Media OutReach
Crypto CFD as a safe, flexible and efficient trading alternative: explained by Octa broker
The majority of crypto traders believe the market will remain bullish in 2025. Bitcoin shows new ATHs, which stimulates altcoin price increases. The Trump administration’s crypto-friendly policies are often perceived as triggers for crypto market growth. Yet, despite the crypto-positive U.S. president and the increasing Bitcoin price, the market remains relatively unstable and prone to significant volatility.
Disruptive crypto market and its risks for spot traders
During the past six months, the crypto market has suffered significant turbulence. For example, at the end of 2024, the market capitalisation surpassed $1.6 trillion (Bitcoin excluded), only to later drop by 41% to $950 billion in Q1 2025. At the same time, venture capital investments returned to the levels of 2017-2018. Due to such negative dynamics, macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, and a more restrictive monetary policy, reputable crypto experts like Coinbase institutional assumed that a crypto winter took place instead of the anticipated bull run and an alt season.
Since Q1 2025 showed the worst first-quarter performance in seven years with a dominating downtrend and high volatility, crypto traders struggled to identify potential trades and faced increased risks. What is more, funds were more vulnerable due to increased cyber threats. Chainalysis discovered a 60% rise in crypto hacks in Q1 2025. The total value of lost assets surpassed $2.2 billion. Traders suffered because of exploited protocols, key mismanagement, and mere phishing attacks.
CFDs to combat risks for spot traders
CFDs are overall a safer, more flexible and affordable alternative to traditional tools offered by crypto exchanges. While spot trading limits traders to capitalising on cryptocurrency price increases, CFDs allow them to benefit from the price difference between entry and exit positions. The trend doesn’t matter: one can open long positions, assuming price increases, and short ones, expecting an asset value to decrease. Moreover, when opening a contract, a trader doesn’t purchase a token. Such an approach allows crypto traders to eliminate several risks.
Limited trading opportunities
Traditional trading tools of the spot market imply that traders purchase an asset at a lower price and then sell it when the value increases. Doing so requires freezing funds until the cryptocurrency is sold. In times of high volatility and downtrend, traders end up in a situation where their trading opportunities are scarce, especially if they invested all their finances before the bearish trend suddenly began. Crypto CFDs don’t limit potential trades to the bullish market only: traders can also open positions to benefit from potential asset price decreases.
High market entry requirements
Owning an asset requires significant finances to enter the crypto market. CFDs offer traders leverage: a financial tool that requires a margin, a relatively small deposit, to open a trade for a larger amount of crypto. As a result, traders can enter a crypto market with far fewer resources. The trade conditions are transparent and competitive. Regulated brokers like Octa provide flexible leverage and low spreads on CFD pairs specified before trade opening.
Crypto ownership risks
Since CFDs eliminate the need for direct asset ownership, traders reduce the risk of token losses or theft. There is no need to manage hot or cold wallet accesses, including private keys, mind faulty smart contracts, or exchange security. CFDs are processed across broker infrastructure, which is regulated by reputable financial institutions. They require brokers to set up a reliable trading environment, adhere to responsible trading policies, and provide transparent operations.
Additional benefits of CFDs for active traders
CFDs are known as a more efficient financial tool, especially in times of market volatility. CFD brokers provide access to a wide variety of assets beyond the crypto landscape, thus allowing traders to diversify their portfolios with currency pairs, commodities, and indices. For instance, Octa Broker offers CFDs on over 30 popular digital assets: fiat currency pairs, global indices, commodities, stock derivatives, and shares. All of them are traded across a transparent ecosystem where traders are aware of leverage, fees, and spreads before opening a trade. This enhances risk management and allows to better calculate risks and adjust them, if necessary, before market entry.
Summing up
CFDs allow traders to efficiently combat risk exposure, which is inevitable when operating with traditional crypto trading tools. When entering a contract, one can benefit from a bullish and bearish market and navigate across a transparent environment without actually owning the asset. This also allows traders to minimise security risks like asset theft or loss and facilitates entry into the crypto market. Moreover, CFDs provide access to various asset types that aren’t limited to cryptocurrencies. Traders can diversify their portfolio and opt for a wider variety of assets to enhance risk management.
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Hashtag: #Octa
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Octa
Octa is an international CFD broker that has been providing online trading services worldwide since 2011. It offers commission-free access to financial markets and various services used by clients from 180 countries who have opened more than 52 million trading accounts. To help its clients reach their investment goals, Octa offers free educational webinars, articles, and analytical tools.
GoTyme Bank becomes the first digital bank in the Philippines to enable Apple Pay, expanding secure and seamless digital payments for 10 million customers
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 August 2026 – Paymentology, the leading global issuer processor, today announced the successful launch of Apple Pay for GoTyme Bank in the Philippines. Through this launch, GoTyme becomes one of the first issuers in the Philippine market to enable Apple Pay, giving 10 million customers an easy, secure and private way to pay using their Apple devices.
As one of the country’s fastest-growing digital banks, GoTyme continues to accelerate its digital payments strategy by expanding secure, seamless and convenient payment experiences for Filipino consumers. Customers can now securely add their GoTyme debit card to Apple Wallet and make contactless payments in stores, within apps and online wherever Apple Pay is accepted.
Apple Pay uses industry-leading tokenisation technology, meaning card numbers are never stored on devices or shared with merchants. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, with every transaction authenticated through Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode, providing an additional layer of security while delivering a fast, frictionless checkout experience.
Nate Clark, President and CEO at GoTyme Bank commented: “At GoTyme Bank, we’re constantly looking for ways to make banking simpler, safer and more rewarding for our customers. Bringing Apple Pay to GoTyme Bank customers in the Philippines gives them an easy and secure way to pay wherever they shop while continuing to earn rewards points on all their transactions. This is another step in our commitment to making everyday banking more beautiful and convenient for our customers.
The launch comes as digital payments continue to reshape the Philippine economy. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), digital payments now account for more than half of all retail payment transactions, as consumers increasingly embrace mobile-first banking and contactless payments. Meanwhile, smartphone penetration continues to rise, supporting growing demand for digital wallets and tokenised payment experiences. As digital commerce accelerates, enabling secure mobile payments through services such as Apple Pay is becoming an increasingly important differentiator for financial institutions.
Minh-Ha Truong, Head of Growth, APAC at Paymentology, added: “As a long-standing partner to GoTyme, we’re proud to support another significant milestone in its growth journey. Bringing Apple Pay to market demonstrates how modern, cloud-native issuer processing enables digital banks to rapidly deliver innovative payment experiences while maintaining the highest standards of security, scalability and performance. Together, we’re helping shape the future of digital payments in the Philippines.”
The launch further strengthens GoTyme’s position as one of Southeast Asia’s leading digital banks and highlights the value of Paymentology’s cloud-native issuer processing platform in helping banks and fintechs rapidly introduce innovative payment capabilities that meet evolving customer expectations.
Hashtag: #Paymentology
https://www.paymentology.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/paymentology/
https://x.com/Paymentology
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Media OutReach
New Documentary Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun From Discovery to Debut on August 20 in Southeast Asia
Set against the sun-drenched landscapes of southern Taiwan, Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun highlights how the people of Liugdui have thrived alongside the land for over 300 years. Following local scholars, farmers, and artisans, the documentary explores how this community adapts its deep-rooted traditions—from water stewardship to food heritage—in response to environmental and economic change, offering vital modern insights on sustainability, rural revitalization, and cultural continuity.
Across three episodes—Water, agriculture, and food—the documentary explores how the people of Liugdui blend tradition with modern innovation. Viewers meet groundwater experts, farmers pioneering sustainable crops, and artisans repurposing local materials like betel nut, alongside culinary practitioners who preserve Hakka identity through ancestral rituals, communal feasts, and family traditions that unite generations.
Audiences will discover a community that views tradition not as something fixed in the past, but as a living legacy that continues to evolve. From innovative groundwater management and botanical dyeing to ritual feasts and modern interpretations of Hakka cuisine – the documentary celebrates the creativity, resilience, and values that have sustained Liugdui for centuries.
Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun premieres in Southeast Asia on Discovery Channel, Thursday, August 20 at 7:10pm; TLC Channel, Monday, August 24 at 7:10pm; and Discovery Asia, Tuesday, August 25 at 9:25pm.
Hashtag: #Discovery
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Discovery Channel
The launch press conference broke away from tradition with a vibrant runway show featuring celebrity “Hot Spring Travel Navigators,” including acclaimed chef Edward Lee from Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars, visual identity creative director Yen Po-Chun, TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE Taiwan Chairman Kazuma Otsuka, and actor-host Andrew Chau. Together with local businesses, they showcased regional agriculture, specialties, and lifestyle products.
The official launch celebration kicks off on September 4 at Guguan Park in Taichung, featuring a themed parade with over 500 participants and the lighting ceremony for the Lishan–Guguan Light Art Festival, which stars a massive eight-meter “OhBear” light installation. The festivities continue on September 5 with a guided tribal trekking tour in Guguan, offering participants an exclusive NT$500 accommodation discount.
To promote four-season wellness tourism globally, the campaign partners with the East Asia Hot Spring Association for an international symposium on September 4. Key promotions also include complimentary LINE POINTS for new followers, curated packages starting at NT$299, and a flash sale of 800 limited NT$1 Hot Spring Vouchers for the Double 11 Shopping Festival. Furthermore, cross-sector collaborations offer half-price entry to national forest areas, limited-edition Taiwan Railway bento boxes, and Guanziling mud spring skincare products to enrich the travel experience.Hashtag: #TaiwanFourSeasonSprings
https://www.trimt-nsa.gov.tw/zh-tw/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
