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Former Findex Financial Adviser joins Balthazar
Esteemed financial adviser Terry Vogiatzis has joined NFT gaming platform Balthazar, as Chief Investment Officer, leading the organisation’s investment strategy.
Vogiatzis was formerly one of the youngest Associate Partners at investment management firm Findex, responsible for $100 million in funds under management. His passion for building wealth through innovative strategies led him to explore, and now join, the cryptocurrency industry.
“I’m excited to apply learnings and principles of traditional finance and markets to the cryptocurrency space, and help build a cryptocurrency and DAO (Decentralised Autonomous Organisation) from the ground-up,” said Vogiatzis.
“I’m also excited to manage Balthazar’s internal treasury, implementing cryptocurrency strategies which are already proving successful.”
Built for the NFT gaming community
Balthazar’s mission is to empower the biggest gaming community to create a self-sustaining, wealth-building ecosystem. Through its scholarship program, Balthazar invests in NFT gaming assets for players to use to earn in-game reward tokens. The yields from these NFTs are shared between Balthazar and the players – known as “scholars”, or as Balthazar terms its “Wizards”.
Balthazar is innovating further than a traditional gaming guild, developing technology to gain a competitive advantage. This includes a platform for NFT asset holders to lend their NFTs to Balthazar and earn a yield, and a launchpad for gaming developers to access the Balthazar community.
Early success
Following its launch in September 2021, Balthazar has seen rapid growth with over 70,000 people in its Discord community and over 35,000 people on its waitlist for its scholarship program.
Last month, Balthazar closed its first token sale of US$3 million led by Animoca Brands. It is soon to close a Private Token Sale round of US$8 million with a valuation of US$150 million.
“We are thrilled to have Terry on board,” said John Stefanidis, Balthazar CEO. “With his experience and background in traditional finance, coupled with a deep understanding of the cryptocurrency market, Terry brings a unique and highly valuable strength to Balthazar.”
Following Terry’s appointment, Balthazar recorded a 90% return (US$300,000 profit) in one month from a combination of investing in Pegaxy governance tokens (PGX) and in-game rewards (yields). Pegaxy is a blockchain-based digital horse racing game.
The explosive NFT gaming space
The play-to-earn market has seen explosive growth over the past year. In fact, the most popular NFT game, Axie Infinity, generated over US$1.3 billion in revenue, more than any other dapp/blockchain behind ethereum, according to Token Terminal.
Other gaming guilds such as Yield Guild Games, Merit Circle and Crypto Gaming United, all hold fully diluted valuations of more than US$2 billion.
Strength in Balthazar’s financial expertise
In his new role, Vogiatzis will be responsible for developing Balthazar’s internal investment strategy and tokenomics.
“Launching a cryptocurrency requires far more thought than one may think, especially when trying to parallel fundamentals to traditional investments,” said Vogiatzis. “For example, the most difficult thing about monetising on fully diluted valuations is building liquidity and market depth, as the majority of tokens adding to this valuation have not yet vested. Various strategies need to be considered when incentivising liquidity such as offering “staking rewards” for investors that provide liquidity to the market, and tying this into the gradual vesting of investor tokens.”
Vogiatzis will also conduct regular virtual workshops, teaching the Balthazar community about financial literacy.
“I’m humbled to have the opportunity to make a difference in our community by helping people learn not just about the benefits of cryptocurrency strategies but also the risks involved and the importance of diversifying into other asset classes,” said Vogiatzis. “I believe NFT gaming will make a positive impact for many people, particularly in developing countries.”
Balthazar’s management team includes six other highly accomplished executives:
John Stefanidis, CEO: one of Australia’s leading digital marketing and ecommerce experts, he has developed and scaled several businesses including digital marketing agency, Covert.
Hairul Lutfi, CFO: Over 15 years experience in accounting and compliance, specialising in fintech and fast growth startups.
Bijan Abdollahi, COO: Skills and qualifications in engineering, business, and complex project development.
Kristian Bortnik, CTO: Deep information architecture (IA) and tech strategy skills, having managed large teams across multinational clients.
Peter Nay, CMO: Experienced in brand building, marketing and scaling e-commerce brands.
Michelle Hutchison, CCO: Over 16 years experience in international media and communications, including digital marketing, cryptocurrency compliance and fintech.
Nicholas Korsgård, CGO: Game Strategy E-Sports coaching phenomenon. Professional gamer at the highest level for both LoL and Starcraft.

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DeepDive launches AI platform to strengthen Enhanced Due Diligence for gaming operators’ anti-money laundering efforts
DeepDive today announced the launch of a revolutionary AI platform for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance teams that conduct Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) and player investigations.
AML teams at gaming operators face an impossible trade-off, they can either conduct thorough investigations that take days, or fast investigations that may miss critical intelligence. On top of that they have to be able to assess source of funds on customers all over the world. DeepDive combines multi-language web search and global regulatory compliance data checks to extend the reach of EDD. Compliance teams can now sift through the digital ocean of open-source data including public records, corporate filings, court documents, news archives, social media profiles and PEP, sanctions and watchlist data to build customer intelligence.
Using a unique combination of search tools, natural language processing, entity resolution and generative AI, DeepDive enables EDD research to go further and deeper, accessing more sources, in any language or alphabet. Instead of analysts spending hours clicking through search results and manually cross-referencing information, DeepDive’s AI processes hundreds of sources simultaneously and presents EDD reports viewable by timeline, alert type or risk category. Analysts can then interrogate the body of knowledge with the built-in chatbot to get to the heart of the matter, helping them make more informed risk decisions.
The team behind DeepDive is staffed by industry veterans that have previously launched, scaled and exited several fraud investigation and KYC platforms.
“DeepDive addresses the pain points facing compliance teams such as time-intensive manual research, incomplete data, language barriers, false positives, and the challenge of processing vast amounts of information at scale,” said David Pope, COO at DeepDive.
“We’ve now completed a successful six-month beta with MLROs and outsourced EDD providers. DeepDive has helped them build deeper intelligence on high-risk customers from all over the world, in a fraction of the time. Not only are we uncovering intelligence that the manual EDD approach misses, but with the time saved, gaming operators can extend EDD across a wider set of customer transactions.”
DeepDive strengthens EDD by creating multiple search permutations across publicly available data and targeted compliance databases in relevant languages and local search engines. After creating the most exhaustive possible dataset for analysis, entity resolution refines the data pool to remove false positives. Multiple generative AI tools are then used to build a structured intelligence report with full citations to original sources and an audit trail.
The DeepDive report covers personal background, legal issues, financial integrity, compliance history, and key relationships, revealing financial insight, known associates, locations, company linkages, political connections, and criminal activity—all structured for immediate analysis.
The post DeepDive launches AI platform to strengthen Enhanced Due Diligence for gaming operators’ anti-money laundering efforts appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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iRace Media extends partnership with The Hong Kong Jockey Club in Asia
iRace Media has announced the renewal of its long-standing partnership with The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) ahead of the new season commencing on 7 September.
The partnership will ensure racing fans can continue to experience uninterrupted access to high-quality Hong Kong racing content across Singapore, Malaysia and the wider Asia region. iRace readers and customers will have access to expert guides, results, tips and trusted analysis from one of the world’s premier racing jurisdictions.
Scott Bailey, Commercial Manager, iRace Media says:
“Hong Kong is a benchmark for racing globally; it’s fast, competitive and deeply followed throughout Asia. iRace has collaborated with the Hong Kong Jockey Club for many years now to deliver a trusted experience for racing enthusiasts, and we are thrilled to build on the accuracy, depth and speed that fans have come to expect.”
iRace Media’s extended partnership with the HKJC will explore new ways to enhance the racing experience through its digital platforms, offering real-time insights and driving fan engagement across the Asia region.
Get set for the new season by visiting the iRace website and register for free to access trusted editorial and data-driven racing coverage.
The post iRace Media extends partnership with The Hong Kong Jockey Club in Asia appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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SOFTSWISS Releases Gambling Regulation Directory for iGaming Operators
SOFTSWISS, a global tech provider with over 15 years of iGaming expertise, introduces its Gambling Regulation Directory, a new website section designed to help operators navigate the complex landscape of gambling laws worldwide.
The Gambling Regulation Directory provides a structured overview of the legal status of gambling across multiple countries, both land-based and online. With an interactive regulation table and map (coming soon), operators will gain a clear picture of where gambling is permitted, restricted, or prohibited, and evaluate the opportunities, risks, and compliance requirements for entering or expanding into specific markets.
The country profiles also highlight which activities are allowed or prohibited, outline available information on taxation, fees, and licensing terms, and outline key licence details such as duration and permitted activities. In addition, each profile indicates whether SOFTSWISS products are certified or aligned with local regulations, showing operators where SOFTSWISS solutions are ready for use, and underlining our experience and readiness to support them in these markets.
Practical Value for Industry Stakeholders
- Strategic Planning: A trusted reference point for evaluating opportunities and supporting informed decision-making.
- Efficiency: Centralised, up-to-date regulatory information saves time on research.
- Expert Oversight: SOFTSWISS specialists monitor developments to ensure the Directory reflects the latest licensing and legislative changes.
“At SOFTSWISS, we provide a trusted foundation for launching and growing iGaming brands. With the introduction of the Gambling Regulation Directory, we stay true to our goal of offering advanced solutions and empowering operators with the knowledge and insights they need to grow responsibly and sustainably in highly regulated markets. Building on this commitment, our certified software meets the requirements of multiple national regulators, enabling operators to confidently enter new markets with full compliance,” added Olga Resiga, Chief Business Development Officer at SOFTSWISS.
The iGaming Regulation Directory is an evolving resource. Not all country profiles are available yet, but the SOFTSWISS team is committed to updating the Directory regularly with new jurisdictions and the latest regulatory changes.
At SBC Lisbon 2025, Stand B160, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the new Gambling Regulation Directory and exchange views on industry trends with the SOFTSWISS Team.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 35,000 casino games, Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Platform and the Jackpot Aggregator. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
The post SOFTSWISS Releases Gambling Regulation Directory for iGaming Operators appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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