Game Changers issue 32

Game Changers ISSUE #32

BEAT THE BANKS! GC speaks with Zoran Radovanovic

GAME CHANGERS

DIRECTORY O1

Note from the editor

O2

Make your own bank!

O3 O4 O5 O6 O7 O8 O9 1O 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

View from the top. 03

Breinrock. 04-07

Ann Hunt Chasing returns. 08-09

Is capitalism dead?

10-12

FX Cubic Richard Bartlett 14-17

Get ready for the Crypto drones 2.0 Paul Orford. 17-19

Speakers Corner Anonymous. 20-21

PSP Angels Viktoria Soltesz . 22-23

Cyprus Cannabis Association (CYCA) Andria Andreou. 24-28

Quick Questions with Ashley Jones Paul Orford. 29

Baer’s Crest Ludovic Vuillier. 30-31

GC: DRIVE 33-37

GC: LUXURY Nearchos Tylliros. 38-39

GC: FEMME 40-43

GC:HOMME 44-46

GC:EAT 47-49

GC:FITNESS 50-52

VIEW FROM THE TOP

Hello everyone, By the time GC032 is hot off the presses, we should be coming to some form of normality with restaurants being opened locally, and we can start meeting up again albeit still masked and being tested on a regular basis.

We are really happy to have Zoran Radovanovic, the CEO and Founder of Canadian regulated EMI Breinrock. It’s always great fun to either shoot videos or interview Zoran, as he is one of the few leaders in the industry who have an incredibly long track record, but also can explain banking to luddites like myself..

We have always been intrigued about the cannabis industry, so we were incredibly honoured to speak with Andria Andreou, the President of the Cyprus Cannabis Association. We look forward to shooting some video content with Andria in the very near future, which we hope outlines what their position is, and how they plan to get their voice heard.

After a huge success of the last edition of GC, we were more than happy to invite Ann Hunt back.

We had a huge amount of traction from her front cover and incredibly informative interview.

Further to this, we have some old friends of GC return including Ludovic Vuillier, RIchard Bartlett and Viktoria Soltesz.

We are also glad to report that the lifestyle section is operating at full power with GC being able to do what it does best, eating and drinking, and having to take notes on it. We wanted to try something different in GC:Luxury in this edition, by including local superstar chef Neachros Tylliros, who not only has been teaching us to cook online. He also can come to your house and cook for you!

A big thanks to everyone involved in making GC032, great organisation and delivery as ever :-) All the best!

Paul ORFORD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Game Changers

Make your own bank!

PAUL ORFORD Exclusive interview with Zoran Radovanovic Founder and CEO of Breinrock

Zoran Radovanovic has forged an enviable career in banking, and has now gone one step further by launching his own Canadian regulated EMI, under his well respected brand Breinrock.

Being a well renowned innovator, Breinrock have designed a solution that can revolutionise the way that your brand navigates its banking needs with ease.

Meaning no more multi bank accounts and offshore challenges which can often leads to a huge amount of frustration, and many needless challenges to your brand.

By becoming a white label of the Breinrock brand, this solves all your problems and increases your brand’s credibility in the eyes of your clients.

Most brokerages only dream of becoming a bank with all the kudos that comes with it. However, what if you could make your brand into a banking institution relatively easily, and at a cost cheaper than when you set up your MT4 based brokerage all those years ago?

GC spoke with Zoran to find out more...

Q Can you tell us more about the new product from Breinrock?

We designed this product based upon my past experiences of working with brokerages as they are facing huge challenges now.on the banking front.

To have any chance of success in the modern FX brokerage world, you will need to hold multiple licenses, such as Cyprus,Seychelles or wherever.

They sadly are caught in a tough position, as they need these licenses to drive revenue. However. they face huge obstacles with the banks when they look to use their facilities. It is incredibly rare that they will accept all of the offshore licenses that a brand operates under. More often than not, they will tell you that they can onboard your Cyprus entity but not your offshore entity.So this creates for you a number of operational challenges which are an ongoing and frustrating process of opening and closing of accounts.

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

Based upon this, we designed a product where the purchaser of the whte label can go live in three weeks of the contract being signed. This means that the brokerage will receive their own branded payment platform, along with the Canadian license that Breinrock operates under.

So how does this apply for your brand. If you have faced all the challenges that we just outlined, which 99% of successful brokerages have. This means that all the offshore brands of your brokerage can be the clients of your white label, solving all of your banking solutions in just a couple of weeks.

So for example let’s use Game Changers. We could create GC PAY where GC FX has licenses in say Cyprus and all the other offshore jurisdictions. You will centralise all the payments for all of your brands.

Moreover, it makes it so much easier as an organisation and from an operational perspective for all your brands. Further to this, you will also see a huge reduction in costs by having just one cost of settlement, and having all of your payments held in one central location.

Q One huge advantage you have over other EMI’s is the Breintock banking relationships that you have generated over the years. Why is this key to any viable EMI? This is extremely important for the brokerage, especially for their clients where they cannot ask them to send their funds to a bank in a third world country. It is not a good look. Where we are privileged to be regulated in Canada, we are obliged to hold our accounts and client funds in the banks with the same credit rating.

So for example, where we are Canadian regulated we can hold the money in banks in the United States, UK, Australia or Europe. Most of our accounts are in the UK and New York, such as Coutts or Bank of America.

Moreover, we do a large number of Japanese Yen settlements which are carried out by Credit Suisse.

One piece of advice i would give is,If you are looking to use an EMI always check where possible to

see which banks they have relationships with.

Q Why is there such a difference between this and say a Lithuanian or Estonian EMI. Ones I have used have alway stressed price entry as a selling point.

Can this also be an indicator of quality?

To have your own license is a great step,and I would always advice a brand to get one. However, a different question is are you ready to have one? The overwhelming majority of brokerages do have more than enough capital to obtain their own license in these jurisdictions.

There is a huge difference going into the licensing process in Europe. Tis can be quite a long and drawn out affair, that could take anything from say 9-18 months, During this time you do also need to be fully operational with staff and office, along with a 350K capital deposit. Based upon this, the expenses are quite large, but I think more importantly time consuming.

So from day one to completion you are going to lose 1-2 years in starting to work and becoming operational, and once you get the license there is also a process of 3-4 months in obtaining the Swift codes and IBAN, along with the opening of accounts for your new EMI. The real beauty of the White Label program, is that it can take 3 weeks to go live and be operational on

Zoran Radovanovic Founder and CEO of Breinrock

massively reduced staffing overheads and without the large capital deposit.

Another important factor is the flexibility of the jurisdiction we are under. Let’s look at Lithuania as an example. It operates under the European Central Bank, which they do not allow you to have more than 5% of your portfolio in high risk business.

So if you are an EMI license holder in this region this means that it can only take 5% high risk business. So if you are a brokerage looking to buy a license here, or using one here this can restrict your movement as a business, as 95% has to be low risk so you have to find ways to diversify your risk.

In Canada it is a lot different, the regulator is not enforcing you to not onboard someone from a particular risk profile. What they look to enforce is that you are rigorous with your reporting, anf to properly onboard your clients and their details. We have found them great to work with as they appear to pay the most attention to this aspect of the business, other than the geography of your customer.

In Europe it can be incredibly inflexible with regards to geography. It is one of the key facets of doing business and is very important to them.For example, you will find it very difficult tot onboard a client who is from the Caribbean islands, so based upon this, the White Label solution is great for this.

Q One great thing I found about when we used the WL was that you could show substance prior to going live, it saved us so much money and time. Can you explain how this works?

Canadian law treats the white label exactly the same as a licensed company, the only difference is that a white label is distributing the product of the EMI. In our case it is distributing the payment solution, opening of bank accounts and offers the ebanking solution with their own logo.

This means that the white label is a fully operational company, which is established in Canada, moreover has a contract with Breinrock. Further to this, we also offer a full office with compliance and onboarding in place. This product is designed to make the process as seamless and as fast as possible for both the purchaser and end user.

Q The technology. Is this something complex to use?

Currently we are using leased technology, it’s really user friendly. Everyone can learn to use it very fast. The best way to understand it, it is like a CRM system for those that operate in those terms. There are not too many moving parts, so once you understand how to use it in about one hour maximum.

However, we are currently developing our own payment platform, where we can offer a more niche and bespoke product for each individual purchaser of the white label. We will be looking to launch this in the summer of this year.

Moreover, from a licensed perspective we are moving along with our UK FCA license application, which gives us even more access to wider banking solutions.

Our end goal is to be able to allow the white label clients to market their solution whether it is FX or Crypto to their network.

This will give white label clients the ability to onboard the client, and have the ability to sell them a CFD product, plus also give the client the ability to use this to pay some bills or whatever, trade crypto all through the e-banking platform.

Q Could a technology company take this on as well, not just an FX brokerage. Afterall, they have a huge network of B2B clients?

From user experience of course. Look at it like this. If you are the user of a brokerage, you don’t really care in many cases where it is regulated.

What you care about is the quality of product and

service. Such as, execution of trade and how quick do i get my funds returned.

If you are a broker you do not really care if your client comes from say for example Spain or Argentina, you want to offer him the same high level product. But if you are the bank you care about everything, is this brokerage offshore, can we service them, or which country are the funds coming from. With this we give the client both brokerage and trader the ability to feel safe that they are working in one ecosystem.

Q How can people find out more?

If you are in Limassol you can stop by my office.

Alternatively, if you are attending the expo in Dubai I will also be there in May. The GC takeaway from all this is the following. Sure you have to invest to obtain the white label, however it seems to me that there are so many upsides to this that

it is a no brainer. It’s fair to say that CFO’s do not like spending money, but they will also have to look to the future and see a couple of things.

By offering just a MetaQuotes solution, this only has a finite amount of time left in it. You have to adapt your product and make more use of all the data you have gathered over the years to offer your clients a truly holistic service. Moreover, this will add an additional revenue stream to your bottom line which is very easy to manage.

Finally, if you believe that the banking solutions for your offshore entities will get easier, then you are sadly mistaken. Everyday that passes, more challenges come up. With this, no more whack-a-mole with the opening and closing of bank accounts on a daily basis.

It’s time to look to the future...it’s time to look into banking.

Chasing returns ANN HUNT Founder and CEO of Chasing returns

Similarly a positive outlier trade is anything that is larger than Q3+$150 = $200.

We have been focused on helping traders avoid bad outlier trades, and here’s why. It turns out practically everyone trades outliers. Over 99% of traders in our study had outlier trades.

These outliers have a disproportionate impact on profitability: overall only 25% of our traders were profitable but without ANY outliers that number would be 45%.

Diamond hands are a hot topic at the moment. They refer to highly risky positions that are either massively in the money or out of the money. They sound exciting – because let’s face it – they are exciting.

Unfortunately, they often lead to traders blowing up their accounts and brokers losing clients.

At Chasing Returns we think of diamond hands as outlier trades.

For the maths geeks, let me explain what an outlier is. In statistics, an outlier is a data point that differs significantly from other observations.

How different I hear you ask?

Imagine you take your entire trade history and organise it based on the P&L. You remove the worst 25% and the best 25% to give you the range of the P&L of your middle 50% of trades. This is called the Inter quartile range.

If your range is from -$50 to $50, then the Interquartile range is $100. You then multiply this by 1.5, to get $150.

A negative outlier trade for this trader is then anything that falls outside of Q1-$150-basically a losing trade that loses more than -$200.

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

This was a pretty staggering finding when we first identified it. If we could help traders avoid outliers, their probability of success would almost double.

Of course, we really only want to curb the negative outliers- those outliers that cost the trader money. So, this is what we are focussed on.

We are helping our traders reduce their number of negative outliers, while leaving the number of positive outliers the same. The improvement is seen in clients using both our GamePlan and our PlayMaker products together.

For anyone still not convinced, who thinks their large winners could be compensating for their large losers – think again. This is only true for 1 in three traders, but if you are a losing trader, the odds drop to 1 in 4.

So far, the results have been positive. We have achieved a reduction in outliers of approximately 1%.

Our next goal is to reduce it by 3%, while continuing to help traders close positive outliers. We know that the average losing trader only has to eliminate 2.7% of their worst trades to get to break even.

Every reduction in bad outliers will help with drawdowns. The impact of any outlier on trading capital can be significant, and recovering from a large loss is tricky due to the asymmetrical nature of losses. A loss of 25% of your capital means you then have to make profits of 33% to get back your money. A loss of 50% means you then have to double your remaining capital. Once you’ve lost over half your trading capital, the likelihood of being able to make the money back gets more and more difficult.

Our brains are not designed for the extreme stress of diamond hands. We will be much more tempted to close the winning ones, while letting the losing one’s continue to grow. This is rooted in behavioural science-human beings are loss averse, so our brains are hardwired to avoid a loss, even if it’s irrational, e.g. not cutting your losses and closing a losing trade, but letting it run, hoping it will eventually become a winner. We have seen many a successful trader lose a substantial chunk of their profits doing exactly this.

The only way to be successful is to measure and understand how your outliers are affecting your trading outcomes.

Remember you are more likely to remember your good trades, so don’t rely on memory – track your performance.

Boring – I know. If your trading is not boring, you are doing it wrong – yes I’m a closet killjoy! So enjoy it when you get a big winner, but don’t look for a pattern or try to base your trading on it.

P-9

GC:OPINION IS CAPITALISM DEAD?

Like everyone else, during the lockdownI have completed every level on Netflix, including man’s great nemesis the rom-com. Having started to develop a penchant for late night YouTube rabbit holes, I thought it was best to give my eyes something new to stare at before I began to believe in a compelling argument for the flat earth theory.

I found myself watching the back catalogue of the documentary maker Adam Curtis, who made such works as Century of the Self and Hypernormalisation.The premise of hypernormalisation argues that financiers, governments and technological utopians have since the 1970s given up on trying to solve complex ‘real world solutions’. They have built a simpler ‘fake world’ run by corporations and kept stable by politicians. From this description it sounds heavy going, but the beauty of Curtis’ work is that it is very accessible.

The phrase Hypernormalisation comes from anthropologist Alexei Yurchak, who in his book Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation (2006), where he introduces the word, describing the paradoxes of living in the late stages of the Soviet Union. He argues that the people could see the system was failing, however they could not imagine an alternative to the status quo they were living in.

Both politicians and citizens alike were resigned to

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

maintaining the premise of everything being fine, and.over time the delusion became a self fulfilling prophecy with the fakeness of the world they discussed with each other becoming the real world.

An effect which Yurchak termed ‘hypernormalisation’.

Yurchak goes deeper with his story by highlighting that people living in that era knew that those in power did not want to acknowledge that society was collapsing, moreover the people managing the state owned utilities were corrupt, greedy and stealing from them.

They had constructed a whole system based upon a false reality. The population accepted it as a normal functioning society as there was no benchmark to measure it against. Curtis sums it up by arguing that you knew you were living in an odd situation, but your brain cannot rationalise why.

After reflecting on the documentary I could see how you could apply both Yurchaks and Curtis’ description to the world we are living in now. Our current situation we are told that everything is fine, we just gave Capitalism a well earned rest for a year.

Moreover, as individuals we are not equipped to mentally deal with complex solutions required for times like this. We want immediate simplistic answers to one of the most complex medical

to live in a safe world where our own personal algorithm insulates us from a collapsing system. Moreover, it is hard to mentally compute that you are living in transitional times. The society that you grew up in might just become a relic of the history books There is one huge irony in all of this. If this were to be the debt induced end of days for capitalism, we were told in the1980’s we could break the Soviet Union by outspending them. Perhaps it has led to our own downfall in creating unsustainable national debts, with the very real potential of countries collapsing under the weight of their obligations.

Further to this, with AI looking to radically alter the way the employment market will operate, how can a state sustain a massive increase in unemployment from both Covid and AI. AI will make a huge amount of jobs no longer relevant, and what’s more striking is that they are jobs from the ‘skilled’ middle classes which look to be swallowed up.

This group is the most active in voting and political participation, and will look for their leaders to offer a solution to perhaps a question that cannot be answered using our current paradigm.

situations that has occurred in the last one hundred years.

What perhaps struck me the most was the story of where people could see the Soviet system collapsing around their ears, but they just kept up the pretense that everything was OK.Is this what is happening to us now. Is this the end of the western Capitalist model, just we don’t know it?

You can see remarkable similarities in the example given by Yurchuk, where to all intents and purposes we have suspended Capitalism when we began the huge global government interventions as a way to stymy the effects..

Moreover, we appear to have a financial system that underpins our entire way of life that is nothing more than a sham. Banks that collapse and are propped up by the government, along with stock markets which are booming and have no real reflection of the world we live in.

Finally, are we losing faith in our actual money as a store of value? Whether you believe that BitCoin is a huge ponzi scheme is pretty irrelevant, as it does show that people have invested in it as a way to make a quick buck or to act as a hedge against a system that could be collapsing.

Based upon all this, We all know something is kind of strange about all this or hypernormal...so what next?

I think we can all agree that something has to

I think one thing that this crisis has shown us is that we have the comparable psychological conditions of the populace compared to the last days of the Soviet Union. For example in the UK we have massive corruption within institutions that we deem as ‘trustworthy’.

Evidence of this is UK health secretary Matt Hancock handing out contracts totaling many millions of pounds to his former pub landlord,who had no experience in running a medical supplies company, Despite the law courts saying that he had not acted correctly, it is just shrugged off as the norm with no opposition coming from the media or other elected representatives.

The Fakeness of reality that Yurchuk outlines could be argued is two fold. We have retreated into our phones

fundamentally change with our pre lockdown social contract now appearing to be out of date. Those looking for guidance from the new American President will perhaps be sadly disappointed, wIth Biden being elected promising to bring back the America of the pre Trump era. Quote clearly the old social structures are being viewed as a complete failure in benefiting the majority of people.

recession ahead of us, how will the levers of western governments be able to solve the mass unemployment and all the related social issues this brings.

Several remedies that may not solve the problem completely, but certainly go well on the way to helping some form of recovery could be universal basic income, universal healthcare and universal free education.

America desperately needs a third political party with the last four years increasing both social and political division. With Replublican and Democrat voters being regarded by each other as at the extreme fringes (whether that is true or not remains to be seen)along with the central political ground collapsing, with the largest voting group appearing to be none of the above.

These all may have seemed incredibly utopian sociaist ideas in the pre pandemic world. However, could these offer a new social contract that shows that its elected officials do have its voting public’s best interest at heart.

Political homelessness could prove to be one of the bigger challenges in ‘normal’ times, there will be many contrasting views on the state’s relationship with the individual. The storming of Capitol Hill has appeared to have broken the seal on what the public feel is an acceptable way to voice disapproval with their political masters.

WIth even the most optimistic seeing only a

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

We will need some huge 1930s FDR type program to stop repeating what happened in the 1940’s with more fringe voices moving the Overton Window and becoming politically acceptable, offering solutions that were considered outside the mainstream only a couple of years ago.

Whatever happens next is anyone’s guess. However one thing that we will need to do as a populace, is to pay attention and makeure that we have a real say in how our future relationship with the state is conducted.

P - 13

FX Cubic RICHARD BARTLETT Head of Sales at FX Cubic

Q Congrats on your new role. What attracted you to join FX Cubic?

Thank you. I have watched FXCubic’s progress closely over the last few years and had the pleasure to meet the CEO, Ege Kozan, and COO, Ismail Ekmen on several occasions, so I already had a good idea about how strong their technology offering was and that they had a very good team behind them. It was clear the firm has gained a huge amount of traction in the market due to innovative technology and unique functionality. All these factors, combined with the fact they are ideally positioned to become the market leader in the bridge aggregation and risk management space, are why I was so keen to join the team and play my part in their continuing success. I am truly excited about this opportunity and can honestly say, after being with the firm for only a little over a month, the response I have had from the people I have shown the system to so far, has been phenomenal. In addition, the team behind the firm are very close-knit and there is real cohesion between all the departments.

Often in tech-based companies, the sales and technical teams do not mix well and this can cause internal conflicts. I am happy to report this is not the case here. This focus and willingness to all pull together is a real advantage to the company, as it will help us to continually improve and ensure our offering stays ahead of the competition.

Q What does your new role entail?

As Head of Sales, naturally, my key focus will be performing all activities related to pushing new business sales of the company’s bridge aggregation and risk management systems. This entails working with our Sales, Management and Marketing teams to come up with new strategies to maximise market penetration, new campaigns and ensuring we have the best documentation and sales processes in place etc.

Aside from utilising my own network of clients and contacts, I am responsible to source new partners for the firm that we can work with closely to help accelerate our growth overall and specifically, to increase exposure in areas where we are less well known, such as Asia.

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

Q What do you think you can bring to the table?

After working in the FX technology space for many years I have an extensive network that I can leverage to promote the FXCubic solution effectively to many relevant parties. I also have a lot of experience in the FX technology sector and know the challenges that brokers face, so this allows me to demonstrate a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses and in turn maintain high levels of credibility, whether I am talking with a start-up or one of the largest players in the market. All brokers have slightly different ways in which they work and therefore face particular challenges, so being able to quickly identify the functionalities we have that solve these pain points is a real advantage when presenting our solution. I can also draw upon my experience to put forward ideas for enhancements to the already comprehensive technology offering. I like to think I have a good reputation in the industry too, so I am able to bring a high level of integrity to the role.

Q Is there a specific market or segment you are looking to penetrate?

In short, we are looking to become the default technology provider for all FX Brokers globally.

Currently we are very well known as a top-quality provider, especially in Europe and the Middle East.

We are perhaps less well known in the APAC region, so we will be looking to improve our exposure in this area. As soon as the travel restrictions start to ease, we will be on the ground actively speaking with local partners and prospects, as well as attending any relevant trade shows etc. Having the chance to build relationships face to face is very important. Just having a good product is only one part of the equation to maintaining success. Building trust on a personal level and truly getting to know and understand our clients’ businesses is also key to establishing long term relationships which is always the goal. Therefore, I am really looking forward to being able to travel again to meet and entertain existing and potential clients and in turn extend the FXCubic family.

Q There are several strong solutions out there, what makes yours so different?

There are many areas that make FXCubic’s offering stand out from the crowd. Some of the key factors why so many brokers are moving to our technology are down to, superior levels of functionality and performance, intuitiveness and user friendliness of the system architecture as a whole and the very highest levels of personalised support that we offer. We have an intimate understanding of our clients’ businesses and the markets as a whole and look to develop the most relevant tools and features that assist brokers to improve profitability and efficiency and at the same time solve key challenges they are facing.

Having such a pro-active and innovative approach to the technology we develop, coupled with offering unique tools, is a significant reason FXCubic is on such a huge growth trajectory.

We are committed to continually advancing our technology through constant innovation and value-added functionality that is the most relevant based on current market trends and the evolving needs of our clients.

Richard Bartlett Head of Sales at FX Cubic

Q What about the effort factor? Is it easy for a Dealing Room to test and install?

Each FXCubic hub is a dedicated system, that is hosted on the client’s side. This means installation is super easy and they can maintain strict privacy and control over all their data, as it sits on their server that no one else can access. Due to this, setting up a test environment is very straight forward. In fact, we actively encourage our clients to fully test the system prior to making any commitment. This demonstrates our confidence in the fact that the technology works and performs as we say it does and thus inspires a lot of client confidence from the outset. We have nothing to hide, the depth, performance and scope of the technology speaks for itself.

Q How long does a demo take, as sometimes a demo by a tech provider can take forever?

The beauty of the FXCubic UI is that it has been very carefully designed with user experience at the forefront. Therefore, when presenting the system via on-line demos or face to face meetings, we are able to quickly demonstrate the key functionalities and intuitiveness of the system as whole. This is a real strength from a presenter’s point of view as it is important to really engage with the audience and maintain their focus when demonstrating the system, which is very difficult to do if you need several hours to explain everything. From our point of view, having many tools and features is useless if they cannot be easily understood, accessed and configured. This is why so much time and effort has been put into the

system design by our team of expert developers to make it as user friendly as possible. A true measure of good technology, is how intuitive it is to understand and use. At FXCubic we follow this ethos when building all our technology.

Q The bridge market has become very competitive in pricing. How does your solution compare?

Even if you simply consider the raw cost and do not account for the different functionality that is on offer from each provider, we are very competitively priced.

The fact is though, not all technology providers are created equally. There are varying degrees of differences between all the major players. At FXCubic we offer one of the most complete and diverse offerings. So, when you factor this into the pricing and competitiveness comparison between us and others on the market, you quickly understand that it is not just the raw cost of the service that is attractive. After considering functionality that streamlines our clients’ operations, such as, risk management features, flexible order routing capabilities, advanced control mechanisms over slippage, mark-ups, liquidity and execution etc, (to mention just a few features) all of which improve profitability, it becomes a situation where the technology pays for itself. This in our opinion is another key factor why so many clients are switching from their incumbent providers to join the FXCubic revolution!

Please feel free to contact me personally, or, any of the team, to discover how we can make a significant impact on your brokerages operational efficiency and profitability - www.fxcubic.com

www.fxcubic.com

Get ready for the Crypto drones 2.0

Like most sensible people, for social, political and economic commentary I follow Comedian Tim Dillon on his hilarious podcast The Tim Dillon show.

In case you are not aware, he is openly acknowledged as the king of fake business along with having his finger on the pulse of the current zeitgeist.

as collectables. Each NFT has its digital properties held in its meta data, of which there is a limited number of them. The number of tokens are verified on the blockchain, which cannot be split into smaller denominations (I will confess I copied that bit from the video).

In his most current show at the time of writing, he discussed Non Fungible Tokens and how they work in the modern world. With it being a Sunday morning when I was listening, my faculties were not quite upto 100%, but it seemed like an intriguing subject to look further into.

So what does all this mean? Well like most things it starts off with great intentions. Much like the internet which was supposed to give our species the keys to untold knowledge and empowerment.

However, it quickly spiralled into becoming a wasteland of Daily Mail articles being reported as fact, and people anonymously screaming at each other using caps lock. Will NFT’s follow the same fate as ICO’s and the many worthless coins out there, or have some real social utility?

To be honest with you, even after watching the dummy level YouTube videos I was still a little confused as to what they were. However here is my chimp level of understanding how it works.It’s probably best to start off with what the definition of fungible is. A good example is a one USD note that can be interchanged with another one USD note. It is a liquid market where it can be exchanged freely and easily with others.

Non Fungible is probably best outlined by using a piece of artwork. Usually it is a one off piece along with the entire art market being pretty illiquid compared to other markets. Moreover, the price is notoriously subjective with so many variables being taken into account.

Traditionally a Non Fungible Token (NFT) is usually associated with digitally scarce goods, such

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

One huge market that NFT ‘experts’ do see an oncoming boom in, is the virtual real estate market.

This is a concept I have always been fascinated with, which as a side note I asked an online casino owning friend about fifteen years ago to build his own virtual casino / universe.

I was met with the usual infringements on my spectacular visions, such as it is technologically not possible to make and nobody would go...such minor details given by this dream killer!

However, if NFT’s were to trigger off the virtual world real estate boom, would this also act as a catalyst

After my in depth studies of watching ten minutes of YouTube videos, with their content perhaps having a very loose relationship with both facts and reality.

I have decided to make a new career move into becoming Cyprus number one virtual real estate supplier, perhaps having a side gig as selling people virtual bricks to build their dream home.

The bricks will be generated using the same cryptography as bitcoin to give them scarcity, and within 3 months I will have employed an army of meat puppets and astro turfers to generate enough of a following to sell it as an NFT, Consequently this will be hastily cashed out to a Belize based bank account.

Perhaps the most important factor in the brave new virtual world, you can make your neighbour jealous by having more virtual bricks than them. Moreover, you will have the ability to construct whatever you like on your virtual patch of land. The ultimate aim for most will probably be similar to the real world, by torturing your neighbor with your laissez faire attitude to architecture.

to really push the next generation of virtual reality technology? With Facebook looking to radically advance the use of Oculus, could we start to see some huge leaps forward.

Sadly there are some short term drawbacks that will have to happen. We will again have to give oxygen to a species I thought had long become extinct...the Crypto drone. Most of us reading this have all been cornered by a Crypto evangelist, who proclaims he will carry out an Ethereum based jihad on anyone who uses money.

The bad news for us all, is that they have evolved into becoming ‘experts’ in anything that is related to the borechain, and usually Tesla / Elon Musk.

I am just deciding on whether to create a private virtual security force (which will also be an NFT) within this brave new world of cyber scaffolding, futuristic foundations and footings. This is something that I am sure will be hotly contested when I gather the grand council of NFT overlords to discuss further.

Like anything in the financial world, we always ask the question of, could this also be traded on a secondary market in both futures and options.

Perhaps turned into something akin to the bundled mortgage investments that crashed the global economy in 2008, If there are any brave FX liqu

P - 19

Speakers Corner Stop attacking B Book brokerages...it’s boring!

ANONYMOUS

If they are looking to go into the murky waters of discussing the credibility of one brand compared to another based solely upon this, then I would suggest they are going down a very short term solution which will never get them the mass appeal they crave.

Looking at the brokerage industry, it is only a very small vocal group of retail brokerages that operate a 100% STP operation.

I am guessing most of you who read this are involved in FX in some way, or the financial industry. We can all come to a fair assumption that nothing in the financial industry is clean.If you have ever had the misfortune of dealing with banks like I have for FX and other products, they make even the greyest of FX brands look opaque. Take a look at the huge fines that they receive for mis-selling along with other various crimes and misdemeanors.

Based upon my observations, the overwhelming majority of brokerages that claim to operate an STP model, either have a rebate deal with their liquidity provider, or have an offshore entity where they are just like the rest of us internalising. So if they are open to it, let’s take a look at how they make their money and we can discuss transparency.

The past few months I have become increasingly bored of a tedious debate that has arisen forming the simplistic narrative of ‘A book good B Book bad’. I have seen this come from the FX media (who should know better) and some brokerages focusing their marketing campaign as a stick to beat others within the industry.

Let me begin by giving a little bit of my background, I have been a CEO at the same brand for the past 6 years, where we have gone from a start up to a mature brand, making very respectable revenues along the way and establishing our name. We have always adhered to following all regulations we are under, and have always prided ourselves on giving our clients a great service.

We could not have grown without having a B Book license. Moreover, I think it’s fair to say that there is a huge difference between legitimate internalising and bucket shops. The two are often conflated as the same, which they are not. I often find it is a red flag in anyone’s understanding of the industry, or they are trying to get a needless cheap shot in when they claim they are one and the same.

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

Moreover, on a daily basis I am pitched by technology providers who tell me their cutting edge

How else do you expect us to make money?

We have revolutionised marketing with our money.

The expo industry has boomed off our backs, moreover the media that has criticised us, takes our sponsorship money readily with no questions asked.

Finally, why should we make the LP’s rich? Surely in such an entrepreneurial market we should have access and have a slice of that as well. Maybe we can all aspire to become one in the future and make the market more transparent. Who knows? technology can use AI, or whatever the latest buzz word is, to predict the probability of a clients trading style. This can be classified as the percentage chance of them winning or losing. Surely, if there is a continual critique going on about our tainted business model, surely they should also go after our enablers also to keep things nice and fair.

Further to this, let’s look at the cold hard economics of being a start up. If you had 100% A book flow from the start and no rebate from your liquidity provider executing about 5 yards a month which is pretty much unheard of at the beginning, you would make around 200k USD based upon spreads, commissions, etc.

To generate 5 yards, that would be in the region of 3.5 - 5M USD in deposits coming in. If we use very conservative data to assume that 80% of people lose their money, how do you explain to your shareholders that they made a massively inferior amount being STP, but don’t worry they can sleep easy at night as they are one of the ‘good guys’.

Furthermore, you only have one offer to go to your retail clients with which you are STP. You cannot offer what the vast majority of the retail market wants, the ability to have higher leverage and other enticements.

Moreover, all they want is nice easy ways to transfer money and get their money back asap. They do say they want fast execution, however does a 500 USD client even understand what that is?

I didn’t set out to write this and try to convert the STP owners who appear to be like religious zealots into followers of the B Book model. All I would like to do is offer our side of the story, and some form of balance to both the misinformed and the uninformed within the industry.

In essence why would a responsible CEO not have a B Book solution, the name of the game is to make money. FX is an industry where there are very few business ethics in relation to the way employees are treated, the LP’s treat their clients, the way that the sales people move their books, the way that technology is sold to you to maximise your clients ‘potential’.

The best metaphor I can give is that a brokerage CEO (rarely the owner) who only wants to do an A book only model as a startup is like an anti vaxxer. We all know the remedy is good for you, yet you protest on your deathbed (CEO getting fired) you know better until your final breath!

As workers in FX, the industry is sold to you like it is as exciting as working on a trading floor on Wall Street, sadly the reality is not this. We are in it to pay the bills, get on with our lives, and look to grow in other ways. Accept the industry for it for what it is…. or go and get a job in Greenpeace!

With regards to marketing and affiliation, we can offer them better deals. Give them the tools they want to bring in high quality traffic. There has been a lot of criticism of this model, however this is the way it has always been, and it will always be this way. If you think any retail brokerage is going to turn down affiliates and IB’s then you are incredibly delusional. Our websites have to be as attractive as any online store to get their attention, along with the technology they need to trade.

P - 21

PSP Angels VIKTORIA SOLTESZ Founder of PSP Angels

PAYMENTS INDUSTRY The payments industry has always played a big part in our life - it is the silent component which connects merchants and their clients all around the world.

Before the compliance gained such momentum, companies did not pay a lot of attention to this part of the business. It was automatic, easy, and available. But as the businesses started to move online, we realised there are “higher risk” and “lower risk” industries.

As time went by, and AML and compliance got more and more familiar visitor in our lives, we realised having a payment professional in house is a must for all businesses.

It is fascinating, how the public health crisis caused

by Covid-19 accelerated the development of the payments industry worldwide. Both, consumer and merchants’ preferences have shifted towards an online shopping experience that is so efficient and easy to use that allows them to keep doors open and companies running. However, no society has shifted to cash-free; yet. Aside from logistical challenges, several social issues must be addressed, before society can give up on cash completely. There are notable advantages to a cashless society, but there are also concerns that a move to cashless can cause problems and privacy issues.

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

Ongoing changes towards e-commerce and digital payments have all been significantly boosted in the past six months. It is noticeable to state that this crisis is forcing a decade’s worth of innovation into less than a year. More importantly, this occurs in areas that are typically evolving at a slower rate, such as areas focusing on customer behaviour and shopping experience, economic business models and payments operating models.

This huge ecosystem is made up from a wide variety of key players, that require specialised knowledge and skills, to communicate with each other during each and every payment transaction process. Some of these players are Issuers and Acquirers, Credit Card Networks and Institutions, Payment Processors and Facilitators, Payment Gateways, Independent Sales Organisations and Value-Added Resellers. And everything in between.

Thus, the payments industry came up with new faces faster than ever and introduced new payment methods and more advanced technology.

Confusing right?

But can YOU keep up with all these changes?

Are you post-COVID ready?

Lets summarise some of the risk areas which might need your immediate attention • Data privacy issue. Payment and personal information are accessible to the business you transact, which can be vulnerable to data breaches.

Is your password still 1234?

• Technical problems like outages, downtime, and internet interruptions can cause significant losses.

How stable is YOUR platform and internet provider?

• If you target countries where people live in lower economic strata, especially those without bank accounts, you can still keep up with the evolving cashless technology. The same goes for the older generations who may not be adapting and comfortable with digital payment modes. You surely not only taking cards on your website, right?

• Open banking. Bank wires are way too traditional and slow. But now, you can collect funds instantly from several banks, with one integration. Look it up and thank me later.

• Crypto. Yes, we all know that BTC hit 50k and we should have listened to our friend who told us to invest. But you don’t need to risk anything to benefit from the new technology. One tip – some crypto transfers are cheaper and quicker than traditional FX transactions from bank-to-bank.

• Cost of the providers. Perhaps that old PSP friend of yours are now finally happy to drop the fees after years of good processing. Or shall you keep your options open and start looking for an alternative one?

As you see, the payment industry is ever-changing but being informed takes a lot of time.

At PSP Angels, we screen the market so we can give an accurate and straight-forward picture about the best choices. We are always up to date with the latest developments and providers and understand the various acceptance criteria and requirements, so you don’t have to.

Viktoris Soltesz Founder of PSP Angels

We can not only find the best possible and cost-effective solutions for the most challenging cases, but we can help you to plan for the future accordingly. So you can focus on what you do best – running your business.

P - 23

Cyprus Cannabis Association (CYCA) ANDRIA ANDREOU President

Q What attracted you to the law?

From an early age, I cannot recall ever thinking of entering any other profession except the law. That is primarily due to parental influence and guidance, for which I will be forever grateful; the opportunities and challenges offered within the profession for self-growth and business development are endless and have stood me in good stead.

Q You are the President of the Cyprus Cannabis association. How and why did you get into this area.

Surely for a lawyer it might not be great for a career?

On the contrary, my involvement in the cannabis sector has positively raised my profile, created a whole new local and international network and stream of possibilities. Lawyers are primely positioned to take advantage of the broad range of legal issues surrounding the industry. We are the first port of call for any clients seeking to enter the space so career prospects for any lawyer are extremely promising.

Thoughts about cannabis and its potential health benefits started to develop after speaking with a neighbour a few years ago whose husband unfortunately was dying of cancer – the lady was keen to help him and complained about inaccessibility and high cost of cannabis oil which she claimed was the only product that could possibly alleviate his pain and suffering.

Shortly after that in March of 2019, I took a business trip to South Africa when Athos Group Cyprus was instructed to set-up two Cyprus holding structures the main purpose of which was to cultivate hemp and medical cannabis via their subsidiaries based in Africa. That is when the intrigue and excitement began. On returning to Cyprus to investigate the status of cannabis here, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that already we had legislation in place for hemp and medical cannabis production. Combined with extensive online research I was easily convinced that cannabis will undoubtedly revolutionise the world and decided to play an active role in that journey.

In April 2019 I took the initiative of forming the Cyprus Cannabis Association (‘CYCA’) and with

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

support from other strong founding members as well as the Cyprus Chamber & Commerce & Industry the Association was registered under its auspices in September 2019. CYCA’s main purpose is to lead the collective of individuals and companies that will build the cannabis eco-system in Cyprus and advance the interests of a responsible, compliant, transparent, and high-quality cannabis industry by (inter alia) educating, connecting, and lobbying.

Since then cannabis has gone from being a highly controversial topic with very little information or movement locally to us seeing a surge of interest with CBD stores opening one after the other to accommodate high consumer and investor demand; the Cyprus government contracting recently with Panaxia Israel to import medical cannabis products; articles and news reports appearing regularly in the press. The word is surely spreading fast and furiously, thankfully.

CYCA benefits also from being a member of the ‘European Industrial Hemp Association’ www.eiha.org - founded in 2005 with offices in Brussels and Cologne it is the only pan-European membership organisation in the industrial hemp sector. Their primary objective is to monitor EU hemp related policies and provide EU decision makers with accurate and reliable information across different spheres of competencies. EIHA is currently monitoring the following policies: CAP reform, hemp extracts/novel food regulation; THC limits in feed and food; life cycle assessment of hemp materials; CO2 impacts; environmental concerns and cosmetics.

In addition, I am a founding partner of Global Go Cyprus which is a subsidiary of Athos Group www.athos-group.com/en/ - a multi-disciplinary family office headquartered in Switzerland offering wealth management, trust and corporate services to private clients, entrepreneurs and family owned businesses.

Global Go www.globalgo.consulting facilitates the expansion of hemp and cannabis companies and their investments across borders. It is powered by a team of cannabis industry pioneers and world-class consultants operating from offices across the world.

We help leading cannabis funds and companies assess

and enter new markets; acquire assets; raise capital; launch new products lines; improve SOP’s; comply with regulations; implement technology and security systems; find talent; diagnose and execute solutions to growth obstacles; and apply for cannabis licenses (with 99% success rate on over 150 cannabis license applications and counting).

Q At GC we have long believed that it can rebalance the post pandemic economy. What role do you think it can play in the local and international ecosystem?

Unfortunately, COVID-19 continues to dominate world news and touch every aspect of our daily lives.

From this global financial and psychological reset the IMF and UN analysts anticipate that a slowdown of economic activity and widespread job losses will inevitably follow.

Cannabis could play a significant role in redefining our new global landscape going forward by, inter alia, providing new jobs; attracting taxes; reviving the agricultural sector; improving the environment; alleviating human pain and suffering; and improving our quality of life. It presents a tremendous opportunity which could now be leveraged by governments and entrepreneurs globally.

In recent years the increasing public demand for Cannabis has been growing rapidly and governments around the world are steadily moving to full legalization. A report from the Green Fund stated that ‘…. public support for cannabis legalization continues to increase; the industry is already a multibillion-dollar juggernaut that looks primed for continued expansion…’

Indeed, the global legal Cannabis market size in 2018 was USD10.60 billion and is projected to reach

Andria Andreou President of Cyprus Cannabis Association (CYCA)

USD153,689.9 billion by 2027. The market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 34.5% from 2019-2027 – see also here for the foremost source of independent data, intelligence and strategy for the Cannabis industry.

As global recognition of the benefits of cannabis increases, and the end of the ‘prohibition era’ for cannabis beckons, there is a burgeoning need for high-quality products with known components; cultivated at large scale for consistent, reliable supply to users. It would be safe to say that the cannabis industry will soon become the most lucrative and thriving industrial sector in the world. Cyprus is primely positioned to maximise this massive opportunity.

Q There is a common misconception that this is just about getting people’s right to get high. What other areas does the modern Cannabis industry delve into?

For a significant portion of modern human history cannabis had environmental, medicinal, spiritual, and recreational uses that date back at least 5,000 years.

Archaeologists have found evidence of cannabis paraphernalia as far back as the first millennium BC in India, China, Africa, and Assyria. During the early 1930’s for various reasons (politically and racially driven) cannabis ended up across the world in the category of drugs deemed ‘most dangerous’ with all the criminal repercussions that followed.

Fast forward to the 21st century the ‘stigma’ of cannabis being rapidly eroded with public opinion becoming pro-legislation leading to many countries changing their legislative and regulatory framework to accommodate a rapidly growing cannabis sector which is predicted to reach E123 billion by 2028.

Attitudes to cannabis have changed on the back of a growing understanding of the cannabis plant,

P - 25

empirical data from legal markets and, most importantly, the evolution of the way in which we choose to treat patients and consumers who use it.

Cannabis is a plant of three main species: Sativa L; Ruderalis and Indica. The main difference between the species is the cannabinoid contents and depending on the variety of species the purpose for growing the plant. Cannabis is perhaps best understood if we separate it into four main categories; recreational; industrial hemp; pharmaceutical and medical: i. Recreational cannabis is any cannabis used for non-medical purposes and usually involves smoking or inhaling it or consumption via edibles. Ordinarily it has a higher concentration of Tetrahydrocannabinol or ‘THC’ which is the psychoactive and intoxicating compound of the cannabis plant. Whilst support is growing for adult use it remains illegal in many countries including Cyprus. ii. Industrial cannabis (hemp) refers to cannabis plants cultivated for high yields of materials like seeds; fibre and oil with low concentrations of psychoactive compounds usually of the Species Savita L. materials derived from hemp have a wide range of uses as constituents in consumer goods, including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, building material and fuel. Industrial cannabis can also be

used to produce cannabidiol (‘CBD’) products such as oils, tinctures, and food, as well as health food products. CBD is one of the two main active cannabinoids in cannabis, THC being the other. Hemp is one of the fastest growing agricultural crops requiring little or no pesticides, less industrial processing post-harvest and low overall environmental impact.

See here www.eiha.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ The-Hemp-Manifesto_EN.pdf for ‘The Hemp Manifesto’ – it is clear that hemp can play a crucial role in a new greener and more sustainable society by providing a concrete solution for ensuring nutritious food, environmentally friendly non-food products, clean air and soils.

CBD exhibits wide ranging medicinal properties, including anti-anxiety; anti-inflammatory, anti-pain; anti-arthritic and neuroprotective effects. CBD is indicated for treatment of conditions such as epilepsy and is commonly used for conditions such as pain and insomnia. There is an emergent market for CBD-infused oils, consumer goods and capsules. The broader public interest towards the cannabis industry is driving an increased demand for CBD impacting mainstream industries from pharmaceuticals to food and is seen as the acceptable side of cannabis. Consumers are seeking a natural wellness product which is both sustainable and non-psychoactive. iii. Pharmaceutical Cannabis: products are

formulated or processed using cannabinoids (either plant-extracted or synthetic) that have been through full clinical trials and are licensed as a medicine with marketing authorisation. Examples include Sativex, Epidyolex (Epidiolex in the US), Cesamet, and Dronabinol (e.g. Marinol and Syndros). iv. Medical Cannabis: refers to plant-based or plant-derived cannabis products prescribed by a medical practitioner for the treatment of a specific condition or disease (e.g. epilepsy, pain, multiple sclerosis). Medical cannabis uses the whole unprocessed plant or the processed plant. It can include high-CBD and low-THC products, though CBD products may also appear as consumer goods, which are sold without prescription. Medical cannabis products are currently prepared in formats such as plant materials; oils; tinctures; edibles or capsules.

Medical cannabis is an unlicensed medicine without marketing authorisation.

In recent years, public opinion has shifted in favour of medical cannabis; clinical trials and healthcare research are advancing our understanding of the cannabis plant. The European medical cannabis market is estimated to be worth up to EUR58 billion by 2028 becoming one of the largest markets in the world by value.

Q Readers may not be aware, however there are massive differences between THC and CBD. Are you looking to speak on behalf of one or both?

Covered with question above Q Cyprus is a notoriously conservative society. What challenges have you faced in getting the subject in front of legislators?

Fortunately, there was no need to convince the legislators of the massive potential of hemp and medical cannabis. The reason I was able to throw myself so deeply, passionately and actively into the cannabis sector over the last two years or so ago is precisely because some politicians had foresight, were intelligent and broad minded enough to understand the opportunity so the necessary legislative framework is in place already which provides for production cultivation and export of hemp (‘Production and Trade of Industrial Hemp Law’ – 2016) and medical cannabis (‘Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Cannabis Pharmaceuticals Regulations’ – 2019). For the latter, we and potential investors are expecting soon a call for the invitation to tender for (initially) three medical cannabis licenses that eventually will be awarded to qualifying applicants.

Combined with numerous tax and other benefits of doing business and living in Cyprus – including but not limited to ideal weather conditions, its

strategic location and highly educated and skilled work force - the country is perfectly positioned as a centre of excellence in production, research, genetics, and intellectual property in the cannabis sector which combined with a transparent regulatory and compliance framework make it an attractive country to maximise opportunities that will inevitably flow from global cannabis developments.

Most importantly, international legal developments will also have to find their way into the local legislation sooner rather than later, in particular: European Court of Justice landmark ruling in November 2020 which confirmed that: i. Hemp-derived CBD is neither a drug nor a narcotic given that it doesn’t contain a psychoactive ingredient in the current state of scientific knowledge and has no harmful effects on human health. ii. CBD benefits from the free movement of goods in the EU iii. EU law precludes national legislation which prohibits marketing of CBD lawfully produced in another member state when it is extracted from the cannabis sativa plant in its entirety and not solely from its fibre and seeds, unless the legislation is appropriate for securing the attainment of the objective of protecting public health and does not go beyond what is necessary for that purpose.

This EC judgement provides a final and binding interpretation of EU law for EU member states. It is a pioneering next step towards more legal certainty and regulatory harmonisation in Europe.

UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in December 2020 voted to remove cannabis for medical purposes from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs.

This decision will have sweeping implications for international cannabis. As Richard Rose long-time American cannabis activist and entrepreneur said – ‘… this isn’t just another brick in the wall coming down; it’s a hole blasted right through it’!

Q Has the major change in American state legislation helped in getting your case heard?

Yes, America has been leading the way in cannabis developments for a good number of years now which most certainly supports the cause. Markets that harness the economic power of the cannabis industry have demonstrated the significant societal and infrastructure benefits. Colorado and Washington reported USD300 million and USD400 million respectively in cannabis related sales taxes in 2019. In the UK it is estimated that the legal cannabis industry could eb worth as much as GBP3 billion by 2024, especially

P - 27

since the London Stock Exchange has opened its doors recently to the listing of cannabis companies.

Q Would Cyprus be looking to use a legal framework from one of the states where it is currently legal?

The legal framework has already been laid – see above Q What are the chances of medicinal marijuana becoming legal here?

As above Q Could green energy and Cannabis provide a future economic plan for the 21st century Cypriot economy?

Absolutely! The ‘European Green Deal’ lays out a detailed European plan as an initial roadmap for tackling climate change and economic inequality to improve the quality of life of the EU and its citizens. It reviews and resets the Commission’s environmental targets, requires more public investment and increased efforts to direct private capital towards climate and environmental action.

In line with the ‘European Green Deal’ industrial cannabis can play a crucial role in a new greener and more sustainable society by providing concrete solutions for ensuring nutritious food; environmentally friendly non-food products; clean air and soils. By repatriating manufacturing processes, (textiles in particular) and fostering innovative value chains (construction materials, food production, cannabinoids extraction) the industrial cannabis sector could deliver long term sustainable growth and create highly skilled jobs across the EU rural economies. In short, combining locally sourced raw material with global know-how.

Q If readers feel that they can add to the cause. What’s the best way of reaching you?

Within a very short space of time CYCA has managed to attract many members all of whom are keen to pursue opportunities in the legal cannabis field – whether that is for research and development and / or import of CBD products and / or hemp or medical cannabis cultivation.

The global legal cannabis market size in 2018 was USD10.60 billion and is projected to reach USD153,689.9 billion by 2027. The market is

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

estimated to grow with a CAGR of 34.5% from 2019-2027 – see also www.prohibitionpartners.com for the foremost source of independent data, intelligence and strategy for the Cannabis industry.

As global recognition of the benefits of cannabis increases, and the end of the ‘prohibition era’ for cannabis beckons, there is a burgeoning need for high-quality products with known components; cultivated at large scale for consistent, reliable supply to users. It would be safe to say that the cannabis industry will soon become the most lucrative and thriving industrial sector in the world. Cyprus is primely positioned to maximise this massive opportunity.

It is no wonder then that we receive a regular stream of enquiries from local accounting and legal professionals on behalf of their clients as well as from international investors who are all keen to understand how they can pursue their business plans in the context of the current legislative framework.

I would strongly urge readers to consider joining us to exchange information about their interests, plans and experience; participate in activate debate and work together at achieving the Association’s goals and objectives. I can be reached anytime at: a.andreou@cy-ca.org or mobile number +357 99 672366.

Quick Questions with Ashley Jones PAUL ORFORD Ashley Jones -Founder of Great Influence

Q How did you find yourself in this industry?

In 2014, my friend Steven Bartlett decided to start an agency called Social Chain, where I was part of the founding team. My role within the business was to help him build his personal brand. This was an incredibly successful project that helped Social Chain become a 200m public company and make Steven the UK’s most influential young entrepreneur.

One challenge I often find with CEO’s is that they like to stay under the radar in my industry. Can you outline why they should be more visible?

I think we’re moving to a time when everything demands they don’t stay under the radar. Sales, recruitment, culture - they all need a leading voice and a CEO should be that voice. The reason for doing so is very clear - building that personal brand will help transform the business.

Q Why would a CEO use your service?

We often find that even those who already have a public presence aren’t sure exactly what their voice is and who they’re trying to be very clearly. Our role is to understand and define that and then know how best to create content that engages people with that identity.

Q Why do they need your service?

I think for any CEO running a business, it’s impossible to have the focus to build your personal brand without a team around you to help enable it as a strategical approach.

Q Is this different to PR from say perhaps 10 years ago. Has the paradigm moved on where you have to be visible as we only exist on social media?

For the first time there are no barriers to building a personal brand. Previously if you wanted to build your personal brand there were gatekeepers - PR, Event bookers etc. but now you just use your owned social media channels to reach potentially millions of people for free.

Q Some people who read this, may think this is like the emperor’s new clothes,How do you become a specialist?

Ashley Jones Founder of Great Influence

The fundamentals of personal branding in business have been around for decades - people buy from people - the more influential and recognisable a person you are in your industry, the more likely people are to buy from you. It’s just been package now into a service and easier to build one than previous due to social media.

Q How do you quantify success on social media?

Not likes or followers - but impact on the individual and the business in relation to opportunities driven.

Q Can a brand be truly judged a success without having a visible CEO on social media?

Of course, and I think for CEOs of consumer brands this isn’t a necessary, but for anyone in B2B and service businesses it’s becoming a huge competitive advantage.

Q Will the budget reflect your visibility and success?

You can do it yourself for free and do an amazing job, so technically no, but like with anything in marketing - you can hire experts who can help you understand it better.

Q What tips can you give on becoming visible?

Fundamentally you have to want to do it and have a very clear ‘why’ for starting. Then it comes down to understanding what you are trying to be a voice on and being consistent in creating content that reflects that.

Q What’s the best way to reach you for a consultation?

On LinkedIn, search my name and I will come up or via our website www.greatinfluence.co.uk

P - 29

Baer’s Crest LUDOVIC VUILLIER Founder of Baer’s Crest

We all know the struggle businesses have when it comes to finding payment processors for their venture. There are so many hurdles to deal with when choosing a provider: • • • • • • • • • •

Ludovic Vuillier Founder of Baer’s Crest

Will they accept your business in the first place?

What are their regulatory requirements?

Are their fees not too exorbitant?

What is their policy in dealing with chargebacks and disputes?

What are their decline rates for cards?

Are they known for paying out on time?

Do they regularly freeze or block funds and kick out clients?

What are their currency options?

What locations can they accept payments from?

How often do they pay out?

All of these questions are important, and finding a solution which can deal with most of them in a good way is crucial. After all, cashflow is the lifeblood of your operation, no matter what your business is.

Without revenue, you can’t pay your supplier, you can’t pay your partners, you can’t pay your employees and you can’t pay yourself. Without revenue, you have no profit.

And if you don’t have profit - why be in business in the first place?

Now, for argument’s sake, let’s imagine you have found a payment processing company that gives you the best

terms in regards to all of these things. Congratulations! You have found the unicorn of payments. So you sign up and you can’t wait for that sweet, sweet revenue to hit your bank so you can pay everyone and sail off into the sunset with your profits.

Oh - wait a minute.

At Baer’s Crest, we know the problems many businesses are faced with when it comes to payment processors and actually getting your money. We like to offer our clients as many options as possible, including payout to a crypto wallet. This has become a popular added service that our clients greatly appreciate as it opens up a world of new possibilities for them.

Being offshore, your company could not easily open a bank account. But even if you did manage to get an account opened for the company, how user friendly is it to work with? What are the fees like? How safe do you feel keeping large amounts there? Will you be able to make payments and withdrawals easily?

When we first started Baer’s Crest, our credo was to give service that works, while being friendly and having fast turnovers at the same time. As with any new company, we had some highs and lows. But as time has gone on we have had a steady rate of growth, and I am proud to say that our team is now achieving this daily.

Perhaps this is not so rosy after all.

We really understand the business challenges our clients are faced with, and our mission is to help them solve them in the best ways we can. And because we understand, we are constantly evolving and coming up with innovative new ideas that can really work for our clients, so they can just get on with the business of doing business without the headache of unsuitable payment partners.

So without a trustworthy bank account, how are you actually going to get your revenue from your payment processor into your pocket?

No, I am not offering you a bank account, although I do know where you can get one. What I am doing here is trying to make you aware of an option you may not have considered - what if your payment processor paid out to a crypto wallet instead of a bank account?

If you would like to discuss payment options for your business, feel free to reach out to us at any time and let’s see what solutions we can come up with for you.

Game Changers Magazine

Lifestyle

GC: DRIVE Discovering the villages of the capital.

PAVLINA-KRISTINA IACOVIDOU Marketing & PR Manager Porsche Center Cyprus

You will be surprised to see that Cyprus, even though an island famous for its warm climate, is a place where you can go from the beach to the snowy mountains in just one hour of driving in the winter.

A country with spectacular views but also short distances will make the roads here your best friend.

And the perfect addition to this: Driving the new, all-electric Porsche Taycan 4S. Nicosia, the capital city of Cyprus, is filled with tall buildings, and lots of traffic. However, the largest area surrounding it has many beautiful villages just waiting

to be discovered, with the electrifying driving of the Taycan 4S and the 380 km battery range.

Although we are in times of lockdown, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with our sense of adventure intact, we set out to discover the stunning villages in the mountain area.

Starting off our journey from the Porsche Center Showroom in Nicosia, with the Porsche Taycan 4S, you just know that this car was absolutely made for these roads. The scenery changes from lush green fields to olive tree groves and then slowly coming

P - 33

up to the steep mountain hills. Here is where the fun begins. Driving through the bendy curves and hairpin roads, the Porsche Taycan just feels like it is gliding under the steering wheel. Surrounded by cedar and pine trees, you certainly feel a sense of serenity, and freedom from the shackles of the busy city.

Entering the Marathasa Valley as it is called, the home of many picturesque villages in Cyprus, we have arrived in the village of Kalopanayiotis. This beautiful village seems to have been taken right out of the pages of a fairy tale book. The traditional houses standing on the hills make for an absolute picturesque sight.

Right below is a Venetian bridge which dates to the 16th century. The bridge goes over the river Serachos and according to tradition, this is where St. Paul and St. Barnabas baptized St. Heracledios, the first Bishop of Cyprus.

The bridge used to be the only way to the monastery of Ayios Ioannis (St. John) Lampadistis, which is now included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, together with nine other painted Byzantine churches of the Troodos range. Part of the building was also used as a classroom for the younger elementary children in the older days. Right by the side, is the Byzantine icons museum and the Latin chapel which contains the most complete series of Italo-Byzantine paintings in Cyprus.

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

Following our route, just at the end of Kalopanayiotis village, we take a right. Beautiful winding roads are accompanying us to Moutoullas village, in just 5 minutes of driving. These villages, even though so close together, each offers different scenery and are admired both by the locals but also by tourists and visitors alike. Driving the Porsche Taycan 4S, on these roads is an absolute dream with the comfort it offers.

The village of Moutoullas is built amphitheatrically which means you can see almost the entire village just by passing on one road. From here we can see the Panayia of Moutoulla church, built in the 13th century and the beautiful houses built around it. The village is also famous for its local freshwater springs and hand-crafted products.

Continuing our journey, we drive past the villages of Pedoulas and Prodromos, where we slowly start to see the snow-capped hills around us – a breathtakingly beautiful winter wonderland.

The final stop is at the Troodos area, often called the emerald of Cyprus, as it is the largest mountain range of the island. Driving along these serpentine mountain roads, it is easy to understand that the Porsche Taycan is above all, a true sports car at heart.

Snow in Cyprus is not a rare phenomenon even though the island is blessed with sunlight all year round. The sunset magic hour makes the scenery

perfect for photos, as the yellow and pink skies reflect on the shimmering snow. It is essential to have a stop here and admire the breathtaking views but also enjoy the tranquillity that the area has to offer. Small shops offer local food, traditional wine and you can even take up some hiking along the famous nature trails.

One thing is for sure, with the endless scenery that Cyprus offers, it provides a perfect opportunity for a new adventure and roads waiting to be explored with a trusted companion, an urban beauty that also fits so effortlessly in the natural environment: The Porsche Taycan 4S. For more information contact us.

Telephone: +357 25 828911 Email: pavlina.iacovidou@porsche.com.cy Porsche Center Cyprus A.I. Motokinisi (Limassol) Ltd 58-60 Ayiou Athanasiou Avenue Ayios Athanasios CY-4102 Limassol Cyprus

GC: LUXURY NEARCHOS TYLLIROS Plan N Plate

Q Thanks for taking the time to speak with us Nearchos. Can you tell the readers about your background, along with the how and why you become a chef?

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to get in direct contact with the large audience that you have. Also I wanted to congratulate you for the amazing job that you are doing as Game Changers Magazine.

Now when I finished the Higher Hotel Institute, I started working in a couple of restaurants but through those years, I saw the thirst for knowledge bursting my eyes.

So I decided to open my own place in Limassol, a café-restaurant in Cyprus with the name “Incontro”. But again I knew even then, that there was going to be a time that I would make the ‘bumblebee fly’. So I decided to leave for London, to gain experiences that I knew by staying in Cyprus, it would be very difficult to achieve them.

Now for answering the question how and why I became a chef, if a person has passion towards eating good food, enjoyed the process of cooking right from the childhood at home, help mother in the daily cooking, then that person can choose this path as a profession.

Q In our opinion you are one of the country’s finest chefs.

What does it take to get to that level of expertise, and stay at the top?

In my opinion I think if you want to succeed in what you are doing, you need be humble and work to achieve your goals. But the most important reason that keeps my interest undiminished, is the love that I have for the profession. When you do what you truly love, then your interest will never get vanished.

Q Running a kitchen takes a huge amount of organization, what tips can you give?

There are hundreds of tips that every chef could give, but I think the most important one is to have the right people by your side and also be able to support them in all ways and provide tools that they need to make their life more efficient.

Q You created Plan N Plate and Eat with Nearchos which are bespoke services for either the home or a high level corporate event. What gave you the idea for this service?

Actually is little bit of everything. There is time that a host needs to impress or to have sustainability in what is being GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

@eatwith_nearchos

served to their guests but the most important thing is that customers are being sited and served in their ‘own safe environment’.

Q Do you also cook in people’s homes?

Yes I do cook in people’s homes. Hiring a private chef allows you to enjoy a fully custom tailored menu, where ingredients that they may not enjoy, be allergic to, or don’t excite their taste buds, won’t be used. I work directly with the host and my goal is to meet each and every guest their dietary needs, food allergies, and culinary styling requirements.

Q Does this create any limitations for you?

time. For me being consistent at all times is one of my Key motivations.

Q You have a great Instagram channel (@eatwith_nearchos) which also shows us how to make sophisticated dishes with ease. Do you also teach people how to cook?

Most of the times, I am cooking with my own customers. For them feeling safe with me, as they know me, makes them feel comfortable being by my side and also learn a few more thinks that will help them in their daily cooking.

Now in my nearest plans, teaching people how to cook will come true as I am currently working on it.

Unfortunately sometimes yes. Like a customer may give me a call and asks for certain specific ingredients that need a week to be delivered in Cyprus as we live in an island.

Q What is a great spring dish that the readers can also try?

Q What type of planning and preparation goes into a home event?

A really nice and easy dish the readers can try is ‘Soft cooked Salmon Cake, Herb Infused Beans and Lemongrass Pesto’. You can find the recipe in my Instagram account at @eatwith_nearchos

First of all the menu needs to be decided with the host, which sometimes can be an easy thing to do but there are times that is not so easy due to dietary requirements, allergens etc.

After that a Road Map Sheet is being created for my own purposes, just to have everything in place and on

Nearchos Tylliros Plan N Plate

Q What is the best way to reach you?

People can reach me directly in my cell phone which is 95-139145, or text me on WhatsApp or even send me an email on nearchos@planandplate.com.cy

P - 39

GC: FEMME

THE PERFECT DRESS FOR WORKING FROM HOME

When it comes to working remotely, finding pieces that strike the perfect balance between comfort and style is key. A fan of throw-on-and-go dresses, fashion photographerSisilia Piring edits the styles that do all that and more, courtesy of the US boutique The Webster.

Photo credit: Sisilia Piring

Pay no attention to those who say florals are only meant for spring. To prove them wrong, Borgo de Nor decided to make this V-neck dress with plenty of those blossomy little friends of ours so you can wear them all year long. This made our day.

BRAND: Borgo De Nor NAME: Floral print V neck dress COST: € 1.068 www.borgodenor.com PICTURE CREDIT: Farfetch

Bottega Veneta’s signature ‘The Pouch’ clutch has been shrunk for your convenience. Enter The Pouch 20, a versatile clutch. The much-loved slouchy style remains, but now it’s a little daintier with a thin shoulder strap for hands-free use. Featuring a slouchy design, a main internal compartment, a shoulder strap, a drawstring fastening and a magnetic frame.

BRAND: Bottega Veneta NAME: The Pouch 20 clutch COST: € 1.961 www.borgodenor.com PICTURE CREDIT: Farfetch

These boots were made for walking... and that’s just what they’ll do. From Fendi comes your newest obsession, atop a mid-high block heel and in a leather construction. Get strutting.

BRAND: Fendi NAME: Mid-calf mid-heel boots COST: € 1.900 www.fendi.com PICTURE CREDIT: Farfetch

Had a late night yesterday? Hide any evidence at work the next day and cover up with these cat-eye tinted sunglasses from Prada Eyewear that will convince your boss that you’re simply pulling off a glamorous look.

It’ll be our stylish little secret.

BRAND: Prada Eyewear NAME: Cat eye tinted sunglasses COST: € 284 www.prada.com PICTURE CREDIT: Farfetch P - 41

GC: FEMME

Brand: Melekkis Jewellery Name: 19 GR BRACELET 18K WHITE GOLD 15.43 CT TOURMALINE Cost: €3.450

Brand: Melekkis jewellery Name: 4.1 GR EARRINGS WHITE GOLD WITH 0.11CT DIAMONDS VS/G AND CITRIN Cost: €1.175

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

Brand: Melekkis Jewellery Name: 11.8 GR EARRINGS 18K WHITE GOLD WITH 0.90 CT DIAMONDS VS/H Cost: €3.371

Brand: Melekkis Jewellery Name: 19.9GR RING 18K YELLOW GOLD WITH 0.98CT VS/G AND 2.45CT ORANGE SAPPHIRES AND 20.85CT ORANGE OPAL Cost: €7.311

P - 43

GC:HOMME

Iconic designer Ralph Lauren introduced The Ralph Lauren Purple Label Label in 1994, an exclusive line of men’s tailored clothing. Reintroducing true luxury and quality into American menswear, the line of handmade suits is as close to custom as retail can get. The Purple Label currently shows at New York Fashion Week to high acclaim.

The Capri Collection.

For the spring season, fine tailoring and resort sportswear paint a high-contrast palette in bold hues inspired by the azure waters and bright sun of the Italian coast

BRAND: Ralph Lauren NAME: Gregory Striped Twill Suit Trouser COST: € 595 www.ralphlauren.com/brands-purple-label PICTURE CREDIT: Ralph Lauren

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

This season, the classic turtleneck sweater is reimagined through a modern RLX lens with Italian merino wool, which is prized for its incredible softness and temperatureregulating properties.

BRAND: Ralph Lauren NAME: RLX Slim Ribbed Merino Sweater COST: € 650 www.ralphlauren.com/brands-purple-label PICTURE CREDIT: Ralph Lauren

BRAND: Ralph Lauren NAME: Cevio Cotton Canvas Espadrille COST: € 80 www.ralphlauren.com/brands-purple-label PICTURE CREDIT: Ralph Lauren

This canvas espadrille is crafted with a jute midsole for a classic warm-weather look. Made with recycled cotton, it’s finished with Ralph Lauren’s signature Pony embroidery in a contrasting color.

BRAND: Ralph Lauren NAME: Polka-Dot Silk Pocket Square COST: € 95 www.ralphlauren.com/brands-purple-label PICTURE CREDIT: Ralph Lauren

The Polo Soft fit puts a modern spin on classic preppy style with a natural shoulder and a half-canvassed construction.

This version is crafted from pure linen fabric sourced from one of the world’s oldest mills located in Ireland.

BRAND: Ralph Lauren NAME: Polo Soft Linen Suit Jacket COST: € 498 www.ralphlauren.com/brands-purple-label PICTURE CREDIT: Ralph Lauren

One of the most legendary automobiles of all time meets one of horology’s rarest Swiss-made movements in this iconic timepiece. Carefully cut by hand to expose its swirling grain patterns, the watch’s amboyna burl wood bezel emulates the steering wheel of Mr. Lauren’s 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe, while the interlocking “RL” logo on the face pays tribute to vintage car logotypes. Inside the 45 mm stainless steel case is a very technical complication that’s exceptionally complex to manufacture. The escapement is housed in a rotating cage to counteract the effect of gravity for more precise timekeeping.

BRAND: Ralph Lauren NAME: Automotive Tourbillon COST: € 62.500 www.ralphlauren.com PICTURE CREDIT: Ralph Lauren

GC:EAT LA ISLA. LIMASSOL, CYPRUS.

Address: 17 Amatoundos Avenue, Limassol, Cyprus.

Telephone: 25 310 310

Having been a patron of La Isla for the past couple of years, it was great to eat there now we partially have our freedom back. In case you are not aware of its location, you can find it just after the Tourist Area in Limassol in Agios Tychonas. For those readers who are a Forex persuasion, it is just past Naga Markets and close to Guaba.

Although pre-pandemic it got a bit too busy in the pool area for my own personal liking. it can be one of the hottest daytime tickets in town for the young, glamorous and toned. As I cannot describe myself as any part of this trio of nomenclature, I prefer to banish myself to the robust and well shaded tables, and to be looked after wonderfully with the constant steady flow of saturday

afternoon cocktails and a slowly setting sun.

The restaurant’s views are second to none if you are looking to eat with the wonderful calming view of the Mediteranean. Although it is quite close to a path, you are elevated sufficiently to passers by do not ask you your opinion on the mains. Moreover, with its prices which I would say are very inclusive, it certainly does not price anyone out of having great food and service, compared to other places I have been to of equal views, food and drinks.

What I love about La Isla is that there is something for everyone on the menu, but that’s not to say it is a bland or too many choices. Their Chefs offer high quality presentation, a great selection of local ingredients and the dishes are constructed in a way that they always look incredibly appealing. As ever you can be comfortable ordering a selection of dishes that have a broad church of various flavours. Moreover, the recommendation on the wine choice is always on point.

Also for the relatively early risers or beachfront exercise enthusiasts, you can also get some really delicious breakfasts that are a welcome alternative to the Full English you often find on the seafront. Although no doubt lighter in calories, they set you up well for the day without worrying about an oncoming coronary before lunch time.

It is always well worth booking ahead, as La Isla will be one of the places that people will have missed, with fresh air and even fresher tastes. Spending a couple of hours here, with great food, great company and great views is definitely the prefered way to come out of lockdown and hopefully get back to some type of normal life.

GC SUGGESTED MENU: Starters Prawn Mango Tartar La Isla Fresh Salad Main Caribbean Salmon Pork Fillet with orange Desert Apple baked cheese cake Vegan carrot cake Drinks Bottle of house white.

Pelegrino

GC:FITNESS Are You Feeling Stress & Anxiety?

Physiotherapy Can Help With That LUIS RIBEIRO Founder of Club Health www.clubhealth.uk

Stress is one of the most underrated ailments of our generation. The reason? It manifests differently in every human being, it has different sources, and it’s something you can’t really track or cure through medication. Even though there is the medicine you can take to help with stress, the real cure is found in a person’s lifestyle, habits and daily choices.

their bad sleeping quality According to The Global Organization for Stress, the problems are not limited to the USA: • •

Let’s look at some stats to contextualize just how big of a problem stress really is. According to The American Institute of Stress: • • • •

33% of people claim they have experienced a feeling of extreme stress 77% of people endure the stress that has an impact on their physical health 73% of people report that stress affects their mental health 48% of people point to stress as the reason for

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

•

91% of Australians feel stressed about multiple aspects of their life Approximately 450,000 workers in Britain claim that stress is the source of physical illness 86% of Chinese workers feel they are under extreme stress

Looking at these numbers, the bad news is that stress is affecting almost everyone regardless of sex, age or ethnicity. The good news is that stress is treatable and something that can be managed. Before sharing our two cents on how physiotherapy can help with stress, let’s firstly define the condition What is Stress?

Stress is a combination of feelings like uneasiness, tension, pressure, concern, worry and nervousness.

Stress can be caused by work, family, relationships, money issues or even personal trauma and insecurities. Stress can manifest in physical, mental or emotional responses. The diverse nature of the condition makes it hard to detect, with people often disregarding its severity and long-term effects.

In its most acute version, stress can be the reason for panic attacks, strokes, heart attacks, gastric ulcer, mental conditions and a host of other illnesses that can prove to be detrimental to the human body.

How Can Physiotherapy Treat Stress?

Physical therapy can open the gates to stress recovery and pave the way for a stress-free life. Many people associate physical therapy to injury recovery or relieving their bodies from muscle soreness. While those are some of the main advantages of physical therapy, they are definitely not the only ones.

Physiotherapy can be instrumental in eliminating stress and strengthening your body to fight off stress for the rest of your life. At Club Health, we are firm believers that physical therapy should be part of your life, something you owe your body and yourself to ensure longevity and a higher quality of life.

Let’s dive right into it then and see how physiotherapy can help with stress.

Diaphragmatic Breathing We’ve talked about breathing exercises that will literally change your life in one of our previous posts, and today we’ll go a step further, investigating how diaphragmatic breathing can actually be the first way to combat stress. Daily diaphragmatic breathing is scientifically proven to lower cortisol levels (the primary stress hormone), helping you relax and concentrate.

Coming to the Club, we will not only go through the proper technique for diaphragmatic breathing, but we

will create a personalised breathing exercise program you can use at the comfort of your own home. The goal is to infuse breathing exercises into your daily routine and see how it can lower your stress levels almost immediately.

Building An Exercise Regiment Physiotherapy is not limited to treating the body.

It is also capable of strengthening the body through detailed, meticulous and personalised exercise programs. One of our main services at the Club is personal training where patients receive training based on their body type, needs and wants. How is that related to stress?

Studies have shown that regular exercise can reduce stress between 50-78%. Getting your body to move, blood to flow, and muscles to flex and mobilise your joints can help you detox and release the anxiety you carry from your daily routine. For that 1 and a half hour, you get the opportunity to shut everything off, stop worrying and just let your body reach its potential.

Improve Your Confidence This might sound a bit weird at first but trust us (and

GAME CHANGERS Issue #32

science) when we say that building your confidence can actually be one of the most important steps in battling stress. Studies have shown that incorporating physiotherapy and all that comes with it in your life has proven to improve physical condition, self-esteem, the perception of self-worth, and quality of life.

By feeling stronger and having the faith, belief and conviction in yourself, you are better prepared to deal with and manage the situations that cause stress in the first place. Physiotherapy builds your body but also trains your mindset, keeping you disciplined and focused.

If the lockdown has taken a toll on your health, or if you’re ready for a lifestyle shift, reach out, and we’ll guide you through.

Club Health’s scope of health services is designated as essential, according to the current measures against the spread of Covid19. Therefore, the Club remains open following strict measures to ensure both staff and patients’ health and safety.

For any questions or to book an appointment, you can reach us by phone (+44 20 7823 1273) or email (reception@clubhealth.uk).

ISSUE #32

THE JOURNAL FOR INDUSTRY LEADERS

www.gchangersmag.com info@gchangersmag.com