By Andrei Skvarsky. The head of London-based boutique Sun Global Investments argues that gold has recently become more popular among investors as a shield against today’s international political and economic storms and that this is what has pushed its price to a six-month high. Continue Reading
Category Archives: Views
EXCLUSIVE: Cryptos need regulation to be adopted by ‘the masses’ – Payger
By Andrei Skvarsky. As regulators gradually take control of cryptocurrencies, the global crypto community is abandoning its initial attitude that being outside governmental regulation is an advantage of digital money. Continue Reading
EXCLUSIVE: Panxora CEO deplores cryptocurrency regulation faults, claims US controls cryptos globally
By Andrei Skvarsky. According to the chief executive of Panxora, a cryptocurrency exchange based in Hong Kong and London, there are serious obstacles to building fair and efficient cryptocurrency regulation mechanisms, both nationally and internationally. Continue Reading
Russia business training programme co-run by Sberbank, Google brings together 400,000
By Andrei Skvarsky. About 400,000 Russians have finished or are currently taking five-month free online business courses for small enterprises and would-be entrepreneurs that are co-run and co-sponsored by Russia’s biggest lender Sberbank and Google. Continue Reading
US crypto bourse Paxful tells Kenyans bitcoin trade can make them richer
By Andrei Skvarsky. Bitcoin trading is one way to narrow down the big gulf between the rich and poor in Kenya, according to Paxful, a US-based cryptocurrency exchange startup that is working to include the East African country in its geography. Continue Reading
EXCLUSIVE: Heeding public, ethical concerns in investing eventually means good returns – Alquity director
By Andrei Skvarsky. An investment strategy where environmental, social and fair governance concerns are key factors could mean less money for an investor in the short term but can produce “attractive” returns in the long run, according to a top executive in London-based asset manager Alquity. Continue Reading
GUEST POST: Emerging markets in South Africa
By staff at IQ Option Magazine. The South African market is one of the major emerging markets in the African region with only two more participants – Morocco and Egypt. Drained by the apartheid policies in the mid-20th century, the government managed to restore trade relations under the presidency of Nelson Mandela. However, this was not … Continue Reading
GUEST POST: Best ETFs for emerging markets
By staff at Forex Trading in South Africa. Being a marketable security, an Exchange-Traded Fund or ETF tracks a commodity, a stock index, bonds as well as assets. The price of an ETF’s shares is more likely to change as they are bought or sold throughout the day. The ETFs have underlying assets like oil … Continue Reading
World Blockchain Forum in New York to bring together over 150 firms
More than 150 companies are going to take part in the 4th World Blockchain Forum (WBF), a conference in New York on November 8-9, 2018, that will take up issues such as blockchain finance, cryptocurrencies and token economics. Continue Reading
Crypto exchange Paxful hails bitcoin popularity in Kenya
By Andrei Skvarsky. Paxful, a US-based peer-to-peer cryptocurrency exchange, has hailed the wide-scale use of bitcoin in Kenya, which is one of the world’s top countries in terms of amounts of bitcoin holdings. Continue Reading
Insurance Nexus whitepaper: ‘intelligent’ automation can revolutionise insurance
Research firm Insurance Nexus has interviewed senior company experts about the role of “intelligent” automation in the insurance business as opposed to routine robotics. Continue Reading
Sberbank subsidiary: Security firms technologically behind cybercriminals due to bureaucratic, legal constraints
By Andrei Skvarsky. Cybercriminals across the world are technologically “a step ahead” of cybersecurity firms as the latter are handicapped by bureaucratic formalities and legal requirements, according to the head of a cybersecurity subsidiary of Russia’s biggest lender Sberbank. Continue Reading
McKinsey: Russian banks making more use of blockchain, opening up to cryptos
By Andrei Skvarsky. Global consultancy McKinsey has said in a detailed report on the current state of the Russian economy that Russian banks are using blockchain on an increasing scale and has confirmed that cryptocurrencies are making their way into Russia. Continue Reading
Sberbank chief: fintechs, except big ones, not rivalling Russian banks
By Andrei Skvarsky. According to the chief executive of Russia’s biggest lender Sberbank, Russian banks face no serious competition from small and medium-sized financial technology companies. Continue Reading
Individuals withdraw $479bn from Russia between 2016 and 2017 – Tranio, central bank
By Andrei Skvarsky. Russian individuals withdrew $479bn from Russia between 2006 and 2017, taking the money to 257 foreign countries and territories, Russian real estate broker Tranio said, citing Russia’s central bank. Continue Reading
BlockShow study: Switzerland Europe’s most cryptocurrency-friendly country
By Andrei Skvarsky. Switzerland is Europe’s most cryptocurrency- and blockchain-friendly country, according to a study carried out in the framework of BlockShow Europe 2018, a planned flagship conference on blockchain technology in Berlin on May 28-29. Continue Reading
Renaissance Capital reports robust performance for 2017
By Andrei Skvarsky. Renaissance Capital, a Moscow-based privately owned investment bank focusing on emerging and frontier markets all over the world, has reported robust performance for 2017, including a year-on-year net profit increase of 43 per cent. Continue Reading
Russian investors warming to South Africa – govt agency
By Andrei Skvarsky. There is considerable and growing interest among Russian companies in investing in South Africa, according to a study based on surveys and cited by a South African government agency responsible for managing the country’s global reputation. Continue Reading
COMMENT: Russian govt to deny cryptocurrencies are money in apparent plan to prevent legal quandaries
By Andrei Skvarsky. The Russian government is apparently resorting to verbal manipulation to rule out legal quagmires that might arise if a Russian bill of December 2017 to allow cryptocurrency deals becomes law – problems that could be caused by the rouble’s status as the only legal tender within Russia. Continue Reading
Fewer Russians dodge tax on foreign accounts as transparency pact signed – Tranio/Adam Smith Conferences survey
By Andrei Skvarsky. The proportion of wealthy Russians who declare bank accounts held abroad to Russian tax authorities has quadrupled over a little more than a year since Russia joined a multinational accord on the automatic exchange of financial information, surveys suggest. Continue Reading
GUEST POST: Playing the crypto-currency game like Warren Buffet
By Alex Mirzaian, Crypto-Currency Researcher. Being able to weather many markets is not easy. When it’s going up it seems like a breeze on a nice sunny day. When it’s a bear market, you start to freak out and get emotional. Since the early 1900s, the stock market has done the same thing that many… Continue Reading
GUEST POST: Forex vs bitcoin: return on investment comparison?
By David Webb, Business Consultant, Sydney, and Contributor to BizzmarkBlog.com. Over the past few years, investing in forex and crypto-currencies has become a lucrative opportunity for people with a limited budget. Unlike some traditional trading methods, these practices allow you to invest a small amount of money and yet generate an outstanding return on investment… Continue Reading
Russia’s contradictory bill: crypto money to be allowed but rouble to remain ‘the sole legal tender’
By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s Finance Ministry has written a contradictory draft law on “digital financial assets” which would allow crypto-currencies to be used within Russia for making purchases but would declare that crypto money “shall not be a form of legal tender” within the country. Continue Reading
GUEST POST: When all else fails, raise hemlines
By Capitalist Exploits. Saudi Arabia. The arrival of cinema (after a 35-year ban), comedy shows, women driving. What the hell is happening? At this rate, within a few months Saudi women will be tottering around in lululemon and enraging the clerics via Instagram in their yoga pants. I could think of worse things. Continue Reading
Bitcoin vs forex trading: understanding the difference
By David Webb, business consultant, Sydney, and contributor to BizzmarkBlog. Since 2008, people have kept a close eye on all cryptocurrencies, bitcoin in particular. Being the flagship of all cryptocurrencies, bitcoin has come a long way since those early days, yet it still hasn’t established itself as other trading methods have. It’s still extremely unstable,… Continue Reading
More Countries Are Restricting Access To Blockchain Content
Blockchain has become a global phenomenon and more people are using the tool than ever. Blockchain technology is essentially a digital ledger which cryptocurrencies use to manage transactions. Blockchain technology encrypts the information inside the transaction and allows users to make these types of financial transactions without a bank or traditional financial institution. The Blockchain… Continue Reading
How healthy are your investments?
When is the last time you assessed the financial health of your investments? You should, typically, assess your investments annually. All investments, even the medium to long-term investments, will benefit from annual assessments. They allow one to get a better picture of the investment performance and let you review your choices. Be careful though, frequent… Continue Reading
GUEST POST: How to determine whether Gazprom is a good or bad investment
By Nick Hubble, Editor at Southbank Investment Research, a publishing company in London specialising in investment, market trends and technology.* Gazprom is listed on various stockmarkets and trades at an extraordinary discount to its value. The reason is simple: the unpredictable conflicts between Russia and its geopolitical adversaries. Continue Reading
Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) – October 2017 Newsletter
AFC Funds Performance Summary Major equity markets rallied this past month and frontier markets generally fared well as the MSCI Frontier Markets Net Total Return USD Index gained +1.2% this month and is now up +26.4% YTD, while the MSCI Frontier Markets Asia Net Total Return USD added +5.2% this month and is up +20.4%… Continue Reading