Six Things That Make Betway the Top-Tier Betting Operator in South Africa

January 30, 2023

Although South Africa might not be the leading country when it comes down to online betting operators, there are several top-tier iGaming brands that local punters can choose from. Some of them are better than others, but the good news s that Betway received a good rating and score for South Africa (by the expert Katerina Gadzheva) with its casino and sportsbook, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise because it offers a lot of things.

People interested in online betting in South Africa know that there is a big difference between some of the top-tier online betting operators. Even though all sites look the same, people can find multiple differences upon closer inspection. There are things that Betway may need to improve on, but overall, it is one of the best online betting operators in the country.

With that said, let’s learn more about what makes this company so popular among new and registered punters in South Africa.

1. Its reputation

You don’t need to have any experience with online betting to know that Betway is one of the household names in the business. Every industry has its leaders, so when it comes down to iGaming, Betway is one of the big names in the business.

Found in 2006, this is a company that’s available in several countries around the world. Even though the brand focuses mainly on the UK market, nowadays, you can find it in a wide range of countries. Needless to say, this wouldn’t have been possible if it was not legit and didn’t offer top-tier services.

Whether you’re into casino games or sports betting, you will find a variety of options on Betway. As one of the few legit iGaming operators in South Africa, the brand has become a gathering place for all online bettors. Its several years of experience make it trustworthy.

2. The registration process is fast

One of the annoying things that people have to complete before using a given online betting operator is to open an account. The registration process is an integral part of every iGaming site, but when it comes down to Betway, punters in South Africa can complete it in seconds.

Instead of providing many things, new signees must enter several things about them. For example, they need to provide their name, email, password, and promo code. After going through this process, Betway will allow you to sign up, but you’re not ready yet because the operator has a verification process.

Since this operator must adhere to the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board’s rules and the NGBSA, new signees must complete the verification procedure and prove that the information they’ve provided is accurate. Of course, you must send copies of specific documents, and Betway will have to verify them.

3. The brand offers punters in South Africa the chance to use an interesting welcome bonus

When it comes down to promotions for new clients, bettors in South Africa can find several operators that have attractive propositions. Needless to say, Betway has to compete with them for every new client, which explains why the site also has a lucrative welcome proposition for new users.

In this case, those who open an account can get a bonus that will give them up to an R1,000 free bet. Thanks to this perk, Betway’s users can punt on the sport they like. This reward has specific conditions you should check, such as the wagering requirement.

The intriguing thing that differentiates this proposal from the rest is the active bonus days. According to the rules, new users in South Africa interested in using Betway have a total of 180 days to try out the reward, which is really impressive.

4. The site has an amazing sportsbook

After the registration promotion and the sign u process, we also have to address the elephant in the room and include Betway’s sportsbook. Nowadays, this bookmaker has loads of things, such as tennis, snooker, football, boxing, cricket, and so on. Needless to say, Betway optimized everything, which means you can use it even if you’re a fan of mobile punting.

In addition to the impressive sports options, Betway is among the brands in this country that allows people to use multiple betting features. For example, things like In-Play, Bet My Way and live betting are available to all sorts of iGaming fans. Furthermore, punters can try things like Data Free and Build a Bet, options that aren’t accessible elsewhere.

5. Betway also has a live casino

Even though sports betting has many fans in South Africa, local operators also have other kinds of gambling options. For example, Betway has a top-tier casino portfolio where the games are divided into all kinds of subcategories. Consequently, things like blackjack, online slots, various variations of roulette, and so on are accessible in seconds.

While the casino titles offered by Betway are not that impressive, the quality is in a league of its own. Every title you decide to test is on another level and provides a one-of-a-kind gambling experience.

6. Betway provides bettors with many payment solutions

The last thing that makes this company more attractive than many of its alternatives in South Africa is its payment section. With numerous options that offer instant payments and withdrawals, users can experience tons of alternatives.

Interestingly, Betway provides many of the popular local payment solutions, such as 1VOUCHER and others. The payment process is easy, and people will have no problems adding or withdrawing money.

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Omexbanc Review | Pros and Cons Uncovered | (Updated 2023)

January 30, 2023

Have you been considering trading with Omexbanc? Before deciding, discover if this broker is the perfect fit by reading our comprehensive review.
Our in-depth analysis will provide valuable insights so that you can select the best online trading platform for your needs!

What is Omexbanc?

Omexbanc is an online platform that enables individuals to trade stocks, futures, crypto coins, and other financial products.

The platform is designed to give traders access to various trading instruments and features.

It includes real-time market data, a comprehensive trading platform, and a variety of tools and educational resources to help traders become successful in their trading. Omexbanc allows its users to buy and sell stocks, futures, and options from anywhere in the world and on the go.

Additionally, it offers a range of advanced features, such as Advanced charts, portfolio diversification, and margin trading.
With its user-friendly interface, Omexbanc looks like an excellent option for anyone looking to get into online trading.

The Pros of Omexbanc

Variety of trading options and tools

Omexbanc provides access to the major global markets, making it easy to trade stocks, ETFs, currencies, commodities, and indices. The broker’s user-friendly platform allows investors to change from anywhere.

Competitive spreads

Omexbanc’s commission rates are lower than many other online brokers, making it an excellent choice for novice and experienced traders.

Research tools and educational resources

Those tools and resources can help investors hone their skills and stay informed. It also has an impressive customer service team that can assist clients with inquiries.

Great mobile app

That makes it easy to monitor the markets and trade on the go. The app is available for iOS and Android devices and provides access to all the features of the platform’s desktop version. This makes it possible to stay up to date on market trends even when you’re away from your computer.

Omexbanc is an excellent option for investors who want access to reliable and affordable trading services. The broker’s competitive prices, extensive research tools, mobile app, and helpful customer support team make it an excellent choice for any trader.

The Cons of Omexbanc

Omexbanc has potential to provide traders with the tools they need, however it is lacking in research and advanced educational resources. Their current tutorials and guides may not be enough for experienced investors looking to expand their skillset.

Conclusion

Overall, we recommend Omexbanc to experienced traders looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly platform.

Omexbanc is a great online platform that enables individuals to trade stocks, futures, crypto coins, and other financial products. It offers real-time market data, a comprehensive trading platform, and a variety of resources to help traders become successful in their trading.

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7 Strategies Criminal Defense Lawyers Use to Win Cases

January 30, 2023

Have you been charged with a crime, or were you framed for committing one? Are you currently searching for the best criminal defense lawyer? If so, know there’s much to consider when fighting a criminal defense case. It entails the trial, the severity of the charge, what will happen afterward, and so on. What is truly going to make or break your case is your ability to defend yourself.

A “defense” in a criminal case refers to the argument(s) and related documents that attorneys submit to the court to obtain the best outcome for their clientele. Therefore, a defense strategy is essential for the case. In other words, your choice of tactic could mean the difference between your case being successful or failing. You may become susceptible to expensive fines, lengthy incarceration, and a criminal record without a proper criminal defense strategy. Thus, it is essential to have the best methods to thrive and succeed in your case.

Whether you are new to the legal world, a prosecutor, or just someone looking to improve their knowledge, here are some of the best criminal defense strategies most experienced lawyers use:

1. Creating the case’s narrative

Even though it is always the prosecution’s responsibility to establish your guilt, a strong criminal defense will call for a story. Jurors prefer to know that there is a unique view worth considering. A competent and experienced criminal defense lawyer usually develops a compelling narrative that encourages juries to reach a different conclusion than just finding a defendant not guilty because the state failed to prove its case.

But all of this will only be possible if you take the time to find the best criminal defense lawyer. When conducting your research, find a professional near you so there won’t be any communication gap. An easy way is to look up “best criminal defense lawyers in my area,” view your options, and make a pick accordingly.

2. Unreliable informants or witnesses

A San Marcos criminal defense lawyer says: Another potentially successful defense tactic in some circumstances is to assert the unreliability of an informant or a witness. Whether a witness is believed by the jury or judge is up to them. Judges and juries are far less inclined to accept a witness’ testimony if the defense attorney can cast doubt on it or expose a lie that the witness has spoken.

If the police hire an informant, your lawyer may contest the accuracy of the data gleaned from them. Although the police are allowed to use informants, they must first determine that the person is trustworthy and must be watched adequately while acting as an informant. All too frequently, these precautions should be followed to the fullest extent possible. Your lawyer might object to the employment of the informant if that were the situation in your instance.

3. Using original thought

When it might seem like all hope is lost, criminal defense attorneys can find innovative strategies to defend their clients by thinking outside the box. Criminal law matters are intricate; therefore, it takes creative criminal attorneys to find rapid solutions that could save time, cash, or even the outcome of a court case. Criminal lawyers employ their ingenuity daily by coming up with new methods to present the evidence they have been handed, whether from witnesses or forensic experts.

4. Diligently gathering evidence

Gathering information isn’t just for the prosecutors. A reputable criminal defense attorney like Georgia Lawyer Team will inform you that obtaining all pertinent information is crucial to winning many cases for the defense. Having a capable investigator on the matter can also be beneficial. You should select a lawyer who will, at the outset, invest the time necessary to speak with key witnesses, examine the crime scene, and gather all the required documentation.

5. Statutory restrictions

The statute of limitations determines how long after a crime has been committed any legal actions may be brought. As a result, the case can be dismissed if a defendant is defending a crime committed many years ago and this time limit has elapsed. As witness and alibis testimony loses credibility with time, this legislation was put in place to prevent biased convictions caused by deteriorating evidence.

The statute of limitations in every US state is set down in its respective criminal code, which varies significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The law of restrictions will also depend on the type of crime committed; for instance, certain heinous crimes, including first-degree manslaughter, have no statute of limits. Therefore, not all offenses may be covered by this defense. A good strategy is to review each state’s criminal code before employing this justification.

6. The “not guilty” strategy

A criminal defense lawyer may also use specific strategies to prove a client’s innocence. One way to do this is to demonstrate to the jury that there were no eyewitnesses to the crime or that it would be difficult for them to have committed it. The accused may also contend that they are innocent and, therefore, not responsible for their crime. When a defendant is found guilty of a crime, their defense attorney must establish the truth to conclude the case and avoid paying more than necessary.

7. Imminent danger or self-defense

Many states allow crimes if they were committed out of self-defense or to rescue others, similar to how unintentional corruption is tolerated. Imminent dangers include the threat of being killed, robbed, raped, or experiencing severe physical harm. If the unlawful behavior was committed under duress or in the face of immediate danger, it might not be regarded as a crime, and no sanctions would be applied.

However, the force employed against the intruder must be reasonable compared to the damage feared for a self-defense claim to be recognized. For instance, a man who knocks down an intruder who enters with a knife would be found proportionate by a court. But it might not be considered appropriate if the man shoots and murders the same intruder who comes in with a knife.

Conclusion

Indeed, robust and sensible criminal defense strategies can have a massive effect on your case, whether you’ve been accused of a crime or have been found guilty. The methods mentioned above are among the most commonly used and have proven successful in the law. At the same time, everyone (lawyers, victims, and prosecutors) needs to look into the details of every case and formulate arguments accordingly. Furthermore, with the help of a skilled criminal defense lawyer, your lawsuit will have a strong foundation. These professionals will ensure that you have a shred of solid evidence against the other person and ultimately help you win the case.

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8 Ways To Show Your Love For Baseball

January 30, 2023

Baseball is a unique, exciting, and thrilling sport played using a ball, gloves, and bat against two teams, each consisting of nine players. It’s one of the most lovable games. For one, baseball is played every season, which can make history. There’s always a record set at the beginning of the season, and every team strives to break it. Secondly, the home runs are breathtaking moments to watch. Not only does it give the fans a ball souvenir to take home, but it also gives the fans the rare opportunity of watching the ball leave the bat and into the crowd.

Lastly, unlike basketball, where the winning team can dribble the ball until the time elapses, baseball has no set time limits, meaning any team can make a comeback at any time. Baseball is also a regular game, so you can’t run out of something to watch daily when the season begins.

As a new or die-hard fan, you should find various ways to keep your passion for baseball alive. With that in mind, below are eight ways to show your love for baseball:

1. Hold Fundraising Based On Baseball Ideas

If you have a team in your local area and looking for ways to support the players, you can do fundraising based on baseball ideas to help them buy various pieces of equipment like jerseys, gloves, or bats. The ideas are numerous, so you should look into each to see how much time and money it’ll take to execute them and if they can work perfectly for your agenda. Some baseball fundraising ideas you can try out are:

Holding An Annual Auction: You can make significant money with yearly auctions. Announce the event in good time, and baseball enthusiasts will show up and make an offer on the designed items, balls, attires, or caps to add to their collection.
Market Your Team’s Merchandise Online: You can quickly make money by taking pictures and selling most of your favorite team’s merchandise, such as t-shirts or posters.
Put Up A Baseball-Themed Party: You can tell everyone about your theme, then have each person come in wearing their team’s jerseys and have fun with drinks and snacks while making donations for your team.
Movie Night Fundraiser: You can select your favorite movie actors and ask them to attend a baseball-themed movie night. The invited movie icons can donate if you inform them about the fundraiser and its mission.

Baseball is a lovable game, so your guests will always be excited to attend such fundraising events.

2. Choose A Favorite Team To Support

Instead of supporting several baseball teams at once, you can pick one and show your support for them throughout the seasons and years. It’s an exciting way to demonstrate your love for baseball. You’ll have an easier time buying specific jerseys and tickets and attending various games to see your favorite players and team win. An advantage is that many teams play baseball, meaning you can’t miss a team to support.

Take your time to watch various games to see which team’s playing captivates you.

3. Take Trips To Watch Games

Baseball is more of an international sport meaning numerous games are played worldwide. You would want to take advantage of such opportunities of seeing your favorite players hitting the home run internationally. Thus, keep up with the game dates to know when your beloved team is scheduled to play. Once you know the dates and the timelines, you can purchase tickets for the game earlier. Then, you can travel and watch the games live.

Watching a game live is thrilling, owing to the typical euphoria that engulfs the crowd. You may also want to try out various delicacies in the stadiums as the match proceeds. It’s a perfect way to enjoy different world cultures.

4. Collect Memorabilia And Attire

One of the best ways of showing your love for baseball is by collecting special items and adding them to your collections. It indicates you appreciate and support the concerned teams. You can also relive the memories of a particular game by checking out the items you collected some years later. You can begin by collecting the sports memorabilia and attires below:

Jerseys: After the game, you can approach the players and ask them to sign your jersey.
Baseball Cards: You can buy cards from the stadium or online and add them to your collection.
Baseball Necklace: You can have various necklace types in your collection to show your love for baseball. For instance, you can have a personalized baseball necklace engraved with the player’s number. Or you could carve customized baseball lines on your chain.

Once you collect all the sports memorabilia from the game, you can correctly display them in a designated area in your home so you can preserve their value. Some of them, like cards or signed jerseys, can quickly wear out when placed under high or low temperatures. You have to put them in an area with an optimum humidity level. To keep the collections, you can make a shadow box, a case made out of glass, and sized frames.

5. Follow Baseball On TV

If you can’t attend baseball games, live, you can still follow them on your television at home alone or with friends. Cheering on your favorite team in the company of friends makes the session more thrilling. Or you can go to the nearest pub in your neighborhood and follow the games from there.

If you wish, you can place bets on the game, predicting the winner. Making cash out of your beloved sports is, after all, a welcome idea.

6. Train And Play With Others To make the game more part of you, take up training and form a league with friends in your area. It’s also fun to know the basics of how the game is played and its rules. Thus, you can buy gloves, balls, and baseball apparel, then go to the nearest field and start playing. It’ll make you look forward to watching games to learn how the players are making pitches well or hitting home runs.

Since baseball is also mostly seen as a bonding game, you can also train your children at home and attend live games with them, so it becomes a tradition in your family. They’ll develop an interest in it, making it part and parcel of your home.

7. Style Your Baseball Jersey

Undoubtedly, baseball has the best jerseys compared to other sports. Thus, you can style your jersey to look chic when you attend a game to support your favorite team. You can wear your baseball jersey in the following ways:

You can put on your buttoned baseball shirt and tuck it into your jeans shorts. Then, style it with classic sneakers and a baseball cap.
You can wear your shirt tucked into your high-waist trousers with heeled sandals.
You can also wear a baseball t-shirt under a jeans jacket with shorts and sneakers.

You can always wear your baseball jersey casually or spice it up to a more formal look. You should also know how to style your apparel appropriately, so you don’t look out of place. Thus, considering that most baseball clothes have bright colors, you’ll have to pair them with neutral colors to avoid clashing, which could remove the stylishness you’re looking for.

Also, try to have a matching cap with your outfit, and pick the proper footwear. If you need help deciding what to put on, you can always stick to a pair of sneakers. But you can also spice up your look with heels and sandals.

8. Learn The Basic Of Baseball

Baseball is unlike any other sport because of its unique rules. If you watch it for the first time, you may need help understanding what’s happening on the pitch. Thus, fully grasp what baseball is all about, from its history to the players on the rise. It’s also more of a mental game. The hitter needs the skill to hit the bat in the right direction. The ball takes approximately 0.4 seconds to leave the pitcher’s hand into the catcher’s glove. Thus, the striker must think quickly and hit the ball across the field before it gets caught.

Depending on the pitcher that enters the game, the defense changes how best they can play. The players move to a particular position when the pitcher strikes the ball. The midfielder might shift a few strides to the right or left. On the other hand, the infielder might go to the back of the second base and give way for their baseman to move from the entire left wing of the infield.

When you know some of the basics of the games, and then you watch it live, it’ll be clearer regarding what’s going on in the field and why a player does what they do when the ball is hit.

Conclusion

Baseball is exciting and unique to watch once you know and understand how it’s played. It has a vibrant history, making it a traditional game. Therefore, you need to find ways to depict your love for it so as not to get bored with time. The tips outlined above can help you express your love for the game.

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What is Embedded Insurance? Cover as Unique as Customers

January 29, 2023

By Shreyas Vasanthkumar

Driven by changing consumer demands and purchasing habits, the idea behind embedded insurance is simple: provide customers with relevant cover at the point of sale of a third-party product or service. As many eagle-eyed readers will note, this idea isn’t exactly new. Bundling insurance into product purchases at the point of sale is something that retailers have offered customers for decades; however, in the past such policies were rarely tailored, meaning they didn’t add tangible benefits for the consumer.

The difference in today’s market is the availability and, more importantly, the ability of technology to deliver personalised cover that offers true value. Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), embedded insurance uses customer data at the point of sale to generate a personalised policy; the ‘distributor’ then embeds the cost into the final product price. In short, the transaction is on-point, seamless and requires little to no extra input from the customer.

Relevance is key

With gross written premiums (GWP) in the embedded insurance market predicted to reach over US$700 billion by 2030, there are strong growth opportunities in this sector. But trust, transparency and relevance are just as critical as using the right technology architecture to power and distribute embedded insurance products.

This is because there is an elephant in the room – the concept of embedding insurance into a product or service at the point of sale, such as car insurance when purchasing a new car, gadget insurance when purchasing a new phone, or even pet insurance when registering with a vet – will naturally raise parallels with the “mis-selling” of payment protection insurance (PPI), for example, which rocked the financial world in the late noughties with continuing impacts and headlines into the last two decades.

Trust and Technology

Embedded insurance, however, is distinctly different from PPI. Its foundations are based on the power of technology, innovative thinking and harnessing direct customer data that enables insurers to offer accurately priced cover that is relevant to the product or service the consumer is intending to buy. In effect, it is an insurance offering where the customer can clearly see the benefits personalised cover can bring, with full transparency, relevance and value at the core of the product.

Insurers are already starting to make headway in this new direction, and the possibilities are seemingly endless; think distribution partners, such as car dealerships, selling motor insurance with any car purchase, trip protection as part of a flight, the option of personalised cover at the point of sale of a smartwatch, or embedded insurance in pet services with policies that offer everything from vaccination plans to pet collar device protection.

Low Code Tools

No matter which third-party brands an insurer chooses to partner with to offer embedded insurance, the key for all parties is for the insurer to have a dynamic product selection that enables customers to purchase relevant and personalised policies. To achieve this, insurers need low code configuration tools that can allow them to quickly configure pre-underwritten products; they also need a cloud ecosystem that can provide scalability and flexibility and incorporate other third-party services.

But this isn’t all insurers need to jump on board the embedded insurance train. Crucially, they need the correct technology that will allow them to actually embed insurance coverage into the third-party purchase journey of the original product itself. This is where modern core architecture systems, pre-built application programming interfaces (APIs), and Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms come into play.

Unlike traditional legacy systems, SaaS platforms provide carriers with the agility they need to meet these market opportunities, engage their target market, and help them deliver innovative insurance products in a matter of weeks, not years. What’s more, with a modern SaaS core system platform – like that offered by Duck Creek – insurers won’t need to manage the underlying technology themselves. They simply experience the benefits of speed to market, pre-configured content, and a library of APIs that allow them to connect with – and ultimately open up – new distribution models.

Aimed at the individual

While many benefits of embedded insurance are aimed at insurers and brands as the new distributors, ’embedding’ insurance into products and services is actually a crucial step towards helping revolutionise the fairness and relevance of insurance coverage for customers.

Embedded insurance is no longer about offering a blanket of standardised policies; it is about identifying and embracing market opportunities and unique customer needs, all while providing a seamless and fair customer experience that protects products and services from the point of sale onwards.

All this is made possible simply because the process of embedded insurance unifies customer data, delivering a 360-degree view of the potential policyholder. This, combined with the ever-growing amount of risk data (from cyber right through to weather) and the advancing capabilities of AI and ML-led analytics, means insurers can offer personalised coverage and optimised pricing based on an individual’s risk profile.

And this is why embedded insurance is going to be a game-changer in 2023 and beyond.

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About the Author

Shreyas Vasanthkumar has been Managing Director EMEA at Duck Creek Technologies since March 2022. He is responsible for driving profitable growth across Duck Creek’s EMEA operations, as well as investment in key global accounts headquartered regionally. He joined Duck Creek from Hexaware Technologies where he was responsible for managing all sales and business development activities for Hexaware EMEA, growing the business from US$50 million in 2003 to US$1 billion in 2022.

World Cup 2022 – A Promise Fulfilled? Why Qatar’s Vision for a Successful World Cup in the Middle East Sets the Stage for a Rethink of Business as Usual in the GCC

January 29, 2023

By Duggan Flanakin

The pyrotechnics have finally settled in Doha on what was a truly sensational and hard fought 2022 World Cup, the stadiums no longer emanating the joyous cheers from audiences who for weeks remained at the edges of their seats, taking in upset after upset – and in the place of pyrotechnics, today Qatar revels in the fireworks, in the air and on its streets, symbolizing the dawn of a new year and, contrary to once-popular belief, new opportunities to come.

When it was initially announced that the Middle Eastern nation would play home to the beautiful game, controversy swirled, with a campaign of doubt by myriad detractors building tempo and support up to the opening ceremonies themselves.

And then, it (largely) stopped. What remained, was a historic event, succeeding in its mission to disrupt preconceived notions of life under the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); making real the potential for Qatar to hold a sports and entertainment venue celebrated the world over, and of the Middle East’s ascendance to a geo-commercial power and one taking its rightful place in the sports, arts, and culture echelon as a playing bloc; this was established in 2023 and will live in perpetuity far beyond.

Let’s look at the numbers – The first games ever held in a majority-Muslim country garnered more than 3 million in-person fans, this despite the sensationalism that initially surrounded hosting an outdoor venue in the sweltering Middle East, even in its winter. It was in fact, the highest attended World Cup in history, and in doing so, brought nearly 1.5 million fans from across the globe to Qatar; this, despite the nation’s religious policies towards alcohol (unsurprising then, that the games were enjoyed without violence or hooliganism).

Culturally, who would have figured at the beginning of 2022 that global inclusivity would be on full display in, of all places, an Arab nation? That the World Cup in Doha would be the first to host female referees, or that African countries with majority African coaches would go on to upset even Belgium and Spain, a precedent so great that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stated that the games in Doha “…represent a giant step towards the development of African football”.

Bringing in nearly $20 billion to the Qatari economy, setting the stage for not only Doha but numerous fellow GCC members to host the games in future, it is unsurprising that FIFA president Gianni Infantino proclaimed that the Qatar 2022 World Cup to be an “…incredible success on all fronts”.

But 2022 is over and the games, in the eyes of western media, are long behind us. So, where do we go from here?

For one, society needs to be thoughtful and show greater patience when a future emerging market is bestowed the opportunity to reshape their country and the lives of their citizenry by way of a major sporting or entertainment venue. While there will always be controversy, grievances can be aired, debates can be held and reforms can be made on the backdrop of such a force multiplier, or so Doha has showcased.

Take the ending of ‘kafala’, a labor regulation system that previously allocated to private citizens and companies far too much control over migrant workers’ employment and immigration status. That’s just one example.

Today, in Saudi Arabia, Christiano Ronoldo and his partner are happily living together, in spite of the Kingdom’s strict laws which have prevented unmarried couples from cohabiting, historically. I’d contend that such policies may be rolled back in the years to come in Saudi for all its citizens and elsewhere, and that this would not have been as possible a turn of events, were it not for the World Cup that preceded Christiano’s arrival to the Middle East.

The tide of tolerance has decidedly turned in Qatar’s favor – This was likely not the return on investment its Organizing Committee initially envisioned, but hosts the potential to foster greater understanding, trade and partnerships between East and West in future, previously unheard of – All due to sports diplomacy emanating from the dessert.

I once said that if Qatar succeeded or failed at the World Cup, it would do so publicly.

And so it has succeeded, and the response to its success, the potential we all realize in the GCC hosting venues in future, with the promise of brokering even greater societal change, breaking down biases and antiquated condemnations makes for a very promising 2023 indeed.

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About the Author

Duggan Flanakin is a policy analyst at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) think tank headquartered in Washington D.C.

The Marc Demane Debih Saga as Money Laundering and Insider Trading Crimes Continue to go Global, They Can’t Go on Unabated in 2023

January 29, 2023

By Duggan Flanakin

As 2022 came to a close, an intriguing story out of Greece indicated that HSBC Bank had been reporting to that nation’s Money Laundering Authority the ongoing activities of an insider trader named Marc Demane Debih.

Hiding behind a network of shell companies and investment funds, as well as a Lebanese bank, Demane had attempted to open an account on the Greek Stock Exchange, the timing of which was particularly suspicious – The same time that listed company Lavipharm S.A. sought to increase its share capital.

One of Lavipharm’s directors, Telemaque Lavidas, would have otherwise remembered Demane very well. Having met only once, Telemaque was the recipient of a US prison sentence of one year and a day, in large part thanks to Demane’s later testimony.

Around this same time, an investigation was underway looking into suspicious transfers of cash from abroad which were discretely landing in the individual bank accounts of the monks of Mount Athos. What’s more, these monks routinely played host to visits from high-ranking Russian authorities.

Now, if indeed funds were transferred from oligarchs close to the Kremlin, as but an example, we are talking about yet another intriguingly unique case, albeit separate and in this instance falling under violation of sanctions, of a money laundering scheme under the Demane steer.

Marc Demane Debih, is you see, directly linked to Mount Athos Governor, Athanasios Martinos. Martinos is a known supporter of Russia, whose ships carried Russian fossil fuels well after they were sanctioned by the European Union (EU). He is thus suspected of laundering money for his Russian backers – And when Martinos formed a company called Meltemi Shipping Ltd. in Malta in the spring of 2016, that same spring, Demane also formed a company, with the same name, across the world in the UAE.

The financial wheeling and dealing of individuals like Demane might originally emanate from exotic destinations like the shores of the Aegean, which can be difficult to track, let alone prosecute, but in 2023, these actions have created global challenges and warrant an organized response. This is in large part thanks to the globalization of trade, cross-border financial systems, and the evolutionary nature of organized crime.

However, the nature of the media is so too evolutionary and today knows no border – And so the tangled international web of actors such as Marc Demane Debih can be more easily exposed and hopefully in doing so, prompt greater international awareness and action by those who can bring him to justice.

Let’s look back – A decade ago, the Securities and Exchange Commission began a probe of a Switzerland-based group of moneymen for sharing illegal insider tips about American and European companies. One target, Lucien Selce, founder of Vista Capital Management SA, presently awaits trial in France on insider trading charges, having recently lost an appeal to the European Court of Justice to stop the investigation. Selce was also convicted of laundering 15 million Euros, disguised as sales of fictitious artworks, however unrelated to the insider trading charges.

But the big catch in this investigation may actually be Marc Demane Debih, whose own history with Selce dates back at least to 2008.

Demane claims to have pocketed some $70 million from insider information, obtained mainly from such moneymen.

In October of 2019, Demane took a plea deal that included possible civil penalties deterring Demane from committing further securities fraud, in exchange for rolling on his colleagues. In a case brought by the SEC, Demane allegedly earned at least $49 million in illicit profits in connection with his active participation in just two multi-year insider trading schemes, one of which involving former Goldman Sachs banker, Bryan Cohen.

The judgment against Demane in this case was finalized in November of 2021. Earlier, Demane had pleaded guilty to criminal charges of securities fraud filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Demane had already spent 15 months in a Serbian jail when he was flown as a prisoner in U.S. custody to face charges in that particular scheme. While on the plane, he had told federal agents that an “unbelievable” number of people were committing insider trading, just like him…but unlike them, he could name names.

In myriad interviews later held with federal authorities and during trial testimony, Demane as a cooperating witness would go on to portray a global network whose members reaped tens of millions from stolen information from scores of publicly traded companies. One French art collector, Demane said, he had himself paid $12 million for insider tips.

Demane also fingered London investment bankers who leaked information on their clients as well as Israeli, Greek, and Swiss stock traders whom he said paid him for information. He identified a London socialite, a Greek photographer, and reporters at Canadian and U.S. media outlets whom he claimed planted stories to move company stock prices.

During the course of the investigation, it was also revealed according to court records, that Demane admitted to operating across Africa, more specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Namibia and Cote d’Ivoire, and doing so with respect to diamond trading.

What he failed to describe was the greater context of his operations – In Cote d’Ivoire specifically, that country had imposed an export ban on diamonds from 2005-2014, with mining for diamonds having been outlawed three years prior, in 2002. Nonetheless, Demane’s Geneva-based enterprise, Namaco S.A. only entered liquidation in 2010, and appears to have set up a diamond trade in-country from as early as 2004.

It is important to note that should diamond smuggling of any kind be exposed to have taken place under the steer of Namaco S.A., Demane would have single-handedly violated clearly defined U.N. sanctions.

But perhaps he was not alone – Demane’s vast network crosses the continent, including his ties to an opaque organization known as Court Consulting International LP (he used Court Consulting to pay insider sources), a company set up in 2006 in tandem with one controlled by Belgian entrepreneur, George Arthur Forrest. With Forrest having been notably accused by a UN Task Force of “plundering DR Congo’s natural resources”, Demane’s ties and the lucrative earnings from his shady operations on the continent might have granted him the rank of would-be kingmaker in certain countries, and more specifically the DRC – As, also coincidentally in 2006, it is alleged that Forrest helped finance former DRC President Joseph Kabila’s re-election campaign.

The sheer number of individuals who match Demane’s character, those so too willing to risk prison time by laundering money, smuggling diamonds (and likely blood diamonds), and selling insider information, suggests that only a few are being prosecuted in 2023. These actors’ cavalier attitudes toward their crimes demonstrates the difficulty of stopping them.

Demane would in fact go on in later media reportage to refer to insider trading as “a sport”.

Money laundering is not a sport and it’s not a joke – It is a trickle-down force multiplier, critical to the effective operation of virtually every form of transnational organized crime. From the few who benefit internationally, it is also a major cause of societal dysfunction domestically, particularly in the global south, as it enables drug traffickers, smugglers, and other criminals to control communities.

Catching major criminals like Demane and bringing them to justice ultimately requires both global standards and a high level of international cooperation.

Given this as-yet-unabated climate of corruption wherein Demane operates, it also requires agents with integrity, who would be unwilling to take bribes themselves for “…looking the other way.”

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About the Author

Duggan Flanakin is a policy analyst at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) think tank headquartered in Washington D.C.

Investing 101: Property Investing Tips And Trips

January 27, 2023

In the last few decades, the economy has experienced some interesting events, recessions, the changes in leadership and even the pandemic; they have all affected the financial state of the country and its inhabitants. For the most part, property is always seen as a solid investment choice, and there are several reasons as to why. Property almost always tends to appreciate in value, which is what makes it such a great choice. However, there are obviously also several individual factors which will need to be taken into account. Let’s take a look.

Investing in Property

Investing in property is an umbrella term used to encompass all it means to purchase or own a property. What you choose to do with the property after the fact is up to you. Some people live in the home – obviously, others choose to rent them out for a secondary income and finally, others simply hold the houses as assets in their investment portfolio. The property itself can range from simply a singular home to an apartment complex. They may also be either commercial or residential again, depending on how much you have to spend and your investment preferences. This means that even owning your own home to live in counts as an investment opportunity. In order to make the most of your money, you might want to use a service like EZ Home Search to find the best properties in your budget and your desired area.

When you invest in property, you can potentially benefit from the passive income generated by owning the asset and renting or leasing it out. Property is also a great way to diversify your portfolio too. Diversification is key when it comes to investing. It helps to ensure that the risk is spread out among several different classes of asset. If one form of investment should take a hit, the rest of the portfolio should help you to mitigate losses. You will need to ensure that you have chosen the right form of property to make sure that it is a solid investment choice for you. In addition, you do not need to choose a property to live, rent out or otherwise use as is; you could also choose to purchase property as a renovation project in order to make a profit when it comes to renting it out or selling it on.

Why is Property a Good Investment?

There are a number of different reasons as to why property constitutes a good investment. One of the biggest being that, for the most part, it tends to appreciate over time. The fact that it is a tangible asset that exists in the corporeal world helps to this end. That being said, this is not always a good thing; during financial crashes and recessions, house prices retain their value while wages and earnings drop which can make it more difficult for homeowners to afford their repayments.

If you choose to buy property to rent out, then as mentioned above, you are obviously going to benefit from the additional streams of revenue. When you rent out a property, you obviously receive a passive income from the tenants living in that property, which often at the least covers the mortgage repayments in addition to making you a tidy profit too. Although this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to work for the money, as a landlord, you have a lot of legal responsibilities that you need to take heed of, so bear that in mind.

There are also tax advantages to investing in and owning property. Firstly, if you do decide to rent the home out, then you are able to offset the costs of your mortgage against any rental income, which means that your taxable profit is reduced. You are also able to make claims for any necessary repairs or maintenance costs needed to keep the house safe and comfortable for tenants, which is advantageous.

Risks to be Aware of

While it is certainly true that property if you can afford it, does constitute a solid investment. That being said, it is not without risk. There are three predominant risks when it comes to investing in and owning property. Firstly, interest rates have a lot to do with your mortgage repayments and other costs associated with owning a property. Therefore, if they rise, so do your bills, and this can make it a lot more difficult for you to afford your repayments.

Next, the cost of property prices can also pose a risk to your investment. If a recession hits or property prices plummet, then you are stuck with an investment that is worth less than you paid for it. In those cases, you can either choose to wait until the market has recovered – if you can afford to do so. Or you can cut your losses and take a loss. Obviously, the biggest risks to your investment in this respect are factors outside of your control which can be difficult to take.

Things to Think About Before You Invest

As with any investment, there are several things that you need to think about before you commit. First and foremost, you need to know what your long-term goals and priorities are. What are you going to do with the property? Do you plan to live in the home yourself, whether as your primary or secondary residence? Or do you perhaps want to rent it out to generate a secondary income from it? Making this distinction is incredibly important; finding a home that you want to live in is likely to be more difficult than finding a property to rent out because you need to think about your personal preferences and specifications versus what would make a solid rental property.

After that, you will obviously then need to think about your finances. How much do you have for a down payment? You will want to find a property that you can afford. Think about how much the mortgage repayments are going to be. There are several other financial aspects that will need to be considered here in addition to what you can afford, like the market, taxes and other associated fees. The location of the property is also going to have an effect on its price. If the house is for you and your family, then you might have different needs when it comes to choosing a location. If the property is to rent out, then you will obviously want to try to choose an in-demand location. Finally, you will also need to think more deeply about the condition of the property itself, too because this will be important when it comes to maintenance or renovation costs.

The Takeaway

Property continues to be a solid investment choice whether or not you choose to use it to diversify your portfolio or get on the property ladder for yourself. While there are a number of socioeconomic factors that can affect the housing market. However, despite this, the housing market has proven itself to be stable, making it a great long-term investment strategy. Now, there are risks associated with any form of investment, as outlined above. Unfortunately, most of the risks associated with investing in property are not within your control, and therefore, there is very little that you can do to mitigate those risks. If you are considering investing in property, it might be worth meeting with a mortgage advisor or another expert to see whether or not it would make sense for you financially.

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How to Create a Marketing Plan for Startups

January 27, 2023

Marketing is essential for any business, especially for startups. You need to introduce your brand to the public through marketing strategies and tell them what you sell.

Setting up a good marketing plan requires a lot of research, analysis, and time. However, if you are hiring one of the top accountants for startups, they will help you create a promising strategy.

This guide will help you develop a startup marketing plan.

How to develop a startup marketing plan?

While launching a marketing campaign for your startup, you need a solid plan. Here are some tasks to perform while developing a startup marketing plan.

Set your goals

You must set your marketing goals before running a campaign to ensure you achieve your target. For example, your aim is to raise brand awareness or acquire new customers; therefore, you need to determine a strategy according to them to reach your target.

Understand your target market

Before making a strategy, you must understand who your customers are and what they expect from you. It includes considering their age, gender, location, and interests. Understanding the target audience and their needs help you shape a perfect strategy.

The best way to understand your market is by conducting market research, surveys, and analysing your competitors.

Describe what you sell

Are you selling a product or offering services? The marketing strategy must start by describing what you are selling and how it is unique from your competitors.

Analyse your competition

Successful startups in the UK always focus on their competitors, marketing strategy, and business performance. It helps you get creative ideas on how to market your brand and capture the eyes of the target audience.

Determine your USP

Understanding your unique sales proposition in business is essential to stand out from the crowd. You can beat your competitors on price and quality of goods and services.

Create a marketing budget

Having a budget before selecting your marketing channel and investing is crucial. You need to sit behind and forecast a realistic value for return on investment and how much will be your sales and revenue. Once you have the values in hand, you can set a budget accordingly and stick to that.

Decide your marketing channel

Digital marketing channels are mostly adopted in the technological era over traditional methods. Plus, they are cost-effective and reach out to half the global population with the best attempt. However, there are numerous channels, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc., to market your brand.

Marketing channels include paid digital advertising, traditional marketing approach, social selling, and content marketing. Consider your budget before selecting your marketing channel.

Track performance

Advertising doesn’t end your struggles; you must track their performance regularly. It helps you identify if the strategy is helping in generating leads or needs improvements. You must keep adjusting your marketing tactics depending on the market and trends.

What are the contents of a standard marketing plan?

Any marketing plan outlines your industry, objectives, vision, goals, and business structure. It contains numerous details that can attract the target audience efficiently. Such as,

1. Business Summary

It includes your company name, its location and headquarters, and its business mission statement.

2. Business initiatives

This segment speaks about the various goals or initiatives of your business.

3. Customer analysis

It describes your industry, your customer, and their preferences.

4. Competitor analysis

This segment considers your competition, where you can do good and fill the potential gaps in the market. It includes positioning, market sharing, offerings and pricing.

5. SWOT analysis

The SWOT analysis describes your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

6. Market strategy

This section describes how your business must approach the market and contains detailed information on the product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence.

7. Budget

Adding your budget element to the next part of the marketing plan describes your product’s price and company financials. Depending on the budget, consider your marketing expenses.

8. Marketing channels

Lastly, add a list of your marketing channels on the plan to promote the product and publish the content to generate leads and spread brand awareness.

Conclusion

Marketing plans are not easy to make unless you thoroughly analyse the market and your target customers. You need brainstorming, planning, execution, and analysis to set up a good strategy and reach your audience. However, you can always take help from self-assessment accountants experts.

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Top Places Where You Can Buy Casino Coins

January 27, 2023

The easiest and most convenient way to buy casino coin crypto is through a specialized exchange. The cryptocurrency exchange algorithm is simple. The seller creates an order to sell BTC (or any other coin), and the buyer creates an order to buy. These orders go to the so-called order book, where information on how much and at what price someone wants to make a deal is recorded.

Many players of bitcoin online casino have already appreciated this method of purchasing crypto. You can also find out about other online casinos on the reliable and reputable casino revision site CasinoAustralia-ZH to find 线上赌场. So if you have a couple of free coins to use in the gambling game, then you can always find a decent online casino hall on their platform. In meanwhile, we are going to share with you how crypto exchanges work and the top 4 places where to buy casino coin.

Where Can I Buy Casino Coin?

Many people ask where can I buy casino coin crypto. Here are the best crypto exchanges for casino coin where to buy.

1. Binance

The best place where to buy casino coin crypto is the Binance exchange. This platform was launched on June 17, 2017. At Binance, you can trade using over 740 different cryptocurrency and fiat trading pairs, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and CasinoCoin pairs. Get the experience of seamless trading on the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume.

The platform’s matching system is capable of handling up to 1.4 million orders per second. Many people ask — how to buy casino coin at Binance? The answer is simple. All you ought to do is stick to this step-by-step guide, namely:

Step 1 – Register on Binance, take your first step towards cryptocurrency trading. To do this, enter your email, create a password, enter the referral code (optional). Then click the “Create an account” button;
Step 2 – Pass identity verification to buy a cryptocurrency for fiat money and withdraw up to 100 CasinoCoins;
Step 3 – Buy cryptocurrency for money or top up your balance in any convenient way;
Step 4 – Now, you can start trading, and we recommend starting with the spot market.

At Binance, you can trade using multiple cryptocurrency and fiat trading pairs, including BTC, ETH, CasinoCoin pairs, etc. The platform’s matching system can automatically process up to 1.4 million orders per second. For the transfer of fiat money to the account of a crypto-exchange from a bank card, a commission of 0.65% of the transfer amount is provided. A withdrawal of funds to a bank card is performed without commission. However, bear in mind that the bank may charge a deposit fee.

The commission for buying and selling cryptocurrency on the spot market is 0.1%. That is, if you buy, for example, an asset for $ 1,000 and soon sell it, you will lose 0.2% of your money.

2. Bybit

It is another interesting crypto exchange that is gaining popularity among users. First of all, the platform’s popularity is due to its simple and user-friendly interface for futures trading and visual stops. Trading with leverage up to 100x is available, and before the start of real trading, it is proposed to trade in a test. Bybit is convenient and useful for beginners (at least, it allows you to understand how to trade on the margin market)

Another cool tool is funds insurance. For example, if the price goes in the wrong direction, which you expect, your position will be liquidated, and you will lose money on the same Binance. In the best case, you can reduce your losses due to the placed stop losses. On Bybit, if you make a mistake in the price movement, your position will also be closed, but you will receive most of the lost amount back (as an insurance premium). This reduces your financial risks.

3. Bittrex

Bittrex is an American exchange. A huge number of tools are available on it that help a trader to successfully complete trading operations. The best thing is that there is access to a huge number of altcoins. In this regard, Bittrex is one of the best exchanges.

The main advantage of the exchange is that it works with fiat money and that it is one of the few that support Qiwi. On this exchange, the commission for trading is 0.2%, and the peculiarity of the exchange is that altcoins are presented on it, which becomes the target of pumps. Since 2020, verification has become mandatory. Previously, it was possible to do without it if you did not work with fiat but trade in cryptocurrency only.

4. HBTC

The Chinese cryptocurrency exchange opened in December 2018. It stands out for its large daily trading volume ($ 8,169,180,979), but the number of unique users per month is not big — 187,234. On the exchange, you can choose one of 150 currency pairs.

It also has its own token — HBC. It is used to pay commissions, reward the best traders for activity on the exchange, as well as payments under the referral program. In this case, the coins themselves are burned at the expense of the exchange’s own income.

The main feature of the HBTC exchange is its ownership structure. All HBC token holders essentially hold shares in the service. The HBC coin represents the fundamental rights and interests of three main products — the HBTC exchange, the HBTC Chain blockchain, and the BlueHelix Cloud exchange system. An internal trading system conducts transactions in less than 1 millisecond. And for the entire existence of the exchange, there have not yet been reports of vulnerabilities or failures.

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