Laos has recorded 1,291new cases of Covid-19 across the country today.
Laos Confirms 1,291New Cases of Covid-19 and Four Deaths
The Hong Kong Green Building Council Announces the Winners of the “Advancing Net Zero” Ideas Competition for Building Solutions to Address Climate Change
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 30 November 2021 – Climate change is without doubt the most pressing concern in the world today. At the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, world leaders agreed on two major initiatives to tackle the problem: Ending deforestation and reducing global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 as compared with 2020 levels. Hong Kong is eager to help, and earlier this year launched the first “Advancing Net Zero” (ANZ) Ideas Competition to help drive net zero solutions in the building sector. Organised by the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) with Swire Properties as the Principal Partner, the competition attracted great interest and the winners were announced today.
The competition invited experts from around the globe to contribute innovative design ideas and practical solutions in two categories: (i) Future Buildings and (ii) Existing Buildings and under three main themes: (i) Zero carbon & ultra energy efficiency, (ii) Embodied carbon, (iii) Health and sustainability. Participants could propose their ideas based on the real data of two office towers – site of One Taikoo Place and Oxford House in Taikoo Place, so that the solutions generated could be realistic and the implementation feasibility could be enhanced. The overall aim was to move Hong Kong’s building sector towards a sustainable future and actively meet the Hong Kong Government’s target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 by fostering innovative solutions for the city.
Ar Prof Ada FUNG, Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Competition said: ” Hong Kong is a signature model for a subtropical, high-rise and high-density urban context which is always a challenge for designers and architects when it comes to decarbonisation. Targeting the commercial building sector which accounts for 65% of electricity consumption in the city, we were delighted to see so many multi-disciplinary professionalal teams from around the world participate in the competition. In total, we received 22 entries from 58 organisations and companies. The entries were all of a very high standard and we have seen lots of inspiring and avant-garde concepts for both the local and global building sectors. We are glad to see some similar innovative ideas and trends emerging from different teams. Harvesting these ideas and solutions, we would build a Knowledge Bank to help accelerate their adoption by the industry to achieve net zero.”
Professional Jury of Global Experts
The Jury Panel was composed of well-known experts from different industries including Ms Tanya COX, Chair of the World Green Building Council; Professor JIANG Yi, Director of the Building Energy Research Centre of Tsinghua University; Mr William MCDONOUGH, the founding partner of architects William McDonough + Partners and a globally recognised leader in sustainable development and design; and Ms Meaghan LLOYD, Partner at Gehry Partners, the acclaimed firm founded by Pritzker Prize Laureate Frank Gehry.
The Winners
The jury selected three Winners and five Merit Awards from the eight shortlisted finalists in the Future Building and Existing Building category. The eight teams are eligible for a total of HK$1.4 million in prize money.
1. Future Building Category – A seamless carbon positive experience for users intergrated with innovation and technology
The two winning entries for the “Future Building” category are A) “The Treehouse” by Ronald Lu & Partners (Hong Kong) Ltd. and B) “Taikoo Green Ribbon” by Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited. The three merit awards for this category include Eckersley O’Callaghan Asia Limited, Modus Architecture Ltd and Leigh & Orange Ltd.
A. “The Treehouse”
Using the concept of the sacred union between man and nature, “The Treehouse” is a new calibre of workplace which aims to promote carbon positivity through cutting edge technology, design and management.
Highlighted by large amounts of green landscaping and plants, “The Treehouse” features a self-shading façade for the upper storeys as well as a rooftop PV system to avoid solar heat and help generate renewable energy for daily operations. To reduce energy consumption, large PV integrated overhangs with daily light reflectors; a windcatcher that can capture cool air from 200 meters above ground; and a BIPV – CLAD solar chimney will be installed to promote natural lighting and ventilation for the building’s interior. The idea is to inspire and encourage everyone to reinvent their relationship with the earth and make strides to create positive changes for our future.
B. “Taikoo Green Ribbon”
Featuring over 4,250 sq.m of green open space and garden, a 1km landscaped ANZ jogging path and a series of state of the art technologies, “Taikoo Green Ribbon” designed by Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited is a unique and innovative workplace that introduces an entirely new urban eco-lifestyle concept.
Apart from restoring the local ecosystem and biodiversity by using extensive green elements, ranging from wildlife attracting flowers to wind-resistant plants to create a nature-driven community, the distinctive building also incorporates sets of passive and active environmental systems inside and out to create an advanced net-zero and carbon neutral development. The design also utilises an almost full natural ventilation strategy for the offices to minimise energy consumptions and enhance user’s wellbeing and comfort at the same time.
2. Existing Building Category – Utilising waste to generate renewable energy for operation
The winner of the “Existing Building” category is “The Living Lab” by Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited. The two merit awards for this category include LWK + PARTNERS and Woods Bagot.
A. “The Living Lab”
Using a holistic design approach to reduce energy demand and increase on-site renewable energy generation at the same time to achieve a net-zero goal, “The Living Lab” is a nurturing ground to encourage behavioural change from every little step.
Featuring a renewable system, the building upcycles the algae in the building’s façade together with food waste and black water to generate a renewable energy supply of electricity and hot water for daily operations through the tri-digestion process.
Mr CHEUNG Hau-wai, Chairman of the Hong Kong Green Building Council said, “Climate change is an urgent global challenge for all countries. Hong Kong is full of talented professionals in the building sector who could contribute proactively to help achieving carbon reduction targets as a member of the global village. We have seen outstanding insights and ideas from the applications to accelerate green building practice for Hong Kong as a high density city as well as for the rest of the globe in eco-construction. Together, we can create a low carbon and eco-friendly future for our planet.”
“We are delighted to join the HKGBC in realising the city’s first ANZ competition,” said Mrs Elizabeth KOK, Director and Senior Advisor of Swire Properties. “It is encouraging to see so many innovative ideas, which can inspire our industry to take action and bring positive changes to our built environment. As a keen sustainable development advocate, Swire Properties is working full steam ahead towards reaching our approved 1.5C-aligned science-based targets to fight climate change. We look forward to more innovations in our industry to help push us further to achieve carbon neutrality.”
To help encourage a transformation in the market, all the valuable and pioneering solutions from the winners and merits will be showcased via a public exhibition, an e-book and hosted on HKGBC’s website. The first exhibition will be held at Linkbridge, Lincoln House, Taikoo Place (between 29 November – 17 December) and will travel to various districts in Hong Kong with details to be announced. Dialogues with the Government will also be held to hopefully fast track the solutions to the policy level.
Appendix A
“Advancing Net Zero” Ideas Competition Exhibition – First Stop Location: Linkbridge, Lincoln House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay Date: 29 November – 17 December 2021 Opening Hours: 8:00am – 9:00pm |
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About the Hong Kong Green Building Council
The Hong Kong Green Building Council Limited (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member-led organisation established in 2009 with the vision to aspire for quality and sustainability at every stage of the building life cycle and embrace these principles as a mark of excellence. The Founding Members of the HKGBC include the Construction Industry Council (CIC), Business Environment Council (BEC), the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Professional Green Building Council (PGBC). Its mission is to lead the market transformation to a sustainable built environment in Hong Kong by guiding the development of industry standards, best practices, education, and research in green building.
To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk.
About Swire Properties
Swire Properties develops and manages commercial, retail, hotel and residential properties, with a particular focus on mixed-use developments in prime locations. Swire Properties is listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and its investment portfolio in Hong Kong comprises Taikoo Place, Cityplaza and Pacific Place. In addition to Hong Kong, the Company has investments in the Chinese Mainland, the United States, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Swire Properties launched its Sustainable Development (SD) 2030 vision and strategy in 2016 to integrate SD into every aspect of its operations and inspire business decisions.
To find out more about Swire Properties and its SD efforts, visit www.swireproperties.com.
#HongKongGreenBuildingCouncil #SwireProperties
Authorities Destroy 9.9 Hectares of Marijuana Fields in Laos
Authorities in Bolikhamxay Province have destroyed another massive marijuana plantation that spread across nine hectares of land.
YouTrip, a neobank in Southeast Asia, raises US$30 million to accelerate growth in B2C and B2B space
- YouTrip’s transaction volume has rebounded to pre-COVID levels, driven by strong traction in cross-border e-commerce transactions and return of travel spending. Exponential growth is expected in upcoming months following the opening of more Vaccinated Travel Lanes in Singapore and progressive return of SEA travel.
- The latest funding will be used to scale the neobank’s product offerings, including venturing into the B2B payments space, and accelerate its expansion into wider Southeast Asia.
- YouTrip’s dual-growth engine in B2B and B2C payments enables it to be pandemic-resilient, and well-primed for high growth.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 30 November 2021 – YouTrip, Singapore’s leading neobank offering a multi-currency wallet, announced today that it has raised US$30 million in its latest Series A round. The round, driven by returning investors from major Asian family offices and prominent financial technology investors, will solidify the fintech firm’s position as the leading neobank in Southeast Asia offering B2B and B2C multi-currency payments. With this, the company has now raised over US$60 million funding in total since launch.
The new capital will supercharge the company’s technological capabilities to bolster its suite of payment products, in particular entering the adjacent B2B payments space, as well as accelerating its entrance into the wider Southeast Asia.
Caecilia Chu, YouTrip’s CEO and Co-founder said, “We have transformed tremendously as a company since our last funding round[1]. From a mobile travel wallet, we have grown to establish a strong foothold in new territories such as overseas online spending to meet the extraordinary shifts in consumer behaviours. We believe there is untapped potential in cross-border payments, and our market-leading position in this space puts us in a good place to serve more of our users’ payment needs – from travellers, to online shoppers, and now, businesses.”
“As a company, this latest round also gives us the resources to strengthen our multiple growth engines to stay resilient and well-primed for expansion into new vistas,” she added.
Card transaction exceeds US$800 million, exponential growth expected with travel return
YouTrip has maintained its position as the ‘go-to’ card for consumers’ multi-currency spending. To date, it has processed over US$800 million card spend globally, with almost 20 million transactions and over 1.5 million app downloads.
YouTrip’s transaction volume has also rebounded to pre-COVID levels, driven by strong traction in cross-border e-commerce transactions and progressive return of travel spending. With the opening of more Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) in Singapore, transaction volume is forecast to accelerate rapidly especially given upcoming holiday seasons and revenge travel.
B2B payments a promising growth engine
To advance its growth, YouTrip has set its sights on the B2B payments ecosystem. The industry, which is expected to be worth US$150 trillion by 2022[2], is ripe with potential, with SMEs showing a strong willingness to adopt digital banking services, specifically for cross-border payments[3].
Catering to businesses with a global footprint, YouTrip’s new corporate credit card, YouBiz, promises the best value and best-in-class multi-currency payment experience. The product offers higher spending limits while transacting at the best exchange rates in 150+ currencies, and credit terms offered to selected business account users. Companies will also be able to issue corporate cards to employees, with all expenses streamlined into one platform.
Arthur Mak, YouTrip’s Co-founder said, “We’re very excited about the B2B payments opportunity. It is a segment with a deep market, as companies increasingly operate in a distributed and borderless manner and we expect their cross-border payment needs to go up. By incorporating our company’s core strengths of offering the best exchange rates and an extremely easy to use interface into YouBiz, we help businesses save time and cost, so that they can focus their energy and efforts in finding growth.”
Registration for interest in the product’s beta launch has received more than 1,000 sign-ups to date.
YouBiz will be rolled out in Singapore in the first quarter of 2022, and with plans to bring it to five other Southeast Asia countries in the next twelve months.
Riding the tailwinds of ecommerce growth and travel resurgence
Lastly, YouTrip is optimistic about the headroom for growth in consumer’s multi-currency payments, driven by the rapid rebound of leisure travel, and the sustained popularity of e-commerce. YouTrip Perks – the company’s rewards platform offering cashbacks and deals from top merchants such as Taobao, Amazon and Singapore Airlines – has recorded a 150% increase in transactions since its launch in September.
For a more seamless payment experience, YouTrip will be refreshing its app with new features such as a virtual card, an interactive exchange rates dashboard, and the ability to hold more popular currencies in their wallet. This will be launched in early 2022.
On the travel front, with more VTLs opening and as Singaporeans steadily take flight, YouTrip has also launched its VTL Holiday Away campaign today to bring more value to their overseas trips. From today till 31 December, YouTrip users will get a chance to receive cashback of up to $100 when they pay using YouTrip for overseas spending, reinforcing its proposition as the best overseas payment method in the upcoming travel season. A grand prize of an all-expenses-paid VTL trip worth up to $5,000 will also be awarded to one selected user. For more information on the VTL Holiday Away campaign, please visit here.
About YouTrip
YouTrip is a Southeast Asian neobank offering the region’s first and leading multi-currency wallet. As a regional financial technology startup, it is dedicated to creating the best mobile financial services by simplifying foreign currency payments and offering the best exchange rates. YouTrip was launched in Singapore in 2018 and subsequently in Thailand in partnership with Kasikornbank in 2019. To date, it has received over 1.5 million downloads and processed close to 20 million transactions.
The company is a Major Payment Institution licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and was awarded one of Top FinTech Leaders in both 2020 and 2021 by the Singapore FinTech Association.
For more information, please visit www.you.co
#YouTrip
Woman Steals Car From Vientiane Dealership After Test Drive
A Vientiane woman has been arrested for stealing a second-hand car after taking it for a test drive and fleeing the scene.
ACASIA Accelerates Expansion of Global Businesses into ASEAN with Comprehensive Suite of Connectivity Services and Digital Infrastructure
- ACASIA, a unique ASEAN collaboration among 7 leading telecommunications (telco) providers, will help to connect global business to ASEAN, which is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world
- A fully equipped and comprehensive suite of connectivity services and digital infrastructure in the ASEAN region enables global businesses to bridge services offered in the region
- ACASIA acts as a single point of contact for all connectivity services within ASEAN, giving power to businesses across the globe who are looking to tap into the Southeast Asian region
- Shared collaborations within ACASIA in the ASEAN region ensure data sovereignty, enabling data to reside in countries where data is collected unless approval is provided
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 30 November 2021 – ACASIA Communications Sdn Bhd (“ACASIA”), a unique collaboration among seven (7) leading telecommunications (“telco”) providers, will accelerate the expansion of global businesses into the ASEAN region, one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, with its comprehensive suite of connectivity services and digital infrastructure.
ACASIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr M Satya Riayatsyah Syafruddin
Formed in 1995, the shareholders of ACASIA are among the seven leading telcos in the region, namely Telekom Malaysia Berhad (“TM”) in Malaysia, Singtel in Singapore, National Telecom in Thailand, Indosat Ooredoo in Indonesia, PLDT in the Philippines, Nex.Us in Brunei and VNPT in Vietnam. These seven players have a proven track record in the telco services provided in the region.
With an established digital infrastructure in the region, ACASIA helps global businesses to expand into ASEAN through a seamless process made possible by the collaborations among its shareholders. ACASIA will serve as a service aggregator for these global business operations that require presence in the region.
ACASIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr M Satya Riayatsyah Syafruddin, said, “Given the potential in ASEAN as one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, ACASIA serves as a one-stop solution for global businesses to simplify its digital process and transformation. For example, a global business that sets up its operation in Malaysia and looking to expand into the Philippines, would need to set up its digital infrastructure and connectivity in both countries. However, with ACASIA, we help to bridge these processes and simplify the expansion plans into the region.”
During the ASEAN Business and Investment Roundtable 2021 on Fintech and Financial Literacy, leaders in the region have affirmed ASEAN as one of the fastest-growing regions despite the COVID-19 crisis. While the region was among the worst hit globally during the pandemic and suffered a supply-chain bottleneck that persists currently, recovery is expected for ASEAN, the fifth-largest economy in the world with a combined GDP of USD3.1 trillion in 2020.
“The growth potential is huge for ACASIA as we tap on the digital transformation that has escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our existing infrastructure in the region puts us in a strong position to offer valuable services for global businesses that are expanding into the region,” Satya said.
ACASIA’s established presence in the region and its fully-equipped infrastructure allows the company to offer a comprehensive suite of connectivity services and digital infrastructure for global businesses. The services offered will help to bridge the gaps in terms of business operations and processes in the different countries in the region.
Other than accelerating the expansion of global businesses into the region, ACASIA also offers ASEAN companies to tap on its digital infrastructure to venture out of their respective local economies.
Through this ecosystem and with their own points-of-presence in most ASEAN countries, ACASIA acts as a single point of contact for all connectivity services within ASEAN, giving power to businesses across the globe who are looking to tap into the Southeast Asian region.
According to Satya, the shared collaborations in the ASEAN region also offers data sovereignty for businesses and governments. ACASIA will ensure data sovereignty by enabling data to reside in countries where data is collected, unless approval is granted.
ACASIA solutions also offer access to private cloud computing infrastructure, which would be vital for organisations that rely on public cloud services for data storage and hosting. Given the increased awareness of the importance of data privacy, this will help the shift into secured private cloud storage and hosting.
“Infrastructure to support data sovereignty is something that is lacking, and with ACASIA, we fill the gap and offer the missing link for the whole ecosystem of digitalisation, especially for businesses and government in the ASEAN region. Our strength as a unit will enable our clients to leverage on these synergies to grow globally in a secure environment amidst a rush into digitalisation,” Satya added.
The comprehensive connectivity solutions offered by ACASIA puts the Group in a good position to tap on the huge potential within the global wireless connectivity technology market, which was expected to grow at a 13.0% CAGR to reach USD150.4 billion by 2021.
About ACASIA Communications Sdn Bhd
ACASIA Communications is an ICT Solutions provider offering a comprehensive suite of connectivity services and digital infrastructure to take your business across ASEAN and global.
It is a global gateway that opens up for digital connectivity within the ASEAN region. With more than 25 years of industry experience, ACASIA is driven by its value creation for its stakeholders in a highly competitive environment via its competitive edge technology to offer the best solutions for businesses.
Through its ecosystem and with their own points-of-presence in most ASEAN countries, ACASIA acts as a single point of contact for all connectivity services within ASEAN, giving power to businesses across the globe who are looking to tap into the Southeast Asian region.
The company strives on delivering the best customer experience via continuous customer service quality improvements and innovations
Connecting ASEAN & Global. We connect the dots between the ASEAN region and Global by leveraging on the strengths of its shareholders.
#ACASIA
AnyDesk expands in Asia Pacific
The Germany-based technology company AnyDesk is expanding into Asia Pacific and is pursuing its localization strategy by opening a new regional office in Hong Kong –focusing on serving the huge demand in Asia Pacific for a fast and stable remote desktop software.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 30 November 2021 – Tech company AnyDesk, one of the world’s leading providers of remote desktop software, is expanding into Hong Kong, China, as their new regional office. To better serve Greater China and Asia Pacific simultaneously, the newly appointed Regional Vice President Alan Wong will be in charge of driving forward AnyDesk’s Asia Pacific business. Alan has over twenty years of experience in heading up regional sales teams and professional services teams for business transformation, Software-as-a-Service and Cloud projects in the Asia-Pacific region.
Regional Vice President, APAC – Alan Wong
AnyDesk pursuing a consistent localization strategy
AnyDesk already has a large, organically developed user base in Asia Pacific, with over 170 million devices installed across Asia Pacific. The company is now planning to further expand this strong user base and offer better and closer service to our regional customer. To that end, AnyDesk is currently localizing its services.
Chief Executive Officer & Founder – Philipp Weiser
Regional office in Hong Kong
With its brand-new regional office at the International Commerce Center in Kowloon, AnyDesk is positioning itself as the perfect partner for companies looking to launch or expand their business in Asia Pacific. Philipp Weiser, AnyDesk founder and CEO, comments: “For international companies, Hong Kong is one of the most exciting future markets, with significant prospects for growth. We are excited to expand our new Hong Kong Team. With our regional office we are now very well set up locally.”
As AnyDesk expands into Asia Pacific with its regional office in Hong Kong, Alan Wong, Regional Vice President, comments: “With huge organic demands from Asia Pacific over the last 18 months, it is only logically for a company with ambitions like AnyDesk to build a young and dynamic team here to serve our local fans. Our growth plans do not stop here, you will see us very soon in Singapore, Tokyo and Melbourne. “
You can find further product information here.
About AnyDesk
AnyDesk Software GmbH is one of the leading providers of remote desktop solutions. With its unique Remote Access Software, the company, founded in 2014, creates the ideal basis for collaboration in the modern world of work. The core of AnyDesk is the specially developed Codec DeskRT, which enables almost latency-free collaboration – even in regions with poor internet connections. The software has already been installed on almost 500 million devices in 190 countries worldwide and is used by over 80,000 customers, including world-renowned companies such as Bosch, McDonalds, and Google. This makes the company one of the 50 fastest growing companies in Germany. For further information please visit our Website .
#AnyDesk
Prime Minister of Laos Visits Cambodia to Attend 13th ASEM Summit
Prime Minister of Laos, Dr. Phankham Viphavanh, led a high-level Lao delegation to Cambodia to attend the 13th Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM 13), which was held from 25-26 November 2021.