Partners launch Empower Her project for young women playing grassroots and professional sport.

• The new 12-month project will provide 30 young women with the opportunity to gain qualifications and experience to support them in developing leadership roles through sport.
• The course will include a mentoring scheme, matching young amateur sportswomen with elite players from both Saracens Women’s Rugby and Mavericks Netball teams
• Saracens Women’s Rugby captain, Lotte Clapp and Mavericks netball captain, Sasha Corbin will open the programme and participate as mentors.
• The launch comes amid the need to boost female representation in top sports jobs, with only 30% of board positions at national governing bodies held by women. *

Saracens Foundation, the charitable arm of Saracens, and Shawbrook Bank have launched a new leadership programme for young women designed to inspire the next generation of female leaders through sport.

Empower Her will involve 30 participants including 15 young women aged 16-25 from amateur sports clubs in the region and 15 elite sports women from Saracens Women’s Rugby and Mavericks Netball teams.

Offering a unique combination of skills workshops, access to inspirational leaders and practical application with the opportunity to gain a formal qualification at the end, the project is also structured to match each amateur sportswoman with a mentor from the elite teams.

The launch comes amid the need to boost female representation in top sports jobs. Research by Women in Sport found that only 30% of board positions at national governing bodies are held by females, who also make up just 10% of the UK’s high performance coaches.*

The first 12-month scheme was launched by Saracens Women’s Rugby Captain, Lotte Clapp and Mavericks Netball Captain, Sasha Corbin – both mentors on the programme - at an event at the club’s StoneX Stadium in Hendon, London on Wednesday 22^nd September.

The course will focus on developing a mix of personal, leadership and business skills and is designed to fit around the participants’ work and other education commitments. It will be delivered primarily online with monthly in-person workshops delivered by a host of inspirational female leaders in sport including Saracen’s chairperson Lucy Wray; author, broadcaster and Women’s Sport Trust trustee Sue Anstiss MBE; and professional wheelchair tennis player Lauren Jones.

The programme is funded by Shawbrook Bank and free for participants.

Charlie White, Development Manager at the Saracens Foundation, said: “We run over 30 programmes designed to address a broad range of challenges that impact our community. Gender equality and social mobility are both issues that continue to hold people back from fulfilling their potential are we’re deeply passionate about tackling them.

“Working with Shawbrook Bank to develop the Empower Her programme, we believe we can make a real difference for local young women, providing them with an opportunity to build the skills they need to become the leaders of tomorrow.

“The project will provide a balanced mix of mentoring and workshops that will help to inspire and equip this group of young women to excel in their future careers.”

Jo Grobel, Head of CEO Office at Shawbrook Bank, said: “The incredible work that the Saracens Foundation delivers across the region resonates with all of us at Shawbrook. We set out to make a difference together and we’re incredibly proud to be working with them on this new project by not only funding it but also playing an active part throughout.

“We’re also excited by the culmination of the programme, which will see our participants deliver a charity sports tournament at the StoneX, giving them not just the practical experience of organising, promoting and delivering a major event, but in helping to fund the project next year as Empower Her is designed to be financially self-sustaining.

“Empower Her has the potential to make a big impact and to unlock real opportunity for all those involved, which we couldn’t be prouder to support.”

Shawbrook Bank entered into a multi-year partnership with Saracens in April as the club’s official banking partner, the first principal sponsor to support all three elite teams and the Saracens Foundation.

The Innovative ‘Into Work Cardiff’ Mobile App, Designed by Tata Consultancy Services, Provides Real-Time Updates on Adult Learning Courses, Employment Events and Funding Resources
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation, has designed and developed a new mobile app for Cardiff Council’s Into Work Service to support jobseekers and those looking to change careers by providing easy access to real-time information on local employability services.

The Cardiff Council partnered with TCS to drive its digital strategy aimed at assisting members of the local community improve their career prospects, gain new professional skills or secure a new role. As part of this strategy, TCS built the new ‘Into Work Cardiff’ app using its DigiGOV™ framework that makes digital services faster to configure, easier to use and more accessible.

The app provides current information on the wide range of employment support services delivered by the Council’s Into Work advice services, including job clubs, one-to-one mentoring projects, adult learning courses, training, employment events, access to funding and more – all at the user’s fingertips on their smartphone or tablet.

On downloading the app, users will be able to immediately register for Into Work support, making it quicker and easier for anyone to advance their learning and development and find a job which closely matches their unique skills and experience.

“Our Into Work Advice Services have a great track record of supporting people into employment across a wide range of different sectors, helping to equip them with what they need to get back into work, supporting others to progress in their careers and get a job they really want, or into training and education,” said Cllr Chris Weaver, Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation & Performance. “With the new app, built by TCS, it’s going to be even easier for people to find the latest updates to provision, whether that be information on job clubs, new courses they may be interested in, or projects that can get them on the path to where they want to be.”

Joe Cicero, Assistant Manager, Skills Hub & Employer Liaison, Into Work, said: “Working with the TCS team has been a positive experience. They have liaised with us extensively throughout the development process, taking account of our ideas and using their expertise to realise a quality product which fulfils our stated ambitions. The team is highly knowledgeable and friendly and take care to explain technical aspects and encourage discussion and suggestions from non-technical staff. We have very much enjoyed working with TCS.”

“Innovative use of digital technologies can transform citizen services significantly, expand access and enhance citizen experience” said Shalini Mathur, Vice President & Business Unit Head of TCS Public Services for UK, Europe & ANZ. “We are proud to be part of this important community initiative and look forward to continue working with Cardiff Council to develop such innovative, inclusive and effective digital solutions that enable delivery of state-of-the-art citizen services.”

Download the Into Work Cardiff app for free by visiting the Apple Store or Google Play. For more information on Cardiff’s Into Work Advice Service, please visit www.intoworkcardiff.co.uk.

Voyager Digital’s Q3 2021 Investor Sentiment Survey reveals that investors have a more bullish outlook than they did in Q2.

Voyager Digital’s Q3 2021 Retail Investor Sentiment Survey shows that investor sentiment towards crypto assets is increasingly positive when looking ahead to Q4. Such bullish sentiment comes despite Bitcoin continuing to stay below its all-time-high of $64,863 in April, and Q3 2021 being a period that has seen increased regulatory scrutiny around the cryptocurrency industry.

With the price of Bitcoin dropping as low as $29,000 during the latest price correction in June and July, the majority of investors (8 out of 10) believe Bitcoin will be above $56,000 in the next quarter, with 40% expecting the price to be above $71,000 at some point in Q4 2021. This is a higher proportion of respondents than in the previous quarterly survey when the majority of investors thought Bitcoin would finish Q3 between $56,000-$70,000.

Key survey findings:

• 96% say that they are more confident in the future of cryptocurrency compared to 81% in the previous quarter.
• 89% of investors plan to increase their Bitcoin or crypto holdings over the next quarter, higher than in the previous survey (87%).
• Bullish sentiment for the price of Bitcoin over the next 3 months has increased to 8 out of 10 from 7 out of 10 in last quarter’s survey (1 being the most bearish and 10 being the most bullish).
• 85% of respondents believe Bitcoin is currently in a bull market.
• 8 out of 10 believe Bitcoin will be above $56,000 by the end of the year, with 4 out of 10 believing the price will be greater than $71,000.
• Nearly half (48%) see Bitcoin as a better store of value compared to other assets such as real estate and equities.
• Of the Altcoins, investors are most bullish on Cardano above any others:
  • Cardano (ADA): 40%
  • Ethereum (ETH): 16%
  • Voyager (VGX): 10%
  • Bitcoin (BTC): 9%

Steve Ehrlich, CEO of Voyager had the following comments to make from the findings:

“On almost every metric we measure in our sentiment survey, crypto-asset investors are more bullish about the quarter that lies ahead, than they were three months ago. As our user base continues to grow and digital asset adoption increases, our survey results suggest that a greater number of investors see Bitcoin as a better store of value compared to more traditional asset classes such as stocks, real estate, and government bonds. This is significant when you consider that over a fifth (22%) of respondents have been investing in crypto for over 2 years. You could argue that these investors are now ‘all-in’ on crypto and will probably never think twice about having exposure to traditional asset classes ever again.

“It is also interesting to see Cardano keep its crown as the altcoin that investors are most bullish on. With the network’s addition of smart contracts following their Alonzo upgrade, it seems the future looks bright for Cardano’s future adoption and growth.”

21Shares, the pioneering Swiss crypto ETP issuer, has selected Vinter, the specialised crypto asset index provider, for its existing and new range of crypto ETPs.

21Shares is cementing its position in the European crypto ETP industry through the firm's commitment to staying innovative and focusing on institutional grade products and research for investors. The agreement with Vinter materialised from 21Shares’s desire to offer innovative strategies genuinely tailor made for this industry and captures more closely and accurately the asset growth, universe and selection process borne from  this partnership.

For one of its 21Shares existing ETP crypto basket, the Sygnum Moon Winner, Vinter will take responsibility for the administration and calculation of the indices, a role previously undertaken by MVIS Indices.

Hany Rashwan, CEO of 21Shares, commented "We continue to share our vision with the financial industry, and through this collaboration with Vinter, we are able to deploy this innovative set of indices precisely crafted to our clients’ requests and delivering strategies wrapped into an ETP. We remain ahead of the game with our range of crypto ETP. Our 15 ETPs and asset growth are a testament of the demand from investors requesting to get exposure to these new asset classes as well as investing in innovative indices. "

Jacob Lindberg, CEO of Vinter, commented "We are pleased to partner with 21Shares, offering investors robust and reliable crypto index products. Being innovative, smart, and delivering high-quality products is paramount in the competitive landscape of ETFs and ETPs. 21Shares is hitting its stride in this industry, and we are thrilled to support them through their continued journey."

Westpay AB announces that the private placement of a maximum of 5,944,231 shares and the convertible issue of a nominal maximum of approximately SEK 7,500,000, which were decided by the Board and communicated by press release on September 23, 2021, have been fully subscribed. The company will thus receive approximately SEK 23 million.

The subscription in the private placement of shares and in the convertible issue expired until September 30, 2021 and has now been completed. The issues were fully subscribed, which means that the Company will receive approximately SEK 23 million, of which SEK 15.5 million constitutes issue proceeds and SEK 7.5 million constitutes convertible loans. The Company intends to use the issue proceeds and the loan amount to finance increased working capital needs driven by growth and to continue the development of innovative products in the payment area, where the Company sees significant market and profitability potential.

The subscription price in the private placement of shares amounted to SEK 2.60 per share, which corresponds to a discount of 5.45% compared with the average price of the Company's share on Nasdaq First North Growth Market of approximately SEK 2.75 during the last 30 trading days before the issue decision. . The Board assesses that the subscription price is market-based.

The convertible loan has an annual interest rate of 5 percent. Conversion to shares may be called for by the convertible holders partly when the convertible loan falls due for payment and partly for a period of ten banking days after the Company has published interim reports (Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4) during the years 2022 and 2023 at a conversion price of SEK 3.90 ( with the application of customary conversion conditions). However, conversion can take place no earlier than 18 February 2022 and no later than 14 October 2023.

The convertible issue is subject to approval at an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on October 14, 2021 in accordance with the notice published by a separate press release on this day.

The directed new issue of shares means that the number of shares in the Company increases by 5,944,231, from 33,750,000 to 39,694,231. The share capital in the Company increases by SEK 1,188,846.20, from SEK 6,750,000 to approximately SEK 7,938,846. The new share issue thus entails a dilution of approximately 17.6% based on the total number of shares in the Company after the new share issue. In addition, the number of shares in the Company, upon full conversion of issued convertibles, will increase by a further 1,923,077 to approximately 9,861,923, which entails a dilution after the new issue of shares and full conversion of the convertible loan, of 23.31%.

KANTER Advokatbyrå has been the legal advisor to the company and Sundström & Partners has been the financial advisor to the company. Aktieinvest has acted as an issuing institution.

What’s the state of Open Banking in Brazil, what opportunities will it bring, and what obstacles still need to be overcome? Tom Greenwood, CEO and ex Adyen SVP André Faria, Volt’s advisor for the LatAm market, explore Brazil’s approach to Open Banking and its influence on a global scale.

It’s no secret that Open Banking in Brazil has begun. 

The Banco Central do Brazil’s (BCB) phased approach is transforming data sharing between banks (phase one), addressing consumer privacy rights (phase two), and the ability to initiate transactions (phase three) across the country.

However, less widely acknowledged is that this approach will not only enable Brazil to emerge as a leader in the Open Banking movement, but as one of the most innovative financial ecosystems in the world. 

This is because the BCB has gone one step further than its European counterparts in devising an Open Banking framework that simultaneously envisages and acts as the roadmap to Open Finance. The implementation of each stage is not an end in itself, but the beginning of a deep transformation of how financial services are conceived and delivered to consumers. 

The fourth and final phase, which involves the application of steps one to three to other verticals within financial services – such as credit, insurance, and investments - has the power to open up entire financial footprints to trusted third party APIs, transforming the way consumers move, manage, and make more of their money. 

Opportunities abound

Brazil’s roadmap to Open Finance will enable unseen levels of interoperability and innovation across the industry. We expect to see a multitude of additional services around authentication and automation grow in the region. For example, enabled by Open Banking infrastructure, payments will become real-time and inherently more secure, eliminating the dangers of card fraud. Integrations between banks and merchants will be simplified, supplying faster, safer, and smoother money flows. User experiences will be improved, conversion rates will rise, and so on.

Open Banking will also trigger greater cooperation between the Brazilian banking system and fintech startups, bringing more efficiency to product offerings and opportunities for developing new services tailored to customer needs. New business models leveraging data are expected to emerge, enabling better customer understanding and insights, attracting millions of new users to the country’s financial system. Simply put, the Open Banking opportunity for Brazilian fintechs is tremendous.

Obstacles ahead 

Of course, the actual deployment of such an ambitious new model is not easy. A comparison to Europe’s own Open Banking journey tells us that delays are often inevitable. Certainly, the BCB’s second and third phases have both experienced delays so far, with the latter recently moved from 30 August to 29 October 2021. Discussions around cost allocation to subsidise the tech infrastructure needed are still to be had, and the immediate impact of the second (and arguably most important) wave has not yet been felt in the weeks following its official launch in August.

This has made for a truly gradual process rather than the clean shift that official launch dates can lead us to believe. But the BCB has been moving incredibly fast and the industry landscape is primed for Open Banking to thrive. A concentration within the five big traditional banks supported by a group of well-funded digital players, such as Nubank, is creating a diverse but condensed environment in Brazil, in comparison to Europe’s complex network of payments and data infrastructure supporting, say, six thousand banks.

Perhaps most importantly, consumer demand for more accessible and flexible financial products in Brazil cannot be overstated. In a survey of Brazilians conducted by Quanto, 75% of respondents had an account at more than one bank, and 70% had an account with a fintech company, highlighting that consumers are going to multiple providers in an attempt to meet their personal finance needs. In order to make this opportunity a reality, Brazil’s banks must cultivate a deep understanding of Open Banking – including its origins in Europe with PSD2, any local regulations concerning cybersecurity and customer protections, and market competition.

Beyond Brazil

The BCB’s model is, without a doubt, one we can expect other regulators around the world to follow. Its considered framework will result in an Open Banking infrastructure that is more advanced than that of Europe’s. As Open Banking in Brazil becomes a reality, we will see the country move more swiftly than its precursors and quickly take the global lead in the race towards Open Finance.

The Open Banking landscape is beginning to level up across the globe, which makes it an exciting time to be at the centre of the open payments revolution. Only time will tell the true impact of BCB’s Open Banking model, but you can bet that others won’t be far behind. 

Commenting on a near 26% year-on-year increase in IHT receipts, Laura Tommis, Trust Manager at ZEDRA, said: “HM Revenue and Customs receipts for IHT for the period April 2021 to August 2021 showed an increase of nearly 26% in comparison with the same period last year. Whilst this was not unexpected given the significant increase in property prices and the state of stock markets over the last year, it shows that planning for IHT should be considered as an important aspect in personal financial planning. As the Government needs to further increase tax receipts, there may also be future changes to some of the current IHT exemptions and allowances, such as Business Property Relief, which could mean it is best to look at planning opportunities utilising reliefs available now rather than delaying matters.”

Smonik Systems (Smonik), a data management and reconciliation software and services provider, announced that Charitable Impact recently implemented Smonik's automated data extraction process. This implementation will help them quickly and easily extract data from bank and broker statements.

Charitable Impact is Canada's donor-advised fund for everyone, where it's easy to manage all your charitable giving from one place. The implementation of Smonik will help Charitable Impact reduce manual data efforts so they can focus on assisting donors in supporting their favourite charities.

So far, more than $875 million has been donated by people using Charitable Impact's platform, and they've helped over 140,000 people across Canada give to 10,000 different charities. Donors who use Charitable Impact get a free online Impact Account, which is like a bank account for charitable giving. With an Impact Account, donors can set aside charitable dollars to give away to any registered charity, give with friends, and access support from a team of philanthropic experts. Charitable Impact also helps people donate and invest assets, such as publicly traded securities.

"We've been so impressed with Smonik. By taking away the administrative burden of manually extracting data for donor statements, we have more time to focus on what we do best: supporting people in creating the change they want to see in the world."

Before implementing Smonik's data extraction software, Charitable Impact manually extracted data from bank and brokerage monthly statements. Smonik's software now helps them automate the extraction of client data from the statements and create customized output files to integrate the extracted data with Charitable Impact's internal systems. Smonik's automated tools increase efficiency and data accuracy for Charitable Impact, resulting in measurable cost savings and a reduction in time-intensive manual processes.

"Smonik is thrilled to work with an innovative organization like Charitable Impact. They've created a new way for people to make a difference — one that flips the script and puts donors in the driver's seat of their charitable giving. Like many others, they faced cumbersome and costly data collection and extraction challenges that detracted from their core purpose: helping people engage with charity. Smonik's software was created in much the same way — we saw a void in the ability of institutional investors to process unstructured data, and we created an innovative, automated data management solution to meet their most complex needs. We're proud to now include Charitable Impact in our growing client roster," said Sethu Bijumalla, CEO at Smonik Systems.