to identify the best ways to resolve these situations with remote audits and troubleshooting, especially when they are unable to board the ships due to local rules and restrictions," Mr Singh said.


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As expected, Xiaomi’s Mi 3 smartphone was sold out within 40 minutes at Flipkart today. Although the company has not revealed how many units it had put on sale but as per the import data, Xiaomi seems to have imported around
10,000 (Update: 20,000) smartphones, of which some were sold yesterday as a part of the early-access sale.
E-retailer Flipkart faced various issues during this period and the website was rendered useless for many users. Others faced problems with payments and some weren’t able to even add the phone to their cart. If Flipkart would have kept its act together, the phone might have been sold out in even less time. According to Xiaomi, there were over 100,000 registrations for today’s Mi 3 sale.
To remind you, this is the first sale of Mi 3 in the country and we expect the company to import more units in the coming days. So, if you weren’t able to buy the smartphone today, don’t worry, you will get another chance very soon. Update: Xiaomi has revealed that the registered consumers, who were not able to buy Mi 3 today, will automatically be registered for the next sale. Others can register for the next sale at Flipkart now.
In related news, Xiaomi unveiled the successor to Mi 3 in the form of Mi 4 at a press event in China today.


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March 1st, 1973
The Honda Civic was introduced to the US market as an alternative to the inefficient cars offered by American car companies. The 1973 OPEC oil embargo made car owners aware of the advantages of fuel economy. Early Honda advertisements boasted “The Honda Civic. More miles per gallon than anybody.”
March 2nd, 1966
The Ford Motor Company celebrated the production of its 1,000,000th Mustang, a white convertible. The sporty, affordable vehicle was officially launched two years earlier, on April 17, 1964, at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York. That same day, the new car debuted in Ford showrooms across America; almost immediately, buyers snapped up nearly 22,000 of them.
March 3rd, 1958
The first Subaru, the Subaru 360 was launched. At that time, Japanese automobile manufacturers were working on developing small cars according to a plan calling for the production of a “people’s car” as advocated by Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry. The Subaru 360 was developed in line with this concept.
March, 4th 1887
The Daimler “Benzin motor carriage” made its first test run in Esslingen and Cannstatt, Germany. It was Gottlieb Daimler’s first four-wheel motor vehicle. The “Benzin” has nothing to do with Carl Benz; at that time Gottlieb Daimler was Carl Benz’s major competitor.
March 5th, 1929
Fire destroyed the Los Angeles Automobile Show. Over 320 new cars, including the Auburn Motor Company’s only Auburn Cabin Speedster, were lost in the flames. In a page-one story, the Los Angeles Times reported: “Fire starting from a smoldering cigarette broke out at the Los Angeles Auto Show at 4:10 p.m. yesterday, and a half-hour later the $1,250,000 display at the corner of Washington and Hill streets, housed in four huge tents, was a mass of smoking embers, charred wood, blazing rubber, and twister steel.”
March 6th, 1900
Gottlieb Daimler, the pioneer of the internal-combustion engine and motor vehicles, died at the age of 65. In partnership with Wilhelm Maybach, he patented one of the first successful high-speed internal-combustion engines (1885) and developed a carburetor that made possible the use of petrol as fuel.
This week in Automotive History is produced by Branding Roar


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Govt orders DCs to control prices of essentials during Ramadan
BI Report || BusinessInsider
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) have been ordered to strictly monitor the prices of essentials to be set by the government during the Holy month of Ramadan, to keep prices lower.
The Commerce Minister made the remarks on Wednesday after meeting with the DCs at the Deputy Commissioners’ Conference, in the city.
Munshi said: “I have told the DCs that the month of Ramadan is coming, we will fix the prices of some essential items in the markets (that you should monitor).”
To supervise prices of those commodities strictly during the month of Ramadan, DCs must play active roles and take legal actions against price manipulators, if needed, he said.
Besides, the DCs will supervise the sales of raw hides at the time of Eid-ul-Azha. So that no one is deprived of the fair raw hides’ price, he also said.
“We have a lot of dependence on the DCs. We have talked to them about things that comes from the remote areas…no one should be harmed by extortion, no price hikes, trim the middlemen, so that the farmers get fair prices."
The minister said some 20 lakh tonnes of edible oil is needed every year. The country produces only 2 lakh tonnes. As oil is imported from abroad, any price hike in the international market affects the local market, too.
“Now the transportation tariff of an edible oil container which was two to two-and-a-half-thousand Taka has gone up to Tk 8,000 to Tk 10,000. This has an effect on the prices of essentials,” he pointed out.
As a result, the price has to be adjusted on a regular basis. If the traders are not allowed to adjust the prices, they will not open a letter of credit (LC) in the coming month of Ramadan, it will be even more horrible, he added.
He also said, “That is why I have talked to them, I will sit with them on the 7th or 8th February and determine the prices by studying the international market and adding any incidental costs to it. Today we have decided this.”
The commerce minister said oil, pulses and sugar have to be imported. Due to better onion production this time and being supplied by India, “I have been able to keep the price reasonable in the kitchen markets.”
While dwelling on the issue of oil prices, Salman F. Rahman, the private industry and investment adviser to the Prime Minister, said, “If the traders incur losses, can the government force them to cut prices?”
He said: “For this you have to make an agreement with them. We have to see it…that they do not make unusual profits. They will not import anything by incurring losses.”


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Bloomberg has a report that Woolworths is looking at a credit card alliance. Given that they are just calling for interest, wouldn't expect to see a new card anytime soon.
See: Bloomberg.com: Asia
May 21 (Bloomberg) -- Woolworths Ltd., Australia's largest retailer, hired the Kessler Group to seek proposals from banks and other lenders for a credit card alliance, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
Documents for the Kessler-managed tender will be sent to interested parties by the end of the month, according to the people, who declined to be identified as details aren't public. Sydney-based Woolworths has about 2,900 supermarkets, liquor stores, gasoline stations, pubs, electronics outlets and discount department stores.


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Numerator’s Prime Day 2023 Canadian Recap brings you the fastest, most comprehensive insight into Canadian Prime Day performance. It combines shopper behaviour data from our Canadian OmniPanel with a custom Numerator Survey of over 500 verified Amazon Prime Day shoppers.
Download the full Prime Day report to learn:
- Who shopped on Prime Day 2023?
- How did this year’s shopping behaviour compare to previous Prime Days?
- What categories did shoppers prioritize on Prime Day?
- What did verified buyers think of the deals offered by Amazon?
- And more!


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As well as announcing that Google are activating over 350,000 Android devices per day, Google’s Eric Schmidt also released details about the Android Market.
Google’s Android Market now has over 150,000 apps, this is three times as many applications as it had just nine months ago, and the Android Market is increasingly becoming popular amongst application developers.
This is bound to increase in 2011, and we suspect it wont be very long before the Android Market catches up with Apple’s App store which has over 350,000 applications.
With the recent launch of the Android Market website, it is now easier for Android users to find and purchase applications, which should mean that more developers will be interesting in developing applications for Android. Have a look and our article on Android vs iPhone to see which smartphone and mobile platform is best for you.
via Mobile Whack
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YouTube stars Smosh are part of a growing group of self-starters using their online influence to make money from digital advertising.» Read More
Days after a jury ordered Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson to pay a woman who sued over a sex tape, the rapper has filed for bankruptcy.
“Mad Money” host Jim Cramer on what company to consider ahead of earnings.
Jim Cramer outlines why believes Kraft Heinz will shoot through the roof.
Jeff Kilburg, founder and CEO of KKM Financial, says investors need to look past just dividends and also focus on growth.
Stocks closed higher after a choppy trading session as investors eyed developments in Greece and the start of earnings season.
U.S. stocks pared earlier losses late Tuesday, with the S&P 500 reaching session highs after falling below its 200-day moving average.
Louis Navellier's "Squawk Box" Platinum Portfolio is already up 27 percent this year. Here are three of his favorite picks.
Technical analysts believe the recent breakdown in the S&P 500 has placed the index in a danger zone with potentially further losses on the way.
Keurig Kold, which will make everything from craft sodas to iced teas, is expected to launch in the fall, entering a space dominated by home-brewed cold drinks market leader SodaStream International Ltd.. SodaStream, the once fast-growing Israeli company whose investors have been watching the Keurig machine's introduction with trepidation, has seen its own...
It was a tough end to the second quarter for the Dow Jones industrial average, but some statistical analysis shows brighter days are ahead.
Facebook has opened its first sales office in Africa, in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company said Monday.
The fund-raising attracted backing from Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Europe's Airbus Group, which will also build 900 "micro-satellites" designed to extend the reach of the Internet to remote corners of the world. The company, based in Britain's Channel Islands, plans over 65 launches including 39 from Virgin's spaceflight company, Virgin Galactic, and...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 25- Privately owned OneWeb, which plans to sell Internet services via satellite, signed contracts with launch service providers Virgin Galactic and Arianespace SA for 60 flights, OneWeb said on Thursday. OneWeb, based in Britain's Channel Islands, also said it has raised $500 million from a consortium of companies, including Europe's...
*Group of eight investors include Virgin, Airbus, Bharti. OneWeb, whose backers include Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Indian billionaire Sunil Mittal's Bharti Enterprises, said it would use the funds to acquire 65 commercial rockets to launch satellite-borne Internet services to extend the reach of mobile operators to customers in remote corners of...
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The market knew it would be ugly. Now, it's clear just how much havoc the strong dollar is wreaking on corporate America.
Wal-Mart shares are down 20 percent from highs in January. But if one technical analyst is correct, that could be good for the market.
WASHINGTON, June 10- The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to repeal meat labeling laws, which were widely backed by U.S. consumer groups, after Canada and Mexico threatened $3 billion in trade sanctions. Some of the biggest U.S. food and beverage companies, including Pepsico Inc, Tyson Foods Inc, the U.S. arm of Nestlé, Coca-Cola Co, Anheuser-Busch and...


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YouTube has been one of the most extra-ordinarily successful online ventures of recent times. It has been thriving and prospering ever since it’s inception and has been expanding into newer realms, touching new heights. A latest insight on YouTube reveals that the website has reaches 4 billion daily video views per day! This means that 4 billion videos are streamed every day through YouTube which is a total increase of 25 percent over the past eight months.
This is huge number for the video website, which was acquired by Google back in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Ever since then, Google has pushed YouTube forth as a major venture, capitalizing hugely on it’s potential. Back in May, 2011 about 48 hours of video were uploaded to YouTube every minute. This has increased to 60 hours of video uploaded every minute now.
One of the major reason in the increased surge in net views of YouTube videos is the face that YouTube is available in such version which can stream seamlessly on smartphones, televisions and tablets. Millions of smartphones and tablets are being shipped annually now and this holds a huge potential revenue for Google.
Google’s graphical display ads alone are generating about $5 billion per annum in revenue. These ads are run alongside YouTube videos. This, too, is expected to rise as the total video views increase dramatically by every passing day.
YouTube has already expressed the orientation of it’s future plans which necessarily involves streaming content directly from content producers and artists. For this reason, the new YouTube interface is touting the ‘channels’ as it’s major strength, advertising it well on the home page. YouTube has already signed deals with many artists and major content producers and surely, with billions of users reaching out to the video website, YouTube will soon lead the video way online.


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NeoGrowth Launches Accelerator Business Loans Up to ₹ 20 Lakhs for Immediate Dissemination
|Mr.Arun Nayyar,Whole-Time Director & CEO, NeoGrowth|
Neogrowth Launches Accelerator Business Loan; Fast-tracks Loans Up to INR 20 Lakhs – for Immediate Dissemination
Integrates Account Aggregator-based Digital lending across its portfolio
NeoGrowth, the MSME-focused FinTech lender leveraging the digital payments ecosystem, has announced the launch of its new business loan offering, NeoGrowth Accelerator, on the occasion of World MSME Day. The company recently kickstarted its MSME festival and will be undertaking multiple activities to celebrate the spirit of India’s small business owners. The company is now live on the Account Aggregator framework to further strengthen digital lending for MSME borrowers.
NeoGrowth Accelerator is a collateral-free term loan of up to INR 20 lakhs for the underserved MSME segment comprising Manufacturers, Distributors, Traders, Dealers, and Service Providers. The product is designed to fulfill the working capital requirements of GST-registered MSMEs based on their cash flows. This new launch is in tune with NeoGrowth’s ‘Keeping It Simple’ philosophy. NeoGrowth follows data-based decision-making and leverages scorecards and algorithms for customer assessment.
Through the Account Aggregator (AA) ecosystem, NeoGrowth aims to address the MSME credit gap in India and is among the early adopters in the NBFC sector to embed it into its processes. The company integrates account aggregator information, credit bureau scores, proprietary data, and other internal metrics to thoroughly assess potential borrowers and provide hassle-free loans that leverage the digital payments ecosystem. MSME customers will now be able to share all their banking information in a consolidated dashboard and avail credit in a seamless manner.
Arun Nayyar, Whole-time Director & CEO, NeoGrowth, said, “Our objective has been to enhance credit penetration among small businesses with seamless access to loans. Getting loans has always been a challenge for small retailers in India due to complex documentation, time-consuming procedures, and the traditional approach to underwriting. The Accelerator loans offer two convenient and quick options for businesses, with minimal paperwork to help our borrowers scale up their business easily. To make the loan journey simpler for our MSME customers, we have integrated the Account Aggregator framework across our processes.”
With close to a decade’s experience in serving the credit needs of India’s MSMEs, NeoGrowth has a finger on the pulse of small business owners and is constantly innovating to provide the best-in-class credit offerings to its customers. NeoGrowth leverages the latest developments in technology and data science to strengthen its unique product offerings.
NeoGrowth is a new-age digital lender, with a focus on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). We are a Systemically Important, Non-Deposit taking Non- Banking Financial Company (NBFC-ND-SI), offering a wide range of products tailored to the dynamic needs of small businesses. Our data science and technology-led approach enable us to offer quick and hassle-free loans to MSMEs across 70+ segments across 25+ cities in India. We offer a unique daily repayment option to our customers with multi-channel repayment modes. We have served and engaged with 1,00,000+ businesses and supported them with their growth ambitions. We not only help small businesses grow but also drive financial inclusion making a positive social impact.
Founded by industry veterans, our Board of Directors comprises experts, who guide the leadership team toward our strategic goals. NeoGrowth is backed by renowned investors, namely Omidyar Network, Lightrock, Khosla Impact, Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund – Quona Capital, IIFL Seed Ventures Fund, WestBridge, and Leapfrog Investments.
For more details, https://www.neogrowth.in/
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Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Despite generally feeling guilty about taking time off, the majority of Canadian small business owners use the holiday season to reboot their work-life balance, according to a new survey.
A recent poll by the American Express Small Business Monitor found 78% of small business owners leverage the holiday season to re-establish balance for themselves and their employees.
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“The Ebenezer Scrooge approach to work seems to be long gone. Instead, today’s SBOs foster a balanced approach to continue to motivate employees and offer a positive work environment,” said Athena Varmazis, vice-president and general manger of small business services at American Express Canada in a statement.
Roughly 60% of small business owners said they feel guilty when taking time off, the survey found, likely because they view their business as a passion, not work.
However, the majority of owners reported promoting work-life balance to attract and retain talent.


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The Tech Panda takes a look at 12 Venture Capital companies who are pouring finances into the Indian startups ecosystem.
The world is taking notice of Indian startups, the ecosystem becoming an attractive zone for investments.
ShipBob, an Illinois based global logistics company launched a Technology Innovation Hub in New Delhi, the first of its kind outside the US. Over the next few years, the company plans to recruit over 150 tech professionals in India, in engineering, product management, platforms, data sciences, and analytics.
It wants to continue to bring its remote-first philosophy to the market in India, as the company believes that flexibility in where you work enables their people to perform their best both at work and at home.
“Some of the world’s finest technology and entrepreneurial talent is based out of India, and we are very excited to launch our first Technology Innovation Hub outside the US to tap into this talent pool,” said Harshal Wanjari, CTO at ShipBob.
Sydney based Atlassian revealed in a press release that globally, it considers India a key market for innovation, having grown its office in Bengaluru into a world-class R&D centre, employing over 1,000 in India across engineering, design, product management and more.
Investors have been doubling down on their VC funds to propel India’s growing SaaS startup ecosystem and the country’s rich talent pool. In March, Atlassian Corporation announced its intention to tap into Indian SaaS.
Internally, in March, IIT Kanpur and T-Hub (an innovation hub), along with Citi, selected 29 early- and growth-stage startups across agtech, FinTech, and healthtech to receive grants and mentoring for their cutting-edge solutions.
India is witnessing a massive technological transformation led by startups specially in the agtech, healthtech, and fintech sectors. To continue building this transformation, startups need access to funds and the right mentorship
“India is witnessing a massive technological transformation led by startups specially in the agtech, healthtech, and fintech sectors. To continue building this transformation, startups need access to funds and the right mentorship,” said MSR, CEO of T-Hub.
Also in March, Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) launched its CAT II fund Physis Capital. With a corpus of US$50 million and a green shoe option of another US$25 million, it aims for its first close at US$20 million.
The sectors it’s looking at are vertical commerce, consumer tech, social/content creator, B2B SaaS and Enterprise tech. It will also identify multi-baggers from its IPV portfolio and back them from Physis Capital.
It’s a grand feeling when someone believes in your dream. The Tech Panda takes a look at 12 VCs who truly believe in the Indian startups ecosystem.
Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ: TEAM), a leading provider of team collaboration and productivity software and the maker of Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket and Trello products, has deployed over US$110 million in VC funding and now supports over 30 organisations, just shy of 18 months since launching Atlassian Ventures.
The global funding provides an opportunity for SaaS startups looking to work with Atlassian’s cloud products and platform. Established in late 2020 with an initial investment of US$50 million, the team invests in companies across three focus areas where it can uniquely accelerate growth.
Atlassian Ventures’ three core focus areas are agile development, work management and IT service management. Outside of these fields, the corporate VC would also consider investing in start-ups playing in spaces such as product-led growth, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Slack, JumpCloud, Rewind, Productiv, Adam.ai
Unicorn India Ventures
Unicorn India Ventures is a Mumbai based early stage fund house started in 2015 by Anil Joshi and Bhaskar Majumdar. It invests in seed and early stages of technology focussed businesses across industry verticals and support these ventures throughout their early life cycle with initial and follow-on investments in the range of INR 50 lacs to INR 10 crores.
The Fund has also launched a UK India cross border fund for funding UK startups looking to enter India. Unicorn India has also announced Fund II, which is an INR 300 crore fund launched in 2019 which has invested in 16 companies so far.
Inc42, Sequretek, Pharmarack, Genrobotics, NeuroEquilibrium, SmartCoin, Open Bank, Open app
Inflection Point Ventures
Gurgaon based Inflection Point Ventures is an angel investing platform with over 6200 CXOs, HNIs and professionals to together investing in startups. The firm supports new-age entrepreneurs by providing them monetary and experiential capital and connecting them with a diverse group of investors.
Started in 2018, IPV believes that ‘everyone can grow with startups.’ According to a latest report by Nasscom, IPV was announced as one of the most active angel platforms in India in 2021.
It is a 6000+ strong members angel investing firm supporting new-age entrepreneurs with monetary and experiential capital by connecting them with a diverse group of investors. A new investor can start with a small investment and still make a meaningful value proposition for the startup with combined funding from various members.
Boingg!, Courseplay, BharatPe, Orai, EWar, HobSpace, Bolo
Accel India is the Bangalore arm of the global venture capital firm, Accel, which has a large portfolio of unicorn startups in India, where it has been operating since 2008. In March, Accel announced its seventh India fund, with US$650 million.
It has nine partners and more than 50 members in total in India.
BookMyShow, Browserstack, Flipkart, Freshworks, Clevertap, Cure Fit, Moneyview, Mensa Brands, Myntra, Moglix, Ninjacart, Swiggy, Zenoti
Founded in 2018, A91 Partners is an investment firm investing across consumer, technology, financial services and healthcare sectors in India. A91 partners with entrepreneurs building enduring businesses for tomorrow’s India.
Digit General Insurance, Aye Finance, Sugar Cosmetics, Atomberg Technologies, Hector Beverages, PushpMasala, Exotel, Happilo, Inshorts, La Renon, Soothe Healthcare, Alphavector and GIVA.
Matrix Partners India
Matrix Partners India is an investment firm with approximately US$1 billion under management. Founded in 2006, the firm invests in companies targeting the Indian consumer and enterprise market at the seed, early and early growth stages. It has advisory offices in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai and a global network of funds investing in the US, China and India, with approximately US$5 billion under management.
Country Delight, W For Woman, Chumbak, Ola, Dailyhunt, Razorpay, Ola Electric, DealShare, GoKwik
Stellaris Venture Partners
Stellaris is an early-stage tech-focused VC firm that partners with fearless founders who dream big, think differently and have an unstoppable desire to challenge the status quo. The fund works with these teams at nascent stages to help transform their ideas into resilient businesses.
Stellaris does so with a team of seasoned, diverse operators and entrepreneurs who bring significant experience in building businesses, and by providing access to some of the most successful founders and professionals in India and the US.
Mamaearth, Whatfix, mFine, Propelld
Launched in 2006, Chiratae Ventures India Advisors (formerly IDG Ventures India) is India’s leading technology Venture Capital funds advisor. The funds advised by it has collectively US$950 million under management and 100+ investee companies across consumer media and tech, cloud/software, healthtech, and FinTech. To date, the fund has recorded two IPOs, 38 exits, and four Unicorns.
Bounce, Cure.fit, FirstCry, Flipkart, GoMechanic, Lenskart, Manthan, Myntra (acquired by Flipkart), Newgen (NSE: NEWGEN), PlaySimple, PolicyBazaar, and Uniphore
Neev Fund II
SVL-SME Fund (Neev II Fund), the successor fund of Neev I, was launched in May 2021 and seeks to provide growth and capital expansion to SMEs offering solutions for clean energy, electric vehicles, efficient use of raw materials, and water and circular economy projects in the country.
Neev Fund II aims to provide growth capital to emerging and innovative SMEs that focus on mitigating climate risks, promoting social development, job creation, and gender equality.
United Sustainable Energy India, Milk Mantra Dairy, Crystal Logistics, SunSource Energy, Mahendra Educational, Lakshmi Agri, Rahi Care Dialysis, Blue Planet Environmental Solutions, Indian Angel Network and PRESPL
Alpha Wave Incubation
Alpha Wave Incubation (AWI) is a US$300 million venture fund backed by DisruptAD, ADQ’s venture platform, and managed by Alpha Wave Global. AWI has a dedicated team across London, Bangalore, and Abu Dhabi.
The fund invests in early-stage tech-enabled, disruptive startups in India and Southeast Asia. In addition to providing outstanding founders with early-stage capital, AWI offers access to an unrivaled set of support mechanisms for business building, while also helping companies expand globally and open up new markets in the GCC/MENA region and beyond.
100ms, Wealthy, CoLearn, Smiles.ai, Raena, Groyyo, Fi.Money, Sourcewiz, OfBusiness, CARS24
Strive is a B2B/SaaS-focused fund with over 80 investments across India, Southeast Asia, and Japan, and managing over US$200 million in AUM. The firm has invested in several dev infra and SaaS companies in India.
Founded in 2011, it is the venture capital arm of GREE International based in Tokyo, Japan. The firm invests in seed, series A, and series B startups based in Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Indian region.
Hasura, Testsigma, Classplus
Lightrock India is the India-focused effort of the global Lightrock impact investing platform. It was formed in September 2019 when the LGT group acquired Aspada – an early-stage impact investor formed in 2012.
It invests across transformational business models that create positive societal and environmental impact across themes of people, planet and business with about 40 companies and about US$700 million in assets.
Globally, it has operations across four continents with over 60 investments managing about US$2 billion in assets and is backed by the Princely house of Liechtenstein and LGT, the international private banking and asset management group.
Chalo, Vivriti Capital, EdgeGrid, 4G Capital, CredAvenue, NiYO Solutions, MediBuddy, Smartcoin, BUGWORKS Research, Selina Finance


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EasyJet beats H1 expectations as 'Generation' campaign drives conversation
EasyJet has beaten expectations to post narrower-than-expected results for the first six months of the year, hailing the impact of its 'Generation easyJet' marketing campaign.
EasyJet: marketing campaign is credited with driving customer engagement
The business has revealed pre-tax losses of £53m for the six months to 31 March, a 13% improvement on its 2013 performance over the same period, citing a tighter control on costs.
EasyJet traditionally posts a loss during the quiet winter period, with the second half of its year driving annual profit.
The brand said it had enjoyed success "driving conversion" with its 'Generation easyJet’ campaign and was reaping the benefits of improvements to easyJet.com and its wider digital offering.
EasyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall said the results demonstrated the brand’s progress against its "strategic priorities".
She said: "By continuing to deliver our strategy of offering customers lower fares to great destinations with friendly service, while focusing upon costs, we can continue to deliver sustainable growth and returns for our shareholders.
"There continue to be a number of attractive opportunities for easyJet to grow profitably in Europe and we look forward to making further progress in the second half of the year."
This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk
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As we just reported on TGD, at least one publication feels that Nintendo could be the comeback kid this year in the video game world after some tough times. We think this could be a very good year for gaming, especially considering consoles have been selling like crazy over the Xmas holidays, and Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers was voted one of the best titles of 2013.
While gaming went in the toilet during the recession, just like everything else did, the video game market has been making big comeback strides in the last two years with the success of Halo 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops, GTA V, and more. And now one report tells us Nintendo could be on the verge of a big comeback as well.
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter says he believes Nintendo is currently in a "world of trouble."
AMD dominates all three next-gen consoles: the Nintendo Wii U, Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's Playstation 4.
Three members of the hacktivist group LulzSec have been sentenced to 24-30 months in a UK jail.
Nintendo has won a US appeals court decision in a patent case that will allow it to keep importing its Wii system into the United States.
Nintendo's Wii U has proven somewhat of a disappointment in terms of sales. Indeed, even a recent price cut by the gaming giant failed to generate strong sales.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says his company is working to alter the "misconception" that the recently launched Wii U is an underpowered system.
Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata says the Japanese-based gaming company is open to considering alternative business models in the future, including free-to-play (F2P) as well as subscription based platforms.
Nintendo may have released it's next-gen console almost a year ahead of Microsoft and Sony, but it is quite clear that most core gamers are waiting for the Xbox 720 (Next) and the Playstation 4 (PS4).
A UK-based computer hacker who worked under the LulzSec banner has admitted attacking Sony, Nintendo, Rupert Murdoch's News International and the Arizona State Police.
Nintendo may have kicked off the next-gen console cycle early with its Wii U, but the real battle will obviously take place between Microsoft's Xbox 720 (Next) and Sony's Playstation 4 (PS4).
Nintendo has announced a year-long celebration of everyone’s second favorite plumber.
Senior Nintendo executives remain (understandably) skeptical over the future of the cloud for console gaming.
Nintendo has slahed its sales predictions for the Wii U, saying it now expects to sell 27 percent fewer than it previously did.
The Chinese government is reportedly considering lifting its 13-year ban on video games consoles.
Nintendo has confirmed that its delayed TVii feature for the recently launched Wii U console will be going live on December 20.
Nintendo's Wii U console is currently flying off the shelves, but outspoken Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter doesn't believe the system is ultimately capable of competing against Sony's PS4 or Microsoft's Xbox 720.
Like most systems today, Nintendo's Wii U is designed to do more than simply play games.
Nintendo has confirmed that its long-awaited Wii U console shipped 400,000 units its first week after selling out a few days post launch.


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Overdraft users who currently have a temporary three-month £500 interest-free buffer will be able to request another one under measures confirmed by the regulator to help those whose finances continue to be hit by coronavirus.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said customers who are negatively affected by coronavirus and who already have an arranged overdraft on their main personal current account can request up to £500 interest-free for a further three months.
Firms should also provide these customers with further support where it is needed, including reducing the cost of borrowing above the interest-free buffer, especially if this cost of borrowing would otherwise increase, the FCA said.
Customers who have not yet had a payment freeze or an arranged interest-free overdraft of up to £500 and experience temporary financial difficulty due to coronavirus would be able to request one up until October 31.
Many firms had been due to impose rates of around 40 per cent on arranged overdrafts when the pandemic struck - around double the rate that some borrowers had been paying previously.
This was a response to new FCA rules introduced earlier this year to make overdraft fees more transparent.
Previously, the cost of going overdrawn had been hard to compare as banks had a variety of charges and fees, as well as interest rates.
But firms were told by the FCA in April that, as part of the temporary measures due to Covid-19, they should make sure that all overdraft customers were no worse off on price when compared with the prices they were charged before the new overdraft rules.
The FCA said in a statement on Wednesday: “Today we confirmed proposals to ensure this support is focused on those customers financially affected by coronavirus and ensure they can continue to ask for a reduced interest rate on any additional borrowing over £500.”
With many providers' new rates clustered around 40%, in January the FCA wrote to firms to ask them to explain how they reached their new overdraft rates.
The regulator confirmed on Wednesday that, having reviewed the evidence it obtained from this, it does not intend to open a formal investigation at this stage.
It said: “In their response to our letter, most banks estimate that these pricing changes would reduce their total overdraft revenue by between a quarter and a third. In total, this amounts to over half a billion pounds across these banks.”
Before the new overdraft rules, some firms were charging some of the most vulnerable customers an effective interest rate of more than 80% a year, the FCA said.
The FCA also confirmed further support for credit card, store card and personal loan customers.
Customers yet to request a payment freeze will have until October 31 to apply for one.
For customers still facing temporary payment difficulties as a result of coronavirus, firms will provide them with support, which could include freezing or reducing payments on their credit card and personal loans to a level they can afford for three months.
Christopher Woolard, interim chief executive at the FCA, said: “Since the coronavirus crisis began, we have made support available for those borrowers financially affected by the pandemic. For those who are now in a position to restart payments, it will be in their best interests to do so. But for those who still need it, the package we are confirming today ensures there is help and further support.”
The new guidance comes into force on 3 July.
The FCA said it does not apply to other consumer credit products, such as motor finance, high-cost short-term credit, rent-to-own, pawnbroking and buy-now pay-later, which are covered by separate guidance that will be updated soon.
Eric Leenders, managing director of personal finance for trade association UK Finance, said: “Lenders are committed to supporting customers through these tough times and the updated guidance from the FCA gives clarity on the next steps for those who continue to face financial difficulty during the ongoing pandemic.
“For customers who are able to do so, it will be in their best interests to resume payments, but for anyone who is struggling, then lenders stand ready to help either through the provision of further payment deferrals, if appropriate, or other support options.
“Customers who have not applied to their lender for support still have the opportunity to do so until the end of October. For customers with longer-term financial difficulties, lenders are offering continued help and flexibility to suit their needs.
“The banking and finance industry has a clear plan to help the country through this unprecedented period and is committed to providing ongoing support to those customers who need it.”
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What a fabulous pairing!
Michael Kors has recruited Victoria Justice to stop global hunger with the charity, God's Love Will Deliver, for World Food Day, today!
And they'll be doing it in style! What else would we expect from the seasoned designer?
T-shirts with the slogan, #WatchHungerStop, will be handed out outside of select Michael Kors stores on Wednesday so that anyone who poses in the tee can have their picture live streamed to a billboard in Times Square!
It's so AH-Mazing that even with working on his line and a collab with Gwyneth Paltrow for Goop, Michael can find the time to do such important work on a global scale!
And with Victoria's help, we don't think there's anything these two can't do!
She divulged of the team up:
"It's important to promote causes that go beyond red carpet glam. And I happen to love Michael Kors and his clothes."
Speaking the truth!
We just love fashion aficionados that are working hard to do good!
[Image via Teen Vogue.]
Tags: campaign to stop global hunger, charity, fashion smashion, god's love will deliver, michael kors, victoria justice


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Even though today’s automotive industry is mostly about crossovers, the Korean manufacturer won’t give up on its well-known minivan. Known as the Carnival around the world, this super-practical model always used the Sedona name in North America and we expect the same from the new generation, even though some sources suggest the opposite. In any case, the 2022 Kia Sedona will come completely new, with improvements in every aspect compared to the outgoing model.
The biggest change will probably be the styling. The new model has already been presented and it shows a look that’s drastically different compared to what we used to see from Kia. In order to attract more buyers, it offers a more SUV-like appearance, with a boxier shape and a more rugged stance. The new platform is as important and it should bring improvements in terms of the ride quality. Still, we have no doubt that interior design will remain the main concern of most potential buyers. A good thing to know is that this aspect is bringing big improvements as well.
2022 Kia Sedona Design
The 2022 Kia Sedona redesign is bringing a lot of novelties but we will start with the basics. Of course, we are talking about the platform. As you may presume, this minivan will also switch to the company’s new N3 architecture, which debuted two years ago and underprints pretty much all mid-size models in Hyundai and Kia lineups. Of course, we expect it will provide big improvements in terms of comfort and ride quality in general, but it’s hard to tell anything without trying the new model.
On the other side, things are pretty clear in terms of the styling. The new look is a big departure from the previous generation. As the current market is mostly about SUVs and crossovers, it’s no wonder that the new 2022 Kia Sedona also features a shape that closely resembles that body style. Most laics would say that the new model looks more like an SUV than a traditional minivan. They aren’t wrong at all.
The front end has a lot of things in common with the new Sorento. The overall shape is boxy and looks quite bulky. This is more than just a visual impression. The new model is actually bigger than its predecessor. It is longer and wider, while the wheelbase gains 1.2 inches. That will definitely have a positive impact on the interior.
The 2022 Kia Sedona interior is another aspect where we are about to see big improvements. Considering that the new model will be bigger, we may expect more passenger space as well. Still, keep in mind that the current model stands pretty well in this aspect. We have no doubt that the reclining second-row captain’s chairs will remain in the offer, as well as the 8-seat configuration. We hope that the third row will be more spacious this time.
Bigger dimensions also mean that we may expect more cargo room. Still, keep in mind that the current model already stands pretty well in this aspect, so improvements probably won’t be drastic. For reference, the outgoing model is good for about 33.9 cubic feet of space behind the third row, 78.4 cubic feet behind the second row, and a total of 142 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded.
Also, the new model will come with notable improvements in terms of quality. The new dashboard looks more attractive, while improvements in terms of materials are pretty obvious. Also, you may count on loads of new tech features, including things like a massive 12.3-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster etc.
2022 Kia Sedona Engine
Big novelties are coming under the hood as well. The new model will feature a bigger and more powerful engine. We are talking about the company’s new 3.8-liter V6. It puts out around 290 horsepower and comes in pair with 8-speed automatic transmission.
We can also hear rumors about the 2022 Kia Sedona Hybrid. At this point, the officials are still quiet but if we consider that rivals like Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica are already electrified, we may expect the same thing from this minivan. A plug-in hybrid would be a great option, the same system that will be used for the new Sorento. It is based on a 1.6-liter turbo-four, which comes in a combination with a 90-hp electric motor, with a combined output of 265 horsepower. Also, this system comes with a 12.4-kWh battery pack, which should provide around 30 miles of the all-electric range.
2022 Kia Sedona Release Date and Price
We expect that the 2022 Kia Sedona release date will be scheduled for the second half of the year. The outgoing model starts at around 31.000 dollars and we don’t expect that the new generation could bring some more significant price increase.


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An analyst says the start-ups will have "a very, very difficult time" competing with established companies amid the global glut of solar panels. Last month Silicon Energy of Mountain Iron joined TenKsolar of Bloomington in making the panels.
Teen driver crashes into parked payloader; 16-year-old passenger dies
The crash happened early Saturday morning in Waconia.
Barrage of gunfire injures boy in Brooklyn Park; vehicles, apartments damaged
Police say they recovered evidence that more than 40 rounds were fired in the shooting.
Minnesota Wild back away from thin blue line T-shirt giveaway
The giveaway backfired when word of it reached social media.
Workers at Minneapolis Trader Joe's become 2nd in nation to unionize
The vote was certified by the National Labor Relations Board Friday.
Woman killed by suspected drunk-driver in St. Louis County
The crash occurred on Highway 21 in Embarrass Township Friday night.
2 ejected, 1 killed in crash that closed southbound I-35
The State Patrol says neither were wearing seat belts.
Best Buy makes job cuts weeks after warning of soft sales
The Richfield retailer has been dealing with a shift in consumer trends.
Man makes 'vague comments' about Jewish people, smashes own car with club
It happened at a course that was founded as a Jewish country club 100 years ago.
Suspect of home invasion, murder in Minneapolis arrested in Wisconsin
There have been 57 deaths reported as homicides in Minneapolis this year.
Northern Minnesota solar panel maker struggles amid slow sales
Silicon Energy has missed its first two repayments on a $1.5 million government loan, the Star Tribune reports. The Mountain Iron plant says sales were half what they expected. The manufacturer is citing slower-than-expected sales and is seeking additional forbearance on the debt. The newspaper writes the plant has also cut its workforce.
Bloomington company to build solar project in Massachusetts
Solar panel maker TenKsolar is preparing to construct a $10 million solar power system for a Massachusetts municipal utility west of Boston in what will be the largest project ever for the Bloomington company, the Star Tribune reports.
Minnesota rodeo sisters excited for first big local competition
Kasey and Kati Stewart of Afton have traveled across North America competing in rodeos. This weekend they'll get to take part in one at home. They'll compete in the barrel racing at the World's Toughest Rodeo in St. Paul.
'Tough quarter' for Cargill as profits fall 66 percent
Minnesota's privately held food giant blames the losses on uncertainties in the global economy and a volatile market for commodities.
Ikea plugs in largest solar power project in Minn.
The Swedish retail chain has finished installing the solar panels on top of its Bloomington store, the Star Tribune reports. Ikea says the array of 4,300 solar panels will produce roughly 1.2 million kilowatt hours worth of electricity a year, the equivalent of powering more than 100 homes yearly.
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Crypto startup funding falls to lowest level in almost two years2 min read . Updated: 10 Jan 2023, 05:06 PM IST
Overall, VC firms invested $2.3 billion in crypto startups during the quarter, a 75% drop from the same period the previous year, according to PitchBook
Crypto startups are facing a harrowing time attracting private financiers after the collapse of digital-asset exchange FTX. Venture capital investment in the industry plunged to its lowest level in almost two years during the fourth quarter of 2022, according to data from research firm PitchBook.
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Interim budget 2019 focuses on the localization electric mobility in India, import duty on battery cell raised 0-5% to promote Make-In-India
India’s thrive for electric mobility has been recognized as one of the most ambitious projects. Like the full budgets in the last couple of years, in the latest interim budget too Indian government emphasized electric mobility. To encourage electric mobility, the Indian government has announced preferential import duty on CKD and SKD of electric vehicles. However, the government also increased import duty on battery cell from zero to 5%.
Battery cells are the most important part of an electric vehicle and the sad reality is there is no cell manufacturer in the country at present. Our question is when India is pushing for EVs, how this increased import duty is going to benefit customers. The increased import duty will end up more costly electric vehicles. This move might help in the long run and boost the Make-In-India project but it will make the introduction of electric vehicles to the customers at the initial stage more difficult.
As it seems, like the adoption of BS6 emission norms skipping BS5, this time too Indian government has made a leap of faith without assessing the reality. What I believe is, the Indian government should have increased the import duty step by step instead of imposing it at once. This would have helped the local production of battery cells. As the domestic customers are slowly but steadily shifting their focus on electric cars, imposing the higher import duty and increasing the price of the EVs will affect the scenario. At least for the temporary phase.
This is the reason, for which SIAM is expecting the government to reconsider the import duty on battery cells of electric vehicles proposed in the interim budget. However, if we see the bigger picture, this move is likely to boost the zero-emission mobility across the country in long run. But, for that, the government needs to aid the progress with some moves like encouraging the customers by offering subsidies for buying EV.
Currently, the Indian automakers like Mahindra import the cells for their battery packs and locally assemble them for the electric cars. The import duty hike in the interim budget has been announced to locally produce the battery cells. But, some components to make that still need to be imported. There is no dearth in the government’s goodwill for electric mobility. But, the strategy to implement that needs to be revised.


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Public policy and the ultimate impact it has on consumers' cars was the hot topic on Thursday at the Washington auto show, as companies vied to show off and explain their latest fuel-efficient technologies under the watchful eyes of regulators and government officials.
Notably, Chevrolet announced plans to roll out an "Ecologic" environmental label on the 2012 Sonic, with other vehicles to follow. Sort of like nutrition labels for food, Chevy's version will explain the environmental impact of cars throughout their life cycles. That includes the assembly phase, the on-road performance and then the recycling of the car.
"These days, we know our customers are very interested in this [information]," General Motors North America president Mark Reuss said.
Ford used the Washington stage to explain its ambitious production plans for its EcoBoost engines, which will be offered in 11 models in North America in 2012, an increase from seven last year. The plan is part of Ford's goal to make the internal-combustion engine more efficient by combining direct injection and turbocharging in four- and six-cylinder engines. The Mustang is also expected to get an EcoBoost powerplant in the near future.
Hyundai and Mazda detailed their strategies for wringing fuel-economy gains out of internal-combustion engines, as they're still more common than hybrids.
"We've got to be environmentally friendly, we've got to be fuel-efficient, but we've got to be good for the customer," said Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of national sales for Hyundai.
Jeep revealed a red version of its blacked-out Jeep Grand Cherokee "Concept," following the all-black model from the Houston auto show earlier this week. The vehicle in Washington had blacked-out 20-inch wheels, with similar treatments to the grille and trim. Jeep is having a contest to name this trim package but still claims the model is a concept.
The Washington auto show features mostly encore presentations of products revealed at other shows, such as the Dodge Dart, Chevrolet's sports-car concepts and the Fiat 500 Abarth. Dubbed the public-policy show, the event focuses less on sheetmetal and more on lawmakers' impact on cars.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke about the resurgence of Detroit's carmakers, continuing a theme of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
"They represent the fact that American manufacturing and American industry is back," LaHood said.
He also continued his outspoken criticism of driving distractions, directing much of his anger at cell-phone use.
"We've made some progress but we have a long way to go," LaHood said. "You know it's dangerous, because you're not paying attention."
Policy was also in the spotlight when Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., explained his bipartisan bill that he says would help states expand the use of charging stations for electric vehicles.
"Electric vehicles give us flexibility," he said in arguing against volatile oil prices and circumstances overseas.


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Cortp.com, a Chinese smart logistics start-up that offers recyclable packaging solutions, announced on Wednesday the completion of a series C funding round worth hundreds of millions of yuan.
The investment was led by US-China Green Fund, a private equity fund initiated by business and government leaders from the United States and China to promote sustainable green development.
Returning investor, Shanghai-based venture capital firm Lantern Capital, also participated in this round, according to a statement released by Cortp.com on its official WeChat account.
Cortp.com was founded in 2013 and operated by Shanghai Horen Science and Technology, a high-tech enterprise specialized in the design, development and production of innovative and smart returnable transport packaging (RTP) solutions.
The company develops smart solutions for transport processes that help customers realize what it calls "zero waste, zero loss." Cortp.com developed a set of intelligent internet of things (IoT) management system for the logistics packaging industry to reduce the hazard and waste caused by disposable logistics packaging materials.
Cortp.com has set up nearly 200 service outlets in China, delivering products in six industries covering bulk liquids, fresh produce, postal express, flowers, cold chain and automotive parts.
"The Cortp.com intelligent digital logistics platform can not only perform real-time data management and intelligent leasing operation for its packaging assets, but also replace traditional disposable industrial packaging with high-quality and advanced recyclable packaging. This reduces resource consumption and environmental pollution," said Baibo, CEO of US-China Green Fund.
Proceeds of this round will be used to enhance the development and construction of a cloud-enabled intelligent packaging platform. Cortp.com plans to help clients grow understandings and habits of using big data for decision-making while receiving packaging services on the platform.
The company raised RMB16 million (US$2.23 million) in a series B+ round and RMB30 million (US$4.18 million) in a series B round from Lantern Capital and PGA Ventures in 2017. It also closed RMB12 million (US$1.67 million) in an angel round from Vertex Ventures in January 2014.


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1. Calculating ROI can be difficult
As Rakuten Marketing MD and Econsultancy contributor James Collins recently noted, “influencer marketing is often about raising awareness through aspirational content, with a view to generating purchases further down the line, rather than pushing immediate sales.”
But for brands spending growing amounts of big bucks on influencer marketing campaigns (according to research from Linqia, marketers will spend $50,000 to $100,000 per influencer marketing campaign this year) justifying that spend increasingly requires more than faith that it will produce a return down the line.
Unfortunately, a recent Econsultancy report revealed that measuring ROI on their influencer initiatives is the biggest challenge for 65% of marketers. While measuring ROI is hardly a challenge exclusive to influencer marketing, given the growing cost of influencer marketing campaigns, it’s getting harder and harder for marketers to brush the ROI question aside.
2. Engagement doesn’t necessarily translate to efficacy
Part of the ROI calculation challenge is that some of the most easily tracked metrics in influencer marketing campaigns are related to how much followers engage with sponsored content. But likes, retweets and comments aren’t always meaningful metrics and don’t even necessarily mean that an influencer’s followers have truly engaged with the branded content.
At a minimum, companies should use benchmarking to assess whether or not the engagement their campaigns is generating is in line with what they expect based on an influencer’s non-paid content, but it’s not clear that marketers are even doing this.
3. It’s hard to assess audience quality
Fake accounts, often created by automated means, have for years been a thorn in the side of social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. While it’s impossible to pin down exactly how many fake accounts exist, even if a relatively small percentage of the accounts on these platforms are fake, that represents tens of millions of fake accounts, if not more.
By some estimates, even some of the biggest influencers on these platforms have fake followers well into the double digit percentages, which can equate to anywhere from tens of thousand to millions of fake followers. Even though in most cases this almost certainly isn’t intentional, it’s a problem given that the most popular influencers are setting their prices based on their total audiences and marketers can’t really be sure whether the number of useless accounts following a particular influencer is 1%, 10%, 25%, etc.
Beyond fake accounts, it’s even more difficult to assess the quality of an influencer’s legitimate audience. How many followers are active? How many are truly fans of the influencer? And so on and so forth.
4. You can’t control how people will react
The concept behind influencer marketing – that brands benefit by positive associations with high-profile individuals on social media platforms – isn’t an invalid one, but that doesn’t mean that campaigns are guaranteed to produce positive reactions.
For example, Marigold, a prominent dairy and beverage company in Singapore, learned that the hard when when it used three influencers to promote its Marigold Peel Fresh juice drink. One of the influencers, Naomi Neo, who did not disclose that she was being paid by Marigold, claimed that she “always [carries] around a carton of my favorite MARIGOLD PEEL FRESH juice.”
That claim was, for obvious reasons, met with extreme skepticism and lots of negative comments on social media and the web – probably not what Marigold was looking for.
5. Influencer relationships can go south, and quickly
Influencers are human beings and thus not infallible. That means influencer relationships are fraught with many of the same risks as typical celebrity endorsements.
In a worst-case scenario, brands associated with an influencer could suffer some level of embarrassment if the influencer becomes the subject of a public firestorm.
Case in point: after a Wall Street Journal article highlighted a number of anti-Semetic videos posted by PewDiePie, YouTube’s biggest homegrown star, brands that had been involved with him, including Disney, made the decision to cut ties.
While it’s unlikely that the PewDiePie association will have a lasting negative impact on a brand like Disney, the fact that it had to end the kind of long-term influencer relationship that is most likely to pay dividends demonstrates just how hard it can be to bank on internet stars as reliable partners.
6. Disclosure is still an issue
In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is ramping up its efforts to ensure that influencers are adequately disclosing when they are being paid to promote products and services for companies.
While in theory it should be easy for marketers to require that the influencers it works with are following the applicable rules, and platforms like Instagram are aiming to make it even easier, the FTC is still finding dozens upon dozens of instances of violations of its rules. Even following the FTC’s letters, a number of watchdog groups discovered that many of the influencers the FTC warned are not disclosing when they are posting content for brands.
Ultimately, if brands aren’t proactive about making sure the influencers they work with are following the rules, it’s likely that the FTC will be forced to take enforcement action, action that could carry with it fines for brands.