With the likes of Satoshi Nakamoto and Vitalik Buterin dominant, masculine names are frequently referenced when the topic of cryptocurrencies and digital assets arises.Mrs Tipsuda's SEC career began in 1993, one year after the agency was established. But in the Thai context the discussion can differ greatly, as one of the financial authorities who engineered the country's royal decree on digital assets was a woman named Tipsuda Thavaramara. "I had heard about cryptocurrencies since 2013 or 2014 but I was not very interested back then, as I thought the concept was not tangible because this type of asset is backed by nothing," says the former deputy secretary-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Mrs Tipsuda, 59, grew up in the world of the Bretton Woods system of monetary management, whereby currencies were pegged to the US dollar's value, which in turn was pegged to the price of gold. The system ended in 1971, when the US under the Nixon administration unilaterally … [Read more...] about Talking crypto with the SEC’s digital asset sage
Questions for accountant when starting small business
US senators grill Facebook on its plans for Libra cryptocurrency
WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Facebook is "delusional" to believe people will trust it with their money, a US senator said on Tuesday (July 16) as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle grilled the social media company on its plans for a digital currency. Facebook is fighting to get Washington onside after it shocked regulators and lawmakers with its announcement on June 18 that it was hoping to launch a new digital coin called Libra in 2020. Since then it has faced criticism from policymakers and financial watchdogs at home and abroad who fear widespread adoption of the digital currency by the social media giant's 2.38 billion users could upend the financial system. "Facebook has demonstrated through scandal after scandal that it doesn't deserve our trust," Democratic senator Sherrod Brown, the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, said in his opening remarks. "We'd be crazy to give them a chance to let them experiment with people's bank accounts." Brown added during questioning … [Read more...] about US senators grill Facebook on its plans for Libra cryptocurrency
‘A pretty good place to start’: Serving Myanmar’s farmers
“If you want to help the people of Myanmar, farming is a pretty good place to start. Despite the country’s rapid urbanisation in recent years, the population remains overwhelmingly rural, with 70 percent of people relying on the land for their livelihoods,” said a recent blog post by Proximity Designs. This came after the US government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) committed US$8 million to Proximity Finance on April 3 to support expanded micro lending to rural Myanmar borrowers, primarily smallholder farmers. The Skoll Foundation, a long-term supporter of Proximity Finance, committed an additional US$2 million of subordinated debt as part of the co-financing package. “By expanding their access to affordable credit, OPIC’s partnership with Proximity Designs will equip smallholder farmers to improve their yields, expand their enterprises, and help their communities thrive,” said OPIC’s acting President and CEO David … [Read more...] about ‘A pretty good place to start’: Serving Myanmar’s farmers
Curb your overspending with these 4 tips
Do you feel like your income is just enough, and there's nothing left over for savings? Or perhaps you have the good intention to save money, but before you know it's the end of the month and you've spent more money than you thought you would. This happens to many people, so how can you take control of your spending? Here are four tips that can help you be more mindful of how you spend your money and break your overspending habit. START TRACKING YOUR SPENDING Are you really overspending, and what are you overspending on? To answer these questions, we recommend you start tracking your expenses. You may think it's a tedious exercise, but with so many budget tracking apps available, it's really as easy as taking a few seconds after you've made a payment to input the expense in your chosen app. This can be an easy habit to develop as we're usually on our phones anyway, and some people even use contactless payment systems via smartphones. Just add on that extra step of using a budget … [Read more...] about Curb your overspending with these 4 tips
‘Great journalism holds the mirror to our souls’
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By Kathy English Public Editor Thu., May 2, 2019 Why does journalism matter? I asked. You answered. In anticipation of today’s World News Day, a time to recognize and celebrate the power of journalism to make a difference in people’s lives, I asked for your perspectives on why journalism matters to you. The responses, as always when I reach out to Star readers for your views were (for the most part) thoughtful and constructive, showing tremendous insight into the value of the public service mission of journalism and deep appreciation both for journalism’s purpose in our democracy and for the work of journalists who aspire to journalism’s highest ideals. Thank you to all who participated. Here is some of why you believe #NewsMatters: Good journalism speaks truth in the face of lies, without fear or prejudice. When the public is confused by those with powerful self-interest, then the duty of the journalist is to lay bare the facts as (s)he … [Read more...] about ‘Great journalism holds the mirror to our souls’