A Beginner’s Guide to Marketing: How to Make Your Next Campaign A Success

October 26, 2021

Marketing is a crucial part of every business. As well as helping you to sell your products/services, it helps your company build its reputation. If you are a new business, then the idea of creating a successful marketing campaign can feel rather daunting.

Luckily, we have put together this beginner’s guide to marketing to help you out. It’s time to start creating your next successful campaign.

Decide On Your Theme

Marketing campaigns have a dual purpose. As well as helping you to inform your audience they are also there to engage customers and entertain them. In order for you to put out a strong message and build relationships with your customers, one of the first things you are going to want to focus on is choosing a theme for your campaign. A theme will help to hold your campaign together and will help to keep both the campaign aesthetics and marketing message cohesive.

Choosing a theme can be difficult. However, you can gain some useful advice through articles and blogs online which can help you choose your theme. Once you have your theme you can then begin to create your campaign.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ditch Ideas

Once you begin to put out campaign content it is important that you test how effective it is. For example, you may identify that a certain social media platform works better than another. You will also need to post content at different times of the day to identify time frames where you get the most engagement. These tests can take time, but they are valuable in helping you improve your campaigns in the future.

It is likely that some of your ideas may not work. In these instances, it is important that you ditch them. Marketing campaigns are full of lessons, and you can learn just as much from failed ideas than you can successful ones.

Use Direct Mail Tracking

There are many different forms of marketing and one that you may be familiar with is direct mail. There are many benefits that your business can enjoy when implementing a direct mail marketing strategy. As well as helping you build trusting relationships with your customers, you can also personalize your content to achieve increased response rates. One of the downsides of direct mail marketing, is it can be difficult to prove financial returns.

This is where tracking methods can help. Take a look at Lob’s guide on how to use direct mail tracking to optimize campaigns. By utilizing this advice, you can better identify areas of improvement in your direct mail strategy. This is because you will be able to measure KPIs such as response and conversion rates.

Create Clever Copy

Your marketing campaign should be full of imagery and content that is consistent across all channels. It is crucial that you inform, engage and entertain your audience. Try to think outside the box and ask yourself – What will set your campaign aside from your competitors? Your audience don’t want to see stuff that’s been done before so always try to think of sometime unique.

It can help to look at some examples of successful marketing copy to help you feel inspired. It can be easy for content creators to get stuck in a rut when it comes to ideas. However, there is a world of inspiration out there. The internet is full of useful resources so don’t be afraid to use them to your advantage.

Set A Timeframe

Every marketing campaign cannot run indefinitely. Instead, you need to set a clear timeline in place. When will the campaign begin and when will it end? Although you should be tracking the results of your campaign throughout, the day that it comes to an end will help you best determine the campaigns overall success. If your campaign didn’t reach the number that you had hoped for then don’t get disheartened. Instead, let it be a lesson. A failed campaign gives you something to work on and it teaches you a lot of lessons that you can use moving forward.

The key thing to remember is not all marketing campaigns succeed. However, it is how you build on them that will help to make all the difference.

Measure Your Results

Once your campaign is launched your work doesn’t stop there. If you have recently published a campaign and you are not measuring the results, then this is a major red flag. How will you know how to improve your campaigns if you can’t identify what went wrong with them in the first place? When it comes to measuring your campaign there are specific areas that you should be focusing on. Return Of Investment (ROI) is one of the best KPIs to measure as it will tell you how effective your campaign has been based on the quality of leads generated.

You can learn more about how to measure your marketing campaign through some extensive research. It is crucial that you know what areas to investigate in order to help you understand if your campaign has been a success or not.

Be Specific

When creating your future marketing campaigns, it is important to not get carried away. Don’t try to throw everything at that one campaign. Instead, identify one or two things that you hope to accomplish. This will help you better plan your campaign around your goals.

For example, your business may be releasing a new product. The aim of your campaign may be to increase awareness around this. Ask yourself, how will you create this awareness? What message are you wanting to deliver? Questions like these will help you to stay focused on your goals so you don’t end up going off on a tangent. The important thing to remember is not all of your marketing campaigns may go to plan. However, each one is a learning curve and with the help of these tips above you will be well on your way to making your next one a success. Don’t hesitate to put in research and think outside the box.

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How Do Loans & Financial Packages Work for Companies?

October 26, 2021

It is a common rule of thumb in business that is as old as time – if you want to make money, you are going to have to spend some money. This isn’t always a happy thought to business owners and managers, especially for those who are new to starting their organisation, or are going through financial hardships. The common solution is to find some form of external funding. Giving up a stake in equity isn’t always possible, as it can dilute the ownership of others, so this often falls to some type of loan. By reviewing the options available on the market, businesses can surely find an option right to help them achieve their goals.

Unfortunately, who has the time? Between managing staff and clients, administration, marketing, and daily operations, committing the time required to research and communicate with lending institutions isn’t something many can do. Cutting corners certainly isn’t the answer, as finding a financing solution that works can make or break a business. The key is to understand your needs and goals, and partnering with the right experts to help get the appropriate solution to achieve them.

Commercial Finance Sourced from Reliable Brisbane Brokers

An injection of funds can aid a Brisbane business in their aspirations to build, expand and accomplish new objectives in both an immediate and long-term setting. Naturally, the kind of financing you will engage in will be a specific kind best suited to addressing and satisfying your needs. For example, companies set to relocate or expand into a second premises will require a tailored property loan. Should they be interested in taking on more staff, however, or increase their capacity on a product line, then a standard commercial loan would be more appropriate. It can be difficult to navigate through the endless options available on the market, which is why it is commonplace for to introduce an external professional to provide some guidance in the matter. These are known as brokers of commercial finance, and are available throughout Brisbane and beyond. Commercial finance brokers Brisbane businesses can work directly with will understand your specific situation, and providing the financing solution from their network of lenders that saves you time, money and stress.

How Do Business Finance Loans Work with Brisbane Commercial Brokers?

Should your business engage with a Brisbane lending institution, it will typically be required to offer some form of collateral or security. This could be an asset such as property or piece of machinery with significant value that the bank or lender can claim should you default on your loan – or should things decline drastically, declare bankruptcy. Working with brokers for your Brisbane business can help you prepare for this arrangement, and how to create a situation that is both favourable to you and the bank. This can also be especially helpful when you consider how different commercial loan packages differ to those for residential purposes, and brokers will guide you on the adequate deposits needed in order to receive approval.

Type of Business Loans Available

As we have mentioned above, there are a variety of business loans and financing options available to choose from. Some of the most common include:

Commercial property loans: Ideal for purchasing land or existing buildings for a new office, shop and so forth.

Business term loans: Perfect for a myriad of investments, such as in machinery and new IT systems

Line of Credit: An arrangement with a lender to access a pre-determined amount of funds if and when needed, with interest paid only on the money used.

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Why Not a Financial Transactions Tax?

October 26, 2021

By Dr. Jack Rasmus

As Senator Sinema gets Biden to drop his proposed tax increases on corporations and wealthy investors earning more than $400K income a year, no consideration is being given at all within Democrat party circles about introducing a financial transactions tax to pay for the Infrastructure bill ($.55T) or the Build Back Better Bill ($1.9T). 5 years ago I wrote and proposed a minimal financial transaction tax that would generate $2.4T in revenue. That would pay for both the new spending proposals in the Infrastructure bill ($.55T) as well as the Build Back Better bill proposal still on the negotiating table ($1.9T)–the latter which, by the way, is about to be reduced further by Democrat Senator Krysten Sinema’s ‘no taxes on corporations or the rich’.

Senators Warren & Sanders have also been talking for months about a ‘wealth tax’. That idea has been rejected outright by nearly all Democrats in Congress and Biden. The latest effort to come up with some wealth tax to pay for the Build Back Better bill is in current discussion in the tax committees in Congress. It proposes to tax just the 745 US billionaires whose wealth increased by $2.1T and 70% just since the Covid crisis began 18 months ago. The problem with this proposal is it taxes the level of wealth attained in stocks and bonds by the billionaires when the prices of those stocks and bonds rise. However, it leaves open the prospect of massive tax cuts on billionaires wealth when prices of stocks and bonds decline. Better is to tax the transactions that lead to that wealth accumulation instead of the level of the wealth. A financial transactions tax does just that. And prevents a subsequent massive tax cut later that a wealth tax on levels of wealth makes possible.

All the phony positioning in Congress (Biden’s proposals, Warren’s, billionaire tax discussions, etc.) over the attempt to ‘claw back’ just some of Trump’s $4.5T 2017 tax cuts totally ignores the real solution to all of the financing of the fiscal stimulus bills: A Financial Transactions Tax. The total cost of the $.55t new spending in the Infrastructure bill and the current $1.9T in the Build Back Better (human infrastructure) bill could be completely PAID FOR WITH A FINANCIAL TRANSACTION TAX!

Here’s what this writer proposed five years ago as a workable Financial Transaction Tax that would raise $2.41 Trillion by a 2.5% tax on stock and bond trades plus a 0.25% on derivatives trades plus another mere 1% tax on $ currency trading–i.e. a simple single tax that’s more than enough to pay for both bills in Congress (in order to outflank Sinema’s ‘no tax cuts’ on income for the rich and their corporations):

The Financial Transaction Tax
by Dr. Jack Rasmus, 2016

Let’s take four major financial securities: stocks, bonds, derivatives, and foreign currency purchases (forex).

A European study a few years ago involving just 11 countries, whose collective economies are about two-thirds the size of the US economy, concluded that a miniscule financial tax of 0.1% on stocks and bonds plus a virtually negligible 0.01% tax on derivatives results in an annual tax revenue of $47 billion. In an equivalent size US economy one third larger that would be abouit $70 billion in revenue a year.

Wealthy investors’ buying of stocks and bonds is essentially no different than average folks buying food, clothing or other real ‘goods and services’. Why shouldn’t investors pay a sales tax on financial securities purchases? In the US, average households pay a sales tax of 5% to 10% for retail purchases of goods and many services. So why shouldn’t wealthy investors pay a similar sales tax rate for their retail financial securities’ purchases?

A 10% ‘sales tax’ on stock and bond buying and a 1% tax on derivatives amounts to a 100x larger tax revenue take than estimated by the European study. The $70 billion estimated based on the European study’s 0.1% stock-bond tax and 0.01% derivatives tax yields $7 trillion in tax revenue with a 10% and 1% tax on stocks and bonds and derivatives.

Too high, Krugman and the Gang of Four would no doubt argue. Wealthy stock and bond buyers should not have to pay that much. It would stifle raising capital for companies. OK. So let’s lower it to half, to 5% tax on stocks and bonds and 0.5% on derivatives. That reduces the $7 trillion tax revenue to a still huge $3.5 trillion annually.

Still too high? Ok, half it again, to a 2.5% tax on stocks and bonds and a 0.25% on derivative trades. That certainly won’t discourage stock and bond trading by the rich (not that that is an all bad idea either). That 2.5% and 1% tax still produces $1.75 trillion a year in revenue.

But what about an additional financial tax on currency trading, like China is about to propose? Currency, or forex, trades amount to an astounding $400 billion each day! Not all that is US currency trading, of course. However, the US dollar is involved in 87% of the trading. A 1% tax on US currency trades conservatively yields approximately $3 billion a day. Assuming a conservative 220 trading days in a year, $3 billion a day produces $660 billion in financial tax revenue from US currency financial transactions in a year.

$1.75 trillion in revenue from stock, bonds, and derivatives trades, plus another $660 billion in forex trade tax revenue, amounts to $2.41 trillion in total revenue raised from a financial transaction tax of 2.5% on stocks and bonds, 0.25% on derivatives, and 1% on US dollar to other currency conversions.

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About the Author

Dr. Jack Rasmus is the author of the 2020 published book, ‘The Scourge of Neoliberalism: US Economic Policy from Reagan to Trump’, Clarity Press. His website is http://kyklosproductions.com, twitter handle @drjackrasmus, and he blogs athttp://jackrasmus.com. He hosts the Alternative Visions radio show every Friday at 2pm eastern time.

How To Ensure That Your Hotel Guests Are Having A comfortable Stay

October 26, 2021

Wouldn’t it be nice to know how to provide the best stay possible for your guests? After all, you want them to come back. You want their friends and family to visit too. And if they don’t have a good time, why would they recommend your hotel? The key is creating an environment that’s comfortable for everyone, one where any guest can feel at home. Here are some ideas on what you need in order to do just that!

Comfortable Beds and Lighting

While we may not think about it often, one of the most important features of our hotel rooms is the bed! After all, we’re going to spend a good amount of time sleeping on it, and you want your guests to wake up refreshed and ready for their day ahead. The best way to go about this is by having options that fit each guest’s personal needs. For example, if you have guests with different preferences when it comes to bed comfort, having the best sheets and mattresses of various firmness is basically a necessity. It’s also nice to offer pillow-top mattresses and memory foam pillows/toppers, which can make a huge difference in how someone sleeps during their stay!

When it comes to lighting, you want to make sure that the room is well lit during the day and night. Each guest should be able to easily navigate through their room, read in bed, watch TV/movies or write in their journal without too much difficulty. One of the best ways to do this is by using recessed lights in order to create clean lines between your ceiling and walls. Another option would be table lamps, which are great because they can be directed toward different areas within a room, depending on what someone might need at any moment.

Temperature and Noise Control

One of the most important aspects when it comes to providing a comfortable hotel stay is temperature control. You may be thinking that all rooms are equipped with air conditioning, but in reality, not every guest is going to want the same levels of coolness in their room. That’s why giving guests the option to adjust the temperature in their rooms is so important. Guests who are used to tropical climates, for example, will immediately feel uncomfortable if they can’t find a way to cool off. And since most people tend to travel during the summer months, you really don’t want your visitors feeling hot and sticky while attempting to sleep at night!

Noise control is so important because it ensures that our guests will get the best night’s rest possible. Things like slamming doors and loud hallway music can really interrupt someone trying to sleep, so it’s best if we eliminate these things from the equation completely. If a certain area of a hotel seems noisy during the day, consider hanging thick curtains or decorative screens, which can help muffle sounds. If your hotel shares walls with other buildings, you should consider soundproofing the individual rooms to ensure peace and quiet for everyone.

Storage Space, Plugs & Outlets

As a hotel owner, it’s important that you make sure of serious storage space in each room! This is because you want your guests to feel at home, even if they’re only there for one night. That’s why it’s good to have hangers, drawers, closets, or shelves where guests can put away their clothes or hang up their towels. Of course, outfitting each guest with luggage racks will allow them to store suitcases underneath the bed so that more floor space is opened up! There are also multi-functional furniture pieces that offer additional seating or display space, so try to explore all of your options.

Another important thing is making sure that each room has a good number of plugs and USB ports in order to charge phones, laptops, and any other devices that might need power overnight. Plus, it’s great if you have enough outlets by the bed in case guests need to use their CPAP machine or plug in an alarm clock for early risers!

A Good View

Of course, many of our guests come from different parts of the world, and they want something familiar while traveling abroad, which is great when it comes to choosing a view from their hotel room window! Try thinking about what type of view will appeal most to your guests and place them accordingly. For example, views of a city or busy streets aren’t necessarily the most relaxing, so ensure that your hotel rooms have something more calming like a garden view or Mountain View. This can help guests get in touch with nature while still enjoying the comforts of home!

There are plenty of reasons why a good view is important to your hotel. Viewing the landscape from your window helps to make the stay more pleasant, as it can help create a sense of luxury and relaxation for your guests. A good view also has the potential to boost customer satisfaction levels, which should lead to increased revenue. Plus, how people feel about your property will inevitably have an effect on what other people say about it because word-of-mouth promotion is a powerful tool that you can utilize to promote your property.

Hotel Amenities

There are many things that can make your hotel guest want to come back. Hotel amenities such as clean towels, toiletries, customizable plugs and outlets, and working A/C and heating can all help create a better stay for your guests. A comfortable hotel room will usually ensure that the customer is satisfied with their stay, and will also result in increased revenue for the business if they offer it to visitors looking for an enjoyable stay. The best hotels are normally posh with high-end amenities that include well-stocked minibars, pools, spa facilities, and walk-in showers. It is not just about the cost-effective and functional hotel room with a good view but more importantly about “the little things”.

Hotel guests want to feel at home and comfortable while they’re on the road. If you can provide your hotel guests with a comforting stay that includes things like clean towels, working air conditioning and heating, and ample storage space for their belongings, as well as other amenities such as complimentary toiletries or an in-room spa facility, then chances are good that customer satisfaction levels will increase which could lead to increased revenue. Check out this blog post if you need help coming up with ideas for how you can make sure your customers have everything they need during their visit!

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We Need to Talk About Finance’s Xenophobia Problem

October 26, 2021

By Ivan Zhizenskiy

I’m calling it. Finance has a xenophobia problem.

I’ve experienced it first hand on numerous occasions. Just a few years ago, I was setting up a business in Holland. After six months of struggle, I never managed to open a bank account because, while my company was Dutch, my passport wasn’t.

If you don’t have a local passport, you’re essentially cut off from local banking systems even if you’re contributing to the local economy. Doing business internationally shouldn’t be a problem in the 21st century, but when it impacts genuine, local business affairs, we know it is.

And it’s not just me. My case is one of millions and it’s a pervasive issue in the business world. Many entrepreneurs are being prevented from scaling their business internationally and taking advantage of the global business and financial hubs in the West. Geographical barriers shouldn’t get in the way of genuine business. It’s time to properly address the issue.

The risk issue

Finance’s xenophobia issue stems from the industry’s approach to risk. Financial institutions see risk everywhere. It’s not surprising – dodgy financial dealings across the globe are on the rise, and negative sentiment – even in the public-eye – towards finance is rife. Just look at the Pandora Papers leak.

But, for me, finance’s reluctance to engage with foreign activity is summed up when entities from abroad, completely legitimately, attempt to establish full business bank account solutions in the UK. Typically, full business bank account solution applications take a lengthy 4 weeks to 3 months to approve from abroad.

Defining risk by nationality is old-fashioned. If you don’t want to do any due diligence or investigate the nature of business, it’s easy to simply reject passports. However, in a world where you can check everything online, assessing risk properly doesn’t have to be difficult. The aim of FinTech isn’t to improve the perception of risk, but the way we assess it.

Embrace innovation

Of course, it’s expected that financial institutions approach any sort of financial activity with caution. This is what we, as customers, expect from governing bodies. But only within reason.

In 2021, business leaders from abroad should never have to be judged by their passports. Finance needs to be more inclusive to avoid alienation on a global scale. As an industry, we need to spend more time understanding foreign businesses – who they are, what they do, who their business partners are – and what their aims are for the future, as opposed to judging them too quickly and turning them down. This will actually make identifying risk easier in the long-run. If we fail to do so, we could end up missing out on many of the world’s best innovations.

As Europe’s leading financial hub, London, is one of the world’s most iconic and influential cities. That’s a hard-earned reputation, so why waste it? The London pull means thousands of global innovators, ambitious businesses and smart entrepreneurs are all lining up ready to do business and invest in the United Kingdom. If xenophobia in finance remains, we risk shutting the door on all of these great minds and stifling consumer choice. This cannot be allowed to happen, particularly as the world re-builds from the pandemic and the UK’s post-Brexit future is determined.

My call to the industry is simple: work harder to quit xenophobia. Follow suit to wise up and quell the risk of losing out on many of the best companies and trade in the world. Our global commerce depends on it.

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About the Author

Ivan Zhizenskiy is a Co-Founder and the CEO at global bank challenger 3S Money. Hailing from Russia and starting his career as a university lecturer and then a BBC journalist, Ivan moved into finance. He now has 13 years’ experience in the industry. In 2018, Ivan co-founded 3S Money, a FinTech company helping corporate clients send, collect and exchange money in 190 countries. In 2021, 3S Money achieved profitability and is continuing to scale with offices in London, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Riga and Dubai. Ivan is a prominent UK FinTech industry leader and regular commentator on finance, business and innovation.

The Sanction Risks for Cryptocurrency

October 26, 2021

By Josh Ray

In a keynote address at the Aspen Institute’s Security Forum recently, the new Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, stressed his intention to tighten federal crypto regulation and enforcement, particularly with respect to American financial sanctions. Chairman Gensler’s remarks echo a similar sentiment expressed in the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework, issued last autumn, which stated “cryptocurrency presents a troubling new opportunity for individuals and rogue states to avoid international sanctions and to undermine traditional financial markets, thereby harms the interests of the United States and its allies.” Likewise, in a February 2021 enforcement action against Atlanta-based digital currency payment processor BitPay Inc., the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) – America’s chief sanctions enforcer – stated that “companies involved in providing digital currency services . . . should understand the sanctions risks . . . and take steps necessary to mitigate those ricks. Companies that . . . process transactions using digital currency are responsible for ensuring that they do not engage in unauthorized transactions prohibited by OFAC sanctions.”

Given these developments and Chairman Gensler’s background as a fintech/crypto professor at MIT and former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair and Goldman Sachs partner, the SEC will no doubt be continuing to work with its counterparts at OFAC and other regulators to ensure that the intended bite of US sanctions is not bypassed by those using cryptocurrencies. This comes as the American government maintains its keen interest in employing sanctions as a key foreign policy tool, as evidenced most recently by the fresh sanctions imposed on Myanmar and Belarus. As sanctions regimes proliferate and cryptocurrencies become ever more widely used in international financial transactions, to avoid breaching sanction requirements businesses and individuals involved with sanctioned countries or parties must be especially cautious when it comes to accepting, safeguarding or processing cryptocurrencies and cryptoassets.

Sanctions in a Nutshell

US sanctions are created in a two-step process. First, Congress passes a statute—such as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)—that broadly authorizes the president to impose sanctions through executive orders (EOs) against perceived threats to American interests. Once such an EO is issued, OFAC (which is an arm of the Treasury Department) acts at the president’s direction to draft the sanctions and determine who specifically they should target. Because sanctions can be created and eliminated largely at each successive administration’s discretion, they are complex, subject to change, and can overlap with one another.

Generally speaking, US sanctions act to freeze assets subject to US jurisdiction, prevent US individuals and companies from doing business with sanctioned parties, and otherwise cut off sanctioned jurisdictions and individuals from accessing US dollars and the US financial system. There are three basic types: comprehensive, which cover entire countries (e.g., North Korea); list-based, which focus on specific people and entities; and sectoral, which affect particular industries (e.g., the sanctions that prevent Russia’s defense industry from accessing US equity and debt markets).

Who Has to Comply?

In theory, so-called “primary sanctions”[1] only apply to “US persons,” defined to include American citizens and permanent residents (wherever located), individuals and business entities physically located in the US (including US subsidiaries of foreign companies), and all US-incorporated entities (including their foreign branches). But OFAC takes an aggressive view on the scope of its jurisdiction and has imposed penalties in situations where the offender has had little connection to the US. OFAC has, for example, fined non-US companies where their only connection with the US has been indirect contact with US financial institutions (e.g., processing of US dollar payments through foreign nostro and US correspondence accounts).

How Does Crypto Fit In?

The bedrock of sanctions compliance has long been due diligence – policies and procedures designed to identify and screen out sanctioned customers and counterparties. But the anonymity or pseudonymity offered by crypto makes these efforts significantly more difficult. In other words, crypto makes US sanctions harder to comply with and enforce. As seen in the aggressive liability theory in United States v. Griffith (20-cr-15 (SDNY)), US regulators are clearly attuned to this reality.

In that case, the DOJ charged Virgil Griffith—an American citizen working as a researcher for the non-profit Ethereum Foundation in Singapore—with conspiring to violate sanctions on North Korea; essentially for simply giving a speech at a cryptocurrency conference in Pyongyang. The primary evidence against him appears to be two text messages he sent to colleagues; one stating, “[W]e’d love to make an Ethereum trip to the DPRK and setup an Ethereum node. . .. It’ll help them circumvent the current sanctions on them.”; and another that speculated that the reason for North Korea’s interest in cryptocurrencies was “probably avoiding sanctions.”[2] After twice failing to have the indictment dismissed, in July Griffith had his bail revoked at the DOJ’s request after emailing his mother for help accessing approximately $1 million in a cryptocurrency account (in purported violation of his bail conditions). Noting that the “serious” charges carry a “possible term of imprisonment of 20 years,” the district court judge found that Griffith had overwhelming incentives to flee the country and remanded him to custody to await his trial, set to begin at the end of September.[3]

That the federal government is taking such a hard line with a seemingly small-time defendant reveals the degree to which regulators see crypto as posing a serious threat to the effectiveness of the American sanctions framework—a framework mimicked by the UK, EU, and other US allies. By making an example of Griffith, American prosecutors likely hope that his case will serve as a strong deterrent to anyone else who may be considering how cryptocurrencies could be used as a way to evade sanctions.

What Now?

It remains to be seen whether the Griffith case is an aberration or the start of a new wave of criminal cases against alleged sanctions violations by way of crypto. Whichever it is, it is a near certainty that civil regulators at the SEC and OFAC will be using their enforcement powers to more strictly police and rein in crypto investments and transactions that may contravene or improperly evade US sanctions (and it’s safe to assume that authorities in other Western countries will eventually follow suit).

This is a material risk that all players in the cryptocurrency space must appreciate and respond to. Those who fare best in this new enforcement environment will probably be those who proactively seek out ways to ensure that their crypto activities take all reasonable steps to stay sanction compliant, rather than wait for regulators to come calling.

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About the Author

Josh Ray is an English solicitor and US-qualified lawyer who defends companies and individuals in complex cross-border investigations, white-collar crime prosecutions, and regulatory enforcement actions. His practice also focuses on advising fintech and cryptocurrency firms on compliance with anti-money laundering, sanctions, and bribery regulations in the US and UK.

References:

[1] “Secondary sanctions” apply to non-US persons, even if there is no connection between the US and the activity in question. If a non-US person is found to have violated a secondary sanction, OFAC cannot fine them but can effectively cut them off from using the US financial system. At present, secondary sanctions are in place only with respect to Iran, Crimea, and North Korea.

[2] See Order Denying Motion to Dismiss, United States v. Griffith, 20-cr-15 (SDNY Jan. 27, 2021).

[3] See Order Revoking Bail, United States v. Griffith, 20-cr-15 (SDNY Jul. 20, 2021).

Metal Oxide Varistor – The Basics

October 25, 2021

Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) is that orange or blue-colored component commonly found in the input of a power supply circuit. According to the voltage applied, the Metal Oxide Varistor can change its resistance. Thus, it is considered to be one kind of variable resistor. If any high current flows through a Metal Oxide Varistor, it decreases the resistance value, acting as the short circuit. Thus, MOVs are connected in parallel with a fuse to save circuits from any high voltage surges. In this article, we shall be talking about the basics of the Metal Oxide Varistor.

MOV Specifications

Energy Absorption

It refers to the highest energy that can be dissipated for a particular waveform without any interruptions. MOV energy absorption is usually below 1 kJ.

Surge Shift

It refers to the variation in the electrical voltage after a surge. When a surge current is applied, this shift happens, and the clamping voltage reduces.

Maximum Working Voltage

It is the voltage in a DC steady-state where the leakage current is lesser than your given value.

Response Time

The time taken for the varistor to begin soon after the surge happens is called the response time. Its standard is said to be near 100nS.

Maximum AC Voltage

The RMS line voltage offered to MOV constantly is the maximum AC voltage. Its sine value should not be the same as the peak voltage of the minimum varistors. Otherwise, the lifetime of your electrical components will be reduced.

How MOV Functions

MOV resistance usually remains high during the standard operating conditions. They tend to draw in little current at that moment. However, when the surge occurs, the voltage spikes well above the clamping or knee voltage, and they start drawing more current.

Therefore, it saves the equipment and emits the surge. For short surge guards, the MOVs are helpful.

They cannot take in sustained surges. If they were to be exposed to constant surges, their function would slightly deteriorate.

During surges, their clamping voltage shoots down. It would lead to the MOV’s destruction. A fuse in parallel protects this from happening.

Electrical Properties of MOV

Now we shall see three electrical properties of the Metal Oxide Varistor. Let’s dig in:

Static Resistance

As per the static resistance curve, the voltage where resistance remains at the peak is known as the normal voltage. The graph will show that as the voltage increases, the MOV resistance gradually decreases. This curve is used to determine the resistance at various voltage levels.

V-I Properties

The curve of a variable resistor changes with the change in voltage as MOV can function in two directions; the curve has symmetrical bi-directional features. It shows a linear relationship when the current flow is zero. As the voltage increases, the resistance falls, and MOV starts to conduct.

During the stated clamping voltage, the current flow is maximum.

Capacitance

It remains constant till the graph reaches clamping voltage. The capacitance in AC circuits will influence the overall resistance. It can be connected in parallel to protect the device when the resistance increases or falls too rapidly.

Final Words

That calls for a wrap. We hope you have acquired knowledge about Metal Oxide Varistor – the basics. Just be a bit careful with the semi-conductor usage.

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The Future of Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, and Blockchain

October 25, 2021

It’s safe to say that the first part of 2021 has been a watershed moment in the crypto industry’s development.

However, the industry is still developing and in its infancy. Trying to gauge the industry is tough in the long term. The blockchain industry is growing and developing and requires more and more professionals. Jobs in blockchain is a very popular request. Still, analysts will be watching issues like regulation and institutional acceptance of crypto payments in future months to better understand.

Exact predictions are difficult, so we’ve looked at the possible future of bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain.

Possible Cryptocurrency Regulation

A crypto investor already needs to keep track of their capital gains and losses, but new proposed legislation might make it easier for the IRS to discover cases of tax fraud using crypto. Investors may find it easier to correctly record crypto transactions under the new guidelines, though.

By law, exchanges will be required to furnish 1099-B tax forms providing cost basis data to investors if the legislation is passed. The crypto tax filing burden will be greatly reduced as a result of this.

Cryptocurrency prices in already turbulent markets can be affected by regulatory statements. Due to market volatility, investing experts advise investors to limit their cryptocurrency holdings to no more than 5% of their whole portfolio and to never invest money they can’t afford to lose.

Numerous industry professionals agree that regulation is beneficial in the long run for the sector as a whole. Regulation that benefits the public is always a good thing. Because of this, people are more confident in crypto, but it’d be best to take our time and do it correctly.

Nonetheless, the current lack of regulation seems to be one of the attractions for people looking to make anonymous transactions.

Bitcoin’s Future Outlook

Because Bitcoin has the greatest market value and the remainder of the market generally follows its patterns, it’s a solid indicator of the overall crypto market.

The price of Bitcoin has been on a roller coaster ride in 2021. It saw a rise from a high of $60,000 in April to a low of under $30,000 in July. Bitcoin’s price has lately surged back up to $50,000. Bitvestment provides more information about this.

But how high can Bitcoin really go before it becomes obsolete? The history of Bitcoin may hold some useful lessons. Since 2011, the price of Bitcoin has experienced numerous large increases, followed by declines. In the short term, however, we expect BTC to be volatile, with long-term growth expected.

More Retailers Will Accept Crypto Payments

While most individuals don’t see the benefit of paying with cryptocurrencies right now, as more businesses begin to accept them, the scene may change. It’ll be a long time before spending Bitcoin on products or services is a wise financial move.

Still, increasing institutional adoption could lead to more everyday use-cases for everyday consumers, which could impact crypto values in the long term. Buying cryptocurrencies as a long-term store of wealth offers no guarantees, but the more “real world” applications a currency has, the more likely usage and value will rise.

Crypto Volatility

Cryptocurrency is still a new and risky investment with little history on which predictions may be based. We can guess what value it will have for buyers in the months and years to come (and many will). The truth is that nobody actually knows, regardless of what a particular expert thinks or claims to know. As a result, you should only invest money you can afford to lose and focus on more traditional investment strategies for long-term wealth accumulation.

Never prioritize your crypto investments over other financial goals, including retirement savings or paying down high-interest debt. Keep your investments small.

Blockchain Could Aid Cybersecurity

Because blockchain is a new technology, projections regarding its potential are divided. Seventy percent of respondents to a TechRepublic Research survey stated they had never used blockchain before. However, 64% of those polled said they expect blockchain to have some impact on their industry, with the majority expecting a favorable outcome.

Following is a forecast provided by Gartner’s Trend Insight Report:

By 2022, only 10% of companies will use blockchain to make significant changes.
At least one creative blockchain-based enterprise will be valued at $10 billion by 2022.
The added value of blockchain to a company will reach $360 billion in 2026 and $3.1 trillion in 2030.

Among the most promising development areas for blockchain technology is cybersecurity. Data tampering is a problem that affects companies of all sizes. When combined with other cutting-edge security features, blockchain technology can be applied to keep data safe while also enabling users to verify the legitimacy of a file.

Hence, the growth of cyber security may create more jobs in blockchain.

Final Thoughts

As the acceptance of cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and NTF grows, the need to invest with caution becomes even stronger.

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The Contradictions of the “Biden Doctrine”: From China Friction and Military Overreach to US Debt Crises

October 25, 2021

By Dr. Dan Steinbock

With its internal contradictions, the “Biden Doctrine” is fostering Trump-style China wars, while its military overreach is paving the way to debt crises.

Today, more than half of all Americans disapprove Biden’s performance. He divides the nation as Trump did. More importantly, progressives’ trust on the administration is eroding. New Cold Wars against China, Russia, Iran and other countries are not their priority. American welfare is.

As the White House has missed a historic opportunity to reset U.S. economic and foreign policy on a progressive basis, it has become mired in its own contradictions.

As the net effect, China serves increasingly as a scapegoat – as it did for the Trump White House.

Undermining US economy with China wars

In contrast to all US postwar Democratic Presidents, including Clinton and Obama, and their Republican peers, Trump and his sky-high tariffs shunned trade liberalization, a strong dollar, and the Fed’s independence. Biden’s multilateralist rhetoric masks similar goals, steeped in economic nationalism and inward-oriented trade policy. The net effect is the contradiction between stated multilateral goals with and trade wars against other countries.

Another contradiction will follow in trade talks with China. According to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, the Biden administration won’t rule out new tariff actions against China. Yet the White House knows well that current tariff goals are not viable without global recovery, which US protectionism has derailed since 2017.

Nothing in these contradictory debacles was inevitable. When Biden still served in the Obama administration, his chief economic adviser was Jared Bernstein, a highly-regarded progressive economist. When Trump escalated his tariffs in early 2019, Bernstein warned about Washington’s conventional wisdom that China should be penalized for violations of international trade rules. “This is a mistake: The entire rationale may be misguided,” he said. “If so, it won’t help American workers, and as a protectionist effort, its costs to people across the globe could swamp its benefits.”

By fall 2019, Bernstein declared Trump’s trade policy a “disaster” and outlined six ideas for the next president to fix trade policy. First, surgical tariffs can be a useful tool, but too sweeping tariffs undercut economic recovery. Second, trade deficit is no scorecard amid the West’s secular stagnation when demand is weak. Third, America needs export-oriented industrial policies, not protectionism. Fourth, effective trade pacts require multiple stakeholders, including developing economies. Fifth, China hasn’t engaged in currency manipulation for years, but Trump was flirting with such risks. Finally, the multinationals’ race for the bottom does not help those left behind; smart tax credits and subsidized employment do.

Instead of seizing his former adviser’s ideas, Biden embraced precisely the opposite ideas; the far-right Trump administration’s disastrous trade policy.

Undermining welfare with military overreach

Like Trump with his $2 trillion Covid-19 package, Biden promotes huge direct transfers and lower taxes for workers, and the unemployed. While he has already passed a $1.9 trillion stimulus package, the administration has struggled to launch still another multi-trillion-dollar package on infrastructure, which divides Democrats and Republicans who are positioning for the 2022 election. Oddly, parts of the package are explicitly defined as anti-China measures.

Ultimately, the real dilemma is that no amount of stimulus spending can offset the Biden administration’s fundamental contradiction: Sustaining America’s military expenditure has occurred for decades at the expense of welfare, as evidenced by the $8 trillion that has been spent on post-9/11 wars in just the past two decades.

Effectively, the key role in this equation belongs to current military expenditure, which exceeds $965 billion, due to outlays by Pentagon and non-Pentagon military spending, and expenses accrued by past military outlays, based on veterans’ benefits plus interest on national debt, which amounts to $740 billion. Due to its military overreach, US invests far less than any other major advanced economy on welfare, defined broadly here as human resources, government and physical infrastructure (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Effectively half of US budget goes to military expenditure

Source: Data from Analytical Perspectives: Fiscal Year 2021, Budget of the U.S. Government

In the conventional view, military expenditure (e.g., national defense, veterans) accounts for only 20% of the total because it includes Trust Funds (e.g., social security); and most of the past military spending is not distinguished from non-military spending.

Toward debt crises

Understandably, the White House is less vocal about how the world’s most massive fiscal packages, ultra-low rates and quantitative easing will be financed. The simple answer is: By debt that will not be paid back, but monetized.

Today, US outstanding debt has soared to almost $29 trillion (126% of GDP); consisting of debt held by the public ($22.2 trillion), which exceeds the size of the US economy, and debt held by government accounts ($6.2 trillion). In relative terms, the debt held by public is almost at par with US war debt in 1945. It is projected to nearly double to 202% of the GDP by 2051 (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Toward debt crises

Federal debt held by public as % of GDP

Other things being equal, this kind of debt-taking spells the demise of the US as the world’s anchor economy and US dollar as the major global reserve currency. And since markets are future-oriented, the reckoning will not wait until the mid-21^st century. It is looming ahead.

To defer the reckoning, the Biden administration needs to print money, continuously. In addition to current challenges, it is likely to push the Fed to address climate change. And the Fed is likely to comply, to keep its independence. Officially, Biden will not promote weaker dollar, but the administration’s enacted measures will force Fed cooperation to finance huge budget deficits.

When central bank finances public spending, money-printing risks unleashing runaway inflation. When inflation begins to rise, as it has since the coronavirus contraction, the Fed has to adopt a policy of benign neglect since a tight anti-inflationary policy would trigger a market crash and a severe recession.

Such trajectories would be damaging to major foreign holders of federal debt, such as China and Hong Kong, which hold $1.3 trillion (18.4% of the total); more than any other country. Here’s still another contradiction: If China no longer purchased US securities and/or sold a significant share of its dollar holdings, Washington would need other foreign and domestic investors to offset the gap, which would result in higher interest rates.

And so, we’re back in the crash scenarios or worse if foreign investors were to reduce their holdings of US assets en masse.

A doctrine without principles

Biden’s loyalists like to portray him as Truman reincarnated; an image that his handlers encourage. In reality, Biden wanted to frame himself as the new Franklin D. Roosevelt. But as Bob Woodward and Robert Costa tell the story in The Peril, in late 2020, then-majority whip Jim Clayburn persuaded Biden to portray himself as Truman who desegregated the military, instead. And so he did.

The “Biden Doctrine” is not a doctrine of geopolitical insights or economic policies. It is more about political marketing, even though doctrines without principles are doomed. Hence, the increasing populist need for China as a scapegoat.

Unlike Truman, Roosevelt expected the Grand Alliance of United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom and China to prevail in the postwar era. With gradual diffusion of power, that’s the kind of multipolarity that America, China and the world economy desperately need in the 21^st century.

Just as the Grand Alliance could have avoided the Cold War and its more than 20 million fatalities mainly in Asia, it could deter the far costlier and deadlier New Cold Wars that now loom ahead.

The original commentary was published by China-US Focus on Oct. 22, 2021

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About the Author

Dr. Dan Steinbock is an internationally recognized strategist of the multipolar world and the founder of Difference Group. He has served at the India, China and America Institute (USA), Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (China) and the EU Center (Singapore). For more, see https://www.differencegroup.net

How to Save Business Costs Coming into 2022

October 25, 2021

As the year draws to a close, many businesses begin the process of evaluating their performance and restructuring key processes to prepare for the new year.

During this period, a key metric that all businesses have to consider is their expenditures.

With 82% of businesses failing due to miscalculations in cash flow, business owners and department heads should keep a stricter eye on their budgeting if they want to remain buoyant.

But with the dynamic nature of a business landscape, there’s a valid reason as to why startup failure falls under such a high percentage.

To help you cut costs in the coming year, we’ve created a list of ways for you to make prudent expenditure decisions. By focusing on these areas of your business, you’ll find more success in cutting down operational costs without impacting productivity.

1. Adopt New Technology

One of the easiest ways to cut down on operational expenditure is by improving the technology you use to run it.

By focusing on investing in better software like linkfacts.link you can ensure that your employees are working with best-in-class resources. It’s one of the most effective investments a team could make as inadequate technology can increase the human hours needed to complete a task.

For example, project management tools such as Trello is a free tool that centralises company tasks in one place and eliminates logistics work. It’s an easy way to be more efficient without needing to spend time getting everyone together for a meeting or checking up on progress.

Another great tool for employees to use is Slack, a team messaging application that can remove geographical and physical barriers to allow cross-collaboration with team members, no matter where they are presently located.

In essence, SaaS tools are excellent ways of ensuring that all employees can best utilize their skillset without being hampered down by repetitive tasks. And to help with utility bill audits, you can use utility bill management solutions to save time, and money and reduce expenses.

2. Outsource Non-Core Projects

One of the most effective ways to manage costs in a business is by outsourcing non-core projects. By removing tedious processes from your department, you’re able to better streamline your team’s efforts into more meaningful things and spend less time on administrative tasks.

According to Fortunly, over 300,000 jobs are outsourced outside the US each year. Businesses also have the liberty to hire only when the need to accomplish a certain task arises, which is unlike full-time positions where employee downtime may add up on costs.

For example, customer support outsourcing can easily free up a significant amount of time. Email marketing, and social media marketing are also things that can be outsourced to contract talent.

Outsourcing tasks to an agency or freelancer is also made easy with platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr – where skilled remote workers and businesses can connect and exchange services.

Overall, it’s an excellent way of saving money without the need to cut down on staff or processes.

3. Use Predictive Analytics to Forecast

Accurately projecting data is the key to saving money in your business. By evaluating past trends and patterns, you can create a dynamic projection model that can back future plans with data.

Using predictive analytics isn’t just advantageous to business owners – it has also been proven to have great benefits for employees.

For example, an accountant can accurately predict cash flow. This allows businesses to better update their books and manage finances without the need for a third-party finance manager.

It’s also capable of identifying employee expertise in certain areas, allowing them to focus on what they’re best at instead of being bogged down by repetitive tasks.

The good news? Process mining with Apromore conducts and automates data and predictive analysis. This enables your team to identify cost reductions, increase transparency, and enhance the overall user experience – which can save you millions just by adopting the right data mining technology.

4. Lower your Expenditures

Does your business pay off any subscriptions or policies that it doesn’t use anymore?

For example, do you pay excess for cloud storage that’s beyond your business’s needs right at this moment? Or insure people who no longer work for your company?

The first step to saving money is assessing how your cash is used in your business. Whether in subscriptions or insurance, it’s important that you only pay what remains useful to the growth of your company.

By identifying what’s not being used anymore in your business, you can eliminate it and clear up your finances for things that do matter. You’re also able to cut down on unnecessary expenses or interests that may prevent you from scaling your business to the next level.

5. Find Better Deals

While premium goods are locked behind a large paywall, you should look for ways to avail of cheaper rates for items that you can afford to skimp out on.

For a rising startup, you can settle for lesser-known brands of software that offer roughly the same services as their more expensive counterparts. And once you scale, then you can consider subscribing to the industry’s best.

You can also compare the prices of physical goods with other items of the same calibre. Comparing prices and taking your time to research before making a purchase can save you hundreds of dollars just by finding the most affordable deals.

While this doesn’t mean you should be full-on thrifty and sacrifice convenience, it’s a good idea to take the extra time to see how you can lower your costs without sacrificing quality.

With these tips, you’re able to easily manage your expenses and cut down on costs that can be used to further develop your business. It’s also an effective way of assessing where exactly your money is going so you can put it to better use instead.

Good luck and keep hustling!

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