SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 February 2026 – Real-time payments (RTPs) are becoming an integral part of everyday transactions across Southeast Asia, according to a regional study written in partnership with the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), Nextrade Group, and the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute (VEEI). The study, “Strengthening Southeast Asia’s Real-Time Payments: Security, Trust and New Pathways to Financial Access”, surveyed 5,500 consumers and 2,100 small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, highlighting strong RTP adoption among consumers and small businesses, alongside opportunities to enhance security and build greater confidence in the fast-evolving payment ecosystem.

Findings show that RTPs are widely used and represent about 26 per cent of customer transactions for small and medium sized businesses, behind credit, debit and prepaid card payments (35%), and ahead of digital wallets (15%). While adoption is accelerating, the report identifies trust and security as key priorities for sustaining growth. Different markets had varying concerns about using real-time payments, but the top three barriers identified in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand include:

Singapore:

• 47% worry about sending money to the wrong account
• 43% cite inability to earn rewards
• 37% fear transferring to fraudulent or scam accounts

Malaysia:

• 52% worry about sending money to the wrong account
• 46% fear transferring to fraudulent or scam accounts
• 39% are concerned about data/privacy security

Thailand:

• 40% worry about sending money to the wrong account
• 35% fear transferring to fraudulent or scam accounts
• 27% are concerned about data/privacy security

Closing the Trust Gap: A Shared Opportunity for Progress

Users across Southeast Asia seek greater consistency, transparency and reassurance in their payment experiences, especially around transaction tracking, refunds, and dispute resolution. Customer-related issues are the primary pain points for SMBs in Southeast Asia when it comes to real-time payments. Sixty percent of SMBs report challenges such as customers paying the wrong amount (21%) and delays from slow transaction completion (21%). Additionally, 38 per cent are concerned about fraud and scams—a leading payment pain point in Singapore, second only to customers taking too long to pay and causing queue delays (29%).

Cross-border adoption of real-time payments remains more limited, with 41 per cent of SMBs noting that tourists prefer international cards, and some of these businesses do not have card acceptance.

Collaboration and Interoperability

The report emphasises that no single sector can address these challenges alone. Robust public-private partnerships — uniting governments, regulators, payment networks, technology providers, and businesses — are critical to setting clear standards, sharing intelligence, and coordinating rapid responses to emerging threats.

“Real-time payments are transforming the way people and businesses move money, but speed must go hand-in-hand with security,” said Serene Gay, Group Country Manager for Regional Southeast Asia, and SVP, Global Clients & Acquirers for Asia Pacific at Visa.

“At Visa, we’re committed to making real-time payments not only faster but safer. That’s why we’ve invested in advanced fraud prevention capabilities like Featurespace, which uses cutting-edge technology to protect account-to-account transactions. By combining AI-driven risk detection with Visa’s global expertise, we help partners stay ahead of evolving threats and build trust across the ecosystem. Fraud prevention is foundational to the confidence that enables growth for consumers, businesses, and the entire payments network,” added Serene.

As RTP adoption accelerates, Visa is working with industry partners, banks, fintechs and regulators to enhance security, interoperability and user protections. The report highlights opportunities to embed stronger risk controls, including Visa Account-to-Account (A2A) Protect, which in a recent UK pilot identified a significant share of fraudulent transactions that had already passed through existing bank and payment service provider fraud detection systems. Visa’s Scam Disruption initiative also leverages AI-driven risk detection and partnerships to help protect consumers and businesses from evolving scam typologies.

To read the full report, please click here.

Hashtag: #Visa

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 February 2026 – Global management consultancy Kearney has announced key leadership transitions across Asia Pacific, effective 1 January 2026. The appointments come as the firm enters its 100th year, reinforcing its commitment to developing future leaders while deepening its regional client partnerships and tackling their toughest challenges.

Australia and New Zealand (ANZ)

Sarovar Agarwal, Senior Partner in Melbourne, has been appointed the Managing Partner for ANZ, succeeding Adam Dixon. As the previous Asia Pacific practice leader for Kearney’s Communications, Media, and Technology (CMT) practice, Sarovar draws on more than 20 years of experience at the firm, working across India, ANZ, and around the world advising telco and media executives on productivity, customer experience, and transformation. In his new role, Sarovar will be responsible for strengthening ANZ’s growth trajectory and further establishing Kearney ANZ as a premier destination for both clients and talent.

“I’m excited to be stepping into the Managing Partner role and leading our exceptional team, especially as the firm marks its 100th year,” Sarovar said. “Thank you to Adam and past unit leads who have built strong foundations and a wonderful culture here at Kearney ANZ. My focus will be on doubling down on that momentum and supporting our clients on strategic transformations, creating supply chain and procurement value, and developing capabilities in addition to accelerating the practical implementation of AI across enterprises.”

Under Adam’s leadership, Kearney ANZ established a C-suite community and delivered consistent profitable growth, nearly doubling its Australian revenue over the past six years. Later this year, Kearney ANZ will publish Australia: A Lighthouse in the Global Storm. The CEO Imperative. Adam’s commitment to culture and mentoring emerging talent has helped establish the unit as a leading destination for clients and talent in the region.

Adam Dixon will also step into the role of chairman for ANZ.

Japan

Takefumi Harigaya, Senior Partner in Tokyo, has been appointed as the Managing Director for Japan, succeeding Shigeru Sekinada. Most recently with Kearney’s CMT practice in Japan, Takefumi brings more than 20 years of experience partnering with clients on new business creation, business transformation, and M&A. His strong client relationships, passion for developing future leaders, and deep understanding of Kearney’s value of “essential rightness” position him well to drive Japan’s purpose and vision forward.

Over the past six years, Shigeru has led Kearney’s Japan unit, nurturing strong relationships with large corporations and emerging start-ups and establishing executive communities for CEOs and CXOs. He will continue as the region chair for Asia Pacific and take on the role of Chairman for Japan, focusing on Kearney’s regional strategy while supporting overall growth in Japan and APAC.

Takefumi said, “Japan is demonstrating remarkable dynamism: sustained growth, rising investor confidence, and real momentum in technology and innovation. I’m honored to step into this leadership role as we build on current momentum and drive the next stage of growth in Japan. I’m excited to lead our team as we partner with our clients to capitalize on emerging opportunities and strengthen their long-term competitiveness.”

Malaysia

Keat Yap, Senior Partner in Kuala Lumpur, will lead the business in Malaysia as its Country Head. Currently the APAC Lead for Kearney’s Product Excellence and Renewal Lab, Keat brings over 15 years of operations expertise at Kearney and a results-focused mindset to transformation work across the region. His international experience – spanning Japan, China, Korea, and the US, and commitment to delivering real client impact position him well to strengthen Kearney Malaysia’s growth trajectory.

Communications, Media, and Technology Practice

Marco de la Rosa has been appointed as the next Asia Pacific leader for Kearney’s CMT practice, taking over Sarovar’s previous role. A Senior Partner based across Manila and Singapore, Marco leads the firm’s Philippines business. With 20 years of experience across APAC and the United States, Marco has led large-scale transformations for top telcos. His hands-on approach with clients and his commitment to developing talent will build on the strong momentum Sarovar has established.

Global board appointments

Finally, Adam Dixon and Makoto Inoue, senior partners with the firm, were elected to Kearney’s global board in December 2025. Their appointments reflect the region’s growing voice in shaping Kearney’s future, as the firm doubles down on its Impact First approach, empowering companies to navigate business transformation in an era of change. Adam and Makoto will champion the voices of the firm’s APAC clients and people in conversations that impact Kearney’s growth and direction.

“I’m pleased to welcome these leadership rotations across Asia Pacific,” said Shigeru Sekinada, APAC Region Chair and Chairman of Kearney Japan. “In a rapidly evolving environment, experienced leaders who have deep market knowledge and strategic capabilities are key to delivering sustained value for our clients,” he said. “Beyond the decades of experience that leaders such as Sarovar, Takefumi, Keat and Marco bring, their passion for the firm, trusted client relationships, and steadfast commitment to talent development are central to shaping a purpose-passion driven culture. As Kearney enters its centenary year, these leaders embody what has always guided Kearney: ‘essential rightness’ and ‘kando’—doing work that creates real impact and deep fulfillment for our people, clients, and communities.”

Hashtag: #Kearney #Leadershipappointments

https://www.kearney.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kearney/?originalSubdomain=sg

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Kearney

For 100 years, Kearney has been a leading management consulting firm and trusted partner to three quarters of the Fortune Global 500 and governments around the world. With a presence across more than 40 countries, our people make us who we are. We work impact first, tackling your toughest challenges with original thinking and a commitment to making change happen together. By your side, we deliver—value, results, impact. To learn more about Kearney, please visit www.kearney.com.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 February 2026 – Hong Kong digital marketing consultancy Big Jump SEO Solutions recently announced that it has officially partnered with three influential Hong Kong insurance and financial knowledge websites—MoneyHK101, VHIS101, and HKVHIS—to provide comprehensive search engine optimization (SEO) and artificial intelligence (AI) content strategy services. The collaboration aims to increase website traffic, improve content readability, and enhance educational impact, ultimately supporting greater financial and insurance education among Hong Kong residents.

In recent years, these three platforms have been dedicated to providing professional, easy-to-understand insurance and financial information to Hong Kong citizens in a fair, transparent, and non-sales-oriented manner. Their coverage spans a wide range of topics, from personal accident insurance and travel insurance to the government’s Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) and beyond.

As a leading SEO consultancy in Hong Kong, Big Jump SEO Solutions will leverage its expertise in search algorithms, content structure, and semantic analysis to help the three platforms develop structured content strategies. This will make it easier for users to discover valuable financial information through search engines like Google, while improving performance on long-tail keywords in the local market.

Optimizing Educational Content: Combining AI Analysis with Human Creativity

One key focus of this partnership is the adoption of a “collaborative content creation model” that integrates AI technology with human professional editors. Big Jump SEO Solutions will use natural language processing (NLP) and content performance analysis tools to help the websites identify the topics and search intents most relevant to users. This will inform article structure planning, title optimization, and internal linking strategies.

At the same time, the platforms’ editorial teams will serve as content reviewers and educational gatekeepers, ensuring that every article not only adheres to SEO best practices but also maintains professional accuracy, objectivity, and strong educational value.

Big Jump SEO believes that the combination of AI and professional editors represents the future direction of educational content marketing. By leveraging data-driven insights, these websites will evolve from mere information repositories into proactive platforms that understand user needs and guide them toward building sound financial and protection mindsets.

Enhancing Credibility and Long-Term Impact for the Three Platforms

Big Jump SEO Solutions will tailor customized project plans based on the unique characteristics of each website:

• MoneyHK101.com: Focused on personal finance and insurance comparison content, the project will involve data-driven content restructuring and keyword optimization to enhance user experience and depth of knowledge.
• VHIS101.com: As a specialized platform for Voluntary Health Insurance information, the project will optimize long-tail keyword performance related to medical insurance and improve search rankings through structured FAQ content.
• HKVHIS.com: Emphasis will be placed on strengthening its image as a “fair, impartial, and transparent” insurance knowledge platform. Using AI text analysis and semantic matching technology, the project will expand coverage of VHIS policy education content.

Big Jump SEO describes this partnership not only as a digital marketing initiative but also as a socially meaningful project in information democratization, aimed at helping citizens access accurate, objective, and easy-to-understand insurance and financial information.

Promoting a Sustainable Digital Education Ecosystem

A spokesperson for Big Jump SEO Solutions stated: “We hope to use SEO and AI technologies to build a ‘knowledge co-creation’ media ecosystem. This will not only make content more discoverable and shareable by search engines but also enable the public to benefit from high-quality, honest, and neutral insurance and financial education resources.”

The spokesperson added: “The widespread of financial and insurance education is an important step toward fostering a healthier financial culture in Hong Kong. Through the efforts of these three platforms, we believe citizens will become more proactive in understanding the value of protection and investment.”

The partnership is expected to roll out multiple new content initiatives starting in the second quarter of 2026, including AI-generated insurance comparison guides, interactive keyword maps, and dedicated educational columns, with the goal of making financial education truly relatable to everyday life.

Hashtag: #BigJump

https://www.bigjumpseo.com

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Big Jump SEO Solutions

Big Jump SEO Solutions is a comprehensive digital marketing company that focuses on providing customized Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content marketing, and online advertising solutions for its clients. With in-depth industry experience and innovative strategies, Big Jump is committed to helping brands enhance their online visibility and stand out in the online market.

• Strategic SAF agreements signed with Cathay, Cosmo Energy and Neste
• Currently operates over 1,800 electric vehicles across the region
• Added the first facility globally that is fully powered by renewable energy powered by on-site solar systems

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 February 2026 -DHL Group has marked significant milestones in its sustainability journey across Asia Pacific by reinforcing its commitment to decarbonization and readiness to meet the region’s growing demand for emissions-reduced logistics solutions. In 2025, DHL advanced its sustainability roadmap. From this wide range of initiatives, five examples stand out, including sustainable fuel agreements, electric vehicle deployment, and carbon-neutral facilities.

Leading the charge with sustainable fuels

Despite aviation being one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize, DHL is making steady moves to achieve 30% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) usage by 2030. 2025 saw DHL Express sign landmark SAF agreements with leading partners across Asia, including Cosmo Energy, Cathay and Neste to boost SAF demand and adoption for air cargo flights. These contracts accounted for close to 20 million liters of SAF to be supplied to DHL Express flights departing Narita, Incheon and Singapore. To date, DHL is one of the leading SAF users in the logistics industry.

Additionally, SAF is also widely adopted by customers in the Asia Pacific region through DHL’s GoGreen Plus service. In 2025, over 153,000 customers shipped using the service to reduce the Scope 3 emissions of their international air shipments via SAF. Through the ‘book and claim’ system, DHL can substitute fossil fuels with sustainable fuels across its network and assign the resulting environmental benefits to customers who invest in GoGreen Plus – even if their shipments are not physically transported using assets powered by these fuels.

Ken Lee, CEO, Asia Pacific, DHL Express said, “Sustainability isn’t just a slogan for us. We lead with action – whereas others follow – to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from our operations. Together with the right partners, we are setting a benchmark for the logistics industry. We are determined to extend our efforts and scale solutions that can make a real impact for our customers and reduce our impact to the planet.”

Meanwhile, DHL Global Forwarding formed a global partnership with CMA CGM to purchase 8,800 metric tons of UCOME second-generation biofuel with the aim of reducing around 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions on a well-to-wake basis. This collaboration reiterates DHL’s commitment to driving the demand for sustainable marine fuel to achieve low-carbon maritime transport.

Niki Frank, CEO, Asia Pacific, DHL Global Forwarding, said, “Our role goes beyond moving goods. We enable global trade to become more sustainable. Customers are increasingly asking for solutions that could help them decarbonize entire supply chains. With our global reach and expertise across air, ocean and road freight, DHL is uniquely positioned to deliver those ambitions through innovation and collaboration.”

Expanding electric vehicle fleet

Beyond the skies and the seas, DHL continues to accelerate the transition to emissions-reduced ground transport through the deployment of hydrogen-powered vehicles and the electrification of its fleet.

Last year saw DHL Supply Chain deploy hydrogen-powered trucks in Japan for long-haul operations. In Thailand, the division supported Boots with the launch of a 100% electric vehicle fleet to service over 250 stores across the country. In the Philippines, DHL Summit Solutions, Inc., the joint venture between DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific and JG Summit Holdings, Inc., introduced 23 electric vehicles and 22 electric prime movers.

DHL Express also expanded its EV fleet across Asia Pacific by adding over 100 electric vehicles in the Philippines, Korea and China. It currently operates more than 1,400 such vehicles for its last-mile pickup and delivery.

Similarly in Thailand, DHL eCommerce introduced two electric trucks to support its delivery operations.

To date, the Group has over 1,800 electric vehicles in the Asia Pacific region – supporting its target of operating two-thirds of its last-mile fleet with electric vehicles by 2030, contributing carbon emissions reductions in logistics and improvement of air quality in cities.

Reducing emissions at new facilities

To further DHL Group’s ‘Green Logistics of Choice’ agenda, new owned facilities have been built to operate carbon neutral. In Thailand, DHL Supply Chain unveiled its first fully renewable energy warehouse globally that is powered by on-site solar systems – a global milestone for the company. Equipped with a 4.2 MWp solar array and advanced battery storage, the site generates all of its energy on-site, eliminating reliance on fossil-fuel-based grid power. Also launched in Thailand and the Philippines were new DHL Express service centers that were designed and built to reduce energy consumption.

Javier Bilbao, CEO, Asia Pacific, DHL Supply Chain said, “When it comes to sustainability, we don’t wait for mandates – we act now to set new industry standards. Our carbon-neutral buildings and EV fleet developments reflect a long-term vision to reimagine logistics infrastructure for a low-carbon world. By investing early and decisively, we are shaping the future of sustainable and resilient supply chains for our customers and the industry.”

These highlighted initiatives reaffirm DHL’s ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by deploying solutions that support customer’s decarbonization agenda as well as signal to suppliers that there is demand.

Hashtag: #DHL

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

DHL – The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With approximately 400,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.

DHL is part of DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of approximately 84.2 billion euros in 2024. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. DHL Group aims to achieve net-zero emissions logistics by 2050.

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