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Principal introduces first local-domiciled ESG Asian Income and Allocation Strategies to Hong Kong Market

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 15 December 2021 – Principal Hong Kong (“Principal”) announced the launch of the Principal Sustainable Asian Income Fund today and the upcoming Principal Sustainable Asian Allocation Fund (New Funds) under the Principal Prosperity Series. These funds are SFC authorized and placed on their “list of green and ESG funds” #. This enables retail investors to gain access to the first-to-market local-domiciled ESG Asian income and allocation strategies, which may be part of the income solutions for pre- and post-retirement.  

 

“Enhancing retirement protection with potential regular dividend paying investment products may help sustain the living standards of retirees enabling them to feel more financially secure,” said Mr. Derek Ching, CEO of Principal Investment & Retirement Services Limited.

 

The New Funds aim to provide capital growth and income over medium to long term by investing in Asia Pacific companies that are environmental, social and governance (ESG) Leaders+. They utilize a Best-In-Class strategy^ with the portfolio being 100% ESG screened.

 

“At Principal, our investment capabilities in ESG have been building for over two decades.” said Mr. Ching. “Sustainable investing is becoming a more important consideration for investors. Our New Funds are Asian focused ESG funds with 100% ESG screening. Investing in ESG does not mean that investors need to sacrifice investment returns. In fact, the performance of ESG indices may outperform non-ESG traditional indices.” 

 

These New Funds domiciled in Hong Kong with relatively low to medium risk level are available for investment from both local and Greater Bay Area (GBA) mainland residents. As a southbound stream of GBA’s Wealth Management Connect, these New Funds may help capture the business opportunities with unique fund features not currently offered in the market. The New Funds come with different share classes which include Income Plus Class Units that target higher potential monthly yields for those investors trying to match desired income levels.  

 

 “We keep innovating to empower customers along their retirement journey. By introducing the new ESG income funds, we strive to bring more diversified products for our clients to generate possible passive income and help them achieve their financial goals. At the same time, we help them align their investments with the environmental and social values they’re concerned with. Together, we wish to safeguard the sustainability of our clients’ interests for future generations to come.” Mr. Ching added.  

Notes:

~ Principal Sustainable Asian Income Fund and Principal Sustainable Asian Allocation Fund are on the list of green and ESG funds, and currently they are the only Hong Kong domiciled funds classified as Asian Income and/or Allocation Strategies, please details please refer to https://www.sfc.hk/en/Regulatory-functions/Products/List-of-green-and-ESG-funds

# The list of green and ESG funds does not constitute an official recommendation of these products or a guarantee of their green or ESG attributes or related performance.

+ Principal Asset Management Company (Asia) Limited (the Manager) will assign ESG scorings on potential companies/issuers by using a proprietary ESG methodology. Companies/issuers which are in the higher Quartile 1 or 2 within their respective sectors based on ESG scores as ranked by the Manager’s internal rating system, or have a minimum MSCI ESG rating of BBB will be considered to be ESG leaders.

^ The Manager adopts a best-in-class strategy under which the Manager will screen all securities investable by the Sub-Fund (including ETF and CIS) with the aim of identifying ESG leaders and ESG-focused ETF/CIS.

Investments involve risks. This material is intended for general reference only. There is no assurance on investment returns and you may not get back the amount originally invested.  Dividend is not guaranteed. SFC authorization does not mean the product is suitable for you or any particular investor. You should read the relevant offering document (including the key facts statement) of the funds for further details including the risk factors.

About Principal

In Hong Kong, we are a provider of investment and retirement solutions. Our member companies, including Principal Trust Company (Asia) Limited, Principal Investment & Retirement Services Limited and Principal Asset Management Company (Asia) Limited, combine our capabilities in global investment management, retirement leadership and asset allocation expertise to provide retirement and asset management services as well as award-winning mutual funds and investment products to businesses, individuals and institutional investors. All the above companies are member companies of the Principal Financial Group.

#Principal

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

Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 elevates conferencing experience at German Centre Beijing

German Centre Beijing selects Sennheiser’s TCC2 to provide state-of-the-art meeting and conferencing solutions for its tenants

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach – 15 December 2021 – The German Centre Beijing provides modern office spaces, offers conference and meeting facilities, and supports companies with practical advice and services. Located at the heart of Beijing’s business and diplomatic district, the German Centre takes care of the complete workspace infrastructure, so that tenants can entirely focus on their business. Since 1999, more than 500 companies have used the German Centre Beijing to start and grow their business in China. Currently, its 17,000 sqm space is home to more than 70 companies.



Jochen Tenhagen, Managing Director of German Centre Beijing, shared his experience using Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 microphones

 

The German Centre offers different types of meeting rooms and facilities for both offline and online meetings and activities – in perfect sync with the needs of their tenants. Recently, the German Centre Beijing has installed two Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) units in its ‘Stuttgart’ meeting room to improve the hybrid meeting and conferencing experience.

 

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, many meetings have moved online. We saw a huge increase in the demand for better meeting room audio and conferencing solutions to support this ‘new normal’,” said Jochen Tenhagen, Managing Director of the German Center Beijing.

 

The 72m2 Stuttgart meeting room seats up to 50 people and is used for a variety of functions and business meetings. The room can be expanded into a larger conference area for up to 100 participants with different seating configurations.

 

A flexible and powerful audio and conferencing solution

TCC2 proved to be the perfect audio and conferencing solution for this space thanks to its adaptive beamforming technology and TruVoicelift functionality, which significantly increases speech intelligibility in a meeting or conference room, allowing participants to be heard clearly from every corner of the room.

 

“TCC2 has enabled a truly contactless and wireless experience for our tenants, which has greatly reduced hygiene risks. The dynamic beamforming technology automatically follows the active speaker’s voice, allowing them freedom of movement in the room. Most importantly for us, this meant that the configuration of the room is flexible, and changing it will not impair the audio quality,” explained Jochen Tenhagen. With TCC2, it is also possible to define advanced exclusion zones within the meeting room to eliminate unwanted noise sources, and a priority zone for uninterrupted speech pick-up.

 

Users of the Stuttgart meeting room can now participate in meetings in a stress-free environment and can be confident that they would not miss any key information due to poor sound quality. Participants and guest speakers who join an event remotely will enjoy the same great sound quality: TCC2 will reliably pick up all speakers within a room and make the remote experience more life-like and engaging.

 

The TCC2 is embedded in the meeting room ceiling and the installation was easy and straightforward. The integration of TCC2 with other solutions such as the Q-SYS Core 110f processor from QSC and Clickshare CX-30 conferencing solution from Barco was seamless, and together, they form an integrated smart system that can be controlled using the Crestron control panel.

 

Stuttgart Meeting Room – the most popular meeting room in German Centre Beijing

With the upgrade of the Stuttgart meeting room, TCC2 has not only made remote conferencing more convenient, but also elevated the in-room audio capabilities for live events and meetings. In fact, the Stuttgart meeting room has now become the most popular meeting room at the German Centre Beijing.

 

“I’m really happy with Sennheiser’s TCC2. We can now hear each other clearly from every part of the room, without the need to handle handheld microphones. The conferencing experience for participants who attend meetings and events virtually has also improved greatly with TCC2. Regardless of whether two or twenty participants attend, the sound quality of our virtual meetings is comparable to face-to-face meetings. I am very satisfied with this partnership with Sennheiser,” added Jochen Tenhagen.

 

The German Centre Beijing is confident that its tenants will continue to benefit from TCC2. TCC2 is compatible with leading video collaboration platforms such as Zoom and Tencent Meeting and is certified for Microsoft Teams when deployed with Microsoft-certified DSPs.

 

The high-resolution images accompanying this press release plus additional photos can be downloaded here.

 

About Sennheiser

Shaping the future of audio and creating unique sound experiences for customers – this aim unites Sennheiser employees and partners worldwide. The independent family company, which is managed in the third generation by Dr. Andreas Sennheiser and Daniel Sennheiser, is today one of the world’s leading manufacturers of headphones, loudspeakers, microphones and wireless transmission systems. In 2020, the Sennheiser Group generated turnover totaling €573.5 million. www.sennheiser.com

#Sennheiser

New perspectives in crypto amid the BTC bull market according to OctaFX

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 15 December 2021 – Much speculation has been uttered about the expiration date of the current crypto bull market, driven by bitcoin. International Forex broker OctaFX summarises what has happened so far and highlights the fresh innovations to pay attention to.

 

Firstly, let’s ascertain the state of the market with some basic, recent statistics. The date 10 November 2021 stands out. That’s when the first cryptocurrency in the world reached its historic all-time high so far: 69,000 USD.

In the course of the following month, the price steeply moved down to about 46,500 USD on 4 December—a correction of over 32 per cent. As of this writing, BTC hovers slightly above 48,800 USD.

 

But according to measured social media sentiment, everything still is on track for a further uptrend. Although, this can be an indicator for the possibility of the opposite, at least short-term. Therefore, before the general uptrend visibly resumes, another leg down from here wouldn’t shock the more experienced observers and participants of the cryptosphere.

 

In addition, a combined expert opinion paints a rather bullish midterm outlook on the next few months and further into 2022. Some seasoned influencers speculate about a definitive bitcoin all-time high peaking at around 100,000-150,000 USD before the current cycle would cease and pave the way for the bears.

 

In October, Mark Zuckerberg announced renaming his famous social media monolith Facebook Inc. into ‘Meta Inc.’, thereby paving the way for the so-called ‘Metaverse’. South Korea appears to be by far the first country to launch the adoption of this new blockchain-driven digital sphere on a massive scale. Any crypto projects associated with the ‘Metaverse’, especially video gaming tokens, are worth being researched for potential investment opportunities, as they might bring considerable returns.

 

The OctaFX team takes the opportunity to contribute to this unique period of new investments and favourable trading circumstances by reminding the community of its constantly evolving crypto offers this year.

As of this writing, the fintech company has five cryptocurrencies, all paired with the U.S. dollar as the quote currency, listed in its trading pool.

●        BTCUSD (Bitcoin vs U.S. dollar)

●        ETHUSD (Ethereum vs U.S. dollar)

●        BCHUSD (Bitcoin Cash vs U.S. dollar)

●        LTCUSD (Litecoin vs U.S. dollar)

●        XRPUSD (Ripple vs U.S. dollar)

 

The broker maintains competitive leverage with a ratio of 1:25.

 

Clients can make deposits in bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Dogecoin (DOGE), and the U.S. dollar stablecoin called Tether (USDT). The latter can be deposited as an ERC-20 and TRC-20 token—meaning, a client can use the Tron or the Ethereum network for their deposits.

OctaFX plans to enable trading cryptocurrencies on the weekends, which the company could implement as soon as January, possibly February 2022. In the first quarter of 2022, new crypto assets will join the trading pool.

 

About OctaFX

OctaFX is a global broker that provides online trading services worldwide since 2011. It offers a state-of-the-art trading experience to over 7.5 million traders worldwide. In addition, the company is well-known for its promotions and high service standards. OctaFX has won more than 45 awards since its foundation, including the ‘Best ECN Broker 2020’ award from World Finance and more recently the 2021 ‘Best Forex Broker Asia’ award and the 2020 ‘Most Transparent Broker’ award from Global Banking & Finance Review and Forex Awards, respectively. The company is well-known for its social and charity activity.

#OctaFX

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

Dutch Authorities Arrest Six People for Sending Ecstasy to Laos and Vietnam

Police arrest six people for sending ecstasy to Laos and Vietnam
Dutch police have arrested six people for sending ecstasy pills to Laos and Vietnam.


Authorities in the Netherlands have arrested six people for attempting to send ecstasy pills to Laos and Vietnam.

Pearl FALCO Launches Its First Sub-brand, MAIKO by Pearl FALCO

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 15 December 2021 – Pearl FALCO today announced the launch of its first sub-brand, ‘MAIKO by Pearl FALCO to commemorate the start of new traditions this holiday season and pay homage to the pearl farmers of Ise Shima. Featuring over 50 pieces of lustrous jewelry exclusively made of Baby Akoya Pearls, MAIKO by Pearl FALCO is a carefully curated selection to appeal to younger fashionistas in their quest for personal style.

 

Inspired by the exclusivity and intricacy of the Baby Akoya Pearls, the brand consists of pendants, rings and earrings that are priced from S$200 to S$3,000 that also adds subtle yet effective finishing touches to any outfit. Pearls have often been revered for its sentimental value as often they are associated with memories young girls have of their mothers and grandmothers. MAIKO by Pearl FALCO goes beyond traditional designs to break away from pearls being treated merely as keepsakes. Instead, the sub-brand is a contemporary and trendy curation that appeals to the younger generation, for them to use pearls as an expression of style and versatility.

 

While Pearl FALCO has consistently made it a point to advocate for environmental issues and their subsequent impact on pearl cultivation, the sub-brand goes a step further to pay greater homage to the painstaking cultivation process of Baby Akoya Pearls. Ranging from 2mm to 5mm, Baby Akoya Pearls require greater effort and attention leading many pearl farmers to focus on other larger pearls that are far more profitable. Cultivated exclusively in Ise Shima, Baby Akoya Pearls are also very limited in quantity. However, they are gaining popularity as they are easy to maintain and are a symbol of elegance for the youth.

 

Maiko Makito, Owner and Managing Director of MAIKO by Pearl FALCO said, “My vision for MAIKO by Pearl FALCO has always been very clear as I have a very strong attachment to Ise Shima. I have always felt very strongly about the plight of pearl farmers in Ise Shima and I wanted the MAIKO collection to simultaneously be a platform that can educate customers on the dedication of pearl farmers. I knew the collection had to revolve around Baby Akoya Pearls and highlight a tinge of glimmer for subtle elegance.”

 

The collection is available exclusively at https://www.maikopearl.com.      

 

High-res images, refer here.

#PearlFALCO

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

Advanced Energy’s New Power Meter Improves Accuracy and Performance in Precision RF Power Applications

Integrating power sensor and meter into a single easy-to-use instrument, the new RF power meter simplifies monitoring and enables precise control

DENVER, COLORADO – Media OutReach – 15 December 2021 – Advanced Energy (Nasdaq: AEIS) – a global leader in highly engineered, precision power conversion, measurement and control solutions – today announced the GEMINI™ 5540A RF (Radio Frequency) power meter. The new power meter delivers highly accurate in-line RF power measurement in a flexible and convenient integrated unit for applications requiring precision RF power control in semiconductor, communication, industrial and medical markets. As the leader in RF power solutions in the semiconductor industry, Advanced Energy continues to bring new capabilities for improving plasma power controls and performance of advanced etch and deposition processes.

 

Combining sensor and meter capability into a single, easy-to-use instrument, the GEMINI 5540A measures at frequencies from 0.2 to 200 MHz and powers from 3 to 5,000 W with 2-sigma accuracy of ±0.5% + 0.5 W. This integrated instrument enables users to replace multiple instruments with a single meter for applications that require precise measurement and control of RF power.

 

“In demanding semiconductor processes such as high aspect ratio (HAR) plasma etch, precise control and chamber-to-chamber matching of the RF system directly impact process performance,” said Gerry Blumenstock, vice president, critical sensing and control products at Advanced Energy. “With the new GEMINI 5540A, OEMs can accurately calibrate the system and monitor RF power in real time, improving the fidelity and consistency of leading-edge plasma-based processes.”

 

The GEMINI 5540A incorporates a large, easy-to-read OLED digital display that simultaneously shows forward and reverse power, voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) and frequency. It automatically senses frequency with no reconfiguration required for forward and reverse power measurements. The meter reduces calibration to every 12 months, compared to six months for conventional instruments. It operates with a 5 V, 500 mA input supplied via a standard USB 2.0 port using either an external battery or AC power outlet and off-the-shelf USB adapter.

 

In addition to taking measurements directly, the meter can also be connected to a PC for collection, storage and audit of data using Advanced Energy’s GEMINI Tools data visualization software.

 

For detailed product information and technical specifications, visit www.tegam.com/shop/rf-microwave/power-meters/no-product/gemini-5540a-rf-power-meter

 

About Advanced Energy

Advanced Energy (Nasdaq: AEIS) is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of highly engineered, precision power conversion, measurement and control solutions for mission-critical applications and processes. AE’s power solutions enable customer innovation in complex applications for a wide range of industries including semiconductor equipment, industrial, manufacturing, telecommunications, data center computing and healthcare. With engineering know-how and responsive service and support around the globe, the company builds collaborative partnerships to meet technology advances, propel growth for its customers and innovate the future of power. Advanced Energy has devoted four decades to perfecting power for its global customers and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, USA. For more information, visit www.advancedenergy.com.

Advanced Energy | Precision. Power. Performance.

#AdvancedEnergy

Siklus Announces Business Growth And Sustainability Results For 2021

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach – 15 December 2021  Siklus, an Indonesia-based firm solving economic and environmental issues through its e-commerce and refill delivery solution, is reporting its business growth and environmental impact results for 2021.

Laksamana Sakti (Head of Operations) & Jane von Rabenau (CEO)

 

Business growth:

After focusing efforts on R&D, pilot testing, and fine-tuning its business model the previous year, Siklus kick-started sales in Jakarta in January 2021. Over the course of the year, Siklus achieved 20X growth in sales, achieving over IDR 11.5 billion (USD 800k) in Annual Recurring Revenue and 15X growth in active users.

 

Addressing the plastic waste crisis:

Indonesia produces 6.8 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, ranking it the second-largest contributor of ocean plastic waste in the world – second only to China, and more than India (The Borgen Project, 2021). In 2021, Siklus has already managed to save over 1.8 million single-use plastic packaging from being produced.  

 

“Before starting Siklus, I was advised that selling household consumer products as refills would not be feasible. Today, Siklus is now providing refill solutions to thousands of families in Jakarta. We have grown 20X this year, and established partnerships with many of the top FMCGs,” shares Jane von Rabenau, Co-Founder & CEO of Siklus. “And as our business grows, we steadily increase our environmental impact. To date, I’m proud to announce that Siklus has helped save nearly 2 million plastic packages from being produced, replacing them with refills.”

 

Siklus x FMCGs:

In 2021, Siklus established partnerships with industry-leading FMCGs, allowing the business to sell popular household products via refill to Indonesian consumers. Siklus now works with Nestlé, P&G, Reckitt, Mars Petcare, Godrej, Unza Vitalis, Wings and Total.

 

“The commitment from the FMCGs to sign on with us this year justifies our business model, and is testament to the combined business and environmental potential of our refill solution,” says Laksamana Sakti, Head of Operations at Siklus. “Early next year, we will be announcing more major FMCG partners into our refill ecosystem.”

 

Siklus recently started a partnership with Reckitt to sell and deliver its Dettol products to Indonesian consumers via refills:

 

“Reckitt is passionate about creating positive impacts on consumers’ lives, as well as putting efforts on sustainable initiatives, which include protecting the environment. This new partnership with Siklus, is another way for Reckitt to further develop and scale our environmental mission-driven business in Indonesia,” says Donny Wahyudi, Head of External Communications & Community Affairs Reckitt Indonesia.

 

2022 outlook:

Siklus recently secured a pilot project in Labuan Bajo, which is set to kick-start in Q1 2022. The pilot is in partnership with the Indonesian Waste Platform (IWP), leveraging Siklus’ refill solution to reduce plastic waste in Indonesia’s Rural & Remote Communities (RRC). IWP has committed to support Siklus expansion to bring its refill business to other rural regions in Maluku, Sumatera, NTT, Bali, Java and Sulawesi. These pilots, along with other upcoming FMCG and commercial partnerships also set to activate in the new year, Siklus’ outlook for 2022 looks promising.

 

About Siklus

Siklus is reinventing the future of retail by selling everyday necessities without packaging, and at a lower cost. Consumers purchase refills of consumer products using the Siklus mobile app (Android and iOS) after which orders are delivered direct to their homes.

Siklus’ e-commerce and refill technology provides safe and precise dispensing, optimization of supply chains, and collection of rich data, allowing consumer brands to engage and sell to customers in an efficient and sustainable way. For more information, please visit: www.siklus.com

#Siklus

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

Laos Confirms 1,245 New Cases of Covid-19 and Six Deaths

Covid-19 Update for Laos
Covid-19 Update for Laos

Laos has recorded 1,245 cases of Covid-19 across the country today, with six new deaths.