Article: Macao gambling group retreats from Japan bid amid controversies

Article - Media, Publications

Macao gambling group retreats from Japan bid amid controversies

ZACH COLEMAN, 23 May 2021

HONG KONG — Suncity Group, the Macao-based gambling company, has pulled out of the running for rights to run a casino resort in Japan.

The group is the biggest junket agency in Macao, bringing in high rollers from China and other countries to wager millions in VIP rooms it operates inside other companies’ casinos in the world’s largest betting hub and elsewhere. Through listed arm Suncity Group Holdings, it also runs its own casino resorts near Hoi An, Vietnam and Vladivostok, Russia and is building another in Manila’s Entertainment City gambling zone. Continue reading “Article: Macao gambling group retreats from Japan bid amid controversies”

Article: Liberty Steel breached £18m loan with Metro Bank – report

Article - Media, Publications

Liberty Steel breached £18m loan with Metro Bank – report

Angharad Carrick, 23 May 2021

Metro Bank is reportedly still waiting for the repayment of an £18m loan from embattled steel group Liberty.

It is the latest sign of trouble for Liberty’s owner GFG Alliance which is being investigated by the UK Serious Fraud Office for alleged money laundering and fraudulent trading. Its future has been in doubt since its main backer, supply chain finance firm Greensill Capital collapsed into administration in March.

But its troubles started some time earlier, with a loan secured on the steelworks as early as 2018, the BBC reported. Filings at the Isle of Man Companies Registry show that it’s one of a portfolio of industrial properties, including another factory in South Wales, which were pledged as security for an £18m loan from Metro Bank.

Liberty’s accounts for 2018-19 say that “due to breaches of… covenants and restrictions, Metro bank have called in the [loan] facility and have stipulated that full repayment must be made” by 31 March 2020.”

A GFG Alliance spokesman declined to say what caused the terms to be breached and added: “no loan terms have been breached due to non-payment” and “discussions are ongoing and are being resolved.”

Read Full Article

Article: Ye Fei stocks scandal shows why China must encourage whistle-blowers

Article - Media, Publications

Ye Fei stocks scandal shows why China must encourage whistle-blowers

Wang Xiangwei, 22 May 2021

For an outsider to understand China’s A-share stock markets, which are dominated by retail investors and thus known for high levels of market turnover and volatility, learning about harvesting chives and stir-frying methods in Chinese cookery would help a great deal. By official counts, there are more than 180 million mostly small investors who, driven by rumours, trade in and out of positions very frequently, contributing to wild fluctuations. The trading pattern is known as chao, the Chinese term for a method of stir-frying meat or vegetables rapidly in a wok at high heat.

This method of trading makes suckers out of many, who are compared to chives. Easy to grow and known as a culinary delicacy across China, chives are a hardy perennial plant which return every year after being harvested. The phrase Ge Jiu Cai or “harvesting chives” is a way of saying that as one group of investors falls prey to rampant securities frauds, another group always steps up.

It is an open secret that retail investors are often harvested like chives by unscrupulous brokers and fund managers but securities frauds are harder to prove and nail without the help of whistle-blowers.

That explains why over the past two weeks, one of the hottest topics in the Chinese stock markets involved Ye Fei, a controversial private equity manager and an online influencer, who took to Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, to allege that at least 18 stocks were being manipulated by listed companies, private equity funds, publicly offered funds, brokers, and proxy holders.

Read Full Article

Article: CBDCs may disrupt financial systems: Fitch Ratings

Article - Media, Publications

CBDCs may disrupt financial systems: Fitch Ratings

Steve Kaaru, 22 May 2021

One of the world’s largest credit rating agencies believes that central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) could disrupt the current financial systems. In its latest report, Fitch Ratings looked into how CBDCs could impact the global financial system, including giving governments a new way to track financial data and new financial policy options.

Several central banks around the world are looking at CBDCs. Some like the Bahamas have already launched their sovereign digital currencies while others like China are in advanced development stages. Yet, others like the U.S. and the U.K. are still exploring the feasibility of a CBDC and what effect it would have on the financial system. Continue reading “Article: CBDCs may disrupt financial systems: Fitch Ratings”

Article: Stock broker gets 14 years jail time for BW stock price manipulation

Article - Media, Publications

Stock broker gets 14 years jail time for BW stock price manipulation

Doris Dumlao-Abadilla, 22 May 2021

MANILA, Philippines – The Pasig Regional Trial Court has convicted a local stock broker of illegal stock trading in relation to the BW Resources stock price manipulation scandal 22 years ago.

Johnny Yap, then president, sales manager and director of Solar Securities Inc., was sentenced to 14 years in jail and ordered to pay a fine of P1 million for illegal trades that led to a 1,462-percent surge in the stock price of BW, a loss-making gaming stock.kIn a decision dated May 7, Pasig RTC Branch 67 found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violation of Section 26(a)(I)(1) of the Revised Securities Act, now Section 24.1(a)(i) of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC). Continue reading “Article: Stock broker gets 14 years jail time for BW stock price manipulation”

Article: London Capital & Finance spent £70m of bondholders’ cash on firm with two fraudsters

Article - Media, Publications

London Capital & Finance spent £70m of bondholders’ cash on firm with two fraudsters

Jim Armitage, 21 May 2021

Bosses at the collapsed investment firm London Capital & Finance invested £70 million of bondholders’ money with a hotel property firm where two senior players now have fraud convictions.

Prime Resort Development was one of the biggest recipients of LCF loans, but administrators to the bust lender say its assets in Cornwall, Cape Verde and the Dominican Republic, are only worth up to £15 million. One of Prime’s main players, Paul Seakens, was convicted last week over a carbon credit “boiler room” scheme that defrauded vulnerable investors out of £36 million. He is due to be sentenced on 28 May.

The other, Terrence Mitchell, was sentenced in December 2018 to two years’ jail for fraud and six months for “carrying on regulated activities” at collapsed savings scheme Anglo Wealth. Continue reading “Article: London Capital & Finance spent £70m of bondholders’ cash on firm with two fraudsters”

Article: Major players plead guilty in ‘funnel account’ scam at Rio Rico bank

Article - Media, Publications

Major players plead guilty in ‘funnel account’ scam at Rio Rico bank

Nogales International, 2 May 2021

Three key members of a scheme to transfer organized crime proceeds from the United States to Mexico through so-called “funnel accounts” opened at the Wells Fargo bank in Rio Rico have now pleaded guilty to federal charges.

The latest guilty plea, which was accepted by a judge during a hearing on Wednesday at U.S. District Court in Tucson, was from Carlos Antonio Vasquez, the former manager of the bank branch. He agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering – a crime that normally carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but for which Vasquez will receive no more than 34 months (2 years, 10 months) in exchange for his plea.

The conspiracy reportedly lasted from February 2017 until August 2019. Continue reading “Article: Major players plead guilty in ‘funnel account’ scam at Rio Rico bank”

Article: Senators Call For Investigation Into Packer Market Manipulation

Article - Media, Publications

Senators Call For Investigation Into Packer Market Manipulation

wnax, 21 May 2021

Senators Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Tina Smith of Minnesota are asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to examine whether the control large meatpackers have over the beef processing market violates U.S. antitrust laws and principles of fair competition. They wrote a letter to the AG this week and are inviting all members of Congress to join them. This isn’t the first investigation on this issue, but Rounds says both producers and consumers are at the center of this examination.

Two similar DOJ investigations are still underway with no results. However, Senator Rounds says they have evidence those are moving forward and are calling for action from the AG’s office if there is proof of wrongdoing. He thinks there is a better chance of getting some action under this AG and administration. Continue reading “Article: Senators Call For Investigation Into Packer Market Manipulation”

Article: London startup fighting against financial crime with ML picks $70M from Goldman Sachs

Article - Media, Publications

London startup fighting against financial crime with ML picks $70M from Goldman Sachs

UKTechNews, 21 May 2021

London-based global data technology company – ComplyAdvantage transforming financial crime detection has announced a fresh investment from Goldman Sachs Growth Equity (“Goldman Sachs”).

While the terms of transactions were not disclosed, the Machine Learning (ML) scaleup has extended its Series C investment to $70 million with this new Goldman Sachs investment. Pouring fresh investment into oversubscribed Series C funding. It is an extension to the company’s oversubscribed Series C funding announced in July 2020. With this, Goldman Sachs joins a growing list of the company’s world-class investors, including the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, Index Ventures, and Balderton Capital. Continue reading “Article: London startup fighting against financial crime with ML picks $70M from Goldman Sachs”

Article: SH: A Dangerous Way To Position For A Crash

Article - Media, Publications

SH: A Dangerous Way To Position For A Crash

Stuart Allsopp, 21 May 2021

I fully expect U.S. stocks to decline sharply over the coming months and potentially years as the extreme level of valuation and bullish sentiment cannot be maintained indefinitely. I have written about the risks of major losses in the S&P 500 and other indices a number of times over recent months and I remain fully convinced that we are on the precipice of a market crash and/or a long-term bear market. See ‘VTI: Rising Inflation May Burst This 3-Sigma Bubble’ for my most recent article on U.S. stocks, or ‘SPX: Don’t Be Suckered In By ‘Low’ Forward P/E Ratios’ for my take on the S&P 500 in particular. That said, I do not think being long the ProShares Short S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:SH) is a good way to take advantage of the upcoming equity weakness.

SH Is A High-Risk Option For Gaining Downside Market Exposure
Risk management is equally, if not more, important than getting the major market moves right, and the SH is a high-risk option. Even for those investors with little alternative to get exposure to S&P 500 downside, I would not recommend this ETF other than for savvy market timers who intend to hold their position for a matter of days rather than weeks or months. Continue reading “Article: SH: A Dangerous Way To Position For A Crash”

Article: SEC chair Gensler says agency will enforce rules ‘aggressively’ against bad actors

Article - Media, Publications

SEC chair Gensler says agency will enforce rules ‘aggressively’ against bad actors

Bob Pisani, 20 May 2021

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler said he would be aggressively pursuing bad financial actors who were “playing with working families’ savings.”

Gensler made his remarks at a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority conference with Robert Cook, president and CEO of FINRA. FINRA is the agency that regulates broker-dealers and exchanges.

As he did in his recent Congressional testimony, Gensler emphasized that enforcement would be a key part of protecting the public.

Read Full Article

Lucy Komisar: How corrupt brokers, hedge funds with govt & media facilitators steal from stock market investors

Article - Media, Publications

How corrupt brokers, hedge funds with govt & media facilitators steal from stock market investors
My interview on the Superstonk youtube channel tells through three dramatic stories how corrupt brokers, hedge funds and their accomplices in government and the media steal from stock market investors. Superstonk is the investor site started by retail buyers of GameStop whose buys pushed up the stock price and cost hedge fund short sellers billions.

The key is naked short selling, when traders sell stocks they do not own, claiming they have borrowed or located where they can borrow them, and then never deliver the shares to buyers. More shares in the market drives their price down. Short sellers plan to then buy the shares at a cheaper price and deliver them. Or often they don’t deliver them at all. They “fail.”

Read Full Article

Article: Fraud Detection And Prevention Market Size Worth $62.70 Billion By 2028: Grand View Research, Inc.

Article - Media, Publications

Fraud Detection And Prevention Market Size Worth $62.70 Billion By 2028: Grand View Research, Inc.

Grand View Research, Inc. , 20 May 2021

The global fraud detection and prevention market size is expected to reach USD 62.70 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 15.4% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rise in incidences of mobile payment frauds, phishing, and card frauds, and their subsequent impact on businesses and resultant financial losses are anticipated to drive market growth over the forecast period. Digital transformation is the new buzzword, as businesses transform the way they interact with their customers. However, increased digitization has also exposed businesses to online frauds and scams.

Key suggestions from the report:

An increase in the number of fraudulent activities reported worldwide and increased reliance on online transactions will create opportunities for market growth. The solution segment is expected to register a CAGR exceeding 10.0% from 2021 to 2028. The need to identify behavior or patterns associated with fraudulent activities among enterprises is a key factor expected to favor the segment growth. The proliferation of analytic tools to detect threats or anomalies in organization data is expected to favor fraud analytical solutions growth

Consistent internet access has paved way for digital transactions. However, cyber frauds becoming rampant at an alarming rate has led to the increased demand for fraud detection solutions to curb payment fraud incidences. Larger enterprises have the spending capacity to secure customer as well as business data, and this has resulted in the segment capturing the highest market share in 2020. However, with fraud activities occurring at an alarming frequency, small- & medium-sized enterprises are also expected to increase spending on security solutions over the forecast period.

North America has always been at the forefront of technology developments and digitization of processes. Therefore, the region captured the highest market share in 2020, with increased demand from several tech companies in the region

Read Full Article

Article: US Treasury Plans to Raise Additional $700B Through New Tax Compliance Measures

Article - Media, Publications

US Treasury Plans to Raise Additional $700B Through New Tax Compliance Measures

Matthew De Saro, 20 May 2021

The United States Treasury Department released a statement on Thursday announcing their plans to crack down on tax evasion using cryptocurrency. The Treasury Department plans to raise an additional $700 billion through the new tax compliance measures.

In the 22-page report, officials highlighted a number of policies to grow enforcement aimed at combating the expanding tax gap. The tax gap is the calculated difference between what taxpayers are paying and what they actually owe. Currently, the tax gap is around $600 billion annually.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commissioner, however, believes the number could exceed $1 trillion when cryptocurrencies are taken into account. The policies identified include increased reporting requirements, new auditor tools, and new rules specific to cryptocurrencies.

Closing the gap
The plan will require any transfer of $10,000 or more will be reported to the IRS and could raise as much as $2 trillion over the next 20 years. Just getting close to closing that gap could be a huge step in funding President Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar spending proposals. Proposals aimed at bettering childcare, manufacturing, and other domestic priorities.

Read Full Article

Article: New obligations to protect UK’s art market from money laundering

Article - Media, Publications

New obligations to protect UK’s art market from money laundering

Mary-Alice Stack, 20 May 2021

The value of the UK art market is estimated at c.£10 billion per annum and represents 20% of global art trade. The size of our market share (second only to the USA, alongside China) has been long recognised as a key strength of the UK’s creative economy. But the Government’s latest National Risk Assessment from December 2020 puts it at high risk of money laundering. But what exactly is money laundering, and how does it impact on the art market?

Money laundering is the process by which the financial proceeds of criminal activity are dealt with in a way that makes those funds appear lawful. At its most basic, this can happen when criminals buy art with dirty money then resell it – or use it as collateral for a loan. Continue reading “Article: New obligations to protect UK’s art market from money laundering”