By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender, has hired Alexander Zaretsky, a former 15-year-long CEO of the Russian operation of US insurer MetLife, as head of Sberbank Private Pension Fund, a subsidiary running private pension schemes for individuals and companies. Continue Reading
Tag Archives: US
Sberbank: cybercrime to cost companies globally $2.5tn in 2019
By Andrei Skvarsky. According to Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, cybercrime inflicted total damages of $1.5 trillion on companies worldwide last year and will rob them of another $2.5 trillion in 2019. Continue Reading
High-powered financiers to discuss real estate investment at California event
Leading investors and top company managers are coming together in San Diego, California, on May 1-3 for a North America-focused conference on real estate investment. Continue Reading
Lebanon’s Bank Audi says Nexmo’s WhatsApp solution enables it to improve customer service
By Andrei Skvarsky. Lebanon-based Bank Audi has adopted a device developed by US technology company Nexmo to maintain direct contact with customers through WhatsApp, an increasingly popular means of communication worldwide. Continue Reading
Russian startup develops anti-fraud app for insurers
By Andrei Skvarsky. A Russian startup has developed a mobile application that it says enables insurers to protect themselves from fraudulent claims via a pre-insurance inspection of a property item involving multiple photographs that are dated and timed and record the item’s location. Continue Reading
Sova brokerage chooses Iress as provider of order management, post-trade processing software
By Andrei Skvarsky. London-headquartered investment broker Sova Capital Limited has chosen Australian technology designer Iress to provide software for order management and post-trade processing in its prime services division. Continue Reading
Legacy issues main hurdle to global hi-tech insurance innovation – survey
By Andrei Skvarsky. Unresolved issues originating in outdated business organisation systems are the main hurdle faced by insurance companies worldwide in trying to put their business on a high-tech basis, a survey suggests. Continue Reading
UPDATE (quoting ticket price discount) – Florida’s Opal Exchange networking event to bring together investors, brokers, consultants
Investors, brokers, consultants and any other financial services professionals will have plenty of opportunity for one-to-one meetings during Opal Exchange, a networking event in Florida on March 31-April 2. Continue Reading
Impact investing is often more profitable than traditional investing – survey
By Andrei Skvarsky. Impact investing, besides social and environmental benefits, its raison d’etre, quite often involves business advantages over conventional investing, a survey suggests. Continue Reading
Payger, Net Element clinch deal said to offer shoppers new crypto payment facilities
By Andrei Skvarsky. Electronic payments companies Payger and Net Element, the former based in Munich and the latter in Miami, announced a partnership deal last week that, according to the two firms, offers retail shoppers wider opportunities to pay in cryptocurrencies. Continue Reading
PDM loan supports buyout of healthcare consultancy Validant by GHO Capital
By Andrei Skvarsky. London-based debt investor Permira Debt Managers (PDM) is acting as sole senior secured lender to Validant, an international healthcare consultancy focused on regulation and compliance. Continue Reading
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: 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
Moody’s, Fitch, S&P, bulge bracket banks to take part in CLO forum in California
Rating agencies Moody’s, Fitch and S&P and several bulge bracket banks will take part in the CLO Summit in Dana Point, California, on November 28-30, an educational conference on collateralised loan obligations for investors, issuers, underwriters, rating agencies, lawyers, and accountants. Continue Reading
California forum on marketplace lending, alternative financing to address wide range of issues
Subjects ranging from real estate opportunities to the use of blockchain and artificial intelligence in financial services will be raised at the Marketplace Lending & Alternative Financing Summit in Dana Point, California, on November 28-30. 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
Brock Pierce to be among 60 speakers at 4-day blockchain forum in Hollywood in December
High-profile cryptocurrency entrepreneur Brock Pierce will be the keynote speaker at the planned BWC South blockchain educational conference in Hollywood on December 2-5, which will hear about 60 other speakers and have a range of networking and entertainment activities on its programme. Continue Reading
Two lawyers with financial sector experience join intl law firm Winston & Strawn
By Andrei Skvarsky. U.S.-based international law firm Winston & Strawn has announced two high-profile hires, recruiting two lawyers specialising in financial services as well as other industries. 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
Russian startup among MIT-based accelerator’s selectees for course
By Andrei Skvarsky. Button Blockchain Technologies, a Russian-staffed but US-domiciled startup developing a cryptocurrency wallet for retail users and corporate blockchain solutions, was among firms selected by an accelerator based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a class that ran last month. Continue Reading
Sberbank joined by Silicon Valley accelerator to look for promising Russian startups
By Andrei Skvarsky. Silicon Valley-based accelerator 500 Startups has joined Russia’s biggest lender Sberbank in a programme to finance and promote Russian tech startups. Continue Reading
S. African blockchain startup wins MIT/Mastercard Foundation prize for financial inclusion
By Andrei Skvarsky. South African startup Wala, which runs a blockchain platform for instant micro-payments, has won a $100,000 prize for “innovation in financial inclusion” from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Mastercard Foundation. Continue Reading
Rhode Island hosting Opal conferences on cybersecurity, payment technologies
Newport, Rhode Island, is the site of two more financial conferences this week organised by Opal Group besides a family office event that has just ended – Cyber Security Summit 2018 and Financial Innovation and Payments Summit 2018, both being held on July 18-20. Friday’s agenda for the Cyber Security Summit includes panel sessions on… Continue Reading
Blockchain, cryptos to be among topics at Rhode Island family office forum
Blockchain and cryptocurrencies will be among a multitude of subjects to be raised at the Family Office & Private Wealth Management Forum in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 16-18. Continue Reading
Big-scale forum on cryptos to be held in New York
New York City will host a conference on cryptocurrency investment on June 11-12 that is going to be an outstanding event for the range of issues it will address. Continue Reading
FXPrimus accuses company of stealing its branding for ICO
By Andrei Skvarsky. Foreign exchange broker FXPrimus has accused a company that has “no association” with it is of unauthorised use of its branding for a planned initial coin offering (ICO). 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
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