Industry News

Digital Chain is a business statement. Iryna Kurochkina, Founder & CEO of DC, on the agency’s rebranding and ambitious plans

Published

6 years ago

February 5, 2020

1. So, the first big gaming exhibition of the new decade, ICE London 2020, is here, and so is the crazy surprise: Digital Choo rebranding into Digital Chain! Tell us more about the idea and how long were you planning it.

The rebranding is a major change, and it came to us really naturally. Over the course of 3 years on the market we’ve developed an interconnected in-house infrastructure of services, won over great global companies as our clients, created many award-winning campaigns, and, in the end, we’ve changed. We have a larger grasp of understanding who we are and what value we present to our clients, partners, the advertising markets, and the world in general. So the aspiration for change came from the inside as a natural desire to match our external image with our internal values, the very essence of DC.

Digital Chain, ICE London 2020

What is Digital Chain? It is the power to break barriers and go above and beyond in pursuit of the outstanding results. It is intrinsically us — the international marketing agency that commits to using its complex knowledge and services to drive the process of brand establishment for every company that shares the same passion and beliefs with us.

2. Could you elaborate more on the practical implementation of the concept of rebranding?

The most obvious change is our brand identity embodied in all external branding, POS materials, merchandise and so on. However, Digital Chain is much more than visual changes. It is a business statement. It is about our plans, goals, and the services we bring to the market.
Every piece of our new image communicates exactly who we are and what value we carry to the world. Liquid metal is a key element of our renewed style: a symbol of the agency’s strength yet flexibility, the skills and expertise that complement the DNA chains of new strong brands that we help to create. Other new corporate colors add vibrancy to this philosophy, with Stark White to represent fearlessness, absolute freedom of action, purity of thought, the absence of chaos in our work processes, and Rich Black to reflect our passion for exploring the essence and solid, confident steps to conquer the unknown.

We are bold and daring in our aspiration to develop the international community, and this is essentially what the story’s about. In the near future, Digital Chain will connect even more markets all over the world, introducing its services to Asian and African clients. We will also contribute our expertise in niche verticals to the development of markets that have only recently adopted the global practices and undergo gambling legalization. And of course, we are about to expand our client portfolio both in niche and mainstream categories.

3. A general question on rebranding: If you are doing well, why should you rebrand? As they say in the US, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Isn’t this the mantra?

Change is the only constant thing in the world. To keep yourself in an old framework when you’ve grown, and become so, so much more, is simply wrong. True freedom comes from being sensitive – first of all, to yourself; from being honest; from accepting who and what you are and bringing the corresponding image into the world with responsibility and good intentions. This is how real difference is made- by being yourself to the fullest. It is exactly the same for businesses as for individuals.

4. A number of big companies have fallen off their hallowed perch in the last decade or so. Kodak, Thomas Cook, Nokia, the list goes on. Changing technologies played a big part in that. Do you think in this era of rapid emergence of disruptive technologies, just rebranding alone can help the companies to flourish?

In a fast-paced world that we live in today, visionaries and pathfinders set the reality that everyone else is battling to succeed in. So yeah, technological advancement must underlie any other changes, without a doubt!
Watching the global market closely, over some time you start to see the pattern of all sales, mergers, acquisitions – an ever-evolving live organism that aspires to reach its maximum potential. It is important to keep everything connected so if one part changes, the others naturally follow suit as well.

5. Specific to the gaming sector, how should a company go about rebranding? What should be the underlying factors a company should consider before making a decision to rebrand?

This company should answer a nominal question “Why?”. As indicated, one of the lasting trends in the gaming/gambling industry, which is highly relevant in 2020, is market oversaturation. Target audiences have difficult time telling companies apart from each other. You may ask if rebranding is the answer. It could be, but it also could not be the one. It is a combination of factors and external influences that have to be taken into account to decide whether rebranding is truly what a company needs.
During the process, you have to be true to your brand essence, consistent, and… there are really many ingredients to the development of a perfect rebranding. A reliable and proven marketing partner is highly recommended to ensure all the details are perfectly set, and that the new brand really stands out and communicates the right messages in the right tone of voice.

Related Topics:Digital Chain Founder & CEO of DC ICE Iryna Kurochkina

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AI

Despite AI’s Rise, Fraud Teams Keep Growing — SEON 2026 Report

Published

3 days ago

March 4, 2026

Wladimir P.

despite-ai’s-rise,-fraud-teams-keep-growing-—-seon-2026-report

SEON, the command centre for immediate Fraud Prevention and AML Compliance, has unveiled AI Reality Check: 2026 Fraud & AML Leaders Report, the second iteration of its sector research, derived from a worldwide survey of 1,010 leaders in fraud, risk, and compliance spanning payments, fintech, financial services, retail, eCommerce, and gaming.

The figures reveal an unforeseen narrative: AI is ubiquitous, yet operations are not becoming easier to manage. Currently, 98% of organizations utilize AI in fraud and AML processes, with 95% expressing confidence in its effectiveness; meanwhile, headcount plans rose from 88% to 94% year-over-year, and 83% anticipate budget increases in 2026.

Complexity Is Surpassing Automation

AI has not lessened the workload — it has revealed the extent of work that has always existed. Fraud losses are increasingly approaching revenue growth, threats are advancing more rapidly, and disjointed systems restrict the true potential of AI at scale. Key year-over-year shift:

Leadership’s confidence in their teams’ performance is lagging. The number of leaders who disagreed with the statement, “fraud losses are growing faster than revenue,” dropped by almost 40% from the previous year

Inside the Numbers:

AI is baseline, not experimental

98% already integrate AI into daily workflows (only 2% still planning)
95% are confident AI can detect and prevent fraud (52% very confident)
Top use case: AI/ML for transaction monitoring (30%)

Fraud and AML investment keeps climbing

83% expect fraud/AML budgets to increase in 2026
94% plan to add at least one full-time hire (up from 88% in 2025)
85% plan to add a vendor, 49% plan to replace one

Fragmentation is the bottleneck

95% claim “some integration” between fraud and AML systems
Only 47% run fully integrated workflows; the rest rely on partial connections
80% say getting a unified view of data is challenging

For many, time-to-value remains slow

Only 10% go live in under two weeks
38% take 1–3 months, 24% take 4+ months
When implementations run long, top impacts include increased costs (52%) and prolonged fraud exposure (47%)

Teams are growing, not shrinking

94% plan to increase headcount despite automation gains
85% see AI agents as support/augmentation, not replacement (only 12% see eventual replacement)

Top fraud threats reported:

Account takeovers: 26%
Promo/discount abuse: 18%
Return fraud: 18%

“Fraud and financial crime were supposed to become more manageable as AI matured,” said Tamas Kadar, CEO and co-founder, SEON. “Instead, 2026 is the year leaders are confronting a more complicated reality. AI adoption is real, confidence is high, but the scale and pace of fraud — compounded by fragmented systems — continue to drive increased investment rather than reduced overhead. The bottleneck is no longer whether AI works. It’s everything around it: disconnected data, siloed teams, slow implementations. The organisations that pull ahead will be the ones that unify fraud and AML intelligence, shorten the distance between threats and controls, and treat integration as strategy, not plumbing.”

Fast-Growing Companies Invest in Integration Early

Organisations growing 51%+ are nearly twice as likely as slower peers to report that achieving unified visibility is “not very challenging.” They treat integration as infrastructure, not an IT project.

What’s Next: From “Does AI Work?” to “Can We Trust It?”

With adoption near-universal, the conversation is shifting to governance, explainability and accountability:

78% say decentralised digital identity will become central to fraud/AML
33% cite data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) as the biggest external force shaping AML
25% point to criminals’ advancing use of AI and obfuscation techniques

The post Despite AI’s Rise, Fraud Teams Keep Growing — SEON 2026 Report appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Ashley McCulloch Vice President North America at Evoplay

Evoplay Names Ashley McCulloch Vice President North America

Published

3 days ago

March 4, 2026

Wladimir P.

evoplay-names-ashley-mcculloch-vice-president-north-america

Evoplay, the acclaimed game development studio, has named Ashley McCulloch as Vice President North America, strengthening its strategic emphasis on growth throughout the US and Canada.

McCulloch has over 15 years of experience that includes land-based, VLT, and online gaming. She has occupied high-level commercial positions at IGT and Light & Wonder and most recently worked as Director of Account Management North America at Inspired Gaming Group, where she led strategic account development and assisted with new market entry projects.

In addition to her commercial success, McCulloch serves as a board member for Women in Sports and Events, is part of Global Gaming Women, and was recognized in the 2024 Emerging Leaders in Gaming 40 Under 40, highlighting her influence in the industry.

At Evoplay, McCulloch will lead partnerships, regulatory licensing, product launches, and broader business development efforts as the provider speeds up its growth in the North American market.

Evoplay has secured a significant presence in the area, launching in Ontario via collaborations with prominent operators in the province, such as BetMGM and Caesars Entertainment.

In November 2025, Evoplay made a notable initial move into the United States by joining the lottery sector in Washington DC, establishing a connection to the US online gaming landscape.

With McCulloch’s hiring, the company aims to leverage this momentum and continue its expansion throughout regulated US states.

Ivan Kravchuk, CEO at Evoplay, said: “North America represents one of the most exciting growth opportunities for Evoplay, and Ashley McCulloch’s appointment is a major step forward in realising our ambitions in the region.

“Her extensive experience across land-based and online gaming, combined with her track record in commercial strategy, makes her the ideal person to lead our efforts as we scale.”

Ashley McCulloch, Vice President North America at Evoplay, added: “I’m very excited to be joining the Evoplay team at such a pivotal moment in its growth journey.

“The studio has built a strong reputation for high-quality content, and I look forward to developing partnerships and driving sustainable growth across North America.”

The post Evoplay Names Ashley McCulloch Vice President North America appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Africa

VeliGames Secures SiGMA Africa’s Industry Rising Star Award

Published

3 days ago

March 4, 2026

Wladimir P.

veligames-secures-sigma-africa’s-industry-rising-star-award

VeliGames, a game aggregation platform from VeliTech, has received the Industry Rising Star award at the SiGMA Africa 2026 Awards, highlighting the platform’s swift innovation and significant influence on African iGaming.

The Industry Rising Star award highlights a developing company that displays remarkable potential, creativity, and influence, rapidly positioning itself as a forthcoming leader in the iGaming sector. It emphasizes VeliGames’ dedication to providing not just a content pipeline, but also genuine innovation and a comprehensive growth engine for operators in developing markets.

“Winning the SiGMA Africa Award for Industry Rising Star 2026 is a proud moment for our team. From day one, we built VeliGames with African operators in mind, combining local-fit content, practical tooling, and pricing that makes sense on the ground. We back it all up with hands-on operational know-how from working in the region. That’s what being a true content partner looks like.” Irakli Kakhidze, CEO at VeliGames.

Tailored for Africa’s infrastructure challenges, device characteristics, and user habits, VeliGames provides a performance-oriented casino content layer aimed at thriving in areas where conventional, high-bandwidth aggregation methods struggle. Rather than solely competing based on catalogue size, VeliGames prioritizes the key factors that genuinely contribute to casino success in Africa: speed, accessibility, conversion, and session stability.

The platform delivers content in a highly efficient, mobile-centric setting designed to function dependably amid variable connectivity, restricted device storage, and brief gaming sessions, assisting operators in ensuring seamless gameplay and enhanced player experiences on a larger scale.

Alongside curated third-party titles, the platform includes exclusive in-house content:

VeliPlay: bold, crash-and-fast titles built for immersion, retention, and high replay value
Heaven of 7: high-impact slot content designed for strong engagement, session after session

Visit VeliTech at Stand 096 from March 3-5 to learn why VeliGames was honored as the Industry Rising Star. Discover live game demonstrations, witness performance features in action, and learn how operators can create unique iGaming brands with a platform designed for regional requirements.

The post VeliGames Secures SiGMA Africa’s Industry Rising Star Award appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.