Finance
Smart Strategies For Giving To Charity

Thanksgiving, the most delicious among seasons, is also the noblest of times. It reminds us of the need to make a difference in the lives of others. Combine it with a bit of smartness; charity will multiply your return on investment. Here are some powerful strategies to boost your efforts in this regard.
- Plan well in advance
Financial planning is a must to survive. This is common knowledge. But you should also integrate your acts of charity into it. This ensures that giving does not exceed your income. Consider combining your bank account with your funds for donation. The bank statement you receive after every donation is worth all your effort.
- Invest in a donor-advised fund
This is the best place to begin if yours is a small business. Every donation you make here is tax-deductible in the year you do it. And donating appreciated stocks multiplies the benefit you receive. You get tax-deduction and donate more than you plan in the same time.
- Consider the possibility of donating in kind
Donating cash is not the only means to get tax-deduction. You can also give gifts and enjoy the same benefit. Evaluate the fair price of the item being donated and keep a record. You also will need to report the same in the required section of your tax return file.
The deduction you receive may vary depending on the value of the item you donate. Same applies to the process of mentioning the same in your tax return file. Your most reliable source of information here is a certified tax advisor. You may also visit your country’s Government website designed for the purpose.
- Consider donating to a charitable remainder trust
Charitable remainder trust is perhaps the best way to donate for a good cause. It not only offers tax benefits, but also ensures you a consistent income. The trust continues to offer an income all your life. When you die, the remainder is passed on to the charitable organization you mention.
The process
You donate your appreciated asset to an established charitable trust. The trust sells it at the market price. It invests the amount it receives in assets that multiply the same. The trust provides you with an income for the time period you mention.
You may set it up for your children or any other person you desire. But know that rules of gift-taxation will apply if the person in question is not your life partner. You can also arrange it as a source of revenue for your lifetime. It can even be for the lifetime of the beneficiary. If you desire, you can limit the process a specified number of years. It is even possible to delay the payment until the time you choose. This will appreciate your asset and the income will multiply. The best thing about CRT is that it allows you to have full control of the entire process. And this is not the case when it comes to a donor-advised fund.
Finally, always stay on the safer side. Take all measures to ensure that the charity of your choice is a legitimate one. The Internet abounds in scams. And a bit of negligence will cost you dearly.
Avoid responding to calls or mails requesting funds. You may find it harder to resist after giving a few donations. However, know that every organization has its own administration costs. And nothing of your small donation will remain after such expenses.
Be prudent without being self-centered. It will make your money work to continue your noble gesture even after your death.
Finance
SH Capital Ltd launches in Dubai to support SMEs with global banking services

Fintech provider to reconnect businesses with international banking services, digital treasury management solutions, risk management and cash investment products
A new digital treasury services management provider SH Capital Ltd (SHC), launches in Dubai today with a plan to empower small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs & MMEs) by offering world class global banking services, asset management, FX hedging solutions, investment products and services.
SH Capital is a subsidiary of parent company Stanhope Financial Group, which launched with $3.5m funding in November last year. In December, the group also announced the launch of its EU headquarters in Lithuania after obtaining its Electronic Money Institution licence.
The independent fintech firm, which has received its in-principle approval Cat 3A regulatory licensing from the DFSA, Dubai, is set to begin trading as of end of Q2’21, with a mission to help companies meet their financial goals during the Covid-19 recovery.
SHC will act as an intermediary for clients, helping them to access leading and global tier one cash investment products. The Stanhope team of leading industry experts will also advise on commercial paper, money market funds, futures, options, ETFs & FX hedging solutions. Additionally, SHC has already partnered with a number of global counterparties, exchanges and e-trading venues to provide liquidity in the equity, FX, fixed income and commodity markets for all clients.
In spite of recent market volatility due to Covid-19, SHC are also committed to providing bespoke financial strategies for companies as matched principle, designed to meet their risk tolerance and position them ahead of the curve for both short and long-term financial goals.
To do this, SHC leverages the latest RegTech and blockchain technology, which helps to significantly reduce CBR risk and service friction, whilst maintaining a fast, secure and transparent service. More specifically, AML, KYC, trade monitoring and a distributed ledger technology are just some of the technology utilised for an efficient and safe execution of service.
Speaking to Global Banking and Finance Review, Khalid Talukder, Managing Director, SH Capital Ltd, said: “For ambitious businesses within the GCC, getting multi-product access and global reach of investment instruments and solutions will be a critical priority for 2021 and beyond.
“Key to SH Capital’s offering is that we have the ability to aggregate high tier one investment solutions in a single venue, delivered digitally through our platform. This gives clients a greater choice and reach over the instruments that they can invest in, as well as our ability to help create a bespoke portfolio on a client-by-client basis through our holistic approach to client service. “
“Dubai is quickly being recognised as a global hub of fintech and innovation, being home to some of the fastest growing, most exciting firms on the planet. With postponed Dubai Expo launching in the Autumn of 2021, we are perfectly placed to support these business to maximise this global showcasing opportunity.
Many of these businesses struggle to gain access to efficient and high quality digital asset management and investment products globally to support their treasury activities. We aim to provide a fully digital service offering via our platform allowing easy access to various cash asset management products, services and investment products that they need in order to thrive in an increasingly competitive global world.
SH Capital Ltd will change all that, reconnecting these fast-growing firms mid-market corporates which are the backbone of GCC commerce with the products offered by Tier 1 financial institutions, as well as offering treasury consultancy to take them to the next level.
With over 70 years combined experience in our team of financial professionals, shared with quantitative-driven data insight, regulatory technology and blockchain, we are confident we can provide a consistent treasury management service, free from delays, security issues and unfair charging, to all firms in need of assistance during this difficult Covid period and beyond.”
Kevin von Neuschatz, Group CEO, Stanhope Financial Group added, “We’re excited to have received our operating licence and formally launch SH Capital Ltd in Dubai. Our on-the-ground team of experts will begin trading immediately, providing ambitious businesses across the region with tier one banking and payments services to enable rapid growth during an incredibly challenging time.
This is the first of many expansion plans for the Stanhope Financial Group, with similar launches in Europe and other key regions in the first part of 2021.”
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Finance
Daily Mail publisher posts 15% drop in quarterly revenue

LONDON (Reuters) – The publisher of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper said that group revenue fell 15% in the three months to the end of December, dragged down by falls in print advertising revenues at its papers and by cancellations in its events business.
Daily Mail and General Trust said that group quarterly revenue came in at 304 million pounds ($416 million), down 15% on an underlying basis, but excluding the impact of cancelled events it was down 5%.
At its newspapers, print advertising revenues fell 38%, compared to an 8% rise in digital advertising. The group said that the impact of the pandemic meant it was difficult to provide short-term forecasts.
($1 = 0.7301 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Michael Holden)
Finance
Dollar slides vs. most currencies on optimism about Biden administration

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The dollar fell against most currencies on Wednesday, as risk appetite held up on optimism about a massive stimulus package under the new Joe Biden administration that will likely bolster a U.S. economic recovery.
The greenback slid against the yen as well as currencies tied to commodity prices such as the Australian, Canadian, New Zealand dollars, and the Norwegian crown. The U.S. dollar dropped to a three-year low versus its Canadian counterpart and sterling, while hitting a two-week trough against the yen.
The S&P 500 climbed to a new all-time peak, while U.S. crude futures gained as the risk rally carried on.
Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, vowing to end the “uncivil war” in a deeply divided country reeling from a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans.
The new government is expected to push through Congress a nearly $2 trillion U.S. fiscal stimulus plan.
“Once you are no longer uncertain about something and it materializes, the overall optimism grows and gives way to the global recovery narrative,” said Juan Perez, senior FX strategist and trader at Tempus Inc. in Washington.
“The election and the issues after — all of them played a dramatic role, but now it’s over. Joe Biden is president and stimulus hopes are, like some markets, at a record high,” he added.
In afternoon trading, the dollar fell 0.4% against the yen to 103.54, sliding to a two-week low earlier in the session to 103.45.
The U.S. dollar tumbled to a three-year low versus the Canadian currency at C$1.2607, after the Bank of Canada on Wednesday opted not to cut interest rates. The greenback was last down 0.7% at C$1.2642.
The Aussie dollar rallied 0.6% to US$0.7745, while the New Zealand currency also gained 0.6% to US$0.7167.
Sterling rose to a three-year high versus the dollar of $1.3720, but surrendered some of those gains to trade up just 0.1% at $1.3643.
A combination of heightened risk appetite in global markets and UK-specific optimism lifted the pound on Wednesday.
The dollar index, meanwhile, was up 0.1% at 90.483. Since the beginning of the year, the index has posted a modest 0.5% gain.
Futures positioning data still shows that investors are overwhelmingly short dollars as they figure that budget and current account deficits will weigh on the greenback.
The euro fell 0.2% against the dollar to $1.2106.
European countries are struggling to contain the contagion of the coronavirus amid worries that a new variant could lead to more stringent lockdowns and more economic pain.
Investors are also fretting about the slower pace of the rollout of vaccines relative to the United States and Britain, which may hobble economic recovery in the euro zone.
(Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Sonya Hepinstall)