A block chain or blockchain is a permissionless distributed database that maintains a continuously-growing list of transaction records hardened against tampering and revision. It consists of blocks, holding batches of individual transactions. Each block contains a timestamp and an information linking it to a previous block. The block chain is seen as the main technical innovation of bitcoin, where it serves as the decentralized public ledger of all bitcoin transactions. This original design has been the inspiration for other cryptocurrencies and distributed databases. In this series, we cover latest development stories related to blockchain and its applications around the world.

ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) have become a popular way to fund cryptocurrency projects. An ICO is an event in which a new cryptocurrency project sells part of itsthe cryptocurrency tokens to early adopters and enthusiasts in exchange for money today. ICOs provide a way for cryptocurrency project creators to raise money for their operations. Most ICOs raise money in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.

Digital currency or digital money is an Internet-based medium of exchange distinct from physical (such as banknotes and coins) that exhibits properties similar to physical currencies, but allows for instantaneous transactions and borderless transfer-of-ownership. Like traditional money these currencies may be used to buy physical goods and services but could also be restricted to certain communities such as for example for use inside an on-line game or social network. In this series, we cover stories and provide insightful analysis of the digital currencies such as bitcoin with no central point of control over the money supply.

After several years of extremely loose monetary policy, the U.S. Federal Reserve intends to start tightening, for clear reasons, markets will remain focused on the crucial event, which is set to have a major impact on almost all asset classes. Economic data releases will provide clues to the robustness of economies- some of which are vulnerable to investment outflows as higher rates make U.S. assets more attractive. Emerging economies are already struggling to support currencies hit by Fed rate hike expectations and will lead to intensified currency wars further. In this exclusive series we will provide insightful analysis and views on central banks decisions, emerging markets currencies, Fed's tools for managing monetary cycle, investment outflows, including direct government intervention, the imposition of capital controls, and, indirectly, quantitative easing.

When you throw pebbles in a pond, you get splashes and ripples, but drop a huge rock, you create a mini Tsunami. Similarly Geo-political turmoil, are potent enough to create tsunamis in financial markets, even if its for the short run. It has in the past, and it will in the future. De-stabilised Middle East, rise of new power in Saudi Arabia, aggressive China, Russia-US tensions, Turkey-Russia escalation, rise of autocratic but nationalists leaders such as Modi in India, Trump in United States, bin-Salman in Middle East, the Geo-Political unease hasn't been this tense in decades, so as a market participant you can never care less than ever.

Amid highly volatile economic environment, shielding currency exposure has become too risky than before. In this series we provide an intelligent insights and analysis on actionable FX derivative strategies that serve different levels of risk appetites and returns.

Emerging market economies, such as India, Turkey, Indonesia, LatAm economies which have been a darling of investors even after 2008/09 financial crisis led to cheaper capital access to these economies and its corporates, a trend that continued for more than half a decade at rapid speed. Now, with US Federal Reserve looking to raise borrowing costs and slowdown in China, led these economies and their corporates into greater chaos. We, in this series discuss the vulnerabilities of emerging market.

Vital Signs is a weekly economic wrap from UNSW economics professor and Harvard PhD Richard Holden (@profholden). Vital Signs aims to contextualize weekly economic events and cut through the noise of the data impacting global economies.

An electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using electrical energy stored in rechargeable batteries or another energy storage device. Electric motors give electric cars instant torque, creating strong and smooth acceleration. They are also around three times as efficient as cars with an internal combustion engine. The first electric cars were produced in the 1880s. Since 2008, a renaissance in electric vehicle manufacturing has occurred due to advances in batteries and energy management, concerns about increasing oil prices, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Several national and local governments have established tax credits, subsidies, and other incentives to promote the introduction and adoption in the mass market of new electric vehicles depending on battery size and their all-electric range. Electric cars are significantly quieter than conventional internal combustion engine automobiles. They do not emit tailpipe pollutants, giving a large reduction of local air pollution, and, can give a significant reduction in total greenhouse gas and other emissions (dependent on the method used for electricity generation). As of September 2015, there are over 30 models of highway legal all-electric passenger cars and utility vans available for retail sales, mainly in the United States, China, Japan, Western European countries. By mid-September 2015, about 620,000 light-duty electric vehicles have been sold worldwide out of total global sales of one million plug-in electric cars sold since 2008. The world's top selling highway-capable electric car is the Nissan Leaf, released in December 2010 and sold in 46 countries. Global Leaf sales passed the 200,000 unit milestone in December 2015, and the Tesla Model S, released in June 2012, ranks second with over 107,000 units sold worldwide. In this series, we cover stories covering the development of electric vehicles around the world.

A new oil order has emerged over the past few years as oil prices have taken a plunge of about 60%. U.S., world’s one of key importer is about to become a major exporter of hydrocarbons. OPEC cartel, which has historically been a key player politically and price maker, losing its relevance and pricing power. On the energy front, renewables and gas becoming key challenger to oil’s global dominance. Moreover, this lower price is hitting energy exporters harder, creating global economic vulnerabilities. This new oil price and geo-political order demand greater analysis, which is the main focus of this series.

Despite major shifts in the industry and serious worries in coal communities, today coal still supplies nearly 40% of our electricity. According to the Bureau of Land Management, one out of every five homes and business in the US use electricity made from Wyoming coal. But what does the future look like for fossil fuels in a world where there is increasing pressure to keep them in the ground? In this series, we examine the role of coal as an energy source in a world where constraints on carbon emissions are adopted to mitigate global warming. Indeed, the challenge for governments and industry is to find a path that mitigates carbon emissions yet continues to utilize coal to meet urgent energy needs, especially in developing economies.

In an unexpected outcome, people of the United Kingdom voted in favor of leaving the European Union in June 23rd referendum. For so many months, we have kept our readers updated on the referendum through our "Briferendum Series". Now with the referendum in place, we can hardly call it an end, instead, it's a new beginning of an era of greater uncertainties. With this non-binding referendum, there are so many possible scenarios that may play out including a second referendum. In this series, we once again vow to keep our readers up to the minute as the path ahead unfolds.