FUTURE DIGITAL AWARDS 2023 ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN - JUNIPER RESEARCH

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- Juniper Research, a research and analytical services provider to the global hi-tech communications sector, announced that entries are now open for the Future Digital Awards for Fintech & Payments 2023.

“In a period of rapid development and change, taking the time to identify the best products and services, and learn from these, is vital to sustaining innovation.

“As such, we expect these awards to be highly competitive, and we wish all the applicants the best of luck,” said Juniper Research Vice President of Fintech Market Research, Nick Maynard in a statement.

This year’s Future Digital Awards for Fintech & Payments cover categories namely Banking Innovation; Fintech Innovation; Fraud & Security Innovation; Payment Innovation; and Judges’ Choice.

Under these categories, among the awards are Banking-as-a-Service Innovation; Open Banking Innovation; Financing Platform; Regtech Platform; AI in Fraud Prevention Innovation; Fraud Detection and Prevention Platform; CBDC Innovation; Omnichannel Payments Platform of the Year; as well as Sustainability in Fintech Innovation of the Year.

While the majority of the awards focus on products and solutions, the Judges’ Choice awards focus on the people and organisations at the forefront of driving true innovation in the fintech & payments market.

Entries close on Aug 18, before being assessed by Juniper Research’s expert panel of analysts and the awards will be announced on Sept 27.

Since 2008, the Future Digital Awards have recognised technology companies at the forefront of their respective fields such as companies that deliver imaginative and innovative products or services that have the potential to disrupt their ecosystems, and provide significant benefits to consumers as well as the wider industry.

-- BERNAMA

WINGS’ CHAIRMAN AND CEO, R. STEPHEN HANNAHS RETIRES

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- Wings Capital Partners LLC (Wings), a private, full-service aircraft leasing platform, announced the retirement of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), R. Stephen Hannahs, effective June 30.

In a statement, Wings Chief Legal and Administrative Officer, Nick Stable said through headwinds and tailwinds in the aviation industry, over many decades Hannahs has been an incredible leader, entrepreneur and mentor.

“The Wings team congratulates him on an exemplary career and is proud to have been by his side as he nurtured and grew Wings to become the business it is today, a successful platform with a dedicated, hard-working team of individuals, past and current,” he said.

Hannahs founded Wings in 2013 and has since led the company as its Chairman and CEO. Prior to founding Wings, Hannahs co-founded Aviation Capital Group (ACG) in 1989 and served as CEO until 2012.

Prior to ACG, Hannahs held executive roles at Electra Aviation, Integrated Resources Inc and Tanon Corporation, among others. He began his aviation career as an officer in the United States Air Force.

-- BERNAMA

JUNIPER RESEARCH LAUNCHES FINTECH'S MOST COMPREHENSIVE EMERGING PAYMENTS RESEARCH SUBSCRIPTION

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) -- Juniper Research has launched the fintech industry’s most comprehensive emerging payments research subscription, designed to provide financial institutions and payments vendors with the tools necessary to leverage the opportunities within this global trillion-dollar market.

“The payments landscape is changing at a faster rate than ever before, with new solutions such as CBDCs driving innovative use cases. As such, staying ahead of the curve is becoming increasingly difficult.

“This new resource enables financial institutions and payments stakeholders to recognise today’s shifting markets and seize tomorrow’s opportunities, and ultimately, take the lead over their rivals,” said Juniper Research Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Tony Crabtree.

Several of the world’s leading financial institutions and payments vendors are already experiencing the benefits of an annual subscription to the Emerging Payments Market Intelligence Centre, which includes access to highly granular data and forecasts; unparallelled industry insight; and detailed competitive analysis.

Juniper Research’s Emerging Payments Market Intelligence Centre delivers actionable knowledge and insight on the nine biggest sectors within the emerging payments market, including Buy Now Pay Later; Digital Wallets; eCommerce Payments; and QR Code Payments.

According to Juniper Research in a statement, subscribers also enjoy complimentary access to harvest, a proprietary online data platform that allows users to explore and analyse the latest market data.

In addition, new reports are regularly added to the Emerging Payments Market Intelligence Centre, ensuring that no matter how fast the payments industry moves, subscribers never have to worry about being left behind.

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the world’s leading technology companies including consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.

-- BERNAMA

LANE'S PASSFAX PRODUCT USHERS IN A NEW ERA OF SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE ONLINE FAXING

SAN ANTONIO, TX, June 30, 2023 / ACCESSWIRE - AsiaNet / --

PassFax boasts a low monthly cost, making the service highly advantageous for both businesses and individuals

Lane, a distinguished provider of innovative faxing solutions, has announced its latest product, PassFax, which promises to transform how businesses and individuals send and receive faxes within its platform. Powered by Lane's flagship product, Passport, PassFax is a versatile and flexible solution that caters to the needs of various individual users and businesses.

With PassFax, users can easily send and receive faxes from any location with an internet connection. The product offers a web user interface, making it easy for users to exchange faxes at a comparatively low cost. This level of convenience eliminates the inefficiencies of traditional fax machines and allows businesses and individuals to save time and money while streamlining their fax communications.

"We've designed PassFax to be an affordable and easy-to-use tool that helps businesses and individuals save time and money while improving overall productivity," states the CEO of Lane, Liz Maya. "We are thrilled to bring this product to an increasingly competitive market to help fax users stay ahead of the curve in our ever-evolving digital age."

PassFax offers basic, business, and enterprise packages to suit both business and individual communication needs. The product comes with customizable options that enable users to tailor it to their unique communications environment. For as low as $9.95 a month, users can enjoy the benefits of reliable and affordable online faxing.

By introducing this new online faxing solution, Lane is making it simpler than ever for businesses and individuals to keep up with their document-sharing needs without compromising affordability, security, or convenience.

About Lane

Lane is recognized globally as a leader in secure messaging communications and fax integration across a wide range of industries. Lane aims to exceed expectations by applying robust and tailored solutions that yield tangible results for their clients. With a strong track record of implementing systems across 50 countries, Lane's team possesses extensive knowledge and experience in developing solutions from the largest financial institutions to healthcare companies, as well as other public and private enterprises. For more information, visit https://laneds.com, call us at +1 (973) 526-2979, or email us at info@lanetelecom.com.

Contact Information
Liz Maya
CEO
lmaya@lanetelecom.com

SOURCE: Lane

--BERNAMA

THE FIRST INFORMATION ON THE 'PLAYER PFP' FOR THE WEB3 X GAMING PLATFORM AKIVERSE IS RELEASED; CAMPAIGN TO WIN PRIORITY PURCHASE RIGHTS FOR PFP

ROAD TOWN, VIRGIN ISLANDS (BRITISH), June 28, 2023/ ACCESSWIRE - AsiaNet/ --

First PV depicting the world view of the virtual world "AKIVERSE".
 
AKIVERSE INC. announces the partial release of sales information regarding the PFP (Profile-Picture) project on its Web3 x gaming platform, AKIVERSE. Additionally, a campaign to win priority purchase rights for PFPs will be held prior to the start of PFP sales. Furthermore, a PV depicting the world view of the virtual world "AKIVERSE" has been released for the first time.
 
AKIVERSE Player PFP Sales Overview
 
-What is AKIVERSE Player PFP
AKIVERSE is a world hidden away in darkness. Players are the only ones able to illuminate the world and eliminate this darkness, by honing their gaming skills continuously. We now present PFPs, which is a generative NFT that proves the player's contribution towards saving AKIVERSE.
 
-Sales Details
* Supply: 5,555
* Reveal Format: Revealed when minted
* Purchase Limit: Unlimited
* Schedule: Coming soon
 
-Holder benefits of PFP
This PFP has strong utility within AKIVERSE, such as being used as an NFT icon for SNS on the ETH chain, linking with games and tokens on the AKIVERSE platform, and participating in holder-exclusive events. Furthermore, we offer an attractive "in-game utility" update that is tailored to the beta version release of AKIVERSE. In the future, we will update the utility of PFP to maintain and improve its mid-to-long-term value, along with the enthusiasm of the players for the game.
 
For more information about PFP, please visit the official website.
Also, we will mainly announce the latest information on PFP through the AKIVERSE official Twitter account.
 
* Service account: https://twitter.com/Akiverse_io
* [Newly opened] PFP account: https://twitter.com/AKIVERSE_PFP
 
Win a priority purchase right for PFP. IVS KYOTO exhibition commemorative campaign is underway.
As a commemoration of the "IVS Crypto 2023 KYOTO" exhibition, which starts today, on June 28 (Wed.), a campaign is underway to win a priority purchase right for PFP.
 
-Campaign details
* Number of winners: 333 pieces
* Application period: June 28 (Wed.) 10:00 (UTC+9) to July 5 (Fri) 23:59 (UTC+9)
* How to apply: Please apply from the PFP official website.
https://pfp.akiverse.io/
 
A PV that depicts the virtual world "AKIVERSE" is released for the first time.
Today (June 28, 2023) we at AKIVERSE are delighted to have released a promotional video that displays the virtual magic of AKIVERSE. Gamers can imagine themselves as saviors in AKIVERSE, deeply immersed in the world and creating SPARKs with their gaming powers.
PV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5CFCsXXQUM
 
Contact Information
Honami Soeda
Marketing Manager
contact@akiverse.inc
080-6913-2947
 
Related image:
https://cdn.newswire.com/files/x/34/39/6506e9c1eb0fd5dcb29116a98e75.jpg
 
SOURCE: AKIVERSE INC.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=46498

CLOUDFLARE NAMED LEADER IN 3 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH REPORTS

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 (Bernama) -- Cloudflare Inc announced it has been named a Leader in three independent research reports that cite different solutions within its Internet-native Zero Trust SASE platform, Cloudflare One.

Cloudflare was named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Email Security, Q2 2023; IDC Marketscape: Worldwide Zero Trust Network Access 2023 Vendor Assessment; and IDC Marketscape: Worldwide Network Edge Security as a Service 2023 Vendor Assessment.

“We believe that being recognised as a leader across all three reports is just one more indication that we are giving customers the most complete Zero Trust platform available,” said Cloudflare chief executive officer and co-founder, Matthew Prince in a statement.

The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Email Security, Q2 2023 report named Cloudflare a Leader based on a detailed evaluation of 15 top providers, and is Cloudflare’s first appearance in the report following the acquisition of Area 1 Security, with the company receiving the highest score possible in nine criteria.

In addition, Cloudflare was recognised as a Leader in the 2023 IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), in which Cloudflare Access is the foundation of the firm’s enterprise Zero Trust suite, and the linchpin in its enterprise security strategy.

Cloudflare Access offers extensive deployment flexibility, supporting cloud and on-premises options, to support a breadth of resource types, including managed or unmanaged user devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and server types, including serverless.

Furthermore, Cloudflare was recognised as a Leader in the 2023 IDC MarketScape for Worldwide NESaaS. Cloudflare One combines Cloudflare Access (for ZTNA), Cloudflare CASB, and Cloudflare Gateway (secure web gateway) as one integrated cloud security service.

The combination allows Cloudflare One to address a number of key use cases including threat prevention and data protection across cloud, web and private applications.

Cloudflare is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Its suite of products protect and accelerate any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software or changing a line of code.

-- BERNAMA

H&H GROUP ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF REFINANCING

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 (Bernama) -- H&H Group has announced the successful completion of the issuance of a new three-year bond amounting to US$200 million. (US$1=RM4.65)

According to a statement, this is an important milestone for the Group’s liability management exercise to refinance its outstanding bond which will mature in October 2024.

This achievement enables the Group to maintain a stable and sustainable capital structure, alongside preserving the Group's liquidity for operational and business development purposes.

“This refinancing will enable more financial flexibility to successfully deliver on our strategic objectives, to provide the best for our consumers, customers and our shareholders,” said H&H Group Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Strategy & Operations Officer, Akash Bedi.

Meanwhile, H&H Group Chief Financial Officer, Jason Wang said: “This accomplishment showcases the Group’s resilience in raising capital, particularly during challenging market conditions and persistent external headwinds.

“We are extremely pleased with the successful conclusion of this debt refinancing, as it propels us towards a solid path of reducing debt levels and effectively managing risk on our balance sheet, ultimately strengthening our financial position.”

The Group also successfully broadened and diversified its investor base from this new bond issuance, including new investors from the Middle East, Asia and Europe, in line with the business footprint expansion in those regions.

It has successfully raised RMB500 million through a long-term loan agreement with China Construction Bank Corporation Guangzhou Development District Branch (CCB).

The loan, provided to H&H China, a wholly-owned subsidiary of H&H Group, will be used to further enhance the Group’s liquidity position and diversify its sources of capital.

-- BERNAMA

SOUTH KOREA’S TONGYEONG OFFERS TRAVELLERS UNIQUE EXPERIENCES WITH RANGE OF ACTIVITIES

Somaemuldo Lighthouse photo (Photo: Kim, Dul-ja) (Copyright: Tongyeong City, www.tongyeong.go.kr)

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 (Bernama) -- Tongyeong, a port city located in the southern part of South Korea, is performing a range of activities to attract overseas travellers in order to activate tourism, offering full of unique experiences.

Located in a one-hour and thirty-minute distance from Busan, Tongyeong is a coastal city consisting of 192 islands that is full of exotic things to enjoy, according to a statement.

Among others, the Jangsado Sea Park, a famous filming location for the globally popular TV shows “Running Man” and “My Love from the Star”, offers a beautiful garden surrounded by the magnificent sea where camellias and hydrangeas are in full bloom by season.

A city where travellers can properly enjoy the South Sea at the southern end of the beautiful Korean peninsula, Tongyeong has another famous tourist attraction namely Tongyeong Cable Car, the longest cable car in South Korea.

The city also has Skyline Luge, the first of its type opened in the country, from which travellers can enjoy the magnificent view of the South Sea. During summer, it opens at night, offering an opportunity to enjoy the night view.

Furthermore, Gangguan Port, the centre of Tongyeong tourism, is a celebrated location where travellers can enjoy the tranquil and romantic night view of this small city.

One of the 100 Must-Visit Tourist Spots in South Korea in 2023 – 2024, Dpirang is the country’s first outdoor media art park, in which travellers can experience the feeling of being a character of a fairytale with the media art attraction installed along the Nammangsan Sculpture Park walking trail.

A port city offering an abundance of fresh seafood, Tongyeong oyster is one of the most famous seafoods in Korea. At around US$20, travellers can enjoy a variety of oyster dishes, such as seasoned fresh oysters, steamed oysters and deep-fried oysters. (US$1=RM4.65)

In Tongyeong, travellers are also able to find a variety of accommodation facilities ranging from guesthouses to hotels and pool villas. To make a special memory of travel, travellers can try staying at “Pension”, a Korean-style accommodation that is cheaper than hotels.

Details about Tongyeong attractions are available at https://www.tongyeong.go.kr/eng.web.

-- BERNAMA

GTJAI ACHIEVES INAUGURAL CARBON NEUTRALITY AT OPERATIONAL LEVEL

KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 (Bernama) -- Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited (GTJAI), the market leader and first mover for internationalisation of Chinese Securities Company, has successfully achieved carbon neutrality at the operational level for the first time.

According to a statement, leveraging on its focus on climate change and environmental issues along with the comprehensive and efficient implementation of relevant measures, the company’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption have both decreased significantly in recent years.

The total GHG emissions from GTJAI’s operational level have been reduced for three consecutive years and it has successfully further offset the GHG emissions generated during its operation in 2022 by subscribing for the carbon assets of a Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) forestry project from Mainland China.

In recent years, GTJAI has been continuously improving its environmental, social and governance (ESG) management level. In particular, it has introduced a series of measures to address environmental and climate change risks.

GTJAI has set up relevant timetable, which includes plans to switch to clean fuel vehicles on demand, remove unnecessary high-carbon emission fire protection system in office, and properly control the temperature of air-conditioning in the office.

This time, the project subscribed by GTJAI is located in the counties of Qianbei District, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China, aiming to reduce GHG emissions by changing barren hills and land uses, as well as transform degraded land into sustainable forest production system.

Adhered to the belief and sentiment of "finance for the country", "finance for the people" and "finance for good", GTJAI closely follows the guidance of the national economic development policy, and actively undertakes the responsibility in the process of implementing the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.

Looking forward, GTJAI will continue to respond to the country's dual carbon goals and strive to be the leader in the practice of green finance and ESG.

In the process of corporate operation, GTJAI continues to optimise environmental protection and energy saving measures, reduce operational carbon emissions, as well as strive to be the first to participate in environmental protection activities, among others.

-- BERNAMA

BLACK & VEATCH APPOINTS INDUSTRY VETERAN AS PRESIDENT, ASIA-PACIFIC AND INDIA AS COMPANY CONTINUES GROWTH ACROSS THE REGIONS

Narsingh Chaudhary to succeed Hoe Wai Cheong who will retire at the end of 2023


BANGKOK, June 28 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Black & Veatch, a leading global provider of critical human infrastructure solutions, has named industry veteran Narsingh Chaudhary as President, Asia Pacific and India.

Chaudhary, who has served the past four years as Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, for the company, brings more than 25 years of experience in the infrastructure industry to the role. He succeeds Hoe Wai Cheong, who after more than 16 years with Black & Veatch, and nearly 40 years in the energy and chemical industries, will retire at the end of 2023.

“Narsingh has deep industry knowledge and a proven track record in helping clients address rapidly changing market conditions,” said Mario Azar, Black & Veatch’s Chairman & CEO. “As Asia focuses on megatrends reshaping the world including decarbonization, power grid resiliency, instant communication, clean transportation, water scarcity and cybersecurity, his leadership and our diverse portfolio of solutions will help clients address their biggest challenges.”

Chaudhary, based in Bangkok, said, “I look forward to continuing to build on the successful track record of the company in Asia Pacific and India. Our team of professionals, backed by our global reach and experience, are committed to listening and understanding our clients’ needs and delivering safe, reliable, resilient and sustainable solutions.”

“Hoe Wai’s contributions to the industry and to Black & Veatch are well-recognized and his leadership has added to the solid foundation the company has built since our first projects in the region nearly 60 years ago,” said Azar.

Contact Black & Veatch for more information.

Editor’s Notes:

• Black & Veatch has more than 1,500 professionals based across the region.
• Click to download images of Hoe Wai Cheong and Narsingh Chaudhary.

About Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2022 were US$4.3 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230626418737/en/

Contact

Media Contact Information:
EMILY CHIA | +65 6335 6623 P | +65 9875 8907 M | Chialp@bv.com
24-HOUR MEDIA EMAIL | Media@bv.com

Source : Black & Veatch

AM Best Maintains Stable Outlook On South Korea’s Non-life Insurance Market

KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 (Bernama) -- Global credit rating agency, AM Best is maintaining its stable outlook on South Korea’s non-life insurance segment, citing improved performance of the long-term insurance line of business and greater stability in auto profitability.

In a new Best’s Market Segment Report, “Market Segment Outlook: South Korea Non-Life Insurance,” AM Best stated that long-term insurance, the largest business line in the non-life industry, maintained stable growth of approximately four per cent in 2022 due to continued expansion of the recurring premium base and strong new business generation from health products.

Its director, analytics, Chanyoung Lee said the cumulative effects of prior rate hikes in the medical indemnity line, along with regulators’ active involvement in controlling moral hazard claims and overtreatment, in particular, cataract surgery, since the first half of 2022 has helped boost carriers’ profits.

“Insurers also have been expanding sales of high-margin health products to secure their future profit base under IFRS 17, which became effective in 2023,” said Lee in a statement.

Premium growth in the auto insurance segment was subdued at two per cent in 2022, but the combined ratio saw slight 0.5-percentage-point improvement to 96.9 per cent.

The rating agency expects upward pressure on the auto insurance segment’s combined ratio following the post-pandemic rebound in claims frequency and the rise in vehicle repair costs and minimum wage due to inflation.

While AM Best expects that IFRS 17 is likely to bring more stability in reported financials for many South Korean insurers, given the use of active assumption sets in IFRS 17, the change in actuarial/economic assumptions with the new standard could bring widely varying impacts on reported capital and earnings.

-- BERNAMA

NIPPON EXPRESS (SOUTH ASIA & OCEANIA) HOSTS “VIETNAM LOGISTICS” WEBINAR, JULY 10-11

KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 (Bernama) -- Nippon Express (South Asia & Oceania) Pte Ltd (NXSAO), a group company of Nippon Express Holdings Inc will host a "Vietnam Logistics" webinar on July 10 and July 11.

According to a statement, this webinar will provide a detailed explanation of Vietnam's domestic transport infrastructure, as well as laws and regulations pertaining to imports and exports.

All companies considering entering the Vietnamese market as well as those already doing business in Vietnam are invited to attend.

The agenda of the webinar includes Vietnam's basic information; import and export regulations; introduction to logistics infrastructure; as well as introduction to Nippon Express (Vietnam) Co Ltd.

Attendance is limited to first 800 participants and the registration deadline is on July 3.

More details at https://www.nipponexpress.com/.

-- BERNAMA

ODDITY Announces Filing of Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering

NEW YORK, June 27 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ODDITY Tech Ltd. (“ODDITY”), a consumer tech platform that is built to transform the global beauty and wellness market, today announces that it has filed a registration statement on Form F-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the proposed initial public offering of its Class A ordinary shares. ODDITY has applied to list its Class A ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “ODD.” The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, and Allen & Company LLC are acting as lead book-running managers for the proposed offering. BofA Securities, Barclays Capital Inc., Truist Securities, Inc., JMP Securities, A Citizens Company, and KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. are acting as book-running managers for the proposed offering.

The proposed offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus related to the proposed offering may be obtained, when available, from: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, by telephone at (866) 471-2526, or by email at prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com; Morgan Stanley & Co LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10014, by telephone at (866) 718-1649, or by email at prospectus@morganstanley.com; and Allen & Company LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 711 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10022 or by email at allenprospectus@allenco.com.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About ODDITY

ODDITY is a consumer tech company that builds and scales digital-first brands to disrupt the offline-dominated beauty and wellness industries. The company serves over 40 million users with its AI-driven online platform, deploying data science to identify consumer needs, and developing solutions in the form of beauty and wellness products. ODDITY owns IL MAKIAGE and SpoiledChild. The company operates with business headquarters in New York City, an R&D center in Tel Aviv, Israel, and a biotechnology lab in Boston.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230623807671/en/

 

 

Contact

Press:
Michael Braun
michaelb@oddity.com
Investors:
IR@oddity.com

Source : ODDITY Tech Ltd.

Singapore's Leading Brands Laud 25 Years Of Reader's Digest Trusted Brands Awards

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (Bernama) -- The 2023 Trusted Brands survey results have been revealed, with the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands and Personalities Awards presented at the Conrad Centennial Hotel, Singapore recently.

According to a statement, the Trusted Brands survey is one of the world’s oldest, continuous surveys of consumer brand trust in the world and Reader’s Digest is proud of its 25-year involvement.

One of the highlights of the 2023 Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands awards is the list of most trusted personalities across four categories namely, Most Trusted Radio Presenter which was won by The Flying Dutchman; while for TV Host/Presenter For News & Current Affairs won by Glenda Chong.

Furthermore, Most Trusted Entertainment/Variety Presenter award goes to Michelle Chong, and Singapore’s Olympic swimmer and gold medallist, Joseph Schooling has earned the Most Trusted Sports Personality for the eighth year in a row.

The award-winning Trusted Brands of the Reader’s Digest 25th annual survey have earned the privilege to carry the Trustmark Logo, a trust sign that helps consumers recognise quality, value and reliability.

Platinum Awards went to those brands that perform exceptionally, based on consumers’ perception, attaining scores that exceed their nearest competitors. Some of the awardees were Daikin (Air Conditioners); Royal Caribbean Cruises (Cruises); Swensen’s (Family Restaurant); AIA (Life Insurance); and Nippon Paint (Paint).

Meanwhile, Gold Awards went to brands that had outstanding results, based on the perception of consumers. Some of the brands included in this list were Mitsubishi Electric (Air Conditioners); Novita (Air Purifiers); and ELBA (Cooktops & Ranges).

The results of the independent Trusted Brands survey appear exclusively in the June 2023 issue of the Singapore Reader’s Digest.

Conducted by leading market research company Catalyst Research, 8,000 individuals across the five key regions of Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan were surveyed to determine which brands consumers trust most in 2023.

For full list of the 2023 Singapore’s Most Trusted Brands Awards winners, visit https://www.trustedbrands.asia/singapore/.

-- BERNAMA

Nomura New Initiative Promotes Knowledge Sharing Across Asia

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 (Bernama) -- Tokyo-based Nomura Real Estate Development Co Ltd (Nomura) has launched a Knowledge Exchange Program, an initiative that brings together an internship programme for overseas university faculty members and students and an employee exchange programme.

The Knowledge Exchange Program invites professors and internship students from overseas universities as well as employees of overseas subsidiaries to Japan, bringing them together at once to join and exchange with Nomura's head office employees.

This is a new initiative that builds on a series of research projects the company has undertaken since 2018 in collaboration with some universities in Thailand and Vietnam as well as with Japan Women's University in Tokyo that has a proven track record in research on urban living spaces in Asian countries.

For Nomura, the programme provides an opportunity to discover potential needs in overseas markets, while for overseas students and the company's overseas employees, it provides an opportunity to deepen their knowledge through exchanges and interactions with those from different countries and generations.

By pursuing further research collaborations with universities and implementing the Knowledge Exchange Program on an ongoing basis, Nomura will continue to promote knowledge and technology sharing across national boundaries and generate synergies in its Asian operations.

According to a statement, the company will also strive to offer greater additional value to its customers and local communities by gaining a better understanding of local customs and needs.

In 2023, which is the first year of the programme, Nomura invited a total of 11 overseas participants to Japan, including two professors and four students from its Thai partner universities as well as five employees of Nomura Real Estate Asia Pte Ltd, Nomura Real Estate (Thailand) Co Ltd and Nomura Real Estate Vietnam Co Ltd.

Nomura will continue to utilise such synergy opportunities to overcome business challenges, including the obsolescence of property plans due to changes in customer needs and the intensifying competition resulting from a deterioration in the real estate market.

-- BERNAMA

Partners, Associates Gather To Grace ProCap Insurance Grand Opening Ceremony

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) -- More than 300 partners and associates from over 12 countries and territories gathered to grace the ProCap Insurance Grand Opening Ceremony cum gala dinner at the Newport City Resort World Manila, recently.

Not only a celebration, the event was also a culmination of cross-cultural exchanges whereby participants were thoroughly immersed in the activities including the on-site quiz game held to inject more fun and excitement during gala dinner.

In a historical moment, ProCap Insurance also conducted a management presentation where the company proudly showed the audience its reserves of more than 20 million USDT tokens, demonstrating the company's strong financial strength

According to a statement, this presentation not only reassured current and potential partners and clients but also further consolidated the relationship and trust between ProCap Insurance and its stakeholders.

Additionally, the highlight of the event was a live gaming experience where ProCap’s System 7 Winning Formula was deployed and it provided customers with a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the ProCap’s System 7 Winning Formula.

The event concluded with its honourable guests visiting Procap’s brand new VIP Lounge located in the exclusive Bonifacio Global City, Manila.

The spacious and tastefully renovated lounge facilitated numerous interactions between its culturally diverse customer base which allowed them to expand their network, paving the way for future cross-border cooperation.

The company will continue to uphold its commitment to customers as it remains steadfast in its mission to innovate and develop reliable insurance services.

-- BERNAMA

THE KINGDOM ATTAINS ADVANCED RANKS IN FINANCIAL MARKET INDICATORS - CAPITAL MARKET AUTHORITY

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (Bernama) -- Capital Market Authority (CMA) announced the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has advanced seven spots to 17th place in the 2023 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, marking a tremendous leap in its global standing.

According to a statement, this achievement exemplifies the CMA's continued efforts and steps to improve and expand the Kingdom's capital markets by implementing relevant global best practices.

The Stock Market Index and merger and acquisition (M&A) activity saw the most significant gains, indicating a positive rise in Saudi Arabia's financial sector and boosting investor confidence in the national economy.

Notably, the Kingdom's growth in the Venture Capital ranking suggests a growing environment for venture capital availability, which provides a critical support system for emerging businesses.

The CMA's approval of the Regulatory Framework for Equity Crowdfunding demonstrates the organisation's solid commitment to cultivating an innovative and competitive capital market ecosystem.

Its efforts have also resulted in corporate board oversight, with the Kingdom achieving first place among G20 nations, demonstrating the CMA's commitment to maintaining strong governance standards, which is critical for investor trust.

It is important to note that CMA have implemented several significant changes recently, which had a positive impact on these advancements. Notably, the CMA's approval of the Rules for Foreign Investment in Securities.

This is expected to have a positive impact on boosting liquidity in the Saudi market, deepening and raising its attractiveness, and enhancing its global status.

The rules will also help transform knowledge and experiences among local capital institutions and investors, strengthening institutional investors' involvement in the Saudi capital market.

CMA aims to increase the Saudi capital market's attractiveness, raise its efficiency, and boost its competitiveness regionally and internationally via developing the market to achieve its strategic plan, intents to place the Saudi market on top of the Middle East’s markets and rank it as one of the most important capital markets in the globe.

-- BERNAMA

GTJAI Bags 37 Awards From Institutional Investor

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 (Bernama) -- Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited (GTJAI) announced it has received 37 awards including "Most Honored Company" in Asia from Institutional Investor, an international authoritative financial magazine.

GTJAI in a statement said Institutional Investor has announced the rankings for the 2023 All-Asia Executive Team, recognising outstanding companies in corporate management and investor relations.

In 2022, GTJAI stood out among 1,458 companies in 18 industries with its excellent investor relations management and outstanding corporate governance, winning 29 awards in Asia and eight in mainland China.

Awarded the "Most Honored Company" in Asia for the third consecutive year, the company also achieved impressive results in categories such as "Best IR Program", "Best CEO", "Best CFO", "Best ESG" and "Best Board of Directors".

GTJAI has always adhered to the concept of "Serving the Country with Finance" and the sentiment of "Achieve the Greater Good with Finance", committed to becoming a "Well Respected, Comprehensively Leading and Globally Serving" financial service provider.

The company will continue to enhance its corporate governance level, while disclosing and communicating in a timely, efficient, transparent and accurate manner, as well as reward investors, shareholders and all partners for their support in addition to the recognition with long-term and stable value returns.

The 2023 All-Asia Executive Team selection was based on a survey involving over 6,000 buy-side fund managers and sell-side analysts, ranking all listed companies according to their performance in six categories.

GTJAI is the market leader and first mover for internationalisation of Chinese Securities Company as well as the first Chinese securities broker listed on the Main Board of The Hong Kong Stock Exchange through initial public offering.

-- BERNAMA

TUSHAR SHAH JOINS UNIPHORE’S EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM AS CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (Bernama) -- Uniphore, one of the largest global artificial intelligence (AI)-native conversational AI providers for the enterprise, has appointed Tushar Shah as chief product officer (CPO).

With over 30 years of experience in various technology leadership roles, including product management, operations management, go-to-market and customer experience functions, Shah brings a unique perspective to his role as CPO.

According to Uniphore in a statement, he joins the company’s executive leadership team and reports to its chief executive officer (CEO), Umesh Sachdev.

Sachdev said Shah’s ability to build and lead high-performing product and engineering teams makes him a perfect fit for Uniphore.

“As we start a new chapter in our transformation journey, Tushar’s experience will be instrumental in building products that will delight our customers, partners, employees and stakeholders.”

Meanwhile, Shah said: “As Uniphore continues to grow the capabilities of its X platform and generative AI, it is more important than ever that we work as one team to constantly innovate and deliver value to our customers.

“Building elegant and transformative products is my passion. I look forward to bringing that to life at Uniphore,” added Shah.

Shah joins Uniphore from NationsBenefits, where he served as president and CEO of Fintech. Prior to that, he was the senior vice president at PayPal where he led product and engineering, and managed credit, identity, risk, compliance, customer service, machine learning and AI platforms.

-- BERNAMA

CLOUDFLARE-DATABRICKS PARTNERSHIP TO CUT COST, COMPLEXITY OF SHARING DATA

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) -- Cloudflare Inc, the security, performance and reliability company helping to build a better Internet, has announced a partnership with Databricks, the data and artificial intelligence (AI) company, to enable organisations to safely, simply and affordably share and collaborate on live data.

According to a statement, with Cloudflare and Databricks, joint customers can eliminate the complexity and dynamic costs that stand in the way of the full potential of multi-cloud analytics and AI initiatives.

“The combination of Cloudflare's massive global network and zero egress storage, along with Databricks' powerful sharing and processing capabilities, will give our joint customers the fastest, most secure and most affordable data sharing capabilities across the globe,” said Cloudflare co-founder and chief executive officer, Matthew Prince.

Databricks is driven by the mission to help data teams solve the world’s toughest problems, and enabling organisations to safely share and collaborate on data is critical to achieving that mission.

However many organisations still struggle to share data across clouds, customers, teams and with partners, they often use restrictive platforms and face maintenance burdens, exorbitant egress costs, and a lack of security.

Databricks’ Delta Sharing, the industry’s first open protocol for secure data sharing, makes it simple to share data across teams, and with other organisations, regardless of which computing platforms they use.

Databricks will now support Delta Sharing from Cloudflare R2, Cloudflare’s zero egress, distributed object storage offering.

This seamless integration enables data teams to share live data sets in R2 easily and efficiently, eliminating the need for complex data transfers or duplications of data sets, and with zero egress fees.

This will enable joint customers to ensure they are sharing the most up to date data sets with their partners, suppliers, and lines of businesses, without compromising security and privacy, and without unpredictable, surprise egress fees.

-- BERNAMA

OPTOMEC ANNOUNCES ROBERT YUSIN AS ITS NEW CEO

^{Robert Yusin, New CEO of Optomec, Inc. (Photo: Business Wire)}


Mr. Yusin brings 20 years of leadership success in digital manufacturing solutions, elevating companies to next level growth

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 22 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Board of Directors at Optomec, a leading manufacturer of Digital Manufacturing solutions that offers 3D DED Metal printer technology and Aerosol Jet™ fine feature printer technology in supporting many application verticals, announce that Robert Yusin has accepted the role of CEO. Robert has achieved a string of successes in bringing innovative companies with solid technology to the next level of revenue growth through strategic investments and creative go-to-market strategies that have transformed their outcomes.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621566604/en/

 

The Board is confident that the timing is right for Optomec in entering its next phase of growth to add Robert's proven skillset to advance Optomec’s position in the market.

“We are delighted that Robert Yusin has accepted the position,” said Mike Barry, interim CEO and Board Member. “The timing is perfect for a person like Robert to take Optomec’s proven technology and solutions successes to the next level for our customers.”

About Mr. Yusin

Previously, Robert was CEO at ParaMatters, a software company providing end to end manufacturing software from design to inspection functionality for additive and subtractive manufacturing, he re-visioned the company to serve a broader base of manufacturing processes, which ultimately led to the purchase by Carbon. Prior to that, Robert co-founded Oqton, which delivered cloud-based, AI-powered manufacturing solutions for factory operations. Before his success with Oqton, Robert held senior leadership positions with Autodesk in the ACG group focused on digital manufacturing solutions, and has held various senior management roles at Accelops, Loglogic and Symantec Corp.

About Optomec

Optomec is a profitable, privately-held, rapidly growing supplier of Digital Manufacturing systems. Optomec’s patented Aerosol Jet Systems for fine feature printing, and LENS^® and Huffman brand 3D Printers for metal component production and repair, are used by industry to reduce product cost and improve performance. Together, these unique printing solutions work with the broadest spectrum of functional materials, ranging from electronic inks to structural metals and even biological matter. Optomec has delivered more than 600 of its proprietary Digital Manufacturing systems to more than 200 marquee customers around the world, for production applications in the electronics, energy, life sciences and aerospace industries. Our users include countless blue-chip manufacturing companies, such as GE, Samsung, Raytheon, Siemens, Corning and Lockheed, as well as the US Air Force, US Navy, US Army and NASA.

For more information, visit optomec.com.

LENS is a registered trademark of Sandia National Labs; Aerosol Jet is a registered trademark of Optomec, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621566604/en/

Contact

Shayna Watson
Optomec
swatson@optomec.com
(505) 761-8250

Source : Optomec

U.S. POLO ASSN. ANNOUNCED AS FINALIST FOR BEST SPORTS LICENSED BRAND AT 2023 LICENSING INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS IN LAS VEGAS

WEST PALM BEACH, FL, June 21, 2023 / ACCESSWIRE - AsiaNet / --

U.S. Polo Assn. (https://pr.report/hp1M9blk), the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), is pleased to announce the brand's nomination as a finalist for the prestigious 2023 Licensing International Excellence Awards for Best Sports Licensed Brand. The Licensing International Excellence Awards honor the way brands use licensing in innovative and creative methods to further their goals, products, and marketing around the globe. https://pr.report/t4GqBR9p Related Image: https://cdn.newswire.com/files/x/6e/4f/3ff14d91d22d1dbacdc2785f3672.png Winners in 30 categories were selected by an expert global judging panel and voted on by members of the licensing industry at large from more than 200 finalists around the world. With more than 850 entries received, U.S. Polo Assn. was among notable brands, such as Formula 1, Head, The NFL Players Association (NFLPA), Starting Lineup, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and Yale University. Ultimately, the NFLPA was recognized as the finalist in the category for Best Sports Licensed Brand. The multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand continued to enhance its authentic connection to the sport of polo in 2022 through outstanding storytelling, partnerships, sponsorships, and philanthropic endeavors. The Licensing International nomination acknowledged U.S. Polo Assn.'s growth and achievements, which include delivering a record $2.3 billion in global retail sales spanning 190 countries in over 1,100 retail stores, as well as department stores, sporting goods stores, and e-commerce. "We are honored that U.S. Polo Assn. was nominated for the Best Sports Licensed Brand alongside other industry-leading organizations for the 2023 Licensing International Excellence Awards," says J. Michael Prince, CEO & President of USPA Global Licensing, the company that oversees the multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. "Our global team alongside our licensing and retail partners work tirelessly to bring the spirit of the sport of polo to life in our brand around the world. Receiving this nomination is recognition for this global effort." Prince also wishes to congratulate The NFLPA for their performances this year and their win. The brand also built on its successful digital strategies to generate record growth with some 50 brand sites in 20 languages and over 7 million social media followers in 2022. Moreover, U.S. Polo Assn. signed a global partnership with ESPN to air some of the top polo championships in the world, including the XII Federation of International Polo (FIP) World Polo Championship, the prestigious Westchester Cup, and the U.S. Open Polo Championship(R) for sports fans and consumers to enjoy. This year's Excellence Awards were held at The Luxor on June 12, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada, to celebrate the best of the global licensing industry. Attending the event this year on behalf of U.S. Polo Assn. was Chris Affolter, VP of Global Operations, and Jeff Nichols, Senior Director of Finance & Strategy. About U.S. Polo Assn. and USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL) U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the nonprofit governing body for the sport of polo in the United States and one of the oldest sports governing bodies, having been founded in 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through over 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores and thousands of department stores, sporting goods channels, independent retailers, and e-commerce, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel for men, women, and children, as well as accessories and footwear in more than 190 countries worldwide. U.S. Polo Assn. was named as one of the top five sports licensors in 2022 alongside the NFL, MLB, and NBA, according to License Global. Visit uspoloassnglobal.com (https://pr.report/uCsDSPL9) and follow @uspoloassn (https://pr.report/Q9Z-R6z4). USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL) is the for-profit subsidiary of the USPA and manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand, providing the sport with a long-term source of revenue. Through its subsidiary, Global Polo Entertainment (GPE), USPAGL also manages Global Polo TV, which provides sport and lifestyle content. A historic, multi-year, global arrangement between USPAGL and ESPN now showcases many of the top championship polo games in the U.S., enabling millions of sports fans and consumers to enjoy the sport across ESPN's broadcast and streaming platforms. For more sport content, visit globalpolo.com. (https://pr.report/c6L41mWR) Contact Information Stacey Kovalsky Senior Director, Global Communications skovalsky@uspagl.com +001.561.790.8036 Kaela Drake PR & Communications Specialist kdrake@uspagl.com +001.561.461.8596 SOURCE: USPA Global Licensing Inc.  --BERNAMA

AM BEST AFFIRMS PICC HK’S CREDIT RATINGS AS EXCELLENT

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 (Bernama) -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of The People’s Insurance Company of China (Hong Kong), Limited (PICC HK).

In a statement, the global credit rating agency said the outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflected PICC HK’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assessed as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

The ratings also reflected the strategic importance of the company to its parent, The People’s Insurance Company (Group) of China Limited (PICC Group), as the sole overseas insurance entity and a key component of PICC Group’s overseas strategies.

PICC HK’s very strong balance sheet is underpinned by its strongest risk-adjusted capitalisation level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio.

The company maintains strong liquidity and holds a well-diversified investment portfolio, which mainly consists of investment-grade bonds, cash and cash equivalents, as well as preference shares, with the remainder allocated in listed equities and funds.

AM Best assessed PICC HK’s operating performance to be adequate with the company having achieved a five-year average operating ratio of 95.0 per cent (2018-2022), mainly supported by its robust net investment income from its diversified investment portfolio.

The company’s business profile is assessed as limited in which PICC HK underwrites direct onshore general insurance in Hong Kong and inward reinsurance from mainland China and other geographic regions.

With the establishment of its Macau branch in 2022, PICC HK is eligible to provide one-stop motor insurance policy covering mainland China’s greater bay area, Hong Kong and Macau.

Positive rating actions could occur if PICC HK further enhances its market presence in the local insurance market, as well as further diversifies its reliance on affiliated companies and continues improving its business profile.

-- BERNAMA

Cirrus Logic Pro Audio Family Of Converters Deliver Transparent Audio Experience

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) -- Building on its history in audio, Cirrus Logic announced a new family of professional audio products that equips manufacturers with transparent audio converters, allowing designers to customise their products.

The newly rearchitected Cirrus Logic Pro Audio Family of converters initially includes high-performance, low-power analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), followed later this year by digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and an audio codec.

Using a process optimised for analog performance and digital density, its pro audio devices offer world-class performance and industry-leading low power consumption along with system-level enhancements, such as hybrid gain control, to solve common industry audio problems.

“Cirrus Logic’s new high-performance Pro Audio Family will make it easier for customers to design great sounding personalised products that differentiate them in their markets, while being assured they are backed by our top-level engineering and customer support,” said Cirrus Logic director of Codecs and Standard Products, Eddie Sinnott.

In a statement, Cirrus Logic said the first products to be introduced are a series of three ADCs aimed at providing transparent audio conversion within a device that is simple to use and integrate.

The Cirrus Logic CS5302P stereo ADC, CS5304P 4-channel ADC and CS5308P 8-channel ADC are designed to be used in digital mixers, USB audio interfaces, home audio and audio video receivers, as well as musical instruments, among others.

Its hybrid gain control redefines microphone front-end gain design to reduce pop noise and simplify the customer’s system design, when compared to existing solutions, and  is suited to all customers implementing mic-pre gain control, as well as other applications.

This feature allows customers to retain their existing mic preamp design as a product differentiator while reducing the overall system complexity.

-- BERNAMA

JUNIPER RESEARCH UNVEILS FUTURE DIGITAL AWARDS FOR SMART CITIES & IOT INNOVATION 2023 WINNERS

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) -- Juniper Research has announced the winners of the 2023 Future Digital Awards for Smart Cities & IoT Innovation, recognising the most innovative and disruptive vendors and solutions in the highly dynamic smart cities and Internet of Things (IoT) industries.

According to Juniper Research in a statement, the winners in each category went through an extensive application and judging process.

The winner for the Juniper Research Award for Urban Technology Leadership under the Judges’ Choice category is Siemens Chief Executive Officer Smart Infrastructure, Matthias Rebellius, while SkedGo won the Juniper Research – Pathway to Net Zero Award.

In the IoT Innovation category, winners for Best IoT Device Management Platform goes to Dynamic Ecosystem of Connected Devices from HCLTech (Platinum) and 1NCE OS from 1NCE (Gold); Best IoT Security Platform to Ijura from Tata Communications (Platinum) and eSIM enabled Smart Label for Transportation & Logistics from Pod Group, a Giesecke+Devrient Company (Gold).

The platinum and gold winners for eSIM Innovation of the Year in the same category are iBASIS Global Access for Things from iBASIS and CloudSIM from Tata Communications, respectively. Platinum winner for the Most Innovative Edge Computing Solution goes to Radix IoT Mango OS from Radix IoT, while gold winner to PlantPRO from CLP Smart Energy Connect.

In addition, under the same category, winners for Private Cellular Network Innovation (Tata Communications MOVE - Private Network – Platinum; Commscope – Gold); and Smart Agriculture Solution Innovation (TerraPrima – Platinum; PrecisionHawk – Gold).

Meanwhile, for Sustainability & Smart City Innovation category, among the winners are Best Smart Parking Solution (Cleverciti – Platinum; Smart Parking – Gold); Best Smart Traffic Management Solution (Miovision – Platinum; Iteris – Gold); and Best Urban EV Charging Solution (Parkopedia – Platinum; Charging-As-A-Service from CLP Smart Energy Connect – Gold).

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector; providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.

-- BERNAMA

ONLY 9 PCT GLOBAL ORGANISATIONS AVOID NETWORK OUTAGES - OPENGEAR RESEARCH

Opengear shares research revealing that 91% of global businesses experience at least one outage quarterly pointing to the need for improved network resilience (Photo: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) -- Fewer than one in 10 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) can claim that they have avoided a network outage, according to a new research by Opengear, a Digi International company and provider of secure and Smart Out of Band management solutions.

“Our research findings lay bare the challenges that organisations globally are facing with network outages in 2023. It is perhaps unsurprising that CIOs are allocating more investment to network resiliency to ensure that downtime does not occur.

“Smart Out of Band technologies can enable remediation of network issues from any location, helping to reinforce business resilience in a difficult economic climate,” said Opengear President, Gary Marks.

According to Opengear in a statement, this finding is among new research by Opengear of both CIOs and network engineers globally.

The scale and frequency of network outages is revealed by 91 per cent of CIOs stating that they experience downtime at least once a quarter, and further survey statistics reveal that network downtime has a significant financial impact for businesses.

Figures showing that in the United States (US) for each minute of disruption, 24 per cent of organisations lose between US$2,501 and US$5,000. As an average, this figure equates to US$4,344 for every minute of downtime incurred. (US$1=RM4.64)

Due to continued network outages and rising economic pressures, 79 per cent of US CIOs now say it is harder to meet customer expectations in today’s environment, a concern also reflected by 68 per cent of US network engineers.

Therefore, 92 per cent of US CIOs have increased their budget over the last 12 months to improve their network resilience, with almost half (44 per cent) dedicating over 50 per cent of their information technology budget to infrastructure spend in order to secure their operations.

Opengear is headquartered in New Jersey, US, with a research and development centre in Brisbane, Australia.

-- BERNAMA

SINGAPORE IS MOST SOUGHT-AFTER BUSINESS HUB IN 2023 WORLD CITIZENSHIP REPORT - CS GLOBAL PARTNERS

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) -- Singapore was crowned the best place to do business this year in  the 2023 World Citizenship Report, published by CS Global Partners, a government advisory and marketing firm.

With a score of 84.8, Singapore has a conducive environment for business given its regulatory environment, stable and efficient infrastructure to support starting a business, access to financial intermediation and services, and enforcement of contracts, making it easy for domestic and international businesses to make their mark in the global arena.

In second place is the United States. Scored 83.7 and as one of the most recognised economies in the world, the US offers a lucrative open market that is a powerful growth engine for companies of all sizes, according to a statement.

In third place with a score of 83.1 is Hong Kong. The country has a free-enterprise, free-trade economy and the government has traditionally adopted a policy of non-intervention in the private sector, while at the same time providing the territory with a modern and sophisticated commercial infrastructure and a sound legal and administrative framework.

Taking fourth place, the Netherlands scored 82.4 and the country continues to be a good place to start a business. Considered as the gateway to Europe, the Netherlands has a stable business climate where ambitious companies can tap into innovation ecosystems to accelerate their businesses.

Switzerland and Japan both tied at fifth place, ranking at 82.3 in the Economic Opportunity pillar. Switzerland, the 20th biggest economy in the world, is a well-known financial hub and a great place to invest thanks to its stable economy and strong business culture.

Meanwhile, in addition to its positive economic outlook, Japan is noted for its internal stability. The nation is considered one of the most politically stable countries in the world, as well as one of the safest to travel in for work or business.

The 2023 World Citizenship Report measured 188 countries in the world, looking at what these nations have to offer High Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs) and the mass affluent who are continually looking past their home borders for better opportunities.

One key motivator that was measured in the report was Economic Opportunity, which measures the overall ability of a nation to extend wealth, material comfort, and other key benefits of a strong economy to all of its citizens.

A shift in economic growth from the West to emerging markets over the past few decades has led to new business hubs worldwide. Regions such as Asia, the Middle East and South America have seen rapid economic growth, coupled with improved infrastructure and, in some cases, lighter regulation.

-- BERNAMA

CONVERSATION INTELLIGENCE DRIVES BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AT SCALE - UNIPHORE

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) -- Uniphore announced Forrester’s new study examining the key challenges facing enterprise customer experience (CX) programmes as they navigate the complicated landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation tools and services that all claim to cut costs and increase revenue.

To keep costs low, many organisations have turned to disparate CX point solutions, but end up creating “islands of automation”, lessening the impact of these solutions as a whole and risking organisations’ long-term profitability.

Uniphore Chief Marketing Officer, Annie Weckesser in a statement said: “Uniphore enables organisations to take an integrated approach that brings the full value of AI and automation to the enterprise without sacrificing costs or CX quality.”

As part of a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Uniphore of over 300 strategy decision makers in North America and Europe, findings show organisations that take an integrated approach to CX and target the entire customer journey from chatbot to agent-assist help drive revenue and deliver more frictionless interactions.

Findings from the survey include automation silos block CX; the impact of CX “fails” is felt throughout the organisation; and, Conversation Intelligence Platforms enable great CX at scale.

Enterprise leaders have realised that simply deploying any number of point solutions to address each CX use case creates islands of automation within their organisation, limiting the impact of AI and automation on revenue growth and detrimentally affecting customer satisfaction.

In addition, 58 per cent of organisations face challenges in capturing insights from customer conversations and unifying contact centre and enterprise systems.

By implementing an integrated Conversation Intelligence Platform, customer service leaders open the door to overcoming top contact centre pain points – even as the business – and available customer data – scales exponentially.

Uniphore is one of the largest global AI-native conversational AI providers for the enterprise.

-- BERNAMA

HOIANA RESORT & GOLF TRIUMPHS AT T+L LUXURY AWARDS ASIA PACIFIC 2023

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) -- Hoiana Resort & Golf has announced its remarkable achievement of securing the third place in the Integrated Resorts category at the esteemed T+L Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2023, presented by Travel + Leisure.

According to a statement, this accolade recognises Hoiana Resort & Golf as the premier integrated resort in Vietnam, delivering exceptional product offerings and services to the discerning luxury travellers.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the voters and Travel + Leisure SEA for bestowing upon us this incredible honour. This achievement stands as a testament to the unwavering dedication and passion exhibited by our entire team.

“We are immensely proud and inspired to take our offerings to new horizons, exceeding the expectations of every cherished guest,” said Hoiana Resort & Golf President & Chief Executive Officer, Steve Wolstenholme.

As the sole integrated resort in Vietnam to be featured among the award recipients, Hoiana Resort & Golf shines as a pinnacle of luxury hospitality in the region, amid keen competition among integrated resorts in Macau, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

This prestigious recognition motivates Hoiana Resort & Golf to elevate the guest experience to unprecedented heights and it remains dedicated to expanding its product offerings and curating world-class events to further enhance the satisfaction of its esteemed guests.

The Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2023 celebrates the epitome of hospitality across the region, recognising outstanding destinations and experiences.

Nominees were carefully selected by the T+L SEA team of editors and expert contributors, ensuring an impartial evaluation. Voting was open to individuals worldwide until April 30, without any influence from pay-to-play practices.

-- BERNAMA

CSOP IEDGE SOUTHEAST ASIA+ TECH INDEX ETF LISTED ON SINGAPORE STOCK EXCHANGE

CSOP iEdge Southeast Asia+ TECH Index ETF (Stock Code: SGD counter: SQQ/ USD counter: SQU) (Photo: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 (Bernama) -- CSOP Asset Management has announced the launch of its fifth ETF - CSOP iEdge Southeast Asia+ TECH Index ETF (SGD counter: SQQ/ USD counter: SQU) on Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX).

SQQ/SQU will adopt a representative sampling strategy to track the performance of the iEdge Southeast Asia+ TECH Index (the Index), capturing the investment opportunities in the technology-related economy of the Southeast Asia (SEA) and India market.

The ETF is available for investment on the primary market in SGD and trading in both SGD and USD at an inception price of SG$1 with a board lot size of one share. The initial investment size is around US$16.5 million, primarily from international institutional investors. (US$1=RM4.63)

“This ETF presents an enticing opportunity for investors to capitalise on the rapid growth of Southeast Asia and India. The successful listing of the ETF will enhance Singapore's ETF market and cater to the demands of discerning investors,” said CSOP Asset Management Chief Executive Officer, Ding Chen in a statement.

CSOP iEdge Southeast Asia+ TECH Index ETF is the first ETF in Singapore to present a remarkable investment opportunity within the thriving tech industry across the rapidly expanding regions of SEA and India.

By investing in this ETF, individuals can capitalise on the immense growth potential of emerging Asian markets while diversifying their portfolios within the dynamic tech sector.

Compiled and maintained by SGX Index Edge, iEdge Southeast Asia+ TECH Index is designed to track the performance of 30 largest technology or innovative companies based in India, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.

The index includes listed companies mainly in technology-related sectors such as information technology, software, consulting, car manufacturing, electronic components, manufacturing, retail and media services.

-- BERNAMA