MoneyGram and Ripple testing bank transfers of the XRP cryptocurrency. Fortune Staff Writer Jeff John Roberts explains why this partnership is so significant.
"Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, it (Ripple) is centrally controlled," explains Roberts. "This is Ripple's moment of truth because people are speculating on XRP." With transaction fees so high for Bitcoin, some investors are seeing Ripple as a good alternative.
"Ripple is at the forefront of blockchain technology and we look forward to piloting xRapid," MoneyGram CEO Alex Holmes said Thursday. In the release announcing this partnership, both Ripple and MoneyGram promoted the efficiency and speed of this digital currency.
ZipRecruiter reported revenue growth for the fourth quarter of 2021 and raised its forecast for the coming year, beating Wall Street expectations. The recruitment site has benefited from one of the tightest labor markets in history as companies desperately try to fill empty positions. Ian Siegel, CEO of ZipRecruiter, joined Cheddar to discuss how the company has adapted to The Great Resignation, a tight labor market, and record inflation.
Ford is looking to charge its electric business forward -- splitting its EVs and legacy internal combustion engine models into separate units. Ford says the split will streamline its EV business and boost profits, while giving it a better competitive edge. Ford's new EV focused business will be called Ford Model e. Greg Martin, Co-Founder, Rainmaker Securities joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Velo3d, a company that provides metal 3D printed parts for companies such as SpaceX, reported a boost in Q4 revenue quarter over quarter. Founder and CEO Benny Buller, joined Cheddar News to discuss the earnings and the foundation of the company's current success. "The whole space sector is about 25 percent of our business. We have a lot of business in aviation, in power generation, in energy, and in semiconductors. I would say that the big jump in our revenue is related to the release of our Sapphire XC, which is a scale-up product reducing costs by about three times compared to the first Sapphire machines," he said. "This allows customers to dramatically reduce costs as well as make much bigger parts."
Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), corn-based ethanol has been mixed into gasoline sold at pumps in the U.S. since 2005, when a policy was enacted aimed at reducing emissions. Corn-based ethanol had been thought to be a relatively greener energy source compared to other biofuels, but now, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports it may be actually worse for the climate than straight gasoline. Tyler Lark, an assistant scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Sustainability, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell and discussed the pushback against the study. "Essentially when you need to produce more corn to meet the demand for use as ethanol as fuel, farmers respond and they switch more crops like soybeans and wheat into corn," Lark said. "They also bring more land into production, so things that used to be pasture grassland, and both those activities are associated with increased greenhouse gas emissions."
Video conferencing service Zoom rolled out a flurry of announcements that included a new Zoom Phone, Zoom Events, and Zoom Contact Center in an effort to transition the company from a pandemic darling to a post-pandemic business — while keeping the product accessible. Kelly Steckelberg, CFO of Zoom, joined Cheddar News to talk about the transition while still remaining affordable. "We currently have no plans to raise our prices," she said. "We focus on bringing as much value as possible to our customers. We often add new features and functionality without any incremental prices across the board."
Alexandre Mongeon, the CEO and co-founder of Vision Marine Technologies, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss the latest innovations in the e-boating industry, and how fully electric motors and boats will play a role in the fight against the climate crisis.
