Game Changers issue 42

Game Changers

GC speaks exclusively to the LSSR Group dynamo Raj Reddy.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

With autumn here, it looks like we are in the final push for the end of the year. On a personal level, by the time this edition of GC is published, we will be in Dubai for the Crypto expo and opening of our new office for Breinrock. It has been a crazy year to see the growth of the brand, in an incred ibly interesting industry which will no doubt be very fast evolving over the next couple of years.

It is fantastic to have Raj Reddy on the cover of Game Changers again after many years.

Raj has developed LSSR Group tremendously over the past couple of years, with several offices now open in various global locations. Always a pleasure to deal with him and Vinay for my sometimes quite specific needs in getting problems solved.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this edition, and hopefully we can meet in Dubai.

Paul ORFORD

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

RAJ REDDY

LSSR Group Founder

Q It’s been a while since you were last in Game Changers. Since then, you taken the step from full time employment to giving LSSR Group your full attention. How are you finding it?

Yes, It was a long while that I had appeared in the Game Changers, but yeah I decided last year to give my full attention to LSSR Group and other ventures

I have with different verticals. The major change to give full attention to LSSR Group is to serve meaning ful projects and deliver value that can give me more satisfaction & do things that I really love to do. In that aspect, after a year I think I’m doing well in that aspect & changing the direction to a more meaningful work.

I’m loving what I’m doing now & I think it should do very well in the coming year with diversification as we are transitioning into different industries as a group.

Q People reading this who have developed large networks, would you advise them stepping out of full-time employment and following your lead?

Honestly, I think this is very personal as it comes with a lot of risks associated & also it depends on the inter nal values on what we have to do & of course personal circumstances.

But, In general I would say it is more fulfilling to work for yourself & enjoy the freedom. I don’t mean having full-time employment is bad, but not having a plan for yourself to make things work for you to give time freedom is bad.

I would advise people to take some calculated risks, get your basics right and have faith in your plan to lead your own life. Take your full-time employment as a part of the journey to gain some experience. It’s worth trying out to be on your own, at least you know you tried it.

I had a plan and I  followed it. With 1 year being  full time, I love what I do & I’m more happier than before with the  flexibility I have now. Above this I’m now getting involved in more meaningful things which is more exciting  for me personally.

Q I have found that there is a huge difference in find ing a good quality consultant. What do you think are the keys to success in sourcing one for your brand?

Well like you said it is very hard to have a good quality consultant, it comes with years of experience with a lot of failures in the process to reach very high quality. There is a lot of time that was invested by being that

high quality consultant. It is not easy & it is not cheap. For our brand the keys to success I would say we al ways kept the client’s motives as our high priority. We developed a team that has practically learned, not just the theory and went through all of the cycles to be very mature to deliver the quality outcomes to the needs of the clients.

One of the key factors for us is we want to understand whether the client has a good motives and a good purpose, without these we would never be able to work as these are our main goals in our group to help the businesses which has a good value proposition & deliver value to the clients, not just the extracting value from the client. We are very particular about it.

Our internal business ethics make us very passionate and work with the right clients, so that we are all on one single to make things work very well.

Q You have opened a fantastic new office in India. Does this feel like you have started a new chapter for LSSR?

Yes, this is something we planned long ago to have a good environment at LSSR Group, so that the people working here would have better standards to work and enjoy.

Absolutely, this is a new chapter for us at LSSR Group. Like I said, now we are diversifying into different Industries and verticals. We are already involved with some projects now, although I cannot name it now. But I would say they are moving as planned and we are happy with the transition.

Q When I have worked with you, I have always been very pleased with the service that both yourself and Vinay have given me. Is there a specific personality trait you look for when someone joins LSSR?

Yes, We are very very slow at hiring, the reason being we want to have an idle candidate that fits into our culture that we have in LSSR Group. More than skills we look for attitude & the purpose the person has. This is very important for us because this will reflect at every stage of their work. We also want the person to care about everyone’s goals, not just being a person, being very compassionate & sees beyond just being commercial.

Compassion is something I really look at when we hire. This was the reason I think we were able to keep our company with good feedback & satisfied clients with a very strong retention.

Q Another huge win for you was obtaining your consultancy license in Dubai. Can you explain to the readers how this helps both you and them?

Yes, LSSR Group is Licensed in Dubai with DMCC, which is very reputable in UAE. We obtained this license to bring more credibility and trust with our clients.

This license will also put us into being more account able to the things we do. So this can improve our work that we do & eventually it will impact the clients out comes, Which should be better than before.

Q You offer a huge number of services at LSSR. Is there one that stands out more than the others, or are you equally as strong in all of them?

We have quite a number of services, but we choose only what we are good at, so it means that we are equally strong at them. We have internal teams that are specialized in each of the services we offer so we by this we don’t think we are one particular thing that we have to highlight.

Also, most of the services are interlinked to each other as well, Like corporate services/financial licensing in terconnected with financial technology & the same cli ent can be connected to digital marketing & branding. So it is a well connected eco system of services that we offer that the clients do not need to go anywhere else.

Q Dubai is seeing a large uptick in European CFD brands moving there. How can LSSR help?

We have extensive practical experience in this Industry & the team working here with me are all practically came from the same Industry which makes it strong that we understand well.

Yes, Dubai became a central hub now for the financial Industry. We can help in various areas of their busi ness from regulator licenses, regional business plans & marketing.

Q What tips would you give them in becoming a success in this region?

Localizing the product is very important in the MENA region & also understanding who your idle client is for your product & understanding their expectation. Having a plan & working towards it would make things successful.

MENA is a special region with a lot of local demands that needs to be understood very well.

Q LSSR has always done a huge amount for charity. Can you give the readers an outline of the causes that you are supporting?

Our motive at LSSR Group is to be meaningful to the society & our work and progress should make an Im pact to the people around us. With that being said, we created a foundation called Jyothir Foundation from which we do our charity to society.

The causes we do are primarily three,

1. Education For Poor - We help families escape the cycle of poverty through various livelihood and educa tional programs. We listen to their specific needs and work to fulfill them.

2. Feeding the Hungry - We are a hunger relief organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable and poverty-stricken families.

3. Nature Protection - Our mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth by planting trees globally.

Q What’s next for LSSR?

This is a very big question now with the transition we are going through, Like I mentioned we are now involved and getting involved into different businesses. Mostly our involvement into other Industries is more to do with our mission we have in LSSR Group on becoming more valuable with the work we do & the positive impact that we want to create by keeping our goals & customer goals in the same direction.

By next time, I think I will be able to give more insights on the progress of new projects.

Q What’s the best way to reach you and Vinay for any questions?

The best way to reach us is by email. Here are our emails, raj@lssrgoup.com &  vinay@lssrgroup.com

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

WINS AGAIN!

Earlier this month we received some fantastic news from Holston Media that Game Changers Magazine had won the award at the Global Forex Awards for ‘Best Forex Media Provider’ for the third time in a row.

We have always loved what both Mike Boydell and Archie Humphries have achieved with their awards, with them be ing perhaps the most transparent and well respected within the eco system. Moreover, there is never any hard upsell coming after you have won the award. It is based purely on the fundamentals of democracy and the voters believing in the awards.

A big thank you to Vera Gavrilova who has continually produced incredibly high-level design for Game Changers Magazine. Along with this, always kept a cool head when we are on a deadline and all the madness that comes along with this.

Thanks to all the contributors for making Game Changers Magazine what it is. Without the high-quality content from everyone who joins in each issue, there is no GC!

Also, thanks to everyone who voted for us. It really is a heartwarming and means a lot to everyone involved in the production. It still is a weird feeling to think that this idea that we had several years back is appreciated by some many people.

It is it bit cheesy to say, but GC has been a great experience in that I have met (and will continuously do so) some fantastic people, which no doubt without it would never have happened. We wish everyone who has appeared and future alumni all the very best for their endeavors in the future.

Thanks everyone and let’s change the game together!

Vera Gavrilova

Paul Orford

WAEL MAKAREM EXNESS Senior Market Strategist - MENA Region

Q What do you think the future holds for Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general? Will they ever reach new heights?

Crypto is a new and exciting market. Especially after the bull run of 2020-2021, many traders and investors shifted part of their attention and portfolios towards crypto. Looking at its technology, the king of crypto has already reached 90% of its maximum supply which means that it has become more scarce and, granted that its demand is high, its price could be rising too. Given the fact that bitcoin’s movement affects the overall sentiment of the crypto market, this could po tentially have a great impact on the rest of the crypto market.

On the other hand, the crypto market is still in its infancy, and it’s evolving on many fronts, including regulation. The market doesn’t have much history and data to base predictions on. The reality is no one can foresee the future of crypto with certainty. Mass adoption has begun but it still has a long way to go. A broader institutional consideration needs to take place in order for the landscape to evolve. Sure, the interest of large and forward-thinking corporations as well as financial institutions is very encouraging, but it is still not enough. And, if you see their stance on crypto, you may see a bit of hesitation. Tesla is a prime example that lately liquidated 75% of its Bitcoin.

Regulation is also vital for the advancement of the market. There isn’t a real threat that cryptos will be banned forever, at least if you see the policymakers’ stance in the West; President Joe Biden signed an executive order on digital assets which initiated the US Treasury’s fact sheet on International Crypto Regulation published in July. The EU is also working on its own regulatory framework as well as Central Bank Digital Currency.

While some traders, especially crypto enthusiasts (the HODLers) think that regulation won’t be good for the market, financial experts beg to differ. Clear, not strict, regulation can pave the way for more adoption. And let’s not forget that concrete regulation can contribute to investor confidence and sentiment. Which is always a positive sign.

Lastly, one major consideration is the current infla tion and how the measures taken by the policymak ers are affecting and will affect this asset class. The Federal Reserve, for example, is raising interest rates significantly, a move that runs the risk of a recession

even-though now we are at pre-financial crisis levels. Yet, we don’t know for certain how the markets will react to the unstable financial conditions of the global economy and whether traders will turn to cryptocurrencies.

Q What’s your take on the formation of Central Bank Digital Currencies? Will this be the end of the crypto trend and era?

CFBDC is where the future is heading. Governments around the world are taking all the necessary steps to transform their economies with a digital currency, tied to their fiat equivalent. Having a CBDC won’t necessarily negatively affect the crypto landscape, it will potentially establish it. After all, we are talking about authorities and regulators we know and trust.

Essentially this could help crypto adoption on a larger scale. User confidence will rise and investor sentiment will be positive. And this could help strengthen the dominance of crypto and digital currencies altogether.

The bigger question is how the decentralized nature of crypto fits in with the centralized philosophy of govern mental entities like a Central Bank. And that remains to be seen.

Q Talking about adoption, Tesla cited Bitcoin’s environ mental footprint as the reason for backing down from its commitment to fully adopt it. What’s your take on that? Will this be enough to turn people towards more environ mentally friendly cryptocurrencies like Ethereum?

Bitcoin is the king of crypto, undoubtedly. It has the power to control the volatility of the entire market. Yes, there has been tremendous volatility caused by Bitcoin mining farms closing and moving but it is questionable whether that’s enough to impact its dominance negatively.

Then you have Ethereum which, one could argue, is the king of altcoins. With its new proof of stakes technol ogy/Ethereum 2.0 which was unveiled last month, it has the potential to expand its reach and dominance. Plus, its founder and CEO, Vitalik Buterin, is a very influential figure in the crypto community. Whether that’s enough to overturn Bitcoin is a whole different matter and it is not something that we will possibly have to worry about in the short to medium future.

Bitcoin has a huge market cap and there are no signs signifying any power allocation in the crypto sphere. Other coins gaining impact in the eyes of traders are Ethereum, Ripple and Dogecoin, which after Elon Musk’s support

have managed to gain a lot of traction and make a few million aires along the way. Should investors turn away from Bitcoin and look at other coins? They definitely could. There are some pretty interesting and innovative cryptos out there, like Cardano, Solana, and even Ripple. But Bitcoin still has the power to move the entire crypto market and it is the crypto that attracts the biggest interest, so far.

Q The Crypto market is a very volatile market. Is there a strategy that traders/investors can use to handle its steep ups and downs?

It’s definitely not for the faint hearted. Bitcoin loses and gains 20-30% of its value within weeks, days even. And it’s the same, and sometimes even worse, for every crypto asset - the inves tors of Terra Luna, for example, lost their investments after the stable crashed back in May 2022. As I mentioned before, there isn’t enough history or data to base forecasting on. So the strat egies vary according to each person’s risk appetite.

Financial experts and market strategists always advise invest ing only 2-5% of your portfolio in crypto and never investing more than one can afford to lose. Caution and discipline should always be practiced, and emotions should not rule.

In terms of strategy, there is no one-size-fits-all approach here. It depends on the experience and risk appetite of each trader. Some choose long-term investment, others position shuffling. Either way, investors should always be up-to-date with the news (and tweets) and also take a good look at the technical analysis of each asset, especially Bitcoin.

Q Exness has a substantial range of crypto CFDs. Why should anyone choose to trade CFDs?

Yes, Exness offers the most popular crypto assets available for CFD trading. With CFDs, the trader deals directly with the broker and there are no middlemen involved. This is advan tageous in a number of ways. For one, the execution of their positions is much faster - at Exness we strive to execute every trade instantaneously with as close to zero delays as possible. We also utilize advanced algorithms that allow us to predict fluctuations and therefore offer stable, ultra-low spreads and no slippage.

Exness is at its core science-driven, which means that it of fers a number of features that are there to protect our clients’ interests. One of those is negative balance protection which is there to ensure that no amount will be accounted for in case the client’s balance goes negative. Plus, with CFDs, traders can take advantage of any direction cryptos are taking which, considering the market’s volatility and unpredictable fluctua tions can be very useful.

It is worth noting that Exness is one of the largest brokers in the world and has consistently exceeded the $2 trillion mark in monthly trading volume for the past few months. This is indicative of our superiority in terms of reliability and condi tions. Our promise to all our clients is that we will provide a frictionless experience on all fronts, whether it be our trading conditions or our support.

Wael Makarem

FiveComply

In this issue of Gamechangers Magazine, Gabriel Styl las, the CEO of FiveComply, a global consultancy firm specialising in international licensing, establishment, and operations of financial institutions, is providing his views on the latest developments in the cryptoindustry, with focus on crypto-licensing options and crypto-regulations.

Q What are the latest developments in the crypto industry? What should we expect?

Despite the fact that the digital currency prices dropped significantly since their peak in November 2021, we have seen that the blockchain technology in terms of the payment system is here to stay. Regard less of the valuation, cryptos are gradually accepted by the government authorities worldwide and even some countries went one step ahead by launching their own cryptocurrencies.

Many countries are publishing their own cryptoregulations, as they realise that the lack of a legislative crypto-regime will increase the uncertainty in the market.

At the same time, governments and regulators would like to enhance investor protection, as they realise that more and more people (usually inexperienced in trading), and especially young people, invest in cryp tocurrencies nowadays.

The European Union is introducing major changes with its Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) legisla tion, which could be in force in the next few months and EU competent authorities shall need to comply with the provisions of the Regulation which shall be directly applicable in all EU Member States.

We should also expect in the near future more countries to introduce their own crypto-regulations and countries with existing crypto-regulations to introduce major amendments to keep up with the latest developments. Much of the current regulatory framework is still developing, and regulations and re strictions should be continuously followed by market participants in order to stay ahead of the market.

Q What are the main countries offering crypto license?

Cyprus, Malta, Estonia, Lithuania and Portugal are among the EU countries that encourage foreign inves tors to set up a crypto-business by acquiring a cryptolicense in their countries.

Switzerland is also a well-known and well-respected jurisdiction for blockchain-related businesses that also provides good banking options for this type of business.

On the other hand, Gibraltar used to be a very popular jurisdiction to obtain a crypto license and was among the first jurisdictions to introduce a relevant regula tory framework. However, lately it’s not among the top jurisdictions, as it used to be.

In terms of offshore jurisdictions, Mauritius is one of the pioneers in its region as it is one of the first coun tries that proceeded with the adoption of a compre hensive legislation on Virtual assets (VAs) and Initial Token Offerings (ITOs).

Last but not least USA, UK, Australia and UAE are among the main jurisdictions, that have further devel oped their regulatory framework regarding cryptolicensing.

Q Why do you think Revolut decided to acquire a Cyprus CySEC crypto-license?

Currently, the legislative scheme established in Cyprus is considered to be more in line with the EU MiCA legislation than other European jurisdictions and this might be one of the main reasons that the UK-based FinTech giant Revolut, selected Cyprus among other EU countries, after careful evaluation of the different options available.

Once the EU MiCA is voted by the EU Parliament and comes into force, Cyprus is expected to be in a better position compared to other EU countries that have legislation that is not fully aligned with the legislative provisions of MiCA.

Cyprus has also acquired reputation as an upcoming FinTech hub destination, it provides tax incentives to investors, simplified immigration rules and has a well-developed infrastructure.

Here’s what you need to know about Crypto-licensing and Crypto-regulations

Lastly, by acquiring this license, Revolut will be able to take advantage of the EU passporting rules and to offer crypto services across the European Economic Area (EEA).

Q What would you advise interested parties about crypto-licensing selection process?

Each of the above-stated countries has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages, when it comes to setting-up a crypto business.

Interested parties must always take into consideration a number of parameters before concluding as to the jurisdiction that they will acquire a license in order to offer crypto services.

Some of the parameters that must always be taken into consideration during the selection process are the target clients / countries, type(s) of clients to be targeted (retail vs professional), monthly / yearly operating expenses after the company acquires its license, quality/expertise/knowledge of professionals/ employees in the country, local crypto-friendly bank ing options, etc.

Depending on each client’s budget, it is sometimes advisable to set up a group structure with more than one licensed entity, in order to maximise the number of countries / clients to be targeted.

To summarise the above, the selection of a cryptolicense is a complex procedure that each client needs to evaluate based on his own business model in order to conclude as to the best option for him. In FiveCom ply, our aim is to be always updated and proactive in regards to all the latest developments; in this way, we can assist our clients in their selection and provide them with the best available options based on their operating model.

Q What type of services can be offered by crypto licensed / registered entities around the globe?

Depending on the type / category of license and their initial capital, licensed entities can provide invest ment advice, receive and transmit client orders, ex ecute client orders, exchange between crypto-assets and fiat currency, exchange between crypto-assets, participate and/or provide financial services related to the distribution offering and/or sale of crypto-as sets including the initial offering (ICOs) and portfolio management services.

Regulated entities with higher initial capital are also able to provide administration / transfer of ownership and/or safekeeping including custody of crypto-assets or cryptographic keys, underwriting and / or place ment of crypto assets and finally can operate of a multilateral system.

Of course, the above are provided on a generic basis; each ju risdiction has its legislative peculiarities and types of license and thus, more specific information should be provided for each jurisdiction.

FiveComply can provide interested parties with this kind of information and assist them in selecting the type of license that better match their needs, always based on their operat ing model and corporate goals.

Q How can FiveComply assist clients in meeting their li censing targets / expectations?

FiveComply consists of a team of experts that specialise in global licensing solutions; the dedicated members of the licensing team are handling different types of applications in different jurisdictions and are also dealing with different regulators, at the same time. Due to the number and com plexity of applications that our team of experts has handled throughout the years, they have acquired the knowledge and expertise to handle every application in the most efficient way, thus, minimising administrative time and costs.

We always assist our clients to select the most suitable juris diction to acquire their crypto license based on their operat ing model, target clients / countries, budget, etc. Our aim is to help our clients to get the best results in the most efficient way, by ensuring effectiveness in terms of time and cost.

You can contact our team for a free consultation session about the different options and the best jurisdictions for your crypto business:

• info@fivecomply.com

• www.fivecomply.com

ALINA GRINVICH

Delivery & Training Team Lead at Panda Trading Systems

How to Launch a Brokerage in Just 3 Weeks

Q How does Panda manage to set up a full brokerage solution for its clients in such a short period of time?

The answer is that we’ve been doing this for 16 years now, so there’s not much that we’re not prepared for or haven’t seen in this industry. Whenever we have a product delivery to make, our clients enjoy the full advantage of those 16 years of experience. At Panda, we’ve always been a solution-driven company, so our main focus is to foresee any obstacles new clients may face upon opening a brokerage firm and to have those solutions for them ready to go.

On the tech side our developers are second to none, and the products themselves are amazing. So, of course this helps. Many of our team are industry veterans who truly understand this market inside-out, and the product line-up has been designed to be easy to integrate and quick to deploy. This is whether you’re starting a brokerage from scratch or you’re upgrading an individual system as an existing broker.

In its earliest days, Panda was all about finding elegant technological workarounds for an industry that was still in its infancy. I’m happy to report that our solu tion-driven, get-it-done ethos is still in the driver’s seat all these years later. For my part, my team and I are dedicated to ensuring that our clients receive all the assistance they require throughout the transitional period and beyond, and that they get to experience the whole of Panda being behind them, fully invested in their success.

Q Could you share a little about what clients can expect from Panda in the delivery stage?

Each and every one of our clients receive a fully cus tomised delivery portal where they can monitor the progress of their specific project, as well as being able to stay up to date with any inputs that we require from them. Communication is key at this stage, so the portal is a way of ensuring that everyone is on the same page, and that we’re completely transparent about what’s been completed so far, what’s yet to come, and what we require from the client.

My team is tasked with liaising with clients at this cru cial stage, guiding them through certain choices that

are necessary to the development, but also under standing the nature of those choices and their wider implications. Once we have helped bring them as close to the technical team as possible and the development is completed, our role then extends into training the end clients and their teams in how to get the most out of the software we’ve provided them with.

Q Panda has earned a reputation as being highly flexible as a company and not one to shy away from customisation. How do you achieve this while devel oping such a comprehensive off-the-shelf product line?

No two clients are the same. Their business plans, their internal processes, approaches and goals are sure to differ. What Panda does best is to translate those needs into an actionable development and deployment plan. Our products have been created with this in mind, and they’re customisable enough so that the decision-makers in any organisation we work with can see those business plans, internal processes, and goals coming to fruition with our software as the backbone.

We make sure to ask the right questions from the outset, and our people have so much experience in setting up these types of businesses that they know what’s required, as well as which of our tools and services are the best fit for a particular job.

I think if you talk to the devs they’d say that it was all the custom work that really provided the company with that valuable bird’s eye view of the industry, its trends, and the shifting needs of brokers. It has certainly helped steer the company throughout the evolution of the online trading industry.

Whether you’re looking for a 360 degree turnkey solution, or to upgrade an existing setup piece by piece, we’ve done it all in the past and our new line of products are only making this process smoother and easier.

Q Could you discuss the training that your de partment provides Panda’s clients after their new brokerage systems have been deployed? Is there a set number of sessions? Is this training provided online?

Throughout the delivery process I outlined above, we do our homework and gain a good understanding of the client’s expectations and requirements. When this delivery process is drawing to a close, my team is then responsible for ensuring that the end client and their relevant team members become experts on Panda’s products.

In order to achieve this, we schedule regular training sessions in whatever environment is most convenient to our clients, and is most conducive to the learning of their teams. Panda really prides itself on its after market service, so education is an on-going thing that we don’t like to place limits on. We will continue to provide training for as long as the client feels it’s necessary.

The training sessions themselves are as flexible as our product lineup. We customise the training experi ence to make sure each department understands the new tools they have at their disposal, and those tools will be presented in a manner that’s tailored to their day-to-day workflow. For instance, back office and compliance will have a different focus than sales and retention, despite there being some overlap between the systems that these different team members will be using in their day-to-day duties.

We don’t believe that a video or a written guide re places a live training expert who can answer questions on the fly as they arise. For this reason, unless speci fied otherwise by the client, we prefer that our training teams visit these brokerages in person to provide them with some hands-on experience on how the software works together as a system.

Each delivery project will have a designated train ing expert attached to the project, who will guide the relevant teams through every feature and possibil ity our system has. Furthermore, as Panda’s systems evolve, that contact will always be in place to help with upgrades and any future integrations. After the delivery process is complete, the clients can schedule additional training sessions for their existing or new employees whenever they deem it necessary.

Q What about brokers migrating from existing sys tems to using Panda’s software? This must be a much harder delivery process.

Migration from another provider to Panda may seem like a big hassle on the surface, but the key for success, as with building a brokerage from scratch, is commu nication. We’ve completed many successful migra tions over the years, and technology wise we’re more than prepared for anything we may encounter. Also, as our product line grows and evolves, the process is becoming much smoother because we’re developing more applicable solutions for edge cases. The focus is on understanding the client’s existing organisational workflow, and suggesting improvements where we’re certain that our software will give them an edge.

Our recent focus has been on automation and AI. The developments we’ve made over the past couple of years we believe really allow a small brokerage business to compete with much larger organisations. These improvements have made sales, retention, and conversion teams able to operate much more intel ligently and efficiently.

As part of our delivery process, we make sure to maximise the performance of those teams by learning how they work, creating new workflows by optimising their day-to-day practices, and provid ing tools that help them unlock their full potential. Panda specialises in finding the real pain points of not just the brand’s management, but other teams as well and with the right tools, we can make a real difference.

Q What is your goal for Panda’s delivery process and for the performance of your team going for ward?

My goal for the team is long-term progress and im provement in quality. I truly believe that by expand ing our tools and being open to outside opinions we can do a lot more to improve workflow and commu nication among both internal and external stake holders. There are always areas to improve, and by being alert and open to change, the opportunity for achieving excellence is limitless.

Panda’s technology is world class, but we back it up by having excellent client-facing teams who are ex perts in every single Panda product and feature. My goal is to guide this important area of Panda’s busi ness, and to ensure that we’re always challenging ourselves and always getting better at what we do.

The delivery stage can be a difficult experience because there’s so much at stake and so much to get right. It’s our responsibility to make this go as smoothly and efficiently as possible, and my team will leave no stone unturned when it comes to get ting this right.

TipRanks

URI GRUENBAUM Co-founder & CEO at TipRanks

Q TipRanks recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. To what do you attribute your success?

Our first step was identifying a real need in the financial markets – a lack of transparency in equity research which was disadvantaging retail investors.

Historically, investors had little choice but to trust financial experts who claimed that they outperformed the markets, and to follow their advice. However, without mechanisms available to check these claims, investors would regularly follow bad advice and suffer significant financial losses as a result.

We set out to challenge this status quo by using technology to create financial transparency. And we succeeded. We created a Financial Accountability Engine™ that brought transparency to online invest ment advice for the first time.

Against all odds, TipRanks has become the standard for Wall Street accountability, not only for retail investors, but also for most institutional investors, and even for analysts themselves.

We didn’t stop there. We have spent the past decade creating alternative datasets and easy-to-use research tools that give retail investors the same research capabilities as the biggest asset managers, at a fraction of the cost.

Q What is TipRanks doing to overcome competition?

TipRanks is focused on innovation, which differenti ates us from other research providers and is the best way to overcome competition. We developed a propri etary technology-based solution that basically ‘reads’ information published on the internet and available analyst research reports. This creates a big moat for competitors.

In the past 12 months alone, we created two unique new datasets and made them available to retail investors.

The first enables the average “Joe and Jane” to under stand any risks that publicly traded companies submit to the SEC in their reports. The data is presented

visually, making it easy for retail investors to under stand.

The other new dataset measures the website traffic of online companies such as gaming, e-commerce, and streaming companies that rely on visits to their websites to generate revenue. This tool shows our users which companies are likely to report surprising results ahead of earnings, which is powerful data.

These are examples of the type of data that institu tional investors use, which have been unavailable to retail investors, until now. It is also data that retail investors can access only on TipRanks.

Q Over the past couple of years, TipRanks has started reporting stock news and analysis, first by creating a news portal and more recently by expanding into video content. What made you take this direction?

We thought that we had something unique to offer by incorporating TipRanks’ insights into market news. We were already producing articles with unique insights based on our data, such as analyst ratings, corporate insider trades, and changes to hedge fund portfolios. These articles were proving very popular, and we believed investors would also want to see this sort of data in their market news.

And it turns out we were right. Not only do millions of investors read our articles directly on TipRanks, but some of the world’s leading financial publications incorporate TipRanks into their reporting. TipRanks’ articles often dominate the Yahoo Finance homepage, and major outlets such as CNBC and the Telegraph in the UK regularly publish articles using our data.

We have built a team of over 40 financial writers, and we are often the first portal to cover breaking financial news.

We then realized that if our news portal was popular, investors would also be interested in video content. Our YouTube channel currently has over 50 thousand users, and is rapidly growing. We’re having a lot of fun with video content. We interview leading Wall Street analysts, explore different sectors, and of course, talk about stocks.

Q In the past few months, TipRanks ads have been spotted in the New York and London Underground, and TipRanks was recently a sponsor for a journalists’ award ceremony in the UK. Can we expect to see TipRanks in other places?

Yes. In the past, we focused on online mar keting, which worked well for us. For 2022, we thought it would be interesting to experi ment with offline advertising to raise brand awareness. We were delighted that these efforts exceeded our expectations and as a result more people are using TipRanks.

We will continue to investigate offline opportunities, and yes, you can expect to see TipRanks in new, and perhaps surprising, places.

Q Which achievements make you most proud of TipRanks?

We were the first company in the world to invest in retail investors and were the first to focus on leveling the playing field for them. This is a great source of satisfaction. The trend we started has since grown, with many other platforms aspiring to provide more data and knowledge to the everyday investor.

I am also proud of the partnerships that TipRanks has built with tier one banks and exchanges, from Nasdaq, TD Bank, Morgan Stanley, and other big names, to local invest ment houses in the Far East.

The TipRanks team brings me great pride. It is a privilege to be surrounded by amazing people with great energy while working in a beautiful office. It also gives me satisfaction that we manage the work/ life balance well. TipRanks is a family-friendly environment

and 53% of our staff in our Tel Aviv headquar ters have children. We recently organized a fun day for our employees’ children in the office, which was a huge success.

Most of all, the volunteer work we perform, and the donations we make, to Holocaust survivors through the Amcha Center in Tel Aviv, bring me the greatest satisfaction.

Q Tell us more about your work with Holo caust survivors. How did you get involved?

Our previous office was next door to Amcha, an incredible organization that provides psy chosocial support for Holocaust survivors. As a descendant of Holocaust survivors, this struck a chord with me and so I went to visit them to learn more. I was blown away by the organization and the work they do with these people who have been through and witnessed so much, as well as with their families. It is a great privilege to be in a situation where I can provide support to these incredible people, especially given my own family history.

We’ve had members of TipRanks volunteer at events and while during the pandemic we were not able to attend in-person, we did continue to support the organization in other ways. This is the achievement I am most proud of.

Q What advice do you have for other founders?

These are my top 3 pieces of advice:

1. If you invest in your employees, they will invest in your customers 2. Learn how to delegate 3. Enjoy the ride!

Q And finally, what can we expect next from TipRanks?

We will continue to innovate and find more ways to help retail investors with their research and help them make data-driven decisions that will serve them well for their financial futures.

One way we are doing this is by expanding our research capabilities to different types of investments such as ETFs, cryptocur rencies, and mutual funds, as well as to more international markets. We have also been working hard to find a way to bring transparency to crypto-investors and re cently launched exciting new tools that give them unique insights into digital curren cies, which we are expanding to cover all major coins.

In addition to ensuring that TipRanks con tinues to be the best research platform in the world, we will continue to expand our partnerships, with banks, trading plat forms, and financial news providers.

GC:OPINION

Has Elon Musk killed the online advertising industry?

At the time of writing this article (and things may have radically changed by publication) Elon Musk was going back and forth between lawyers on whether he should or is obliged to buy Twitter at the valuation he offered several months back.

One of the drivers for Musk’s reticence in the pur chase comes from the fact that there is a huge amount of the activity on Twitter which cannot in his terms be classified as real human activity. He argues that an overwhelming percentage of activity according to his claim comes from bot / AI driven activity which can not be counted as genuine traffic / human interaction.

If this proves to be the case, has this given weight to two things. Is the revenue structure for platforms such as Facebook et al soon to be challenged, and does this notion support the dead internet theory?

If you are not aware of the dead internet theory, it claims that the vast majority of the internet is just bots leaving comments, along with AI generated content that is continually repeated and posted. This can be easily spotted within the comments section of Insta gram and the like, which can be easily identified by being very basic in comments generated, along with generic usernames and pictures using very basic co lours. Furthermore, if you have access to the analytics of the video data, the bot will only ‘watch’ for around ten seconds and then post a comment.

In 2013 it was reported in The Times that artificial intelligence would be contributing to half the traffic on the internet, leading the bots to overwhelm the algorithm where it would not know if it the traffic was real or not. An event which has been labelled as ‘the inversion.’

Moreover, with regards to Facebook data it has been alleged to have been overstating its reach and misrep resenting its data for many years. In 2018 a Facebook product manager mailed colleagues stating that their metrics were a “lawsuit waiting to happen”. Very soon

after this they were hit by a class action lawsuit from their advertisers. It was claimed that Facebook vastly over estimates its traffic by 100% – 900%, conversely

Facebook claimed it was ‘only’ overstating the data by 60-80%.

Facebook claimed during the case that the num bers were not disingenuous, and they would defend themselves vigorously. However, hours after the law suit was made public, Facebook changed its terms and conditions to potential customers that its reach is only an estimate.

Moreover, there is a huge proliferation of click farms watching and commenting on videos, and most im portantly clicking on the adverts generating revenue for these large platforms. An internal document showed that by taking off the fake accounts would re duce Facebooks numbers by 10%, which in USD terms would equate to $84bn USD based on 2021 numbers. There is no business on the planet which is going to give up this advertising revenue any time soon.

Further to this, platforms such as Twitter and Face book are to a large extent based upon being adver sarial and have developed a model where arguing and commenting on a post that are opposite to your belief system, gets way more views than those which match your beliefs. Not only does this drive advertising revenue even higher, but there is also probably a quite significant chance you have been arguing with a bot about nothing in particular and with something that does not care about your views. It is just designed to create a reaction and for you to post.

What’s the solution? Apart from the large platforms being 100% transparent with its data (which is never going to happen) perhaps assess whether you are be ing to reliant on using these brands for paid advertis ing. Moreover, you are involved in marketing, make innovative ways of people getting eyes on your brand, and stop taking the ‘easy’ way of paid advertising. Time for the marketing department to earn their money!

PSPBox

HARRY ANTHONY Co-founder of PSP Box

Q How did you both find your way into the payment industry?

Our journey began a little over 10 years ago by managing the payment options for various ecommerce platforms. Once exposed to the world of online payments we were fascinated and decided to start getting more involved and to expand our knowledge in the industry.

This decision led us on a great journey that allowed us to work at some of the biggest acquirers and other payment technology companies.

Q What is great about your service is that it is ala carte in helping you choose what you need for your brand. What was your lightbulb moment for this?

The lightbulb moment! Whilst being in the payments industry for multiple years you notice that everyone is trying to go bigger, faster, more secure and sometimes this makes the fundamentals not being updated. As all good ideas, facing the problems ourselves we knew we had to do something about it. This is where we noticed a gap in the market that was being overlooked and that was: How can I discover / compare and get in contact with a payment solution that actually accommodates my business needs without a middle man and have all the information in one place to draw an unbiased conclusion.

Q With your experience, does this help in assessing what is a strong partner to add to your site?

Absolutely, we provide all the necessary tools that are needed for a merchant to get an accurate list of pay ment solutions according to their business needs. Our mission is to make PSP’s discoverable and efficient globally by empowering business owners with unbiased, high quality and accurate information for drawing their own informed conclusions.

Q Have you got some tips for those looking to assess a potential payment solutions provider, with so many weak ones out there?

In our time in the industry we have noticed that the following points are the ones that merchants are most cautious about.

• Customer support

• Reliability

• Competitive rates

• Integration ease

• Settlements

• Regulated / Licensed / PCI compliant

This is also used in PSPBox as our rating system that provides an insight from the existing or past merchants experience with that payment solution.

Q Do you offer bespoke advice for those wanting more than the extensive lists of providers?

We work with a number of enterprise level merchants that have a more complex business structure and need to expand or improve their online acceptance in a specific region or country.

Q It is such an evolving market, can you see a new payment method coming in the next couple of years?

The global Digital Payment Market size is estimated to reach USD 180.2 billion by 2026

This number shows that many companies will be continuously evolving and trying to bring the next generation of online payments to life.

We strongly believe that there will be a number of companies that will be focusing on developing AI in a way that will either simplify the online payments industry or completely revolutionize it.

We still have much more to see in this amazing industry.

Q Does more payment providers mean lower costs for the high risk industry, or will it always remain at this level due to the nature of the business?

More is not always necessarily better, especially in the high risk industry.

Multiple payment solutions will be running on the same rails that will result in a non competitive market.

This is where the actual individuals come in place and the solutions that offer a better customer experience and build trust will prevail.

Q For those who want to list with you, what is the criteria?

The onboarding process is as simple as it gets.

The payment solution would need to go and submit their profile on PSPBox and once we receive the submission, we follow a KYB process that also includes a call with the representative of that company.

From submitting to being visible on the platform, usually takes under 24h.

Q What’s the best way to reach you?

You can always reach out to us through the contact us page on the website or directly via hello@pspbox.com.

GLOBAL FOREX AWARDS - RETAIL

One of the world’s leading awards for the forex and financial industries, The Global Forex Awards 2022 - Retail celebrates those forex and related businesses from around the world who are pushing the boundaries of innova tion in retail forex trading solutions.

Now in their fifth year, the awards highlight those businesses at the forefront of cutting-edge technology, lowcost trading, comprehensive market research tools, advanced educational programs and world-class customer service for direct to consumer/trader businesses, with 59 categories comprising of global award winners, as well as regional award winners which cover specific territories, including Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

This year’s Global Forex Awards 2022 - Retail are sponsored by: 4XC, AMarkets, ATFX, AximTrade, Eightcap, Exclusive Markets, Forex Forest, FP Markets, FXCM, GKFX Prime, GO Markets, Hantec Markets, HFM, INFINOX, KEY TO MARKETS, Mitrade, RoboForex, RoboMarkets, Skilling, Tickmill, Vantage, XM, XTrend Speed, Zenfinex.

“Well done to each and every one of this year’s winners. They have proven they are at the very top of their game in the global forex retail industry. The Global Forex Awards 2022 - Retail are a true benchmark for success that will not only impress potential new customers, but will also boost existing client comfort and loyalty.”

GO Markets COO & Director, Khim Khor:

”We are very pleased to receive these 3 awards, which recognise the efforts our business is making to constantly improve our services globally. At GO Markets we are committed to providing outstanding trading experience and customer service to all our clients globally. Being recognized as the Best Forex Fintech Broker also highlights our dedication to innovation and progression.

We hope these awards will help to solidify our market position as the most trusted global broker.”

Skilling, Director of Trading, Christos Yerasimou:

“We are delighted to receive the awards for Best Forex Trading Platform. Open, free markets available for everyone is something we work tirelessly towards. Our trading platform, Skilling Trader, designed by ex pert traders to satisfy the needs of beginner and advanced traders alike, helps us further this goal. To be given these awards makes our hard work all the more worth it and proves our effort is making a difference. We thank our kind voters for your continued trust in us.”

Forex Forest, Founder Wayne Ng:

“We are so pleased that acquired the Global Best Forex EA Awards for consecutive three years from 2020 until this year 2022!

The awards are great recognition for our professional and constant efforts in developing market-competitive automated trading programs (EA).To let the public realize that our com pany, ForexForest, is one of the most professional and innovative automated trading program (EA) research and developmental fintech enterprises.”

Eightcap, CEO, Joel Murphy:

Our goal is to inspire traders with our range of smart trading tools, integrations and access to professional trading insight. For example, our latest integration with TradingView allows traders to trade directly from TradingView charts into an Eightcap account, benefiting from TradingView’s market leading charting experience. Our advanced traders also have the opportunity to test and automate their trading strategy with TradingView’s Pine Script programming language. We are honoured to have been acknowledged as the broker with the Best Global Forex Educational Resources at the Global Forex Awards, 2022. We are commit ted to further expand our educational tools and resources so that our client’s can be confident when trading and feel even more at home with us.

Eightcap, Rositsa Radovanova, Sales, Support and Onboarding Manager for EU

Tailored customer support has always been a priority for us and will continue to be a focus. We make it clear to our clients that we are there for them at every stage of their trading journey. Having an outstanding support team that goes above and beyond to assist our clients is the only reason we are able to receive this award.

Key to Markets, Andrea Sabatini, Managing Partner:

At KTM, we are so proud to have won these awards. Our experience, transparent and effective approach makes Key to Markets a reliable partner for both professional and private investors. We want to thank all our clients for the endorsements, we couldn’t have won these awards without them.

Vantage, Marc Despallieres, Chief Strategy & Trading Officer:

We are truly humbled to receive the three awards at The Global Forex Awards for 2022.

Vantage has undergone a massive shift since our rebranding exercise late last year. These accolades affirm our decision for the direction we have taken to become a global multi-asset brokerage firm. The Best Forex Trade Execution – Global award is a huge encouragement for our team who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to innovate and im prove our trading platforms and services.

Furthermore, receiving the “Most Trusted Forex Broker – Asia” award was a significant recognition for our effort in providing localised market news and analysis to support our growing clientele in Asia and other underserved markets.

Even before we received the “Best Forex Mobile Trading Platform/App – Global” award, our team behind the Vantage App had expanded its functionality to include social trading, a popular feature for both novice and advanced traders, on top of traditional trading.

Indeed, these awards allow us to properly thank our clients, who have always been our biggest motivation to improve and grow. We are incredibly grateful for their relentless support.

FP Markets, Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Craig Allison:

“We are honoured to be awarded “Best Global Value Broker” for the 4th consecutive year, an unprec edented feat which emphasises our consistent and unwavering com mitment to providing our clients with the best trading experience.

We are further delighted to receive the awards for “Best Forex Partners Programme” in Asia and “Best Forex Broker” in Europe for 2022 for the first time which clearly demon strates that, as we expand globally, we are being recognised globally for consistently offering our clients competitive pricing, fast execution, market-leading technology, and a first-rate customer experience.

We greatly appreciate the continued international recognition as at FP Markets we pride ourselves on these attributes and these prestigious awards are testament to the hard work from our global team to always provide our clients with the ultimate trading experience.”

Infinox

We take pride in our commitment to deliver the best possible trad ing environment for our clients and partners and are delighted to see that our efforts are recognised by these awards. They motivate us to go above and beyond and to ensure our clients have a first class trading experience.

We are thrilled to have been awarded not only a global award, but also a series of regional prizes, that show the dedication, time and effort we invest in our relationship with all the traders who trust in us. We are your local trader with a global presence.

We’ve made real strides in multiple regions but our local presence in Africa has certainly had a huge contribution to us being voted ‘Best Forex Broker - Africa’. Having a local team to forge local relationships allows us to bring the best forex broker service to the region. The same goes for Latin America, by growing our presence in that region, we’ve found the demand for a new way of trading - social and copy trad ing. We continuously look to improve our social trading platform - IX Social, and have been able to bring the best traders to the platform for beginners to copy. This ever growing community is reflected by the prize awarded - Best Forex Copy Trading Platform - LATAM.

How we conduct and hold our relationships with our clients and part ners is important to us. We value all our partners and are constantly looking for ways to help them improve their businesses. To be awarded Best Affiliate Programme - Global, shows our commitment to our partners and the effort we put in to help them grow their business.

Our success reflects the effort we commit to continue to improve and grow together with our clients and partners. Our global team works on new projects and improvements on a daily basis to guarantee those who choose us a positive and effortless trading journey with the support of our knowledgeable and experienced team.

We appreciate today’s achievements but we look forward to the future because we believe in the improvements that will come with our innovations. Our team starts from our clients and works backwards looking for new ways to support them. We really hope our clients continue to trust in us and our future as much as we ourselves do. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for us, our partners and our clients.

Game Changers Magazine Lifestyle

GC: GOING OUT

Return of the king!

I have always been a firm advocate for after work drinks at Barleys as a place to relax with a good solid menu, ample sports coverage, and ice-cold beer. It ticked every box for the simple pleasures in life. With the shut down and redesign com ing, I thought it might lose some of its down to earth charm of know ing what I was going to get when I returned.

In the spirit of science, we matched the same participants and food stuffs in its previous glowing review, to give an adequate baseline to assess if they had improved on a modern classic or taken a Limassol staple from us.

It was a massively humid night, so a pair of beers were to begin with accompanied by the spicy chicken wings which we asked to have extra spice horsepower added. Normally, this makes them usually mildly potent in other venues. However, much to our delight when they were carried over my eyes could sense the impending spice bomb, we were about to ingest. As ever, great quality meat and spicy sauce was not just the standard heat attack, it was a spicy sauce that had a very nice taste, but also had the ability to numb your face.

That’s not to say I would brush my teeth with it as it was very strong, but very digestible and we managed to consume the dozen chicken wings with ease.

With the owner asking us if we would like some thirst-quenching cocktails (3 for 2 price offer), we were only too pleased to oblige in his kind offer. I am not sure what mine was, however, it was served on a large metal ladle (with the cocktail in a glass) and tasted amazing. As I am not a big spirits drinker, the best compliment I can give for anyone making me a cocktail is that I can’t taste the booze.

It is fair assessment to come to say that I was enthusiastically ordering these over the next several hours, and if I am being honest with the GC readers, we all got smashed ending the night on a high with a free Jäger meister shot being given to us that made the world go a bit unbalanced.

The second part of the review was conducted on the following day for lunch, returning to the scene of the previous nights crime I am usually a little reluctant if I am feeling not 100%. However, my child is British and as is stated on our passports does need to eat at least one piebased product every week.

We both had the chicken and mushroom pie, which was fantastic, served with mushy peas, mashed potato, and a fantastic handmade gravy. As ever the service is impec cable, where they cater to your ever need. The only sad thing was Daddy had to make his child eat a little faster, as he was what in British medical terms doing was ‘throw ing a whitey’. Based upon my booze biology knowledge, I thought I had drank enough fruit juice in the cock tails, to get past this. Sadly not, and Daddy had to pay for the nights pre vious sins. The pie and mash potato did eventually right the ship and we were ok to drive home for a nice cup of tea and a sit down (accompanied by a micro sleep whilst pretending to watch a film).

Visually also the bar has had a fantastic refit, changing the shape and dynamic of the bar. I think it is more for everyone now, and most importantly there appears to be a no karaoke policy which certainly gets my vote.

Well worth a visit.

Like most of the places we review, I have often driven past them a million times and never gave the place much thought. Sitting at home craving some Southeast Asian food, I was surprised to find that the place that was often a blur in my rear-view mirror whilst driving past the en trance to Dassoudi beach, this under the radar eatery had the highest score for Asian food in Limassol.

How could this be possible when I had been to every Asian place in the city and never heard of it?

Taking my offspring eating partner with me, I explained we were going to have Vietnamese food which was met with silence (which is usually worse than ‘Daddy, it has bits in it’) that gave me trepidation and the long-held knowledge that we would have to make a second trip on the way home to fill her up with food…however, we hit the jackpot.

When you get there, don’t expect The Ritz as the seat ing is limited and best to be outside in the hot sum mer months. However, this shouldn’t take away from the fact that it is one of the best restaurants based just on its food in Limassol. That’s not to say it is slum like conditions, far from it is clean and comfortable. The service is great, and it does give off the real Asian vibes of eating near a loud street where you can smell the amazing cooking coming from the kitchen.

I must confess I did go a bit over the top when I or dered, which could easily have fed six people. But it all looked so delicious from the pictures. One thing I im plore anyone visiting is that you order their signature dish called Pho, of which you can choose many of the different iterations.

If you are not aware what this is, it’s a Vietnamese noodle soup with or without meat in it. This could easily be a meal on its own and you would be perfectly happy. We went deeper into the menu ordering vari ous dumplings, sesame prawn toast, seafood spring rolls, garlic beef pho, stir fried beef with shaking (I was going to order more, but the waiter stopped me) and to finish one banana fritter and one apple fritter.

I found the food not as heavy as Chinese or Thai and has an incredibly diverse menu which is something you do not find in other local Asian restaurants. From experience most of them are just serving the great est hits of Asian cuisine such as Pad Thai and cashew chicken.

When you visit, push yourself to try something which you would not normally get, as it will all be of an in credibly high standard and give you confidence to try other dishes when you return. You will not be disap pointed.

I almost feel sad writing this review as it will become more challenging getting a table and filing my face, with what is without doubt the best Asian food in the city. This place is well worth a visit any time of the day. Finally, since the first visit we have returned three times to eat, with each time improving on the last. The big-name restaurants do have their place, however this easily rivals any of them for food quality and that feeling of being in central Hanoi with its street ambi ence.

*I liberated the pictures from the internet as I forgot to take some. PM for photo credit.

GC: HOMME

LOOK No 1

Magenta viscose fluid velvet cooper peak lapel cocktail jacket

Rose pink diagonal jacquard twill silk pocket square

Light pink superlight silk ribbed long sleeved roll neck knit

Hot pink iridescent twill cooper trouser with side adjusters

Black glossy patent leather alec Chelsea boot

LOOK No 2

Dark magenta viscose fluid velvet cooper peak lapel cocktail jacket

Fuschia silk pocket square

Dark magenta velvet pre tied 8cm

Hot pink charmeuse classic collar barrel cuff regular fit shirt

Black glossy patent leather enamel scored T belt

Burgundy wool mohair twill cooper western pocket trouser with belt loops

Turquoise velvet iPhone case

Black cotton embroidery ribbed socks

Black glossy patent leather jack buckle spur detail loafer

LOOK No 3

Rose silk blend satin down lined bomber hoodie

Plum viscose liquid velvet hoodie

Burgundy super light silk ribbed long sleeve roll neck knit

Burgundy iridescent twill cooper trouser with side adjusters

Chocolate glossy colored croc enamel scored belt

Hot pink glossy printed croc flat pouch with strap

Brown burnished leather Alec Chelsea boot

LOOK No 4

Burgundy buttery suede collar blouson

Wine velvet hooded zip through

Wine silk rib long sleeved Henley

White silk cotton blend long sleeved Henley

White velvet jogger

Chestnut velvet + leather tote bag with belt detail

Hot pink cashmere ribbed socks

Wine velvet Harrison slipper

LOOK No 5

Stone soft merino shearling double breasted coat

Bone soft grain leather zip jean jacket

Sky superlight silk ribbed long sleeved roll neck knit

Chocolate glossy printed croc enamel scored t belt

Ivory whipcord cooper western pocket trouser with belt loops

Ivory velvet + belt leather tote bag with belt detail

Dark cigar burnished leather alec Chelsea boot.

LOOK No 6

Ebony tumbled grain merino shearling blouson

Blue brushed silk long sleeved roll neck knit

Sky viscose pointelle knit vest

Dark brown Mikado cooper trouser with side adjusters

Chocolate glossy printed croc enameled t score belt

Ebony burnished leather Alec Chelsea boot

LOOK No 7

Nut soft merino shearling hood coat

Brown wool mohair hop sack cooper peak lapel jacket

Light blue parachute cotton silk poplin classic collar barrel cuff regular fit shirt

Blue diagonal jacquard twill silk tie 8cm

18 KT yellow gold horizontal stripe tie bar

Brown wool mohair hopsack cooper trouser with side adjusters

Chocolate glossy printed chocolate scored enamel scored belt

Light chocolate glossy printed croc mini flat pouch

Ebony burnished leather alec Chelsea boot

LOOK No 8

Brown pure cashmere tailor double breasted peak lapel overcoat

Brown Mikado cooper peak lapel jacket

Seafoam parachute cotton silk poplin classic collar barrel cuff regular fit shirt

Silver blue diagonal jacquard twill silk tie 8cm

18KT yellow gold horizontal stripe tie bar

Brown Mikado cooper trouser with dark side adjusters

Chocolate glossy printed croc enamel scored t belt

Light chocolate glossy printed croc buckley handle portfolio

Ebony burnished leather alec Chelsea boot

LOOK No 10

Purple draped Mikado cooper peak lapel jacket

Light purple jacquard twill silk pocket square

Dark purple velvet tassle scarf

Dusty lilac cotton silk poplin classic collar barrel cuff plisse evening shirt

Purple draped Mikado cooper trouser with side adjuster

Black glossy printed croc enamel scored belt

Black glossy printed croc alec zip ankle boot.

LOOK No 9

Green viscose liquid velvet hoodie

Turquoise napa vega nylon lined hood

Dark turquoise super light silk ribbed long sleeve roll neck knit

Green viscose fluid velvet cooper tailored jogger

Bottle green glossy printed croc 001 pouch

Aqua cashmere ribbed socks

Bright green velvet Harrison slipper

LOOK No 12

Red silk blemd faille down fill shaped draped shell coat detachable hood

Red double satin raglan hoodie

Red supertlight silk ribbed long sleeve roll neck

Red cady stretch cooper tailored jogger

Dark red suade Jackson sneeker

LOOK No 11

Black gloss grain leather four pocket motorcycle jacket

Black velvet long sleeved mock neck

Black ripcord cooper western pocket trouser with belt loops

Black shiney goat enamel scored belt

Emeraled glossy printed croc chain phone case

Black burninished leather alec zip ankle boot

LOOK No 14

Fuschia fluid velvet zebra velvet cooper peak lapel evening jacket

Pink charmeuse classic collar barrel cuff plisse evening shirt

Burgundy velevet pre tied large evening bow tie

Black organza reverse twill cooper evening trouser with satin waist band

Hot pink cotton embroidery ribbed socks

Black glossy patent leather jack tassel loafer

LOOK No 13

Magenta bold floral velvet cooper peak lapel evening jacket

Hot pink charmeuse classic collar barrel cuff plise evening shirt

Dark magenta velvet pre tied large evening bow tie

Black organza reverse twill cooper evening trouser with satin waistband

Pacific blue glossy printed croc chain phone case

Pink cotton embroidery ribbed socks

Black glossy patent leather jack tassel loafer

LOOK No 15

White cady stretch cooper double breasted peak lapel jacket

Ivory silk evening scarf

White viscose pointelle knit vest

White cady stretch cooper gtailored jogger

Sky velvet + leather tote bag with belt detail

White suede Jackson sneeker

GC: FEMME

LOOK No 1

Red viscose velvet boyfriend single breasted peak lapel cocktail jacket with detachable nylon hood Red superlight silk ribbed mock turtle neck knit Red stretch caddy tailored jogger Crimson pink velvet wedge sandal

LOOK No 2

Fuschia fur down filled bomber jacket

Royal grape viscose velvet tailor jogger

Fushia brushed mohair knit hooded scarf

Crimson pink velvet wedge sandal

LOOK No 3

Ink blue viscose velvet boyfriend single breasted peak lapel cocktail jacket

Ink blue viscose velvet hoodie

Ink blue viscose velvet tailored jogger

Turquoise velvet iphone case with chain

Agata velvet wedge sandal

LOOK No 4

Cobalt blue cashmir oversized sweater with zip details

Cobalt blue laquared leather midi skirt with side split

Cobalt blue cashmir knit hooded scarf

Agata velvet wedge sandal

LOOK No 5

Racing green viscose velvet boyfriend single breasted peak lapel cocktail jacket

Emerald green fluid double faced satin hoodie

Racing green viscose velvet tailored jogger

Forest velevet iphone case with chain

LOOK No 6

Rasberry cotton velvet long belted trench Red double faced satin raglan hoodie Red iphone case with chain Crimson pink velevet wedge sandal

LOOK No 7

Cobalt blue fluid double fqced satin belted short cape coat

Cobalt blue fluid double faced satin hoodie

Agata velvet wedge sandal

LOOK No 8

Aqua feather coat

Aqua fluid double faced satin hood

Agata velvet wedge sandal

Emerald green fluid double faced satin hoodie.

Emerald green stretch duchesse full length skirt with side split. Forest velevet wedge sandal.

Cobalt blue fluid double faced satin hoodie. Cobalt blue stretch duchesse full length skirt with side split. Vilet wedge sandal.

Black silk jersey hooded t shirt dress with feather trim

LOOK

Black organza reverse twill boyfired double breasted peak lapel jacket with velvent reverse

Black transparent crepe jersey hooded long sleeve t/shirt

Black liquid sequin wide leg cargo pants

Black velvet wedge sandal

LOOK No 12

LOOK No 13

White stretch cady boyfriend double breasted peak lapel jacket

White stretch cady tailored jogger

Black fluid double faced satin hoodie

Black velvet wedge sandal

Black liquid sequin long sleeve hooded evening dress.

Black fluid viscose trill boyfriend double breasted peak lapel jacket

Black viscose pointelle knit vest

Black fluid viscose twill tailored jogger

Turquoise velvet iphone case with chain Agata velvet wedge sandals

GC: CHARITY

The creators of @lostfootballs once again as they launch their new book that captures the evocative memories of playing football in the past through im ages of discarded footballs across a variety of weird and wonderful place.

Alongside the brilliant images contained in the 100plus pages of the book, there are also contributions from Sporting Memories patrons such as Dr Luther Blissett OBE DL, Terry Butcher as well as Times Chief Football Writer Henry Winter as they recollect their memories of misplaced footballs of their past!

All proceeds from the book will support our work with older people through the power of sports reminis cence and physical activity.

@lostfootballs has been going since 2013, when Mat thew Lutz found a discarded ball in the park behind his house and shared it on social media. He decided to the create the @lostfootballs account, where the world could share their pictures of football being found in a number of different locations.

Since then, the account has evolved to show the poignancy that footballs lost in time in mundane and unusual areas can show, not just on the individual but communities as well.

In 2016, Matt was joined by Adam Barnfield, as the duo keep their Twitter and Instagram accounts regularly updated with the latest contributions accompanied with lyrics to songs from late nineties and early noughties songs, with the odd classic tune thrown in as well.

With help from Stadium Hoppers in 2019, Matt and Adam created a calendar for 2020 with proceeds of that supporting our work and helped us through the challenging start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new book is available to buy now and is the ideal coffee table read or as a gift as a birthday present or Christmas present.

Susie Brindley, Partnerships Director (Charities) of Sporting Memories, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be involved with this exciting book with @lostfoot balls and we cannot thank Matt and Adam enough for allowing us on this journey.

“@lostfootballs is all about bringing back those cherished moments of playing football with friends, whether it be at the local park, in school or the street or even a car park and we hope this book reignites memories looking at the brilliant pictures and reading the evocative stories shared by our brilliant patrons.

“We’d strongly urge everyone to get their own copy before they sell out!”

Matt and Adam from @lostfootballs, said: “@lostfoot balls started by complete accident. The simplicity of a lost ball posted to twitter seemed to gain a lot of attention and it grew naturally from there - we have no idea why song lyrics work, but we try to find a song that matches the mood of the picture.

“Working with Sporting Memories was also a natural growth for us. They support people that are affected by conditions close to our hearts and the sporting connection is obvious.

“The calendars were a success and we hope this book will be too (we have added ‘author’ to our CVs!).

“Also, and just to reiterate a very important point - no rugby balls.”

You can purchase from the link below….