Wonders & Blunders: Dell-si-do IPO

02.01.2018
By: Kevin Dinino
Category: Fintech | Newsletter

 

 
OUR CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE WEEK’S NEWS
It’s finally the end of January…is it just us or has this been a long month?! Wonders and Blunders begins by exploring how the world’s largest spot gold market is hopping on the blockchain bandwagon. The LBMA is seeking out technology capable of tracking precious metals throughout their journey – from the mines to investors’ vaults. Sounds like a golden opportunity!
 
News on tax reform keeps popping up in our inbox. This week’s stories focus on how tax incentives are helping manufacturers advance automation efforts. The new equipment purchase deduction rule will help companies invest in robots to boost productivity. This is a wonder in our book – we’re rooting for the robotics revolution!
 
Have you been watching Dell do the ‘do-si-do’ (or Dell-si-do)? Dell Technologies went public, then private, and now perhaps public again. Yesterday’s news delved into a new possibility: a reverse-merger with VMware. Keep your eye on this, it could be the biggest deal in tech industry history.
 
As you can tell, we’ve made some changes to Wonders and Blunders. Does the updated format make it easier for you to read? We’d love to hear your thoughts – simply reply to this email.
 
Blockchain to Track Billions in Bullion
Wonder: Gold Market Mulling Blockchain for $200 Billion of Supply – by Eddie Van Der Walt and Ranjeetha Pakiam in Bloomberg.
 
Blockchain technology could make it possible to keep tabs on precious metal movements, from mining to recycling. It also may help prevent money laundering, terrorism funding and conflict minerals. The world’s biggest spot gold market, the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), is looking into the costs and logistics of moving from paper-based tracking to implementing blockchain technology to increase efficiencies.
 
Automation Arriving Ahead of Schedule
Wonder: Tax Incentive Puts More Robots on Factory Floors – by Andrew Tangel and Patrick McGroarty in The Wall Street Journal.
 
New tax rules allowing companies to immediately deduct equipment purchases from their taxable income has spurred a new wave of tech adoption on factory floors. This tax reform incentivizes manufacturers to invest in equipment such as automation technology that will significantly ramp up productivity. Robots are stepping in to fill the gap created by a shortage of factory workers amid a tight labor market.
 
 
Dell, Debt and Decisions
 
The world’s largest privately held technology company, Dell, hasn’t always been owned by private investors. It was publicly traded from 1988 to 2013, and word on the street is it plans to go public, either by way of a massive reverse merger with VMware (which would be the biggest tech deal in history) or a traditional re-list. Either option certainly would help pay off some of the company’s outstanding debt, as well as give private equity giant Silver Lake the ability to sell off its substantial stake in the company.
 
» IN THE NEWS
Forbes speaks with Charles Thorngren, CEO of Noble Alternative Investments about XRP.
Type Board quotes Charles Thorngren, CEO of Noble Alternative Investmentson the government shutdown’s impact on investments.
» BOTTOM LINE: Add Blockchain to a Name for Branding Buzz?
Just a few years ago we were discussing how the pervasive growth of the technology industry brought about the fast and loose use of the term ‘tech’. It seemed as though  every new startup was typecasting itself under the ‘tech’ umbrella regardless of the product it was producing.
 
Fast forward to present day, blockchain is the new buzzword. Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) seem to appear every hour and disappear even faster. Everyone, from foodies to activists, is scrambling to jump on the blockchain bandwagon and seize the opportunity to be a first mover before cryptocurrencies become mainstream.
» FEATURED CASE STUDY: COBINHOOD
COBINHOOD, a cryptocurrency platform built for the blockchain era, approached KCD PR as an unknown entity to the outside world. From our initial proposal to the Initial Coin Offering (ICO), KCD PR had three weeks to build awareness with the media and potential investors. In addition to being in Taipei, Taiwan, the firm also faced challenges associated with not having a U.S. presence or U.S. representation on its board of advisors.

 
 

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