Why it’s time blockchain stopped being used as lipstick on the pig August 28, 2018 Blockchain. Distributed Ledger Technology. Cryptocurrency. These words can add more value to any company than any genuine technology, strategy or growth. Shares in Stapleton Capital doubled on one day when it changed its name to Blockchain Worldwide. Bitcoin Services, formally known as Tulip BioMed, grew 42,500% last year. This is nostalgic: in December 2001, academics [...]
Five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend: Moura the man, Alonso the alternative, Arsenal’s defence shaky and more August 27, 2018 Jose Mourinho’s selection roulette did not pay off tonight. The Manchester United manager made six changes, mixing his squad up to face a familiar-looking Tottenham side. After a first half in which both sides missed countless opportunities, Spurs made their move as Harry Kane and Lucas Moura prompted chants of “you're getting sacked in the [...]
Why UK Sport’s funding review should mean less money for athletics, cycling, swimming, rowing, sailing and equestrian August 27, 2018 Katherine Grainger is a poster girl for Britain’s funding of elite sport, winning medals at each of the five Olympics since John Major ushered in the current highly successful support system. Now she is chair of UK Sport, although but a boardroom novice, and must make a pair of connected decisions that will define the [...]
London blockchain startup Cobalt nabs investment from the Singapore Exchange May 4, 2018 Cobalt, a London-based startup which is aiming to shift foreign exchange (FX) markets onto blockchain technology, now has Asia’s largest currencies exchange on board. The Singapore Exchange (SGX) today made a “strategic investment” in Cobalt, which aims to use distributed ledger technology (the tech behind bitcoin and blockchain) to improve firms’ infrastructure and risk management. [...]
Cryptocurrency founder has a wise head on young shoulders February 20, 2018 As sales pitches go, it’s an unconventional one. In fact it’s more warning than advert, but you can’t argue with the logic behind it. The tweet was as stark as it was short: “Cryptocurrencies are still a new and hyper-volatile asset class, and could drop to near-zero at any time.” So wrote Vitalik Buterin, the [...]
George Soros’s fund has sold its stake in Facebook after he blasted tech giants – but has upped its Twitter and Snap holdings February 15, 2018 Soros Fund Management, the firm run by billionaire hedgie manager George Soros, has finally sold its stake in Facebook after Soros blasted tech giants at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. Yet it seems the 87-year-old investor is not quite ready to practice what he preaches just yet, as regulatory filings reveal he [...]
Deborah Meaden and Martin Lewis among celebrity names used by cryptocurrency scammers April 13, 2018 Fraudsters are using celebrities’ names to add a touch of legitimacy to cryptocurrency scams. Dargon’s Den star Deborah Meaden and MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis are among the fake endorsements used by scammers to extort £34,000 from victims last month alone. Action Fraud said that it received 21 reports of cryptocurrency scams in March, and warned [...]
Instagram is launching a shopping service in the UK today March 20, 2018 Instagram today launches a shopping service on its platform, giving retailers the opportunity to turn their posts on the social media site into solid sales. Mobile sales have become a significant source of growth for retailers, and now businesses will be able to direct customers to their own websites through tagged posts on Instagram. Instagram [...]
Blockchain and smart contracts August 7, 2018 Blockchain will do for contracts what email did for communications. Or it won't. Blockchain is one of the most polarising of the current emerging technologies, not just because of the range of views on its use in Bitcoin and other crypto, but also because of its potential application in contracts. So why are people so [...]
Beware the cryptocurrency hype February 20, 2018 Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, as philosopher George Santayana famously wrote. What’s happening in markets today is a stark reminder of the dot-com days at the end of the last millennium, when company valuations rocketed at the mere mention of internet-related buzzwords. Fortunes were made and lost in relative [...]