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The team at Ripple have been doing a spectacular job at hosting ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) conversations with their top execs. A few weeks back, the new CTO, David Schwartz, was interviewed by Asheesh Birla, the Senior VP of Product. In the interview, we got to find out Ripple’s plans with RippleNet, XRP, xRapid and more information about the company and the underlying technology. We also found out that banks are in fear of being disrupted by new technology.
In the AMA, David Schwartz was quoted as saying:
“I talked to a lot of banks, and one of the things that I learned from banks that I didn’t really fully appreciate is that they are in fear of being disrupted by new technologies.”
Brad’s Ask Me Anything Session With Cory Johnson
It is with this background that the team at Ripple have held another AMA. This time around, it was Cory Johnson (Chief Market Strategist) having a lively discussion with the firm’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse. The duo covered a lot of topics, but one statement by Mr. Garlinghouse stood out.
In the statement, Brad Garlinghouse was answering Cory’s question about Wallstreet and institutional investors, talking about how they want to be more involved in the space as well as solving the issue of custody of digital assets. Brad’s response was as follows:
“One of the things I will tease for a future announcement within the Q3 market reports, which we always share…where we see institutional participation in buying XRP. Q3 will definitely be a record of institutional participation in buying and interest in holding XRP. “
The full AMA is now available on YouTube at the link below.
Another thing worth noting is that Brad had thought 2018 would be the year for institutional participation, but it has taken a bit longer. His new prediction of institutional participation will be in late 2018 or 2019. Brad added:
“I thought 2018 we would as an overall industry see more aggressive institutional participation. It has taken a bit longer. Now I would predict that 2019…the railroad tracks are being laid…You are seeing very interesting companies getting started to solve the institutional custody problem. That sets us up nicely for about the back half of 2018 and also 2019.”
When asked by Cory whether crypto custody solutions for institutional investors will be set up by the ‘big boys’ of Wallstreet or startups, Brad would answer that:
“I think it will start with the [startups]. Often times the big boys react to what is happening with the startups and sometimes they acquire those to bring those capabilities in house. Even as you look at the digital asset exchanges…you’ve seen players globally..and now you are seeing something Bakkt and ICE diving in. Will they at some point partner or participate with other start up players? Probably.”
In summary, Brad Garlinghouse has shared his vision and hope for XRP being bought and held by institutional investors as early as Q3 of this year. He has also seen that his prediction of 2018 where institutional investors dive in will have to wait till the end of the year or early next year.
With Bakkt in the pipeline, the stage is set for possible collaboration between Wallstreet firms and crypto startups on a level that had not been seen until now. The AMA proves that XRP is a good digital asset to consider in an investment portfolio moving forward.
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Disclaimer: This article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide, investment advice. Global Coin Report and/or its affiliates, employees, writers, and subcontractors are cryptocurrency investors and from time to time may or may not have holdings in some of the coins or tokens they cover. Please conduct your own thorough research before investing in any cryptocurrency and read our full disclaimer.
Image courtesy of The Roaming Platypus via Unsplash
Bitcoin Surges After Tesla Bought $1.5 Billion Worth of BTC
The sudden rise of Bitcoin has been connected to the decision taken by the Tesla electric car company to buy $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin.
The company explained in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it bought Bitcoin to diversify its cash returns and more flexibility.
Musk’s Tweets also impacted Dogecoin’s price
Tesla also added that it will start accepting Bitcoin payments for all its products, although this will be based on a limited basis and applicable laws. If the company concludes and starts accepting cryptocurrency, it will make it the first major car manufacturer to accept Bitcoin payments. The company’s founder and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has developed an interest in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
He has been tweeting severally about the viability of the Dogecoin (DOGE), which doesn’t have an important market value attached to it.
ur welcome pic.twitter.com/e2KF57KLxb
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 4, 2021
Few hours after endorsing Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency rose by an impressive 50%. But regulatory authorities are still concerned about the risks in cryptocurrency investments, with several regulatory bodies warning traders and investors they could lose all their money from crypto investments.
But for Tesla, the company decides to diversify its funds and increased its cash returns. However, Tesla also warned investors about the volatility of Bitcoin’s price in its SEC filing. According to the SEC…
XNO Token of Xeno NFT Hub listed on Bithumb Korea Exchange
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 25th January, 2021, // ChainWire //
Xeno Holdings Limited (xno.live ), a blockchain solutions company based in Hong Kong, has announced the listing of its ecosystem utility token XNO on the ‘Bithumb Korea’ cryptocurrency exchange on January 21st 2021.
Xeno NFT Hub (market.xno.live ), developed by Xeno Holdings, enables easy minting of digital items into NFTs while also providing a marketplace where anyone can securely trade NFTs.
The Xeno NFT Hub project team includes former members of the technology project Yosemite X based in San Francisco and professionals such as Gabby Dizon who is a games industry expert and NFT space influencer based in Southeast Asia.
NFT(Non-Fungible Token) technology has recently gained huge focus in the blockchain arena and beyond, making waves in the online gaming sector, the art world, and the digital copyrights industry in recent years. The strongest feature of NFTs is that “NFTs are unique digital assets that cannot be replaced or forged”. Unlike fungible tokens such as Bitcoin or Ether, NFTs are not interchangeable for other tokens of the same type but instead each NFT has a unique value and specific information that cannot be replaced. This fact makes NFTs the perfect solution to record and prove ownership of digital and real-world items like works of art, game items, limited-edition collectibles, and more.
NFTs are already being actively traded in markets globally. For…
Wisebitcoin Launches Professional-Grade Crypto Exchange
Infrastructure is developing rapidly in the cryptocurrency industry, but the recent launch of the Wisebitcoin cryptocurrency exchange is nonetheless significant in terms of the immediate value it provides to cryptocurrency users. That’s because the exchange has had a beta version available since 2018 while continuing further developments in stealth mode, and already serves over 1.2 million end users with $6+ billion in 24 hour trading volume at the time of its official launch.
In addition to the large user base and deep liquidity, Wisebitcoin also stands out by offering up to 100x leverage to margin traders, with the ability to open a long or short position in their futures market. In the current bullish environment, leverage is a key way that experienced traders increase their exposure and try to profit from volatility.
For example, if a user opened a long position on ETH on January 2nd at a price of $750, they could have greatly multiplied their profits with even a small amount of leverage such as 5x as ETH reached over $1,100 within 48 hours. A simple unleveraged position would have netted $350 in profit, but a 5x position would have netted $1,750 and a 100x leveraged position would have netted an incredible $35,000 in profits from an initial investment of just $750.
Beyond leverage, Wisebitcoin additionally offers a simple and…


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Digital Storm Adds GeForce GTX 590 To New Desktops
Digital Storm’s revamped Black OPS and Special OPS gaming PC lines can now support 3D Vision Surround at an impressive 5760x1080 resolution on a single GeForce GTX 590 graphic card thanks to the three dual-link DVI ports. They're available to purchase starting now for $2500 and up, so don't go in with any sort of tight budget.
Digital Storm Unleashes the Most Powerful Line of Gaming PCs with NVIDIA’s New GeForce GTX 590 Series
Fremont, Calif. - (March 24, 2011) – Digital Storm, the predominant name in system integration, proudly announces the most powerful line of gaming PCs thanks to NVIDIA’s new GeForce® GTX 590 series. Two GeForce® GTX 590’s in Quad-SLI coupled with a 5.2GHz overclock on the Intel® Core™ i7-2600K processor deliver benchmark crushing performance for an unbelievably immersive gaming experience.
Digital Storm’s revamped Black OPS and Special OPS gaming pc lines are now able to achieve rich detailed 3D Vision Surround gaming at an impressive 5760x1080 resolution on a single GeForce® GTX 590 graphic card thanks to the three dual-link DVI ports.
“Our new revamped gaming line with NVIDIA’s new GTX 590s in Quad-SLI is the most powerful combination of technology we’ve ever integrated and the performance numbers will absolutely blow away enthusiasts everywhere,” remarked Rajeev Kuruppu, Digital Storm’s Director of Product Development.
Digital Storm’s Black OPS and Special OPS gaming computers with NVIDIA’s GeForce® GTX 590 are currently available for purchase at www.DigitalStormOnline.com with a starting price of $2,500.

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It seems that Cosmopolitan.com was right in predicting that Kylie's latest secret product was going to be a nude gloss. The big news was just confirmed that she is coming out with three neutral-toned glosses!
She showed off her new color swatches, called "Like," "Literally," and "So Cute," in the video below:
In typical Kylie fashion, before her big announcement the beauty mogul teased the launch with this photo on Instagram below, saying "4/1."
To tease the new launch Kylie released a video called "Glosses," which, as she told her fans, is "out now!" In it, she applies what looks to be a sheer nude-pink gloss, which I'm guessing is going to sell out just as fast as the rest of her lip kit creations. Is there more to the video than debuting this new gloss? What does it all mean? Who can know!
I literally can't keep up with this Kardashian-Jenner's launches. In the meantime, get your credit cards ready, because you know the new gloss is gonna sell out fast.
Get non-boring fashion and beauty news directly in your feed. Follow Facebook.com/CosmoBeauty.


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Number Of Stolen iPhones Down Ever Since The Introduction Of Activation Lock
If an iPhone is stolen and the Find My Phone feature has been deactivated, the Activation Lock will stop that device from being re-used by another Apple account. That is how the Activation Lock feature works, and it appears that it is quite effective in curbing iPhone theft cases.
Indeed, as reported by Reuters, the total number of iPhones that were stolen have decreased significantly in selected cities around the world in just a year after the feature was introduced by Apple to its smartphones. In New York City, iPhone theft cases are down by 25 percent. In the West Coast specifically in San Francisco, the volume of stolen iPhones has gone down by 40 percent. Even across the Atlantic Ocean in London, England, the number of cases has dropped by a whopping 50 percent.
Activation Lock was first brought on board iOS 7 back in September 2013. To function, the feature requires the iPhone owner's Apple ID and password before somebody else can get the opportunity to wipe out and reactivate one's device. Essentially, Activation Lock makes your iPhone or iPad useless to any thief who is thinking of offering your stolen device on the black market.
Law enforcers have long been pressuring Apple and other phone makers to include a kill feature in their products in order to help discourage smartphone theft cases. Apart from the Activation Lock present in iOS devices, Android also has its own anti-theft feature. As a matter of fact, Android 5.0 Lollipop, the newest version of the Android mobile operating system, comes with a Factory Reset Protection feature that requires the Android device owner's Google password in order to erase the phone.
Several US states also require handsets to have kill features. Even California has passed a kill switch bill (to take effect in July 1st of this year) that requires anti-theft security features to be activated by default in every smartphone sold within the state.
At first, some phone makers actually had reservations about kill features being required by law. Some pointed out that it might actually invite more hacking from unscrupulous parties. However, most have come to support it now.
The next step for legislators now is to persuade phone makers to activate the kill features on their phones by default. Easier said than done, of course. Sure, Apple's Activation Lock is enabled by default, but other smartphone brands mostly still require the owners of the devices to opt in.


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Nintendo expects its newly released hybrid console, Nintendo Switch, to be as successful as Wii which sold 100 million units in its lifetime and now a report has emerged which suggests that Nintendo Switch will sell 130 million units by 2022.
The report comes from Swiss financial services company, Credit Suisse, which claims that Nintendo Switch will sell 130 million units by 2022. According to the firm, their estimation is 70 million up from their original one as device sells like a handheld rather than a console.
While this financial firm believes that Nintendo Switch will surpass Wii’s sales by 2022 but, not all industry analysts are convinced that it will. According to Micheal Patcher, Nintendo Switch will sell 50 million units over time but, will not be able to reach the level of success of Wii.
Overtime Switch will be fine it will do 50 million if the price comes down the curb. The question though is will it do a hundred? I don’t think so that’s 20 million a year. 10 Million a year for 5 years for sure,20 Million a year ever probably not.
In related news, data miners have found NES Emulator in the hybrid console along with an NES title in the Switch.According to modders, they have found NES emulator already available in Switch and also found a copy of NES Golf installed on it.
Also, a lot of third-party titles are coming to Nintendo Switch and the list might also include Final Fantasy XV. Game Director, Hajime Tabata hinted that Final Fantasy XV could come to Switch during the Gamescom 2017 live stream.
Also, Nintendo has noted that the company has ramped up the hybrid console’s production for the holiday season. The company revealed that Nintendo Switch production will be ramped up for the holiday which has already been factored in the company’s forecast.
Do you think Nintendo Switch will be able to be more successful compared Wii? Let us know in the comments.


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-As company Plans To Build Ultra-Modern Manufacturing Facility
In recognition of their commitment and loyalty over the years, Shalina Healthcare, a leading pharma giant in Africa, has rewarded 35 of her biggest pharmaceutical distributors in Nigeria.
This was the highlight of the company’s Partners Conference held recently at Ibis Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Speaking with Pharmanews, an excited Abbas Virji, chief executive officer, Shalina Group applauded the efforts of the distributors adding that their commitment over the years is the reason why the company is still in business.
“Your immense contribution to Shalina is well appreciated. As you know, this is the only end-to-end supply chain that has a direct operations in nine African countries. No pharma competitor has more footprints across Africa than us. It is a fact!” he declared.
In a related development, Debajeet Mukherjee, business head (West Africa), has praised the distributors for ensuring Nigerians across all the geo-political zones access quality and affordable drugs, disclosed that the journey has been quite eventful for Shalina as a company.
“I remember that we started with four distributors from Idumota and Trade Fair. Over the years, the number increased to 189, 272, 310 partners to where we are today.
“Shalina has continued to grow stronger to date. I must commend Somnath (Malakar) for hosting a successful Partners Conference. I did not have the courage to do it when I was in charge as managing director some years ago,” he confessed.
Towards the end of the programme, there was another round of awards ceremony where 10 of the 35 distributors were accorded special recognition for going the extra mile for the company.
The awardees included Joe Bliz Limited (Lagos), Atidam Pharmaceutical (Lagos), Global Paulken Pharmacy (Lagos), Godfather Pharmacy (Kano), Ifeanyi Health Pharma (Sokoto), Pennywise Projects Limited (Onitsha). Ibrophy Pharmacy (Ibadan), Nobiz Global (Onitsha), Mykena Pharma & Healthcare (Lagos) and Ubanuel Pharmacy (Lagos).
Among dignitaries and officials in attendance at the event were Amit Shukla, chief operating officer, Shalina Healthcare; Rohit Khatri, general manager; Jeyaraman Perumal, business development manager; Nitin Mishra, field force effectiveness manager (Abuja); Chris Eyo, national sales manager; Pharm. Ayo Akinsola, zonal sales manager; Santosh Karne, project manager; Cornelius Okafor, brand manager, (Ibucap); Goke Adedamola, brand manager (gastro & anti-infectives); Pharm. Kenneth Mordi, brand manager (antimalarial, respiratory & nutraceuticals); Tolu Uwhubetine, brand manager (Epiderm & Betasol) and Uzumma Pascal-Uma, regional manager (Lagos Island).
Noted for its diverse range of therapeutic products, including analgesics, dermatology, anti-malarials, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory gastrointestinal, anti-infectives and nutraceuticals, Shalina Healthcare has been operating in Africa in the last 30 years.
With an end-to-end supply chain, it is presently in nine countries on the continent including Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Ghana.


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DOJ alleges 10 people fraudulently received aid for car repairs after 2016 floods
Ten people are facing charges after the Department of Justice said they lied about their cars receiving flood damage in 2016.
A federal grand jury indicted the individuals on fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits and theft of government money or property.
The defendants, "acting in concert with others, made false statements and representations to FEMA in an application," according to a release from the Department of Justice. They filed their claims between September and November 2016.
In their claims, the defendants said their cars sustained flood damage in Iberia and Lafayette parishes, but they were residents of St. Mary Parish, which did not receive designated assistance, according to the release.
The defendants submitted repair shop estimates ranging from $6,291 to $8,736, but the repair shops didn't exist, according to the release.
Contact Ashley White at firstname.lastname@example.org or on Twitter @AshleyyDi.


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Joshua Garza, a crypto fraudster got sentenced to 21 months imprisonment, three years of supervised labour, and payment of restitution to victims. The FBI investigated the fraudster after it obtained hints from the SEC because his act not only violated civil securities laws but criminal ones as well.
Charges Against Joshua Garza
As reported on the FBI blog, Garza was involved in multiple crypto businesses which include Connecticut-based businesses (GAW Miners, ZenMiner, and ZenCloud) between 2014 and 2015 that sold bitcoin mining hardware, offered shares in a virtual currency mining operation, created and sold a virtual currency called PayCoin.
However, these businesses were noted to have been conducted illegally. This was done through a series of misleading and false statements about the companies’ capabilities, partnerships, and financial backing. This was used to fraudulently draw investors to his enterprises and eventually resorted to Ponzi scheme tactics to delay detection of the fraud.
As noted by FBI Special Agent Mark Munster, Garza started well in the industry by selling computer equipment virtual currency enthusiasts use for mining or to solve the complex equations required to attain a Bitcoin or other virtual currency. This business turned to one that offered to purchase a currency miner on behalf of the customer and see it up at GAW miners data centre.
Afterwards, Garza moved into selling shares or “harshlets” that represented a percentage of the profit being made by his company’s purportedly robust Bitcoin mining efforts. He assured the investors that it will always be profitable.
Meanwhile, mining Bitcoin at the volume that is needed to generate the type of value Garza was promising requires a staggering amount of computer power. These computers are powerful and expensive, and the same is the power needed to run them. His inability to obtain the necessary infrastructure to support the shares he was selling led to low returns and he adopted other business means to pay the return to customers.
Crypto Scam And Luxury Lifestyle Of Garza
According to Munster, Garza started marketing lie while he started adopting other means to pay the return to customers. He then created and started selling his virtual currency known as Paycoin. He refused to register before offering it to the public to invest. Also, Garza stated his firm had a reserve of $100 million that would be used to prop up the price of the crypto to make sure it does not go below $20 per unit. He also claimed a partnership with Amazon and target.
Garza’s reserve claim and partnership were found to be a lie. Also, he was found to have started living a luxury life from the proceed of the scam. This earned him the jail term and payment of restitution to victims of his illicit activities.


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ESPN announced Tuesday it is launching a new biweekly magazine produced by the company’s Disney Consumer Products arm.
The periodical, called ESPN Magazine, will come out twice each month along with specials at various times, debuting the first quarter of 1998. Mag will utilize ESPN’s sports news resources along with commentary and opinion pieces. It will have a 10-by-12-inch format.
John Skipper, currently senior VP of Disney Publishing, will move over to head the magazine as its senior VP and general manager, working closely with ESPN prexy Steve Bornstein and ESPN senior VP and executive editor John A. Walsh.


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T-Mobile Offers Customers Extended Free Trial of YouTube Premium
T-Mobile is offering customers a two-month free trial of YouTube Premium, which includes ad-free viewing, offline viewing, and YouTube Music Premium. The service is normally $12/month with a one-month free trial. The special offer is being made available via T-Mobile Tuesdays, the company's bonus/reward program. Android users can access the offer starting tomorrow with the T-Mobile Tuesdays app, and iOS users can access it by visiting t-mobiletuesdays.com.
May 17, 2018
YouTube today announced YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, services that replace YouTube Red and YT Music, respectively. Moving forward, YouTube Premium will be the video site's top-tier service, offering originals, ad-free play, background play, and downloads across YouTube.
Aug 4, 2017
Google updated its YouTube Music application recently and made it possible for users to create their own playlists for offline listening. Before the update, YouTube Music would create mixtape for subscribers using its own algorithms — subscribers could not pick and choose individual songs or albums for offline playback.
Jun 18, 2018
Google today made its new YouTube Music and YouTube Premium apps and services available in 17 countries. YouTube Music is the new music service that is built around streaming with revised recommendations, playlists, stations, search, new/trending videos, exclusives, and downloads for offline playback to paying subscribers.
Jul 27, 2017
Google plans to shake up its music offering and ad-free video service, according to statements made by Lyor Cohen, the head of Google Play Music. As it stands today, Google Play Music is available to a single person for $10 per month and families for $15 per month.
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Magnite (MGNI 8.24%) shares traded 3% higher on Tuesday, even as the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5% and the S&P 500 declined 0.6%. The stock's gain was probably driven by news from Magnite announcing that sports-first streaming service fuboTV (FUBO 7.80%) selected it to be the tech company's preferred partner for programmatically marketing its connected TV (CTV) ad spots to ad buyers. This was a big win for Magnite's supply-side purpose-built CTV ad tech platform.
Over the long haul, Magnite's move to cozy up with fuboTV may pay big dividends. After all, fuboTV isn't your average streaming-TV service. It's growing like wildfire.
Magnite has been working with fuboTV for years. But now fuboTV seems to want to send even more advertising inventory to Magnite, speaking to the value Magnite's CTV platform is providing to content partners. fuboTV has benefited from a "highly successful collaboration with Magnite," said Diana Horowitz, fuboTV senior vice president of sales, in a Magnite press release Tuesday morning. She called Magnite "a true pioneer in the [programmatic] space" and praised the company's "commitment to creating a streamlined programmatic experience."
The specifics or the arrangement weren't detailed, but Magnite said it will facilitate "access to fuboTV's highly sought-after CTV inventory, including 50,000 live sports events per year as well as 100+ premium sports, news, and entertainment channels for the entire household." In addition, Magnite said advertisers can access fuboTV first-part addressable data through its platform.
A key catalyst for Magnite
Accessing fuboTV's inventory means accessing a significant growth opportunity. fuboTV benefits from its positioning in the middle of several major secular tailwinds: streaming TV overall, the move of sports from linear to streaming, and advertising dollars that are following viewers to streaming.
To get a feel for how tremendous fuboTV's momentum is, consider some key metrics from the company's second-quarter results. Ad revenue grew 281% year over year to $16.5 million, fueled by triple-digit growth in paid subscribers and a 148% year-over-year increase in hours watched on fuboTV's platform. Users streamed 245 million hours across fuboTV's content in Q2.
"Coinciding with the launch of the 2021 football season," Magnite said in its Tuesday press release about the partnership, "this brings together two recognized leaders in programmatic CTV as the migration of sports viewers -- and advertising dollars -- continues to move from linear TV to CTV."


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Vivo lets you buy phones offline from 20,000 retailers from home
New Delhi, May 3 2020 - Want to buy a phone offline, but do not want to step out of your house? No problem. Vivo India on Sunday launched a smart retail system that lets people do just that in light of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions which starts to lift in green and orange zones.
With this new system, interested buyers need to send their queries to Vivo via SMS, the company' website or its Facebook page and one of the of 30,000 Vivo brand ambassadors (VBAs) will connect with the person to understand their requirements and help him/her buy the phone from one of the 20,000 retailers in India.
The SMS-based connectivity is already operational, while the other two platforms will be available to customers before May 12, according to Vivo India.
"Majority of consumers in India still prefer to buy offline. However, considering lockdown and the post lockdown scenario, some consumers may be wary of stepping out. So we have developed a platform which meets the needs of the customers and also helps the retails resume their business as usual," Nipun Marya, Director Brand Strategy, Vivo India, told IANS.
"There is a lead management system that we have set up. Before passing the lead on to the retailer, at our end we will check if this lead is hot lead, qualified lead or this customer is not interested. In case it is a hot lead or a qualified lead which means this customer really wants a phone, then we will tell the retailer the requirement and request them to close the transaction," Marya said.
This system is only for those who do not want to go out to buy a phone due to some concerns. Those who want to go out and buy a phone, they will still be able to do it.
But given that manufacturing remained closed in April, how does the company plan to meet the demand?
"Our channels always carry some days of inventory. Both at the retail level and distributor level, there is always some inventory build-up which is there.
"How much inventory and how many days they will last depends on what kind of demands we get and how soon we get that demand and what are the instructions given by the authority with respect to our manufacturing plants and other things," Marya said.
"In a few days time we will get to know what kind of demand we are getting and we will know how long whatever limited inventory we have will last. That we will get to know once the market starts to reopen.
"On the manufacturing side also, we are waiting for more details from the government. Once these details are available we will take further calls," he said.


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Golden-based mountain bike company Yeti Cycles and Fort Collins-based developer and design-build firm The Neenan Co. announced proposed development plans to bring an outdoor lifestyle campus to Golden. The land is under contract and is located on the west side of Highway 93, five minutes north of downtown Golden, in unincorporated Jefferson County.
“This proposed project is a prime example of the innovation and leadership emerging out of the local industry,” said Kristi Pollard, president & CEO of Jefferson County Economic Development Corp. “An outdoor lifestyle campus of this scale highlights the impact that the outdoor industry has in Colorado, with the market poised for continued growth. We’re proud to see this drive for collaboration and support among outdoor brands, for the betterment of the Jefferson County business community.”
A mountain biking industry leader Yeti Cycles, which has been headquartered in Jefferson County for 19 years, intends to move from its current headquarters into a larger, collaborative outdoor lifestyle campus alongside additional like-minded companies. The Neenan Co. is serving as the master developer on the project with Yeti Cycles as the planned owner and campus anchor.
“We’re excited by the prospect of creating an outdoor industry ecosystem through this campus development,” said Chris Conroy, president of Yeti Cycles. “This project fills all our needs – it accommodates our growing company, offers great access to local mountain bike trails, and allows us to fulfill our vision of surrounding ourselves with companies that value outdoor recreation.”
The proposed development, which requires rezoning approval, includes 25 acres of developable land, of which Yeti Cycles would utilize 9 acres for its new headquarters. Seeking to create a collaborative campus attracting additional companies within the outdoor lifestyle industry, The Neenan Co. will develop the additional 16 acres and sell the remaining buildings to additional owner-partners. The campus environment aims to provide end users the opportunity to own and operate their commercial property in a synergistic environment focused on enhancing the outdoor industry and culture.
“We’re honored to be supporting this engaging development through the current planning and approvals phase,” said Randy Myers, director of real estate at The Neenan Co. “By keeping the end vision in mind and leveraging our firm’s integrated services, we’re working to guide the proposed development from its inception through the design and construction to successfully deliver this innovative campus.”


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Nigeria’s inflation rate has increased from January’s 21.82 percent to 21.91 percent in February 2023, a recent Consumer Price Index report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), revealed on Wednesday.
According to the NBS report titled ‘Consumer Price Index (February 2023)’, the uptick in the inflation rate was driven by the naira crisis across the country and uncertainties relating to the just concluded presidential election.
The report further highlighted that the highest increases were recorded in prices of food, had, passenger transport by air, fuels, lubricants for personal transport equipment, vehicle spare parts, among others.
NBS noted that the rise in food inflation was caused by increase in prices of oil and fat, fish, meats, vegetable, yam and other tubers, bread and cereals.
“In February 2023, the headline inflation rate rose to 21.91% compared to January 2023 headline inflation rate which was 21.82%.
“Looking at the trend, the February 2023 inflation rate showed an increase of 0.09% points when compared to January 2023 headline inflation rate.
“This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in February 2023 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., February 2022),” the report highlighted.
The NBS noted that on a month-on-month basis, the percentage change in the All-Items Index in February 2023 was 1.71 percent, which was 0.16 percent points lower than the rate recorded in January 2023 (1.87 percent).
“This means that in February 2023, on average, the general price level was 0.16% percent lower relative to January 2023.
“The percentage change in the average CPI for the twelve months period ending February 2023 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 19.87%, showing a 3.15% points increase compared to 16.73% recorded in February 2022. The increases were recorded in all COICOP divisions that yielded the headline index,” the report stated.
It was also reported that in February 2023, all items’ inflation rate on a year-on-year basis was highest in Bauchi at 24.59 percent, Rivers at 24.40 percent, and Ondo at 24.27 percent.
“While Sokoto at 18.90 percent, Borno at 18.94 percent and Cross River at 19.62 percent, recorded the slowest rise in headline year-on-year inflation.”


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After a US Senator wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook, conveying concerns on users' security with Face ID biometric security in iPhone X, Apple has responded to him, detailing Face ID's built-in security features.
Expect another bitter battle between Jio and its rivals. At stake is roughly Rs 5,000 crore of revenue. And the odds seem heavily loaded in Jio's favour.
A month after OnePlus 3 received Android 8.0 Oreo operating system update through a closed beta programme, OnePlus has released its first "Android O" open beta build for OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T smartphones.
Striking a work-life balance during the festive season just got so much simpler.
Under an agreement, Ericsson will help Bharti Airtel create a strategic road map for network evolution to the 5G technology standard.
With nearly 118.5 crore people having Aadhaar, the government has decided to enable its recently launched mobile app, mAadhaar, to do all Aadhaar authentications based on OTPs.
Amazon chose an invite-only model developed in partnership with smartphone maker OnePlus to sell its Echo smart speaker lineup in India earlier this month
“We will complete delivery of 6 million JioPhones by end of October,” said Anshuman Thakur, head of strategy and planning at Reliance Jio.
Keeping up with its promise to help the US Congress to probe misinformation spread on its platform via Russian ads during the US presidential poll, Facebook has blocked a researcher from viewing the ads on its social media site.
This is the first time that Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio has declared earnings since starting operations in Sept 2016.
Qualcomm filed the suits in a Beijing intellectual property court claiming patent infringement and seeking injunctive relief, according to a company spokeswoman.
Vodafone and Kumar Mangalam Birla-owned Idea are in talks with domestic handset makers including Lava and Karbonn to jointly roll out a new set of smartphones in the Rs 1,500 range
Mobile wallets, which have been conforming to a minimum KYC format will have convert to full KYC wallet within 12 months of opening it.
"TOTP addresses OTP related shortcomings like residents dependency on mobile network for SMS delivery, etc,” Pandey added.
At present offline accounts for 20% of Xiaomi's India sales, the rest coming from online including its own store Mi.com, which has doubled on-year.
Source said under the new offer, pre-paid customers of the 3-month Rs 399 recharge will get full cash-back by way of 8 vouchers of Rs 50 each.
Within 24 hours of 'Tez' being launched, Google saw nearly 1.8 crore gross merchandise volume (GMV) done with over four lakh active users.
Kapania said along with competition, the industry needs to collaborate to build applications as India moves to 5G from 4G. He said regulations need to change with time by moving away from the high-cost spectrum regime to adopt new technologies.
RBI in a set of fresh guidelines, has introduced stricter Know Your Customer (KYC) norms for wallet users, allowed interoperability and brought in fraud detection norms to prevent fake wallet transactions steps which will change the scope of operations for mobile wallets.
The Karbonn A40 phone is targeted at rival Reliance Jio's JioPhone that offers a 4G phone for a three-year refundable deposit of Rs 1500


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As the hard-hit Caribbean islands continue to rebuild in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Secretary General and Executive Director of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Hugh Riley said: “The best way to help the Caribbean is to visit the Caribbean.”
Tourism is at the heart of the Caribbean’s economy, Riley said during a telephone conference earlier this week, making up 13.4 percent of employment and 13.9 percent of the region's GDP in 2016.
While the general consensus in the media and public seems to be that travel to the region is off limits, Riley said that 75 percent of the Caribbean was unaffected by the hurricanes.
Ninan Chacko, CEO of Travel Leaders Group, commented that travel agents have been hearing the same misinformation coming from consumers.
“We have seen the numbers drop in queries to the Caribbean," Chacko said. "The general awareness in the market doesn’t align with the knowledge that most of the Caribbean is unaffected.”
While the British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico recover from the devastating storms, none of the southern islands have been touched, Riley added. Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and St. Lucia are all open for business.
In an effort to mitigate the misconception, Travel Leaders and its 40,000 agents are pledging their support through a new campaign called “One Caribbean Family Ambassadors.” It will provide agents with up-to-date information on conditions, availability and packages; a social media toolkit; and marketing materials to aid them in educating consumers about what is available to them, as many do not realize just how vast the region is.
Chacko noted that agents have been “extraordinarily busy re-accommodating bookings,” and travelers who work with travel agents are getting the help they need to come up with alternate vacations. “They reassure travelers who may be hesitant, which can also help the region.”
Riley reiterated the positive role travel agents play: “This is where travel agents excel, by providing accurate information to their clients and ensuring travelers get the vacation experiences they are seeking."
In addition to Travel Leaders' One Caribbean Family Ambassadors campaign, the company is raising money to help impacted travel industry employees and their communities through its Family Bonds Foundation, which has already raised over $45,000 for hurricane relief.


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According to some new reports, the Android Nougat will finally be released for the Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge handsets on January 17, 2017. Some screenshots that ANdroidSoul blog has revealed indicate that the update will be released for the European version of Galaxy S7 Edge (SM-G935F) on the mentioned date.
It’s not yet sure if the Android Nougat update will be released for the Galaxy S7 handsets in other markets, but it is believed that a global rollout should start soon after the European models.
The new build G935FXXU1DPLR comes with the Android Nougat software along with the Google’s security patch that has been released in January 2017. The soak test clearly shows that the official Android Nougat will be released for the Galaxy S7 soon, but it has not been confirmed when this will happen.
It is good to know that most Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will be updated directly to the Android 7.1.1 Nougat, while a few of them, such as the Vodafone Australia or Verizon models will update to Android 7.0 Nougat.
The Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus Will Receive Android 7.1.1 Nougat in Q2 2017
The Android 7.0 Nougat has already been released for the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus devices. Now, everyone is waiting for the Android 7.1.1 Nougat to be released for the mentioned devices, but it seems that it will take a while until that will happen.
Unfortunately, there is no official release date when the new operating system will be released for the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus, but if the rumors prove to be right, this will happen sometime in the second quarter of 2017.
We should mention that the current build number is NPJ25.93-11 and it is compatible with both devices. However, we should mention that the update needs to be installed only on supported models Moto G4 handsets that come with a model number of XT1624 and Moto G4 Plus handsets with a model number of XT1643.


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With some of the largest acquisitions in pharmaceutical industry history in 2019 and a focus on anti-competitive behavior that drives up drug prices, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission signaled a shifting strategy on deal oversight, experts say.
The largest deal of 2019 — Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s $95 billion acquisition of Celgene — was delayed as the agency investigated an overlap in its immunology portfolio. The company was ultimately required to divest the arthritis and psoriasis drug Otezla for $13.4 billion to Amgen Inc. The divestiture was the largest ever required by the FTC or the U.S. Department of Justice involving a merger, according to the agency.
FTC Chairman Joseph Simons said at the time that antitrust laws are designed to protect competition and to promote innovation and development of new treatments. The agency determined that the merger would harm consumers in the U.S. by creating a monopoly.
Former FTC Bureau of Competition Assistant Director Mike Cowie
Source: Dechert LLP
"The FTC has gotten stricter on divestiture analysis and divestiture policy, and that's across industries and certainly applies in the life sciences, as well," Dechert LLP partner Mike Cowie said in an interview.
Another delayed deal was Switzerland's Roche Holding AG's $4.3 billion acquisition of gene therapy specialist Spark Therapeutics Inc., which closed Dec. 17. The deal was originally announced in February with an April closure deadline. Due to antitrust concerns from the FTC and U.K. regulators, the deal was postponed several times.
Big pharma companies like Bristol-Myers and Roche are not the only entities in healthcare bearing the brunt of increased FTC scrutiny. Life sciences specialist Illumina Inc.'s planned $1.2 billion acquisition of Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. drew a complaint from the agency over concerns that the deal would allow Illumina to "unlawfully maintain its monopoly" in DNA sequencing.
Both the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority and the FTC have blocked the Illumina deal, with the U.S. agency sending the matter to the courts Dec. 17. Analysts believe the deal is unlikely to survive the complaints.
"The very, very heavy focus on drug pricing and healthcare pricing is causing FTC leadership to have to explain their decision-making," Cowie said at an October antitrust conference sponsored by Dechert. "We're seeing unprecedented political scrutiny of healthcare and life sciences M&A."
Cowie, who was assistant director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition under the George W. Bush administration, said the agency has shifted to a more thorough approach to examining anti-competitive behavior. The analysis process now also studies a company's entire portfolio, rather than just individual drugs or products.
Within those portfolios, the FTC looks with special interest at the number of competitors for each product, according to Cowie. For example, a merger causing a particular market to fall from four to three competitors would be a red flag.
"The consumer benefits from low prices and better access, but the consumer also benefits from innovation," Cowie said. "Sometimes there's tension between innovation and pricing, so the FTC's mission is to protect the consumer on both sides."
One of the biggest changes to FTC policy for pharmaceutical mergers came in 2018 when the agency announced that merging companies would be required to divest marketed assets when a product in development would cause an overlap. The policy would place the development risk on the merging companies.
This is precisely the situation that Bristol-Myers fell into, leading to the sale of the blockbuster drug Otezla. The company has an investigational psoriasis therapy called BMS-986165 in its pipeline, which is in phase 2 development.
"The FTC has indicated a willingness to change their approach so that they've looked at competition based on a portfolio of products rather than individual drugs," Cowie said. "There continues to be debate about how to treat early-stage products or products that are still in the pipeline, but the FTC has shown a willingness to revise its analysis based on what it's seen in the marketplace."
From an antitrust perspective, White & Case partner and antitrust litigator Eric Grannon said in an interview that the FTC review process has not changed materially in recent years and regulators, companies and attorneys know what to expect.
"In pharma, it's so predictable what the FTC is going to consider problematic that companies go into merger reviews with open eyes," Grannon said. "It's so predictable, in fact, that when parties propose a merger, they basically have an understanding of what they're going to get to keep and not keep."
Grannon said the FTC has not gone to court in recent memory to challenge a large pharmaceutical merger because companies often obtain a mutually acceptable arrangement before approaching a deal.
The Otzela situation, however, surprised industry analysts and insiders, and one former FTC official said the magnitude of the divestiture stood out as an example of changing priorities.
What can slow a review is the FTC's process of finding stakeholders to help in the examination of the true cost of the product. The agency often taps buyers of the product, including pharmacy benefit managers, purchasing organizations, hospital systems, drug wholesalers, and government programs and agencies like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for this portion of the review.
Grannon said left-leaning presidential candidates, if successful in the 2020 election year, could seek to disrupt the predictable FTC review process with new regulations in an effort to control drug prices.
Cowie encouraged companies to shape the deal's narrative early to get ahead of any merger delays or unexpected divestitures.
"You want a pro-competitive story, so you want to be able to explain that the combination will accelerate the introduction of new medicines," Cowie said. "If you know you have a problem, go in early with the solution and look at market shares drug by drug — finding a divestiture buyer early is one way to take time out of the process."


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A study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) shows nearly two-thirds (62%) of American consumers own at least one Internet of Things (IoT) connected device, while 65% of them say they are willing to receive ads on IoT screens. The Internet of Things study found most popularly owned IoT devices are connected/smart TVs and streaming devices (47%), followed by wearable health trackers (24%) and internet-enabled home control devices (17%).
- NXP sets out its vision for the future of NFC payments
- Tesco lets shoppers self-checkout with their mobile phone at new Jack’s discount chain
- Brunei’s largest bank to use Rambus’ Token Service Provider platform to secure mobile payment transactions
- HID Global enables workers to log in with NFC mobile phones
- Costa lets customers make payments with their coffee cups


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General Motors (GM) Recall
GM Ignition Recall Tops List of 54 Different General Motors Recalls in 2014
In 2014, General Motors issued 54 different safety alerts recalling roughly 28.9 million cars—more cars than GM sold between 2005 and 2013 combined.
GM initiated these recalls due to safety problems as diverse as:
- Defective seat belts – 1,176,407 vehicles
- Failing airbags – 2,190,934 vehicles
- Faulty circuitry – 2,440,524 vehicles
But one defect has topped all others in grabbing the headlines: the GM ignition recall in February 2014. The February recall applies to cars with faulty ignition units that can suddenly cut off power to the engine, power steering, and power brakes. In addition to increasing the risk of a crash, the defect may also cause airbags to fail to deploy in such an accident.
In June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a report admitting its failure to investigate these defects. The report stated that “GM withheld critical information about engineering changes that would have allowed NHTSA to more quickly identify the defect,” and that GM may have known about the defect as early as 2001. Individuals nationwide are continuing to receive compensation in lawsuits against GM related to this recall.
Cars Affected by the GM Ignition Recall
While GM claims that between 3 and 11 people have died as a result of this defect, victims’ advocates assert that figure is closer to 165, with many more suffering non-fatal injuries, according to the Associated Press.
Cars affected by the recall include:
- Chevy Cobalt Recall: 2005-2010
- Chevy HHR Recall: 2006-2011
- Daewoo G2X Recall: 2007-2009
- Opel GT Recall: 2007
- Pontiac G4 Recall: 2005-2006
- Pontiac G5 Recall: 2007-2010
- Pontiac Pursuit Recall: 2005-2006
- Pontiac Solstice Recall: 2006-2010
- Saturn Ion Recall: 2003-2007
- Saturn Sky Recall: 2007-2010
GM Settlement Funding: Claim Information & Strategy
Earlier this year, GM created a sizable settlement fund to compensate victims of the defective ignition unit. For example, the administrator of the GM Settlement Fund, Kenneth Feinberg, stated that in one crash where a 10-year-old girl had been rendered paraplegic, the victim’s family could expect to receive $10 million from the fund. GM has stated that there will be no limit on the total amount of payments made through the fund.
GM has, however, put several barriers between victims and their right to compensation that will effectively require claimants to “win” their case before they can settle it.
Among other things, claimants must prove:
- The existence of a defect
- That the defect “proximately caused” their injuries
- The extent of their injuries
With so many elements to prove, claimants may need qualified legal counsel on their side and help with documenting and submitting proof, interpreting the complex payment formula, and pressing every advantage in stating their case. Our team at Fleming | Nolen | Jez, L.L.P. can help you. Contact our personal injury lawyers as soon as possible.
Taking Legal Action: Call Fleming | Nolen | Jez, L.L.P.
Fleming | Nolen | Jez, L.L.P. is here to help. Our lead attorney on auto recall negotiation, Rand Nolen, has over 20 years of experience as a trial lawyer. Mr. Nolen has personally handled over 140 cases of serious injury from vehicles recalled by GM, Ford, and Chrysler, and is dedicated to helping victims of this recall epidemic to receive the justice and compensation they deserve.
Receive a free case consultation: If you or someone you love has been injured by a recalled GM vehicle, contact our GM recall attorneys today at (713) 621-7944.


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Sports brand Puma reveal Arsenal's new home kit for the 2017/18 season
Posted: 21 June 2017 Time: 10:54
Puma has delighted Arsenal fans across the globe with the launch of the Gunners' 2017/18 home shirt.
The shirt launch took place at Kings Cross Station in London, where Gunners fans were able to have their photo taken with the Emirates FA Cup.
The launch campaign features the likes of Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Petr Cech, Per Mertesacker, Nacho Monreal and Olivier Giroud.
In iconic red and white, the shirt has a smart but functional collar design and a cannon on the yoke to celebrate 50 years of the cannon being featured on the home shirt.
The shirt has performance-enhancing ACTV Thermo-R technology that uses athletic tape at the back panel to help maintain the body temperature at an optimum performance level.
The shirt retails for R999 and is available in PUMA Stores, Totalsports, The Cross Trainer, Sportsmans Warehouse, Studio 88, Edgars and selected retailers nationwide as of 3 July 2017.


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Nitrous deployed, jumps hit and rivals slammed in turbo-charged new DiRT Showdown video
Codemasters today released a new video for DiRT Showdown, an action packed extension of the DiRT series. The Boost For The Win video features the chaotic, full-contact, all-action racing set to star in DiRT Showdown. On the streets, in the snow and through the dirt buggies, saloons, muscle cars and more all go head-to-head in chaotic circuit races where drivers must charge ahead of the pack by any means necessary.
DiRT Showdown will launch in May 2012 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.


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Last year, General Motors (NYSE:GM) gave one of the biggest stories to the auto industry by reviving its luxury brand – Cadillac. Strong, new models were introduced in the market that attracted a lot of appraisal from critics. Consequently, sales increased by 21.9% in the previous year.
However, things have changed in this year; in November, Cadillac’s sales fell by 5.9%. Meanwhile, other brands for luxury vehicles set sales records curing the same time. According to the data, the new sedan models are priced much higher than they were before. The customers are not used to these high prices. This is why the sales are falling now.
The two new Cadillac luxury sedans are ATS, which is new, and CTS, which is in the third generation. The new CTS model for 2014 model year costs $6000 more than the old models that were introduced in 2013. This difference is more than $15,000 in trim lines.
The new CTS is much better than the older won; it won a Car of the Year award last year. It is also performing better than German luxury cars in performance tests. However, CTS’s price is comparable to that of its competitors. The problem is that Cadillac has never set its prices this high before and so the customers are turning away and going to other brands for shopping. Meanwhile, the customers of competition brands have not yet shifted focus to Cadillac. So, the Cadillac is not gaining new customers to make up the difference of losing its old customers.
In ye’ olden times, General Motors (NYSE:GM) would have responded by cutting the price for Cadillac. But now, the company is under the new management of Johan de Nysschen. So, naturally, the company responded differently; by cutting down the production of Cadillac sedans last month.
This announcement attracted much criticism because while General Motors (NYSE:GM) was cutting its production of luxury sedans, its competitors were increasing production. However, de Nysschen believes that this was a necessary move in making Cadillac a global luxury brand in true essence. The reason behind cutting production was that the car dealers in U.S. already have a large inventory of Cadillacs. Optimally, dealers must have 60 days’ worth of inventory, but the CTS and ATS dealers have over 110 days’ worth of inventory.
High inventories become a problem because the dealers will be urged to sell the cars at lower prices to clear out the stock. This is not the way to handle premium business as de Nysschen says. De Nysschen has already approved of some incentives to clear out the stock. However, he is not willing to reduce the price of Cadillac for long-term. This will undermine the initial profit as well as the residual values. If residual values become lower, the leasing deals on new models will become less competitive. This will be a bad move in the luxury vehicle market as leasing deals attract most of the sales.
Overall, the best solution was to reduce the car production for the time being, until the sales increase.


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DuckDuckGo now runs 30 million private searches a day.
The privacy-focused search engine on Thursday said in a tweet that "it took us seven years to reach 10 million private searches in one day, then another two years to hit 20 million, and now less than a year later we're at 30 million! Thank you all. #ComeToTheDuckSide."
Online privacy is a growing concern among many people -- and lawmakers -- following a string of privacy related scandals this year. Facebook said in September that 30 million accounts were compromised after a long year of data breach news involving the company since Cambridge Analytica. In September Google reportedly faced an investigation for tracking users' location without consent.
"We're glad to have more people joining us in our work to raise the standard of trust online, and are meeting the increased demand with additional tools, such as a Privacy Essentials browser extension and mobile app, to protect users no matter where they go on the Internet," said a DuckDuckGo spokesperson in an email statement. "We believe the Internet shouldn't feel so creepy, and getting the privacy you deserve online should be as simple as closing the blinds."
First published on Oct. 12, 12:02 p.m. PT.
Updates, 1:48 p.m. PT: Adds DuckDuckGo spokesperson statement.


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U.S. shoppers spent more online during this year’s holiday shopping season, a report by Mastercard Inc (MA.N) showed on Wednesday,… Read More "Record online sales give U.S. holiday shopping season a boost"
Tag: Holiday Sales
U.S. retailers are expected to ring up record sales on Super Saturday this year, as fewer days than usual between… Read More "Saturday before Christmas expected to be the biggest U.S. shopping day of 2019"
Fewer people lined up outside stores as Black Friday shopping kicked off, suggesting early discounts offered by retail chains and… Read More "Black Friday sees fewer shoppers in U.S. stores as spending Cyber Sales"
When people think about Thanksgiving, they may imagine an extended family enjoying a feast of turkey, squash, corn and pumpkin… Read More "Thanksgiving by the Numbers"
When Toys R Us announced it was partnering with retail-tech firm b8ta to create an experiential toy store, the big… Read More "The New Toys R Us Store"
By Michael Snyder, It has been called “America’s most disturbing holiday”. Black Friday is the day when millions of average… Read More "Black Friday: A Shameful Orgy Of Materialism For A Morally Bankrupt Nation"


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See all the looks from Demna Gvasalia’s latest collection for Balenciaga Fall 2021.
The brand is revealing its fall 2021 collection in a video game titled “Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow.”
Making its debut online on Dec. 6, “Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow” is set in the year 2031.
Balenciaga’s creative director will show his first effort next July, including high fashions for men.
Balenciaga’s artistic director has eclectic musical tastes, to say the least.
The “WAP” singer reclines on fake grass surrounded by kids’ toys in the self-produced Balenciaga campaign image, shot during lockdown.
The edgy brand has set Jan. 17 as the date of its next coed fashion show.
Vetements plans to open a cowering space within its Zurich headquarters to support young talent.


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Growing Demand for Batteries
- Lithium compounds have been majorly used in lithium-ion rechargeable battery technologies to save and consume energy. Lithium-Ion batteries find their application in electronics such as mobile phones, cameras, laptops, power tools and vehicles amongst others.
- Lithium-Ion batteries play a major role in vehicles both in combustion and electric automobiles. The automotive industry prefers lithium-ion batteries because of their properties such as high energy density, low self-discharge rate, long life cycle, low maintenance, fast charging, and low weight.
- The demand for Ni-Cd batteries is also high as they are currently used in some hybrid electric vehicles. The sales and demand for hybrid vehicles in India, Southeast Asia, and South Korea have witnessed decent growth compared to previous years.
- According to consumer electronics (CE), the consumption of electronics in every region is increasing due to continuous investments in electronic technology.
- Rising number of electric vehicles, increasing usage of electronics and robots in developing countries are driving the demand for rechargeable batteries, which in turn are expected to drive the market for lithium batteries through the years to come.
Asia-Pacific Region to Dominate the Market
- Asia-Pacific is expected to dominate the global lithium compounds market owing to the highly developed electronics, automotive, ceramics and glass sectors in China, India, Japan, and Korea, coupled with the continuous investments done in the region to advance the battery technology sector through the years.
- Moreover, the glass and ceramics industries are still major consumers of lithium compounds because these compounds increase the lifespan of products, greater surface tension, resistance to thermal shock, and increased mechanical strength to ceramics.
- According to the world ceramic and glass magazine, China leads the consumption of ceramic tiles and glass industry followed by India, in the global scenario.
- There has been increasing production of electric and hybrid vehicles in China and India in recent years because of government regulations on combustion engines and high taxes on combustion vehicles in China.
- People are being attracted to heavy capacity batteries in mobile phones for longer usage times. According to The National Bureau of Statistics of China, the production of mobile phones in China was more than one billion in 2019. The production is expected to grow further owing to the domestic and export demand.
- The growing need for high-efficiency batteries requires advanced technological improvements in lithium compounds. Continuous growth in energy-saving devices is expected to drive the market for lithium compounds through the years to come.
-Report by Research And Markets


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What’s this – a last-minute candidate for the Booker Prize shortlist?
One of the UK’s foremost video bloggers has seen his debut book shoot to the top of The Sunday Times bestseller list and up the Amazon charts after 30,000 copies were snapped up in less than two weeks.
Tomorrow, Alfie Deyes, who runs a YouTube channel named PointlessBlog, will become the first author to hold a standalone book signing at the ExCeL arena in London. The channel, which served as the inspiration for his tome, The Pointless Book, has more than two million subscribers.
Pointless by name, pointless by nature?
Deyes, who turned 21 on Wednesday, has amassed an impressive following of dedicated fans – mostly teenage girls – who would vehemently dispute that. Part journal, part activity book, the publication features a free downloadable app enabling readers to communicate with their hero online via social media.
The vlogger, whose recordings have been viewed 37 million times in the past month alone, explained it is “basically just full of loads of crazy fun, weird little activities for you to do”. In his videos, which he began creating from his bedroom in Brighton when he was 15, Deyes performs pointless tasks such as Googling himself and covering his face in chocolate. The Pointless Book, which Deyes has called “a gift” to his fans, encourages readers to complete “pointless” tasks and “challenges of nothingness” including baking a cake in a mug and creating a time capsule.
Pretty cutting-edge stuff, then...
You may sniff, but Perminder Mann, managing editor of Blink Publishing which is behind the book, said: “Vloggers and YouTubers are shaping the future of publishing. Many of them have more viewers than prime-time TV programmes and the teenage readers of books relate far more to them than traditional authors.” Given the sheer number of fans Deyes enjoys, there could be a kernel of truth in that: a book signing at Waterstones in Piccadilly had to be cancelled two weeks ago for safety reasons after 8,000 teenage girls turned up.
He’s not short of admirers, is he?
Sadly for Deyes’ disciples, he’s off the market. The internet celebrity is in a relationship with the beauty vlogger Zoe Sugg, also known as Zoella, whose channel has a whopping six million subscribers. Touted as the Posh and Becks of the internet, they have been assigned their own portmanteau – together they are known as “Zalfie”.


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A string of missteps led to images of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler to be placed on the top of coffee cream packages in Switzerland, forcing a major retailer to apologize on Wednesday for the embarrassing incident, according to AFP.
- How we got Hitler-ized: What the ubiquity of the Fuhrer says about our culture
- Japan retailer to pull Nazi costume after Jewish complaint
- Fashion chain Zara withdraws handbag with swastika
- U.S. senators seek to block benefits for ex-Nazis
- Hitler's personal copy of 'Mein Kampf' fetches far less than expected at auction
The small, plastic pots of cream had been given out to customers at some hundred restaurants and cafes among business clients of Migros, Switzerland's largest retail company and supermarket chain, AFP reported.
Many Swiss collect labels from mini cream pots, which enjoy cult status in the mountainous nation, according to AFP.
Migros announced it "offered its excuses for this unforgivable incident" and that it was taking care of removing the packages from all places to where they had been delivered.
The company explained, according to AFP, that Karo, a firm specializing in cream pots, had developed the designs for the labels as part of a series based on vintage cigar brands for milk company ELSA, the Migros subsidiary responsible for supplying the cream. Two of the pre-World War II era cigar brands showed the faces of Hitler, as well as Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
Migros described ELSA's internal control procedures as "insufficient," AFP reported.


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- Even if you’re not vegetarian, plant-based snacks are an easy way to get a healthy serving of fiber and vitamins in a day.
- Plant-based snacks have come far beyond carrot sticks and fruit slices — now they includes crackers, dark chocolate nut clusters, and dips like hummus.
- We’ve rounded up 11 of our favorite plant-based snacks that not only help boost the number of vegetable servings we get each day but also taste good enough for us to want a second or third helping.
- This article was medically reviewed by Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, nutrition and wellness expert with a private practice based in New York City.
- See also: best vegan protein powders, The best snack subscription boxes
If you’ve been making an effort to eat more plant-based, you’re not alone: A study conducted by Ipsos Retail Performance found that a whopping 9.7 million Americans identified as plant-based in 2019, compared to a mere 290,000 people back in 2004.
The leap isn’t surprising considering the nearly endless health benefits linked to a plant-based diet. What’s more, plant-based snacks and meals are more widely-available (and much tastier) than they have been in years past.
Even if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan, loading up on the foods can help you score more servings of produce in a day — something most all of us struggle with. “Getting the recommended 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day isn’t an easy reach for most people. But you are likely going to snack, so you might as well power-pack the nutritional benefits,” Christina Jax, RDN, a nutritionist with healthy eating app Lifesum, tells Insider.
How to shop for plant-based snacks
Jax defines healthy plant-based snacks as nutrient-dense, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and a source of natural fiber and phytonutrients, which are chemicals only found in plants that release various antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory benefits.
New York-based nutritionist Erika Villalobos, RD, tells Insider that when shopping for plant-based snacks, the less processed the product, the better. “Keep it simple,” says Villalobos. That translates to a short ingredient list with words you can pronounce.
It sounds tedious, but reviewing nutrition labels and ingredients lists are key steps to smart snacking. According to Jax, the first three ingredients listed on the label are the most important — ingredients are listed in order by weight (highest to lowest), so the first few are what a bar or chip is primarily made from.
Another thing to check: at least two of the three first ingredients are actual plants, Jax says. However, remember that’s more than just fruits and vegetables: “Grains, fungi, nuts, and seeds are also plants,” Jax says.
For grain-focused snacks, make sure they’re made of whole grains and don’t contain a bunch of synthetic ingredients.
Lastly, you also want a snack to be a source of protein for energy and satiety and have minimal added sugars to avoid a crash in blood sugar. “[Something that will] give you that boost you need and you will not be hungry an hour later,” Villalobos explains.
These guidelines are everything you need for the nutritional value of a snack. But there’s another huge component to picking something to nosh on: How it tastes. That’s where I come in — everything on this list meets our nutritional standards and passed a real-life taste test.


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November saw 0.8% inflation, what does this mean for social security and COLA?
The inflation rate has hit record highs over the past year, and the reports for November are no different.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over the past year inflation has increased 6.8%.
October saw an increase of 0.9% and November saw an increase of 0.8%.
Related: 3 Major Social Security Changes In January 2022 For Retirees And Americans With Disabilities
The index for gasoline, housing, food, used vehicles and new vehicles all increased.
The elderly have suffered the most because of the cost of inflation. They were living on a fixed income, and while the costs around them rise, their income remains the same.
The Senior Citizens League, which called on Congress to send another stimulus check to seniors, reports seniors ate one meal a day and cut medications in half to get by.
Related: 5 Important Things To Know Before The COLA Increase Boosts Social Security Benefits In Just Weeks
What does inflation mean for Social Security and COLA?
Each year, the SSA uses the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and office workers to decide if, and to what extent, social security benefits are increasing.
They look at the rise in inflation in July, August and September to decide and announce it in October.
The new benefits come into effect in January of the following year.
Related: Here Are The Changes To Social Security In 2022
The number they have proposed for 2022 is 5.9%.
Over the past 12 months, the total increase was 6.8% for the CPI-U and 7.6% for the CPI-W.
As the rise continues, it will only exceed the 5.9% increase announced in October.
Related: 11 Major Changes For The Money Coming In 2022; Social Security, Medicare and Student Loans All Affected
Many want to know if the SSA will readjust the increase in COLA due to rapidly rising costs of goods and services.
So far, no promising announcement has come.
The COLA hike is designed to keep seniors on top of inflation so they don’t lose their purchasing power, but it looks like that doesn’t happen as long as the pandemic continues.
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Here is your daily Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock news and rumors for October 25, 2010. A new hiring push at customer service call centers used by Verizon and Apple is the latest sign pointing toward the Verizon iPhone. Meanwhile, Apple is set to open their new billion dollar data center in North Carolina. Finally, Nintendo acknowledges that Steve Jobs’s company is the biggest threat to the Nintendo 3DS.
Verizon Hires Hundreds to (Presumably) Prepare for iPhone Launch: New job postings linked to Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) are stoking new rumors of a Verizon iPhone from Apple and the telecom giant. According to a report from CNET, staffing companies Ryla and Teleperformances are hiring hundreds of new employees for customer service phone call centers on behalf of a “major wireless phone service retailer. The job postings listed at website Careerbuilder say that applicants will offer technical support for “personal computers and portable devices like MP3 players and smartphones.” While the postings are vague enough to indicate that telecoms are simply bulking up to accommodate the millions of new smartphone users subscribing through a variety of carriers, its Teleperformances history working with Apple and Verizon specifically that lends credence to the conclusion that these new hires signify movement from those companies in concert.
Apple Opening Billion Dollar Data Center in North Carolina: After more than a year of construction and planning, Apple Inc. is set to open their new $1 billion dollar data center in Maiden, North Carolina. Plans for the data center were first revealed in July 2009, when Apple announced that it would be building a new facility to accommodate its fast-growing digital media business. The new data center will act as the hub for the hosting of transactions for products on Apple’s App Store and providing downloads to iPhone, Apple TV, iPad and Mac users alike. Hiring for the center is underway, with Apple bringing in 300 new employees, a number that may grow if new rumors from Digital Daily claiming that the center will double in size in the near future prove true. During the company’s recent third quarter earnings conference call, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer reiterated that the center would be opening “before the end of the calendar year.”
Nintendo Acknowledges Apple as Threat to Gaming Hardware Business: As the company prepares to launch their most expensive handheld gaming device ever in the next six months, Nintendo (PINK: NTDOY) is starting to come to terms with the fact that they no longer face stiff competition in the portable games space. Apple, thanks to the strength of the iPhone and iPod Touch, has finally started to impact Nintendo in the space they have dominated since 1989. Nintendo of America president Reggis Fils-Aime said to Forbes, “Do I think that in the near term [Apple] can hurt us more than Microsoft? Absolutely.” Microsoft‘s (NASDAQ: MSFT) gaming division is about to release the hands-free game controller and camera combo Kinect for their Xbox 360 console, a machine aiming to capitalize on the success Nintendo has had with the Wii over the past four years. With Wii sales in decline, though, Nintendo is turning its attention toward the development and March release of their new Nintendo 3DS handheld, a successor to the DS that features glasses-free 3D graphics. The 3DS also features both gyroscopic and accelerometer motion control, a multitouch screen and 2GB of memory with SD Card expansion, bringing its functionality closer in line with the iPhone. This means that the 3DS will easily support ports of iOS software.
As of this writing, Anthony Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here.


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2013 was the year many more people started asking questions about online privacy, and specifically how their personal data was being used by big internet services.
AdAge has a report on a survey of 1,100 respondents conducted by McCann asking which companies are the greatest threat to the future of privacy, with 59% saying Facebook, 40% saying Twitter and 32% Google. “It’s not necessary that people feel Google or Facebook has done anything bad with data to date. It’s what might happen in the future.
It’s a nebulous fear,” McCann’s Laura Simpson told a conference this week. Who is most trusted? 73% said they trust Amazon to look after their personal data, although Google scored pretty highly in this question too with 53%, albeit down from 63% two years ago.


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Within one hour, Ha, the owner of a cosmetics shop on Xa Dan street in Hanoi, had vast sales of VND10 million.
Ha has been running the shop for the last three years and has had an annual growth rate of no less than 20 percent.
Thuy, an office worker, came to the shop during the lunchtime, looking for new lipstick product with the advertised sale price of VND1 million.
Thuy could not estimate how much money she spends on cosmetics every year, but she said she bought 4-5 lipstick products in the last three months.
A Euromonitor International report showed that the value of Vietnam’s cosmetics market, 90 percent of which are imports, two years ago exceeded the $1 billion threshold ago and has witnessed two-digit growth rates.
Vietnam imported $500 million worth of cosmetics in 2011 and $1.1 billion in 2016, while the figure is expected to double by 2020 to $2.2 billion.
According to ITC, Singapore, the EU, Thailand and South Korea are the biggest cosmetics exporters to Vietnam.
Regarding European exporters, while the imports from France and Italy have decreased recently by 16 percent and 3 percent, respectively, imports from Spain, Germany and Ireland have increased by 2-16 percent.
According to the General Department of Customs (GDC), in the first two months of the year, the import value of fragrances, cosmetics and toiletries from Singapore alone reached $30 million, while imports from Italy, France, South Korea and Thailand were between $2 million and 7 million.
The EU-Vietnam Business Network (EVBN) commented in a report that the growth rate is the result of urbanization, connection with international mass media and increase in demand.
Perfume tops the list of biggest cosmetics items which accounts for 55 percent of total imports, followed by make-up products, which account for 21 percent.
Perfume and make-up products saw the sharpest price increases, by 27 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
Ha said her business has been prosperous. Office workers like Thuy are her loyal clients. They don’t regret spending several hundreds of thousands of dong or several millions of dong on one cosmetic product if they like the products.
Surveys show that imported cosmetics in Vietnam have average selling prices of between hundred thousands and several million dong, while high-end products are priced at tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dong.


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Incredible Dodge Electric Muscle Car Price 2022. An electric muscle car is coming from dodge in 2024 and the company is teasing it in a newly released video. Dodge will launch an electric muscle car in 2024.
The “electric muscle car” last summer, dodge promised to unveil an “electric muscle car” that would lead the brand into its future. Dodge has announced its electrification plans as a part of the broader stellantis ev ramp up and in the coming months, the iconic muscle car brand will share its vision for an ev first future in q4 2021. The company characterized the move as about speed, not.
Electric Motors Will Provide Even More When It Comes To Future Dodge Muscle Cars.
It is scheduled to be launched in 2025, but lamborghini has also recently announced its ambitions for electric vehicles. Dodge, the american carmaker has announced that it will launch the world's first full battery electric muscle car in 2024. One of them might be the concept for dodge's electric muscle car.
Dodge Has Made Some Bold Proclamations About Its Sound And Performance, But It Will Be Interesting To See.
Dodge will build its first electric muscle car by 2024. A whole new muscle car platform. 2024 dodge electric muscle car price sunday february 20 2022 edit.
Dodge Charger For Sale Hemmings Motor News Classic Cars Dodge Charger Dodge Charger For Sale Get 2017 Dodge Charger Values Consumer Reviews Safety Ratings And Find Cars For Sale Near You.
Dodge will launch an electric muscle car in 2024 under what its calling emuscle. On the way to a battery electric muscle car due in 2024, the brand plans to show a. That will lead to this unnamed 2024 electric vehicle,.
Electric Dodge Muscle Car Announced.
Automotive news is reporting that next year it. A new generation of dodge's muscle is on the way, and this time around it will have electric power. The dodge emuscle car is expected to be based on the stla large platform.
American Sports Car Expert V8 Dodge Has Confirmed That It Plans To Bring “The World’s First Electric Muscle Car ” To The Market In 2024, And It Is Possible To Accelerate From 0 To 100 Km/H In 2.0 Seconds.
Dodge has announced its electrification plans as a part of the broader stellantis ev ramp up and in the coming months, the iconic muscle car brand will share its vision for an ev first future in q4 2021. Read on for full details. Dodge has been quite open about its upcoming ev muscle car, set to be launched in 2024.


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KANDI speaks on the inspiration behind her new track “I Want You” produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. LEAGUE.
Check it out after the jump…
Every Sunday, after the “Real Housewives of Atlanta”, Kandi releases a new track from her album “Kandi Koated” on her website.
“Kandi Koated” in stores December 14th, 2010!


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Contrary to public opinion, cryptocurrency exchanges do want regulation. A new study conducted by European electronic payment company Mistertango found that 88% of cryptocurrency exchanges around the world want the industry to be regulated, which they believe is necessary in helping the industry grow.
Twenty four exchanges with daily trading volumes of more than $100 million across Asia, Europe, South America and Oceania took part in the study. According to the payment company, the study was aimed at assessing crypto exchanges sentiments toward regulation, anonymity and the maturation of the crypto market.
The study found that 40% of the exchanges believe that lifting the barrier that prevents funding from banks will go a long way in increasing acceptance of cryptocurrencies across the globe. However, not all exchanges are in support of increased regulation. The study revealed that 17% of the exchanges believe that strict regulation is the biggest threat to the cryptocurrency industry while 30% of the exchanges believe that the biggest threat to the market is a significant crypto crash.
Meanwhile, 55% of the respondents believe “crypto users should be subject to Know Your Customer [KYC] and Anti-Money Laundering [AML] checks like those using traditional financial services.”
Gabrielius Bilkštys, business manager of Mistertango, said there is in dire need for regulation in the industry. He stated that uncertainties in the industry are the biggest threat.
“The industry is crying out for regulation and the response from partners has shown this. Uncertainty is the biggest fear, and regulation is critical to provide the stability we need. Unfortunately, there is no regulatory consensus—worldwide or otherwise. For cryptocurrencies to move towards the scale and ubiquity possessed by fiat currency, it needs cohesive, considered and comprehensive regulation. Thus, regulation will be a catalyst, not an inhibitor to the crypto market’s development,” he said.
The CEO of CEX.IO, Oleksandr Lutskevych, said that it is high time the cryptocurrency industry was regulated.
“It has been widely supposed that crypto companies want to avoid a regulated environment, but this is far from the truth. The industry is all too aware that regulation will lead to the maturity of the market and ensure businesses remain free from suspicion of involvement with illegitimate uses of cryptocurrency,” he said.
New to blockchain? Check out CoinGeek’s Blockchain for Beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about blockchain technology.


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Over the years, Supercell has generated impressive revenue from its multi-billion-dollar hits Clash Royale and Clash of Clans. Each month, millions of players worldwide spend a significant amount of money on in-app purchases placing the two gaming titles on the list of Supercell’s best performing games.
Nevertheless, the annual player spending of the two mobile games has dropped significantly over the last few years.
According to data presented by 123scommesse.it, Clash of Clans and Clash Royale players worldwide spent $692.6 million on in-app purchases in 2020, almost a 50% drop over the past three years.
Clash Royale Revenue Plunged by 34% YoY, Clash of Clans In-App Purchases Down by 9% in 2020
Only three months after its launch in August 2012, Clash of Clans became the highest-grossing game in the United States, and in 2013 it was the most profitable game worldwide. Four years later, Supercell released Clash Royale, and in less than a year, the popular multiplayer online battle arena game hit over one billion dollars in revenue.
Still, the Statista and App Magic data show the revenues of the two Supercell’s megahits had been slipping for years in a row. In 2016, Clash of Clans and Clash Royale generated $1.47bn in revenue across the Apple App Store and Google Play worldwide. Over the next twelve months, this figure dropped to $1.25bn and continued falling.
Statistics show that 2018 witnessed a 33% YoY revenue drop, with players worldwide spending $836.8 million on in-app purchases. In 2019, revenues slightly recovered to $846.8 million.
The negative trend continued in 2020, despite the entire mobile gaming industry booming amid the COVID-19 lockdowns. Last year, the two gaming titles generated $692.6 million in revenue, the lowest value in years.
Statistics show that Clash Royale player spending dropped to $209.3 million in 2020, 34% less than a year before that. Clash of Clans’ revenues slipped by almost 9% YoY to $483.3 million.
Clash of Clans and Clash Royale Hit 118 Million Downloads in 2020
Despite a significant revenue drop over the years, Clash of Clans remains Supercell’s top-grossing app. In 2020, the popular gaming title generated $483.3 million in revenue across the Apple App Store and Google Play worldwide. Brawl Stars ranked second with $396.4 million in annual player spending. Clash Royale, Hay Day, and Boom Beach rounded the top five list with $209.3 million, $104.1 million, and $21.3 million in revenue, respectively.
However, statistics show that Brawl Stars was Supercell’s most downloaded gaming app in 2020, with 107.5 million downloads across the Apple App Store and Google Play. Clash of Clans and Clash Royale followed with 61.5 million and 56.5 million downloads, respectively.


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Ever since releasing the jaw-dropping Huntress this past April, the crew at East Coast Defender has been hard at work on their latest creation — Project Viper.
Project Viper is the first made-to-order vehicle built by the brand’s new Ultimate Vehicle Concept Division — a unique initiative that will provide a luxury buying experience where interested buyers will be able to completely redesign their Defender into adventure-ready machines like this one.
Project Viper is billed as “the pinnacle of what a true adventure-lifestyle SUV should be” and features many of the options available to ECD’s Ultimate Vehicle Concept Division clients — custom-built axles, shock absorbers, a 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 engine, custom lighting options, hand-built wheels, and numerous off-road amenities. Learn more at East Coast Defender.
Disclosure: Clicking on these links and making a purchase may earn us a small referral fee, at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.


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Amazon.com Inc., the global e‑commerce giant, announced on Monday a substantial investment of up to $4 billion in the high-profile startup Anthropic, an emerging player in the field of artificial intelligence and a potential rival to ChatGPT developer OpenAI.
As part of this investment, the American multinational technology company will secure a minority ownership stake in Anthropic.
Anthropic, a company established approximately two years ago by former executives from OpenAI, has recently launched its latest innovation, Claude 2, an advanced AI chatbot. This development signifies a competitive edge for Anthropic as it enters the AI sector.
In a joint statement, both companies revealed their plans to forge a close partnership aimed at advancing generative AI technologies.
One of the key aspects of this collaboration is Anthropic’s selection of Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its primary cloud infrastructure provider.
Anthropic said it will provide AWS customers exclusive access to cutting-edge features designed to customize and fine-tune AI models under this agreement.


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Crypto funding: 3 crypto companies secure $90M+ raises
Blockchain.com, BC Technology Group and Fnality all secured raises in excess of $90 million this week
ElenaR/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks
Amid a funding dry spell, this week saw three of the largest crypto raises in recent months.
Crypto exchange and wallet service Blockchain.com raised $110 million in a Series E round led by Kingsway, the parent company of crypto exchange OSL raised $91 million via a share subscription, and tokenized currency firm Fnality announced a $95 million round led by Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas.
The raises came with crypto mired in a funding slump, seeing consecutive quarterly declines in venture capital dating back to the start of 2022.
Blockchain.com’s $110 million round is the year’s fourth-largest fundraise, following Blockstream, LayerZero, and Worldcoin, according to DeFiLlama data. The company declined to disclose a valuation but Bloomberg reported a valuation of less than half of the $14 billion mark the platform secured last year.
With the move, Manny Stotz, CEO of UK venture firm Kingsway and Nicolas Brand, partner at VC fund Lakestar, will join Blockchain.com’s board of directors.
Hong Kong-based BC Technology Group, which owns the crypto exchange OSL, acquired $91 million when crypto firm BGX purchased almost 30% of the company’s stock through a share subscription.
In August, OSL joined HashKey as the first exchanges to acquire Hong Kong’s new license to facilitate retail crypto trading in the city.
Fnality is a fintech firm focused in part on tokenizing securities — that is, making traditional financial assets like gold or Treasury bonds synthetic and storing them on the blockchain.
The centralized finance platforms’ raises come amid a longer-term slide in centralized finance funding relative to decentralized platforms.
Tokenization’s big week continues
Tokenization company Superstate raised $14 million in a Series A led by CoinFund and Distributed Global, joining Fnality as the week’s other notable tokenization raise.
Superstate is helmed by Robert Leshner, who founded the DeFi lending firm Compound before leaving to create Superstate. The raise comes less than five months after Superstate’s $4 million seed round was announced. The company filed an SEC prospectus at around the same time to let clients store tokenized government bonds on Ethereum.
At Blockworks’ Permissionless conference in August, Leshner said DeFi’s onboarding of major institutions would require the space to compromise on crypto-native assets in favor of a focus on tokenization.
“This is the big divide that is going to define the next ten years of DeFi,” Leshner said at the time.
Other notable fundraises
- K-Pop fan engagement startup Modhaus raised $8 million in a Series A round led by Sfermion.
- CFX Labs raised $9.5 million in seed funding to grow its remittance-focused stablecoin payment product on Solana.
- Bitcoin ordinals project Taproot Wizards announced a $7.5 million seed round led by Standard Crypto.
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BMW AG revealed a convertible roadster version of its i8, a high-performance plug-in hybrid concept car. The new car, called the i8 Concept Spyder, is designed to perform like a sports car while logging better fuel economy than the typical small economy car.
BMW said the two-seater can travel 17 to 19 miles on battery power alone, which contributes to a fuel economy equivalent of about 78 miles per gallon. The combination of an electric motor and a turbocharged three-cylinder engine give the car a total of 354 horsepower – enough to accelerate to 62 mph in five seconds and reach an electronically governed top speed of 155 mph.
BMW introduced its i sub-brand early last year and later unveiled its first two concept vehicles, the i3 city car and i8 sports car in Frankfurt, Germany. Since then the cars have made the rounds at numerous auto shows. BMW said the cars represent the direction its lineup will take in the near future. The i3 is to be released next year with the i8 to follow in 2014.
Some photos released of the i8 Spyder : (Click to zoom)
Pricing is likely to be in the region of £80,000.


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SOUTHPORT’S Crown Post Office on Lord Street could become a franchise.
The Post Office is looking for retail partners to take on branches in locations across the country to save money.
And Southport is one of 70 Crown branches – directly managed by the Post Office – that could be taken over.
A spokeswoman for the Post Office insisted this was not a Post Office closure plan.
She said: “Crown branches are a fundamental part of our long term growth strategy and need to be brought into profit.
“To maintain our high street presence we will be looking to find retail partners for 70 of our branches enabling us to stay in these locations.”
She said branches would be dealt with on a “case-by-case” basis but it was likely to mean the Post Office buildings would close and services would move into retail stores.
Cllr Tony Dawson warned residents to look out for a consultation over the future of the Lord Street branch. He said: “We shall want to go over any proposal with a fine-tooth comb but, for now, we shall have to wait to see whether the Post Office can even find a suitable partner locally who is prepared to provide a suitable venue on acceptable terms.”


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Got you all worked up with that headline, didn’t I? I bet a few of you are even sporting wood, and furiously hunting for a bottle of hand lotion, aren’t you? Well, keep it in your pants, freak, it’s not quite what it seems.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, UK e-tailer Aria has dropped the price on the 60GB version of the PlayStation 3 (by a whopping 25GBP aka $49.06USD) only three days after its official launch. Their reasoning? Here’s a quote;
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz founder and managing director Aria Taheri explained, “We’re running a promotion to create market awareness. This offer will only run for a limited period, and we have a limited quantity of machines available at this price.”
Recently, we’ve received a lot of conflicting reports on how well Sony’s flagship product has been faring across the pond; some claiming it’s failing utterly, some claiming it’s the new iPod and a few claiming every console released so far has been purchased by Emma Bunton and quickly devoured. Until Prince William calls us back, the only thing we can be sure of is that the PS3 has been released on that side of the Atlantic and that I will never stop using that Churchill picture.