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Lao Government Bonds Sell Out Like Hotcakes on First Day

People waited to purchase government bonds on Tuesday. ( Photo: Vilaysack Soulichanh).

Government bonds at commercial banks across Laos sold out in just a few hours after the government announced they would go on sale today.

Crypto Sets Higher Standards for Proof of Reserves for Traditional Finance: Bybit CEO

  • The new norms after 2022: crypto exchanges have set a high bar in transparency with 100% verifiable proof of reserves
  • DEXs form an important part of a healthy ecosystem by supporting medium and long-term traders
  • Bybit has a calling as a CEX: delivering seamless integration into Web3 for everyday users

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Media OutReach – 28 February 2023 – The future of the crypto industry is one step closer to its full potential, now trust and transparency is at the forefront, said Bybit CEO Ben Zhou. According to Zhou, technology will lead the way in restoring trust in crypto, and legitimate exchanges have what it takes to outperform traditional financial institutions in terms of transparency.

Speaking as part of a panel discussion at Blockchain Life 2023 in Dubai on Monday, Zhou proposed leveraging the open nature and real-time verification that decentralized technology offers. Blockchain is part of the solution, and crypto-native solutions can help armor the financial industry against traditional and new forms of fraud risk. He noted that crypto exchanges are able to offer real-time, verifiable proof of reserves, which is far and above the transparency traditionally offered by financial institutions.

Bybit is committed to managing user funds with the utmost transparency and integrity, which is why it has real-time proof of reserves with a purpose-built Merkle Tree. Users can use their Merkle Leaf code to check that their assets are recorded as liabilities in Bybit’s on-chain wallets down to the granular details.

For Zhou, this kind of technology — powered by blockchain — is the real solution to the constant news of malfeasance in the crypto and wider financial sector. The new industry norm of proof of reserves can offer users more peace of mind and visibility into exchanges’ assets, and this has tilted the conventional power dynamics between the customers and financial service providers, he said.

Zhou went on to talk about the role of crypto exchanges as the industry moves forward from a challenging 2022. While security considerations are a given, Zhou revealed why CEXs are still preferred by serious traders: deep liquidity and powerful infrastructure with millisecond precision.

Referring to institutional clients and professional traders, Zhou said that “centralized exchanges are pretty much their only choice simply because of the liquidity. And you simply can’t do high frequency trading on a decentralized exchange (DEX) due to infrastructure limitations.” However, Zhou suggested that those interested in medium-to-long term trades could consider DEXs as an option.

“Our role — and that of any centralized exchange — is to be ready for mass adoption and be the gateway to Web3 when it happens. So, I still believe in the industry,” Zhou added. “In two years, you will see signs of mass adoption. Your uncles, your aunties, your cousins will all start to use crypto,” he said.

More from Bybit

Hashtag: #Bybit #TheCryptoArk #NextLevelMeetUp

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

About Bybit

Bybit is a cryptocurrency exchange established in 2018 that offers a professional platform where crypto traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, excellent customer service and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One’s reigning Constructors’ and Drivers’ champions, the Oracle Red Bull Racing team, esports teams NAVI, Astralis, Alliance, Made in Brazil (MIBR), and Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, and association football (soccer) team Borussia Dortmund.

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Pakse to Build Wastewater Treatment Facility Worth USD 2.1 Million

Pakse Building USD 6 Million Waste Treatment Plant
Water Inlet in Wastewater Treatment Plants ( Photo : pepperl-fuchs )

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) held a groundbreaking ceremony last week to build four decentralized wastewater treatment plants and a city-level excrement treatment facility in Pakse City, Champasack that would benefit around 9,000 people.

Cisco and NTT Collaborate to Bring Private 5G to Enterprise Customers to Accelerate Industry Transformation

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 28 February 2023 – Cisco, a worldwide leader in technology, and NTT Ltd., a leading IT infrastructure and services company, announced plans to collaborate to drive Private 5G adoption across the Automotive, Logistics, Healthcare, Retail and Public sectors.

(Middle) Shahid Ahmed, Executive Vice President, New Ventures and Innovation for NTT Ltd. and (Right) Masum Mir, SVP and GM Cisco Networking, Provider Mobility discuss challenges of private 5G network deployments, and whether the industry is starting to see real world deployments at MWC Barcelona 2023
(Middle) Shahid Ahmed, Executive Vice President, New Ventures and Innovation for NTT Ltd. and (Right) Masum Mir, SVP and GM Cisco Networking, Provider Mobility discuss challenges of private 5G network deployments, and whether the industry is starting to see real world deployments at MWC Barcelona 2023

NTT and Cisco plan to co-innovate and jointly bring to market the technology and managed services that will enable enterprise customers to deploy Private 5G successfully and achieve better business outcomes. The companies plan to accelerate edge connectivity through NTT’s first-to-market, Managed Private 5G solution, combined with Intel hardware, so that Cisco and NTT customers will be able to seamlessly integrate Private 5G into their pre-existing LAN/WAN/Cloud infrastructure.

Together, the companies can rapidly enable critical Industry 4.0 capabilities such as push-to-talk ‘walkie talkie’ communications, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), always connected PCs (for digital frontline workers), machine vision (e.g. predictive maintenance, PPE detection), and more.

Cisco and NTT have already begun coordination on several customer deployments. In addition, the two companies are planning to power computer vision for product quality analysis, predictive analytics for manufacturing equipment functionality and maintenance, and autonomous vehicles for moving product on the factory floor, leveraging NTT’s IoT connected solutions.

“Together with NTT, we aim to help our enterprise customers accelerate digital transformation, with the power of 5G and Wi-Fi across IT and OT operations,” said Masum Mir, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Provider Mobility, Cisco Networking. “Our cloud-managed private 5G offers customers seamless integration with their Enterprise network fabric along with common policy and zero trust security architecture, helping to reduce technical, financial, and operational risks associated with managing 5G networks, so they can focus on driving business agility and efficiency.”

“This is a natural expansion of the cutting-edge capabilities and services NTT brings to market to help our global clients modernize their businesses. NTT and Cisco are building on our mutual commitment to build a simple to manage pure private network solution,” said Shahid Ahmed, Executive Vice President, New Ventures & Innovation at NTT. “As a premier systems integrator partner to Cisco, the two companies are well positioned to deliver a secure, reliable and future-proof private 5G network for our joint enterprise customers with global footprints.”

For Cisco’s Private 5G, NTT will provide network infrastructure design, deployment, run operations, use case development, device sourcing, compatibility, and end-to-end testing.

Hashtag: #NTT #Cisco #5G

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

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet. Cisco inspires new possibilities by reimagining your applications, securing your data, transforming your infrastructure, and empowering your teams for a global and inclusive future. Discover more on and follow us on Twitter at .

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco’s trademarks can be found at . Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

About NTT Ltd.

As part of NTT DATA, a USD 30 billion IT services provider, NTT Ltd. is a leading IT infrastructure and services company serving 65% of the Fortune Global 500 and more than 75% of the Fortune Global 100. We lay the foundation for organizations’ edge-to-cloud networking ecosystem, simplify the complexity of their workloads across multicloud environments, and innovate at the edge of their IT environments where networks, cloud and applications converge. We offer tailored infrastructure and ensure consistent best practices in design and operations across all of our secure, scalable and customizable data centers. On the journey towards a software-defined future, we support organizations with our platform-delivered infrastructure services. We enable a connected future.

Hong Kong to lift COVID Mask Mandate on Wednesday

Commuters wearing face masks browse their smartphones as they ride on a subway train in Hong Kong on Feb. 7, 2023. Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate Wednesday, March 1, 2023, ending the city’s last major restriction imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
Commuters wearing face masks browse their smartphones as they ride on a subway train in Hong Kong on Feb. 7, 2023. Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate Wednesday, March 1, 2023, ending the city’s last major restriction imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate Wednesday, ending the city’s last major restriction imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each Payment to Ransomware Attackers Subsidizes Nine Future Attacks

New report from Trend shows how ransomware industry is kept afloat

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 28 February 2023 – Trend Micro (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today published a new report warning that although only 10% of ransomware victims pay their extorters, they are enabling attacks on numerous other organizations by doing so.

To read a full copy of the report, What Decision Makers Need to Know About Ransomware Risk*, please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hk/security/news/ransomware-spotlight/understanding-ransomware-using-data-science

Jon Clay, VP of threat intelligence at Trend Micro: “Ransomware is a major cybersecurity threat to enterprises and governments today. It’s also continually evolving, which is why we need more accurate, data-driven ways to model ransomware-related risk. This new research aims to help IT decision-makers better understand their risk exposure and provide policymakers with the information they need to craft more effective and impactful strategies.”

The report delivers strategic, tactical, operational, and technical threat intelligence and leverages advanced data science to list various threat actor metrics. These metrics can be used to compare ransomware groups, estimate risks, and model threat actor behaviors.

Key findings include:

  • The 10% of victims that agree to pay usually do so quickly and are generally being forced to pay more per compromise
  • Risk is not homogeneous – it differs across regions, sectors, and organization sizes
  • Victims in some sectors and countries pay more often than others, meaning their peers are more likely to be targeted
  • Paying a ransom often only results in driving up the overall cost of the incident with few other benefits
  • Ransomware monetization activities are at their lowest in January and July-August, making these potentially good times for defenders to rebuild infrastructure and prepare for future threats

The report reveals that by prioritizing protection left of the kill chain, continuing in-depth analysis of the ransomware ecosystems, and focusing global efforts on reducing the percentage of victims paying, industry stakeholders could help drive down ransomware’s profitability.

The insights revealed in this report can also enable decision-makers to better assess possible financial risks stemming from Ransomware. This would help:

  • IT leaders to justify bigger budgets for ransomware defense
  • Governments to budget more accurately for restoration services and law enforcement
  • Insurers to price policies more accurately
  • International organizations to compare Ransomware more accurately to other global risks

*Jointly produced by Trend Micro and Waratah.io, the report applies data science approaches to information collected from network and host-based telemetry, underground forums, bitcoin, and financial transactions, and chat logs – alongside analysis of criminal business processes – to uncover new trends and choke points of the ransomware ecosystem.

Hashtag: #ransomware #TrendMicro

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

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world.

Schneider Electric closes 2022 with strong Sustainability Impact results

  • Half-way milestone crossed in ambition to save 800 million tonnes of CO2 emissions for customers
  • Progress doubled in sustainable packaging and access to energy at the same time

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 28 February 2023 – Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, recognized as a leading sustainability practitioner by independent Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings, announced today strong annual sustainability impact results alongside its 2022 financial performance.

“Despite increased geopolitical and economic uncertainty, in 2022, we remained focused on accelerating the transition to a cleaner and fairer world,” confirms Gwenaëlle Avice-Huet, Schneider Electric’s Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer. “The close integration of corporate strategy, quality and sustainability is a factor of success to provide digitization, electrification, efficiency and sustainability solutions that tackle today’s energy, climate and cost of living crises.”

Schneider’s Sustainability Impact (SSI) program includes 11 global targets to be met by 2025 complemented by hundreds of local goals led by regional and country teams. It contributes to Schneider Electric’s six long-term commitments, spanning ESG considerations, in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The company publishes progress on all these goals every quarter in a dedicated report.

Here are some highlights of the Schneider Sustainability Impact in 2022:

  • Schneider Electric becomes one of the first corporates in the world to get the Net-Zero targets for its entire value chain validated by the Science Based Targets initiative
  • Schneider Electric’s solutions and services helped customers save and avoid 440 million tonnes of CO2 since 2018, with more than 90 million more in 2022 alone
  • On top of that, the company’s top suppliers reduced their own CO2 emissions by 10% through its Zero Carbon project, and the Group initiated supplier engagement to advance decent work standards in its supply chain
  • 45% of all packaging from the company is now made without single-use plastic and use recycled cardboard, up from 21% in 2021
  • The company also expanded access to green and reliable electricity to 5.5 million people through its solutions and projects in 2022
  • About 70,000 people benefited from its energy management training programs as well
  • Schneider Electric launched its Sustainability School for all employees, so everyone can really understand the Planet and People challenges and do more at work and also in their personal lives

Overall progress made to fight Climate change, improve Resource efficiency, reinforce Trust and Equal opportunities, and empower all Generations contributed to a full-year Sustainability Impact score of 4.91/10, well above the target of 4.70 for the year. This result is an integral part of Schneider Electric’s short-term incentives for more than 64,000 managers in the Group – an example of how it lives up to Impact company principles.

Related resources:


Hashtag: #SchneiderElectric #ESG #ImpactCompany

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

About Schneider Electric

Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.



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Discover the newest perspectives shaping sustainability, electricity 4.0, and next generation automation on

Asia School of Business Signs Memorandum of Agreement with McKinsey to Catalyze the Corporate Venturing Movement in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 28 February 2023 – The Asia School of Business (ASB) announced that they have entered into a partnership with global management consultancy McKinsey & Company (McKinsey) to promote venture-building in Malaysia through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). This partnership was announced during the Malaysia Venture Building Forum, an inaugural event held today, to solidify the two parties’ commitment to this endeavor.

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The event gathered 50 CEOs, CXOs, and corporate venture builders from Malaysia. The theme of this forum focused on how business leaders and entrepreneurs could come together to promote the growth of Malaysia-based corporate ventures through ecosystem-building. The event featured a panel with senior leaders and experts from Malaysia’s venture-building space, including Azran Osman-Rani, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Naluri; Professor Joseph Cherian, Practice Professor of Finance at ASB; Pete Chareonwongsak, Chief Executive Officer of Teleport; Nimal Manuel, Senior Partner and Asia Leader of Leap by McKinsey; and Yiping Goh, Partner, at McKinsey & Company. Discussions focused on the common challenges faced in building a new venture in Malaysia, what it takes to succeed, and the advantages of established organizations promoting entrepreneurship.

“ASB is delighted to embark on this meaningful partnership with McKinsey’s venture-building arm, Leap by McKinsey, and we hope that great synergy can be generated through this collaboration. The newly set-up ‘ASB Hive,’ an ecosystem hub established by ASB’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC), will be a conducive location to help promote entrepreneurship and business-building in Malaysia. Furthermore, this partnership will help open doors for our MBA students to partake in projects in the form of a Summer Associate Program, which is a part of ASB’s MBA curriculum,” said Jake Cohen, Interim President, CEO and Dean of ASB.

“For Malaysia to be the next potential hotbed for future unicorns and decacorns, industry-university collaborations and partnerships are essential,” said Nimal Manuel. “We are excited to contribute toward building and scaling new businesses and help develop the talent capabilities needed to accelerate sustainable, inclusive growth in Malaysia.”

Hashtag: #AsiaSchoolofBusiness



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

Asia School of Business

Asia School of Business (ASB) was established in 2015 by Bank Negara Malaysia in collaboration with MIT Sloan School of Management to be a premier global business school, a knowledge and learning hub infused with regional expertise, insights, and perspectives of Asia and the emerging economies.

ASB’s degree and executive education programs have been globally-acclaimed for leading the way in management education. Through its award-winning Action Learning based curriculum, in partnership with the corporate community and students from across the world, ASB is committed to developing transformative and principled leaders who will contribute towards advancing the emerging world and beyond.

To learn more about Asia School of Business, visit their website at or check out their LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook pages.

McKinsey & Company

McKinsey is a global management consulting firm committed to helping organizations accelerate sustainable and inclusive growth. We work with clients across the private, public, and social sectors to solve complex problems and create positive change for all their stakeholders. We combine bold strategies and transformative technologies to help organizations innovate more sustainably, achieve lasting gains in performance, and build workforces that will thrive for this generation and the next.