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Vietnam PM Calls For Changes in Visa Policy to Ease Entry of Foreign Tourists

Vietnamese PM Calls For Visa Policy Changes to Ease Tourists Entry
Foreign tourists in Vietnam (photo: vietnaminsider)

Vietnam Prime Minister Mr. Pham Minh Chinh directed relevant authorities on Monday to revise the country’s current visa policy to facilitate the entry of international tourists and simplify administrative processes for granting e-visas.

The Straits Trading Company lists tokenised corporate bond backed by real estate on SDAX

The Digital Note, backed by a deed of undertaking by Straits Developments, allows for investors to gain up to 10% additional interest at redemption

  • As risk-free rates rise, investment providers in the market are bringing more innovative investment products to compete for investor dollars in the market.

  • One such new innovation is being brought to the market by Straits Trading through SDAX – a tokenised corporate bond that is backed by real estate which allows for additional special interest earned at maturity.

SINGAPORE – Media Outreach – 11 January 2023 – SDAX, a regulated investment and trading platform providing multi asset securities and fund units, has listed a tokenised note from Straits Trading GG Pte Ltd (STGG) in its exchange. The Digital Note functions as a note, with a deed of undertaking by Straits Developments Pte Ltd, provides an option for investors to earn stable interest income, while being able to participate in the appreciation of the underlying real estate asset – a freehold Gallop Green townhouse at Woollerton Park.

The investment deal with Straits Trading Company, a conglomerate-investment company incorporated since 1887 with diversified international operations and financial interests, is its first tokenised real estate-linked tradeable asset that utilises the blockchain for listing on SDAX’s exchange. The successful listing highlights the strategic partnership that Straits Trading Company has with SDAX as a supportive shareholder, and showcases an investment offering fractionalised real assets for investors.

The Digital Note offers investors the opportunity to invest in a note with property-like returns at a fraction of the cost. Investors will receive 3% annual interest payment and up to 10% special interest at redemption of the note which is subject to the sale price of the underlying property or valuation of the property. The previous instance when Straits Trading made available fractionalised real estate to investors was in May 2022 through its Straits Trading Shareholders’ Club where investments were in the minimum of S$200,000 to S$500,000.

“Fractional assets present a great opportunity for more investors to be involved in the various investment options that we have. As we look for strategic opportunities for new growth engines in digital assets, we are glad to be working with a technology platform like SDAX and bring more unique investment opportunities to a wider base of investors,” said Eric Teng, Chief Executive Officer of Straits Developments Pte Ltd.

SDAX works with companies and institutions to list investment deals in a fast, secure and cost-effective way through blockchain technology, in the process making these private market real estate investment opportunities accessible to investors via digital securities, in fractionalised amounts. Licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, SDAX focuses on institutional-grade real estate, corporate finance and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investments. SDAX is backed by strategic shareholders such as ESR (APAC’s largest real asset manager), PSA International – a Temasek Company, Straits Trading and RHT Group.

“In the current inflationary environment, people should be looking for ways to make idle funds in the bank more productive. Through our curation process, we collaborated with STC to bring this unique Digital Note that allows for interest income and participation in capital gains from real estate to more investors. With technology opening up more investment options, investors are getting better access to opportunities that generate more returns at the same or lower risk level. The Digital Note with STGG signals a start of more of such investments to come,” said Raymond Poh, Chief Executive Officer of SDAX.

SDAX’s exchange provides secondary market liquidity and enables its investors to participate in trading their digital securities. The blockchain allows for an immutable ledger in which the ownership of the assets is recorded and transferable efficiently on the exchange. The exchange will provide a channel for investors in this deal to trade their digital securities should they wish to exit the investment earlier than maturity – opening up possibilities for investors and providing price discovery for the issuer.

Raymond adds, “We continue to forge ahead with our institutional partners, strategic shareholders and the wider ecosystem to bring more of these curated opportunities for our investors.”
Hashtag: #realestate #tokenisation #investment



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

SDAX

SDAX is a MAS-regulated investment and trading platform serving institutional, accredited and retail investors. We provide access to uniquely curated assets that were once only available to institutions or ultra-high net worth individuals, through asset tokenisation. Our strength lies in real estate, corporate finance and ESG opportunities. SDAX partners with corporate and institutions to raise capital more efficiently to support their growth and expansion.

SDAX represents the merged entities of digital asset exchange Digiassets Exchange Singapore (SDAX) and fintech company Minterest Holdings. The merger and rebranding bring synergy for SDAX by combining capabilities to offer a Digital Asset Exchange.

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Straits Trading Company

Incorporated in 1887, The Straits Trading Company Limited is a conglomerate-investment company with operations and financial interests in resources, property, and hospitality. These include strategic stakes in one of the world’s leading tin producer, Malaysia Smelting Corporation Berhad, which is dual listed on Bursa Malaysia and the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited, ESR Group Limited and Far East Hospitality Holdings as well as a diversified property portfolio that is wholly owned by the Group.

KL Wellness City Poised to Invigorate the Medical Tourism Industry in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 10 January 2023 – Following the opening of borders in April last year, the Medical Tourism industry has recorded RM726 million of revenue as of Q3 2022 and is on the way to achieving its RM1 billion target for 2022. It was projected that the sector will bring in RM2 billion annual revenue in 2025.

(From Left) Dato' Sri Vincent Tiew (拿督斯里张孙通博士), Executive Director of Branding, Sales, and Marketing of KL Wellness City (KLWC), Datuk Seri Garry Chua (拿督斯里蔡家胜), Non-Executive Director of Retail, Consumerism & Construction of KLWC, Dato' Dr Colin Lee (拿督李顺树医生), Managing Director of KLWC, YBhg. Dato' Dr Ammar Abdul Ghapar, Senior Director of International Promotions from the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture and Datin Karen Pua (拿汀潘吇溱), Director of Hospitality of KLWC
(From Left) Dato’ Sri Dr Vincent Tiew (拿督斯里张孙通博士), Executive Director of Branding, Sales, and Marketing of KL Wellness City (KLWC), Datuk Seri Garry Chua (拿督斯里蔡家胜), Non-Executive Director of Retail, Consumerism & Construction of KLWC, Dato’ Dr Colin Lee (拿督李顺树医生), Managing Director of KLWC, YBhg. Dato’ Dr Ammar Abdul Ghapar, Senior Director of International Promotions from the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture and Datin Karen Pua (拿汀潘吇溱), Director of Hospitality of KLWC

In line with projections, purpose-built township KL Wellness City (KLWC), aims to drive medical tourism in Malaysia through its vision of a 360-degree wellness hub centered around its township which encompasses all aspects of medical care, health, wellness, fitness, and business, complete with residential, retail, and commercial offerings.

KL Wellness City Sdn Bhd Managing Director Dato’ Dr Colin Lee said, “The Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint 2021- 2025 by Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council has identified that “Step down, rehab and wellness development for healthcare travel” is one of the critical touchpoints that require key improvements.

KLWC is a city dedicated to healthcare and wellness living at its core. As the first real estate development in South East Asia to pioneer a comprehensive ecosystem of healthcare and wellness-centric living, KLWC is targeted to become a hub for local and international medical tourism. For tourists and visitors local and abroad, KLWC will position Malaysia as the ideal location in the South East Asia region to travel and visit, in addition to indulging in an environment of the best healthcare and wellness facilities designed for better living.”

Spanning over 26.49 acres, KL Wellness City is 45 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), it is a complete healthcare travel ecosystem anchored with The Nobel Healthcare Park, The International Tertiary Hospital, 379 medical specialist suites, retirement resorts for independent and assisted living, a healthcare mall, residential units, commercial shop lots offering health and fitness-centric retail as well as food and beverage outlets, a Multimedia Super Corridor-designated office space, and a central park.

The Nobel Healthcare Park and The International Tertiary Hospital

Located in the heart of Bukit Jalil, The Nobel Healthcare Park, which consists of the medical, business, wellness & retail suites, has a fully-connected ecosystem of specialists and ancillary medical services interlinked with adjacent International Hospital @ KL Wellness City, approved as a tertiary hospital with 624 beds and scalable to 1,000-bed capacity.

“Malaysia has been receiving medical tourists from various countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and China, for its affordable and good healthcare. In terms of medical tourism, the wellness suites cater for patients who are in step-down care – those who have been discharged from hospital but are still recovering and may require assistance such as daily physiotherapy or rehabilitation.

In terms of medical tourism, the wellness suites cater for patients who are in step-down care – those who have been discharged from hospital but are still recovering and may require assistance such as daily physiotherapy or rehabilitation.

The suites also cater to the families of medical tourists, who require accommodation closer to the patients and to various medical professional, amenities and facilities when required, particularly The International Tertiary Hospital.”

Lee added that The International Tertiary Hospital aims to be the most well-equipped and modern hospital in the region across areas including cardiology, spine health, neuro health, sports medicine, cosmetic surgery and fertility, with R&D laboratories and facilities for clinical studies across a variety of fields equipped with cutting-edge technology.

“Malaysia has a history of being one of the best locations for medical tourism and leveraging on that, The Nobel Healthcare Park, is more than just its services – it is part of the KLWC ecosystem that covers the aspects of healthcare, including acute medical care, emergency care, wellness, and fitness in addition to cultivating a lifestyle that is health-centric for its residents and medical professionals. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a need to live healthily among people. KLWC was conceptualised around the idea of healthy living.

As the first-of-its-kind medical and wellness hub, The Nobel Healthcare Park is set to reinvent the way medical professionals operate and manage their practices, as well as the way people live and reside, incorporating a sense of longevity and wellness in their everyday lives. We share the ambition to make Malaysia the undisputed destination for medical tourism, as well as setting a new benchmark for hospitality, living and medical care through KLWC” Lee concluded.

In conjunction with the coming Chinese New Year, KL Wellness City will be hosting its CNY celebration, the ‘Spring of the Auspicious 8’, for the first time at the newly opened KLWC gallery in Bukit Jalil on January 14th & 15th and February 4th & 5th with several fun-filled activities, performances, and rewards for both adults and children, such as:

Special Activities and Performances

  • Acrobatic Lion Dance
  • Chinese Orchestra Performance
  • Tarot card reading by Cris Angel
  • Kids DIY Workshops
  • Cookie Baking Workshops
  • Valentines Baking Workshops
  • Spring Rewards Wheel of Fortune, where cash rebates of RM1888, RM2888 and RM3,888 when you purchase a property at The Nobel Healthcare Park as well as other tokens.

In addition to the activities, attendees will enjoy traditional Chinese delicacies namely Dragon Beard Candy, Ting Ting Candy, and Sugar Calabash. Attendees can also participate in KL Wellness City Spring Rewards by taking a photo in KL Wellness City gallery with the CNY themed decorations, posting and tagging KLWC on Facebook or Instagram platforms and get a chance to spin the Spring Rewards Wheel of Fortune.Hashtag: #KLWellnessCity #medicaltourism #medicaltravel #tourismMalaysia

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

About KL Wellness City

KL Wellness City Sdn Bhd is the master township developer. At the forefront of wellness and healthcare, KL Wellness City is the first in Southeast Asia to cultivate a lifestyle fully integrated with healthcare. Pioneering a comprehensive ecosystem embodying healthcare and wellness living, KL Wellness City’s concept is uniquely modelled by its declaration to redefining, strengthening, and broadening our experience of health and quality of life. Sharing in this vision of building a 360-degree wellness hub, the KL Wellness City community boasts The International Tertiary Hospital, Medical Suites, innovation laboratories, clinical R&D facilities, healthcare company office towers, a retirement resort, a Healthcare Hub, wellness-centric serviced apartments, a fitness-based Central Park, and more. Serving as a healthcare nexus, these pivotal elements collectively render KL Wellness City the ultimate one-stop oasis for the body and the mind. Each component of this township is carefully conceptualised to excel both independently and collectively as a part of the community’s integrated ecosystem encompassing medical care, healthcare, wellness and fitness.

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Starbucks Gears up to Open its Second Store in Laos

The new Starbucks store under construction at ViewMall, Vientiane.

The global coffee chain is currently setting up its new café at Vientiane’s ViewMall and has started advertising on social media about staff requirements at the new store.

Direct Flights Between Vientiane and Kuala Lumpur to Return in March

Air Asia's airplane (photo: webintravel)

Direct Air Asia flights between Vientiane and Kuala Lumpur are scheduled to return in late March operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

WHO to Reconsider Covid-19 as Global Health Emergency

The World Health Organization office (Photo: ABC News)

The World Health Organization will hold a meeting on 27 January in Geneva, Switzerland to decide whether Covid-19 is still a public health emergency. 

Prime Minister of Vietnam in Laos for State Visit

Vietnam Prime Minister, Mr. Pham Minh Chinh

Vietnamese Prime Minister, Mr. Pham Minh Chinh, is in Laos today to co-chair the 45th meeting of the Laos-Vietnam Inter-Governmental Committee from 11-12 January.

Police Officer Trying to Steal Gold, Arrested in Vientiane Capital

Local police arrested a man, who robbed a gold shop in Vientiane Capital’s Xaythany district seizing 304.8 g of gold and shooting the village guard last week.