ACDX Offers World’s First Leveraged Trading for Chia (XCH)

Seychelles, May 7, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – ACDX, the crypto derivatives exchange offering advanced structured products for sophisticated traders, is offering their users with the world's first leveraged BBS trading option for Chia Tokens (XCH). It is the world's first crypto exchange to kick off such leveraged listing, empowering users to trade XCH Bull Bear Strike Token (XCH BBS) with multiple times leverage.

Founded by Bram Cohen, the inventor of the BitTorrent network, Chia Network is building a better blockchain and smart transaction platform which is more decentralized, more efficient, and more secure. It is the first enterprise-grade digital money, using the first new Nakamoto consensus algorithm since Bitcoin. Their goal is to improve the global financial and payments system.

"We are always looking for innovative, secure, and efficient projects to list on ACDX. Chia Network is exactly what we are seeking," commented Andy Cheung, founder and executive chairman of ACDX.

ACDX is a next-generation crypto exchange that strives to architect innovations into the crypto market. Designed by professional traders, their most unique product is Bull Bear Strike Token (BBS) that combines the fascination of perpetual futures and options. It can be traded as easy as perpetual futures with the capped risk like options.

Given the mass adoption of blockchain this year, ACDX has decided to reaffirm their commitment to the global decentralized financial economy. As Chia is adopting more modern cryptographic tools to enable richer smart transaction capabilities, ACDX believes the listing can help them deliver the vision to bridge the gap between the decentralized and centralized blockchain economy.

"We have been closely monitoring the decentralized financial space. Our team is aware that many financial and payments projects have flourished in 2021 with the potential to blossom further in 2022. PayPal, eBay, etc. To respond to our community's need, we decide to explore this field." commented Andy Cheung.

About ACDX
ACDX offers a next-generation cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform with cryptocurrency structured products. The exchange is focused on true innovation across a wide range of easy-to-use, fair, and transparent trading products that suit the needs of current and emerging cryptocurrency traders.

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Blockchain & Liberty for All

Washington, D.C., May 3, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Live from Washington DC, GBA will host a virtual gathering of members to celebrate the accomplishments of 2020 and plan our trajectory going forward. Join us, June 18-19, as the GBA hosts, BLOCKCHAIN AND LIBERTY FOR ALL, streaming virtually to cities around the world.

In commemoration of June 19th, also known as Freedom Day, Juneteenth is a U.S. holiday celebrating the emancipation of African Americans still held in slavery in Texas in 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had officially outlawed slavery. This 2-year delay came from a deliberate withholding of the news of freedom, chaining thousands of slaves with a lie. Today we have an abundance of news, 24/7, on multiple channels. But are we getting the truth, or is it fake news? Without verification, can we trust the data? Blockchain is a specific type of database in which blocks of data are chained together in chronological order, immutable, irreversible, and viewable to anyone. No data goes into a block until the entire community sees it and verifies it. Blockchain as a system can provide verification, trust, and liberty for all. Hence the theme of this year's GBA annual meeting, Blockchain and Liberty for All.

The Government Blockchain Association, GBA, is a global business association with chapters in 120 cities around the world. In only a few short years, the GBA has risen from a local meetup to an international association of blockchain innovators and government policy makers with over 50 Working Groups including:

– Acquisition Management
– Big Data
– Cannabis
– Cybersecurity
– Education and Training
– Emergency Management
– Financial Regulatory
– Gaming
– Grants
– Intellectual Property
– Land Titling
– Smart Cities
– Space
– Supply Chain
– Voting, and More…

Leaders from GBA Africa, Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, US, Canada, and India will give yearly updates. Eric Guthrie, Esq., GBA Director of Training and author of Diversify or Die, will give a Keynote on 'Journey to Freedom'. Technology, the Token, Fair and Honest Elections, and Blockchain and Equal Opportunity will all be discussed.

"Political freedom must be accompanied by economic freedom for people to be truly free. Blockchain Technology is a new frontier in the economic landscape." says Gerard Dache, Executive Director, GBA.

Blockchain technology does not discriminate between color, gender, age, nationality, or background (education). This new technology presents an opportunity for all who want to embrace it. Join GBA on June 18-19 as we discuss our yearly update.

For more information go to Blockchain & Liberty for All (www.gbaglobal.org/event/blockchain-liberty-for-all)

Source: Plato Data Intelligence (https://zephyrnet.com/blockchain-liberty-for-all/)

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Sentinel and StrongBlock Combine Forces for Greater dVPN Node Availability

US, May 1, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Sentinel, a one-of-a-kind network layer that allows the development of third-party and white-label decentralized Virtual Private Network (dVPN) applications, is excited to announce its integration with StrongBlock, the leading Nodes-as-a-Service (NaaS) provider. StrongBlock launches and operates full blockchain nodes for non-technical users to increase blockchain strength, rewarding them with STRONG or native protocol tokens. With this integration, the stage is set for Sentinel's dVPN to expand in scope and utility, while creating new use cases for the network.

With over 5,500 operators running 21,000+ nodes, StrongBlock allocates resources to networks seeking security, diversity, and decentralization. By combining forces with Sentinel, a network that has over 300,000 global users of dVPN applications, StrongBlock's infrastructure will provide significantly more dVPN nodes, expanding Sentinel's dVPN bandwidth far beyond its existing capacity.

Combined, the two organizations will provide a truly decentralized VPN that surpasses the performance and user experience of existing centralized competitors such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Mullvad, and TunnelBear, all of which have single points of failure due to their centralized architecture.

Providing nodes for Sentinel is a leap forward in StrongBlock's long-term strategy of increasing node ecosystem support across blockchain protocols, while providing value generation to the node operators within their ecosystem. "It's the STRONG node army at work," said David Moss, StrongBlock CEO. "StrongBlock's click-and-go process will allow anyone to provide a dVPN node to the Sentinel network and earn passive income."

Typically, Proof-of-Work (PoW) miners are rewarded with native tokens like ETH or BTC for mining, while nodes keep records of all transactions without receiving rewards. In exchange for running dVPN nodes via StrongBlock, node operators will be rewarded with $DVPN tokens to incentivize network health, uptime, and availability.

In partnership with Pangea Blockchain Fund (https://pangeablockchain.ch), backed by renowned blockchain entrepreneur Roger Ver, and the new Pangea Research project, both StrongBlock and bitcoin.com will be operating Validator nodes on the Sentinel network. When asked in an interview between William Duplessie, CEO of Pangea, and Ver, why decentralizing the VPN industry is important, Ver replied, "You can't have just one single VPN company that can be compromised at any time, or leak all the customer data, or have all sorts of bad things happen. The more holes we can poke in the Great Firewall of China and every other piece of censorship on the internet, the better the world is for everybody. So I'm really excited about these decentralized VPN protocols enabling people to communicate more freely without any permission or being spied upon."

"It's a really big deal to be able to give people all over the world access to information without it being censored from them. I support any technology that empowers individuals to have more control over their own lives and access to more information," Ver added.

As StrongBlock expands across new blockchains such as Cosmos, the integration with Sentinel and StrongBlock will incentivize provably private node operations to share dVPN bandwidth across a broader spectrum of nodes, enabling other new, highly available Web3 applications on top of the Sentinel network.

"We are honored to work with StrongBlock to empower the Sentinel network to increase its bandwidth and reliability for existing and future dVPN users," said Srinivas Baride, CTO of Exidio (https://exidio.co) (a core contributor to the Sentinel network).

About Sentinel

Sentinel (https://sentinel.co), a decentralized VPN protocol, is built on Cosmos SDK-based architecture. Differing from centralized VPN companies that have been proven to log user data, Sentinel is an open-source, encrypted, peer-to-peer bandwidth marketplace accessible to anyone. Users can connect to any of the provably secure dVPN applications built on the Sentinel network. Individuals can also earn passive income by offering bandwidth to the marketplace. Live network statistics can be found at https://stats.sentinel.co.

Keep up with developments on the Sentinel network on the official Medium (https://medium.com/sentinel), Twitter (https://twitter.com/sentinel_co), and Telegram (https://t.me/Sentinel_Announcements) channels.

About StrongBlock

StrongBlock (https://strongblock.com/), led by blockchain and enterprise software veterans CEO David Moss, CTO Brian Abramson, and CPO Corey Lederer, is the first and only cross-chain protocol to reward nodes for supporting their blockchain infrastructure.

The STRONG protocol and node reward mechanism, integrated with NFTFi tokens, lays the foundation for stronger, more secure, and economically sound blockchain networks.
STRONG enables decentralized governance of its community DeFi protocol. STRONG is not a fundraising device or investment opportunity.

Learn more by visiting StrongBlock's Medium (https://strongblockio.medium.com), Twitter (https://twitter.com/Strongblock_io) and Telegram (https://t.me/strongblock_io).

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Synopsis 2021: Hot Trends Online Summit Live June 1 to 5

MOSCOW, May 1, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – This year's summer starts with Synopsis 2021: Hot Trends. This is the second edition of one of the largest online summits featuring top trends in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and DeFi. Synopsis 2021: Hot Trends gathers the brightest industry participants to share their knowledge with 50,000+ viewers around the world.

Duration: June 1 to 5, 2021

The summit gathers 60+ speakers who are experts in blockchain, DeFi, and NFT, representatives of exchange platforms and biggest blockchain projects. They will share the current and future trends of the blockchain market.

The summit offers you 5 days of full immersion in the digital economy. Synopsis 2021: Hot Trends is the event to establish close communication between the experts and the community.

The key summit topics are DeFi, digital economy and regulations, NFT and digital art, trading and market analysis, and marketing and PR.

The Interactive Zone is a unique occurrence among online summits. It originates from the first edition of Synopsis 2021. The Interactive Zone allows getting to know the mechanics of blockchain projects in the form of games. Besides, game participants can win prize money. The first edition of Synopsis 2021 was the most Interactive blockchain and DeFi summit. Synopsis 2021: Hot Trends will follow through and offer viewers a wider range of interactive events and online activities.

The target audience of Synopsis 2021 is investors, business representatives, traders, market analysts, economists, business consultants, marketers, developers, representatives of regulatory bodies, PR experts, blockchain enthusiasts, college students, and everyone keen on the digital economy and DeFi market.

Summit hosts: Maria Stankevich (EXMO), Yan Khavanskiy (Coindar, Colibri Group), Lihan Lee (Xangle).

The broadcast will be carried out simultaneously on various popular streaming services, such as YouTube, on Theta.tv and on Verasity.tv

Partners: THETA, Binance, Aergo, Conflux, TON Labs, Free TON, EXMO, MahaDAO, OKEx, Elysia, Plasm Network, Shiden Network, Stake Technologies, VAIOT, J2TX, MobiFi, Coffe.io, Securities, BeInCrypto and other popular projects
Organizers: Colibri Group, Coindar
Co-organizers: Xangle, Prometheus, Investment Russia
Summit sponsors: Algorand, ARPA, CyberVein, Gather Network, Verasity, Bella Protocol, TrustBase, Gate, Bingbon and others
Special partner: THETA Labs

Web: https://synopsis2021.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/synopsis2021

Media contact:
Colibri Group, Coindar
Contact: Daria Chernova
E: info@coindar.org, info@colibri-group.org
W: https://synopsis2021.com, https://coindar.org/

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Innovative UK Energy Company Increases Rewards for Residential Roof Top Solar

LONDON, Apr 26, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Rowan Energy has launched a new and leading global solar incentive programme; Rowan Rewards. The platform gives customers reward points similar to other loyalty programs for the energy produced by their roof top solar.

Since the end of the feed-in tariff in 2019, there has been no financial incentive to adopt solar technology. Rowan however aims to change this by bringing carbon offsetting and blockchain together enabling greater environmental and financial rewards to its customers. The UK-based energy start-up passionately believes in making renewable energy production equally as valuable to its producers as it is for the environment.

Right now, potential solar customers can earn a maximum 5.5p per kilowatt hour (kWh) for the electricity produced by the solar panels on their roof. This means, depending on your solar supplier, that it could take up to thirty years to get a return on investment, which is longer than the panels are expected to last.

Rowan Energy residential customers can currently enjoy returns of up to 15.5p per kWh with the capacity for this figure to grow in future. Potentially bringing them profits on their solar investment in less five years.

Rowan allocates rewards for every kWh produced by the solar setup, not just what is fed onto the grid. This level of incentive is achieved by bringing several new technologies together in a single package. The backbone of their platform is a custom built blockchain. A blockchain is a distributed secure database, that traditionally utilises large amounts of energy to run. Rowan built their own custom blockchain from the ground up. The blockchain was designed to run on Raspberry Pi's (a UK distributed micro-computer), making it low powered and therefore low-carbon.

Each customer gets a new type of smart meter called a Rowan Smart Miner added to their solar installation. This Smart Miner is non-intrusive and can be fitted alongside current solar installations or added to a purchased solar package.

The Smart Miner sits behind the existing smart meter, counting the energy produced by the roof top installation while simultaneously validating the transactions on the blockchain itself.

Once installed the Smart Miner counts the energy produced by the solar panels and rewards its owners with points accessible via a user-friendly interface either on a desktop or mobile app. As these devices sit behind the solar panels Rowan's custom made blockchain is mostly solar powered and carbon neutral.

The reward points represent 10p for every kWh produced. Once collected points can be transferred to your PayPal account or Rowan Debit card, with the added benefit of being given the option to donate rewards directly to UK fuel poverty charities.

When joining Rowan Energy Rewards, you will not have to change your current supplier and it does not affect any agreed feed-in program.

In February 2021 Rowan began its beta rollout program. Working with leading solar panel installer Ecocute, Rowan has begun installing miners into 50 properties to test and perfect the program end to end prior to a national rollout. Rowan Energy has a target of installing ten thousand miner units in properties by the end of the year.

Already building partnerships in Canada, France and Poland, Rowan Energy expect to replicate the platform and offer the same incentives globally.

This is just the beginning of the Rowan Energy journey. Once Rowan has signed up a significant number of solar customers, they plan to launch their peer-to-peer energy trading platform. This means that solar prosumers will be able to sell their energy directly to other consumer, based on how much energy the customer needs and the producer closest to them. Meaning you could share your solar energy production with family, friends and others.

By bringing this to market Rowan Energy will become the world's first community fed green energy company. Customers will be able to go onto their dashboard and see in real-time where their energy is being produced.

This not only brings better returns for producers, but cheaper green energy for consumers and eliminates the controversial use of Green Energy Certificates to greenwash energy produced by diesel or coal power stations. Some energy companies buy brown energy, offset the carbon and then sell it to unsuspecting Green energy customers.

The idea for the business was first established in 2018 in Cambridge, by the company's CEO and founder; David Duckworth.

After being rebuffed by several large utility companies, David worked to develop the idea and brought out a 4 stage plan to bring the new incentive to market.

Phase one saw Rowan Energy build a beta version of its low-carbon blockchain and partner with smart meter provider PassivSystem to launch a proof of concept that tracked the energy production of 175 houses and rewarded them for that production.

In phase two Rowan released its live blockchain and then added the base token; Rowan Coin, to major exchanges ProBit and LAtoken. Next Rowan Energy set about hiring talent from around the world to help make David's vision become a reality.

Following on from phase two Rowan concluded the development of its Smart Miner technology and manufactured its first revolutionary hardware product. Partnering with a welsh open-source smart meter company Emonpi they were able to move into the current phase three, which has seen the Smart Miner being rolled out to homes as part of its beta launch trial. A national rollout is expected in the latter part of 2021.

Phase four will see the introduction of Rowan as a licenced utilities provider followed by exciting Solar-Battery-EV potential advancements.

Rowan Energy are expected to change the way people buy and sell their energy, bringing a much-needed revision to an increasingly obsolete industry. With encouraging incentives, Rowan Smart Miners and an accessible platform, Rowan offer straightforward financial returns and environmental benefits.

Rowan Energy want to make Green Energy available and rewarding to all.

Join Rowan Rewards today by visiting.

Contact Info:
Rowan Renewable Energy LTD
483 Green Lanes, London, England, N13 4BS
Support@rowanenergy.com
www.rowanrewards.com
www.rowanenergy.com

SOURCE: Rowan Renewable Energy LTD

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Government Blockchain Association (GBA) Announces the First Release of “The Impact of Cryptocurrency Adoption on Government”

Washington, D.C., Apr 26, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Tax Working Group of the Government Blockchain Association (GBA) today announced the first release of "The Impact of Cryptocurrency Adoption on Government." This study, developed by an international panel of government and private sector experts, examines the adoption of cryptocurrency around the world and determines the impact it may have on governments. The study is intended to provide public and private sector leaders with the information needed to understand cryptocurrency trends and recommend potential courses of action.

While the world is navigating uncharted waters as the global pandemic introduces many challenges to national economies, governments are especially vulnerable to the changing tides that threaten established norms. The very definition of money itself is changing. As in many times of crises, there are opportunities to explore new ways of doing things that end up improving people's lives.

"We are witnessing a rapidly growing phenomenon in the world of cryptocurrencies, as it is trending toward total market capitalization of the world's largest technology companies. If this trend continues, there is no doubt that the future of money, governance, and the law will change forever," says Mark Montoya, Chief Data Officer at the Government Blockchain Association.

But what will this mean for governments?

"To understand this phenomenon, we need to start asking questions about cryptocurrency. If the cryptocurrency trend persists over the next ten years, what is the impact on the global financial system? If significant transactions bypass traditional financial institutions, how will governments manage their economies and enforce their laws? Will cryptocurrency complement the payment systems, compete with them, or even replace them?" says Ksenija Cipek, Head of Tax Risk Analysis at the Ministry of Finance of Croatia.

– Background and Research Approach. The study discusses the impact of cryptocurrency adoption on the following areas of government: regulation, ethics, privacy, jurisdictions, economy, enforcement, and taxation.

– Trends in Adoption of Cryptocurrency and Government Impacts. Governments have embarked on many different initiatives ranging from Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) development projects to authorizing cryptocurrency custodial services for banks and drafting new cryptocurrency regulations. This study shows how and in what ways the evolution impacts government and the broader public sector, region by region, country by country.

To download the report, please visit www.GBAglobal.org/cmp.

About GBA

The Government Blockchain Association (GBA) is an international professional association focused on blockchain-related technologies, opportunities, and challenges in the public sector. GBA cultivates professional workflows between technologists, public policymakers, financial and legal communities and acts as a catalyst in creating a public dialogue around the creative, profitable, and positive use of blockchain technology. For more information, please visit www.gbaglobal.org.

Source: Plato Data Intelligence: https://zephyrnet.com (bit.ly/3eBGYMV)

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Pertama Digital expresses interest to apply for BNM’s digital banking license, currently in talks to form dedicated consortium

SELANGOR, Malaysia, Apr 23, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Pertama Digital Berhad (PERTAMA), a Bursa Malaysia Main Market listed investment holding company in the government technology and fintech spaces, today announced its digital banking aspirations and revealed that it is currently in advanced joint venture talks to pursue the license from Bank Negara Malaysia. The application deadline is 30 June 2021.

Saify Akhtar, Director of Strategy, said: "We are motivated by and aligned with the financial inclusion emphasis in the licensing framework for digital banks published by BNM in December 2020. Pertama Digital is leading a consortium of innovators and veterans, bringing to market a homegrown solution, purpose built for those Malaysians that need us most. We have been hard at work coordinating capital, talent, technology and a captive market and are proud to announce that we have a uniquely sustainable banking model that exceeds the requirements laid out in the framework. We look forward to delivering ethical financial products to underserved Malaysians and contributing to our post-pandemic recovery as a nation."

Pertama Digital is the holding company of DAPAT Vista (M) Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian company that specialises in digitalisation of government services. It provides solutions in mobile and web apps; mobile payment and messaging; business empowerment APIs, and other customised digital services. Dapat also operates the government SMS gateway called mySMS and owns the MyPay and eJamin apps.

"Our vantage point gives us an edge because we have a wealth of information and lessons which have resulted in a successful and repeatable system that gets digitally and financially underserved Malaysians transacting online. Our team derives the most satisfaction from seeing our solutions adopted by people who have never made an online bank transfer before, for example. This is why we have collectively decided to pledge our resources into serving this market from here on," explained Saify.

Having started the digital court bail solution, eJamin, in early 2020, Pertama Digital now has valuable knowhow in the space of including underserved communities both digitally and financially.

"eJamin was designed after detailed consultations with the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court, court personnel across the country, banks and members of the Rakyat who have paid bail. Thanks to an innovation culture at the courts and rapidly increasing adoption of digital services across Malaysia, eJamin was implemented across all criminal courts in Malaysia 6 months ahead of schedule by mid-2020," said Amanda Sabri, CEO of Dapat.

Pertama Digital recently announced the increase of daily transfer limits between banks to RM500,000 from the usual RM30,000, which was approved by Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) to meet the demands of the legal system, which continues to operate robustly during the pandemic. PayNet is the national payments network and shared central infrastructure for Malaysia's financial markets, with BNM as the single largest shareholder.

"On 1 April 2021, Dapat commenced a proof-of-concept for the conversion of coins into usable funds in any Malaysian bank account," Amanda continues.

She revealed that this POC, operated with support from Subang Parade, will lay the foundation for a new era of how the Rakyat handles cash in the near future and findings are being shared with BNM, who are keen to see efforts to recirculate coins in the economy. Early data shows strong participation from typically financially underserved demographics, like food delivery riders, who still collect high amounts of coins on a daily basis in 2021.

According to BNM, there are some RM3.5 billion worth of coins already minted and it is estimated that as much as 30% of coins issued every year end up being unused and kept idle at home.

"Pertama Digital has scheduled joint announcements with the digital banking consortium and collaborative partners, which will follow shortly," concluded Saify.

Issued by: Sense Consultancy on behalf of Pertama Digital Berhad

For further media enquiries please contact:
Anthony Lee
Tel: +6012 338 3705
Email: anthony@leesense.com

Jaz Ng
Tel: +6012 202 0096
Email: jaz@leesense.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC) Sees 26% Jump in Registered Customers in 2020

SINGAPORE, Apr 16, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Singapore-based Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC) – a Joint Venture between the ZALL Smart Commerce Group (ZALL), Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Global eTrade Services (GeTS) – has announced strong growth in FY2020, driven by the urgency for supply chains to digitalise during the pandemic. In 2020, the number of customers on the platform grew by 26 per cent as compared to 2019 to reach 5800 registered users. Among the commodities traded on the platform include ferrous and non-ferrous metals, agricultural products, plastics and chemicals, and oil products. The total cumulative gross merchandise volume (GMV) on the CIC platform grew by over US$3.1 billion (S$4.1 billion) to reach US$13.4 billion (S$17.6 billion), an increase of more than 30 per cent from 2019.

Peter Yu, Chief Executive Officer of CIC shared, "By making our platform and technologies affordable and easy to use, SMEs are able to easily onboard the platform and make use of these digital tools to grow their businesses. With global disruptions such as COVID-19 and the recent Suez Canal incident, we want to help SMEs build more sustainable and resilient businesses that can endure these challenging times as they grow and expand in Asia and to achieve greater trading synergies globally."

According to the UOB SME Outlook Survey 2021, 34 percent of SMEs find digital adoption costly to implement, and yet companies who have digitally transformed one or more departments, or their entire business, have seen a significantly higher revenue growth. One of the Singapore SMEs who have benefited from CIC's platform is Go Holdings, a cullet supplier in Southeast Asia. Tapping on CIC's business intelligence service DataPro, it has been able to access a wide database of over 2 billion records of customs and trade data from more than 110 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas. This has allowed them to uncover new markets and diversify their trading operations, and connect with reliable partners and suppliers that align with their business goals. Alongside this, CIC also recently introduced a convenient Know-Your-Customer (KYC) service that helps SMEs with their due diligence to better manage their business risks.

Huang Zhi Rong, Business Development Executive of Go Holdings, shared, "As a general trading company from a traditionally offline industry, the thought of digitalization can be daunting and challenging as this is often costly and resource intensive, and it takes up time and effort. However, digital platforms such as CIC, has allowed us to gain a competitive edge in the market, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, by providing us with valuable market insights to guide our decision making and has enabled us to tap on the right information sources to strategize our business plans that has brought about profound changes to our import and export trade businesses." Go Holdings is currently a subscriber of CIC's DataPro services.

Over the past year, CIC has embarked on numerous initiatives to support SMEs in their digital transformation journey. In May 2020, CIC worked with Singapore Business Federation (SBF) to support SMEs under the "Rising in Support of Enterprises (RISE)" programme during the height of the pandemic. In December 2020, it has also jointly launched a "Digital Silk Road" initiative led by ZALL, and joined Singapore's Blockchain for Trade & Connectivity (BTC) Network, which aims to help SMEs embrace the power of digitalisation to uncover new trading opportunities and to promote greater efficiency and transparency across global supply chains.

With sustainability becoming increasingly important for companies, CIC is also focusing more efforts to support commodity trading that contributes towards climate change and environmental sustainability, such as clean and renewable energy, as it aims to groom more than ten Global Commodity Champions over the next three to five years on the back of the world's largest trade pact, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and China's dual circulation strategy.

"At Go Holdings, we have also focused on environmental sustainability. Although it has not been an easy journey for us, we have taken steps to become a sustainable company, from our selection of partners and vendors that share our common values, to our internal processes that promotes the use of sustainable materials and a culture of Reuse, Reduce and Recycle among our employees", added Huang Zhirong of Go Holdings.

About Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC)

The Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC) is a global trading platform for physical commodities including Ferrous & Non-Ferrous Metals, Chemicals & Plastics, Oil & Petroleum, and Agri Commodities. Officially launched in Singapore on 12 Oct 2018, CIC is a Joint Venture between China-based ZALL Smart Commerce Group, Global eTrade Services (GeTS) and Singapore Exchange (SGX) to build trade connectivity through digital marketplaces and to grow a vibrant trading ecosystem in Singapore.

CIC aims to revolutionize commodity trading and facilitate cross-border trade through deal matching, trade finance, supply chain logistics, track and trace and global trade compliance. Since its establishment in October 2018, CIC has achieved a GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) of more than US$13.4 billion (S$17.6 billion), with over 5,800 registered users covering markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China, among other countries in Asia. For more information, please visit www.cic-tp.com.

For media queries
Email: CIC@preciouscomms.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

CoinSmart Appoints Joe Tosti as Chief Compliance Officer

TORONTO, Apr 16, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – CoinSmart, a Toronto-based cryptocurrency exchange, announced it has appointed Joe Tosti to the role of Chief Compliance Officer. Joe comes with over 20 years of experience in compliance, trading, operations and wealth planning, having worked with some of the largest public institutions in Canada.

Joe's addition to the team follows the latest statement from the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) announcing that crypto trading platforms must bring their operations as a dealer or marketplace into compliance with Ontario securities law. On March 31, CoinSmart submitted its application for registration as a dealer with the OSC and the securities regulatory authorities in all other provinces and territories of Canada. CoinSmart is also actively engaged in membership discussions with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).

As Chief Compliance Officer, Joe will provide regulatory oversight and guidance, playing a critical role in customer protection and ensuring customer financial safety. Prior to joining CoinSmart, he served as the Vice President of Compliance at CI Investments and Chief Compliance Officer at CI Private Wealth and CI Direct Investing, one of Canada's largest investment fund companies. In addition to his role at CI, Joe has also contributed to the success of various industry start-ups.

"CoinSmart has always taken the path of compliance and regulation and we look forward to Joe echoing that mission," said Justin Hartzman, CEO of CoinSmart. "As CCO, he will effectively strengthen the safeguards that we have put in place for our customers and continue to ensure that CoinSmart is always on the forefront of providing the safest and most secure services."

CoinSmart breaks down the barriers of complex cryptocurrency transactions with its simple trading interface, learning tools and 24/7 client support. As one of the first Canadian exchanges to be regulatory compliant with the country's financial intelligence unit – Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada – CoinSmart prioritizes the safety and security of its customers with adherence to Know Your Client (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and the use of cryptocurrency cold storage to reduce theft.

"Canadians have always had such strong trust in their financial system and they deserve that same level of trust and protection when it comes to crypto," said Joe. "I believe that fostering a strong culture of compliance and maintaining sound governance is a cornerstone of a successful organization. As the industry continues to evolve and mature, I believe we are headed toward a direction where customers can have a safer and more secure experience with cryptocurrency."

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

UREEQA’s Extraordinary Partnership with the Ministry of Education in Cyprus

NICOSIA, Apr 14, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – UREEQA is thrilled to announce a brand-new partnership with the Republic of Cyprus' Ministry of Education, Department of Secondary General Education's music program. This pilot affiliation will grant students from the blockchain-oriented EU nation the opportunity to have their original musical creations protected, managed and monetized on UREEQA's innovative new platform.

The exciting new relationship with the Ministry's Department of Music will enable Cypriot Creators aged 12 to 18 to submit their work for a chance to gain entry into UREEQA's Closed Beta — where artwork of all kinds is verified to be original, minted as a non-fungible token (NFT) with a digital seal of authenticity on the blockchain.

"Our love of creative work binds us together as global citizens like nothing else," UREEQA CEO Harsch Khandelwal said, "and we're incredibly excited to unite with budding artists in Cyprus. We can't wait to see what these young creative minds will bring to our platform, and we're certain that the benefits associated with our system and our Responsible Minting technology will further stimulate an already robust NFT culture in Cyprus. This will truly be a win-win for Cyprus and UREEQA."

Dr. Georgia Neophytou, who oversees the nation's music program(s) as the Inspector of Music Education, echoed Khandelwal's excitement, stating that "The better I understand the principles of it, the more I appreciate the relevance and value this technology could bring to the artists and Creators of Cyprus; even more so, since Cyprus will be the first country in the EU to pilot this. We are a small country, and these kinds of wins are always sought after and critical to us."

The pilot alliance represents a significant step into a new, previously untapped realm for UREEQA's increasingly diverse and extensive portfolio of pledged artists and partners, but there's nothing random about the connection between the two parties.

Through this novel approach, UREEQA is offering access to a new service to Creators from all walks of life, while Cyprus has the opportunity to break new ground in embracing the blockchain and related digital assets — particularly at the grassroots. The University of Nicosia in the nation's capital was the first post-secondary institution in the world to offer a course in blockchain, the first to offer a degree in the same discipline, and the first to write academic certificates to the blockchain.

There's no telling what this arrangement could do for music produced by Cypriot youth whose work may have otherwise been lost in the creative world's enormous abyss, or how many new musicians or musical producers might emerge upon being motivated by a chance to introduce their creations to a dynamic and influential community like UREEQA's.

In the early stages of the Closed Beta, the UREEQA platform has most notably secured pledged assets from Lifehouse bassist and vocalist Bryce Soderberg, drumming legend Kenny Aronoff, as well as welcoming various music industry leaders to our Board of Advisors, including Kevin Leflar of officialCommunity and Janice Scott, a former VP at the music copyright organization SOCAN.

Now, several talented students in Cyprus will be among the ranks at our Closed Beta, and that prospect could inspire hundreds if not thousands of them to further build their musical skills and bolster their portfolios.

"The Republic of Cyprus has a history rich in the arts and culture," Khandelwal added, "and we look forward to helping shine a light on that."

About the Department of Secondary General Education in Cyprus

The Department of Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth in Cyprus is responsible for both Public and Private Secondary Schools in the country. It currently serves more than 60,000 students aged 12 – 18 at more than 150 schools, 10 of which are specialized music schools.

About UREEQA

The UREEQA platform strives to protect Creator's work, their rights and their revenue by harnessing the power of blockchain technology.

Established in Canada in 2020, UREEQA will modernize the inefficient and bureaucratic systems currently in place for copyright, patent, industrial design and trademark protection. By building a robust and compelling Package of Proof for source creative work, UREEQA only mints Validated NFTs to represent creative rights. This helps keep buyers safe by giving them confidence that the work they are purchasing was minted by the smart contract approved by the Creator of the work and is therefore authentic.

UREEQA provides value and opportunities for its Creators, Validators and Tokenholders via URQA, the token at the heart of the UREEQA ecosystem.

For more information on UREEQA and upcoming announcements please visit our website (https://UREEQA.com), join our Telegram channel (https://t.me/UREEQA), and follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/UREEQA_Inc).

Disclaimer:
Statements in this article, including any statements relating to UREEQA's future plans and objectives or expected results, may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in technology development and commercialization. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

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