Weekly Recap: Google Lifts IG France’s Ad Restrictions, XM Owner Buys Stake in a Cyprus Bank
By: finance magnates|2025/05/03 04:30:01
0
Share
Why brokers and prop firms are moving away from Discord Although brokers and prop firms have managed communities of traders on publicly available platforms like Discord, new challenges related to compliance are driving them away from such platforms. According to Desmond Leong, the CEO of Returning.AI, companies are facing a new era of community management, compliance awareness, and client retention strategies requiring stronger infrastructure and smarter engagement tools. “Some of these prop firms built massive communities on Discord—30,000 members or more—only to realize they had none of their emails,” Leong said. Event contracts and regulatory controversies Although enthusiasts hail prediction markets or event contracts as the next revolution in retail trading, regulators are skeptical . Prediction markets boomed in 2025 as retail trading giant Robinhood added them to its platform; however, market watchdogs fear they're just abackdoor to gambling. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has formally requested that Robinhood Derivatives, LLC (RHD) “not permit customers to access” sports event contracts. While we continue to work with the CFTC to understand their concerns, we are suspending the rollout of the Pro... Although the CFTC CFTC The 1974 Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) in the United States created the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The Commission protects and regulates market activities against manipulation, fraud, and abuse trade practices and promotes fairness in futures contracts. The CEA also included the Sad-Johnson Agreement, which defined the authority and responsibilities for the monitoring of financial contracts between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commiss The 1974 Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) in the United States created the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The Commission protects and regulates market activities against manipulation, fraud, and abuse trade practices and promotes fairness in futures contracts. The CEA also included the Sad-Johnson Agreement, which defined the authority and responsibilities for the monitoring of financial contracts between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commiss Read this Term approved their issuance a few years ago,the agency is now questioning whether it made the right decision. Despite the regulatory uncertainty, Robinhood is diversifying its operations with traditional bank-like savings accounts and prediction markets. Plus 500, XTB, CFI, and Admirals UK's financial reports Plus500 posted a 13% quarter-over-quarter revenue increase in Q1 2025 , prompting the company to raise its full-year outlook above current market expectations. However, revenue was down by 5% compared to the same period a year earlier. The pace of acquiring new customers and the number of active traders also declined. Also posting strong performance, CFI Financial Group registered first-quarter 2025 trading volume of $1.28 trillion, a 13.5% increase from the previous quarter and a 129% rise compared to the same period in 2024. Elsewhere, despite XTB posting nearly a 50% increase in client base, the publicly-listed Polish broker failed to offset the impact of declining quarterly net profit. The firm's net profit dropped by more than a quarter year-over-year , from PLN 302.7 million to PLN 193.9 million. In what seems like a good year for most companies, London Capital Group posted a profit of £478,000 for 2024 , a significant turnaround from the £6.03 million loss recorded in 2023. However, the entity also plunged into losses again, posting a net loss of £502,633 at the year’s end , compared to a profit of £69,496 in 2023. The firm has reportedly migrated accounts held by clients resident in the European Union to another operating company in the bloc. Google lifts IG France’s ad restrictions Away from the numbers, Ambroise Lion, the Managing Director of IG Group’s French entity, revealed that monthly visibility and account openings have doubled after Google lifted an ad restriction against the online broker after 7 years . After several attempts by the London-headquartered broker, Google finally lifted the ad campaign ban from its French entity earlier this year. And the results appeared soon enough, with “2x more visibility and 2x more account openings each month.” XM owner buys stake in a Cyprus bank In Cyprus, Costas Cleanthous, the co-founder and majority owner of contracts for differences (CFDs) broker XM, is acquiring a 55 percent stake in Cyprus’ Ancoria Bank. The acquisition Acquisition Acquisition means acquiring or taking possession or the securing of property, services, or abilities. To put it simply, it is the act or process of acquiring or gaining. You can acquire a work of art, you can acquire an ability such as speaking another language, you can acquire a business or shares in a company and you can acquire an accountant's service. For example, you can acquire a new car. In a broad sense, Acquisition can mean the act of taking ownership or possession of something. There Acquisition means acquiring or taking possession or the securing of property, services, or abilities. To put it simply, it is the act or process of acquiring or gaining. You can acquire a work of art, you can acquire an ability such as speaking another language, you can acquire a business or shares in a company and you can acquire an accountant's service. For example, you can acquire a new car. In a broad sense, Acquisition can mean the act of taking ownership or possession of something. There Read this Term , however, will be made in a personal capacity, without XM's involvement. Apart from Cleanthous, businessman and banker Charalambos Panayiotou will also acquire 25 per cent of the bank. Ancoria Insurance will hold the remaining 20 per cent stake. UPS dumps Amazon, cuts jobs UPS cuts Amazon shipments, announces layoffs, and calls out tariffs. Amazon almost did the same, until Trump called Bezos. Trade tantrums, anyone? #BREAKING : United Parcel Service (UPS) announced Tuesday that it plans to slash 20,000 jobs this year due to economic uncertainty and a potential pullback from Amazon, its largest customer. Details: https://t.co/2eUZPJXa5J pic.twitter.com/sW5ry8FtUe Back in January, UPS decided it was time to break things off, at least a little . The company struck a deal with Amazon to slash its delivery volume by more than 50% starting in the second half of 2026. That’s not a typo. Half. Kohl’s fires CEO for inappropriate vendor ties In a move that feels like a very jaded screenwriter scripted it, Kohl’s announced the abrupt firing of CEO Ashley Buchanan for having inappropriate personal relationships with a vendor. And just like clockwork, the stock jumped around 8% because nothing says “corporate governance win” like sacking the boss and watching your market cap smile in return. Kohl’s fires new CEO Ashley Buchanan after probe finds he violated conflict of interest policies https://t.co/80lPUqF5TG pic.twitter.com/ZgCnNkVUfz Ashley Buchanan is out at Kohl’s for ‘unethical’ relationships, but investors are just thrilled he's gone. Depressing? Yes. Surprising? Sadly not. Why brokers and prop firms are moving away from Discord Although brokers and prop firms have managed communities of traders on publicly available platforms like Discord, new challenges related to compliance are driving them away from such platforms. According to Desmond Leong, the CEO of Returning.AI, companies are facing a new era of community management, compliance awareness, and client retention strategies requiring stronger infrastructure and smarter engagement tools. “Some of these prop firms built massive communities on Discord—30,000 members or more—only to realize they had none of their emails,” Leong said. Event contracts and regulatory controversies Although enthusiasts hail prediction markets or event contracts as the next revolution in retail trading, regulators are skeptical . Prediction markets boomed in 2025 as retail trading giant Robinhood added them to its platform; however, market watchdogs fear they're just abackdoor to gambling. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has formally requested that Robinhood Derivatives, LLC (RHD) “not permit customers to access” sports event contracts. While we continue to work with the CFTC to understand their concerns, we are suspending the rollout of the Pro... Although the CFTC CFTC The 1974 Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) in the United States created the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The Commission protects and regulates market activities against manipulation, fraud, and abuse trade practices and promotes fairness in futures contracts. The CEA also included the Sad-Johnson Agreement, which defined the authority and responsibilities for the monitoring of financial contracts between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commiss The 1974 Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) in the United States created the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The Commission protects and regulates market activities against manipulation, fraud, and abuse trade practices and promotes fairness in futures contracts. The CEA also included the Sad-Johnson Agreement, which defined the authority and responsibilities for the monitoring of financial contracts between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commiss Read this Term approved their issuance a few years ago,the agency is now questioning whether it made the right decision. Despite the regulatory uncertainty, Robinhood is diversifying its operations with traditional bank-like savings accounts and prediction markets. Plus 500, XTB, CFI, and Admirals UK's financial reports Plus500 posted a 13% quarter-over-quarter revenue increase in Q1 2025 , prompting the company to raise its full-year outlook above current market expectations. However, revenue was down by 5% compared to the same period a year earlier. The pace of acquiring new customers and the number of active traders also declined. Also posting strong performance, CFI Financial Group registered first-quarter 2025 trading volume of $1.28 trillion, a 13.5% increase from the previous quarter and a 129% rise compared to the same period in 2024. Elsewhere, despite XTB posting nearly a 50% increase in client base, the publicly-listed Polish broker failed to offset the impact of declining quarterly net profit. The firm's net profit dropped by more than a quarter year-over-year , from PLN 302.7 million to PLN 193.9 million. In what seems like a good year for most companies, London Capital Group posted a profit of £478,000 for 2024 , a significant turnaround from the £6.03 million loss recorded in 2023. However, the entity also plunged into losses again, posting a net loss of £502,633 at the year’s end , compared to a profit of £69,496 in 2023. The firm has reportedly migrated accounts held by clients resident in the European Union to another operating company in the bloc. Google lifts IG France’s ad restrictions Away from the numbers, Ambroise Lion, the Managing Director of IG Group’s French entity, revealed that monthly visibility and account openings have doubled after Google lifted an ad restriction against the online broker after 7 years . After several attempts by the London-headquartered broker, Google finally lifted the ad campaign ban from its French entity earlier this year. And the results appeared soon enough, with “2x more visibility and 2x more account openings each month.” XM owner buys stake in a Cyprus bank In Cyprus, Costas Cleanthous, the co-founder and majority owner of contracts for differences (CFDs) broker XM, is acquiring a 55 percent stake in Cyprus’ Ancoria Bank. The acquisition Acquisition Acquisition means acquiring or taking possession or the securing of property, services, or abilities. To put it simply, it is the act or process of acquiring or gaining. You can acquire a work of art, you can acquire an ability such as speaking another language, you can acquire a business or shares in a company and you can acquire an accountant's service. For example, you can acquire a new car. In a broad sense, Acquisition can mean the act of taking ownership or possession of something. There Acquisition means acquiring or taking possession or the securing of property, services, or abilities. To put it simply, it is the act or process of acquiring or gaining. You can acquire a work of art, you can acquire an ability such as speaking another language, you can acquire a business or shares in a company and you can acquire an accountant's service. For example, you can acquire a new car. In a broad sense, Acquisition can mean the act of taking ownership or possession of something. There Read this Term , however, will be made in a personal capacity, without XM's involvement. Apart from Cleanthous, businessman and banker Charalambos Panayiotou will also acquire 25 per cent of the bank. Ancoria Insurance will hold the remaining 20 per cent stake. UPS dumps Amazon, cuts jobs UPS cuts Amazon shipments, announces layoffs, and calls out tariffs. Amazon almost did the same, until Trump called Bezos. Trade tantrums, anyone? #BREAKING : United Parcel Service (UPS) announced Tuesday that it plans to slash 20,000 jobs this year due to economic uncertainty and a potential pullback from Amazon, its largest customer. Details: https://t.co/2eUZPJXa5J pic.twitter.com/sW5ry8FtUe Back in January, UPS decided it was time to break things off, at least a little . The company struck a deal with Amazon to slash its delivery volume by more than 50% starting in the second half of 2026. That’s not a typo. Half. Kohl’s fires CEO for inappropriate vendor ties In a move that feels like a very jaded screenwriter scripted it, Kohl’s announced the abrupt firing of CEO Ashley Buchanan for having inappropriate personal relationships with a vendor. And just like clockwork, the stock jumped around 8% because nothing says “corporate governance win” like sacking the boss and watching your market cap smile in return. Kohl’s fires new CEO Ashley Buchanan after probe finds he violated conflict of interest policies https://t.co/80lPUqF5TG pic.twitter.com/ZgCnNkVUfz Ashley Buchanan is out at Kohl’s for ‘unethical’ relationships, but investors are just thrilled he's gone. Depressing? Yes. Surprising? Sadly not.
You may also like
BIS Report Compliance Observation: The Real Risks of Stablecoins, Not Just "Depegging"
The issue with stablecoins is not just whether their price will decouple, but whether they can be integrated into a recognizable, monitorable, accountable, and regulated financial system.
When American giants collectively "defect" from Chinese AI models
Coinbase CEO publicly stated: the company has fully switched its AI to a Chinese model, cutting expenses in half while usage has doubled. Snowflake and Lindy are also doing the same thing—an unnoticed "AI model migration wave" is happening.
A pre-announced harvesting case: After the cryptocurrency price dropped by 99%, the public chain Saga exited to transform into AI
True failure often isn't a single price drop, but rather a pricing mechanism that repeatedly rewards those who tell stories while repeatedly punishing those who believe in the stories.
Ethereum Foundation Report: A Basic Guide to Ethereum for Governments and Financial Institutions
The Ethereum Foundation has released this non-technical introductory report aimed at government officials, central banks, regulators, and corporate decision-makers, explaining how Ethereum works, how it is governed, how it differs from other blockchains, and how institutions and governments are alre...
Portugal 2-1 Croatia: Ronaldo's 20-Year Knockout-Stage Drought Ends With a Debt Finally Collected
Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the 2026 global football championship's knockout rounds as Ronaldo scored his first-ever knockout-stage goal, Gonçalo Ramos struck a stoppage-time winner, and VAR ruled out a late equalizer for offside.
Bitcoin Price Prediction July 2026: Will BTC Recover to $70K or Drop Below $55K?
Bitcoin price prediction for July 2026: Can BTC recover to $70,000 or fall below $55,000? Explore ETF flows, key support levels, Fed outlook, and our Bitcoin forecast.
A South Korean company that learned the strategy of hoarding coins, from a bull market to delisting?
When the overall momentum of the Korean stock market is strong, this batch of cryptocurrency concept stocks, branded as the "Korean version of Strategy," finds itself at a crossroads of life and death.
Where is Zhao Changpeng's billion-dollar investment going? YZi Labs' investment landscape fully revealed
Zhao Changpeng's billion-dollar new "family office" YZi Labs investment landscape revealed: 70% of the funds are committed to the crypto ecosystem, while 30% are cross-industry bets on AI and biotechnology, launching a new capital experiment in the post-Binance era.
Semiconductor stocks plummet, yet Anthropic wants to create a 2nm chip
Abandoning TSMC and teaming up with Samsung. Anthropic launches a self-developed 2nm chip program, challenging Nvidia and starting a battle to break through computing power costs.
WEEX API Broker Program: Turn Your Trading Platform Into a Revenue Engine
Become a WEEX API Broker and earn up to 70% trading fee sharing. Get institutional-grade liquidity, OAuth Fast Connect, and a 4-5 day integration for your AI trading platform, bot, or signal community.
How to choose between buying discounted ETH, Bitmine, and SharpLink?
The answer may not lie in whose story is told better, but in specific dimensions such as cost of holding, financing ability, liquidity, and whether the narrative can be realized.
Do you want to buy CRCL?
A detailed breakdown of Circle's business fundamentals and valuation logic: The panic over OUSD and the market correction have triggered a short-term mispricing, presenting an opportunity for left-side positioning and legislative speculation below $60.
Wosh: Inflation has cooled in recent weeks, AI is reshaping the economy, and forward guidance has lost its necessity
Federal Reserve Chairman Waller clearly stated at the ECB forum that the Fed will abandon forward guidance on interest rates, with future decisions relying entirely on real-time economic data. He noted that inflation risks in the U.S. have decreased over the past four weeks, but the ultimate impact ...
The most secretive AI winner
A century-old company that sells toilets and produces MSG has seen its stock price soar by "positioning" core materials for AI chips. This article clarifies the explosive opportunities for domestic substitution of semiconductor materials in the A-share market.
Looking at Stripe's ambitions and the future of stablecoins from OUSD
Stripe enters the stablecoin network battle with OUSD, a comprehensive look at the third paradigm evolution of digital dollars and the new infrastructure for global payments in the AI era.
From Pump.fun to Collector Crypt: Has Solana's income throne changed hands?
The revenue from consumer applications on Solana is no longer solely reliant on meme coin issuance, but is gradually spreading to more consumption scenarios.
Dan Bin's latest speech: Don't miss out on a great era
Don't let hesitation trap your steps, and don't let shortsightedness waste the passing years—make sure not to miss this magnificent era that belongs to us.
Robinhood launches its own blockchain, no longer wanting to be a tenant on others' chains
While laying off employees and issuing bonds, it is the predictive market business that temporarily supports the income.
BIS Report Compliance Observation: The Real Risks of Stablecoins, Not Just "Depegging"
The issue with stablecoins is not just whether their price will decouple, but whether they can be integrated into a recognizable, monitorable, accountable, and regulated financial system.
When American giants collectively "defect" from Chinese AI models
Coinbase CEO publicly stated: the company has fully switched its AI to a Chinese model, cutting expenses in half while usage has doubled. Snowflake and Lindy are also doing the same thing—an unnoticed "AI model migration wave" is happening.
A pre-announced harvesting case: After the cryptocurrency price dropped by 99%, the public chain Saga exited to transform into AI
True failure often isn't a single price drop, but rather a pricing mechanism that repeatedly rewards those who tell stories while repeatedly punishing those who believe in the stories.
Ethereum Foundation Report: A Basic Guide to Ethereum for Governments and Financial Institutions
The Ethereum Foundation has released this non-technical introductory report aimed at government officials, central banks, regulators, and corporate decision-makers, explaining how Ethereum works, how it is governed, how it differs from other blockchains, and how institutions and governments are alre...
Portugal 2-1 Croatia: Ronaldo's 20-Year Knockout-Stage Drought Ends With a Debt Finally Collected
Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the 2026 global football championship's knockout rounds as Ronaldo scored his first-ever knockout-stage goal, Gonçalo Ramos struck a stoppage-time winner, and VAR ruled out a late equalizer for offside.
Bitcoin Price Prediction July 2026: Will BTC Recover to $70K or Drop Below $55K?
Bitcoin price prediction for July 2026: Can BTC recover to $70,000 or fall below $55,000? Explore ETF flows, key support levels, Fed outlook, and our Bitcoin forecast.
Customer Support:@weikecs
Business Cooperation:@weikecs
Quant Trading & MM:bd@weex.com
VIP Program:support@weex.com


