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The Largest Sales of Banksy Artwork in the World

ABC Staff
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The Largest Sales of Banksy Artwork in the World

When a Banksy original art piece goes to auction or is sold, the world hears about it. From news headlines to documentaries and televised reports, the unveiling of a new Banksy art piece is big news – and the sale of it is often even bigger due to the large sums of money that exchange hands.

For Banksy sellers, the value of an original piece by Banksy will come as no great shock – after all, there is a reason why you have invested your hard-earned money in a piece by the renowned and mysterious street artist. But what are the largest sales of Banksy artwork that have occurred on the global art market?

The Rise in Value of Banksy’s Work

Banksy has hosted a number of exhibitions showcasing his own work, beginning back in the early 2000s when he was relatively unheard of compared to the artist he is today. As an example, in 2004 Banksy created a selection of spoof banknotes that had a different figurehead (Princess Diana rather than the Queen) and which read ‘Banksy of England’ rather than ‘Bank of England’. At the time, a run of posters containing 10 uncut notes was sold for £100 per piece – just three years later in October 2007, the same item sold for £24,000.

And it’s not just notoriety that has seen the value of Banksy’s work see such an increase. The interest of celebrities over the years has added to the coveting of Banksy original pieces – something which supposedly helped the street art industry as a whole in what has since been called ‘the Banksy effect’. 

Banksy’s Charitable Sales and Art Pieces

Aside from the huge value and profit that lies in the sale of Banksy pieces, the artist has also done his bit for various charities over the years – with one famous instance being his donated piece ‘Game Changer’ which was gifted to the University Hospital of Southampton during the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2021 the painting was sold for £16.7million which went directly to the hospital and other NHS-related charities and organisations.

Another charitable piece is ‘Mediterranean Sea View’, which was painted in 2017 and sold at auction in 2020 for £2.2million. The proceeds from the sale were donated to the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation – in fitting support of the piece which highlights the migrant crisis. 

Now for the big numbers – what are the biggest figures ever fetched for a Banksy piece?

The Biggest Individual Sales Ever

One particularly famous piece which fetched a huge sum at auction was the ‘Girl with Balloon’ piece – but it didn’t end there. In a move to self-vandalise his own work, Banksy had created a shredder inside the frame of the piece which, when the hammer dropped on the final bid, proceeded to start shredding the piece. The piece was half-saved and – given the immense news and notoriety that this stunt created – the piece doubled in value almost overnight.

Originally sold for just over £1million, the piece sold again in 2021 for a staggering $25.4million (£19.3million approx.)

Some other highly valuable Banksy pieces which have fetched huge sums include:

  • ‘Devolved Parliament’ – first shown in 2009, this piece is the ultimate example of Banksy and his political commentary, showing MPs as chimpanzees in the houses of parliament. In 2019 this piece sold at auction for £9.9million – which at the time was a record high for Banksy, with the artist famously chiding himself for not selling it of his own accord.
  • ‘Show me the Monet’ – this piece did, in fact, generate quite a bit of money, as it fetched £7.5million at auction in 2020. The piece was painted in 2005 and continues to be apt today amid the climate crisis, as it highlights a landscape similar to that created by Monet but with trolleys, traffic cones, and other waste destroying the peaceful environment presented in the painting.

Nobody knows how much each original Banksy will fetch when it goes to auction or comes up for sale, but with the guidance of a team of expert Banksy sellers and valuers, you can ensure that you get the very best price when selling your investment piece.

Steps to Start Window Cleaning Business

ABC Staff
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Steps to Start Window Cleaning Business

If you want to start a business with low overhead costs, less need for training, huge demand for services, and requires low capital, you must consider a window cleaning business. In this business, you will be your boss. Demand for window cleaners and such service providers is increasing day by day in all commercial as well as residential areas. You can build a huge network of your potential customer to get repeated orders.

 G. B. Cleaning Service offers a wide range of cleaning services like janitorial, commercial, residential, and post-construction services to their clients.

Starting a window cleaning business is attractive. In order to get additional benefits, you must have complete information to start your business. Below are the steps to start your business in an effective way.

Prepare Your Comprehensive Plan

The first step to start any business is to make a complete business plan. This plan will monitor and will ensure that you are on the track. The business plan will tell you that you are going on the right track and doing everything right in the right manner. To write a perfect business plan, you must choose your target market carefully. As a window cleaner, your target market will be commercial and residential people. These clients are government buildings, restaurants, gyms, colleges, universities, homeowners, apartments, multi-story buildings, shopping malls, stores, and car showrooms. Remember that you will have high profits if you start a business with which your market is not saturated. You may also conduct a market analysis to know about your target audience.

Get Experience and Expertise

If you are experienced enough, you will easily overcome the barriers to initiate the business and to enter the market. To get experience, you can join an existing business to have access to the business resources. It may cost high as compared to starting your own business but chances of success will be high if you join an existing business to get knowledge and expertise. If you join an existing business, you can have more information about your potential clients and receive ongoing training and support.

Estimated Budget

Starting a window cleaning business does not require a huge amount of money. You will only need money to buy the tools and supplies necessary for a window cleaning service. You will need to bear a startup cost for expenses like; commercial vehicles, uniforms, liability insurance, cleaning towels, business license, permits, cleaning solutions, and other expenses. You can also start your business from your home to save rental expenses. Once your business is in running form, you can rent a space to grow your business more.

Registration Process

Registration is the key step for a new startup. To apply for the registration of your business, finalize a name for your business for physical and online presence. With the increase in technology, an online presence is necessary to meet the demands of your online clients. You must also register yourself for an employer identification number to hire employees in the later stages of business growth.

Legal Formalities

After registration, you will need business licenses and permits for smooth business operations. You must have a window-cleaning license and a state business permit as a window cleaner. Required documents vary according to the state and country you are residing or doing your window cleaning business. You must buy business insurance to save yourself from loss.

Required Capital for Your Business

You can use your own finance, which is highly recommended. If you do not have enough finance to start your business, you can apply for a business loan. If you are experienced, you will get a traditional bank loan easily. If you have little or no experience, there are high chances of rejection of your loan applications. If you start a business with your own capital, you will enjoy full ownership of your business, as you do not need to worry about the loan repayment.

Set Your Prices

Set prices and offer packages for your business and services. Research the competition in your market and try to attract more customers with competitive rates and packages. You can set your rates according to the per-hour basis, per window pane, and project.

Marketing and Advertising

Marketing is necessary for the success and growth of your business. Marketing is a technique through which you can call your potential clients and attract more traffic to your business. Email is the one way to connect to your clients and market your services, but people can ignore your email and can leave it without giving any response. So making a call to your potential clients can be beneficial as you get a prompt response. Use internet and SEO strategies to market your services. It would be best to have a good ranking in the search results. If you want to get your business on the first page of Google, it may take time but complete your business profile in all aspects. Once you are done with a project, you must ask your client for a positive review and feedback. It will build a strong profile of your business and a good reputation in the market.

Get Ready

You must be ready for business operations all the time. Always prepare yourself for a call from a client so you may provide quick and in-time services to retain your customers. Your jobs  will need to fulfill various responsibilities like the execution of the job, inventory maintenance, preparation of quotes and invoices, and proper scheduling of appointments. With the business growth and increased revenue, you can hire employees and have a professional team to run your business operations on a large scale.

Closing Remarks

Starting a new business can be exhausted, but taking one step at one time will be easy for you. You will not require additional time if you follow the guidelines. It will help you to feel confident in your business plan. A business plan is a key step for the success of business growth. If you follow the business plan carefully, you will be on the right track and have better results.

BITCOIN WITH UP TO 100X LEVERAGE ON MARGEX

Sam Allcock
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BITCOIN WITH UP TO 100X LEVERAGE ON MARGEX

100x Leverage Meaning

Involving 100x influence in exchanging alludes to crypto edge exchanging. The nuts and bolts of Bitcoin edge exchanging are straightforward. To lay it out plainly, Bitcoin edge exchanges let dealers borrow money to get to upgraded purchasing influence and open places that are bigger than their real record balance. Along these lines, you can acquire openness to a specific instrument by borrowing capital from different brokers on a trade. Not at all like standard exchanging where brokers store exchanges by utilizing their capital, edge merchants can duplicate how much capital they might exchange.

You should be thinking about how edge exchanging connects with 100x leverage. Edge exchanging is frequently alluded to as use exchanging. Edge is the base level of the sum that is expected by the dealer as a guarantee to open an expanded position. Influence is the sum by which you can duplicate your situation during exchanging. Thus, if an edge dealer opens an exchange with 100x influence, they can duplicate their openness and likely benefit by multiple times.

Influence exchanging Bitcoin works just at a crucial level. A dealer offers a smidgen of funding to the trade to exchange a higher capital. In this situation, the dealer gambles with their everything for the opportunity to create a huge gain.

Various measures of influence are presented by different cryptocurrency trades. While certain trades give 200x leverage permitting brokers to open a place that is multiple times the worth of their underlying store, others limit the leverage to 20x, 50x, or 100x. In this way, 100x leverage exchanging implies exchanging with 100:1 leverage.

Upsides and downsides of Utilizing x100 leverage on Margex

Edge exchanging utilizing 100x leverage enjoys the two benefits and dangers. On the off chance that the exchange is fruitful, you can acquire benefits equivalent to the expanded portion size. Nonetheless, assuming that it is ineffective, the dealer can lose the underlying speculation. At long last, you are great to Trade Bitcoin With up to 100x Leverage on Margex.

Pros

By utilizing 100x leverage, brokers with low assets can have a similar opportunity to benefit as dealers with higher capital. This is an extraordinary shortcut to develop exchanging accounts quicker by profiting from better yields. For instance, regardless of whether your exchanging account holds $1000, you can open a place of $100K with 100x influence. Presently accept that the market emphatically moves 5%. For this situation, the benefit acquired from that position would be $5000, a similar merchant with $100K in their exchanging record would acquire from a standard situation with no influence. In this way, on the off chance that you had not utilized influence, you would have acquired $50 just on your $1000 account.

At the point when you want less capital, you get the opportunity of supporting portfolios with different exchanges simultaneously which assists with limiting gamble. For instance, you might open a short fence for safeguarding against the departure of a flopped long situation on the occasion where the worth of the resource diminishes suddenly.

Very much like the US dollar, it is something similar to Bitcoin. With regards to the spot market, you want a huge number of US dollars to exchange 1 BTC. Nonetheless, with influence exchanging, you can open a major situation for a portion of the expense. The higher influence you use, the lower you want to spend on the position. Expect that the current cost of Bitcoin is $8K, however, you have $80 as it were. Along these lines, you can just buy 0.01 BTC with it. In any case, assuming you open the situation with 100X influence, you can exchange for as much as 1 BTC. Along these lines, the possibilities of getting gains are higher since the benefit of a 1 BTC position is certainly more prominent than 0.01 BTC.

Cons

On account of influence exchanging, the gamble of misfortune is similarly pretty much as colossal as the likely gains. You want to remember that the accessible edge is partial when you contrast it with the utilized position size. Moreover, the edge is eaten up with the value developments in the restricting heading to what was trusted and expected by the dealer.

For instance, for a $10K position opened with $100 simply by utilizing 100X influence, the exchange can be sold assuming the cost unfavorably moves even by 1% simply because 1% of $10K is $100. It is particularly a worry for crypto dealers in high influence positions because the instability of crypto markets is notorious where wild value developments are normal.

You want to think about charges too and they fluctuate from one trade to another. The expense isn’t typically applied to the underlying speculation yet to the expanded position size. This is fair because a dealer who is opening the exchange with similar size of position without influence would pay something very similar. Now and again, the dealer or exchanging platform takes additional financing expenses for edge exchanges.

For this reason, it is fundamental to pick an edge exchanging platform that offers low expenses and ideally doesn’t charge extra financing expenses. Level of intelligence Choice is by all accounts an awesome decision according to this point of view where you can exchange important cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin with 100X leverage.

Hazard The board

Remember that high gamble shows up with the high price. The cost of Bitcoin goes all over quickly since it is an exceptionally unpredictable resource. The influence for sure increases your benefits, however, it can likewise intensify your dangers of possible misfortunes if the market goes up when a sell/shot position is open or assuming the market goes down when a purchase/long position is open. You should be wary with regards to this hazard because at one point, the position will be exchanged and it will lead you to lose the cash you put into the position. For this reason, each broker should view hazards on the board in a serious way. You should continuously accept fundamental drives like stopping misfortune to try not to lose your cash.

Elysee and  Anelique: two sides of the refugee story in Rwanda

ABC Staff
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Elysee and  Anelique: two sides of the refugee story in Rwanda

Two personal stories offer an insight into the reality on the ground of the lives and welfare of asylum seekers and refugees in Rwanda. In May 2021 the government of Rwanda and UNHRC unveiled its policy on inclusion for migrants. The policy is a model for the continent of Africa and on the 27th January the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame took part in the Africa Europe Foundation dialogue on migration. His remarks on that occasion highlighted the approach that the Government of Rwanda has been taking more generally to this issue over  a number of years. Part of the reason Rwanda leads in this area is tied to is own troubled history and part of the reason its policies are working is because they are based on giving refugees independence.  Elysee and Anelique’s stories are the two sides of this reality.

Elysee is now 29 years old, he was 4 years old during the Rwandan genocide when close to 1,000,000 Tutsi were murdered in the space of four months. He now works with children in refugee camps who have escaped from violence in Burundi. He told his story to Save the Children. After University he went to work for Save the Children, his life shaped by his survival: “Everyone remembers what happened, and what they went through. They saw neighbours killing neighbours. What happened – I don’t know the words to use – it was horrific. When I was a child, they told us people were looking for us – people who had machetes and were killing us. One of my brothers fled while we were hiding and we didn’t see him again. In the midst of those horrors people lose dignity, they lose hope and they don’t think about the future – they are always afraid of what will happen. When I hear people talking about division, when they start to divide others into those groups [Hutus and Tutsis], I’m afraid of what will follow. The good thing is that today those who killed others are working for pardons and those who are victims are trying to forgive.”

He now works full time in Mahama refugee camp. “When the refugees were coming in, there were only very sad stories. I saw children who were starving, who were crying, who were dead. But now, I go into the field and see the impact of what has been done – seeing children happy, playing.”

Elysee’s story is the story of many in Rwanda who support refugees and asylum seekers, supported by their government. On the other side one of the key things that refugees want is summed up by Anelique Rusaku:  “I was just hoping for something to allow me to put food on the table and push through life.” With the $150 dollars she had managed to bring with her when she fled Congo for Rwanda,  Angelique, started a small grocery store. She was then supported by the African Entrepreneur Collective with a 6-month training and consulting program “to learn better financial management and inventory tracking”. But she is honest: she went to AEC because they were the only organisation giving loans to refugees. With that loan she built her first shop and purchased a small plot of land: “As a wife and mother, being self-reliant and financially independent allows me to better plan for the future of my family. I couldn’t be prouder to be at a stage where I can afford what I want without being a burden or relying on the refugee monthly stipend.”

The policy of financial inclusion implemented by the government of Rwanda and UNHCR allowed her to own this business and achieve self-sufficiency. When she has maintained this independence for five years, she can, if she wishes, apply for citizenship in Rwanda. This substantiates President Kagame’s argument that the key to the long-term resolution of the migration crisis is building the economic capacity of refugees in Africa so that they can stay on their own continent. Though his government has been heavily criticised for its record on human rights and freedom of expression, its refugee policy is a public policy success story that is characterised by the making and the keeping of promises. In 2016 the government made four commitments to refugees on jobs, identity cards, access to education and health and it has made good on all these commitments. In 2019 it made a further eight promises in these areas and in areas around energy, the environment and statelessness. It is, according to UNHCR, making progress on all of these commitments as well. It has also agreed to take asylum seekers from other places in Africa like Libya and as far away as Afghanistan. These new arrivals join long established refugee populations from neighbouring Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The overall policy of Rwanda has been praised by key figures in UNHCR and the European Commission but what does it mean at a human level? It means that those who survived genocide can now play a role in helping others and those who have fled violence can build a new life.  

Retail disrupters in the Middle East to look out for in 2022

ABC Staff
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Retail disrupters in the Middle East to look out for in 2022

As the world emerges from the social restrictions of Covid-19, we profile four of the most forward-looking entrepreneurs who are driving cutting-edge innovation in the retail sector across the Middle East. These disruptive CEOs range from shopping mall development executives to high-end jewelry entrepreneurs and are changing the way we look at the modern retail industry.

Meshaal Bin Omairh, Al Othaim Investment Co.

Mr. Bin Omairh joined Abdullah Al Othaim Investment Co. in 2021 as Group CEO. His status as the first non-member of the eminent Al Othaim family to lead the company reflects his extensive 25-year experience of corporate governance, organizational development, and capital optimization. He has led multinational companies and worked with some of the largest companies operating in KSA including Rajhi Steel and Aljazierah Home Appliances.

The responsive and pioneering nature of Mr. Bin Omairh’s leadership is fundamentally rooted in his dedication to making Al Othaim the 1st choice community shopping and entertainment destination in the Kingdom. His ambitious vision for Al Othaim shopping malls goes beyond providing a communal meeting place, instead aiming to offer a fully interactive and truly integrated experience to all tenants and shoppers through the development of mixed-use retail space.

Retaining the values of a family business and establishing industry-leading HR standards is at the forefront of Mr. Bin Omairh’s trendsetting socially minded vision for the future of Al Othaim. Fully tuned into the determined momentum of social and economic reforms in Saudi Arabia, the CEO aspires to, for example, integrate women throughout all levels of the organization and to create an ambitious socially responsible shopping experience which will improve Saudi nationals’ quality of life, in line with Vision 2030.

Stephen R Thomas, Renaissance Services

Mr. Thomas joined Renaissance Services in 1998 as CEO. He has extensive international retail experience, having worked with Grand Metropolitan Group, and served as Chairman for the Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL). In 2019, he won the Top CEO Award at the Fifth Top CEO Conference Awards in recognition of his contribution to the growth, profitability, and corporate governance of Renaissance Services.

Under Mr. Thomas’ leadership, Renaissance Services has continuously evolved to stand at the forefront of emerging technologies and provide meaningful innovation for the businesses they serve. The company has gained significant expertise handling cutting-edge technologies, such as robotics for cleaning, computer-aided FM, and advanced remote monitoring solutions. In addition to these technological solutions to practical issues, the company is dedicated to developing advanced solutions for food wastage and nutrition management.

As of 2020, Renaissance Services had invested over US$ 500 million in Oman, and provided employment for 2,350 Omani nationals, demonstrating its commitment to local growth, building potential and creating opportunities. In 2010, Mr. Thomas was appointed OBE for services to international business and to the Omani community.

Asil Attar, Damas Jewellery

Starting her career as a salesperson for the luxury retailer Harrods, Ms. Attar has developed a reputation as the “godmother” of fashion retail in the Middle East, with an awe-inspiring track record of increasing revenue in the multiple senior roles she has held in MENA-based companies. In fact, Ms. Attar was the first female CEO of many of those companies, such as AlYasra and Damas Jewellery.

Despite having been in the retail industry for around 30 years, during which she worked her way to the top of some of the most high-profile British fashion brands such as Whistles and Jigsaw, Ms. Attar continues to innovate with her trailblazing work ethic. The CEO stands as a beacon of inspiration not just to career-driven women but to retail professionals of all kinds, proving that with dedication, passion and a rock-solid work ethic, there is no limit to what businesspeople can achieve: Ms. Attar has also served as opening speaker and panelist for many conferences across MENA and hosts the wildly popular entrepreneur podcast “Turban Times”.

There is no sign whatsoever of Ms. Attar losing any momentum as she continues to accelerate onwards with her exciting ambitions and cutting-edge projects. The CEO already has an incredible array of awards under her belt: as an example, she was named one of the top 100 most influential Arab women in 2018 and one of the top 50 international CEOs from the Arab Region in 2019 by Forbes Middle East.

Ishwar Chugani, Giordano

Mr. Chugani is Managing Director of Giordano Middle East FZE and Executive Director of Giordano International. He has been leading Giordano for the past 26 years and has over 40 years of retail experience in the Middle East region and received the 2019 Retail Professional of the Year Award from the Middle East and North Africa Shopping Centre and Retailer Awards for his pioneering work in directing Giordano’s expansion to global markets.

Continuing to innovate even after four decades in executive roles in the retail industry, putting customer shopping experience at the forefront of his focus with multiple new stores in the pipeline. He is developing fresh, cutting-edge store plans to redefine the simplicity of design for which Giordano is renowned, whilst still providing the standard of high-quality apparel at great value which draws customers to the brand. These pioneering store designs will also embrace energy-efficient LED lights which preserve customer experience whilst reducing carbon footprints.

Despite Mr. Chugani’s core principle “keep it simple” the CEO has demonstrated that he does not shy away from innovation, always moving to reinvent Giordano and stay ahead of the curve of current trends. He has fully embraced the dynamic nature of retail in the Middle East and aims to make Giordano accessible across all geographies and cultures. Giordano International currently operates 2,400 stores in 40 countries, and Mr. Chugani is also a founding member of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centers and Retailers and The UAE Retail Business Group.

Are robots and drones the answer to supply chain challenges

ABC Staff
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Are robots and drones the answer to supply chain challenges

Though relatively rare sights on our high streets, trundling along pavements, almost inconspicuous in the crowds of pedestrians, odd-looking robot delivery carts could in future become as common as dispatch riders or even parcel vans.

The rapid expansion of e-commerce during the pandemic coupled with advances in automation have spurred growth in the autonomous last-mile delivery sector – the use of robots and drones to ferry goods from depot to customer.

Last-mile delivery is an expensive and inefficient part of the supply chain, largely because it is conducted in congested urban environments and incurs high labour costs. And it is also believed to account for more than 20 per cent of pollution in cities, a figure likely to increase in the coming years as demand for last-mile delivery is expected to grow by 78 per cent globally by 2030.

It is against this background that automated solutions to the final, problematic stage of the supply chain have begun to emerge, with some of the biggest retailers and parcel services in the world employing largely battery-powered robots and drones. At the same time,  an array of start-ups are developing the former and the latter. And demand for their services is growing. Indeed, the market for autonomous delivery robots, valued at $17 billion in 2020, is expected to more than triple by 2026.

Some of  the technology used in driverless cars and mobile warehouse robots is being employed in robot couriers, which were originally used on campuses for delivering food to students. Pandemic lockdowns and social distancing saw a surge in e-commerce which combined with consumers’ increasing preference for same-day or next-day deliveries have provided optimal conditions for these new dispatch services. And as e-commerce competition grows, their role in improving efficiency in the last-mile supply chain ecosystem could prove to be critical.

The technology is already well-advanced, with robots possessing sensors, such as cameras, radar and GPS to facilitate navigation, says the Economist. It points out that their progress can be tracked on a phone app – which also unlocks them for goods to be retrieved – and ‘telemonitored’ by people in a control room who can take command.

Retail giant Amazon has been deploying its Scout autonomous delivery device in a number of US cities and last year announced plans to further develop the technology in Finland and the UK. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Amazon’s great rival Alibaba, revealed last autumn that its own robot, dubbed Xiaomanlv or ‘small donkey’ in Mandarin, delivered more than one million parcels in China within a year of its launch.

In an effort to assist retailers’ last-mile operations, FedEx has developed a robot, the FedEx SameDay Bot, to enable companies to accept orders from customers living nearby, with the capacity to negotiate steps to deliver straight to the door. Some British and American stores have been rolling out their own services. For example, in the UK, the Co-op supermarket announced last year plans to more than double its pool of robots to 500, serving several new towns and cities. US regional grocery chain Safeway has piloted its autonomous cart in northern California, while another food retailer Save Mart has expanded its own service in the region.

Also in its infancy, and possessing equal, if not more, potential, is the use of drones for last-mile delivery, especially in remote regions poorly served by transport infrastructure. Drone technology is already quite sophisticated, with a number of applications, including for search and rescue, the monitoring of crops and livestock and, controversially, the military. In terms of the delivery of goods, drones have several benefits, notably a lower environmental impact than ground-based delivery methods and are possibly speedier and less costly, the latter seemingly resonating with some online shoppers.

The technology’s potential is now being developed by several companies. Amazon and UPS have received US Federal Aviation Administration approval for their drone models. Amazon is currently “flying and testing”  its Prime Air service, while UPS last year began ferrying Covid vaccines to a hospital in North Carolina.

Specialist drone operators, meanwhile, are making great strides. Wing, an Alphabet subsidiary, completed more than 140,000 deliveries to its customers in the US, Australia and Finland in 2021. And Silicon Valley startup Zipline has been gaining a reputation for transporting medicines, vaccines and blood products in Africa. As of March 2021, it had made more than 50,000 flights in Ghana.

For both robots and drones, however, there are regulatory challenges that need to be met before they become more established and accepted shipping methods.

Several US states have passed laws permitting robots to operate on pavements, but there has been push back from some cities. Critics include the association representing city transport officials across the US, which has called for them to be “severely restricted if not banned outright”, concerned that they could make walking increasingly difficult. For drones, the issue of safety is more acute. Law firm Reed Smith points out that current regulatory limitations in the UK, European Union and the US restrict “how close drones can fly to people”, which, it says, limits the possibility of introducing drones into urban areas in the near future.

These are still early days in the use of both robots and drones in the last-mile delivery ecosystem. Technical innovation combined with planning that integrates them into urban transport architecture could address regulatory objections as well as any lingering consumer doubts about their reliability.

More and more evidence of their utility and economy is emerging, with key players in the logistics industry persuaded that they are worthy of investment. There may be setbacks along the road to wider adoption, but it seems inevitable that it will happen.

Mileson Qiang Guo is an entrepreneur and investor, and the founder of The Institute for Emerging Technologies and Social Impact (ITSI). He founded ITSI to foster debate and discussion about the social impact of emerging technologies amongst industry pioneers and policy leaders. The Institute aims to cultivate original research, share ideas and connect people with the shared goal of harnessing technology for the greatest social and economic benefit.

How to exchange Ripple to COTI?

ABC Staff
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How to exchange Ripple to COTI?

At the moment, there are several thousand cryptocurrencies in the digital universe. Ripple is a peer-to-peer ecosystem with a differentiated registry, which unlike Bitcoin doesn’t use Blockchain technology. The Ripple is a classic design that allows the exchange of values within its borders without the availability of funds and third parties. This cryptocurrency performs multi-stage exchanges from one user to another. Currency of the Internet (COTI) — an online currency that aims to create a scalable decentralized payment network for global trade.

You can exchange ripple to coti in any online exchanger. Many offices provide good conditions for buying cryptocurrencies with maximum benefit.

What are the COTY and RIPPLE platforms?

COTI is a decentralized payment platform with the same token, allowing anyone to make instant payments with a near-zero commission. The platform operates on a unique distributed DAG registry, which has no blocks, unlike other cryptocurrencies working on the blockchain. This is the main feature of COTI that allows the platform to scale: the network has a large bandwidth of up to ten thousand transactions per second.

The main features of the COTI are:

  • almost zero commission for all users (both buyers and sellers);
  • the ability to make micropayments;
  • no network overload;
  • high throughput and instant payments;
  • network security;
  • support for cross-border payments.

Ripple is a commercial technology platform with its own cryptocurrency (XRP). The uniqueness of Ripple lies in the ability to perform any operations, especially with several currencies at the same time.

Among the advantages of the platform, users highlight the following:

  • the highest transaction speed;
  • high level of protection against hacker- and cyber- attacks;
  • ripple coins aren’t exposed to injection;
  • minimum transaction fee;

Both platforms are actively developing and have broad prospects for the future.

Exchanging XRP to COTI

If you want to exchange cryptocurrencies quickly, you need to go to the main page of the transaction and perform the following actions there:

  • select the coin you would like to exchange and the number of coins;
  • specify the cryptocurrency you want to buy;
  • write the wallet address for crediting coins;
  • deposit the amount to finish the exchange.

The service will offer you the most favorable offers for the cryptocurrencies exchange.

Risks and Rewards of Taking Out a Business Loan

ABC Staff
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Risks and Rewards of Taking Out a Business Loan

The risks and rewards of taking out a business loan are obvious, but the decision is not always so simple. A business loan can help you make your business dreams come true. But unlike growth funding it can also land your business in hot water if you’re not careful.

When taking out a business loan, there are a few things to consider that will ultimately determine whether or not you should take the loan out. We will look at what these considerations are and how they can help you determine if the risk is worth it.

How to Evaluate the Risks and Rewards of Taking Out a Loan?

Taking a business loan is a risk, but it can also be a great opportunity to make a breakthrough in your business. If you take the time to assess the risks and rewards of taking out a loan, then it can be an investment that will pay off for years to come.

There are several risks and rewards associated with taking out a loan. On one hand, it can help grow your business by funding projects that might not have been possible without it. On the other hand, there are many risks that come with loaning money such as not being able to repay the debt or defaulting on the agreement.

You should think about what you are investing in, how much you are investing, and how long your investment needs to last.

The first step is to research what kind of money-making opportunities are available as well as how much you will need to borrow. To find this information, you should look at your financial statements or talk with your accountant or banker. You should also review the interest rate and how long the repayment period is before deciding if this is a good opportunity for you. The next step would be to determine what type of loan would best suit your needs – whether rates are high or low etc.

Risks of Taking Out a Business Loan

Business loans are used for a variety of purposes including: start up capital, acquisitions, equipment purchases and renovations. In fact, according to the SBA, small businesses average more than $10 million in loans over their lifetime.

While business loans can be a great way to get money when you need it, they also come with numerous risks. Not only that, but there are many financial pitfalls that are set out below:

➔    Interest Rates

Interest rates on these loans can range between 5% and 25% depending on the loan type. These high interest rates translate into a lot of debt if you are unable to pay the loan back in a timely manner.

➔    Repayment Terms

There is an increasing number of businesses that are taking out loans to fund their investments or start-ups. However, some business owners do not fully comprehend the implications of the repayment terms.

These varied repayment terms can range from short-term to long-term, low-interest rates to high-interest rates, and short repayment periods (e.g., monthly) to long repayment periods (e.g., 5 years).

➔   Collateral

With the current political climate, collateral might be a sticking point when it comes to obtaining a business loan.

The decision on how much collateral is needed will depend on the type of business you are running. The level of risk that your company poses will also determine whether or not there is collateral involved in taking out a business loan.

➔   Credit score

The risk of credit score is one of the biggest risks of taking out a business loan. If the risk is too high then many banks will reject your loan application and you won’t be able to start your dream business. Banks want people who are trustworthy and who can pay them back on time with cash on hand at all times, not someone who is always dealing with debt.

Rewards of Taking Out a Business Loan

Taking out a business loan may seem like an intimidating thing to do. But there are so many advantages to it!

Taking out a business loan can help entrepreneurs achieve their goals, which they would otherwise not be able to do without the loan. It also provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to invest in their businesses with increased profit potential. Furthermore, it helps companies have more options for expansion and growth.

There are many benefits to taking out a business loan and some of them are as follows:

➔    Less pressure for startup companies

The changing economic climate is driving more entrepreneurs to explore alternative funding options for their businesses. Usually, these entrepreneurs are encouraged to take out business loans, but now there is less pressure for startup companies by taking out a business loan.

Taking out a business loan is not the only way for startup companies to obtain funding. There are many other ways like bootstrapping, non-dilutive funding or using equity crowdfunding (i.e. taking the money from an angel investor).

➔   Better capitalization

In order to raise capital, many businesses take out loans from financial institutions. This is often done with the intention of increasing liquidity. Once the loan has been paid off, the business will have more money to spend or reinvest back into their business. It can also be advantageous because interest rates on loans are usually lower than credit cards and other types of debt, which could lead to better cash flow and less risk for entrepreneurs.

➔   Easier to get money when needed

A business loan can be an excellent way to get money when needed for a business. A business loan is the quickest way to get cash into your bank account when you need it.

One of the most popular reasons businesses needs a loan is because they are in expansion mode and need cash in order to make purchases or service contracts. Another reason for taking out a loan is if they are in rapid growth mode and need cash for marketing purposes.

Conclusion:

A business loan can be an important part of your company’s growth. Before you apply for one, however, you should know the risks and rewards associated with taking out a business loan.

Why You Must Complement Your Email Marketing With Live Chat

ABC Staff
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0
Why You Must Complement Your Email Marketing With Live Chat

If email marketing is not working, then Fortune 500 brands will not touch it with a ten-foot pole. But the fact that Walmart, Amazon, Apple, BuzzFeed, and a lot of other Fortune 500 brands are utilizing the email marketing strategy shows there is a lot of good in the marketing method.

Statista projects that there will be 4.3 billion global email users in 2023. If you add this to the fact that for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42, there is no reason why your brand must not integrate email marketing.

It’s important to note, however, that no single innovation can solve all the problems in the marketing world and even though brands spend billions of dollars on digital adoption, 80% of consumers switch brands due to poor CX . Sometimes, we may need to re-strategize. For instance, emails may not suffice for a real-time experience and we will then need a live chat.

Live chat is fastly becoming the most popular means of communicating with customers. And this is largely due to the growth we are experiencing in messaging apps and automated bots.

The opportunities businesses are deriving from the live chat are mostly felt by customer support and marketing. Businesses are quickly catching up with the idea that live chat is much more than just a budget-friendly support channel.

Businesses globally know that marketing their products or services by email is a fast, flexible, and cost-effective way for the acquisition of new customers and also the retention of old customers by encouraging repeat website visits.

With email marketing, brands go on to create targeted and personalized messages. They are also able to segment customers based on certain characteristics and even automate emails.

The essence of all these is to build an understanding that can blossom into brand loyalty with the customers. You should, however, be very careful in how you use email marketing.

When you send marketing emails that are irrelevant, too frequent, disturbing, or unwanted, your customers will find it irritating and annoying. In the world of spam, you need to understand what your customer wants before sending out the message if you do not take this precaution, your messages may be deleted and the customer churns or unsubscribes.

When your emails go to the targeted audience, your click-through rates will significantly improve.

Why do you still need live chat?

Going by the fact that we have email marketing automation, whereby a marketer can send triggered or timed promotional emails to subscribers on their mailing list, there shouldn’t be a need for live chat. 

Even though marketers can use email marketing automation to send out personalized messages to both prospects and customers on a schedule, it can’t be compared to live chat, which improves your customer journey by offering customers quicker service, faster resolution, and greater flexibility.

With live chats, you don’t have to wait on hold, responses must be in real-time. The average reaction time for humans to a visual stimulus is 0.25 seconds and 0.17 seconds to an audio stimulus. Going by this data, you should expect a service agent to resolve a customer’s pain point in about 60seconds.

With apps like Live chat Shopify, you can even respond faster to create convenient communication channels for customers who can contact you while browsing your website no matter where they are.  The most important thing is that live chat is convenient.

Whether it’s the support team or the customer, you can carry on working, shopping, eating, or whatever you were doing while having a chat conversation. This is one customer service that is tailored to suit everybody, notwithstanding your lifestyle.

You may be confused on how live chat will be useful in the acquisition of customers; that is why it needs to complement email marketing. The whole idea will be to contact potential customers with email marketing and sustain them with live chat.

The potential customers can even be from your competitors who you got to know while conducting sentiment analysis of product review data. Millions of people around the globe today find it very easy to express their feelings on products and brands through the internet.

Source

They can do this in a Yelp review, in a Twitter thread, or a Facebook post. It’s your business as a brand to intercept these online “conversations,” so that you can learn more about your customers and users, as well as the customers of your competitors in the market.

The initial means of contacting a customer or potential lead will be through email and you then switch to live chat for subsequent discussions. This will afford you the opportunity of offering real-time support to your customers.

Chat is not a complicated channel to install and manage and you need to install it because customers value personal and instant means of interaction The most important thing to customers is the opportunity to speak to a real person; they may do it through a phoning system or live chat support.

Nobody wants to wait for a delayed reply, and studies reveal that consumers prefer live chat support. This is even in the face of the popularity of social media as a means of expressing customers’ sentiments and opinions. Live chat offers customers immediate help while requiring minimal effort.

Source

Live chat is a means for you to answer questions and address your customers’ pain points when they need your help most. Email marketing alone cannot do that and even where it’s done, it can’t be in real-time.

You can make use of a CTA to inform your visitors that they have the option of using live chat when they visit your website.

Source

When sending emails, explicitly tell them that live chat will be available during the purchase process in case they encounter problems.

Conclusion

Your customers want to be recognized. You must, therefore, see them as individuals, not as ticket numbers. They become irritated when you make them repeat themselves endlessly.

By complementing email marketing with live chat, you will ensure a consistent, unified approach to customer service that is also personalized and proactive.

Digital Transformation in 2022: Trends, Predictions, and Insights

ABC Staff
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0
Digital Transformation in 2022: Trends, Predictions, and Insights

The tech ecosystem seems to be constantly changing as digital technologies continuously disrupt how brands and consumers interact. It might be a strange time for many traditionalists who struggle to predict the next frontier. However, when in doubt or confusion, the most brilliant individuals use others’ knowledge to gain their profits.

Digital Transformation is a wave of changes that promise to make our lives better and improve the backbone of institutions. However, there is a growing wave that the system is broken, and the way to fix it is decentralization and setting up systems of accountability. 2022 is a year of reform within the business class and better services for the consumers.

This article summarizes all the knowledge of technologists to determine Digital Transformation in 2022: Trends, Predictions, and Insights.

1.   Semiconductor shortage

While there will be more digitization insight, a significant roadblock that continues to be a limiting factor is semiconductor shortage. Companies have had a tough time meeting the demand, which has led to companies shifting to older processor nodes. Furthermore, some products such as car machinery have to reduce the number of semiconductors they planned to install initially. It will continue to be a significant roadblock for years to come.

Other issues arising are geopolitical factors that will continue to contribute to the lack of necessary materials across the chain. It will be a hiccup in the digital transformation for companies but won’t create a long-term downturn in the trend.

2.   Greater privacy concerns

A significant growing trend that we will essentially see a repeat is GDPR and other government authorities clamping down on data. Governments will consistently ask companies to adhere to more excellent regulations, creating a skirmish. For example, early in the year, the European Union decided to clamp down on Google Analytics, setting the tone of a trend over the year.

A more significant amount of compliance will lead to slowdowns in the digital transformation but ultimately positively for the ecosystem.  

3.   Metaverse and VR revolution

The word Meta and VR has become more mainstream with the office spaces, socializing becoming more virtual. Big tech has now made a significant bet on these two platforms, and they are experimenting with digital properties on sale. As a result, a whole new platform level in the digital arena is being unlocked; the upsides can be huge in the long term. However, there is still some debate with detractors questioning the value of underlying assets and their overall volatility.

There is still much to explore within the realm and how businesses can further reach out to their users. The use of AR will also see new experimentation as a whole new digital layer over the physical world.

4.   AI continues to be dominated.

Artificial Intelligence will continue to make leaps and bounds in its progress, with the AI-based hardware accelerating the progress. Alongside the AI revolution, automation will continue to cut down on the person-hours spent on repetitive tasks. The mix of data-based training AI solutions will dominate the way Businesses will serve customers and business partners.

Companies are already integrating AI and team workers to integrate, boosting their productivity significantly. More emphasis will be placed on predicting the customer’s decisions by the precious datasets. Enterprise will apply it all across the ecosystem, and the systems in place will advance the progress of Digital Transformation.

5.   Cybersecurity concerns

Digital transformation is not sunshine and rainbows as more significant vulnerabilities will get abused by criminals. Businesses will invest further to improve their security protection and root out the vulnerability. More ransomware will require greater cooperation among the feds and authorities. It will continue to be an ongoing concern and require more significant learning across the ecosystem.

The use of cryptocurrency in cybercrimes will require new regulations in 2022.

6.   Blockchain gets bigger.

Blockchain already powers the new digital industry, but there’s still much to achieve regarding environmental impact. New techniques such as proof of stake are gaining steam to pivot from the high mining costs through GPUs. New forms of Metaverse and NFT landscape will further be powered by Blockchain, creating a great platform of security choice for consumers.

Many businesses, massive financial institutions, and startups from finance tech will play around with Blockchain tech. However, to make such a significant shift will take time and whole toolsets to be established. Nevertheless, 2022 will be the year many companies will lay the foundation for future large-scale changes and reforms.

Conclusion

2022 will be a year that will have some highs and lows for the Digital Transformation cause. There are many factors like Covid, geopolitical and environmental reasons why large-scale transitions have become faster and slower. Businesses will have to be quite agile to how things evolve and IT infrastructure thrive.

The digital transformation will significantly boost because of the need to compete with rising startup cultures. Some companies will shift to more hyper-automation methodologies before coming back to a mix of the two. Businesses and the world will get closer to each other with shared solutions rising all the tides.

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