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Million Dollar Round Table Expanding Global Offerings with New Singapore-Based Office

  • The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the Premier Association of Financial Professionals®, has opened a new office in Singapore to better coordinate global efforts to improve member resources and benefits as a regional Asia-Pacific headquarters.
  • The headquarters will be led by Carol Kheng, MDRT Second Vice President, with the support of Gina van Dijk, new Senior Director of Global Markets, and Nicole Squires, new Senior Director of Business Development. MDRT aims to provide local and regional members with deeper and quicker access to knowledge, skills, and advice so they can better empower clients to make informed decisions.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 19 July 2023 – The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the Premier Association of Financial Professionals®, has opened a new office in Singapore to better coordinate global efforts to improve member resources and benefits as a regional Asia-Pacific headquarters. This is in coordination with the U.S. MDRT headquarters and satellite offices in China and India.

To support the operations of the new office, MDRT has invested in new staff members to elevate member experiences in the Asia-Pacific Region. Gina van Dijk will serve as the new Senior Director of Global Markets and Nicole Squires will be the new Senior Director of Business Development. Both leaders have strong backgrounds in global relations and business, and will play key roles in the support and expansion of MDRT professional resources for its large Asian member base.

“The opening of MDRT Asia-Pacific headquarters underpins MDRT’s commitment to the industry,” said Carol Kheng, MDRT Second Vice President, who leads the new office. “As the region’s population is increasingly aware of their need and options for financial protection, the new office aims to provide members with deeper and quicker access to knowledge, skills, advice and best practices so they can better empower clients to make informed decisions.”

Van Dijk joins MDRT from MCI Group, a global consulting, engagement, marketing, event and association management agency, for which van Dijk has worked in senior positions and played a vital role in helping European and U.S.-based associations expand their footprints in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Born in Nigeria and educated in the Netherlands, van Dijk brings to MDRT a solid understanding of MDRT needs in the areas of strategy, association management and business development, corporate sustainability, and customer relations, necessary for the organisation to grow in key markets and distribution channels.

“I’m very excited to be joining the MDRT team and helping to advance its global mission of professional excellence in financial services,” said van Dijk. “The Asia-Pacific is a region of critical importance to the future of MDRT as an association, and I look forward to helping financial advisors and insurance agents reap the full benefits of their MDRT membership.”

Squires brings a wealth of C-suite advisory, and sales experience from the global financial services perspective, including her most recent role at Standard Chartered Singapore, servicing the Rest of the World market. As a former financial advisor and MDRT member, Squires will lead a team focused on MDRT Family of Brands membership, member gatherings and relationships with financial services companies in major MDRT markets. Squires was born and raised in the Philippines before moving to Singapore in 2018.

“I am ecstatic to be making this transition from MDRT member to MDRT staff,” said Squires. “MDRT has such a bright future in the Asia-Pacific region, and I’m honored to be part of the efforts to continue delivering even better resources to members in all three MDRT Family of Brands associations.”

The new Singapore office will support MDRT events in the Asia-Pacific region, including the 2023 MDRT Global Conference in Singapore August 27–30. The event will feature sessions presented by leading financial professionals and inspiring leaders, networking opportunities for members, sessions for MDRT Global Services members, and more. The conference will be held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, where members are encouraged to travel and learn about financial services from a global perspective.

Hashtag: #MDRT

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

About MDRT

MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table) The Premier Association of Financial Professionals®, is a global, independent association of the world’s leading life insurance and financial services professionals from more than 700 companies in 80 nations and territories. MDRT members demonstrate exceptional professional knowledge, strict ethical conduct and outstanding client service. MDRT membership is recognized internationally as the standard of excellence in the life insurance and financial services business. For more information, please visit .

gamescom asia announces inaugural physical B2C Entertainment Zone with first partner Capcom onboard

  • Entertainment Zone weekend will showcase new games, onstage shows, hardware, esports for public
  • As part of expanded B2B Trade Zone, gamescom asia conference strikes a strong note to shape the future of the games industry with more expert insights and a dedicated programme to empower content creators


SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 19 July 2023 – gamescom asia will host a physical B2C Entertainment Zone exhibition for the first time, with an expanded Trade Zone for B2B for its upcoming 2023 edition. The only satellite event of the world’s largest video games festival, gamescom, will be hosted in Singapore from 19–22 October 2023, with a trade and public exhibition, trade conference and several programmes for the public. Online shows PRIMETIME and STUDIO also return on 19 and 22 October for all fans.

Capcom is the first major publisher confirming their participation, kickstarting the B2C Entertainment Zone. Xsolla, AWS for Games, Unlimit, and Worldline have been cemented as sponsors within the B2B Trade Zone, with more to follow. Exhibitors and Pavilions from countries and regions such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong S.A.R., Taiwan, Canada, Israel, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America are also on board.

“We are extremely excited to open the Entertainment Zone onsite to the public for the first time this year. We know it has been long anticipated by passionate fans and gamers and we look forward to welcoming them to gamescom asia. As the team works to put up a good show this year with new highlights and expanded mainstays, we invite companies to join us and make gamescom asia the premier Southeast Asian destination to showcase and testbed their games, latest gaming products and services, and reach an audience that is unique to the region,” said Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director and Vice President Asia-Pacific of Koelnmesse Pte Ltd, the organiser of gamescom asia.

gamescom asia 2023 expects to attract over 30,000 visitors and over 150 exhibitors as the Entertainment Zone exhibition opens its doors to the public this year.

Let the Games Begin with the New Physical B2C Entertainment Zone

The Entertainment Zone will welcome visitors from 20 – 22 October (with 20 October open to business visitors and a limited number of pre-registered fans only), with a showcase of trending games, interactive entertainment, and featured areas like indies, esports, cosplay, boardgames, group play zones, and more. Visitors can lay their hands on games by their favourite publishers and indie studios, watch live stage entertainment, and come dressed up as their favourite game characters. There will also be a designated food alley to fuel up, while merchandise from the latest games and classics will be available for purchase. Online shows PRIMETIME and STUDIO will return, on 19 October and 22 October respectively, with sneak peeks and other extended content for global audiences.

An all-new Indie Wavemakers area will open in both the Entertainment and Trade Zone of the exhibition for studios and developers looking for publishers and investors, as well as valuable gamer feedback and testing on their new releases and demos. Indie exhibitors can also share about their games on the Indie Wavemakers Live Stage at gamescom asia.

In partnership with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), gamescom asia will also recognise the SEA Game Awards winners at the event for the first time. The awards aim to recognise and celebrate creativity, artistry, and technical genius of the finest game developers from the Southeast Asian and International video game industry. Award winners will be announced at MYDCF 2023 (Malaysia Digital Content Festival) on 29 September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will receive further recognition at gamescom asia 2023.

At the Heart of Gaming Business with a Bigger and Better Trade Zone

gamescom asia’s Trade Zone consists of the Trade Zone Exhibition and Trade Conference on 19 and 20 October.

The Trade Zone exhibition will be open to all Trade visitors and conference delegates and will feature Expo Stage talks, networking & recharge zones, esports zone as well as the all-new Indie Wavemakers area. Country pavilions and booths from gaming companies and service providers will showcase the latest games and services to publishers, investors and IP owners who are looking for the next big thing in games.

Over 80 industry experts will present in person at the Trade Conference. With three extended tracks across 19 and 20 October, the conference will cover the latest gaming trends, as well as tried-and-true games design, business, and marketing principles. Content creators, KOLs, and influencers in gaming can glean insights and up their game in the new Content Creators Summit, held on 20 October. Conference delegates will have access to all content as well as networking sessions like the official conference networking reception and will be able to apply for the Developers-Publishers-Investors Speed Networking session.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • CD PROJEKT RED (Poland) – Kacper Niepokólczycki, Lead Environment Artist
  • Focus Entertainment (France) – Xavier Marot, Chief Production Officer
  • LightSpeed Studios (China) – Yang Chao, Expert Researcher
  • Mojang Studios (Sweden) – Nickole Li, Principal Designer (Systems)
  • SUNSOFT (Japan) – Yuichi Ochi, General Manager
  • Team17 Digital (UK) – Jasper Barnes, Head of Game Scouting
  • Techland (Poland) – Tymon Smektała, Dying Light Franchise Director
  • Ubisoft (Singapore) – Bill Money, Game Director

and many more.

Check out the latest list of speakers and agenda here.

The official B2B networking app for the gamescom asia, gamescom, and devcom communities will be on gamescom biz once again, accessible by all gamescom asia registered exhibitors and industry visitors.

Tickets and Registration

Tickets for the public will open from end-July. Please stay tuned for further announcements.

Registration for trade and industry members are already open at this link.

gamescom asia 2023 is a ticketed event. Companies who wish to exhibit in both Trade and Entertainment Zones can apply here.

For more information and the latest updates, visit gamescom.asia or follow gamescom asia on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Discord, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

Editor’s Note:
Media and creator accreditation is now open and media and creators are invited to register to attend gamescom asia 2023.

Available images and gamescom asia 2023 assets can be found in the digital press kit here.

Hashtag: #gamescomasia

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

About gamescom asia

gamescom asia aims to serve as the premier platform for Asian game developers to explore partnerships globally, and act as a hub for international publishers who are looking for the next big thing in games. New releases and gaming-related offerings will also be showcased. With the business area, the entertainment area and the industry gaming conference, gamescom asia covers the entire diversity of the games culture. gamescom asia is organised by Koelnmesse Singapore and supported by game – the German Games Industry Association.

gamescom asia 2023 will be held from 19 – 22 October 2023 in Singapore at the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre as well as online. For more information on the event, visit or follow gamescom asia on major social media platforms.

About gamescom

gamescom is the world’s largest event for computer and video games and Europe’s largest business platform for the games industry. 2023 gamescom will take place in Cologne and online from Wednesday, 23. August to Sunday, 27. August. gamescom is jointly organised by Koelnmesse and game – the German Games Industry Association. For more information, please visit .

Koelnmesse – industry trade fairs for the gaming sector: Koelnmesse is an international leader in organising trade fairs in the gaming and entertainment segments. Hosted at the trade fair grounds in Cologne/Germany, gamescom is the world’s largest event for computer and video games and Europe’s largest business platform for the games industry. gamescom brings together passionate gamers, trade visitors and exhibitors from across the world with a highly effective approach – in person at the venue and digitally from anywhere in the world. This makes gamescom the premier B2C, B2B and B2G gaming event. In addition to the event at its Cologne headquarters, Koelnmesse is strategically expanding its portfolio internationally: In Singapore, gamescom asia provides an additional powerful industry platform for the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific games market, bringing together the full spectrum of supply and demand.

Further information:

The Next Events:
gamescom, Cologne, Germany, 23.-27.08.2023
gamescom asia, Singapore, 19.-22.10.2023

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CRIF and Know Your Customer announce strategic partnership with PAOB to further enhance the digital onboarding experience for SME customers

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 19 July 2023 – CRIF and Know Your Customer have announced the partnership with Ping An OneConnect Bank (Hong Kong) Limited (“PAOB”) to further enhance the digital onboarding process for its small and medium enterprise (“SME”) clients. The partnership is setting the foundations to support PAOB meeting the increasing demand for quick-to-access banking services by local SMEs through the provision of a highly scalable and cloud-native solution.

The new system, developed by CRIF and Know Your Customer, leverages real-time registry connections to automatically retrieve documents and map shareholders. This provides a centralised solution that integrates data from multiple official sources into one place, allowing PAOB to streamline the SME onboarding process and facilitate the customer due diligence process whilst reducing costs and manual work.

CRIF and Know Your Customer’s joint offering provides digital banks and financial institutions with a one-stop solution that addresses their client onboarding and on-going monitoring requirements. The solution draws on unique strengths from both sides to empower digital banks and financial institutions with all the compliance tools they need. CRIF offers an extensive portfolio of business data and intelligence, including credit data; open banking; and Environmental, Social and Governance data. Meanwhile, Know Your Customer provides unmatched coverage of real-time registry connections, Ultimate Beneficial Owner mapping across borders, and modular workflow capabilities.

Jamie Anderson, Global Head of Sales at Know Your Customer, said, “We have seen time and time again how the modular design and unique set-up of our solutions are especially compatible with the needs of virtual and digital banks in Hong Kong and globally. We are delighted to be working with our partner CRIF to support PAOB’s vision of outstanding SME onboarding and next-generation digital compliance and we look forward to supporting their growth in Hong Kong and across the APAC region.”

Ivan Chow, Head of Strategy & Partnerships of PAOB, is pleased with this partnership, “Since our successful launch in 2020, we have been thriving our virtual banking services for local SMEs and we significantly expedited the bank account opening and loan approval processes. And this is well-received from our SME customers, especially when the SME sector was generally impacted most amidst the pandemic. Given Hong Kong is now opening up, we believe the SMEs would be benefited from the economic rebound and recovery, and the demand for operating capital financing is likely increased. The partnership with CRIF and Know Your Customer will further enhance our customer-centric experience to the SME customers.”

With over 360,000 SMEs representing more than 98% of total businesses in the city, SMEs are of crucial importance to the development of the economy in Hong Kong.
Hashtag: #regtech #kyb #kyc #hk #smebanking #banking #virtualbank #fintech

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

CRIF

CRIF is a global company specializing in credit & business information systems, analytics, outsourcing and processing services, as well as advanced digital solutions for business development and open banking. The mission that drives CRIF is to create value and new opportunities for consumers and businesses by providing reliable information and solutions, allowing more powerful decisions and accelerating digital innovation.

CRIF is currently the leading credit information banking group in continental Europe and a major player in the global market for integrated business & commercial information and credit & marketing management services. Through continuous innovation, the use of state-of-the-art technology and a strong information management culture, CRIF supports financial institutions, credit unions, insurance companies, telco, media, utility and energy companies, businesses, and consumers. In addition, as part of its end-to-end solutions, CRIF has developed a line of services for individuals and SMEs dedicated to financial well-being and the prevention and protection against fraud and cyber risks, while CRIF Ratings, a credit rating agency authorized by ESMA and recognized as an ECAI, provides ratings on non-financial companies based in the EU. In addition, in 2019 CRIF expanded its coverage as an AISP to 31 European countries where the PSD2 directive for open banking is applicable.

Currently over 10,500 banks and financial institutions, more than 600 insurance companies, 80,000 companies and 1,000,000 consumers currently use CRIF services in 4 continents.

Know Your Customer

Know Your Customer is an award-winning RegTech company specialised in next generation digital onboarding solutions for financial institutions and regulated organisations worldwide.

For teams that are struggling with inefficient corporate onboarding processes, Know Your Customer provides a modular compliance solution that combines the most intuitive digital workspace on the market with unmatched real-time registry data, seamless integrations and smart automation to transform the essence of the compliance function at its core. The products’ modular design enables efficient customisation, as clients can select and implement only the functionalities they really need, all available via Rest API. For more information visit or follow Know Your Customer on or.

Ping An OneConnect Bank (Hong Kong) Limited

Ping An OneConnect Bank (Hong Kong) Limited (“PAOB”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. (“OneConnect”) (HKEx:6638; NYSE:OCFT) and a member of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China Ltd. (“Ping An”) (HKEx:2318; SSE:601318), is committed to establishing a virtual banking ecosystem by optimising customer-centric services through its innovation and sophisticated technology. PAOB was granted a virtual banking licence by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in May 2019. PAOB is developing diverse business segments including retail banking and SME banking.

JC PROcruit C offering close to 1,000 traineeship opportunities for first-time-job-seekers and graduates with non-professional background to embark on a new career journey

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 19 July 2023 – Created and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, Phase 2 of the JC PROcruit C programme welcomed more than 500 first-time-job-seekers onboard. JC PROcruit C, a one-year professional traineeship programme, was launched in December 2020. The two phases altogether have successfully matched close to 1,000 first-time-job-seekers with career opportunities in four professional sectors, namely Creativity, Technology, Business and Healthcare, enabling them to realise their career goals.

After receiving encouraging results and positive feedback from trainees, employers and sector practitioners, Phase 2 of the programme has been scaled up to offer more traineeship opportunities. Apart from degree and sub-degree holders, it has also been extended to holders of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) or equivalent qualifications in order to benefit more first-time-job-seekers. Despite the competition of talent persists after the pandemic, the unique traineeship programme still managed to attract over 500 trainees in phase 2 to embark on their new career journey by joining the one-year full-time traineeship programme

JC PROcruit C encourages employers to adopt a strength-based talent-matching model that values job seekers’ “VASK” (Values, Attitudes, Skills and Knowledge). Trainees can acquire entry-level jobs in the four chosen emerging and promising sectors and contribute to society without being limited by lack of work experience or academic qualifications. As well as breaking from the traditional recruitment approach, the programme provides trainees with pre-onboarding bootcamp, professional career coaching, continuous on-the-job learning and social innovation training opportunities to prepare them for work and future employability. The programme also aims to create a better cohort experience with strong peer support.

Talent and Sector Development is one of the priority areas of the Club’s Charities Trust. The Club believes young people have different goals and aspirations for their career development journeys. The programme provides hands-on experience for them to explore their own unique rhythm and pathways. Trainees are also encouraged to actively participate in the pre-onboarding bootcamp and get to know more peers of similar backgrounds to share the joys and challenges of work, strengthen resilience and grow together.

Technological advancement is driving continuous innovation within many sectors, which brings new challenges but also opportunities in terms of talent demand and emerging skill sets. The programme collaborates with industry convenors from the four emerging sectors and over 250 caring and forward-looking employers to offer 16 future-oriented, human-centric professions for first-time job seekers from different academic backgrounds to start their careers in caring professions.

In the future, the programme will share relevant resources and achievements in its online resource hub for reference. Through the inspiring and impactful stories of employers and trainees, the programme aims to further promote its mission and adoption of the traineeship framework to different sectors, to benefit more young people and employers.

Hashtag: #JCPROcruitC

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

About JC PROcruit C

JC PROcruit C is a one-year professional traineeship programme created and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Together with industry convenors including Cyberport, The Good Lab, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks, YWCA, Po Leung Kuk, New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, and over 250 committed and forward-looking employers, the programme offers on-the-job training, career coaching and professional network building facilitation for first-time job seekers, with a one-year traineeship opportunities in 16 future-oriented job roles across four emerging sectors, namely Creativity for Good, Technology for Good, Business for Good and Healthcare for Good, helping dedicated and motivated young graduates to develop their work readiness and carve out their professional pathways.

The Club’s support for this programme, like all of its charity donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax and charity support for the community.

Programme website: Facebook:
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Lao PM Calls for ‘De-dollarization’ and Further Regulation of Foreign Currencies

Mr. Sonexay Siphandone, the Prime Minister of Laos.

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone signed a seven-page order on 14 July to ensure that foreign exchange earned through exports and foreign investments, enters the country through its banking system.

Khammouane Provincial Hospital Faces Medicine Shortage

Hospital (Freepik)

Khammouane Provincial Hospital is currently facing a critical shortage of essential medicines, with patients now being asked to bring their own.

Thai Constitutional Court Suspends PM Candidate Pita Limjaroenrat from House of Representatives

Leader of Move Forward Party Pita Limjaroenrat leaves after speaking to media at Move Forward Party headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 14, 2023. Thailand's main opposition party took an early lead in a vote count from Sunday's general election, touted as a pivotal chance for change nine years after incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha first came to power in a 2014 coup. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Leader of Move Forward Party Pita Limjaroenrat (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

The Constitutional Court has suspended Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party and a prime ministerial candidate, from his elected position in the House of Representatives.

Laos Vows to Expand Nationwide Mobile Phone Coverage by 2025

A woman takes a photo of a person in a temple in Laos. (Photo: Teng).

Lao Ministry of Science and Technology has pledged to increase mobile phone coverage in the country, especially in rural areas by 2025.