Latest news with #DavidTaylor
ABC News
2 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Superannuation at risk, economists say
Annie Guest: Millions of Australians in or approaching retirement are potentially exposed to enormous financial insecurity. It's connected to the global bond market. That's where governments, corporations and financial institutions trade debt securities, primarily bonds. Our business correspondent David Taylor joined me earlier for more. David, what's at the heart of the concerns for millions of Australians in or approaching retirement? David Taylor: Annie, I'll try to make this simple. Many Australians rely on superannuation nest eggs for their retirement income. Now, those nest eggs are made up of shares and bonds and things like that. Now, superannuation funds are heavily invested when it comes to shares in US shares. Australian share market is big, but not quite big enough to produce the sort of returns they want. Now, that's good news because Wall Street's consistently flirting with all time highs. So, you know, that boosts superannuation balances big time. But Annie, there are concerns that Wall Street now is vulnerable to a lasting correction or a big drop, a lasting drop in stock prices. Annie Guest: David, what's the basis for those concerns? David Taylor: Well, Australians are not the only ones invested in US stocks and bonds. The Japanese are too. And a problem may come, Annie, if Japanese bonds become an attractive place for both Japanese and Chinese and other investors to put their money in. Now, what I mean by that is investors are chasing returns. So, if the share market in the US on Wall Street is doing well, you get high returns. Go over to the bond market in Japan. If the interest rate on those bonds starts to rise, well, people go, maybe I should be investing in the Japanese bond market. And so, money is transferred from the United States and Wall Street into the Japanese bond market where they can get, where they can own a relatively safe security with higher returns. As AMP's head of investment strategy, Shane Oliver, explains. Shane Oliver: Well, the basic concern is that the Japanese government lost its majority in the upper house elections on the weekend. That is leading to political uncertainty in Japan. It's unsure as to how long the Prime Minister will remain. That, in turn, is adding to risks that there will be some sort of fiscal easing and further expansion in Japanese government debt. And if that occurs, it will mean higher bond yields than we've already got in Japan, which of course will suck money out of the US and elsewhere back into Japan as investors unwind their so-called carry trades. And carry trades are basically situations where investors borrow very cheaply in Japan, put that money into places like the US, pick up a higher level of yield. But whenever there's uncertainty about the global economy or there's rising yields in Japan, then that money can flow back to Japan. And we're seeing a bit of that at present. David Taylor: So is AMP concerned about a large volume of money in the event that money does end up moving from the United States to Japan? Shane Oliver: Look, to be honest with you, we're not overly concerned about it, but it's certainly something we're monitoring. Annie Guest: That's the AMP's Shane Oliver there. And the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, or ASFA, represents many superannuation funds. What's it had to say about this worry? David Taylor: Annie, it might not surprise you that it's not concerned. It says it's not concerned. It expects that $450 billion US dollars will be directed to US assets over the next decade. It says that superannuation giants are well-placed to deal with the market volatility if it eventuates in any case. Annie Guest: That's business correspondent David Taylor.
Daily Record
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Dalbeattie Star boss hopes to make new signing ahead of South of Scotland League season opener
The Islecroft side host Creetown in the first game of the campaign on Saturday with David Taylor still looking to add to his squad. Dalbeattie Star gaffer David Taylor is hoping to make a new signing ahead of their South of Scotland League season opener. The Islecroft side host Creetown in the first game of the campaign on Saturday. And Taylor, who took permanent charge of Star over the summer, is still hoping to add to his squad. He said: 'We're still looking to add a few more. We're not that far away – we'll probably add another three at most, definitely two. 'Hopefully we'll get at least one of them in before Saturday's game. 'Creetown have lost a few players but they've retained 10 and have eight new signings so their manager has been a busy man. 'They're always tough, you know what you're getting. They're well organised and pretty structured in what they do.' 'We think we've a decent enough side to compete. We're not going to put too much pressure on – we've signed a few younger lads with an eye on the future but we've still got a bit of experience there as well.' Star finished their preparations with two friendlies last week. After beating Hole in the Wa, they drew 0-0 at Carluke Rovers on Saturday. Taylor added: 'We can't wait to get going. It's been one of those pre-seasons where we had games organised and teams had to pull out. 'Carluke were meant to be visiting Islecroft on Saturday then had a few issues with boys working so we had to switch but we managed to get it played. 'We've played two West of Scotland teams and both games ended in draws. We'll not set huge targets yet, we'll see how we find our feet and hope the younger boys hit the ground running. 'We want to get the real stuff going and everyone gets into that routine again.' • Star will pay tribute to former midfielder Charlie Watson ahead of Saturday's game. Charlie, who passed away in June at the age of 20 following a battle with skin cancer, helped Star win the South of Scotland League title in 2023/24 while on loan from Queen of the South. Saturday's game at Islecroft against Creetown will be Star's first since the sad death of Charlie, who played for Threave Rovers last season, and there will be a special commemoration ahead of kick-off.
Scotsman
16-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) Alliance and SingularityNET appoint David Taylor as CMO amid quest to deliver open-source AGI
The Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) Alliance, the world's largest open-source initiative advancing decentralised artificial general intelligence (AGI) and ultimately, artificial superintelligence (ASI), and SingularityNET have appointed David Taylor as their new Chief Marketing Officer. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... In this strategic leadership role, David will lead global marketing efforts, working closely with product, communications, and ecosystem teams to deliver initiatives that elevate its mission and accelerate adoption across emerging markets and developer communities. His appointment comes as the ASI Alliance marks its first anniversary, a pivotal moment in its journey towards an ambitious new phase of growth and innovation. David is a standout marketing leader whose career bridges the worlds of crypto, AI, and emerging technologies. He has launched large-scale growth campaigns and events across continents, shaped high-performing, mission-driven teams, and consistently delivered at the intersection of strategy and execution. He's a frequent speaker on the evolving role of marketing in Web3, advocating for a strong focus on education, leadership, and responsible innovation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Previously, he served and drove significant positive change as Chief Marketing Officer for the Cardano Foundation; unifying brand, marketing, PR and comms strategies for the Cardano Foundation, the Cardano blockchain and actively participating in the global ecosystem. David Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer. 'We are thrilled to welcome David and his global marketing experience to the ASI Alliance,' said Dr Ben Goertzel, CEO of the ASI Alliance and CEO and Chief Scientist at SingularityNET. 'His leadership in navigating the evolving crypto, AI and Web3 ecosystems will be invaluable as we execute the next phases of our roadmap toward beneficial decentralized AGI and ASI.' David will lead the talented marketing team, working closely SingularityNET, Ocean Protocoland CUDOS, four of the most prominent decentralised AI and Web3 organisations that came together under the ASI Alliance. United by a shared token economy and open governance model, the Alliance is committed to ensuring AGI development remains democratic, transparent, and free from centralised control. 'As we move forward to roll out one after another decentralized AI product and build our user base as we move toward our ambitious AGI goals, David will play a critical role in helping us tell our story clearly, credibly and globally,' Goertzel added. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Commenting on his appointment, David said: 'With the work the ASI is doing, we're not just researching and building technology; we're shaping the future of intelligence itself. That demands marketing with meaning. I'm excited to help elevate the ASI Alliance's mission by connecting with developers, communities and institutions worldwide through strategy, storytelling and trust. In a world flooded with noise, relevance and purpose will continue to set us apart.'
Los Angeles Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Roblox game-buying frenzy is turning teens into millionaires
The creator of Blue Lock: Rivals thought kids on Roblox might like a soccer video game with an anime vibe. It sold a few months later for more than $3 million. The 19-year-old, who asked that his name be withheld because he has never shared it publicly, made the game in just three months with the help of co-developers. It attracted more than 1 million simultaneous players following its release last year, he said, generating $5 million a month in purchases for Roblox Corp., the popular gaming platform. Do Big Studios, an owner of other Roblox games that had helped develop Blue Lock: Rivals, bought the game in March, delivering a hefty payout to its teen owner. Like YouTube, Roblox started two decades ago as an online stage for young creators. Video-game lovers could use the service's tools to develop inexpensive, low-resolution entertainment. Now, as the company grows toward 100 million active daily users, contributors are finding there's money to be had in selling the games they've created, with buyers prepared to pay seven or even eight figures. 'We've seen a real shift in Roblox's ecosystem,' said David Taylor, senior consultant at the video-game-analytics firm Naavik. In June, seven of the 15 highest-earning games on Roblox had been acquired from their original owners, according to his research. The shift has been spawned in part by policy changes at Roblox. A December update to the service lets players easily transfer game ownership. Previously, Roblox said such sales were against its terms of service and community guidelines. A company spokesperson added that Roblox isn't currently participating in secondary-market transactions. Do Big has been scooping up other titles, including Roblox's biggest hit ever. In May, the company bought a stake in Grow a Garden, currently the most popular game on Roblox, for an undisclosed sum. The farming title broke records in late June, when it attracted over 21 million simultaneous players — more than Fortnite from Epic Games Inc. Another Roblox game company, Splitting Point, had taken it over the prior month from an anonymous teenage developer for an undisclosed sum. Representatives of Do Big didn't respond to a request for comment. In February, an anonymous developer sold Roblox's then-most popular game Brookhaven RP to Voldex Entertainment Ltd. Voldex's founder and chief executive officer, Alex Singer, said the deal, with financing arranged by Raine Group and Shamrock Capital, was 'bigger' than the reported sum that Embracer Group AB paid for Roblox's Welcome to Bloxburg in 2022, though he declined to be more specific. 'When there are more dollars paid out to creators, it attracts more people,' said Singer, 24. A report at the time put the Welcome to Bloxburg sale price at $100 million, though officials at Embracer said it was less. According to Roblox, the company's top 10 developers earned $36 million each in the 12 months through March. The San Mateo, California-based company may pay out more than $1 billion in total to creators for the first time this year. In 2023, CEO Dave Baszucki predicted that by 2028 a Roblox developer will be valued at $1 billion. Over a dozen companies buy, develop and sometimes flip Roblox games. Much of the activity is conducted over the chat app Discord, according to Connor Richards, a lawyer with Odin Law & Media who's been involved in a dozen deals. He's seen minors earn a few hundred thousand dollars from these deals. Another technology lawyer, Adam Starr, said he's facilitated about 20 Roblox deals over the last year and is receiving more inquiries than ever. The developers often opt to remain anonymous. Voldex's first major acquisitions, Driving Empire and Ultimate Football, cost the company seven figures, Singer said. A subsequent agreement with the NFL allowing the company to rename the property NFL Universe Football helped grow its audience. 'We've been able to sustain our communities and games and grow them while keeping players happy,' Singer said. 'That's really important.' He'll assign a team of programmers to analyze and improve a game, often alongside the original creator. Roblox games rise and fall with kids' whims. A paintball simulator might die off after another creator publishes a Roblox clone of Ubisoft Entertainment SA's Rainbow 6 Siege. Only the rare game remains popular for months or years. Creators who know this will sometimes sell their games at a price equal to just one or two months' revenue. Others go for 12 months' worth of sales, according to Naavik's Taylor. Independent game developers also trade their art or programming work for a share of game ownership. 'Roblox is very capitalist,' Voldex's Singer said. The company 'wants creators to be economically successful.' D'Anastasio writes for Bloomberg.
The Star
14-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Roblox game-buying frenzy is turning teens into millionaires
The creator of Blue Lock: Rivals thought kids on Roblox might like a football video game with an anime vibe. It sold a few months later for more than US$3mil (RM12.78mil). The 19-year-old, who asked that his name be withheld because he has never shared it publicly, made the game in just three months with the help of co-developers. It attracted more than one million simultaneous players following its release last year, he said, generating US$5mil (RM21.31mil) a month in purchases for Roblox Corp, the popular gaming platform. Do Big Studios, an owner of other Roblox games that had helped develop Blue Lock: Rivals, bought the game in March, delivering a hefty payout to its teen owner. Like YouTube, Roblox started two decades ago as an online stage for young creators. Video-game lovers could use the service's tools to develop inexpensive, low-resolution entertainment. Now, as the company grows toward 100 million active daily users, contributors are finding there's money to be had in selling the games they've created, with buyers prepared to pay seven or even eight figures. "We've seen a real shift in Roblox's ecosystem,' said David Taylor, senior consultant at the video-game-analytics firm Naavik. In June, seven of the 15 highest-earning games on Roblox had been acquired from their original owners, according to his research. The shift has been spawned in part by policy changes at Roblox. A December update to the service lets players easily transfer game ownership. Previously, Roblox said such sales were against its terms of service and community guidelines. A company spokesperson added that Roblox isn't currently participating in secondary-market transactions. Do Big has been scooping up other titles, including Roblox's biggest hit ever. In May, the company bought a stake in Grow a Garden, currently the most popular game on Roblox, for an undisclosed sum. The farming title broke records in late June, when it attracted over 21 million simultaneous players – more than Fortnite from Epic Games Inc. Another Roblox game company, Splitting Point, had taken it over the prior month from an anonymous teenage developer for an undisclosed sum. Representatives of Do Big didn't respond to a request for comment. In February, an anonymous developer sold Roblox's then-most popular game Brookhaven RP to Voldex Entertainment Ltd. Voldex's founder and chief executive officer, Alex Singer, said the deal, with financing arranged by Raine Group and Shamrock Capital, was "bigger' than the reported sum that Embracer Group AB paid for Roblox's Welcome to Bloxburg in 2022, though he declined to be more specific. "When there are more dollars paid out to creators, it attracts more people,' said Singer, 24. A report at the time put the Welcome to Bloxburg sale price at US$100mil (RM426.19mil), though officials at Embracer said it was less. According to Roblox, the company's top 10 developers earned US$36mil (RM153.42mil) each in the 12 months through March. The San Mateo, California-based company may pay out more than US$1bil (RM4.26bil) in total to creators for the first time this year. In 2023, CEO Dave Baszucki predicted that by 2028 a Roblox developer will be valued at US$1bil (RM4.26bil). Over a dozen companies buy, develop and sometimes flip Roblox games. Much of the activity is conducted over the chat app Discord, according to Connor Richards, a lawyer with Odin Law & Media who's been involved in a dozen deals. He's seen minors earn a few hundred thousand dollars from these deals. Another technology lawyer, Adam Starr, said he's facilitated about 20 Roblox deals over the last year and is receiving more inquiries than ever. The developers often opt to remain anonymous. Voldex's first major acquisitions, Driving Empire and Ultimate Football, cost the company seven figures, Singer said. A subsequent agreement with the NFL allowing the company to rename the property NFL Universe Football helped grow its audience. "We've been able to sustain our communities and games and grow them while keeping players happy,' Singer said. "That's really important.' He'll assign a team of programmers to analyse and improve a game, often alongside the original creator. Roblox games rise and fall with kids' whims. A paintball simulator might die off after another creator publishes a Roblox clone of Ubisoft Entertainment SA's Rainbow 6 Siege. Only the rare game remains popular for months or years. Creators who know this will sometimes sell their games at a price equal to just one or two months' revenue. Others go for 12 months' worth of sales, according to Naavik's Taylor. Independent game developers also trade their art or programming work for a share of game ownership. "Roblox is very capitalist,' Voldex's Singer said. The company "wants creators to be economically successful.' – Bloomberg
