Saxo Bank Scoops 4 Awards at the Social Forex Awards 2011

SINGAPORE–(Marketwire -02/27/12)- Saxo Bank, the online trading and investment specialist, has won no less than four Awards at the inaugural Social Forex Awards 2011.
Saxo Bank ranked number one in the following categories:

• Most Social Bank (through the use of Social Media tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter
• Best Social Campaign
• Best Social Initiative/Innovation
• Best Social Research

The Bank ranked second in a further three categories: Best iPhone/iPad app, Best Online Content and Most Social Website. Of 8 categories Saxo Bank was ranked in all but one.
The awards recognise the outstanding players in the industry and were presented by LetstalkFX and Social-Markets.net, in conjunction with e-Forex magazine and were sponsored by The Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The votes were cast by members of the letstalkFX.com community and marketing was undertaken by the Bank using LinkedIn and Facebook.
Disclaimer:Saxo Capital Markets Pte. Ltd. (“Saxo Capital Markets”) is licensed as a Capital Market Services provider and an Exempt Financial Advisor, and is supervised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
You should carefully consider whether trading in leveraged products is appropriate for you in the light of your financial circumstances. You should be aware that dealing in products that are highly leveraged carry significantly greater risk than non-geared investments such as share trading. As such, you could both gain and lose large amounts of money. You may sustain losses in excess of the moneys you initially deposit and also in excess of the margin required to establish and maintain any positions in leveraged products.
For further information, please see:
http://sg.saxomarkets.com/about-us/general-disclaimer
About Saxo Capital Markets
Saxo Capital Markets Pte Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saxo Bank A/S, the Copenhagen-headquartered online trading and investment specialist. It serves as the Asia Pacific headquarters and holds a Capital Markets Services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Saxo Capital Markets also holds a Commodity Broker licence from The International Enterprise Singapore.
Clients can trade Forex, CFDs, Stocks, Futures, Options and other derivatives via SaxoWebTrader and SaxoTrader, its leading multi-asset online trading platforms.
SaxoTrader is available directly through Saxo Capital Markets or through one of its institutional clients. White labelling is a significant business area for Saxo Capital Markets, and involves customising and branding of its online trading platform for other financial institutions and brokers.
About Saxo Bank
Saxo Bank is a leading online trading and investment specialist. A fully licensed and regulated European bank, Saxo Bank enables private investors and institutional clients to trade FX, CFDs, ETFs, Stocks, Futures, Options and other derivatives via three specialised and fully integrated trading platforms: the browser-based SaxoWebTrader, the downloadable SaxoTrader and the SaxoMobileTrader application available in over 20 languages. Saxo Bank also offers professional portfolio and fund management through Saxo Asset Management who accommodates high-net-worth private clients and institutional investors and provides banking services and advice to retail clients through Saxo Privatbank. The Saxo Bank Group is headquartered in Copenhagen with offices throughout Europe, Asia, Middle East, Latin America and Australia.
http://tourism9.com/    http://vkins.com/

DPG Investments Scores with New Advisory Partners for Global Multi-Strategy Investment and Advisory Platform

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–DPG Investments, LLC, and affiliates are building bench strength with the addition of three well-known executives and operating partners to the DPG advisory team. The new team members bring defined, proven skill sets with significant track records and extensive global networks to assist the continued growth of DPG’s private equity and merchant-banking platform.
A.C. Green, three-time NBA Champion and All-Star, brings his leadership and mentorship qualities in addition to his significant network and global business platform to DPG’s partnerships. Prior to his financial career, Mr. Green spent 16 seasons in the NBA and won three world championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. A.C. Green played in more consecutive games than any other player in NBA history, and only missed three games in his professional basketball career. His current ventures include the A.C. Green Youth Foundation, which helps kids build character, strong bodies and minds, and teaches winning and losing with dignity, teamwork and sacrifice.
Tom Blinten, founder of Panamax Capital, adds his 25 years of experience with over $12 billion in executed transactions to DPG Investments. Mr. Blinten has a proven track record as a global dealmaker and financier across a multitude of sectors, along with significant capital market distribution capabilities. His experience supports DPG and its affiliate’s growth initiative to expand their diversified, multi-strategy merchant-banking platform into Latin American and Asia. The addition of Mr. Blinten is expected to provide immediate opportunities for DPG’s Alternative Investment practice, which focuses on cross-border M&A, capital advisory and capital formation strategies, with an emphasis on international large-scale energy and infrastructure project financing. DPG also has ongoing participation in the Panamax Capital platform.
Ziad Abdelnour, founder and CEO of Blackhawk Partners, brings yet another seasoned deal maker, trader, financier and merchant banker extraordinaire to the DPG team. Mr. Abdelnour’s 25 years of industry experience and $10 billion in transaction volume provide key enhancements to the existing DPG Corporate Private Equity practice. This practice specifically focuses on lower/middle market management-led and leveraged buy-outs, special-situation investing, renewable energy and large project financing. Mr. Abdelnour’s leadership provides a solid foundation for the growth of DPG’s Corporate Finance and Buy-Out practice. Mr. Abdelnour’s most recent book, “Economic Warfare,” is quickly becoming a must-read for anyone interested in the underpinnings of the U.S. economy. Daniel P. Galvanoni will serve as special partner to the Blackhawk Partners platform.
DPG Investments and its affiliates provide global alternative investment management and advisory services. With offices in Arizona and California, DPG specializes in the allocation of capital across various asset classes on behalf of its select high net worth and ultra-high net worth family offices and institutional private equity managers. DPG’s current focus in the alternative investment sector includes real estate lending and acquisition, renewable energy and natural resources, corporate private equity, asset management, fund-to-fund advisory and venture capital. Through its solid platform and disciplined approach, DPG maintains a predominant foothold in the capital markets, trafficking significant and high-quality opportunities on a consistent basis.
Currently, DPG works principally and in conjunction with its numerous domestic and international capital partners, which service a diverse scope of transactions on a co-investment and allocation basis. These partners include, but are not limited to, hedge funds, REITS, equity portfolios, private merchant banks, pension funds and life insurance companies. DPG maintains a strong focus on ultra-high net worth family office partnerships throughout the U.S., Asia, Latin America and Europe.
The statements contained herein may include statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current views and assumptions, and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. In addition to statements which are forward-looking by reason of context, the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.
http://tourism9.cm/    http://vkins.com/

Marin Software Raises $30 Million Funding

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire -02/13/12)- According to eMarketer, by 2015 advertisers will spend $132.1 billion annually for online advertising. Advertisers are increasing their investment in online advertising across multiple channels to drive greater lead generation, customer acquisition, and revenue. This activity is fueling the expanding adoption of Marin Software’s ad management and optimization platform. During the last year, Marin nearly doubled its customer base to 1,500 as well as the amount of annual spend managed on its platform to $3.5 billion. In the wake of Marin’s success, Asia investment company Temasek led a $30 million round of funding along with SAP Ventures. Joining the new investors in this oversubscribed round were existing Marin venture investors Benchmark Capital, Crosslink Capital, DAG Ventures, and Triangle Peak Partners.
Following Marin Software‘s year of rapid international expansion, customer growth, and product innovation, and the closing of the recent financing, Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com, has joined Marin Software’s Board of Directors.
Marin Software’s Dramatic Growth:
http://tourism9.cm/    http://vkins.com/

• Since its inception in 2006, Marin Software has grown into the premier provider of advertising management solutions worldwide. Marin currently serves clients in 160 countries with 25 currencies, increasing its international footprint in the last year with the opening of offices in Singapore, France, Australia, and Germany.
• More than 1,500 of the world’s leading advertisers and agencies manage $3.5 billion in annualized online ad spend through Marin Software. Within the last few months, Hotels.com, Brookstone, Coupons Inc., Rosetta, and Reprise Media have selected Marin’s platform to manage their search, display and social advertising campaigns. Longstanding Marin customers include iProspect, Neo@Ogilvy, Razorfish, Macy’s, Experian, and University of Phoenix.
• Spurred by increasing demand for its products worldwide, Marin Software hired more than 100 new employees during 2011.

Marin Software Funding:

• To date, Marin Software has raised more than $80 million in venture funding. Marin plans to invest this new capital to bolster product development, customer support, and service delivery worldwide.
• Temasek is an Asia investment company headquartered in Singapore, with a diversified S$193 billion portfolio as of March 31, 2011, concentrated principally in Singapore, Asia and growth markets. Through its partnership with Temasek, Marin Software will be able to accelerate its growth across Asia and other emerging markets.
• With the investment from SAP Ventures, which is affiliated with SAP AG, the market leader in enterprise application software, Marin Software will have the opportunity to leverage the experience and resources of SAP and its extensive ecosystem to help further Marin’s business momentum.

Marin Software Board of Directors:

• Attracted by Marin Software’s exceptional growth and industry leadership, Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com, has joined the Marin Software Board of Directors. Van Veenendaal joined salesforce.com when it had less than $20 million in annual revenue and has since led salesforce.com to its current annual sales run rate of more than $2.3 billion.
• van Veenendaal’s extensive experience will prove invaluable as Marin expands its global sales and services programs.
• Marin Software’s Board of Directors includes Chris Lien, Founder and CEO of Marin Software; Paul Auvil, CFO at Proofpoint, Inc.; Bruce Dunlevie, General Partner at Benchmark Capital; and Donald Hutchison, advisor and investor.

Quotes:

• “I am pleased to welcome Temasek and SAP Ventures as investors in Marin Software,” said Christopher Lien, Founder and CEO of Marin Software. “Temasek brings unrivalled experience and capabilities in Asian and emerging markets, which will benefit Marin’s international development. Support from SAP Ventures and relationships with the SAP global ecosystem will further accelerate Marin’s growth around the world.”
• “We are honored to have Frank van Veenendaal join Marin’s Board of Directors, as he has written the global playbook on world-class SaaS sales and services execution during his tenure at salesforce.com,” said Lien. “The entire Marin team looks forward to benefiting from his expertise and counsel as we further develop Marin’s position as the global leader in online advertising management.”
• “Marin Software has built incredible momentum in a short amount of time to become a leading provider of ad management solutions, helping advertisers and agencies wring more ROI out of every ad buy,” said Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com. “The traction Marin has gained in the global marketplace reminds me of the early days of salesforce.com, and I look forward to working hand-in-hand with the executive team as the company cements its leadership worldwide.”

Resources:About Marin Software
About Temasek
About SAP Ventures
About Frank van Veenendaal
Follow Marin Software on Twitter
About Temasek:
Incorporated in 1974, Temasek is an Asia investment company headquartered in Singapore. Supported by 12 affiliates and offices in Asia and Latin America, Temasek owns a diversified S$193 billion portfolio as at 31 March 2011, concentrated principally in Singapore, Asia and growth markets. Temasek’s investment themes centre on Transforming Economies, Growing Middle Income Populations, Deepening Comparative Advantages and Emerging Champions. Its portfolio covers a broad spectrum of industries: financial services; transportation & industrials; telecommunications, media & technology; life sciences, consumer & real estate; energy & resources. Total shareholder return for Temasek since its inception in 1974 has been a healthy 17% compounded annually. It has a corporate credit rating of AAA/Aaa from rating agencies Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s respectively. For further information on Temasek, please visit www.temasek.com.sg.
About SAP Ventures:SAP Ventures is an independent investment firm affiliated with SAP AG (NYSE: SAP – News), the global market leader in enterprise application software, and we leverage our relationships with SAP and its global ecosystem for the benefit of portfolio companies. We make growth equity and later-stage investments in market-leading technology companies across North America, Europe, and key emerging markets. Over the last 15 years, SAP Ventures has supported more than 100 companies across five continents. Past investments include Commerce One, Endeca, Greenplum, MySQL, Red Hat, and WebEx. Current portfolio companies include Alfresco, Alteryx, Control4, LinkedIn, Lithium, OnDeck, OpenX, SAVO, Spring Wireless, Tealeaf, Tremor Media, and Zend. For more information on SAP Ventures, please visit www.sapventures.com.
About Marin Software:Marin Software is a leading provider of online advertising management solutions, offering an integrated platform for managing search, social, display, and mobile marketing. The company provides solutions for advertisers and agencies, enabling them to improve financial performance, save time, and make better decisions. Marin Enterprise, the company’s flagship product, addresses the needs of online marketers spending at least $100,000 per month on biddable media. Marin Professional delivers the same power and ease of use as Marin Enterprise, through an application designed for marketers spending less than $100,000 per month. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices worldwide, Marin’s technology powers marketing campaigns for over 1,500 customers managing more than $3.5 billion of annualized ad spend in more than 160 countries. For more information, please visit: http://www.marinsoftware.com.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1884165

Marin Software Raises $30 Million Funding

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire -02/13/12)- According to eMarketer, by 2015 advertisers will spend $132.1 billion annually for online advertising. Advertisers are increasing their investment in online advertising across multiple channels to drive greater lead generation, customer acquisition, and revenue. This activity is fueling the expanding adoption of Marin Software’s ad management and optimization platform. During the last year, Marin nearly doubled its customer base to 1,500 as well as the amount of annual spend managed on its platform to $3.5 billion. In the wake of Marin’s success, Asia investment company Temasek led a $30 million round of funding along with SAP Ventures. Joining the new investors in this oversubscribed round were existing Marin venture investors Benchmark Capital, Crosslink Capital, DAG Ventures, and Triangle Peak Partners.
Following Marin Software’s year of rapid international expansion, customer growth, and product innovation, and the closing of the recent financing, Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com, has joined Marin Software’s Board of Directors.
Marin Software’s Dramatic Growth:
http://tourism9.cm/    http://vkins.com/

• Since its inception in 2006, Marin Software has grown into the premier provider of advertising management solutions worldwide. Marin currently serves clients in 160 countries with 25 currencies, increasing its international footprint in the last year with the opening of offices in Singapore, France, Australia, and Germany.
• More than 1,500 of the world’s leading advertisers and agencies manage $3.5 billion in annualized online ad spend through Marin Software. Within the last few months, Hotels.com, Brookstone, Coupons Inc., Rosetta, and Reprise Media have selected Marin’s platform to manage their search, display and social advertising campaigns. Longstanding Marin customers include iProspect, Neo@Ogilvy, Razorfish, Macy’s, Experian, and University of Phoenix.
• Spurred by increasing demand for its products worldwide, Marin Software hired more than 100 new employees during 2011.

Marin Software Funding:

• To date, Marin Software has raised more than $80 million in venture funding. Marin plans to invest this new capital to bolster product development, customer support, and service delivery worldwide.
• Temasek is an Asia investment company headquartered in Singapore, with a diversified S$193 billion portfolio as of March 31, 2011, concentrated principally in Singapore, Asia and growth markets. Through its partnership with Temasek, Marin Software will be able to accelerate its growth across Asia and other emerging markets.
• With the investment from SAP Ventures, which is affiliated with SAP AG, the market leader in enterprise application software, Marin Software will have the opportunity to leverage the experience and resources of SAP and its extensive ecosystem to help further Marin’s business momentum.

Marin Software Board of Directors:

• Attracted by Marin Software’s exceptional growth and industry leadership, Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com, has joined the Marin Software Board of Directors. Van Veenendaal joined salesforce.com when it had less than $20 million in annual revenue and has since led salesforce.com to its current annual sales run rate of more than $2.3 billion.
• van Veenendaal’s extensive experience will prove invaluable as Marin expands its global sales and services programs.
• Marin Software’s Board of Directors includes Chris Lien, Founder and CEO of Marin Software; Paul Auvil, CFO at Proofpoint, Inc.; Bruce Dunlevie, General Partner at Benchmark Capital; and Donald Hutchison, advisor and investor.

Quotes:

• “I am pleased to welcome Temasek and SAP Ventures as investors in Marin Software,” said Christopher Lien, Founder and CEO of Marin Software. “Temasek brings unrivalled experience and capabilities in Asian and emerging markets, which will benefit Marin’s international development. Support from SAP Ventures and relationships with the SAP global ecosystem will further accelerate Marin’s growth around the world.”
• “We are honored to have Frank van Veenendaal join Marin’s Board of Directors, as he has written the global playbook on world-class SaaS sales and services execution during his tenure at salesforce.com,” said Lien. “The entire Marin team looks forward to benefiting from his expertise and counsel as we further develop Marin’s position as the global leader in online advertising management.”
• “Marin Software has built incredible momentum in a short amount of time to become a leading provider of ad management solutions, helping advertisers and agencies wring more ROI out of every ad buy,” said Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com. “The traction Marin has gained in the global marketplace reminds me of the early days of salesforce.com, and I look forward to working hand-in-hand with the executive team as the company cements its leadership worldwide.”

Resources:About Marin Software
About Temasek
About SAP Ventures
About Frank van Veenendaal
Follow Marin Software on Twitter
About Temasek:
Incorporated in 1974, Temasek is an Asia investment company headquartered in Singapore. Supported by 12 affiliates and offices in Asia and Latin America, Temasek owns a diversified S$193 billion portfolio as at 31 March 2011, concentrated principally in Singapore, Asia and growth markets. Temasek’s investment themes centre on Transforming Economies, Growing Middle Income Populations, Deepening Comparative Advantages and Emerging Champions. Its portfolio covers a broad spectrum of industries: financial services; transportation & industrials; telecommunications, media & technology; life sciences, consumer & real estate; energy & resources. Total shareholder return for Temasek since its inception in 1974 has been a healthy 17% compounded annually. It has a corporate credit rating of AAA/Aaa from rating agencies Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s respectively. For further information on Temasek, please visit www.temasek.com.sg.
About SAP Ventures:SAP Ventures is an independent investment firm affiliated with SAP AG (NYSE: SAP – News), the global market leader in enterprise application software, and we leverage our relationships with SAP and its global ecosystem for the benefit of portfolio companies. We make growth equity and later-stage investments in market-leading technology companies across North America, Europe, and key emerging markets. Over the last 15 years, SAP Ventures has supported more than 100 companies across five continents. Past investments include Commerce One, Endeca, Greenplum, MySQL, Red Hat, and WebEx. Current portfolio companies include Alfresco, Alteryx, Control4, LinkedIn, Lithium, OnDeck, OpenX, SAVO, Spring Wireless, Tealeaf, Tremor Media, and Zend. For more information on SAP Ventures, please visit www.sapventures.com.
About Marin Software:Marin Software is a leading provider of online advertising management solutions, offering an integrated platform for managing search, social, display, and mobile marketing. The company provides solutions for advertisers and agencies, enabling them to improve financial performance, save time, and make better decisions. Marin Enterprise, the company’s flagship product, addresses the needs of online marketers spending at least $100,000 per month on biddable media. Marin Professional delivers the same power and ease of use as Marin Enterprise, through an application designed for marketers spending less than $100,000 per month. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices worldwide, Marin’s technology powers marketing campaigns for over 1,500 customers managing more than $3.5 billion of annualized ad spend in more than 160 countries. For more information, please visit: http://www.marinsoftware.com.
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Capital Access Network Raises $30M From Accel To Loan Small Businesses Working Capital

In this economic climate, many small businesses do not qualify for loans based on the standards imposed by banks and financial institutions. For fledgling businesses, the establishment doesn’t have enough cash flow, revenue or credit to qualify for a loan. Many times, entrepreneurs have to put up personal assets as collateral for loans, which can be problematic and risky. The fact is working capital is difficult to get from banks unless a business has perfect credit.
Capital Access Network (CAN), a company that gives small businesses access to credit and working capital and helps solve the problem outlines above, is announcing this morning that it has raised $30 million from Accel Partners. As part of the transaction, Accel partner, Kevin Efrusy will join Credit Access’s board of directors, and Accel vice president, John Locke, will join as an observer.
CAN constitutes the largest, non-bank alternative capital provider to small businesses in the US. The company uses its own real-time platform and risk scoring models to provide capital to small and medium-sized businesses in the US and Latin America and has funded over $2 billion in capital to SMB’s under the brands NewLogic Business Loans and AdvanceMe. This represents roughly 100,000 distinct small business finance transactions. This year alone, CAN will fund over $600 million in loans to small businesses.
CAN uses a variety of data points to deem a business worthy of credit or capital apart from the traditional criteria. CAN’s proprietary underwriting algorithms will churn through its vast data stacks of historical merchant demographic, firmographic, psychographic and social and behavioral profiles seeking and seasoning new behavioral and synthetic risk indicators and recombining those indicators into new risk scorecards.
For example, CAN will look at frequency of sales (not just how much), inventory access, eBay seller rating, tax returns and other information. In terms of interest, the company uses a more unorthodox, merchant-friendly way of collecting money on top of a loan. If an online violin store needs $30,000 in working capital to purchase inventory, CAN will loan the money, but the borrower will need to pay back $35,000 to CAN over 12 months.
Typically, CAN will give merchants and businesses anywhere from $2,500 to $250,000 in working capital. Customers range from medical practices, to shoe stores to auto repair shops to clothing, accessory and home product online retailers.
CAN CEO, Glenn Goldman, tells me that the extra amount the borrower has to pay to CAN depends on risk of the loan, how long it will take for the loan to be paid back, the amount of capital lent and other factors. But he says many times, the amount CAN charges is less than any interest rate from a bank. And 75 percent of customers renew their funding. In some cases, repayment can be fairly simple. Goldman points to the example of one online merchant who chose to automatically forward a small percentage of sales from its payment processor directly to CAN to repay the loan every month. If sales were lower than usual that month, CAN would lower the amount needed to pay.
And Goldman explains that behavioral risk scoring, rather than just examining a small business owner’s FICO score, allows the company to ‘yes’ to a higher percentage of SMBs than traditional sources while mitigating losses.
For Accel, the investment marks the continuation of a thesis of investing aggressively behind companies that are enabling small businesses to grow faster, says Efrusy. He cites investments in Groupon, Etsy, 99 Designs, Braintee, DropBox as just a few of the Accel-backed companies that are helping are “giving small businesses tools to thrive.”
“From our work with small businesses, it’s clear that one of the most pressing issues for merchants is access to credit and working capital,” Efrusy said. “Especially today, banks are unable to play effectively in this market. Large institutions cannot reach, evaluate, or serve small businesses efficiently. Many newcomers to the finance space are constrained by limited access to and very high-cost capital combined with high portfolio losses given unseasoned risk scoring models. Capital Access Network has by far the strongest team, scale, and data-driven approach to this market.”
Goldman says the new funding will be partly used for boosting and redesigning the online merchant experience on CAN. By April, the lender will feature new user interfaces, merchant portals and online approvals.
As Efrusy explains, there’s a huge amount of disruption taking place in the online lending space, and CAN is in a great position to help small businesses grow with working capital. Kabbage is another startup that is also looking to provide capital to online merchants, and ZestCash is doing something similar on the consumer end of the spectrum.http://tourism9.com/    http://vkins.com/

Chief Economist: MENA Will Stand Stronger by the End of 2012

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK–(Marketwire -01/30/12)- Steen Jakobsen, Chief Economist at Saxo Bank A/S, the online trading and investment specialist, will be visiting Dubai to discuss with financial media and professional investors of Saxo Bank (Dubai) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saxo Bank A/S, the current market status in light of the recent crisis and the Bank’s outlook for the first quarter of 2012.
Saxo Bank’s quarterly outlook takes a deeper look at what 2012 holds for various asset classes including; foreign exchange, commodities and equities and the state of the macro economy and how it will be impacted by policy amendments, monetary policy and the current market turmoil. The bank has forecasted that world growth is to slow further in 2012 to 3 percent. Mr. Jakobsen says: “Our common theme for this quarter is a Perfect Storm. Pressures in the Eurozone, public sector austerity and social tensions will all conspire to create the storm, in which no nation will be left untouched”.
He believes 2012 could be the most pivotal year by far since the global financial crisis of 2008 and notes that a perfect storm in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) area is based on good underlying fundamentals combined with almost imperfect visibility on geopolitical risk.
Mr. Jakobsen says: “We feel confident that MENA will stand stronger on both accounts at the end of 2012 but first we may need to go through a period of increased volatility. This leads us to a very defensive investment outlook not from a fear of the future rather from a high probability of seeing better entry levels during the course of the year.”
Steen Jakobsen, a regular guest host and commentator on CNBC, Bloomberg and other networks, has more than 20 years of experience within the fields of proprietary trading and alternative investment. In 1997, he became Global Head of Trading, FX and Options at Christiania (now Nordea) in New York until he joined UBS in New York in 1999 as the Executive Director in the Global Proprietary Trading Group. He joined Saxo Bank in 2000 and after a brief departure to Limus Capital Partners, where he was Chief Investment Officer for two years, he returned to the bank in 2011 as Chief Economist.
About Saxo Bank (Dubai) LtdSaxo Bank (Dubai) Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saxo Bank A/S. Saxo Bank (Dubai) Limited is pleased to offer access to Saxo Bank A/S’s award-winning trading platforms here in the Middle East. Saxo Bank (Dubai) Ltd is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and services Professional Clients only.
About Saxo Bank A/SSaxo Bank is a leading online trading and investment specialist. A fully licensed and regulated European bank, Saxo Bank enables private investors and institutional clients to trade FX, CFDs, ETFs, Stocks, Futures, Options and other derivatives via three specialised and fully integrated trading platforms; the browser-based SaxoWebTrader, the downloadable SaxoTrader and the SaxoMobileTrader application available in over 20 languages. Saxo Bank also offers professional portfolio and fund management through Saxo Asset Management who accommodates high-net worth private clients and institutional investors and provides banking services and advice to retail clients through Saxo Privatbank. The Saxo Bank Group is headquartered in Copenhagen with offices throughout Europe, Asia, Middle East, Latin America and Australia.
http://tourism9.com/    http://vkins.com/

Mutual Funds Invest in Brazilian Online Deals Company

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Peixe Urbano, Brazil’s first online daily deal company, has closed a series C round of financing with mutual funds and institutional accounts managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management and T. Rowe Price Associates. General Atlantic and Tiger Global Management, who had previously backed the company, also participated. The size of investment was not disclosed.
Julio Vasconcellos, Peixe Urbano’s chief executive and co-founder, told DealBook in an interview that the new capital would be used to finance research and development and product development. He said the company, based in Rio de Janeiro, planned to develop new features and seek to improve the daily deal business model, including a push into local e-commerce.
Mr. Vasconcellos says Peixe Urbano also plans to hire engineers and fill out its senior leadership team.
The site started in March 2010, when Brazil had no daily deal market.
Its founders, Mr. Vasconcellos, Emerson Andrade and Alex Tabor, met while at Stanford University.
Early investors in the company are Chamath Palihapitiya, Benchmark Capital and Monashees Capital, based in São Paulo. Matt Cohler of Benchmark and Eric Acher of Monashees continue to serve on Peixe Urbano’s board of directors.
The company has grown rapidly in its brief history. It says that by the end of 2010, in its first nine months, it had sold two million coupons and employed 270 people. By early this month, it had sold roughly 12 million coupons and had 1,000 employees. It has also expanded in Latin America, and is now present in more then 80 cities.
Brazil’s daily deal market initially exploded following Peixe Urbano’s founding. More than 2,000 similar sites developed, according to Guilherme Stocco, vice president of business development at the Buscapé Company, which owns intelligence-gathering units.
The market has since experienced a significant correction: there are now just 1,000 sites, and only 300 generate revenue.
While Peixe Urbano does not disclose its revenue, Mr. Stocco told DealBook that in 2011 the total daily deal market in Brazil was about $843 million. He says the top three companies — Peixe Urbano, Groupon and Click On — have been running neck and neck in the market’s brief history. The top three sites account for 40 percent of total market revenue, he said, while the top eight account for 70 percent.
Mr. Stocco said that while there had been a lot of consolidation, “the market is still growing,” adding that “the companies doing well are picking up business from those that failed.”
Benchmark’s Mr. Cohler said in an interview that he continued to see an “unbounded upside” to Peixe Urbano’s growth.
http://tourism9.com/    http://vkins.com/

Mutual Funds Invest in Brazilian Online Deals Company

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Peixe Urbano, Brazil’s first online daily deal company, has closed a series C round of financing with mutual funds and institutional accounts managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management and T. Rowe Price Associates. General Atlantic and Tiger Global Management, who had previously backed the company, also participated. The size of investment was not disclosed.
Julio Vasconcellos, Peixe Urbano’s chief executive and co-founder, told DealBook in an interview that the new capital would be used to finance research and development and product development. He said the company, based in Rio de Janeiro, planned to develop new features and seek to improve the daily deal business model, including a push into local e-commerce.
Mr. Vasconcellos says Peixe Urbano also plans to hire engineers and fill out its senior leadership team.
The site started in March 2010, when Brazil had no daily deal market.
Its founders, Mr. Vasconcellos, Emerson Andrade and Alex Tabor, met while at Stanford University.
Early investors in the company are Chamath Palihapitiya, Benchmark Capital and Monashees Capital, based in São Paulo. Matt Cohler of Benchmark and Eric Acher of Monashees continue to serve on Peixe Urbano’s board of directors.
The company has grown rapidly in its brief history. It says that by the end of 2010, in its first nine months, it had sold two million coupons and employed 270 people. By early this month, it had sold roughly 12 million coupons and had 1,000 employees. It has also expanded in Latin America, and is now present in more then 80 cities.
Brazil’s daily deal market initially exploded following Peixe Urbano’s founding. More than 2,000 similar sites developed, according to Guilherme Stocco, vice president of business development at the Buscapé Company, which owns intelligence-gathering units.
The market has since experienced a significant correction: there are now just 1,000 sites, and only 300 generate revenue.
While Peixe Urbano does not disclose its revenue, Mr. Stocco told DealBook that in 2011 the total daily deal market in Brazil was about $843 million. He says the top three companies — Peixe Urbano, Groupon and Click On — have been running neck and neck in the market’s brief history. The top three sites account for 40 percent of total market revenue, he said, while the top eight account for 70 percent.
Mr. Stocco said that while there had been a lot of consolidation, “the market is still growing,” adding that “the companies doing well are picking up business from those that failed.”
Benchmark’s Mr. Cohler said in an interview that he continued to see an “unbounded upside” to Peixe Urbano’s growth
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