Technology

HX5 Encrypted explain how a simple check can stop a $240 Billion money laundering scandal

Published

2 years ago

November 27, 2023

HALIFAX, England, Nov. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Hx5 Encrypted build software to help businesses remain ethical and to protect their reputation. Andy Parr, the company’s, founder explains what checks HX5 do to stop money laundering.

“Money Launderers use a range of tactics to conceal the real source of their funds. It usually involves offshore companies and financial vehicles to feed the money through,” Andy said.

The Tax Havens of the Caribbean are a popular place to hide wealth and the real beneficial owner of it. This is because while those places must adhere to international standards in place to stop money laundering, they rarely use them to do so. The Cayman Islands have never convicted a money launderer internationally and this is despite it being the sixth largest financial centre globally is an example of this at play.

The latest Crypto scandal, this time against Binance, is another classic example. Binance is registered in the Cayman Islands as a business. But it is not registered anywhere globally as an Asset Exchange. In the US the regulators have been chasing it out of the country to protect US citizens from losing their lifesavings. The US regulators have eventually caught up with Binance and fined them over $4 billion for facilitating money laundering on an industrial scale globally. They have also barred the CEO, Changpeng Zhao, from running the company and fined him personally $50 Million.

The lax way Binance have implemented (or not dependent on your viewpoint) money laundering controls has been an issue for some time. This lack of due diligence has resulted in terrorist organisations like Al Qaeda, ISIS and Hamas using the platform to move money globally as well as any number of criminals using it to ‘clean’ their money.

The question here is, why the US? Binance are registered in the Cayman Islands so why haven’t the Cayman Islands regulated it and punished the company themselves? And why have they allowed the company to register just as a business and not enforced them to also register as an asset exchange thereby forcing additional levels of scrutiny and standards on Binance? And finally, what action will they now take to sanction Binance bearing in mind it is in their backyard?

Andy says he isn’t holding his breath. “The Cayman Islands have a failed regulatory system. They don’t have the staff, the skills or the will to manage global finance and the Binance saga shines a light on this globally. They shouldn’t be allowed to operate within the highly regulated financial sector until they get their house in order to stop money laundering and tax evasion.”

HX5 Encrypted is building a software platform that will facilitate intelligence sharing between financial institutes to trace money transfers on both sides of the transaction. Andy says this will be a game changer for money launderers. “Our system is called Acrintel. Currently for a wire transfer the receiving bank only does three checks. Acrintel will complete nine and behind those checks is a huge level of data that ensures business and people are real – identified biometrically – and businesses are trading and operating properly something that wasn’t the case in another scandal involving Danske bank.”

A single branch of Danske Bank moved $240 billion out of Russia and into the global financial sector by filtering it through 16 UK businesses that had other business beneficial owners in tax havens globally. The problem was the UK businesses were registered as dormant despite $20 million being moved daily through their accounts. Acrintel will spot that kind of activity and stop it. Acrintel will check the registration of the business and ask, why is it registered in the UK but trading with Russia, why is the bank branch in Estonia, why is the UK business shown as dormant and finally, why are they owned by offshore opaque entities?

“All of these things are a red flag for money laundering. A single red flag may mean little but a series like that is a huge signal that something isn’t right. Our software will alert the receiving bank and the transactions would be stopped,” Andy said.

“Acrintel will also spot Crypto exchanges facilitating bad actors to launder their assets because the real money moves in and out of traditional banks and when it does Acrintel will spot it.”

HX5 are currently searching for investment to help them build Acrintel as the second software solution to come out of the firm. The first is already trading internationally and is a whistleblowing software.

About HX5 Encrypted Ltd

HX5 Encrypted is incorporated in the UK and builds software for businesses. They are currently working on a risk intelligence platform to enable banks and other large financial institutes to share intelligence to prevent money laundering and tax evasion. They are seeking financial investment to bring that solution to the market. For more information about the company or their software contact Andy via the details below.

Contact:
Office@hx5encrypted.co.uk for more information
www.HX5Encrypted.co.uk

Video – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2285069/HX5_Encrypted_Ltd.mp4

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Technology

VNET Announces Changes to Leadership Team

Published

31 minutes ago

April 20, 2026

BEIJING, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — VNET Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNET) (“VNET” or the “Company”), today announced that Mr. Qiyu Wang has resigned from his position as VNET’s Chief Financial Officer for personal reasons, effective April 30, 2026. Mr. Wang’s resignation is not due to any disagreement with the Company, nor does it relate to the Company’s operations, policies, practices, accounting matters, or procedures.

Mr. Josh Sheng Chen, Founder, Executive Chairperson and Interim Chief Executive Officer of VNET, commented, “On behalf of the Company, I would like to thank Qiyu for his contributions during his tenure. His financial discipline and strategic insight have been instrumental to the Company’s growth. We wish him every success in his future endeavors.”

In February 2026, the Company announced the appointment of Mr. Peter Zhihua Zhang as Senior Vice President, Operational Finance of VNET, to oversee the Company’s financial operations and to serve as the Company’s “principal accounting officer” in accordance with applicable U.S. federal securities laws, SEC rules, and Nasdaq requirements. Since joining VNET in 2019, Mr. Zhang has demonstrated extensive expertise in multiple key roles within the Company’s finance operations.

About VNET

VNET Group, Inc. is a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral internet data center services provider in China. VNET provides hosting and related services, including IDC services, cloud services, and business VPN services to improve the reliability, security, and speed of its customers’ internet infrastructure. Customers may locate their servers and equipment in VNET’s data centers and connect to China’s internet backbone. VNET operates in more than 30 cities throughout China, servicing a diversified and loyal base of over 7,000 hosting and related enterprise customers that span numerous industries ranging from internet companies to government entities and blue-chip enterprises to small- to mid-sized enterprises.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “target,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, quotations from management in this announcement as well as VNET’s strategic and operational plans contain forward-looking statements. VNET may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about VNET’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: VNET’s goals and strategies; VNET’s liquidity conditions; VNET’s expansion plans; the expected growth of the data center services market; expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, VNET’s services; VNET’s expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with customers; VNET’s plans to invest in research and development to enhance its solution and service offerings; and general economic and business conditions in the regions where VNET provides solutions and services. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in VNET’s reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and VNET undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations Contact:

Xinyuan Liu
Tel: +86 10 8456 2121
Email: ir@vnet.com

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SOURCE VNET Group, Inc.

Technology

Steven Rivera Appointed Chief Revenue Officer of NRI North America

Published

31 minutes ago

April 20, 2026

NEW YORK, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Nomura Research Institute (NRI), a leading global provider of consulting and technology services, today announced that Steven Rivera has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) for North America.

In this role, Rivera will oversee revenue-related functions across the region, including sales, marketing, demand generation, strategic partnerships, and client engagement.

Rivera brings more than 26 years of experience to the role, having held sales and marketing leadership positions within the cybersecurity, managed services, and consulting sectors. Over the course of his career, he has led the development of integrated go-to-market strategies and supported organizations in strengthening client relationships and operational alignment.

Prior to joining NRI, Rivera served as Chief Revenue Officer at Logically, where he was responsible for coordinating revenue functions across sales, marketing, client support, and pricing. His work focused on improving organizational alignment and supporting consistent business performance.

“Steven’s experience across revenue leadership and his background in cybersecurity and consulting are well-aligned with our priorities in North America,” said Toshi Oiwa, Chief Executive Officer of NRI North America. “We believe his perspective will contribute to the steady advancement of our regional capabilities and support our efforts to further deepen relationships with our clients over the long term.”

Rivera’s areas of expertise include enterprise sales leadership, revenue operations, cloud and cybersecurity solutions, and financial planning. He also brings experience in security consulting, risk analysis, program management, and governance, risk & compliance (GRC).

About NRI

In North America, NRI is a business and technology solutions consultancy. Guiding our clients from insight to execution, we design and deliver solutions that fuel growth, grow profitability, and result in lasting innovation. NRI has more than 16,000 employees in 16 countries and regions including New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. NRI reports annual sales above US $4.8 billion and is rated “A” by S&P Global Ratings Japan. Learn more at www.nri-na.com.

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SOURCE NRI

Technology

Ionic Digital Announces March 2026 Mining and Operations Update

Published

31 minutes ago

April 20, 2026

AUSTIN, Texas, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ionic Digital Inc. (“Ionic Digital” or the “Company”), a digital infrastructure company supporting the expanding needs of AI and high-performance computing, today issued its unaudited Mining and Operations Update for March 2026.

In March, Ionic Digital mined 28.05 Bitcoin (“BTC”), a decrease of 14.9% compared to the prior month. The Company’s site production varied in line with strategic adjustments, following fleet consolidation.

The decline in production was driven by a 19.4% decrease in average hashrate and a 6.8% reduction in network block production, partially offset by a 3.3% decline in the global hashrate. Ionic’s share of the global hashrate declined 16.6% month-over-month to 0.21%, reflecting a sharper reduction in company output relative to the total network.

At our four Midland sites, production was 24.26 BTC, a 4.7% month-over-month increase, as the most efficient miners from the Oklahoma GXD facility came online at Midland. At GXD, production was 3.79 BTC, a planned decrease of 61.2% month-over-month due to continued de-racking and reduced operational contribution.

The daily average hashrate was 2.04 EH/s, down 19.4% compared to the prior month, due to the discontinuation of the GXD hosting contract and removal of miners (-62.5%), while Midland remained relatively stable (-1.2%).

Ionic Digital continues to maintain its zero-debt position and liquidated no BTC in March. As of March 31, 2026, the Company held 2,815.6 BTC, an increase of approximately 28.2 BTC over the prior month.

Key Mining and Operating Metrics Summary

Metric

March 2026

Capacity (MW)1

112.0

Efficiency (J/THs)2

29.1

Daily Average Hashrate (EH/s)3

2.04

BTC Mined4

28.05

Average BTC Mined/Day5

0.90

BTC Sold

0.0

BTC Holdings6

2,815.6

Total current energy available at the four Midland sites, representing a change in previous reporting.
Previous reporting only measured total current capacity for mining activities available at hosted and directly
owned sites.Represents the capabilities of active miners during the reporting period.The reported hashrate is derived from internal performance data. Hashrate values reflect miner downtime
and curtailment.Gross BTC mined of 28.05 BTC. No hosting fees were paid in BTC for March 2026.Average BTC/Day in the prior month was 1.18.BTC Holdings excludes 0.9 BTC earned but in transit as of month-end, a change of -0.2 BTC from prior
month. The BTC balance at the end of the prior month was 2,787.4 BTC.

About Ionic Digital
Ionic Digital Inc. is a digital infrastructure company that develops strategic powered land assets for data centers, high-performance computing (HPC) and cryptocurrency mining. Learn more at www.ionicdigital.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Ionic Digital Inc.