STANDPOINT by Atique Naqvi

With new conflicts around the world, the refugee crises not only pose humanitarian challenges but also a huge economic challenge. ** By Atique Naqvi, aka Syed Atique Hussain, Boston, United States The number of persons of concern is about 70 million by mid-2017. As the global economic disparity increases and regional conflicts escalate, the number of people who are affected have increased 240 percent since 2005. The United Nations have a broad category where Persons of Concern, include refugees, asylum seekers, internally-displaced. In 2005, the number of persons of concern was just over 20 million, and by mid-2017 that number has increased to around 69 million. The humanitarian crises have worsened in 2017, with new conflicts in Myanmar. From August 2017 until the first week of December about 600,000 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar fearing alleged prosecution from state-backed extremist Buddhist groups. Also, Syria and parts of northern Iraq continu

Cryptocurrencies have excited the risk takers and day-dreamers around the world, but the investment bankers might turn the elusive money into something tangible.**  By Atique Naqvi, aka Syed Atique Hussain, Boston, United States Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have become financial celebrities. With the exponential rise of Bitcoin, about 750% since the first quarter of 2017, there has been a renewed interest in cryptocurrencies or the blockchain system. Though small and retail investors have been the driving force behind the rise of cryptocurrencies, investment bankers and asset managers are also watching closely at the ‘new money’ as a credible and a legit asset class. The interest from big investment bankers has probably prompted Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board Options Exchange to launch Bitcoin Futures.  The investment banking has witnessed a good year in 2017, and before delving into the cryptocurrency aspect, let’s examine the state of the se