Baltics
Nordcurrent turns players into fashion designers with UGC marketplace
Developer and publisher Nordcurrent has released a revolutionary update to its leading mobile fashion game, Pocket Styler, with the launch of a new creator platform, Pocket Styler Studio. The digital platform allows players to work like real-life fashion designers to create clothing, shoes and accessories to their exact specifications. Once finished, digital designers can market their creations under their own ‘designer label’ name and sell them in-game to millions of Pocket Styler’s players in return for in-game currency, which has never been possible in a mobile fashion game before.
The gaming skins market is a multi-billion dollar industry, with almost 50% of players buying skins with in-game currency and around 40% buying skins with real money, according to Newzoo. But, conceptualising, drawing and polishing collections takes time, and even with Nordcurrent artists supplying over 100 items every couple of weeks, Pocket Styler players still had a thirst for more items inspired by current fashion, movies, and celebrity looks, thus limiting the time players were spending in the game and subsequently Nordcurrent’s revenue.
The integration of user-generated content into Pocket Styler has revolutionized the in-game design process. It has provided players with a wider range of options to choose from while also allowing them to earn in-game currency. This feature has also addressed the creative burden faced by game artists and developers who previously struggled to keep up with the demand for fresh content. Designers now upload over 2,000 original items into the game every day, adding nearly 300 times more content than before the launch of Pocket Styler Studio.
Victoria Trofimova, CEO of Nordcurrent, said: “‘With over 100,000 daily active users, Pocket Styler is one of the world’s most popular fashion games, and now one of the most advanced thanks to the introduction of Pocket Styler Studio. It provides a platform for creators to become professional digital fashion designers who can build their brands and promote their designs globally.
“By empowering players and letting them design and sell their clothing, we hope to inspire the next generation of fashion designers while supporting them as active contributors to the game they love, helping us form a community of designers who play a genuine part in making the game even better.“
Pocket Styler Studio has been in beta since February. Currently, over 1,000 designers are creating items for the game, and another 5,000 designers are expected to upload daily in the first year of launch, creating trillions of outfit combinations and millions of new looks submitted weekly. Nordcurrent is also testing the option of designers earning real currency from their designs in the future.
Designs are saved into a designer’s profile until they are ready to be marketed. Once on sale, individual designers can track their brands’ success by ‘Publishing’ items and assessing how many sell. Players can choose a name for their designer label and earn ‘Gems’, the in-game currency, for every item sold to other players. Pocket Styler Studio is available globally; players must have Pocket Styler installed on their phones and have a free Nordcurrent ID to use Pocket Styler Studio, which can be accessed through a browser.
Launched in May 2021, Pocket Styler is based on attending different in-game events, creating looks based on the criteria of the events, submitting those looks, getting scores, and competing with other players to become “trendsetters” and climbing on top of the leaderboard. The game has 21 million downloads, with 100,000 players spending 10,000 hours on the app and giving 10 million votes to outfits daily.
Baltics
Lithuania to Ban Gambling Ads
The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday approved restrictions on gambling advertising, set to take effect from next July.
The amendments to the Gaming Law, passed with 73 votes in favour and one abstention, will introduce a ban on gambling advertising starting in July 2025. Exceptions will apply to sports competitions and events, as well as sports sponsorships and broadcasts of sports competitions, which will have a transitional period until January 1, 2028.
Next year’s budget for the Media Support Fund earmarks an additional 4 million euros to compensate media organisations for lost advertising revenue.
Among other things, MPs backed a proposal from the parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance to have a transitional period until the end of 2027, allowing up to three betting ad spots of under 15 seconds each per hour on television, radio and online between 06:00 and 18:00 and up to two per hour between 18:00 and midnight.
For online media, betting ads without a direct link to the gaming operator’s website will be limited to 20% of advertising space from 06:00 to 18:00 and 10% until midnight.
Baltics
Genome launches SEPA instant payments, adding another valuable feature for iGaming companies
Genome (UAB Maneuver LT) has introduced SEPA Instant Transfers for all its clients. Companies can now make instant euro payments within seconds to optimize cash flow and improve operational efficiency across the Eurozone.
Additionally, SEPA Instant Transfers can be used for batch Transfers, making mass payments even more effective for companies, particularly the iGaming businesses.
“SEPA Instant Transfers enable quick payments in the Eurozone, improving cash flow and scheduling flexibility for business partners – a very crucial feature for modern-day companies that conduct operations online,” explained Genome’s CEO, Daumantas Barauskas.
SEPA Instant Transfers will be priced the same as regular SEPA Credit Transfers, ensuring users enjoy the convenience of instant transactions without any additional costs.
The feature has gone live shortly before the SiGMA Europe conference that Genome’s team will be attending. Businesses can learn more about SEPA Instant Transfers and other iGaming services Genome provides at booth #3102 or by booking a meeting.
“SEPA Instant Transfers is not the only service Genome offers iGaming companies. For one, they can streamline their financial operations with our API for mass payouts and B2C2B payments. We are currently developing the incoming payment notifications service via API (API for pay-ins). This feature will notify iGaming companies about client pay-ins in real-time. We also provide contactless physical and virtual Visa Business cards for media buying and other corporate expenses, with the added convenience of Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Garmin Pay compatibility. Additionally, a dedicated IBAN account simplifies B2B transactions, and the Genome iOS and Android apps ensure real-time financial management anytime, anywhere,” concluded Daumantas Barauskas.
Baltics
iDenfy Partners with Confindo to Enhance Security and Prevent Loan Fraud
iDenfy, an AI-powered identity verification, compliance and fraud prevention solutions provider, has partnered with Confindo, a leading provider of IT solutions specialising in customer relationship management (CRM) tools for group companies and external partners. This collaboration will help Confindo manage third-party risks and ensure proper fraud and breach prevention while building a seamless and secure verification experience.
The rise in digital transactions has made robust security measures more critical than ever. With security challenges like forged documents and synthetic identities, particularly in the financial and lending sectors, companies increasingly seek advanced solutions to protect their customers. Spending on information security and risk management products and services is expected to grow by 14.3% this year, reaching more than $215 billion. However, many companies operating in the financial sector see fraud as a top priority on the list, where even a single breach can have significant legal and reputational consequences.
Confindo, a dominant player in the consumer lending market since 2018, recognised the importance of securing its platforms against potential threats. Brands under the “Confindo” name, like Lenders, Bancovo, Comparar Prestamos mainly serve as intermediaries for consumer lending services. Consequently, the business is best known for representing over 20 banks and creditors in Lithuania and processing more than 10,000 inquiries monthly. As the business experienced a high volume of requests and new registrations, it required a new trusted Know Your Customer (KYC) vendor to help safeguard its operations, especially in this expansion stage across Europe.
According to Confindo, its recent operations in Latvia and upcoming launches in two new markets also showed a need for extra automation measures in its customer onboarding process. Before partnering with iDenfy, the IT and financial service provider aimed to build a conversion-optimised verification workflow that could remove the hassle around the application onboarding process. Among several identity verification providers, Confindo selected iDenfy for its reliable and efficient identification verification solution. The new software, already trusted by other platforms under Confindo’s management, stood out for its smooth integration with existing systems and provided a comprehensive global document base for more efficient scaling into new markets.
iDenfy’s ID verification solution is designed to automatically recognise, verify and extract information from over 3000 identity documents across 200 countries and territories. This comprehensive approach helps Confindo ensure that all possible safety measures are in place to prevent fraudulent loans, a key concern in the rapidly growing consumer lending sector.
It is worth mentioning that iDenfy is ranked as the top 1 identity verification solution in customer satisfaction on G2, boasting an average of 4.9 stars and over 70 reviews in 2024. This recognition underscores iDenfy’s commitment to providing high-quality, reliable services and prioritizes online user identification security.
“We chose iDenfy because their solution is not only trusted and tested but also perfectly aligns with our commitment to ensuring the highest level of security for our customers,” said Eitautas Bartuškevičius, CEO of Confindo.
Domantas Ciulde, CEO of iDenfy, said: “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Confindo in their mission to enhance security within the consumer lending space. By integrating our ID verification solution, we’re helping them create a safer, more reliable platform for their users across multiple countries.”
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