In this week's instalment our editors talk about stories in the press that caught their eye.
Finance Magnates
As we conclude another week at the Finance Magnates newsdesk, our editors take a brief detour to enlighten us with a selection of their favourite stories and reading recommendations.
Victor Golovtchenko commences by taking us on a little trip...
Taking a Little Trip
A new popular trend in Silicon Valley could hold the key to performance boosting drugs. Wired Magazine is running a story that could surprise many executives all over the globe and push them into experimenting with LSD and psychedelic mushrooms.
Victor Golovtchenko Senior Editor
While you might be looking into the stimulative effects of coffee and some legally available performance enhancing drugs, silicon valley execs are taking their competitive advantage to a whole new level.
Psychedelics have long been associated with creative thinking, however their usual recreational use is not suitable for work environments due to the profound spiritual experiences that LSD and mushrooms can cause in a user for a period of as long as 12 hours.
Wired explores a “microdosing” trend while reminding us that the current digital revolution which we are all enjoying was started in the aftermath of the psychedelics cultural movement which started in the '60s.
Some top execs (including Steve Jobs) have been admittedly dosing themselves, while the US government appears to have been experimenting with volunteer scientists who have managed to solve complex problems while under the influence.
The Fall of Man
You have probably seen the hundreds of books out in recent years claiming that the modern world is either turning us dumb
Avi Mizrahi Editor
or giving us intelligence greater than any previous generations. But while the smart phones vs smart people debate rages on, a more likely observation was left unnoticed - until now.
Writing at the Washington Post’s Wonkblog, Christopher Ingraham highlights a new study revealing that today’s men are not nearly as strong as their dads were.
It shouldn’t be unexpected to learn that people who grow up in the age of the information/service economy don’t have the same physical capabilities of their more industrial forefathers, but I haven’t seen it really discussed in academia or the media.
It is a subject that could have grave implications for health, retirement and other aspects of planning for the future – for now it’s interesting to see that for the first time in history, the old are stronger than the young.
Just imagine what Hemingway would say if he had lived to see a 50 year old steel worker arm-wrestling a 25 social media manger. Computers are making us weak!
Investing and Poker
The renowned hedge fund manager David Einhorn once said: “Both poker and investing are games of incomplete information.
Michael Pearl Head Of Business Intelligence
You have a certain set of facts and you are looking for situations where you have an edge, whether the edge is psychological or statistical”.
Well, apparently he was right, at least when it comes to the investor engaging in trading. Trading bares a strong resemblance to poker.
We tend to think that a good trader runs complex calculations, based on his knowledge and experience, upon deciding to buy or sell a stock, currency or commodity.
But in fact, the process that goes through his mind in the seconds before buying or selling looks more like the decision to turn left or right when somebody walks in front of you in a narrow street, rather than solving a math formula.
An article written by Jon Asmundsson, published recently in Bloomberg Markets, examined the psychology behind the trading process.
The article presents research, based on an MRI test that was conducted on traders, that shows that the most important feature that a trader must hold is the ability to read the situation based on hints. Basically, to successfully guestimate your way through.
Smart Machines on the Rise
For the first time, Gartner has added the Blockchain and 15 other new technologies to Hype Cycle For Emerging Technologies 2016. While the blockchain is more or less known to the brokerage industry, other additions may not be – but they are still very interesting.
Sylwester Majewski Chief Analyst
Machine learning, general purpose machine intelligence and smart workspaces are the topics that we should take a closer look at.
Whenever new technology pops up on the scene everyone wonders how this can be used in our industry. In an article published by Forbes, Louis Columbus claims that smart machine technologies will be the most disruptive class of innovations over the next 10 years.
'Disruptive' is a key word in the fintech industry. Gartner sees the following technologies leading this revolution:
Smart dust, machine learning, virtual personal assistants, cognitive expert advisors, smart data discovery, smartwWorkspace, conversational user interfaces, smart robots, commercial UAVs (drones), autonomous vehicles, natural-language question answering, personal Analytics , enterprise taxonomy and ontology management, data broker PaaS (dbrPaaS), and context brokering.
Every single technology, except perhaps drones and autonomous vehicles, can be used in the trading industry. Just imagine how these could be used in marketing and customer care departments.
Education? Why not – smart robots teaching new clients how to trade. The one thing that bothers me is, will such smart machines need a licence from regulators to teach?
That ends another week of stories that our editors are reading. Feel free to share your views in the comment section and any recommendations of your own. We look forward to hearing your opinions!
As we conclude another week at the Finance Magnates newsdesk, our editors take a brief detour to enlighten us with a selection of their favourite stories and reading recommendations.
Victor Golovtchenko commences by taking us on a little trip...
Taking a Little Trip
A new popular trend in Silicon Valley could hold the key to performance boosting drugs. Wired Magazine is running a story that could surprise many executives all over the globe and push them into experimenting with LSD and psychedelic mushrooms.
Victor Golovtchenko Senior Editor
While you might be looking into the stimulative effects of coffee and some legally available performance enhancing drugs, silicon valley execs are taking their competitive advantage to a whole new level.
Psychedelics have long been associated with creative thinking, however their usual recreational use is not suitable for work environments due to the profound spiritual experiences that LSD and mushrooms can cause in a user for a period of as long as 12 hours.
Wired explores a “microdosing” trend while reminding us that the current digital revolution which we are all enjoying was started in the aftermath of the psychedelics cultural movement which started in the '60s.
Some top execs (including Steve Jobs) have been admittedly dosing themselves, while the US government appears to have been experimenting with volunteer scientists who have managed to solve complex problems while under the influence.
The Fall of Man
You have probably seen the hundreds of books out in recent years claiming that the modern world is either turning us dumb
Avi Mizrahi Editor
or giving us intelligence greater than any previous generations. But while the smart phones vs smart people debate rages on, a more likely observation was left unnoticed - until now.
Writing at the Washington Post’s Wonkblog, Christopher Ingraham highlights a new study revealing that today’s men are not nearly as strong as their dads were.
It shouldn’t be unexpected to learn that people who grow up in the age of the information/service economy don’t have the same physical capabilities of their more industrial forefathers, but I haven’t seen it really discussed in academia or the media.
It is a subject that could have grave implications for health, retirement and other aspects of planning for the future – for now it’s interesting to see that for the first time in history, the old are stronger than the young.
Just imagine what Hemingway would say if he had lived to see a 50 year old steel worker arm-wrestling a 25 social media manger. Computers are making us weak!
Investing and Poker
The renowned hedge fund manager David Einhorn once said: “Both poker and investing are games of incomplete information.
Michael Pearl Head Of Business Intelligence
You have a certain set of facts and you are looking for situations where you have an edge, whether the edge is psychological or statistical”.
Well, apparently he was right, at least when it comes to the investor engaging in trading. Trading bares a strong resemblance to poker.
We tend to think that a good trader runs complex calculations, based on his knowledge and experience, upon deciding to buy or sell a stock, currency or commodity.
But in fact, the process that goes through his mind in the seconds before buying or selling looks more like the decision to turn left or right when somebody walks in front of you in a narrow street, rather than solving a math formula.
An article written by Jon Asmundsson, published recently in Bloomberg Markets, examined the psychology behind the trading process.
The article presents research, based on an MRI test that was conducted on traders, that shows that the most important feature that a trader must hold is the ability to read the situation based on hints. Basically, to successfully guestimate your way through.
Smart Machines on the Rise
For the first time, Gartner has added the Blockchain and 15 other new technologies to Hype Cycle For Emerging Technologies 2016. While the blockchain is more or less known to the brokerage industry, other additions may not be – but they are still very interesting.
Sylwester Majewski Chief Analyst
Machine learning, general purpose machine intelligence and smart workspaces are the topics that we should take a closer look at.
Whenever new technology pops up on the scene everyone wonders how this can be used in our industry. In an article published by Forbes, Louis Columbus claims that smart machine technologies will be the most disruptive class of innovations over the next 10 years.
'Disruptive' is a key word in the fintech industry. Gartner sees the following technologies leading this revolution:
Smart dust, machine learning, virtual personal assistants, cognitive expert advisors, smart data discovery, smartwWorkspace, conversational user interfaces, smart robots, commercial UAVs (drones), autonomous vehicles, natural-language question answering, personal Analytics , enterprise taxonomy and ontology management, data broker PaaS (dbrPaaS), and context brokering.
Every single technology, except perhaps drones and autonomous vehicles, can be used in the trading industry. Just imagine how these could be used in marketing and customer care departments.
Education? Why not – smart robots teaching new clients how to trade. The one thing that bothers me is, will such smart machines need a licence from regulators to teach?
That ends another week of stories that our editors are reading. Feel free to share your views in the comment section and any recommendations of your own. We look forward to hearing your opinions!
Only 7% of New XTB Clients Pick CFDs Now, Down From 80% in 2019
Hannah Hill on Innovation, Branding & Award-Winning Technology | Executive Interview | AXI
Hannah Hill on Innovation, Branding & Award-Winning Technology | Executive Interview | AXI
Recorded live at FMLS:25, this executive interview features Hannah Hill, Head of Brand and Sponsorship at AXI, in conversation with Finance Magnates, following AXI’s win for Most Innovative Broker of the Year 2025.
In this wide-ranging discussion, Hannah shares insights on:
🔹What winning the Finance Magnates award means for AXI’s credibility and innovation
🔹How the launch of AXI Select, the capital allocation program, is redefining industry standards
🔹The development and rollout of the AXI trading app across multiple markets
🔹Driving brand evolution alongside technological advancements
🔹Encouraging and recognizing teams behind the scenes
🔹The role of marketing, content, and social media in building product awareness
Hannah explains why standout products, strategic branding, and a focus on innovation are key to growing visibility and staying ahead in a competitive brokerage landscape.
🏆 Award Highlight: Most Innovative Broker of the Year 2025
👉 Subscribe to Finance Magnates for more executive interviews, industry insights, and exclusive coverage from the world’s leading financial events.
#FMLS25 #FinanceMagnates #MostInnovativeBroker #TradingTechnology #FinTech #Brokerage #ExecutiveInterview #AXI
Recorded live at FMLS:25, this executive interview features Hannah Hill, Head of Brand and Sponsorship at AXI, in conversation with Finance Magnates, following AXI’s win for Most Innovative Broker of the Year 2025.
In this wide-ranging discussion, Hannah shares insights on:
🔹What winning the Finance Magnates award means for AXI’s credibility and innovation
🔹How the launch of AXI Select, the capital allocation program, is redefining industry standards
🔹The development and rollout of the AXI trading app across multiple markets
🔹Driving brand evolution alongside technological advancements
🔹Encouraging and recognizing teams behind the scenes
🔹The role of marketing, content, and social media in building product awareness
Hannah explains why standout products, strategic branding, and a focus on innovation are key to growing visibility and staying ahead in a competitive brokerage landscape.
🏆 Award Highlight: Most Innovative Broker of the Year 2025
👉 Subscribe to Finance Magnates for more executive interviews, industry insights, and exclusive coverage from the world’s leading financial events.
#FMLS25 #FinanceMagnates #MostInnovativeBroker #TradingTechnology #FinTech #Brokerage #ExecutiveInterview #AXI
Executive Interview | Dor Eligula | Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer, BridgeWise | FMLS:25
Executive Interview | Dor Eligula | Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer, BridgeWise | FMLS:25
In this session, Jonathan Fine form Ultimate Group speaks with Dor Eligula from Bridgewise, a fast-growing AI-powered research and analytics firm supporting brokers and exchanges worldwide.
We start with Dor’s reaction to the Summit and then move to broker growth and the quick wins brokers often overlook. Dor shares where he sees “blue ocean” growth across Asian markets and how local client behaviour shapes demand.
We also discuss the rollout of AI across investment research. Dor gives real examples of how automation and human judgment meet at Bridgewise — including moments when analysts corrected AI output, and times when AI prevented an error.
We close with a practical question: how retail investors can actually use AI without falling into common traps.
In this session, Jonathan Fine form Ultimate Group speaks with Dor Eligula from Bridgewise, a fast-growing AI-powered research and analytics firm supporting brokers and exchanges worldwide.
We start with Dor’s reaction to the Summit and then move to broker growth and the quick wins brokers often overlook. Dor shares where he sees “blue ocean” growth across Asian markets and how local client behaviour shapes demand.
We also discuss the rollout of AI across investment research. Dor gives real examples of how automation and human judgment meet at Bridgewise — including moments when analysts corrected AI output, and times when AI prevented an error.
We close with a practical question: how retail investors can actually use AI without falling into common traps.
Brendan Callan joined us fresh off the Summit’s most anticipated debate: “Is Prop Trading Good for the Industry?” Brendan argued against the motion — and the audience voted him the winner.
In this interview, Brendan explains the reasoning behind his position. He walks through the message he believes many firms avoid: that the current prop trading model is too dependent on fees, too loose on risk, and too confusing for retail audiences.
We discuss why he thinks the model grew fast, why it may run into walls, and what he believes is needed for a cleaner, more responsible version of prop trading.
This is Brendan at his frankest — sharp, grounded, and very clear about what changes are overdue.
Brendan Callan joined us fresh off the Summit’s most anticipated debate: “Is Prop Trading Good for the Industry?” Brendan argued against the motion — and the audience voted him the winner.
In this interview, Brendan explains the reasoning behind his position. He walks through the message he believes many firms avoid: that the current prop trading model is too dependent on fees, too loose on risk, and too confusing for retail audiences.
We discuss why he thinks the model grew fast, why it may run into walls, and what he believes is needed for a cleaner, more responsible version of prop trading.
This is Brendan at his frankest — sharp, grounded, and very clear about what changes are overdue.
Elina Pedersen on Growth, Stability & Ultra-Low Latency | Executive Interview | Your Bourse
Elina Pedersen on Growth, Stability & Ultra-Low Latency | Executive Interview | Your Bourse
Recorded live at FMLS:25 London, this executive interview features Elina Pedersen, in conversation with Finance Magnates, following her company’s win for Best Connectivity 2025.
🔹In this wide-ranging discussion, Elina shares insights on:
🔹What winning a Finance Magnates award means for credibility and reputation
🔹How broker demand for stability and reliability is driving rapid growth
🔹The launch of a new trade server enabling flexible front-end integrations
🔹Why ultra-low latency must be proven with data, not buzzwords
🔹Common mistakes brokers make when scaling globally
🔹Educating the industry through a newly launched Dealers Academy
🔹Where AI fits into trading infrastructure and where it doesn’t
Elina explains why resilient back-end infrastructure, deep client partnerships, and disciplined focus are critical for brokers looking to scale sustainably in today’s competitive market.
🏆 Award Highlight: Best Connectivity 2025
👉 Subscribe to Finance Magnates for more executive interviews, industry insights, and exclusive coverage from the world’s leading financial events.
#FMLS25 #FinanceMagnates #BestConnectivity #TradingTechnology #UltraLowLatency #FinTech #Brokerage #ExecutiveInterview
Recorded live at FMLS:25 London, this executive interview features Elina Pedersen, in conversation with Finance Magnates, following her company’s win for Best Connectivity 2025.
🔹In this wide-ranging discussion, Elina shares insights on:
🔹What winning a Finance Magnates award means for credibility and reputation
🔹How broker demand for stability and reliability is driving rapid growth
🔹The launch of a new trade server enabling flexible front-end integrations
🔹Why ultra-low latency must be proven with data, not buzzwords
🔹Common mistakes brokers make when scaling globally
🔹Educating the industry through a newly launched Dealers Academy
🔹Where AI fits into trading infrastructure and where it doesn’t
Elina explains why resilient back-end infrastructure, deep client partnerships, and disciplined focus are critical for brokers looking to scale sustainably in today’s competitive market.
🏆 Award Highlight: Best Connectivity 2025
👉 Subscribe to Finance Magnates for more executive interviews, industry insights, and exclusive coverage from the world’s leading financial events.
#FMLS25 #FinanceMagnates #BestConnectivity #TradingTechnology #UltraLowLatency #FinTech #Brokerage #ExecutiveInterview
In this video, we take an in-depth look at @BlueberryMarketsForex , a forex and CFD broker operating since 2016, offering access to multiple trading platforms, over 1,000 instruments, and flexible account types for different trading styles.
We break down Blueberry’s regulatory structure, including its Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), as well as its authorisation and registrations in other jurisdictions. The review also covers supported platforms such as MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradingView, Blueberry.X, and web-based trading.
You’ll learn about available instruments across forex, commodities, indices, share CFDs, and crypto CFDs, along with leverage options, minimum and maximum trade sizes, and how Blueberry structures its Standard and Raw accounts.
We also explain spreads, commissions, swap rates, swap-free account availability, funding and withdrawal methods, processing times, and what traders can expect from customer support and additional services.
Watch the full review to see whether Blueberry’s trading setup aligns with your experience level, strategy, and risk tolerance.
📣 Stay up to date with the latest in finance and trading. Follow Finance Magnates for industry news, insights, and global event coverage.
Connect with us:
🔗 LinkedIn: /financemagnates
👍 Facebook: /financemagnates
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financemagnates
🐦 X: https://x.com/financemagnates
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/tag/financemagnates
▶️ YouTube: /@financemagnates_official
#Blueberry #BlueberryMarkets #BrokerReview #ForexBroker #CFDTrading #OnlineTrading #FinanceMagnates #TradingPlatforms #MarketInsights
In this video, we take an in-depth look at @BlueberryMarketsForex , a forex and CFD broker operating since 2016, offering access to multiple trading platforms, over 1,000 instruments, and flexible account types for different trading styles.
We break down Blueberry’s regulatory structure, including its Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), as well as its authorisation and registrations in other jurisdictions. The review also covers supported platforms such as MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradingView, Blueberry.X, and web-based trading.
You’ll learn about available instruments across forex, commodities, indices, share CFDs, and crypto CFDs, along with leverage options, minimum and maximum trade sizes, and how Blueberry structures its Standard and Raw accounts.
We also explain spreads, commissions, swap rates, swap-free account availability, funding and withdrawal methods, processing times, and what traders can expect from customer support and additional services.
Watch the full review to see whether Blueberry’s trading setup aligns with your experience level, strategy, and risk tolerance.
📣 Stay up to date with the latest in finance and trading. Follow Finance Magnates for industry news, insights, and global event coverage.
Connect with us:
🔗 LinkedIn: /financemagnates
👍 Facebook: /financemagnates
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financemagnates
🐦 X: https://x.com/financemagnates
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/tag/financemagnates
▶️ YouTube: /@financemagnates_official
#Blueberry #BlueberryMarkets #BrokerReview #ForexBroker #CFDTrading #OnlineTrading #FinanceMagnates #TradingPlatforms #MarketInsights
