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Women-focused wealthtech firm Ellevest unveiled its newest offering today. The company, which was founded by former Merrill Lynch CEO and former Citigroup CFO Sallie Krawcheck, has expanded its online investing platform to launch banking services.
“At Ellevest, our mission is to get more money in the hands of women+ — because we know that everyone deserves the opportunity to build wealth, and that nothing bad happens when women have more money,” the company announced in a blog post. “Today, we’re launching the first-of-its-kind money membership designed to get more money in the hands of women+.”
The new banking services are available with an Ellevest membership, which ranges from $1 per month for the Essential plan to $5 per month for the Plus plan, and $9 per month for the Executive plan. All membership options include banking services, investing opportunities, and educational resources. Other services include personalized retirement recommendations and multi-goal investment accounts.
Members can access two accounts– one for spending and one for saving. The checking account comes with a World Debit Mastercard connected to an FDIC-insured account. The accounts boast no hidden fees, no minimum balance requirements, no transfer fees, no overdraft fees, and ATM fee reimbursements.
In the competitive world of challenger banks, none of these features stand out. However, Ellevest has created a bit of a cult following with its women-focused approach and content generation. The company has 180,000 followers on Instagram, which is 10x the number of followers that BBVA-owned Simple has, and more than Revolut, Monzo, and N26.
Ellevest’s gender-filtered approach further differentiates it when it comes to investing. The company’s personalized investment portfolio “includes a gender-aware investment algorithm that factors in important realities like pay gaps, career breaks, and average lifespans.”
Today’s announcement isn’t the first time a wealthtech platform has broadened its offerings to become a challenger bank. Betterment, Wealthfront, SoFi, M1 Finance, and Personal Capital all offer online-only checking accounts.
Ellevest was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in New York. The company has raised $77.6 million.
The following is a guest post by Natalie Myshkina, Strategic Business Development, FSI at Adobe.
Like many industries and businesses right now, financial organizations in banking are finalizing and implementing business continuity/contingency plans as well as enabling all employees to work from home. At the same time, they are diligently working to meet changing client needs and building new ways to serve clients. Beyond the operational actions underway, banks and capital markets need to start developing medium- and longer-term plans to address each element of financial, risk, and regulatory compliance, and create new environments to support the business in fully digital settings.
In late 2019, an Arizent survey commissioned by the Credit Union Journal and American Banker reported that only 30 percent of organizations have a digital first, enterprise-wide strategy and readiness. Other organizations are still in the middle or beginning of the digital transformation of their businesses.
While most organizations have business continuity plans, they have been heavily tested over the last few weeks. I’d like to highlight a few operational steps that are essential to consider now for banks:
Transparency and trust Continue to adjust a communication plan to quickly liaise with employees, customers, business partners, regulators, investors, and vendors. Keeping close communications with customers and other stakeholders creates the opportunity to strengthen the relationship.
Operating model Implement a dynamic, scalable, and flexible operating model to ensure business continuity in any scenario. For example, in the case of temporary closures, branches need to quickly train branch employees to provide online help or assist the call center in serving clients.
Remote services and capabilities Many enterprise organizations have an extensive set of workflow tools, document management tools, document collaboration, and electronic signature solutions in place, but they are not fully utilized. For example, one department in the organization may fully embrace digital documents and electronic signatures, while another department keeps receiving and sending snail mail. The solution here would be to review best practices and tools across the organization, understand the full capabilities of available solutions, and offer them to unit managers to utilize as immediate solutions.
Digital project prioritization Conduct project prioritization exercises, and speed up projects related to offering digital products and services (client onboarding, product enrollment, etc.) or operational inefficiencies. If possible, speed up time-to-market or release solutions with limited/partial functionality or limited integration points.
Organizational culture Communicating and fostering the culture that maintains employee morale is becoming extremely important, and it can be done in different forms: through top-down communication and leaders acting as role models, by encouraging grassroots initiatives, by providing platforms for team collaboration, creating virtual watercoolers, etc.
Peer communications Be in close contact with industry groups for information to get best practices and requests to obtain waivers from regulators if required.
The coronavirus pandemic is already leading to major changes in how customers manage their finances and how financial organizations support their customers. Next we would be seeing activities related to meeting changing client needs due to financial stress, supporting client activities in digital channels, rapid digitalization in commercial and corporate banking, and more.
Here are a few notable areas financial organizations should address:
Proactively address new customer needs To operate in the new environment, banks would need to rapidly meet different client needs and serve them in ways outside the norm. Scalable solutions to process and approve requests for forbearance, mortgage holidays, deferred loan repayments, etc. would need to be implemented quickly as well as quickly scale up the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) via the SBA program.
Branchless banking and self-service options in digital channel Due to the temporary closing of branches and reduced ATM availability and usage, the branchless banking or virtual branches idea is becoming more popular. As many interactions move online, expect to see more and more consumers want to use self-service tools on the web and in their mobile devices.
Rapid digitalization and digital service accessibility across all customer lifecycles stages For many organizations, their digital transformations began with onboarding new clients. But often we see that many other client touchpoints in the customer lifecycle are not fully digitized, and some require manual/paper steps. In the new environment, most of the client-initiated activities would be done on digital platforms. Automation is essential to provide clients with fast service and a consistent experience while keeping cost-effective operating model in place.
Expending successful digitalization of customer touchpoints beyond retail banking Over the last few years, we have seen substantial efforts and budgets spent on elevating customer experiences and moving clients to digital platforms. This has been done for many reasons, one of them was a demand from a digitally native consumer to have a better experience and the competition coming from neobanks (aka digital-only banks).
Commercial and corporate banks were behind this trend partially because the lack of these drivers and the complexity of the processes. In the new reality, we would be seeing a lot of rapid digitalization of customer-facing and internal activities in commercial/corporate banking and capital markets.
Data use, extraction and manipulation Going forward, the ability to extract and process data from multiple documents will be essential to manage risks and to create cost-conscious processes. Immediately, we could see requests for solutions to process documents to feed systems assessing portfolio health in stressed markets, or complete search thought legal documents.
Adaption of cloud solutions As financial services organizations have been behind the curve in the cloud solution adaption, this situation will trigger a revisit of internal policies and expedite further cloud adoption for both client-facing and internal solutions to improve efficiencies, eliminating the need for a larger security and maintenance staff, and creating cost-effective, scalable environments.
During these trying times, banks can best serve their clients by delivering products and services for business continuity today while working on business resilience for the future. Industry experts predict that the current situation will accelerate the digital transformation in the industry over the a short period of time. That time starts now.
Blockchain payment solutions company Rippleannounced this week it has signed Banco Rendimento to RippleNet Cloud. The addition of the Brazil-based bank marks the first bank to leverage Ripple’s cloud-based solution.
This news comes a year-and-a-half after Banco Rendimento joined RippleNet in 2019. “Migrating our payment infrastructure to RippleNet Cloud allows us to provide our customers with a best-in-class experience,” said Banco Rendimento FX Superintendent Jacques Zylbergeld. “Customers can now enjoy more transparency and easier navigation for both submitting payments and trading. RippleNet also allows us access to global partners, offering a standardized solution, and ensuring the integration and onboarding processes are seamless.”
Banco Rendimento considers itself a pioneer in the international payments space and is working to grow the payments ecosystem with high quality, fair cost solutions. With the implementation of RippleNet Cloud, the bank expects it will increase payment volumes by the first quarter of next year.
RippleNet is Ripple’s global payment network that connects 300+ financial institutions worldwide to enable faster, lower-cost payments. Currently, two dozen non-bank financial services companies, including Azimo, MoneyMatch, iRemit, Usend / Pontual, MoneyGram, and Viamericas, are clients of Ripple’s cloud service. And the customer list is increasing. Ripple reported that in the first quarter of this year, 81% of new RippleNet customers opted for cloud deployment and and 30% of all RippleNet payments are now being sent and/or received through RippleNet Cloud.
Earlier this year, Ripple announced that Azimo, in partnership with Thailand’s Siam Commercial bank (SCB), began leveraging RippleNet to launch instant cross-border payments from Europe to Thailand.
Ripple has offices in San Francisco, Washington D.C., New York, London, Mumbai, Singapore, São Paulo, Reykjavik and Dubai, and counts more than 300 customers around the world. The company’s payments network operates in 45+ countries across six continents. Ripple was founded in 2012 and has since amassed $294 million across 13 rounds of funding. Chris Larsen is founder and CEO.
Credit Sesame made the move to acquire STACK, a Canada-based challenger bank, today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The announcement comes three months after Credit Sesame unveiledSesame Cash, a digital bank account powered by STACK. After a successful pilot in March, Credit Sesame began a widespread rollout of Sesame Cash in mid-May. Since then, the company has onboarded more than 200,000 users to the new service. Now, as Credit Sesame reports, “the demand continues to surge with thousands of new accounts per day…”
Today’s acquisition will also help Credit Sesame expand geographically. The company’s financial management services will be available within STACK’s platform. The move into Canada marks Credit Sesame’s first step toward international expansion.
“Together with STACK, we are combining the power of smart banking and AI-driven credit management to create a new kind of personal finance,” said Credit Sesame CEO and Founder Adrian Nazari. “How much cash you have, and how and when you use your cash, have a big impact on your credit. Adding cash management to our credit platform was a natural next step to better help consumers manage their overall financial health, and it creates a unique benefit for our consumers and financial partners.”
The Sesame Cash account is aimed at underserved users and individuals living paycheck-to-paycheck. Some of the features include free daily credit score refreshes, cash rewards for improving credit, early payday, and real-time transaction notifications. The account comes with a Mastercard debit card that offers Mastercard Zero Liability protection, direct deposit, the ability to freeze or unfreeze the debit card in-app, and more.
Credit Sesame, which most recently demoed at FinovateSpring 2015, plans to launch more features, including a smart billpay service, transaction roundups to save or pay down debt, rewards programs, and credit-building opportunities. The company plans to reveal these offerings “over the next few months.”
Former STACK CEO Miro Pavletic is now Credit Sesame’s General Manager of Canadian and International Business. STACK’s former COO Nicolas Dinh and former CPO Ranjit Sarai have transitioned to serve within Credit Sesame’s banking services. STACK’s Canada-based employees will work out of Toronto, Canada-based STACK offices.
I feel the need to start this piece with a disclaimer: Racial bias and gender bias are two completely different issues. Both women and people of color, however, face stereotypes and suffer from wage discrimination. And though the battles are different, some of the tools used in the fight are the same.
While both women in fintech and ethnic diversity in fintech efforts have been around for half a decade, the women in fintech crusade has managed to gain a fair amount of momentum. There are now hundreds of passionate activists that promote women in fintech.
Even though the tech industry as a whole has a long way to go to achieve gender equality, the truth is that we have even further to go until we reach parity for black and brown workers. The following graph from Information is Beautiful shows the employee breakdown by ethnicity and gender at top tech companies in 2017.
The message is that the technology community has a lot of work to do. Each of us– not only as companies, but also as individuals– has a responsibility to take concrete action to help elevate ethnic diversity within our industry.
The movement to promote women has already begun to successfully create change and growth in the fintech industry. Here are a few things that are working for gender diversity that we can use to further promote ethnic diversity.
Organized member associations
While it can be difficult to know where to start, perhaps begin with a simple action such as following more black and brown voices on social media to hear perspectives you might not otherwise hear. You can also become a member of an existing organization, such as Blacks in Technology, or simply donate to the cause. Small actions will add up and change begins with individuals.
Facebook-owned messaging giant WhatsApp announced today that users in Brazil can now send payments within its app.
The digital payments capabilities, powered by Facebook Pay, will allow users to send P2P payments to friends for no fee. The app also facilitates payments between WhatsApp users and businesses, but charges the business a 3.99% transaction fee.
With 120 million monthly active WhatsApp users, Brazil seems to have cut in line in front of India, which counts 400 million monthly active WhatsApp users, for the payments service. However, according to TechCrunch, WhatsApp has had difficulty sorting through regulations in India.
In the way of security, WhatsApp requires a 6-digit PIN or fingerprint to authenticate transactions. WhatsApp is working with Banco do Brasil, Nubank, and Sicredi to accept Visa and Mastercard debit or credit cards. Latin America’s largest payment systems company, Cielo, was chosen to be the payments processor.
There is no word on further international expansion for WhatsApp’s in-app payment capabilities.
CNBC reported today that Quicken Loans is planning to go public this year. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and JPMorgan are helping manage the deal.
Founded in 1985 by Dan Gilbert, Quicken Loans has risen to the ranks of the largest mortgage lender in the U.S. It’s unclear what the company will be priced. However, as CNN explained, “The targeted valuation is still being decided, but it is likely in the tens of billions of dollars… That would imply a multi-billion-dollar IPO, one of the largest – if not the largest – this year.”
The spike in mortgage refinances has been beneficial to the Michigan-based company. In April, Quicken Loans experienced the biggest month in its history, closing $21 billion in mortgages.
There is no official word on when (or if) the IPO will take place, but CNBC reports the offering could take place as early as next month.
In some parts of the globe, cities are slowly relaxing their social distancing guidelines. Businesses are beginning to open up and residents are once again venturing out to offices and into storefronts.
Some tech companies have made the move to become remote-first, keeping employees out of physical offices for the foreseeable future. Banks, however, face regulatory scrutiny over communication and documentation, and can’t allow their employees to work from home as easily.
So as many begin to let their guard down, where do a bank’s responsibilities lie in regard to maintaining a safe, virus-free work environment and branch location?
As with everything, the buck stops with the banks’ leadership. They are responsible for not only heeding guidelines from their local and federal governments, but also for understanding concerns of their customers and employees. To answer the question in the title, no, banks don’t necessarily need a chief medical officer. They do, however, need to appoint a person or a group responsible for creating safety measures around their branch and workplace.
The first step in doing this (aside from abiding by governmental guidelines) is to listen to the concerns of customers and of employees. While some may be ready to show up to the office or branch with minimum precaution, others may request increased social distancing in the office and curbside services at the branch.
Listening to these concerns will offer a clearer picture of next steps and a timeline. Options include offering individual cubicles separated by plexiglass, monitoring employee temperatures, increasing cleaning frequency to once-a-day, limiting the number of employees in the office and rotating work-from-home schedules, limiting customer numbers in the branch, requiring face masks, increasing sick leave for employees, etc.
If a requirement such as taking temperatures at the door arises that no one on the team feels comfortable with, hire an outside medical specialist. And if all of the new protocols seem completely overwhelming, banks should consider bringing on a consultant to help with things like deep cleaning protocols, updated health and safety plans, and emergency response plans.
Would it hurt to hire a Chief Medical Officer? Certainly not. But by listening to employees and clients and applying some creativity, banks can come up with a workable solution that helps both employees and customers feel safe.
Symbiotic relationships, like the way bees help flowers pollinate while harvesting nectar to feed their colonies, can be found all over nature. They are also quite common in fintech.
The latest example of fintech symbiosis is today’s partnership between Amazon and Goldman Sachs. CNN reported this morning that Amazon revealed a lending program for U.S.-based small businesses that sell on its platform.
Goldman’s Marcus will offer revolving credit lines of up to $1 million. The loans will carry an annual interest rate of 6.99% to 20.99%. Minimum payments are due on a two-week cycle and if borrowers don’t use at least 30% of the funds, they are charged a maintenance fee.
Interestingly, the new offering will compete with Amazon’s existing small business lending product, which it launched with Bank of America in early 2018. According to CNN, last year Amazon loaned more than $1 billion to 14,000 sellers.
Goldman, which will service the lines of credit, will underwrite the loans using merchant data collected by Amazon (if the seller agrees to share their data). As CNN pointed out, this is a rare move by Amazon, which, “has kept a tight rein on its small business lending program, using algorithms and closely guarded sales data to determine who could use a loan.”
The data sharing doesn’t extend past lending opportunities, however. Goldman will only use seller data for lines of credit and will not use it to cross-sell other products or services. Additionally, Amazon won’t be able to access the data that Goldman collects from prospective borrowers.
The move makes Amazon the latest third party on Goldman’s list of partners for its Marcus brand, which caters to a younger and generally less wealthy client base. Furthermore, the partnership accelerates the bank’s mission to make Marcus a banking-as-a-service provider for third parties. Marcus’ existing partners include Apple, JetBlue, Intuit, and AARP.
The following is a guest post by Jake Rheude, Vice President of Marketing for order fulfillment companyRed Stag Fulfillment.
Fintech has dramatically shifted the way people and enterprises use and move money, and that’s increasingly impacting the world of ecommerce. While logistics is typically thought of a sloth when it comes to adopting innovative technologies, fintech may be a unique case because of the savings it generates, protection it offers, and where demands for adoption come from now.
The landscape is changing, and ecommerce is shifting in significant ways that are important to learn. If you’re in fintech, here are some major opportunities for your next solution.
Validation and KYC compliance
There’s a growing call for ecommerce brands and marketplaces to start focusing on better know your customer (KYC) compliance and services. Online payment fraud continues to rise and the European Payments Council notes that threats are demonstrating a greater degree of professionalism of cybercriminals.
Ecommerce companies are tantalizing targets as they grow larger or when it’s discovered that they lack significant security measures. KYC validation provides a very early deterrent by help collect and verify specific user information — from face IDs and credit card numbers to requirements to use only a verified current address.
It’s a security measure that ecommerce companies are happy to adopt. The lane for fintechs to work here is facilitating KYC programs (and even related AML regulatory checks) within their offering. In a growing number of cases, KYC is baked into fintech solutions, easing the burden on ecommerce and providing greater protection while also making it more of an industry standard.
Stores are looking beyond borders
Ecommerce makes more goods available to more people, regardless of where the company or the customer are. Early fintech helped establish the pathway that ecommerce-focused solutions are taking now.
SWIFT gpi (global payments initiative) made it easier for banks to manage and trace these payments. In early 2019, SWIFT announced a specific gpi link for ecommerce that included plans to use R3’s blockchain technology.
While much of the focus is on support bank payments and activities, this shift provides a unique opportunity for large ecommerce brands as well as those near country borders. When this or similar platforms become available, a company may not need a presence in another country to expand its reach there. Fast, affordable payment management could make it easier for ecommerce companies to work with a variety of payment providers for both their interactions with customers as well as supply chain partners.
One of the more exciting fintech innovations for ecommerce companies is coming to stores near you. A well-known example comes from the Oxxo convenience stores in Mexico. More than half of Mexico’s shopping population lack bank accounts, but they still want to shop online. So, they make a purchase from select online merchants and then go to their nearby Oxxo store and pay for the products they selected. Someone who only has physical cash and no bank account is able to buy goods only sold online.
It’s a “low-tech” solution that takes innovative fintechs to pursue. It’s also an extremely rich opportunity. According to 2017 data, there are about 1.7 billion unbanked adults in the world. There’s a good chance, however, that this group overlaps with the ever-growing number of Internet users (about 4.54 billion as of January 2020).
We know about two-thirds own a phone, so as these consumers shift to smartphones and gain access, there’s a big place for fintechs to support ecommerce growth.
Better behind-the-scenes payments
Ecommerce relies heavily on the logistics sector and these both interest with fintech at multiple locations for every sale. The problem with all the financial movement of payments, insurance, product handoffs, etc., is that there’s a lot of opportunity for receipts and bills to go missing. Sometimes it is accidental, other times fraud.
Fintech services that aim to automate payment processing during handoffs can protect everyone. This potential is growing with the adoption of more supply chain DLT offers. Ecommerce companies are part of this when their fulfillment partners, suppliers, and manufacturers join such blockchains.
This cost-reduction and risk mitigation is often felt most by the carrier. The move into ecommerce is likely going to be driven by these carriers and logistics partners.
APIs will shape the future
In many emerging fintechs, as well as regtech (regulatory technology), the API dominates the way information is collected, used, shared, and reported. They simplify the way banks and fintechs interact with each other as well as how ecommerce companies manage payments and budgets.
Today, API use is somewhat limited, and most ecommerce merchants won’t think much about it beyond if a payment API integrates with their platform or not. However, this is likely the area of most impact for our future, even if we can’t see what that will be. It’s likely to be beyond simply moving to the cloud.
One possibility will be their ability to connect fintech and ecommerce companies in a way that customers don’t see a difference. Right now, if you shop on Amazon, you might get an offer like saving 10% by opening up an Amazon-branded credit card. API innovations could allow any ecommerce company, of any size, to offer the same based on user data.
Imagine instant (digital) point-of-sale consumer loans and financing, loyalty programs that work across merchant categories, mobile wallet integration, and more.
What might be the biggest fintech revolution, and one we hope to see, is easing ecommerce company requirements. Adopting a platform API might be all a company needs to do now to get continual access to the latest security updates and payment options when the fintechs that build these innovations join the API community.
APIs already run significant warehouse and fulfillment operations, meaning there’s a goldmine of data to be leveraged for everyone at the table, if fintechs make it easy for ecommerce companies.
Budgeting and financial comparison platform Status recently made a tweak to its business model. Company Founder and CEO Majd Maksad recently sent an email to users saying that the company launched a premium membership option.
The app will still offer free access but the premium membership unlocks advanced features and the ability to earn cash rewards for simply using the app. Interestingly, the premium membership will be income-based. Maksad explained, “The app remains free for everyone– but depending on your income, you may be asked to make a contribution to access the Premium features and rewards. You can choose your own contribution amount based on what you think is fair.”
Users can choose contribution levels ranging from $1 per month to $20 per month. However, if the user opts to contribute $1 or $2 per month, they receive a message saying, “A little goes a long way. Please consider contributing $3 or more.”
The premium option unlocks most of the features users were previously enjoying for free. In the screenshot below, the yellow locks in the sidebar show the features behind the paywall.
Status noted that it didn’t take lightly the decision to add a fee. However, the company said that the additional revenue is “crucial” for it to develop new features. “Any contribution you choose to make will also help us continue serving lower income members for free,” Maksad added.
Status’ main business model relies on referral partnerships with companies including Airbnb, AllState, Liberty Mutual, Betterment, VSP, and Haven Life. However, with the VC funding forecast looking bleak, the company probably realized it needed an alternative way to generate capital in order to stay afloat and invest more into the product.
Not that we didn’t see it coming, but the National Bureau of Economic Research officially declared yesterday that the U.S. entered into a recession in February.
With the market volatility over the past few months, many investors have attempted to assess how the changes will impact their retirement plans. Seeing the need to offer peace amid uncertainty, Personal Capital made a move last month to help investors prepare their portfolios for the worst.
The company added a new tool, Recession Simulator, to its dashboard. The feature helps its U.S. users illustrate the effects that historical recessions would have on their portfolio. Currently the Recession Simulator allows users to mimic returns of the DotCom crash of 2000 and the Financial Crisis of 2008.
“With uncertainty around the market’s performance and overall economy, we want to continue to be a catalyst for providing individuals the necessary tools and insights to best position themselves to reach their financial goals under volatile market conditions,” said Personal Capital EVP for Advisory Service, Kyle Ryan.
The retirement dashboard also incorporates expected return and volatility, annual savings, income events, spending goals, retirement spending, social security, and tax rules for taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free investment accounts. My favorite aspect of Personal Capital’s retirement tool is that it allows users to generate different scenarios to simulate retirement income under multiple circumstances. It helps users to easily compare situations such as: What if there is a recession every 10 years? What if I sell my rental property at age 50? What if I pay for a child’s tuition?
The new Recession Simulator tool is the result of a company-wide hackathon, and according to Personal Capital’s recent survey, it comes at a good time. The survey found that around 40% of people indicating they were planning to retire within the next 10 years have decided to delay their retirement. It also uncovered that around 77% of the respondents who are at least 10 years away from retirement expressed some concern about COVID-19’s impact on their retirement goals.
A Finovate alum since 2011, Personal Capital has amassed $12.3 billion in assets under management since it was founded in 2009. The company has 24,000 investment clients across the U.S. and 2.5 million registered users of its free financial planning tools.


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Keeping vitamin D levels high in the body can assist in preventing and treating the metabolic syndrome, as well as improving the balance of good and bad bacteria in the intestine.
What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is the most common health disorder prevailing in more than 25% of the world's adult population. It is the key to chronic diseases like heart problems and diabetes. The major reason behind this health condition appears to be the deficiency in vitamin D and intake of diet rich in fats and carbohydrates.
The typical symptoms of metabolic syndrome consist of flabbiness on the waist, excess fat in the liver and presence of a minimum of two of the following three conditions: high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar levels.
Vitamin D Essential To Battle Metabolic Syndrome
A study conducted on mice by Yuan-Ping Han's group of researchers at Sichuan University in China reveals that by maintaining high levels of vitamin D, the metabolic syndrome can be prevented and treated effectively. The experiment done also confirmed that a fat-rich diet compromises the integrity of the intestinal bacteria, leading to a fatty liver and raised blood sugar levels.
According to Professor Stephen Pandol, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, USA, who worked in partnership with Han's group, similar to mice, humans taking vitamin D, either as a supplement or through sun exposure, can battle against metabolic syndrome.
"A sufficient dietary vitamin D supplement can partially but significantly antagonize metabolic syndrome caused by high fat diet in mice," said Pandol in a press release. "These are amounts equivalent to the dietary recommendations for humans."
The study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology concluded that diet high on fat disturbs the integrity of the good and bad bacteria in the intestine, leading to deposition of excess fat in the liver and faint raising of blood sugar intensity in mice. Moreover, an inadequate amount of vitamin D in the body intensifies the unevenness in the community of microorganisms living in the gut, resulting in excess fat in the liver and in metabolic syndrome.
Next Step Is Validating The Experiment On Humans
The study on mice confirms that deficiency of vitamin D hampers the production of defensins, the anti-microbial molecules necessary for maintaining the integrity of gut bacteria. Improving vitamin D levels by oral intake of artificial defensin not only improves the intestinal bacteria balance, but also regulates blood sugar levels and helps in the recovery of fatty liver.
After successfully testing the connection of vitamin D and metabolic syndrome in mice, the next step is authenticating the same theory in humans. Soon the inexpensive and viable options of fighting against the metabolic syndrome would merely be taking sunbaths or oral vitamin D administration.

domain: news


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Slinger Couples Great Plate Debuts On Food Network Tonight
A Slinger couple will make their pitch for their idea the Great Plate on a new show called Food Fortunes tonight on the Food Network. Rick Kellow and Beth Kuehl have been working on the idea since 2010. Beth says between them they have six children who can make a real mess when they are snacking or eating, which was the inspiration for their idea. They made it to the second round of interviews for Shark Tank last year, but weren’t selected. Beth says the investors on the Food Fortunes show aren’t as critical and a studio audience is polled on whether they’d like to buy the product. The re-useable plastic plate is designed to hold food and a beverage in one hand. It’s dishwasher and microwave safe. The Great Plate is made in West Bend, Wisconsin. It’s available in major stores including Menards and CVS Pharmacy. The Food Fortunes show airs tonight at 9 p.m. on the Food Network.


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It is likely to be a long, hot summer this year in Japan, made worse by an anticipated shortage of one little pleasure that makes the heat and humidity bearable - cold beer.
The nation's four major brewers say they may not be able to meet demand after many of their production facilities in northern and eastern Japan sustained damage in the March 11 earthquake and the subsequent tsunami.
That has been worsened by the loss of delivery vehicles and damage to the road and rail infrastructure needed to deliver the beer to consumers, in particular those worst affected by the natural disasters.
Production facilities operated by Sapporo Breweries in Miyagi and Chiba Prefecture were damaged in the quake, while critical equipment at the comany's plant in Sendai City was also rendered inoperable. The three sites provide the majority of the company's beer output for northeast Japan.
"We apologize for the inconvenience caused by suspending orders and shipments of some products," said Takao Murakami, president of the brewer's parent company, Sapporo Holdings Ltd.
Production of Asahi Breweries' top-selling beers has also been affected by the natural disasters, with the company's factories in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures damaged. A spokesman for the company said production of the nation's most popular beer - Asahi Super Dry - has been restarted in Ibaraki but only three of the six lines are operational and output has been therefore limited.
Unless repairs can be completed before the peak season for demand starts, then the firm estimates that shipments will be 30 percent lower than it would expect during the summer.
Similarly, Kirin Brewery anticipates a 20 percent fall in shipments as its key plants in Sendai City and Ibaraki Prefecture have reported damage to brewing equipment.
One month after the earthquake, there are already indications that deliveries are slowing down as shipments arriving in stores in some parts of Tokyo have fallen from six days a week to just three times weekly.
The earthquake has come at a bad time for Japanese brewers, which are already struggling with falling domestic demand.
Total shipments of beer and reduced-malt beers - which are cheaper as they benefit from lower government taxes - fell 2.8 percent in 2010 from the previous year. The 459.17 million cases that were shipped was a record low for the sixth straight year since comparable records were first kept in 1992.
Analysts blame the gradual decline in beer consumption in Japan on an aging population and weak demand among younger consumers, who have less money to spend on going out and a far wider array of drinking options than previous generations.
Yet as Japan tries to rebuild from what has been the worst natural disaster in living memory, there are plenty of people living and working in the disaster zone who would like nothing more than to be able to raise a cold glass of beer at the end of another tough working day.


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As the hacker group LulzSec continues to batter at Sony's cyber-gates, the company today announced the full restoration of its PlayStation Network.
The news comes as the company finally restored functionality to its Qriocity music service in all regions save Japan.
The service was initially closed after an as yet unidentified group of hackers mounted a successful cyber attack on its network in April. The attack left up to 100 million Sony users account and billing information compromised, forcing Sony to shut down the PSN and all its related services.
Seven weeks on, as the company finally restores full service to its network, Sony's troubles with cyber security have continued as the hacker collective LulzSec have mounted a continued campaign against it.
The attacks started late last month and saw the group attack both its sonypictures.com website and BMG music department. In both cases the group posted stolen files taken during the raids as proof of the attacks. Sony has since confirmed LulzSec's first attack on sonypictures.com as authentic.
In a statement posted on its website just after the first attack the group cited Sony's handling of the PSN crisis and continuing weak security as its motivation for the hack.
"Our goal here is not to come across as master hackers, hence what we're about to reveal: SonyPictures.com was owned by a very simple SQL injection, one of the most primitive and common vulnerabilities, as we should all know by now.
"From a single injection, we accessed EVERYTHING. Why do you put such faith in a company that allows itself to become open to these simple attacks?"
The post continued, "What's worse is that every bit of data we took wasn't encrypted. Sony stored over 1,000,000 passwords of its customers in plaintext, which means it's just a matter of taking it. This is disgraceful and insecure: they were asking for it."
In its latest attack on BMG the group reiterated this sentiment posting, "We've recently bought a copy of this great new game called 'Hackers vs Sony,' but we're unable to play it online due to [PlayStation Network] being obliterated.
"So we decided to play offline mode for a while and got quite a few trophies. Our latest goal is 'Hack Sony 5 Times,' so please find enclosed our 5th Sony hack.
"ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: HACK SONY 6 TIMES! Oh damn, we just did it again, please also find enclosed internal network maps of Sony BMG".
Whether the fact that Sony has finally restored full service to its PSN will deter LulzSec from mounting similar future attacks on the company's networks remains to be seen.


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Coca-Cola Amatil has appointed a new managing director for the Oceania area. George Adams will be based at the company’s New Zealand headquarters in Auckland and will manage the New Zealand and Fijian operations.
Previous positions held by Adams include finance director for British Telecom Northern Ireland, and financial controller for BT Regions. Prior to joining BT, he was part of Coca-Cola’s European operations for 10 years, holding senior management roles with Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland and Coca-Cola Bottlers (Ulster). He also spent four years as group finance director with Molino Beverages Holding, a division of Coca-Cola bottler Hellenic Bottling Co.
He was appointed chief information officer when Hellenic Bottling merged with Coca-Cola Beverages to form Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co, the world’s second-largest Coca-Cola bottler.


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100.26 0.00 (0.00%)
After hours: 4:45PM EDT
|Bid||97.00 x 400|
|Ask||107.09 x 100|
|Day's Range||99.95 - 101.39|
|52 Week Range||72.95 - 108.23|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||28.96|
|Earnings Date||Apr 25, 2018|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||1.60 (1.61%)|
|1y Target Est||113.93|
Feb.27 -- Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke discusses the telecom industry and the company’s performance. He speaks from the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona on "Bloomberg Daybreak: Europe." (Corrects spelling of guest's company name in headline.)
TE Connectivity Ltd (NYSE: TEL ) is well positioned to continue benefiting from content gain opportunities in the auto market and management has done a good job in increasing its exposure to hyper scale ...
TE Connectivity Ltd (NYSE:TEL) saw significant share price volatility over the past couple of months on the NYSE, rising to the highs of $105.75 and falling to the lows ofRead More...
The last change in the short interest score occurred more than 1 month ago and implies that there has been little change in sentiment among investors who seek to profit from falling equity prices. Index (PMI) data, output in the Consumer Goods sector is rising.
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland , April 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) will report financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2018 before trading begins on April 25, 2018 . ...
PLDT Inc. announces that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
TE Connectivity Ltd (NYSE:TEL) is trading with a trailing P/E of 28.5x, which is higher than the industry average of 21.8x. While TEL might seem like a stock to avoidRead More...
NEW YORK, March 27, 2018-- In new independent research reports released early this morning, Fundamental Markets released its latest key findings for all current investors, traders, and shareholders of ...
March 12 (Reuters) - CIMB Group Holdings Bhd: * UNIT CIMB BANK PHILIPPINES INC. ENTERS PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS WITH CIS BAYAD CENTER INC. AND FINTQNOLOGIES CORP Source: http://bit.ly/2FAmr8K Further company ...
The Philippines plans to announce the winner of an auction to become the country's third telecoms player in June, as it seeks to improve services and break the lock PLDT Inc and Globe Telecom Inc have on the market. President Rodrigo Duterte has also opened up the auction for foreign firms to participate, albeit as a minority partner working with a domestic firm.
TE Connectivity (TEL) reported earnings 30 days ago. What's next for the stock? We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues.
This could indicate that investors who seek to profit from falling equity prices are not currently targeting TEL. Over the last one-month, outflows of investor capital in ETFs holding TEL totaled $2.76 billion.
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland and SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, and SnapEDA, the Internet's first parts library for circuit board design, are collaborating to make more than 25,000 new digital models available to electronics designers, helping them bring their products to market faster. Some components, such as connectors, are particularly challenging to create models for due to their non-standard shapes, pitches, pads and cutouts. With this new collaboration, designers can now download free printed circuit board (PCB) footprint and symbols for TE components instantly, saving them days of time so they can focus on product optimization and innovation.
Investors who want to cash in on TE Connectivity Ltd’s (NYSE:TEL) upcoming dividend of $0.4 per share have only 3 days left to buy the shares before its ex-dividend date,Read More...
Maxwell Technologies' (MXWL) high voltage revenues dropped 27.4% in Q4 while ultracapacitor revenues improved 63.6%, resulting in top-line growth.
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland , Feb. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, announced today that Chief Financial Officer Heath Mitts will present ...
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland, Feb. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TE Connectivity (TE) (TEL), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, has again been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies. "We are honored to once again be named an Ethisphere World's Most Ethical Company," said TE Connectivity CEO Terrence Curtin. Honorees for the World's Most Ethical Company designation have shown record levels of involvement with their stakeholders and in their communities.
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland , Feb. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) today announced that the $0.40 per share quarterly dividend for the second quarter of fiscal year 2018 will be ...
TE will highlight its recently expanded portfolio for minimally invasive, surgical, imaging and sensing solutions. BERWYN, Pa. , Feb. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL), a world leader ...
Stock Monitor: Amphenol Post Earnings Reporting LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 26, 2018 / Active-Investors.com has just released a free earnings report on TE Connectivity Ltd (NYSE: TEL ). If you want ...


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Cannabis Global Inc. is a company that’s audited by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The company has many in the hemp industry excited since it’s considered to be one of the main driving forces behind the production of hemp-infused products. The company has been recognized for its production of hemp products and its commitment to cannabinoid science and infusion technologies. The actions that have been taken by the company have been welcomed by many experts in the hemp industry.
While the company doesn’t produce or distribute, it has, however, been busy growing its portfolio of products and has previously filed for up to six patents in cannabinoid delivery systems and nanoparticles.
Cannabis Global has recently announced of their new product line with the live launch of “Hemp You Can Feel,” the company’s cocktail mixers, which have been infused with the goodness of hemp. These new alcohol substitute mixers have been formulated using premium quality ingredients, and the company has taken steps to ensure that industry best practices have been maintained to ensure the high quality of their new products.
With this product, the company has set a new standard when it comes to ensuring product safety in the hemp food and beverage industry.
Hemp You Can Feel alcohol substitute mixers will be available for consumers online where the product can also be purchased in bulk for wholesale distribution purposes. What these new alcohol alternative mixers offer users is an experience that is surprisingly at par with the light alcohol consumption that many people experience. But, what sets Hemp You Can Feel alcohol substitute mixers apart from regular alcohol is that it does not come with any of the common side effects that are associated with alcohol consumption. This means that anybody can now enjoy the delicious flavor of alcohol without any of its uncomfortable side effects.
With this new product, the company has set a new standard when it comes to ensuring product safety in the hemp food and beverage industry. Currently, the cocktail mixer, which is a safe alternative to alcohol. The product line up features Skinny Classic Cosmopolitan, Hibiscus Mint Lemon Mixer, and Margarita Jalapeno. All of these products are just a few of the multiple additional hemp-based flavors that the company is preparing to roll out soon.
The alcohol-free cocktail mixers have been created using a highly advanced formula and are based on honeybees and the company’s patented all-natural formula. This is what the company relies on to prepare its cocktail mixers. This is also one of the reasons why this product is the first of its kind in the market. Since the product is prepared using a process that can only be provided by nature, it’s completely all-natural and without any side effects that are associated with alcohol.


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Welcome! In this article, we are going to talk about some of the things in FinTech that we think are going to blow up in 2018.
Software and Financial Products coming together
One thing that we believe will be seen this year is the advancement of payment solutions, in a sense that they will be developed with additional valuable tools (think analytics, scheduling etc). Beyond that, think of the potential for a FinTech personal wealth management tool that can pay your bills, manage your bank account and process transactions instantly. This could well come as a result of PSD2 directive and banks working with APIs to improve the consumer and business banking experience.
Here at Turing Technology, we are fully invested and developing our knowledge and expertise into artificial intelligence and machine learning. We believe that these ideas will continue to revolutionise all sorts of industries, with financial services being one of those that will experience the biggest transformation.
The banking experience will be improved by AI, due to the ability to tailor the experience to each individual customer based on their interactions with the system. The banking industry is now heavily invested in chatbots, which will help to automate the customer care process.
FinTech solutions in the developing world
In Zimbabwe, with a hyperinflating economy, digital payments via cryptocurrency (a FinTech evolution agent) have become the norm, with 96% of all transactions coming in the form of electronic money. Retail banking has gone downhill, with the banks being mostly empty, which is a trend we expect to see in much of the developing world.
Countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, faced with economic difficulties, are creating and adopting revolutionary FinTech ideas quicker than many developed nations.
Blockchain and Crypto
Adoption of crypto and blockchain FinTech could accelerate at an unprecedented rate in 2018, though recent barriers from Facebook, Twitter and Google may impede this. It’s a fact that there will be a huge effort to create state-regulated cryptocurrencies to replace traditional currencies. There are the first attempts from Venezuela, ‘Petra’, as well as Japan’s ‘Crypto-yen’, and China’s huge investments in NEO and WeChain, suggesting they also wish to transition towards more blockchain infrastructure. These efforts do not implicate a rise in the price of Bitcoin, it only suggests that the banking and payment worlds are evolving. The UN are openly working on more than 17 different projects using crypto.
We expect that retailers will be some of the most notable investors in the movement, with sites like Amazon expected to adopt a crypto payment processor of some kind (Expedia, Shopify and Overstock have already got on board).
Online advice for what to do with your money can come in many different forms, but the overall improvement of this service (likely hand in hand with AI) is a trend we imagine will happen in 2018. We believe the apps will become more intuitive, planning will become easier, diversification of investments will be more easily facilitated, intelligent tax payments will help lower charges, and strategies based on the data available will be clearer.
Personal wealth management
FinTech in 2018 will address personal wealth management tools and applications with a mission-based philosophy that aims to solve pain points and improve customer experiences. Simple, right? In theory, if financial services can integrate solutions into their customer and client experience, they are going to add value throughout the chain, and that’s what FinTech companies in the sector want to do.
One way this can be done is through robo-advisors, who can organise portfolio allocation, based on risk scores, with account rebalancing, using various automated approaches will allow users to get an around-the-clock experience that is scalable, cheaper and arguably with better results.
In this industry, it’s about customer experience first, technology second.
Well, there you have it, some of 2018’s FinTech trends that will shape various industries and allow the financial revolution to continue to flourish.


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Tesla has thrilled some investors and jarred others by soaring to a valuation of as much as $649 billion, more than what the world’s seven largest automakers were collectively worth at the beginning of this year. The company is now comfortably in a category by itself, defying even CEO Elon Musk’s warnings.
“I actually said the stock is too high a long time ago,” Musk said at the start of December. “But they didn’t listen to me.”
For startups aiming to mimic Musk’s success and for traditional automakers struggling to disrupt themselves, most lingering doubts about future demand for electric vehicles have dissipated. Thanks in large part to the Tesla phenomenon, a consensus has emerged that they are undeniably the future.
“What you’ve had is a greater realization of the inevitability” of EVs, said Michael Pye, an investment manager at Baillie Gifford, which oversees about $370 billion and is one of the biggest shareholders of both Tesla and China-based EV maker Nio. Ten years from now, “it’s likely we’ll look back on this as the electric decade.”
Tesla alone has not brought the world to this point. A mix of stricter regulations against internal-combustion cars, increased support for plug-in vehicle purchases, improvements in technology and benefits of scale have led more consumers to embrace electrics. Still, two big questions remain: Can any other startup meaningfully replicate Tesla’s success? And will the EV market grow quickly enough to support both incumbents and startups?
“A reason all the current frothy action is happening is no one wants to miss the next Tesla,” said Jeff Chamberlain, CEO of Volta Energy Technologies, a Chicago-area fund that focuses on energy investments. “The question is, which one is the next Tesla?”
Musk himself has described Tesla as having been “in mortal danger” before only recently pulling off a combination of high-volume manufacturing and cash generation. The time it took the 17-year-old company to get there suggests a high risk of failure for newer entrants trying to catch up.
That risk is giving prominent investors who doubted Tesla a shot at redemption. Famed short seller Jim Chanos, who has had a “painful” year wagering against Musk, is betting that Nikola and other EV companies riding Tesla’s coattails are overvalued.
“I would tell investors, if you’re in a hot area, be careful, because that’s an area in which promoters will try to foist off not only unprofitable but fraudulent businesses,” Chanos told Bloomberg Television.
The dramatic rise and fall of Nikola over just a few months was this year’s cautionary tale. The company founded by entrepreneur Trevor Milton set out to transform the trucking industry by replacing the diesels in big rigs with batteries and fuel cells. It also said it would build a hydrogen-station network and charge customers upfront for refueling.
In June, Nikola went public by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, led by a former vice chairman of General Motors. Optimism that the infusion of cash would help the startup begin to produce trucks briefly sent its valuation soaring past Ford’s. The stock collapsed by September after a short seller claimed Nikola had deceived investors about its technology; the company has denied this. Regulators opened investigations, and Milton left the company.
Nikola’s breakdown hasn’t deterred other SPACs. The so-called blank-check firms have raised $70 billion in 2020 — a fivefold increase from 2019 — and at least 15 EV companies have been taken public or have listings pending. Those that already made their debut include Lordstown Motors, which has said it will begin producing its Endurance electric pickup in September 2021, and Fisker, whose Ocean SUV is planned for 2022.
“I have had very credible people, with very large sums of money, DM me on Twitter to see if we’d be interested in working with their SPAC,” said Gene Berdichevsky, CEO of Sila Nanotechnologies, a California-based battery company, and ex-Tesla engineer. The blank-check company board member who messaged him reached out in early October, after Nikola’s implosion.
Tesla shares started their meteoric rise in late 2019, when Musk proved he could not only dominate the nascent EV market but also make a small amount of money in the process. The company got on a roll by accelerating production of Model 3 sedans in China and Model Y crossovers in California and has now recorded five consecutive quarterly profits.
Companies getting in on the coinciding EV stock-buying bonanza include XPeng, the Guangzhou-based company co-founded by He Xiaopeng, the billionaire behind one of China’s most popular mobile browsers. Within three months after its U.S. listing in August, the stock almost quintupled.


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On July 15, 2016, at or about 7:23 a.m., Camp Hill Police Department did respond to an EMS call at the Camp Hill Shopping Center Parking Lot for an unresponsive person. Through investigation it was learned that the suspect did take illegal medication and drove his motorcycle to the parking lot. Driving Under the Influence charges were filed on a 26 year old male with a Harrisburg address.
On July 15, 2016, at or about 11:00 a.m., Camp Hill Police Department received a call from Giant Food Store at the Camp Hill Shopping Center for a retail theft. Investigation resulted in Retail Theft charges being filed on a 59 year old female with no permanent address.


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This week, gamers noticed that several games with online play that hinge on GameSpy Technology’s middleware had their online support shut down without any sort of notice from any of the parties involved.
In April of this year, GameSpy Technologies was purchased from IGN for just under $3 million by GLU Mobile. The new owners, it would seem, had it on their agenda to do a bit of spring cleaning–but the situation ended up being more complicated than that.
One of the many games that utilize GameSpy Technologies’ middlware is Sniper Elite from developer Rebellion. Along with Microsoft Flight Simulator X, Star Wars: Battlefront, and more, Sniper Elite had its online functionality switched off.
Speaking to PCGamesN, Rebellion co-founder Jason Kingsley said that his studio was just as surprised as the fans when it happened.
“First we heard of anything were some irate fans getting annoyed with us about the original Sniper Elite multiplayer servers being down, and I mean very annoyed,” Kingsley said. “We looked into it and found out there was no technical issue, the servers had just been switched off.”
In another post on the Sniper Elite V2 forums, Rebellion said that the firm reached out to GameSpy Technologies’ new owners, and were told that in order to bring the servers back online they would have to pay much more than they were paying before.
“We have been informed that in order to do so would cost us tens of thousands of pounds a year – far in excess of how much we were paying previously,” Rebellion wrote.
“We also do not have the option to take the multiplayer to a different provider. Because the game relies on Glu and Gamespy’s middleware, the entire multiplayer aspect of the game would have to be redeveloped by us, again, at the cost of many tens of thousands of pounds.”
The company’s new owners, GLU Mobile, tell a different tale. In a post on GameSpy Technologies’ Facebook page, the company said that the servers were shut down because their bills had not been paid–some of them went unpaid for years, even.
“GameSpy Technologies has continued to provide months, and in some cases years, of service support for free,” the company wrote. “However we cannot be expected to provide a service free of charge to publishers who choose not to renew their service agreements and in some cases remain delinquent in delivering payment for past services.”
GameSpy, the editorial site which is still owned by IGN, tried to distance itself from the situation in a post on their website, and offered some additional clarification on the matter by way of a statement from GameSpy Technologies. The site was reportedly told that, despite what was previously reported, GameSpy Technologies’ rates have not been increased for over five years.


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South Korean Phone Maker Pantech Files Bankruptcy in U.S.Dawn McCarty
Pantech Co., the South Korean maker of mobile devices that’s facing fierce competition from Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and Apple Inc., sought bankruptcy protection in the U.S. as it seeks to reorganize at home.
The company, incorporated in Seoul, listed debt of as much as $1 billion and assets of as much as $500 million in a filing yesterday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Atlanta. Chapter 15 protects foreign companies from U.S. lawsuits and creditor claims while they reorganize abroad.
Pantech asked the U.S. court to recognize the proceeding pending before the Seoul Central District, Third Bankruptcy Division as its “foreign main proceeding.” The company’s creditors agreed to put the company up for sale.
Sales “dropped due to intensifying competition among mobile device manufacturers and market saturation since 2012, and the dramatic drop of domestic sales due to business suspension imposed by Korea Communications Commission to the mobile carriers in March 2014 led to significant strain on cash flow,” Pantech Chief Executive Officer Joonwoo Lee said in court papers.
The company, established in 1991, engaged in mobile-phone manufacturing and sales. It went through a five-year debt restructuring in Korea and was released in December 2011.
The company in March submitted a debt workout plan to its creditors, and a receivership program was started in August. Nine lenders agreed to the plan.
Creditors include KDB, Woori Bank, Nonghyup Bank, Shinhan Bank, Daegu Bank, Hana Bank, Kookmin Bank, Export Import Bank of Korea, Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, according to a March e-mailed statement.
There are a total of 14 pending U.S. patent lawsuits against Pantech in Texas, California, Delaware and Florida, court papers show.
The case is In re Pantech Co. Ltd, 14-70482, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta).


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Last Friday, AT&T started to notify AT&T TV NOW customers of a price hike that would take effect on November 19th, 2019. AT&T TV NOW PLUS/MAX customers will see a $15 a month price hike, and grandfathered customers will see a $10 price hike.
As of today, it seems that this price hike announcement is not without some issues. Some AT&T TV NOW customers are seeing a $10 decrease, and others are seeing their bills go up by $25 a month. Even more, customers are reporting that their $25 grandfathered Go Big discount for being an early subscriber has vanished.
According to AT&T PR, the official price hikes will be $15 on MAX and Plus, along with $10 on all other plans. According to AT&T support customers who are seeing a $10 decrease or a $25 price hike are seeing these messages in error. AT&T is reportedly working to fix these billing issues but for now, many customers are seeing incorrect pricing in their AT&T accounts.
Sadly to make things even more confusing is that AT&T did not email all AT&T TV NOW customers at the same time. This new price hike takes effect on November 19th, 2019. Customers will see the price hike happen on their next bill after that date. AT&T is emailing customers 30 days before that price change takes effect, so if your next bill after that date is not until sometime in December, you may not get an email notification for weeks yet. This has lead to confusion as some customers are seeing news reports about the price hike before AT&T contacts them about the change to their bill.
Sadly this is not the first time something like this has happened. Over the last year, AT&T has repeatedly emailed incorrect billing information to AT&T TV NOW customers.
If you believe you are being overcharged or are losing your $25 Go Big grandfathered rate, you need to contact AT&T customer service. Sadly AT&T does not offer phone support to AT&T TV NOW customers, so you will need to use the chat feature or send in an email.
Do you think you are being overcharged or under changed by AT&T? Leave us a comment and let us know.


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If there are no delays, southwest San Clemente’s 48-year-old grocery store will close Christmas Eve for a nearly 9,000-square-foot expansion that will turn it into a Ralphs Fresh Fare.
The new 28,322-square-foot store could open by middle to late August at 903 S. El Camino Real with architecture that James Smithson, regional construction manager for Kroger, Ralphs’ parent company, said would make it the premier Ralphs building in Southern California.
San Clemente planning commissioners voted 6-0 on Tuesday night to support a package of design modifications to bring the project within Ralphs’ budget. Closure of the existing store and construction on the new one were to have begun in September, but bids came in too high, the company said.
The Planning Commission supported most of what Ralphs requested – for example, a copper dome instead of a ceramic-tile dome, and a reduction from five tile murals to three along the side of the building facing El Camino Real. In all, there are nearly a dozen design changes.
On one request that wasn’t granted, the city directed Ralphs to use replica Ole Hanson tiles for a sidewalk in front of the store. Those tiles look like the original Spanish tiles Hanson used to line the streets when he founded San Clemente in 1925. Ralphs had wanted to use less-expensive interlocking tile pavers but said it is OK with the city’s insistence on Hanson-style tiles, said Sean Nicholas, project planner for the city.
The Planning Commission’s Design Review Subcommittee deliberated the design changes in consultation with Ralphs before sending the package to the full commission.
‘A STELLAR DESIGN’
“Ralphs has been an exemplary applicant,” said Commissioner Michael Kaupp, a member of the review team. “They came in with a stellar design before we had any input on it. And the minimal input we gave them, they were very anxious to accommodate.”
Kaupp said it was unfortunate that some of the design features in the original plan caused it to go over budget, but he was pleased with the outcome. “The level of cuts that we experienced were really fairly minimal,” he said, “and the integrity of the project is really intact.”
A DIFFERENCE MAKER
Commissioner Julia Darden, who lives in the southwest coastal section of San Clemente served by the existing 19,500-square-foot Ralphs, told Ralphs representatives that the new store will make a big difference in that part of town.
“This project has the ability to impact this area of town more than any project we’ve seen in a number of years and any project we will see in a number of years,” she said, “both from an architectural standpoint and from a usefulness standpoint. Those of us who live in the area are thrilled that we’re going to be getting this new store. Thank you.”
This Ralphs is the only chain grocery store on the west side of I-5 in San Clemente, a city of 63,000 people. During the closure, the store’s regular customers will have to drive across town and across I-5 if they want to patronize another chain food store.
San Clemente has seven chain grocery stores inland of I-5. One is a grocery section in a 142,000-square-foot Target store that opened in October at 990 Avenida Vista Hermosa.
Another new food store is Hanson’s Market, a locally owned 4,500-square-foot natural-foods store and deli at 415 Avenida Pico, just west of I-5.
Contact the writer: email@example.com or 949-492-5127


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THIS is the chilling moment when the ‘crazy’ solicitor injected food into Sainsbury’s with his own BLOOD during a £500,000 rampage.
Leoaai Elgharib, 37, wandered into two other shops on Fulham Palace Road in London with a bucket full of hypodermic needles while injecting groceries, including Tikka chicken.
The lawyer also threw a syringe at the doctor, but luckily it bounced off her without causing injury.
Three supermarkets – Sainsbury’s Local, Tesco Express and Little Waitrose – were forced to throw away all their groceries as a precautionary measure, resulting in nearly £500,000 in losses.
There is no doubt that Elgharib committed crimes, and his defense is that he was legally insane at the time he committed these acts.
He denied three counts of contaminating goods and two counts of assault, and the Iselworth Crown Court jury was sent earlier today to review their verdicts by Judge Alistair Hammerton.
On the evening of 25 August last year, Elgharib attacked Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and then Tesco.
CCTV footage shown in court shows Elgaryb entering Sainsbury wearing distinctive Nike shorts and an American football-themed T-shirt.
He can be seen striding towards the prepared food aisle before abruptly piercing the food with a syringe.
He then moves on to the next section, inspecting the products while holding what looks like another syringe in his mouth before injecting the second product.
Elgharib is also accused of assaulting Dr. Megana Kulkarni when he threw a needle at her and pushed guard Bilal Ansari in the chest while yelling “You are all nasty people and Sainsbury’s is nasty.”
Dr. Bradley Hillier, a consultant forensic psychiatrist, told the court that Elgharib was “severely psychotic” at the time and could not understand that his actions were “legally and morally wrong”.
He said, “He didn’t think straight.
“He was in a situation where he tried to avoid the value that psychosis created for him.
“He was so burdened and tortured, that’s the word he used.”
Elgharib of Crabtree Lane, Fulham, denies three counts of contaminating goods and two counts of assault by reason of insanity.
The jury is now delivering their verdict.


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YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- The 374th Maintenance Squadron (MXS) electrical and environmental shop performed the first ever patch repair on a CV-22 Osprey spinner panel in the entire Department of Defense, from March 31 to April 6.
The shop fixed six panels, specifically patching a heater blanket that de-ices CV-22s. This repair helped save the Air Force approximately $150,000.
“This was a huge deal for us because it was the first-time our shop performed the repair, but it was also the first DoD wide,” said Staff Sgt. Cameron Lachney, 374th MXS electrical and environmental systems craftsman. “We were also able to showcase our amazing soldering skills.”
To perform this task, the electrical and environmental shop had to sand down a panel until they reached the copper heat source. They then cleaned and patched any damaged segments, before getting a fiberglass cover and repainting it.
“It’s amazing that I get to learn these new skills,” said Senior Airman Sarah O’Shea, 374th MXS electrical and environmental systems journeyman. “I feel like I’m making a really big difference. Knowing that this part will go back on a CV-22 and will work perfectly is like the ultimate cherry on top."
With this being the first ever patch, the work the electrical and environmental shop completed could have a huge impact across the DoD.


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Coffee May Combat High Blood Pressure
Chemicals in Coffee Appear to Combat Blood Vessel Aging, Researchers Say
Sept.1, 2010 (Stockholm, Sweden) -- Older people with high blood pressure who drink one to two cups of coffee a day have more elastic blood vessels than people who drink less or more, Greek researchers report.
As we age, our blood vessels get stiffer, and that's thought to increase the risk of high blood pressure. The new findings suggest moderate coffee drinking may counteract this process.
Previous research has shown conflicting results as to whether coffee is good or bad for the heart.
The new study involved 485 men and women, aged 65 to 100, who live on a small island called Ikaria, in the Aegean Sea, where more than a third of people live to celebrate their 90th birthday.
"We were aiming to evaluate the secrets of the long-livers of Ikaria," says study head Christina Chrysohoou, BSc, of the University of Athens.
She presented the findings at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.
Coffee Improves Blood Vessel Elasticity
Participants, all of whom had high blood pressure, underwent imaging scans to measure the stiffness of their blood vessels.
Of the total, 33% of participants drank no coffee or less than one cup of coffee a day, 56% drank one to two cups, and 11% drank three or more cups a day.
People who drank one to two cups of coffee a day had about a 25% greater elasticity in their major blood vessels than people who drank less coffee or none at all.
Their blood vessel elasticity was about five times greater than people who drank three or more cups a day.
The analysis took into account factors that can affect blood vessel aging -- age, gender, smoking, education, physical activity, body weight, blood pressure, nutritional habits, and diabetes.
The study also showed that people who drank one to two cups of coffee a day were less likely to have diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, or to be overweight, compared to people who drank more coffee or less coffee, Chrysohoou says.
Nutrients in Coffee Credited for Fighting Blood Vessel Aging
Most of the men and women drank traditional Greek coffee in small, espresso-sized cups.


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Alexa was tripping!
After a 10-year old asked the voice assistant for a challenge to do, Alexa instructed the child to “touch” a coin to the prongs of a half-inserted plug. Her mother took to Twitter to detail what happened.
OMFG My 10 year old just asked Alexa on our Echo for a challenge and this is what she said. pic.twitter.com/HgGgrLbdS8
— Kristin Livdahl (@klivdahl) December 26, 2021
“Plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs,” said the smart speaker.
According to the young girl’s mother, Kristin Livdahl, it all started after the two were doing physical challenges.
“We were doing some physical challenges, like laying down and rolling over [while] holding a shoe on your foot, from a [physical education] teacher on YouTube earlier,” she explained. “Bad weather outside. She just wanted another one.”
From there, the Echo speaker suggested that they conduct a challenge that it had “found on the web.”
The challenge — referred to as “the penny challenge” — started appearing on TikTok and various social media platforms about a year ago.
Since metals conduct electricity, sticking them into live electrical sockets can cause electric shocks, fires, and other severe damages.
Even fire officials in the U.S. have addressed the challenge, noting the extreme circumstances one can put themselves in by participating.
Amazon has since updated Alexa to prevent anything like this from happening again.
“Customer trust is at the centre of everything we do and Alexa is designed to provide accurate, relevant, and helpful information to customers,” said Amazon in a statement. “As soon as we became aware of this error, we took swift action to fix it.”
Luckily, Livdahl says that her daughter’s wits would never allow her to do such a thing.


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Multi User License - $2,800
Published- July 2021
2022 Update Coming Soon
Bicycles are used as an effective tool of transportation that not only is great for physical fitness but also helps to curb pollution, globally, and hence are widely promoted by authorities as an environmentally-friendly transportation medium. Post-Covid, social distancing and health concerns drove growth in the market.
Since its inception, the bicycle has undergone continual adaptation and improvement. These innovations are supported by the advent of modern materials, automated operation, and an increase in the use of computers and software for design building purposes, allowing for a variety of specialized bicycle types, improved riding safety, and comfort.
Graph: Various reasons for not choosing a bicycle
The bicycle market is segmented by
Individuals all across the globe are increasingly becoming more aware of their fitness, which is eventually resulting in the growing demand for the bicycle as an alternative way of transport. Compared to conventional bicycles, currently, the overall demand for e-bicycles is evolving and is expected to gather a larger market share.
People across the globe have been opting to make use of bicycles as a form of exercise and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which will ensure a healthy lifestyle, maintain weight and to grow stronger. This type of mindset has increased the popularity of the dockless bike sharing systems which include both bicycles and e-bicycles.
The users have to activate the ride sharing application on their smartphones and access the service. The system also allows users to locate bicycles nearby and electronically unlock the bicycle. This system of using dockless bicycles as a form of transportation started from Europe which has now gained popularity in the USA and Asian countries such as China and India.
The company Vivacity Labs has partnered with the City of Port Phillip with Bicycle Network to install its AI-powered traffic sensors in Port Phillip, Australia. The sensors are set to measure the bike rider, motor vehicle and pedestrian movement and help the government to reduce congestion on roads and increase sustainable forms of transport.
There’s been significant growth in the demand for bicycles due to COVID-19 as now consumers are trying to avoid public transportation due to fear of contracting the virus. Moreover, with growing health-conscious consumers, bicycles are now seen as an increasingly dependable and healthy mobility option.
The Global Bicycle market is expected to grow as more and more people are resorting to bicycling as a regular means of transportation. Events, such as Tour de France and Ronde van Vlaanderen, are further adding to the popularity of these vehicles.
Meanwhile, a rise in bicycling events along with the marketing of cycling tourism being organized in various countries from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East is fuelling the sales of mountain as well as road bicycles.
In Europe, an increase in demand for bicycles as a form of recreation and both fitness and leisure is helping the growth of the market in this region.
The expanding bicycle market had to witness a strong growth halt due to massive disruptions in the manufacturing and supply chain of bicycle and bicycle accessories amid the global COVID-19 outbreak but with ease in lockdown measures, newly found market demand for bicycles is being substantially met which increased imports from Asia.
The European market is dependent on imports as the manufacturing in the continent is not enough to supply the demand. Manufacturing in Europe will need to compete with manufacturing based out of China and other Southeast Asian countries in terms of cost mainly labour and technological competence
The pandemic has caused the market to grow at a faster pace where governments across the globe are promoting the use of bicycles as the safest form of transportation. Governments in countries such as the UK and Italy are also providing subsidies and incentives which along with the growing awareness for healthy lifestyle have enhanced the growth of this market.
Europe is estimated as the ideal region to commute with bicycles due to which the region is experiencing significant growth over the years.
The increasing popularity in the region is also attributed to the bicycling events and tours that take place such as the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and the Tour de France. Countries such as Denmark, Belgium, Italy and France are focusing more on developing infrastructure for electric bicycles and bikes which promote the growth of the industry.
New Phoenix models such as the Lithium moped bicycles have become increasingly popular across Europe as the bicycle addresses the concerns of people owning a luxury bike to go out in public as well as remain healthy at the same time.
The Hero cycles owned subsidiary Insync Bikes has announced the development and manufacture of 50,000 units for the UK market by Christmas. The key model will range between different sizes for children and adults to be designed in Manchester.
Moreover, growing environmental concerns made bicycles an environment-friendly option. In Europe, the demand for e-bikes is growing with 50% of bicycle sales in 2020 being electric in the Netherlands.
Countries also subsidized bicycle purchases both for manufacturing and consumers. Italy allocated €210m toward a cash-back program through which Italian residents who purchased a vehicle without an engine were eligible for a €500 stipend; France also established a similar program.
French government spent €60 million on emergency cycling measures comprising costs of individual bike repairs up to €50 per citizen and state subsidies to purchase e-bikes
To know more about Europe Bicycle Market , read our report
Asia-Pacific is the largest and also the fastest-growing region in the global bicycle market. China, Japan, Australia, India, and South Korea are some of the top contributing countries in the region with most of the global manufacturing coming from this region.
The company Hebei Hongyang Tyre exported a total of 16.19 million bicycles in the first quarter of the year 2021, which increased the export volume to $1.06 billion which was up by 101.6% from year-on-year comparison.
Recently electric bicycles are gaining popularity across Asia especially in China among younger generations which use bicycles as a healthy activity.
Electric bikes are equipped with smart batteries and linked to applications that make they easily accessible. The primary bike sharing companies such as Hellobike, Meituan bike and Qingju Bike have increased the demand for e-bikes in the Chinese market.
In Asia-Pacific, Governing bodies like the Cycling Federation of India and The Chinese Cycling Association are promoting road racing, touring, leisure cycling, and other cycling events, which have helped in increasing the popularity of cycling in these countries.
Lack of the infrastructure necessary to support and encourage bicycle commutation is hindering the growth of the bicycle market. Similarly, lightweight bicycles made using composite materials make them expensive, which does not bode well for market expansion.
Hero Cycles, a market leader in India with more than 40% share in the market sought a reduction in GST on bicycles to 5% from the current rate of 12% recently, to make them affordable for all sections of society. The company also asked the government to focus on developing road infrastructure which is amenable to cyclists.
China and Japan adopted e-bikes as sports equipment because of their environmental benefits and to help reduce traffic congestion in these countries.
To know more about China Bicycle Market, read our report
The United States holds the highest revenue share in this region with trendy mountain bikes and e-bikes being most popular among the US millennials.
The United States Congress has proposed a tax credit against the purchase of electric bicycles in the USA which will be up to 15% that is half of what was presented to the House of Representatives in February 2021. The original document pitched a tax credit of 30% as incentive to buy more electric bikes and bicycles.
U.S. cycling sales through all retail channels grew 75% in April to a total of about $1 billion in retail sales for the month in 2020. April was the first month in the cycling market that sales have reached $1 billion in a single month. Typically, April sales fall between $550 and $575 million.
Bikes for family use, and neighborhood riding, and lower price-points showed the strongest year-over-year sales gains in 2020 and the market is growing in 2021. Lifestyle/leisure bikes grew by a considerable fold; front suspension mountain bikes were also up and children’s bikes increased by twice than expected for the month. Accessories sales also grew, including helmets, water bottle cages, and bike baskets.
Covid-19 brought about a dramatic increase in bicycle sales in response to the pandemic. Heightened anxiety over public transportation and a surge in exercise has meant that more and more are choosing to use one of the most basic forms of mobility, leading to what can be called a bicycle boom.
Due to the pandemic, gyms and other recreational sports centers were closed pertaining to the pandemic protocols across the globe that promoted the use of bicycles as a means of exercise and for people to go out. The pandemic which resulted in the economic loss for various industries attributed to the growth of this sector.
One of the ways by which bike shops have ensured their stores remain appealing to visit even after ease in lockdown measures in major countries is by retail merchandising.
The global bicycle market, already expanding before the pandemic, has received a shot in the arm by Covid-19. About 19% of American adults say they rode a bike for the first time in a year (2020) because of the pandemic. And a majority of those riders continued riding after lockdown orders were lifted. And many of those reactivated riders have children, which means more cycling by more people.
With many youth sports programs cancelled because of the epidemic and with schools closed or restricted in some countries, cycling is one of the few safe outdoor activities kids of all ages can participate in and saw a positive response across Europe and USA
The Canadian engineering company Eco-Counter, which designs and provides bicycle counters, measured a 21% increase in U.S. urban-area ridership from March through mid-June 2020 compared with the same time period in 2019.
Even as lockdowns were lifted across the board, cycling saw no decrease and in fact, in 2021 saw an increased response in sales which will continue. New riders have taken it up and riders who left it restarted it which has developed sales across all types of bicycles
The global bicycle market is estimated at $XX Billion in 2021, growing at XX% CAGR till from 2022 to 2027
In terms of bicycle market segments, hybrid bikes are projected to grow the fastest globally owing to their multifunction use deeming it as the most preferable option among customers. Growth in the road bicycle segment which today accounts for nearly 15% share of the global bicycle market is also projected to grow in the forecast period.
Regions with tougher terrain such as Spain will see an increase in mountain cycles as people take a special affinity towards multi-terrain riding and adrenaline rushing mountain cycling,
The E-Bike segment is estimated to grow in the upcoming years with advancement in technology and the rising concerns over increasing fuel prices deeming it as a more affordable option for many households. This growth will be driven primarily by the U.S, Canada, Japan, China and Europe.
For far too long the cycling industry has been solely focused on the pinnacle athlete, but the current trends show that a broader, family and beginner focus can reap gains. This is a silver lining, and one of the important sports retail lessons to come out of the pandemic with features such as cargo trolley attracting customers who carry luggage frequently
Lyft and PBSC Urban Solutions, a global bikeshare equipment and technology supplier, announced a deal on Tuesday. The deal is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter.
Lyft claims that the acquisition nearly doubles its micromobility scale, thanks to PBSC’s sales experience and client relationships.
Motivate, which collaborated with PBSC to create the BIXI Montreal bikeshare system, was acquired by Lyft in 2018. Lyft has extended micromobility availability in North America since then, with its flagship New York bikeshare Citi Bike rising from 12,000 to over 24,000 bikes. Last year, Lyft said it had a record 28 million users using Citi Bike.
Lyft and PBSC both want to help communities cut carbon emissions by providing transportation choices.
The remaining shares were purchased by Asobi Ventures, an Austin, Texas-based firm that previously owned a majority stake in Gruppo Srl. Cinelli and Columbus are both owned by Gruppo Srl.
Victor Luis’ family investment entity is Asobi Ventures Inc. The company has been investing in talent, systems, and product development in order to build a long-term model for the two most iconic brands in the bike industry.”
As a maker of high-tech precision tubing, a luxury furniture brand, and a supplier of high-performance proprietary steel alloys and tubing to the world’s greatest bicycle brands and independent artisans and craftsmen, Columbus has held a unique place in Italian industrial history.
The eagerly anticipated Model F folding electric bike has just been released by the Electric Bike Company in Newport Beach, California. The folder features a similar cruiser aesthetic and design philosophy to the company’s larger e-bikes, but in a more compact and portable form.
The 24′′ wheels on the Model F strike a balance between the larger 26′′ cruiser wheels and the smaller 20′′ wheels. It also has a low step-through frame. The 3′′ wide tyres are also a compromise between narrower street tyres and cushier fat tyres, more appropriately classified as balloon tyres.
The hydroformed aluminum frame of the Model F uses a downtube-mounted integrated battery and a front suspension fork.
On the crowdsourcing website Indiegogo, Vanpowers Bike, a specialized electric bike manufacturer, will introduce City Vanture, the first electric bike in the world with an assembled frame. This fantastic electric bicycle’s frame is made using the traditional Chinese tenon-and-mortise construction, which improves both safety and riding comfort. Customers have access to more than 10 custom color options.
The City Vanture’s tenon-and-mortise structure helps the joint force advance by reducing centerline tolerances and controlling them. The electric bicycle’s safety has significantly increased, the assembled frame is more stable, and riding is smoother.
Environmentally friendly, it can also reduce the production process’s rejection rate. When routine maintenance is needed, the battery can be safely disassembled and reassembled, realizing the recyclable utilization of the electric bicycle.
A new line of electric bikes is now available from Seattle-based outdoor retailer REI Co-op, giving consumers more choices in the quickly growing e-bike market. A new type of “lifestyle e-bikes” are the Co-op Cycles Generation bikes. Two new Co-op Cycles models from REI are the e1.1 and e1.2.
The new bike line broadens customer access with a “one-size-fits-most” philosophy and several new features that put utility and practicality above all else. A few of the features include 20-inch wheels, a low-step frame, memory foam seats for a comfortable ride, and front and rear lighting for improved visibility when riding at night.
The bike is designed for people who want to commute around town using more convenient, environmentally friendly modes of transportation instead of their cars.
The Valley and Long-Range models, two new offerings from CycleOn for 2023, have just gone on sale. Both e-bikes are among the most well-known brands in the market right away thanks to their attractive features and affordable price points.
The Long Range offers a very high operating battery and is designed for simple commuting. On the other hand, “The Valley” has been designed to traverse more challenging terrain and provide the user with more power.
The 500W brushless high-speed motor in the Long-Range model allows riders to travel up to 50 miles on a single charge with assistance. It also includes a 36V, 16AH high capacity lithium battery with a 5- to 6-hour charge time.
The Valley is ideal for those who enjoy the excitement of exploration. A 26*4.0 inch fat tyre and a high-performance shock absorber are included with the high performance 750W e-bike to help riders easily negotiate rough terrain.
A new division of Specialized called Globe was created with the goal of producing premium electric utility bikes that can completely replace automobile travel. Globe will be “an extension of the Specialized brand that will focus on bringing more fun to local living while reducing the need for daily trips in cars, trucks, and SUVs.”
The Global bicycle market is highly fragmented and includes many international and regional players. To gain a competitive advantage, the companies are investing in research and development (R&D) and differentiating their product using different design and functioning elements, and size and weight variations.
Moreover, leading manufacturers such as Accell Group, Trek Bicycle Corporation, Dorel Industries Inc., and Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd. in the market are focusing on leveraging opportunities posed by the emerging markets of Asia-Pacific, like Thailand and India, and also to expand their revenue base all over the global market.
The recent developments in the bicycle market are given below:
In the year 2019, Trek Bicycle launched the new Madone SLR 6 Disc Speed, the bicycle is integrated with the removable aero bars. It is designed specially to ride in hilly and mountainous areas with winding roads.
In the year 2019, SCOTT sports SA announced the acquisition of the company Bold Cycles which provides a sophisticated framework as well as technical custom-made bicycle products. The acquisition is set to serve the customers that demand bicycle customisation in accordance with respective needs.
The bicycle connectivity company Leopard Tech has announced partnership with the bicycle insurance company Bikmo. The partnership is set to offer accessory and bicycle manufacturers a range of insurance options and solutions according to the needs of the customer. The company has plans to upgrade the Leopard Lync which is a bicycle connectivity anti-theft and tracking solution to enhance the protection of the riders.
The Dutch electric bike manufacturer VanMoof announced acquisition of investment worth $128 million in the series C minority investment round which was led by an equity firm based in Asia. The investment has raised the total funding of the company to $182 million which will be used in the expansion of production activities and enhance the software and hardware infrastructure of the bicycles.
The major developers are focusing on expanding their business by acquiring small companies. For instance, Hero cycles acquired 48% equity in HNF NICOLAI which is a vehicle manufacturer based in Germany.
The acquisition is set to help Hero to expand to global markets primarily through Europe. The company Van Der Wal was acquired by Beeren Groep NV which is an automotive supplier manufacturing company based in Belgium. Peloton Interactive revenue in the last quarter grew 54% as compared to the quarter of the year 2020, to revenue worth $937 million.
Furthermore, companies are adopting competitive strategies by investing more to develop new-generation technologies for the production of bicycles, so as to develop a unique product portfolio. Additionally, companies are using digital and social media advertisements to make consumers aware of the new product launches in the market.
In Asia- Pacific, the market is dominated by key players like Merida Industry Co. Ltd, Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd, Bridgestone Co. and Hero Cycles Limited. The major companies in this region are also focused on manufacturing and developing e-bicycles; a lot of R&D is conducted for this segment of the market. For instance, Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd launched three new e-bikes that featured updated motor tech, control buttons and battery systems.
In North America, Accell Group N.V., Trek Bicycle Corporation, and Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd are the key players. These companies are more focused on making consumer-centric products, specifically targeted towards women and kids.
In Europe, the key players are Trek Bicycle Corporation, Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd and Wilier Triestina S.p.A. The market is very competitive with strategies such as product innovation, partnerships, expansions, mergers and acquisitions being undertaken to acquire a better position in the market.
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