The Turkish lira has collapsed -- this, in turn, has caused serious problems for Turkish importation capabilities. Despite this, deal-hunting tourists have been pouring into the country to cash in on Turkey's economic misfortune. The majority of tourists come from Asia and Saudi Arabia. With long lines outside luxury brand stores in Istanbul, capitalizing on the lira's … [Read more…]
The South China Sea, one of the most heavily trafficked waterways on the planet, has been the site of heightening tensions between China and other Pacific powers in recent years, as China's claims of sovereignty have grown to encompass the majority of the region, stretching thousands of miles from Chinese shores. In order to bolster their claims, China has set about fortifying … [Read more…]
"Hawala" has long been a method of both legitimate money transfer among Muslim nations, as well as a method of financing terror organizations through illicit and difficult to trace channels. It's a system based not on checks, balances, account numbers or debts, rather, it's based on honor. The brokers who operate hawala (hawaladars) base their entire careers off this honor … [Read more…]
The United States has found itself at odds with Turkey because, despite its sanctions strictly aiming to target Iran, they're impacting Turkey. President Donald Trump announced last week that new tariffs would be put into effect that would specifically target Turkish aluminum and steel. In turn, this has caused the Turkish lira to drop dramatically. The U.S. was already getting … [Read more…]
Turkish and U.S. diplomats convened on Friday and held a meeting to discuss the upcoming sanctions to be imposed on Iran. The situation has the potential to put a serious strain on U.S.-Turkey relations, given Turkey's economic ties to the Islamic Republic. Officials from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the Ministry of Treasury and Finance met with United … [Read more…]
Many French companies and international businesses are looking to continue to conduct business with/in Iran. This has been put in jeopardy by the latest sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by the United States. The United States has found itself at odds with Iran as President Donald Trump has pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal along with the sanctions. Iran … [Read more…]
For this article, cryptocurrencies will generally be referred to as Bitcoin to avoid confusion. Introduction Bitcoin was supposed to change the world of finance. Created by the reclusive and possibly imaginary Satoshi Nakamoto, it offered a purely digital currency that all of the people loved. Libertarians championed its unregulated free market aspect. Anarchists liked that … [Read more…]
The nuclear deal with Iran is gone, lying dead on the rubbish heap of history. It all seemed straightforward on the surface. The Iranians promised to halt the enrichment of uranium and not blow up Israel. In return, the U.S. and the European Union agreed to lift economic sanctions that stunted the Iranian economy. Unfortunately, it did not work that way. Despite the … [Read more…]
Everyone has heard of money laundering. It features prominently in TV shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Narcos" and just about every Mafia movie since the 1980’s. Despite this, few people know how money laundering works. A perfect example comes from the cinematic classic "Office Space", where after executing a skimming scheme that is years ahead of its time, the cast looks up the … [Read more…]
Introduction Finance has always been part of intelligence and warfare. The Romans poured salt on the land of Carthage, denying the people the ability to grow and sell crops. During the Civil War, Union military strategists planned the capture of Confederate cities with factories and destroyed railroads. The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested the organized crime boss Al … [Read more…]
Iraq's Central Bank has started a new account for the Kurdish Regional Government to pull its government wages from; a total of 450 billion dinars was deposited in to it according to documents recently made public by Iraqi government officials. According to a letter sent to the Ministry of Finance for Iraq, the account was specifically dedicated "for the Kurdistan Region." The … [Read more…]
