Today bitFlyer, the Tokyo-based operator of the world's largest Bitcoin exchange, announced the addition of Dr. Tom Love as a new advisor. Recognised as one of the Masterminds of Programming (in the book of the same title), he will advise bitFlyer on both strategic and technology initiatives, including the development of a proprietary language that applies to blockchain technology.

IRIS Software Group, the UK’s business critical software provider is today announcing the acquisition of Contact Group, a leading provider of parental engagement and truancy management software to UK schools. The acquisition extends IRIS’ education portfolio providing solutions to manage all aspects of school finance, including income, assets and communications.

Contact Group’s multi-award-winning parent engagement software is used by 2,000 UK schools, nurseries and sixth form colleges to help improve school-home communications.

Colt Technology Services makes it easier for enterprises to expand globally, by enabling them to establish a voice presence and reach new customers via a simple online portal.

Today Colt announces the expansion of its Inbound Voice Services footprint to 10 new territories: US, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Norway, Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Luxembourg. This takes its global footprint to 23 countries in total.

ACA Compliance Group (“ACA”) announced today that it will acquire Cordium, a leading provider of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) services. The transaction is expected to close this summer, subject to regulatory approvals. The financial terms of the transaction will not be disclosed.

Aptean, a leading global provider of mission-critical, industry-specific enterprise software solutions, has formed a strategic partnership with AMT Poland in Gdansk. This partnership will play a critical role in Aptean's continued growth in the European market, specifically Eastern Europe. 

Time is running out to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that goes into effect May 2018. Mandated by the European Parliament and European Union (EU) Council, the regulation is aimed at harmonizing data privacy laws across Europe to protect all data belonging to citizens and residents. As a result, it affects any enterprise that conducts business in or with EU markets. Significantly, in addressing GDPR's requirements, organizations have an opportunity to set the stage for new digital business models that drive revenues and growth.

SteelEye, the compliance technology and data analytics firm, is pleased to announce a technology partnership with Solgari, the global provider of compliant, integrated omni-channel cloud communications services. The partnership will integrate SteelEye and Solgari’s cloud platforms, allowing clients to meet many financial services regulatory requirements while opening up significant data analysis opportunities.

On 25 May Smile-Expo organizes the first Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference in Finland, a large-scale event dedicated to cryptocurrency and ICO.

Why Finland?

The increasing burden of identifying and verifying Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBO) is a common thread in the conversations we have with regulated firms. Gathering and analysing the information needed to understand corporate ownership structure and discover UBOs takes anything from several hours to days. As a highly manual process, it's also prone to human error, leaving firms exposed to unknown risks and criminal activity such as money laundering, corruption and bribery.

What are Ultimate Beneficial Owners?