Job Offer: The CardinalStone Graduate Trainee Programme 2018

The CardinalStone Graduate Trainee Programme

Joining the CardinalStone Graduate Trainee Programme is a great way to progress within our business and fast track your career. This programme is designed to attract young intelligent and graduates to the CardinalStone talent pipeline. We seek to attract candidates who want to build a career in Financial Services, and are highly driven to achieve their career aspirations while also laying the building blocks for leadership roles for their personal as well as organizational fulfillment. We seek graduates who share our vision and passion and seek a challenging and fulfilling work environment such as ours. Kindly go to vacancies to apply.

Objective of the Graduate Trainee Programme

To develop a pipeline of future managers of the firm while giving the trainees a dynamic and rewarding career in one of the fastest growing indigenous Investment Banks in Nigeria.     

VACANCIES:
• Private Equity|Investment Banking|Securities Trading
• I.T
• Asset Management/Investment Advisory

Note that applicants are to apply to ONE vacancy only!

General Criteria: 
• Age – not more than 26 years as at December, 2018
• Class of Degree – Minimum of a Second Class Upper Degree
• Completion of NYSC

Skills requirement:
Suitable candidates will be expected to demonstrate the following skills:
• Presentation Skills
• Effective communication skills (verbal, oral and writing)
• Analytical and problem solving skills
• Computer skills at a proficient level - Microsoft Office (Ms Word, Excel & Power point)
• Good Numerical skills

Apply Now

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BBNaija: I was raped by popular entertainer, Ifu Ennada reveals

An evicted contestant in the ongoing reality TV show, BBNaija ‘Double Wahala’,  Iheme Faith Uloma, popularly known as Ifu Ennada,  says she was raped and infected with a Sexual Transmitted Infection.

Ifu Ennada, who is also an actress, content producer, TV host and fitness entrepreneur took to her instagram handle, @ifuennada on Tuesday to make the revelation citing an unnamed personality in the entertainment industry as the rapist.

The BBNaija contestant said that she has already documented her ordeal in her latest short story film titled, `Tears of A Broken Virgin.’

According to her, during her stay in the BBNaija House when emotions were raised during a `Truth or Dare game,’ she affirmed that she had not really had sex.

The fashion designer and graduate of Computer Science from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun added that people interpreted that she was claiming to be a Virgin.

“The truth is in 2016, I was raped by someone in the entertainment industry, before then I was a Virgin. This person also infected me with an STI.

“ I was also threatened by this person and was very scared of social media’s bashing with the usual questions of “what was she wearing!’’ “why did she go to his house ?’’

“So in all my sadness and depression, I decided to tell the world what had happened to me using film as a medium.

“I was inspired to write and produce my film `Tears of A Broken Virgin’. I got a lot of help from social media.

“People volunteered to work for me free including my director – Benny Atagame Alli.

“Though some parts of my film are fiction, the bulk of it was inspired by my story. The lead character’s name is Ada which is a short form of my name Adanne- popularly pronounced as Ennada.

“Because of my sad experience I battled depression, developed trust issues and found it hard to connect with people especially men.

“I wanted to tell my story and also pass a strong message to rape victims and rapists…I hope I was able to do that with my film.

“I intend to expand this into a feature-length film. I hope everyone out there is inspired to stand up against rape,’’ Ifu wrote.

As pairs in the BBNaija house, Ifu and Leo won the `Roc Da Mat’ Challenge which earned them VVIP trip to One Africa Festival in London later in the year.

In addition, they were awarded five million naira (N2.5 million each) and one year supply of Pepsi.

They were the fourth pair to be evicted in the 2018 BBNaija reality TV show.

Their eviction came after Ahneeka and Angel were evicted, and two weeks after Bitto and Princess and Vandora and Dee-one were evicted.

Ifu described her 43 days stay in the BBNaija house as `eventful.’

(NAN)

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Stephen Hawking, who unlocked the secrets of space and time, dies at 76

Stephen Hawking, who sought to explain the origins of the universe, the mysteries of black holes and the prospect of time travel, died on Wednesday aged 76.

Hawking’s formidable mind probed the very limits of human understanding both in the vastness of space and in the bizarre sub-molecular world of quantum theory, which he said could predict what happens at the beginning and end of time.

Ravaged by the wasting motor neurone disease he developed at 21, Hawking was confined to a wheelchair for most of his life.

As his condition worsened, he had to speak through a voice synthesizer and communicating by moving his eyebrows - but at the same time became the world’s most recognizable scientist.

Hawking died peacefully at his home in the British university city of Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday.

“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years,” his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said. “His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world.”

Hawking shot to international fame after the 1988 publication of ““A Brief History of Time”, one of the most complex books ever to achieve mass appeal, which stayed on the Sunday Times best-sellers list for no fewer than 237 weeks.

“My original aim was to write a book that would sell on airport bookstalls,” he told reporters at the time. ““In order to make sure it was understandable I tried the book out on my nurses. I think they understood most of it.”

The physicist’s disease spurred him to work harder but also contributed to the collapse of his two marriages, he wrote in a 2013 memoir “My Brief History”.

In the book he related how he was first diagnosed: “I felt it was very unfair - why should this happen to me,” he wrote.

“At the time, I thought my life was over and that I would never realizes the potential I felt I had. But now, 50 years later, I can be quietly satisfied with my life.”

(Reuters)

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Klopp rues mistakes and decisions

Jurgen Klopp blamed defensive errors and an incorrect refereeing decision for Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to rivals Manchester United.

Liverpool failed to deal with the aerial threat posed by United and found themselves 2-0 behind inside 24 minutes after Marcus Rashford's double.

Liverpool rallied in the second period and halved the deficit when Eric Bailly put through his own net, and Klopp felt his side should have had a penalty, and the chance to equalise, when a Marouane Fellaini challenge on Sadio Mane went unpunished.

"It didn't go our way because of the two goals we conceded," Klopp told Sky Sports. "We have to defend these situations better.

"You can always lose a header or tackle with (Romelu) Lukaku but you need to close the gap in behind. They scored the two goals and that made the game harder.

"There were a few OK moments and two good ones in the first half where we could have done better and been more clinical, but we didn't score before half-time and chased the game in the second half.

"We scored and had more chances and I thought Fellaini's tackle on Mane was a clear penalty. If there's no foul, Sadio shoots. It's a free shot from the edge of the box. In a situation like this you need the right decisions.

"But as we said before the game it's all about the result and we lost. They scored two we scored one so they deserve the three points, but a point would have been absolutely fair for us."

Liverpool travelled to Old Trafford in good form having won four of their last five Premier League games, but Klopp conceded the odds were stacked against his side when they went 2-0 behind.

"It's really clear (that we were not at our best). I have no explanation for that," he added.

"They played a lot of long balls and we were not there, that's hard to explain. It's not an excuse but it happens in football. If you don't make mistakes the opponent cannot score.

"We needed to be there when Rashford cut back for his first goal, 100 per cent. I don't know who but we were not there. In those two decisive moments we were not good.

"A lot of other moments we were good. We fought back with heart, played some good football, crossed everything into the box, the clear chances were they but we did not score."

(Sky Sports)

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Internet of Things: How cybersecurity will change

The Internet of Things has seen rapid development in the past few years. The rate of digitisation has caused as much optimism as it has fear. The explanation for this is simple, with the number of connected devices estimated to reach 30 billion by 2020, the chance of a massive hacking scheme has risen exponentially. The Internet of Things brings with it many possibilities that can completely revolutionise our world and how we interact with it. It brings our profiles to all areas of our lives and gives us access to all of our information whenever we want it or wherever we are.

The Internet of Things is definitely making life better for us as it prevents losses of information and keeps our material goods secure. The ability to use our phones to control our homes and our security is enough to call the recent technological revolution a win. However, even though these advancements make our lives much better, they also have the potential to flip them upside down if the proper precautions are not taken. The recent expansion of the internet and accessibility to people all across the world will not only increase how much exposure there is on the internet but it will also increase the number of exploitation access points across the globe.

As we've seen with the recent hacking expeditions against major retailers, the vulnerability of devices on the internet is still at a level that creates uncertainty in our everyday lives. There are also a number of attacks that go unreported as the loss of information at the hands of malevolent people is a constant pressure. The Internet of Things, and it's ultimate goal, is an evergreen pursuit that has its fair share of traps hidden in the dark.

Cyber security, such as it is, has come into the limelight the last few years as hacking becomes a more popular pursuit amongst the criminals of this world. The increase in volume of attacks, along with the proficiency, means that everyday people have to go out into the world prepared to deal with a personal cyber attack. The amount of hacking software is increasing at an alarming rate and has many companies worried about the safety of their information and intranet.

Traditional hacking methods, such as spyware and ransomware, are becoming more common as the internet is accessed by more and more people. These hackers are becoming deft at stealing information and using social exploits against individuals. The rate alone is enough for cyber security companies to panic and should be of the utmost concern to everyday people. Individuals must now educate themselves, and others, on the best practices and uses of their devices, software, and email.

This is ultimately the greatest change that the Internet of Things brings. It requires all people to become, not only proficient, but knowledgeable of electronic systems and their safety precautions. Everyone must know how to encrypt a file or secure an ethernet access point. Everyone must keep their software up-to-date and their hardware drivers current. We must all know how to spot phishing attempts and ransomware links. We must also know how to browse the web and which websites to trust.

Cyber security threats are far and wide and can reach us on every device that is connected to the internet. Cameras that are connected to the phone via an internet connection can be hacked into and used to spy on you. Wifi-enabled cars can be hacked and information can be stolen from them such as addresses and phone numbers. This is not to strike fear into the hearts of people but rather to encourage an understanding of how cyber security works.

We must be ready to fight against social exploits like spam callers and robocallers. We have to be careful with what we put into our PCs. A common exploit for many years was dropping a USB stick in front of an office building and hoping that an employee would pick it up and put it into their computer. Once this was accomplished the virus would load and would start to steal information immediately. Now that we are in the Internet of Things we must be extra cautious as every misstep furthers the possibility that we are hacked. Diligence and education will take us very far as a people and becoming knowledgeable is the best way to fight for freedom. If we let fear halt our progress then we have failed ourselves and everyone we know. 

(CSO)

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Why blockchain technology is the answer for Big Data regulation

With the upcoming EU regulations on big data in the form of the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the way businesses in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the U.S. and other regions handle client data is about to change.

The law, which will take effect on May 28, 2018, requires firms to acquire consent and clarify their ultimate purpose when collecting data from individuals or businesses in the EU region. Publishers and advertisers will also need to get consent from each user in order to use their personal data to target ads.

Contrary to popular belief, the GDPR will also impact businesses outside of the EU if they collect data or behavioral information from people in the EU region. Also, the implementation of this new law is likely to prompt other regions to tighten their regulations on big data. But with the robust growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the ever-rising instances of consumer data abuse, it seems that strict big data regulation is all but necessary.

However, there is a challenge for businesses in terms of the costs and complexity of implementing these laws. For instance, according to estimates  by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) in collaboration with EY, Fortune 500 companies will spend a total of $7.8 billion to comply with the GDPR regulation. This equates to an average of around $16 million per company.

The costs range, from the implementation of compliant measures to financial penalties that might occur in the event of a data breach, as well as the reputational damage from public rebuke by regulators in the field. With regulations such as the GDPR in place, companies may find themselves on the wrong side of the law, especially considering the gray areas that exist in these regulations. The lack of clarity means that it will largely be at the discretion of the regulators to decide what constitutes a violation and what does not.

It, therefore, goes without saying that businesses will need superior solutions to be able to adhere to these regulations while keeping their costs low. Blockchains, the immutable public ledger technology, are providing answers to most of these challenges through a number of innovative solutions.

Blockchain technology is all about shifting power from central bodies to individuals. In the big data industry, this means allowing individuals to take control of their personal data and capitalize on it. Traditionally, internet users have had little control over how their data is collected and used by businesses and data brokers. What's even worse is that most people are unaware of the value of their data and how data brokers are using it to generate immense wealth. Blockchain technology is aiming to move the power back to the individual by enabling people to choose when to share their data and to define how and when it should be used as well. Moreover, blockchain platforms will make it possible for individuals to make an income by sharing their personal data with advertisers.

One innovative solution that has reached a huge milestone in making the decentralization of the big data industry possible isEndor , a blockchain platform founded by MIT engineers. The project, known as "Google for predictive analytics," seeks to introduce a fully automatic, open platform for behavioral prediction on which firms can ask predictive questions and receive instant insights. On the other hand, data owners can choose to share their personal data on the platform and get rewarded in Endor's EDR tokens.

Zebi , a blockchain platform that aims to solve India's big data problem, is another example of a big data solution driven by a blockchain. The project intends to make high-value and sensitive data readily available for authorized business purposes while securing and safeguarding it from hackers. Unlike the Endor project, Zebi's main focus is on protecting sensitive data elements such as land records, education and health data, employee and salary information, pension payments and others. With the Zebi solution, companies that handle sensitive user information have a guarantee that they will not find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Solutions such as Endor and Zebi will enable businesses to save on costs and comply with regulations without the fear of unknowingly violating them. This is the best time for firms to start embracing blockchain-driven solutions in their big data endeavors and save themselves many headaches down the line.

(NASDAQ)

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How this Israeli entrepreneur built a big data-powered bra empire

Orit Hashay, CEO of online lingerie retailer Brayola, grew up in an ultra-orthodox family in Petah Tivka, Israel. Her deeply religious upbringing was a million miles from New York City’s fast-paced startup world, but that didn’t stop her from launching a business that looks set to dominate a market projected to be worth $55 billion by 2024.

At 15, she left her ultra-orthodox world for a secular education. “I trained as a software developer and, over the course of 10 years, launched mit4mit, an Israeli consumer wedding services reviews site; Ramkol, Israel’s leading local reviews site; and Vetrinas, a virtual window on hundreds of stores worldwide,” she tells me

This journey took her to the next logical step in her entrepreneurship journey, and she joined Israeli VC firm Carmel Ventures (now Viola Ventures) as an investment manager. But her thirst for building products lead her to leave this position, and she quickly found herself behind the helm of Brayola.

“I founded Brayola when I was pregnant, my body was changing, and bra shopping was the last thing I wanted to do. With my software development background, I knew I could find a way to make bra shopping easier and more enjoyable for both myself and for millions of women around the world,” Hashay explained.

So, what’s Brayola? Essentially, it’s what happened if you replaced a bra fitter with a really smart computer algorithm, that’s able to take advantage of big data analytics.

“Brayola became the first online lingerie shop to match women with bras based on their personal sizes, tastes and styles,” Hashay said. The magic sauce is an algorithm that analyzes over 50 million points of data, in order to achieve the perfect fit. This, Hashay says, has allowed Brayola to achieve a return rate that’s 10 percent lower than the industry average.

Although Hashay isn’t a first-time founder, launching Brayola was still a challenging experience, not least because she went through several rounds of funding while in the midst of her pregnancy.

“I delivered decks to dozens of investors, I made an interesting observation: While the investors liked my ideas, they seemed preoccupied with the prospect of my motherhood and how it might change [my] priorities,” she said.

“They suggested I wait. I of course did not, and was able to move through two rounds of funding!”

Brayola looks set to have a landmark 2018. The company is in the middle of an aggressive expansion overseas, and is looking to move past lingerie. “Our goal is to master these news markets and continue to become a change maker in developing technology that caters to things women need,” she says.

The Brayola success story is still developing, but Hashay is unshakably confident. Her advice to other women founders? Be confident too, particularly when in the lion’s den of raising capital.

“As a woman pitching to (mostly male) VCs you need to have both guts and patience, be persistent and unafraid of shocking the audience,” she said.

“I’ll leave you with this: Yes, it will be difficult, but difficult does not mean impossible.”

(The Next Web)

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Ecobank deepens digital payment

Ecobank has partnered with Facebook and MasterCard to deliver seamless, digital payments to small businesses via the Facebook Messenger platform. With this development, micro-merchants will be able to receive instant payments using the QR technology.

This Messenger experience will launch in Nigeria, where MasterCard will pilot a new Masterpass QR both to help business owners move beyond cash transactions to accepting QR payments.

With Ecobank’s presence in 33 African countries, the pilot in Nigeria is the beginning of a larger plan to include more businesses in Africa into the digital economy. Access to digital payments will help businesses expand to new markets, and unlock financial services and products that empower them to grow.

Group Executive, Consumer Banking, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Patrick Akinwuntan, said this initiative is in line with the bank’s financial inclusion strategy to reach the underserved and unbanked in the society.  He noted that the partnership will further position Ecobank as a major enabler of digital payments across Africa and reinforce its goal to serve 100 million Africans by 2020.

In his words: “In line with our goal to serve 100 million Africans by end of 2020, Ecobank is delighted to collaborate with Facebook and MasterCard to enable underserved and unbanked micro-merchants have the opportunity to open an Ecobank Xpress account within minutes and begin to receive instant payments using Ecobank Masterpass on the Facebook Messenger platform.”

(The Nation)

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