Virgin Pulse Expands Leadership Team; Appoints New Chief Financial Officer and Chief Technology Officer to Support Company’s Growth and Expansion

Rik Thorbecke, CFO, Virgin Pulse

Rik Thorbecke appointed CFO of Virgin Pulse

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Oct. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Virgin Pulse, the leading global provider of tech-enabled solutions designed to help users make the best decisions at every stage of their health and wellbeing journey, today announced two key executive additions to the company’s leadership team. Rik Thorbecke has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Amit Jain has been named the company’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Amit Jain, CTO, Virgin Pulse

Amit Jain joins Virgin Pulse as company’s first global CTO

“I am thrilled to announce the appointments of Rik and Amit to Virgin Pulse’s leadership team,” said Chris Michalak. “Both are joining at a crucial time as we complete our acquisition of Welltok and prepare for our next stage of growth. As accomplished, high-impact leaders in their respective fields, both bring a complementary combination of strategy, finance, and technology leadership to our organization that will help us optimize resources and investments as we continue to evolve Homebase for Health® and expand our global footprint in the health and wellbeing market.”

  • Rik Thorbecke brings broad and global leadership experience in strategic finance, mergers and acquisitions, business planning, enterprise software, and international business to Virgin Pulse. As CFO, he will oversee finance strategy and operations and accelerate Virgin Pulse’s growth trajectory, leading a team focused on building business partnerships and optimizing business processes and systems. With software experience spanning enterprise information management, API integration, and data-driven decisioning, coupled with a consumer-centered, customer-first orientation, Rik’s leadership will be invaluable as the company expands its Homebase for Health® strategy. Prior to Virgin Pulse, Rik held several executive finance and strategy roles at well-known public and high-growth private companies, including Electronic Arts, Equinix, Levi Strauss, Magnitude Software and most recently as CFO of Jitterbit, a leading API integration and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) provider.
  • Amit Jain joins Virgin Pulse as the company’s first global CTO. As CTO, he will lead technology strategy, overseeing global R&D, engineering, and technical platform operations as the company advances its Homebase for Health® vision, product innovation and global expansion. Amit brings extensive experience building highly scalable global SaaS platforms and distributed computing architectures, implementing modern technology infrastructures, and applying predictive modeling and artificial intelligence to forecast outcomes.  With more than 20 years of enterprise software experience spanning global organizations, Amit has a proven track record of leading cross-functional global engineering teams. Prior to Virgin Pulse, he served as the CTO of RSi (Retail Solutions Inc.), where he led the build and transformation of a cloud-native global SaaS platform. Prior to RSi, Amit led engineering development for large SaaS platforms, risk modeling and cloud network analytics at Infor and RMS.

The appointments of Virgin Pulse’s latest executives comes on the heels of the company’s commercial team expansion, announced last month.

About Virgin Pulse
Virgin Pulse is the leading global provider of health and wellbeing solutions designed to drive health outcomes and reduce costs by enabling better decision-making across the full care continuum — from prevention and wellbeing to pre-chronic and chronic disease management to episodic and acute care. Featuring the industry’s only true Homebase for Health®, Virgin Pulse fuses high-tech, high-touch, predictive analytics, AI and data to help clients, members, health consumers and patients navigate their health, wellbeing and benefits – all in one trusted and familiar place. Today, thousands of organizations and more than 14 million users in 190 countries trust Virgin Pulse to change their lives – and businesses – for good. For more tips and insights, connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Contact:
Press@virginpulse.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f10bd608-d405-4faa-89fd-b7522e1258f3

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5f9b6c55-5f6c-47c0-aa68-0136fe2dc3d5

NetSfere Extends the Power of Its Industry Leading CPaaS Platform to Developers and Enterprises with the Launch of the New Omnichannel Portal

New user-friendly portal enables developers and enterprises to deliver rich, personalized experiences, including critical communication alerts, reminders, and notifications at global scale – all via a single, secure, industry-compliant omnichannel platform

CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NetSfere, a global provider of next-generation secure and compliant messaging and mobility solutions, today announced the launch of its new omnichannel portal created for developers to build and integrate multi-channel capabilities for their enterprise applications to orchestrate customer communication and engagement at global scale.

“With NetSfere messaging and mobility solutions enabling more than 500 million mobile subscribers and over a trillion of messages globally on an annual basis, NetSfere has helped enterprises around the world effectively and securely disseminate rich, personalized customer communications,” said Anurag Lal, President and CEO of Infinite Convergence. “With the launch of the new omnichannel portal, developers now have access to rapidly integrate real-time communications into business applications and workflows to streamline customer and employee interactions.”

NetSfere Omnichannel platform allows developers to quickly build and integrate customer communication at scale, and deliver rich, personalized experiences, including delivery of important alerts, reminders, and notifications – all via a single, easy-to-implement Application Programming Interface (API) developer portal.

The new user-friendly platform provides secure environment with programmable APIs and reference documentation in several popular languages for quick integration, including sample codes for different use cases and workflows. Additionally, the portal offers an intuitive dashboard that provides full visibility into API usages and real-time performance metrics, analytics and insight into customer communications and trends. With the new self-service portal, developers and enterprises can sign up in seconds and instantaneously deploy customer communications globally.

“The digitalization of the customer and employee experiences has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, setting the stage for the next leg of CPaaS growth. According to 451 Research’s recently updated analysis, total market revenue is expected to increase at a CAGR of 28%, reaching $23bn by 2025,” said Raúl Castañón-Martinez, Senior Analyst for Workforce Collaboration at 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence division. “Developers use these services to enable real-time features – such as push notifications, voice and video click-to-call capabilities, and two-factor secure authentication – and redefine how organizations engage with their clients, partners and employees.”1

NetSfere Omnichannel is a CPaaS platform built from the ground-up for enterprises, enabling digital customer engagement at a global scale from a single platform with multi-channels to orchestrate the customer communication journey, including 1-way and 2-way SMS, MMS and RCS messaging, push notifications, voice, email, and social media messaging. The platform provides key benefits like intelligent routing and cost optimization, content management, number validation for increased open rates, full enterprise admin controls, rich analytics, and data archiving. The platform protects enterprises and customers with the highest level of security and meets all regulatory compliance standards including HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS, required by industries such as healthcare, retail, financial services, logistics, travel and hospitality, governments and public sector, and service providers and MNOs.

To learn more about NetSfere Omnichannel platform and the new API developer portal, visit www.infinite-convergence.com/omni.

About NetSfere
NetSfere, from Infinite Convergence Solutions, Inc., provides next generation messaging and mobility solutions to carriers and enterprises globally including its enterprise-grade, secure mobile messaging platform NetSfere Enterprise and customer engagement platform, NetSfere Omnichannel. NetSfere is also offered globally in partnership with Deutsche Telekom GmbH, one of the world’s leading integrated telecommunications companies, and with NTT Ltd., a global information communications & technology service provider, to jointly offer NetSfere to its worldwide customers. NetSfere is also compliant with global regulatory requirements, including GDPR, HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001, and others. The company’s technology supports more than 500 million subscribers and over one trillion messages per year. NetSfere has offices in the United States, Germany, UK, Singapore, and India. For more information, visit: https://www.netsfere.com/

Media Contact
Brittany Johnson
Uproar PR for NetSfere
bjohnson@uproarpr.com
312-878-4575 x246

_______________
1 451 Research, “The CPaaS story – explosive growth fueled by hefty investments” (October 2021)

Unique Network Raises $11.3 Million For Next-Generation NFT Infrastructure

The first NFT chain for Polkadot and Kusama offers greater flexibility for anyone who wants to build their own gallery or video game

LONDON, Oct. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Unique Network, a next generation NFT chain for Polkadot and Kusama, announced today that it has raised $11.3 million in the second round of its pre-sale, bringing its total raised to $16M. The investment round was led by Web3 investment pioneers Outlier Ventures, who were joined by some of the most well-known NFT investors, including The LAO, Flamingo, Nalu Capital and over 200 other investors, including a number of follow-on investments from the previous round his funding round, especially with the quality and quantity of investors involved, has positioned Unique Network well for the upcoming launch of Quartz, its NFT chain for Kusama.

“Unique Network are trailblazing a new path for NFTs within Polkadot and Kusama’s ecosystem and we are incredibly excited to back them in their pursuit to increase the design space of NFTs.” – Chris Cable, FlamingoDAO

“Despite all the current buzz around NFTs, there is still a massive barrier to entry,” said Unique Network co-founder and CEO Alexander Mitrovich. “Gas fees, the need to purchase cryptocurrencies, storage, and even the fact that NFTs have limited features for artists to express their vision, all hold the industry back. Unique Network and our Kusama chain, Quartz, are built to solve the economic and storage problems with Ethereum-based NFTs and create new levels of interaction and malleability that will take NFTs to the next level.”

Unique Network will participate in the upcoming parachain auctions for Kusama, during which they aim to secure a parachain slot for Quartz, their new canary network for Kusama. Beginning on Wednesday October 27th, interested parties can participate in the crowdloan to help Quartz win the auction.

Quartz will be the first NFT infrastructure on Kusama, and is designed to enable the most powerful and advanced NFT functionality on the Kusama network. Quartz parachain on Kusama will allow anyone to build NFT marketplaces and experiences with interoperability between different blockchains, like Ethereum and EVM Based Chains and other notable NFT blockchains.

In the five months since its first investment round, Unique Network has announced various partnerships including with the UN-led DigitalArt4Climate Campaign with GloCha, RMRK, Art Curators Grid, Forever Has Fallen, and more. With the impending launch of Quartz, Unique Network will be able to help even more projects and artists develop their NFT marketplaces and experiences.

For more information, please visit Unique Network, and join us on Twitter and Telegram.

About Unique Network

Unique Network is a framework for the next generation of NFTs. The first NFT chain for Kusama and Polkadot, it offers developers independence from network-wide transaction fees and upgrades. The Unique Network team built Substrapunks, the first NFTs on Polkadot, won Hackusama in 2020, and created Substrate’s pallet for NFTs. Unique Network launched in July 2021.

For media inquiry, please contact: jo@serotonin.co

Virtusa Introduces New Senior Leaders to Capture Rising Demand

Company Appoints CEO-Global Markets and Industries, CFO and CTO to Accelerate Growth

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Virtusa Corporation, a global provider of digital strategy, digital engineering and IT services and solutions that help clients change and disrupt markets through innovation engineering, today announced several key leadership appointments. Today’s announcements extend Virtusa’s leadership, vision, and reputation as a top employer.

Virtusa has a long heritage of providing deep digital engineering skills and industry expertise to clients around the world. We are excited to build on that tradition with the following appointments:

Samir Dhir has been named CEO – Global Markets and Industries, a newly formed role, to lead P&L management for all industry groups and markets worldwide. Samir has been an instrumental leader during his 11 years with Virtusa. Prior to this appointment, Samir led the overall P&L management for the Americas.

Amit Bajoria has been appointed as Virtusa’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), replacing Virtusa’s former CFO, who had previously resigned. Amit brings 20+ years of experience at Wipro, most recently as Senior Vice President, Finance & Global Controller, where he was responsible for deal structuring, financial reporting, Security & Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting, financial controls, and Merger & Acquisition activities.

Ram Meenakshisundaram has been appointed as Virtusa’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), a new role within Virtusa to lead lines of service including technology strategy and solutions, building digital competencies and capabilities, and working with Virtusa’s alliance group to enable partner solutions. Ram brings 30+ years of experience, with his last 16 years in leadership roles at Cognizant, most recently as Head of Delivery, Growth Markets, where he was responsible for leading a $4 billion business with a geographically distributed team. Ram also served on the Executive Leadership team at Cognizant.

“Today’s announcements align to our engineering roots while paving the way to an exciting future for our company, employees, partners and clients,” said Santosh Thomas, CEO of Virtusa. “The addition of Ram and Amit bolster an already solid leadership team, and their experience and track records will contribute to the growth path we’re on. Samir has done a tremendous job in leading our Americas business, and I’m confident in his ability to build upon that success.”

These appointments report to Santosh Thomas, CEO and are effective immediately.

About Virtusa

Virtusa Corporation is a global provider of digital business strategy, digital engineering, and information technology (IT) services and solutions that help clients change, disrupt, and unlock new value through innovative engineering. Virtusa serves Global 2000 companies in Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Communications, Media, Entertainment, Travel, Manufacturing, and Technology industries.

Virtusa helps clients grow their business with innovative products and services that create operational efficiency using digital labor, future-proof operational and IT platforms, and rationalization and modernization of IT applications infrastructure. This is achieved through a unique approach blending deep contextual expertise, empowered agile teams, and measurably better engineering to create holistic solutions that drive the business forward at unparalleled velocity enabled by a culture of cooperative disruption.

Virtusa is a registered trademark of Virtusa Corporation. All other company and brand names may be trademarks or service marks of their respective holders.

Contact:
Matt Berry
Conversion Marketing
matt@conversionam.com


WillScot Mobile Mini Acquires Leading Regional Modular Space Company

PHOENIX, Oct. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp. (“WillScot Mobile Mini” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: WSC), a North American leader in modular space and portable storage solutions, today announced that it closed the acquisition of Sommer’s Mobile Leasing, Inc. The transaction was funded with cash on hand and borrowings under the Company’s revolving credit agreement. This acquisition adds about 1,200 modular units and about 500 storage units in the Company’s existing U.S. markets in Ohio and West Virginia.

Brad Soultz, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “I am excited to welcome the employees of Sommer’s Mobile Leasing to our team at WillScot Mobile Mini. Sommer’s has been a leading provider of modular space solutions in the Ohio and West Virginia markets since 1946. Consistent with our M&A strategy, these operations allow us to extend our ‘Ready to Work’ value proposition to new customers with our industry leading service capabilities while leveraging our technology investments and operational best practices to create value for our shareholders. I look forward to collaborating with our new team members in our new Columbus, Cleveland, and Charleston locations.”

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “shall,” “outlook” and variations of these words and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. Certain of these forward-looking statements include statements relating value creation, the Company’s share price, and the Company’s future performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside our control, which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These risks include, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties described in the periodic reports we file with the SEC from time to time (including our Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2020), which are available through the SEC’s EDGAR system at www.sec.gov and on our website. Any forward-looking statement speaks only at the date which it is made, and WillScot Mobile Mini disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

About WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp.

WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings trades on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol “WSC.” Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the Company is a leading business services provider specializing in innovative flexible workspace and portable storage solutions. WillScot Mobile Mini services diverse end markets across all sectors of the economy from a network of over 275 branch locations and additional drop lots throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

Contact Information

Investor Inquiries:

Nick Girardi

nick.girardi@willscotmobilemini.com

Media Inquiries:

Scott Junk

scott.junk@willscotmobilemini.com

Colliers releases ambitious Enterprise ’25 growth strategy

Plan continues focus on delivering balanced and diversified growth

TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading diversified professional services and investment management company Colliers (NASDAQ and TSX: CIGI) today released its next five-year Enterprise ’25 growth strategy, once again setting bold targets to continue its proven track record of success. The Company plans to more than double its profitability, ​with at least 65% of adjusted EBITDA coming from recurring revenue, by the end of 2025.Enterprise '25 - Colliers International Group Inc.10/21: Colliers Enterprise

“Colliers’ enduring strength comes from our enterprising culture, global platform, leading expertise and growth mindset. Our balanced and diversified business model allows us to provide expert advice to our clients, wherever they choose to do business,” said Jay S. Hennick, Global Chairman and CEO. “We will continue to grow from strength to strength by augmenting our internal growth with smart acquisitions that build scale, expertise, and expand our service lines.As we deliver on our Enterprise ’25 growth strategy, we will create meaningful shareholder value as we have for more than 26 years, all while leading the industry into the future.”

Enterprise ’25 Targets
Colliers has set the following operational and financial goals, to be achieved over the five year period ending December 31, 2025. Given its strong results during the first half of 2021 and acquisitions announced to date, the Company is off to a robust start on each of these metrics. Delivering on these growth targets is expected to create significant long-term shareholder value.

2025 Targets (US$)
Revenue $5.6 billion
Adjusted EBITDA1 $830 million
Adjusted EPS1 $8.40
Adjusted EBITDA from recurring revenue >65%

________________________
1 Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures. For reconciliations to the nearest GAAP measures, please refer to the Company’s Management Discussion and Analysis available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Enterprise ’25 Growth Pillars
To achieve its ambitious growth aspirations, Colliers will focus on six key growth pillars that build on its unique enterprising culture and proven track record of success:

  • Build scale
  • Strategically acquire
  • Expand client relationships
  • Make culture count
  • Amplify our brand
  • Innovate with technology

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

Contact:
Christian Mayer
Global Chief Financial Officer
416-960-9500

Media Contact:
Carolyn Merchant
Senior Director, Global Brand & Communications
carolyn.merchant@colliers.com
647-218-1579

About Colliers
Colliers (NASDAQ, TSX: CIGI) is a leading diversified professional services and investment management company. With operations in 66 countries, our more than 15,000 enterprising professionals work collaboratively to provide expert advice to real estate occupiers, owners and investors. For more than 26 years, our experienced leadership with significant insider ownership has delivered compound annual investment returns of almost 20% for shareholders. With annualized revenues of $3.3 billion ($3.6 billion including affiliates) and $45 billion of assets under management, we maximize the potential of property and accelerate the success of our clients and our people. Learn more at corporate.colliers.com, Twitter @Colliers or LinkedIn.

Webtel.mobi’s Roadmap for Globally-Valid Digital Currencies and CBDCs – Requirements, Obstacles, Solutions and Rewards

Global Telephony Provider Webtel.mobi – the company that created the world’s first globally operational and multicurrency Digital Currency and Global Clearing System – describes some of the requirements, obstacles and solutions for success, and the exponential rewards for success

A Global Digital Currency with Clearing System gives access to all the World’s Largest Markets

A Global Digital Currency with Clearing System gives access to all the World’s Largest Markets

ST PETER PORT, Guernsey and NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Currently, discussions, workgroups, task forces and a wide array of organizations worldwide are discussing and working on the creation of either Globally Valid Digital Currencies or CBDCs. These entities have been having these discussions for almost 10 years now – without any concrete result or action resulting from them.

This is because other than a relatively modest group who understand these matters in their entirety, there are four other categories of experts engaged in these discussions, which can be loosely categorized as follows:

  • Persons highly qualified and experienced in Economics and Finance – but who lack the corresponding Technology & IT, Political & Geopolitical qualifications, and experience. They think their aims can be achieved because they do not realize the nature and scope of the Technology & IT, and Political & Geopolitical hurdles to be traversed.
  • Persons highly qualified and experienced in Technology and IT – but who lack the corresponding Economic & Financial, Political & Geopolitical qualifications and experience. They think their aims can be achieved because they do not realize the nature and scope of the Economic & Financial and Political & Geopolitical hurdles to be traversed.
  • Persons highly qualified and experienced in Politics and Geopolitics – but who lack the corresponding Technology & IT and Economic & Financial qualifications and experience. They think their aims can be achieved because they do not realize the nature and scope of the Technology & IT and Economic & Financial hurdles to be traversed.
  • Persons who are highly qualified and experienced in raising or lending funds. They may not have experience or qualifications in any other arena, and may not know or care whether Globally Valid Digital Currencies or CBDCs are practical or achievable. Their focus is only on making money from the funds they raise for, or lend to, these groups. They will happily continue to raise funds or lend funds – on top of the USD Hundreds of Billions already spent on these matters to date – for as long as the multitude of entities continuing with their working-groups / task forces want to continue to talk, and plan, without reaching any conclusions or results.

This is why despite nearly a decade of talking, many of the most basic and entry-level considerations in these matters have not yet been addressed. Perhaps if they were, resolution on how – or if – to proceed could move past the working-group / task force talking phase and on to action. Some of the matters that should be addressed include the following:

Suitability of Cryptocurrencies for a Globally Valid Digital Currency or CBDC
Cryptocurrencies are:

  • Speculative Retail Commodities – not currencies or generally-accepted Mediums of Exchange,
  • That rely solely on the permanent application of Artificial Scarcity to maintain value – and raising the number of their “coins” from the Artificially Limited 30 to 50 million to the thousands of Trillions required for global transactions in all markets will collapse their speculative value,
  • That have no underlying value other than being a Speculative Commodity in, and of, themselves (i.e., they are not backed by money or gold),
  • That have fluctuating values, so there is a complete absence of stable value – the absolute and unalterable prerequisite for any medium of exchange,
  • That cannot be used for digital transactions by the 50% of mobile phones in use in the world that are Pre-Smart Phones, because Mobile Apps cannot function on those Phones (Mobile Phones and Mobile Data being the only source of internet access for 50%+ of the world’s population),
  • That cannot be used in the 60% of countries worldwide where mobile data is so slow and expensive it would use people’s entire month’s mobile data allowance for one transaction.

Cryptocurrencies have their own markets and uses, and the entities in those markets have spent a great deal of time and energy to develop them to be fit for their purpose. Their purpose is to facilitate trading in Speculative Retail Commodities, which have fluctuating values, derived from the maintenance of Artificial Scarcity, combined with methods to stimulate Artificial Demand. Their purpose is not – and cannot be – to act as Globally Valid Mediums of Exchange in global economic and financial transactions or markets.

Practicality of Retail CBDCs – At the Top-Level
The vast majority of Central Bank-issued money is already Digital Currency – and has been for decades. There is nothing to be developed here – in terms of product, system, or distribution flows between from Central Banks to Central Banks, Central Banks to Commercial Banks, or IMF to Central Banks (for SDRs). They all work. What seems to be being discussed (although this has also not yet been clearly articulated – after nearly 10 years) is a “Retail CBDC”, entailing Central Banks’ disintermediation of Commercial Banks to transact directly with the public. In this case:

  • What will replace the Commercial Bank System – that will definitely fail if Central Banks usurp its primary source of revenue? It needs replacement for the public to have venues and personnel to transact with.
  • How – from legal, practical, cost and time perspectives – will Central Banks be able to replicate the Commercial Bank system? Nationalization of the Commercial Banks would be the only option, but that is hardly likely to occur.
  • Where will the credit extended to the public be recorded if Central Banks take over this role from Commercial Banks? Will this private debt be recorded as part of the National Debt? How would this huge addition to National Debt affect the stability of the national currency, inflation, global trade in that currency, etc.?
  • Would the Central Bank be liable in potential lawsuits brought by the public? If yes, what would the consequences to the Country, National Currency or the Central Bank be if it lost such lawsuits?

Neither the purpose of Central Banks transacting directly with the public nor the practical, legal nor any other ramifications of taking such a step have ever been able to be clearly articulated. Quite apart from lowering transaction costs to the public, it will raise them – exponentially. The Vice Chair for Supervision of the Federal Reserve System – Randal K. Quarles – gave a speech on these matters previously. His points were clear and inescapable, and it is well worth considering them. A copy of his speech is in the “Resources” section of this article.

Blockchain and Distributed Ledger
Both of these processes – either singly or in combination – are touted as “new” developments or developments that will alter the landscape or enable things to be done now that were not possible before. None of these assumptions are valid. Firstly, many companies already have these processes functional in their systems – they just call them by different names (definitions of each are in the “Resources” section of this article). They are not “new” processes. Secondly, these processes alone are neither enough – nor sufficient, by far – to enable or bring create Globally Valid Digital Currencies. For example, WM’s system has Blockchain ++. That means, specifically, Blockchain + 18 additional Blockchain Processes per transaction + Failsafe (Blockchain processes on ITAN Numbers + Currencies + TUV Serial Numbers + Countries + Mobile Numbers + Transaction Types + Transaction Amounts + Transaction Reference numbers + Usernames + Independent Agents X 3 levels + VSMPs X 2 levels + Dates + Times of Day + Consolidation of all. Failsafe is an additional Blockchain Record maintained by the Artificial Intelligence Agent called HAL). It is the most comprehensive Blockchain system that exists – but alone – or even in combination with Distributed Ledger, it is not enough – very by far – for either a functioning Globally Valid Digital Currency or a Global Clearing System. Similarly, WM has Distributed Ledger++. That means, specifically, Distributed Ledger + 7 additional Distributed Ledger records of the same transaction + Failsafe (Distributed Ledger records on all Independent Agent Consoles X 3 levels + all VSMP Consoles X 2 levels + in all participating Member Accounts in “History”. Failsafe is an additional Distributed Ledger maintained by the Artificial Intelligence Agent called HAL). This is why WM was able to create a Programmable Currency (“Smart TUV”) – because all parties to the transaction can not only jointly see the data, they can independently monitor it, approve it, and program it (as well as it being independently monitored). These attributes and processes alone – or in conjunction – do not, however, even scratch the surface of requirements for a Globally valid Digital Currency or Clearing system. There are thousands of requirements for such a product and system – not just two.

Requirement for a Global Clearing System
One cannot simply create a Globally Valid Digital Currency or CBDC in isolation. To do that would be like creating a motor vehicle that runs on air, does not break, can last forever, and can have shape or color modified whenever one wants to – but creating it so that it can only function in a small patch of open space in the Amazon jungle, and it will break if it leaves it. Nice car – but useless outside its small patch. This is what any Global Digital Currency and/or any CBDC is – without a Global Clearing System. The same applies to a Digital Currency or CBDC that has no Global Exchange or Clearing System for the free and open storage of, transfer to, receipt from, exchange of, conversion of, settlement or redemption of the Digital Currency. All the time and money in the world can be spent on creating any type of Global Digital Currency or CBDC, but without the Global Clearing System, every one of them will be utterly useless outside its own small patch. Moreover, the Global Digital Currency and/or CBDC must be created to function in harmony with the Global Clearing System – otherwise it will not function, at all, within that environment. This, naturally, means the Global Clearing System has to be created before the Global Digital Currency or CBDC is created. To create such a Global Clearing System for CBDCs will require multilateral political consensus globally – not the solving of economic or technological requirements. This is because Central Banks’ issuing of National Currencies is at play – which is a matter of strategic national security for all countries. A Global Clearing System for CBDCs between Central Banks will require sharing of sensitive national financial and economic information – which requires countries to disclose their monetary policy and secrets that go hand-in-hand with that. When countries such as the USA and China, Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, the UK and Argentina, Greece and Turkey and multiple other countries that have historical or ongoing issues between them are prepared to disclose their economic secrets to each other, a Global Exchange Mechanism for CBDCs could be created. It may require a long wait for this to happen. For a Global Clearing System for a Globally Valid Digital Currency to be created – outside CBDCs / Central Banks, there are tens of thousands of economic, financial, legal, regulatory, structural, process, component and other requirements that need to be satisfactorily addressed. This can be done (WM has done it), but it requires many years of focused and steady work, and then many more years of testing and refinement. Nevertheless, it can be done.

What Entities can most realistically create Globally Valid Digital Currencies?
The only entities capable of doing this in the foreseeable future – as a fact – are Telecommunications companies. Even current Legacy Systems for all Transfers, Payments, Settlement, and all other transactions run on Telecommunications rails. SWIFT – and the entities that run off its rails including the IBAN system, China’s CIPS system, the USA’s Fedwire and all others – are all Telecommunications systems. That is why SWIFT – and all entities that run on its rails – are in the Telecommunications sector (and have been since the inception of “Wire Transfers” – via Telegraph Wires). WM – a Global Telephony Company – has already successfully created a tested, proven, due diligenced and fully-operational worldwide Digital Currency (the TUV) and Global Clearing System. It would not have been able to do so had it not been for the structural, process, logistical, interconnectivity, regulatory and (many) other factors inherent within the global telephony sector. Telecommunications Companies already have at least 50% of the required products, processes, flows, components, infrastructure, and global connectivity fully functional in their existing systems, and are able to do this from regulatory and legal perspectives. There would still be 50%+ to create, and significant restructuring of existing facilities – as well as creation of Artificial Intelligence Complex Adaptive Systems to make it feasible and enable dual-use of their Telephony Facilities. It will take enormous amounts of time, money, and resources – and several years of work – to complete this restructuring, but it would be worthwhile to do this.

Why it is worthwhile to go to the trouble of Creating a Global Digital Currency and Clearing System
In the recent past, various expert commentators have provided their views on the potential advantages a Globally Valid and Multicurrency Digital Currency could bring about. Two of these commentaries – one from the World Economic Forum and one from the Forbes Financial Council – are attached in the “Resources” section of this article, and are well worth reading. Every single one of their prescient predictions is valid and 100% correct. However, those predictions – as seemingly exceptional as they are – do not even begin to describe, even remotely, the extraordinary and unprecedented breadth and scope – and the astounding market opportunities and scale of market opportunities, unprecedented in Economic, Financial, Business, or Commercial history – that are opened up to any entity that achieves this goal. As WM has achieved this goal, and it is already in the position to enter into every market – from basic to sophisticated, and from the smallest to the largest transactions in the world, with unmatchable value-propositions – it can state this as a matter of fact, not as a view or opinion based upon a future but as-yet unrealized aspiration. The markets, market volumes and market values – worldwide – that are available once an entity develops – in reality – a fully functioning Globally Valid, Distributable, Accessible, Recognizable, Convertible, Transactable, Transferable, Redeemable, Stable Store of Value and Medium of Exchange – that has the utility of cash and the security and convenience of Digital Currency – make virtually any effort worthwhile.

This is because the Market Scope, Volumes and Values that then become available to the company possessing the Globally Valid Digital Currency and Global Clearing System – as WM does – are so vast in size (cumulatively in excess of USD 25 Trillion+ per day), that they are literally unmatched and unmatchable, by factors and by degrees of magnitude, by any and every single other form of business in the world.

Resources:

Media Contact:
Nick Lambert: wm@thoburns.com

5 Ways Digital Currencies will Change the World – World Economic Forum:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/01/5-ways-digital-currencies-will-change-the-world/

Eight Ways Digital Currencies will Change the Financial Landscape – Forbes Financial Council:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2017/08/25/eight-ways-digital-currencies-will-change-the-financial-landscape/?sh=77e3628b2304

Speech on CBDCs by the Federal Reserve System’s Vice Chair for Supervision, Randal K. Quarles:
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/quarles20210628a.htm

Comments on the WM System’s Capacities by Professor Jan Kregel of the Levy Economics Institute:
https://youtu.be/XYBrCikUhn8

Research Papers on WM’s Global Clearing System and TUV Digital Currency:

Media Articles on WM:
https://webtel.mobi/info/current-media/

Characteristics of WM’s TUV Digital Currency:
https://webtel.mobi/info/tuv-characteristics

WM’s urls:
https://webtel.mobi/pc (Tablets / Laptops / Desktops)
https://webtel.mobi (Smart Phones)
https://webtel.mobi/wap (Pre-Smart Mobile Phones)

Definition of “Blockchain”:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blockchain.asp

Definition of “Distributed Ledger”:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/distributed-ledgers.asp

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d34f371e-0e03-4782-9983-d85bb13b7298
The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.

Armed Forces Alumni of 1989 expedites vaccinations in Banten

The Indonesian Armed Forces Academy Alumni of the Class of 1989 hosted a mass COVID-19 vaccination program and allocated social assistance to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Banten Province.

The vaccinations and social aid were provided at three points: Cilegon City Square; Jamiatul Ikhwan Islamic Boarding School, Pasir Buntu Village, Tunjung Teja sub-district, Serang District; and Irhamna Bil Quran Islamic Boarding School in Pari village, Mandalawangi Sub-district, Pandeglang District, on Monday.

The activity was led by the head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police, General Commissioner Agus Andrianto, who is one of the alumni.

Andrianto said that the mass vaccination and social aid event were meant to assist Banten people in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

He lauded the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Police alumni from the Class of 1989, saying their collaboration made the event successful.

“This vaccination and social service activity is also hosted to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the National Defense Force, and at the same time a series of 33 years of our service as members of the TNI and members of the Police from the Indonesian Armed Forces Academy Alumni of 1989,” he informed.

He revealed that the alumni have been organizing vaccination activities and social services since 2020.

“We, the ’89 Alumni of Indonesian Armed Forces Academy, must contribute by helping and assisting the community,” he remarked.

He deemed the COVID-19 vaccination activity as a way to support government policies, and the policies of the National Defense Force Commander and the National Police Chief, in the handling of COVID-19.

He also explained that the National Defense Force and Police Force have a strategic role in dealing with COVID-19.

He said he expected the event would boost the formation of herd immunity among people under Banten Police jurisdiction, while also assisting the government in national economic recovery.

Governor of Banten, Wahidin Halim, who was also present at the event, lauded the alumni.

Halim highlighted that the vaccination and social service activities really helped the people in Banten Province.

“Currently, the COVID-19 vaccination rate has reached 62 percent in Banten province. Only two more areas, such as Lebak and Pandeglang, are still below 40 percent (in terms of vaccine coverage). This is all thanks to the hard work of fellows from the national defense force and police force who helped us in expediting vaccination in Banten,” said Wahidin.

Meanwhile, Andrianto said he also held a meeting with the Serang Police chief and Pandeglang Police chief on the virtual platform Zoom.

He said he advised the Pandeglang Police chief to make creative breakthroughs such as providing basic food packages, organizing door prizes, and other incentives so that the people would take part in vaccination programs.

Cooperation with the community and religious leaders is needed so that the vaccination program can cover more people, he added.

The ’89 Alumni of Indonesian Armed Forces Academy aims to provide 30 thousand vaccine doses nationwide, and around 5 thousand doses have been earmarked for Banten province, he said.

The alumni have distributed 5 thousand social assistance packages to residents, he added.

Source: Antara News