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VP Bank expands Hong Kong office to fuel growth in Asia

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 22 November 2021 – VP Wealth Management (Hong Kong) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of VP Bank in Liechtenstein, today announced the expansion of its Hong Kong office. This move aligns with VP Bank’s Strategy 2026 to further its growth in Asia.

 

VP Wealth Management (Hong Kong) Ltd has been focusing on wealth management and family office services for wealthy private clients for the past 15 years. With Strategy 2026 and its strong foundations in serving intermediaries and private clients, VP Bank aims to become an open wealth services provider by providing a platform that amalgamates traditional banking activities with the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem. Additionally, with the recently formed Asia Management Committee (Asia Manco), VP Bank has created an umbrella market within Asia that fully integrates Singapore and Hong Kong. This further affirms the Bank’s dedication and competitive edge to seize opportunities in this region.

Head of Hong Kong, Reto Marx, said, “Asia represents one of the top priorities in the Group’s Strategy 2026. In Central Hong Kong, our modernised office space will accommodate for growth and scale. We are fully committed to this region and continue to invest and re-energize our business model in order to cater to our clients’ evolving wealth management needs.

 

Chief of Staff Asia, Ms Heline Lam, added, “In line with the Group’s Strategy 2026 and to support our vision in Asia, we have committed to a new office space in Hong Kong’s core central district. This office space, which comprises our own floor, allows us to accommodate more than double our headcount.” 

About VP Bank Group

VP Bank established in 1956, is a leading bank in Liechtenstein with an international presence in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Singapore, Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands. VP Bank Group offers comprehensive wealth management solutions for intermediaries and private individuals. VP Bank is listed on the Swiss stock exchange. It has an “A” rating from Standard & Poor’s as a well-capitalised and secure bank. It provides independent advice and access to leading investment houses through its open architecture. A standout feature of VP Bank is its strength in working with financial intermediaries and wealth managers to offer best in class solutions for clients.

VP Bank was awarded Best External Asset Manager Service Provider and Best Private Banking Regional Partnership at Greater China WealthBriefingAsia Awards for Excellence 2020 and Best Asia EAM Service Desk at Citywire Asia EAM Desk Awards 2020. In 2021, VP Bank was named Best Private Bank – Intermediary Services by Asian Private Banker and ‘Best Boutique Private Bank’ at the 9th annual WealthBriefingAsia Awards 2021.

#VPBank

OctaFX’s Five Expert Life Hacks: Earning on Black Friday Instead of Just Spending

During the Black Friday season, most people prepare to spend vast amounts of money. But what if you could flip this? One would be earning money instead—during the most prominent discount period in the world. OctaFX’s experts explain how.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 22 November 2021 – The international Forex broker OctaFX has ventured to think outside the box once again. While most people and businesses concentrate on spending and selling stuff at steep discounts, OctaFX offers opportunities to earn money and increase income during this global mass purchase-fest. The fintech firm bundled some influential financial experts to outline five easy approaches to increase income during the Black Friday season.

 

Take Advantage of Shortages on the Job Market

Searching for a part-time job sounds obvious enough, but surprisingly, people rarely notice this opportunity—at least not as many as one would suspect.

 

Many employers are actively looking for motivated new team members during those exceedingly busy cycles—this aspect concerns the lack of workforce, especially in sales, IT, or design. Particularly the IT sector is in dire need of supporting its websites’ overload with additional personnel. Applying ahead of a season like this can give you another advantage over latecomers.

 

Investing Ahead of Time

Although this sounds relatively straightforward, the proposal here is that the stock market is expected to be very volatile during such days. Paying attention to some companies’ stocks, whose products could very likely be in high demand during sales season, could prove lucrative. If you feel late for Black Friday in this regard, the Christmas season might be just far enough to apply this strategy successfully. The approach gains more traction the earlier you consider and finalise the investment.

 

Trading Foreign Exchange

Factually, all Forex brokers launch some kind of promotional initiatives during seasons like Black Friday. The secret is how to find the most reliable, profitable and advantageous ones.

 

You have to research the promotional conditions well. The track record of past events is indicative of a trustworthy broker, too. Usually, you can discover their offers around 1-2 weeks before the event.

 

‘In the financial market, such as Forex, these “promotional” periods apply, too. When we devise technical analysis at such a time, we do it by a method called “seasonal analysis”,’ explains the recipient of the Most Popular FX Trainers in Malaysia award, Kar Yong Ang.

 

Likely, your favourite currency pair or the most popular one on the market has some great and unique conditions in terms of special spread or leverage offers. This holds true not only for classical fiat currency pairs but also for the relatively novel market of cryptocurrencies—especially the ones paired with bitcoin (BTC).

 

Take Advantage of Retail Prices

This option might be obscure since it actually represents the act of purchasing. But again, the more you research the offers, the better chance you’ll have at catching the best retail price for an item you would’ve purchased anyway. This strategy becomes even more powerful if you consider the well-observed fact that an item usually increases in price after the Black Friday season compared to before the season.

 

The Top Forex Analyst in Asia by WikiFX of 2019, Kar Yong Ang, highlights: ‘Implementing a traditional business plan, you could buy certain goods beforehand, only to sell them at a considerably higher price after the season. Leveraging on such promotions can generate decent sales and thereby profits’.

 

Once again, if the current discount extravaganza has left you unsure about your timing, don’t forget about the upcoming Christmas season. In terms of buying goods, it often even surpasses the Black Friday conditions.

 

Sometimes Not Spending as Much Money Amounts to Having Earned it

If you saved money on a purchase, then this could be considered earning.

 

Buying products, stocks, real estate, or currencies should never be emotional. When money is involved, you should implement a patiently pre planned strategy. Proceed according to this framework and try to avoid impulsive buying. Purchasing by impulse can make you end up at a loss.

 

Financial expert Kar Yong Ang agrees and adds, ‘I will usually wait for my purchases’ discount during those days since we are talking about up to 40% off the original price’.

 

So the critical point manifests notably in the trader community—developing and holding on to this psychological discipline enriches your overall spending strategy. It becomes even more crucial during the whole sales season. Thus, invest enough time in personal development, and if something goes wrong during the plan implementation, do not worry.

 

Gero Azrul, who won the Traders Awards Malaysia 2020 award, further extends this piece of advice: ‘You should consider mistakes as part of a conscious training process towards greater financial sovereignty later’.

 

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 6.6 million trading accounts 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

Laos Has Fully Demarcated Borders with Three Countries

Laos borders

Laos has fully demarcated borders with three countries, with only two countries remaining incomplete.

Miss Grand Laos 2021 Arrives in Thailand for Pageant

Miss Grand Laos 2021
Ms. Daomixay Pachansitti


Miss Grand Laos 2021, Ms. Daomixay Pachansitti, arrived in Phuket, Thailand on Tuesday to compete at the 9th Miss Grand International pageant early next month.

Laos Confirms 999 New Cases of Covid-19

Laotian Times Covid-19 Update


Laos has recorded 999 new cases of Covid-19 across the country today.

SEACAD Helps Businesses Move Towards Digital Transformation, as an Industry Process Solutions Partner of Dassault Systèmes

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 22 November 2021 – SEACAD Technologies has been an Industry Process Solutions partner to Dassault Systèmes since 2020—a venture done in light of the global digital transformation trend. In the latter part of 2020, SEACAD has officially become a Customer Process Experience partner of Dassault Systèmes, a French corporation and a leading provider in the Product Lifecycle Management or PLM market. As an Industry Process Partner, the company is able to address, firsthand, the challenges being encountered by companies in multiple sectors. SEACAD now offers a robust portfolio comprised of 3D modeling applications, simulation applications that create virtual twins of products or production systems, social and collaborative applications, as well as information intelligence applications. With this goal and intent, SEACAD is inclined to support businesses of all sizes in their journey towards digital transformation.

With proven credibility and expertise in delivering smart and efficient design to manufacturing solutions to companies in various industries over the past 2 decades and counting, SEACAD Technologies Pte Ltd – SOLIDWORKS Singapore, is aiming high to be the leading industry solutions provider in Singapore for their key target markets – Medical Equipment, Industrial Equipment and High-Tech Industries, in the next few years.

CATIA, SIMULIA, and ENOVIA are amongst the most powerful solutions offered by SEACAD. The company helps by simplifying the process of product development and ideation, and by making the overall cycle achievable. Every business is unique, hence, SEACAD’s approach varies, ensuring a customized solution suitable to your business needs and challenges is provided.

 

Since its venture with the French software giant, SEACAD has been scaling new heights—opening new opportunities to businesses and bringing them into an ecosystem that fosters game-changing ideas and accelerates innovation. The features and capabilities made available by these solutions allow teams to complete product assessment seamlessly through a virtual universe that is accessible to all contributors in the working party. Not only do these offerings solve design challenges, but it also helps minimize cost while increasing productivity and efficiency.

Here are SEACAD’s offered solutions that bring success to companies’ PLM:

  • CATIA – CATIA is a very powerful 3D Modeling software and it is more than just that. It is a multi-platform software suite for computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer-aided engineering (CAE) and PLM. With CATIA, the client can create a mock product through a smart model that will mimic its real-life behavior. System architects, engineers, designers, and construction experts can experience a design process that is more defined, imaginative, and closely shaped to the real world.
  • SIMULIA – The technology foundation of SIMULIA, began with the Abaqus acquisition in 2005, combining it with the original CATIA Analysis features.
    Since then, SIMULIA’s portfolio has accelerated, incorporating best-in-class technologies, from structures to multi-body dynamics to electromagnetics, computational fluid dynamics, vibro-acoustics, and more. SIMULIA applications make the process of performance evaluation smoother, cost-efficient, and more accurate. With its smart features, one can determine and validate the reliability and safety of any product, even in the most complex scenarios, real-time without having to commit and spend on physical prototypes right away.
  • ENOVIA – ENOVIA revolutionizes product life cycle management itself. It enables secure collaboration with a broad portfolio of technical and business applications for all users across an enterprise. This allows for real-time progress tracking and continuous optimization with compliance to standards and regulations so that businesses can provide transformational products and magical experiences to their customers.
    This solution is most suited to businesses in disciplines that profit from creating product variants with fewer parts. Those that that deal with construction equipment and machinery will benefit well from the software. ENOVIA also detects trends that are crucial to every business in varying sectors.

Today, SEACAD adds significant value to these software solutions by rendering a follow-through of their distinct services: technical support, on-boarding training, integration, implémentation, and consultation services, all of which are backed by decades of experience from operating as a leading SOLIDWORKS Business Partner in Singapore. SEACAD addresses industry-specific hurdles by integrating tools that transform businesses for the best.

The strategic outlook of SEACAD is connected to its core: its clients and partners. Through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform that the company offers, SEACAD aims to provide a sustainable solution that will ultimately target and end challenges that majority of companies in the ecosystem struggle with. From design and engineering, to manufacturing, production, simulation, governance, and collaboration, SEACAD presents as a one-stop provider of perceptive business solutions in the market. 

About SEACAD

Founded in 1998, SEACAD Technologies first launched SOLIDWORKS in Singapore, quickly becoming the marketplace leader in 3D Mechanical Engineering Design–a position which we still hold today. Over the last 20 years, we have carefully expanded our SOLIDWORKS and Partner Products portfolio. Today, SEACADs customers are provided with the most comprehensive and fully integrated solutions. With our experience and expertise, we are able to ensure that the products we provide meet and exceed client expectations.

Our SOLIDWORKS and Partner Solutions encompass a wide range of Engineering disciplines including 3D Mechanical and Electrical & Electronic Design, Piping, Finite Element Analysis, CNC Manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing, Documentation, Data Management, and many more.

Transform your business today. Contact SEACAD for a free business consultation at www.seacadtech.com

#SEACAD

Amazon Fresh to deliver frozen & chilled products with 100% recyclable drinking water bottles

  • Frozen recyclable water bottles replace gel packs to maintain the freshness of frozen & chilled Amazon Fresh products
  • Singapore will be the first country in Asia where Amazon will deploy this packaging innovation

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 22 November 2021 – Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that it will deliver all frozen & chilled products ordered on Amazon Fresh with recyclable frozen water bottles in Singapore. The island will be the first country in Asia where Amazon will introduce this packaging innovation as it continues to improve the overall customer packaging experience by minimizing waste.

 

All orders which include frozen & chilled products such as meat, seafood, ice cream and more, will be accompanied by a frozen water bottle instead of a gel pack used to maintain the freshness of these products. The 100% recyclable bottles contain packaged drinking water that can be used to drink, cook and water plants. After consuming the water, these bottles can be dropped in blue recycle bins found conveniently across the country.

 

As demand for recycling options continue to grow, the replacement of gel packs with 100% curbside recyclable frozen water bottles will be a more convenient solution for Amazon customers. At scale, these small enablers will go a long way in contributing to Singapore’s sustainability efforts.

 

We know that Singaporeans are increasingly incorporating more sustainable measures in their day-to-day lives. The switch to frozen water bottles underwent extensive testing and research to create the right solution for Singapore’s hot & humid weather. They have proven to provide the same cooling effectiveness as the original gel packs. On top of that, frozen water bottles have also been tested extensively through the entire last mile journey to ensure that the integrity of the packaging and freshness of products are not compromised. As conscious corporate citizens, we are cognizant of the need to continuously work on our processes to use more sustainable packaging and this is a step in that direction. It has been humbling to create a solution that enables customers to easily recycle a part of their Amazon package” said Manuel Berbuer, General Manager – Operations, Amazon Singapore.

 

Playing a significant role in helping to reduce the sources of human-induced climate change is an important commitment for Amazon. In its 2020 sustainability report, Amazon revealed that it was the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, taking another step in its journey to power global operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025. As part of its efforts to create more sustainable packaging, the company is working with vendors and suppliers to enable ‘Ship in its own container’ solutions and reduce the volume of packaging used to deliver products.

 

Over 200 organizations have signed The Climate Pledge, a commitment co-founded in 2019 by Amazon and Global Optimism for signatories to be net zero carbon across their businesses by 2040 – a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s goal of 2050. The Climate Pledge builds on Amazon’s long-term commitment to sustainability, through existing programmes like Shipment Zero, its vision to make all Amazon shipments net zero carbon, with 50% of all shipments net zero by 2030. More information here.

 

Click here to download & use videos on this packaging innovation.

 

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit Amazon.sg.

#Amazon

MCIS Life Strengthens Relationship With Merchantrade

Life insurer acquires stake in Merchantrade Asia Sdn Bhd, fortifies collaboration

PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 22 November 2021  MCIS Insurance Berhad (MCIS Life) has taken up a 4.99% stake in Merchantrade Asia Sdn Bhd, the leading e-money player and the country’s largest Money Services Business operator, through the acquisition of new ordinary shares of an undisclosed amount.

The two companies kicked-off a marketing distribution arrangement in 2019 where MCIS Life provided a life insurance protection plan for Merchantrade’s customers which includes Malaysians as well as migrant workers.

 

In August 2021, they teamed up again to provide a product targeted at underserved communities such as Malaysians eligible for the Perlindungan Tenang Voucher (PTV) scheme.

 

The strategic collaboration has come at an opportune time as the value of life insurance and other relevant financial products have magnified amidst the pandemic. The combined strength and synergy between both companies are poised to unlock more innovative, personalised, digital insurance solutions to meet the protection needs of customers from all walks of life.

 

This strategic acquisition is set to accelerate MCIS Life’s digital transformation journey and leverage on Merchantrade’s digital capabilities, access to extensive network of over 1,000 physical touchpoints throughout the country and their three million customers.

 

MCIS Life CEO and Managing Director Mr. Prasheem Seebran said Merchantrade is a fast-growing fin-tech company constantly at the forefront of digitisation and driving innovation in financial services thereby allowing the former to pivot on their expertise in pursuing the company’s ambition to be a digitally focused life insurer.

 

Mr.Ramasamy Veeran, Founder and Managing Director of Merchantrade said: “Having an established brand like MCIS Life with us resonates with our goals of expanding our insurance offerings as it allows us to better develop next-generation products and services that continue to add positive value to customers and communities around us as we make the future convenient, easier and more secure for generations to come.”

 

“Building from our core businesses with strategic partnerships and collaborations, we will continue to accelerate the rollout of innovative financial services and strengthen our comprehensive ecosystem of interconnected technologies, such as global remittance, payments, e-wallet solution, foreign currency exchange, micro-insurance, tele-health, micro-loans, telco services and more. All with aspirations of giving customers a dependable digital first experience and elevate financial access across all walks of life,” added Ramasamy.

 

“Forging this partnership with Merchantrade provides MCIS Life with significant upside potential. It allows us to break away from the traditional bancassurance model which often incurs exorbitant fees and simultaneously strengthens our position as the sole life insurance partner within the Merchantrade eco-system,” Prasheem elaborated.

 

Prasheem added that MCIS Life’s strategy is focused on enhancing customer experience through innovative product solutions and digitised service offerings. The synergies between the two companies will be further supported by Merchantrade’s technology solutions as well as its foray into the payment space.

 

“We aim to achieve our targets by rolling out more products to suit Merchantrade’s target market and this strategic alliance is expected to contribute over 25% of MCIS Life’s non-agency new business contributions by 2025.”

 

The acquisition forms a bold step forward, further strengthening the existing ties between both companies since 2019 and MCIS Life see tremendous value in Merchantrade’s mobile e-wallet application and nationwide on ground touchpoints allowing access to the underserved communities.

 

“Currently MCIS Life is the exclusive life insurance partner of Merchantrade. Considering the potential of the company and various opportunities to collaborate and create value for existing and prospective customers, this investment is expected to bring significant value to us,” Prasheem explained.

 

In line with its brand promise – “People Helping People” – MCIS Life also aims to roll out more inclusive, simple and affordable solutions to Merchantrade’s underserved customer base such as Malaysia’s B40 segment and migrant workers. It will also expand its offerings on employee benefits and bespoke products for corporate clients, high end products for the remittance market and online products for the technology savvy.

About MCIS Life

MCIS Insurance Berhad (MCIS Life) is a pioneer life insurer in Malaysia since 1954, regulated by Bank Negara Malaysia, and a proud member of the Sanlam Group, one of the world’s biggest internationally active insurance groups, since 2014.

#PeopleHelpingPeople

About Sanlam Group

Sanlam is a pan-African financial services group listed on the Johannesburg, Namibian and A2X stock exchanges. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Personal Finance, Sanlam Emerging Markets, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Corporate and Santam – the Group provides comprehensive and bespoke financial solutions to institutional clients and consumers across all market segments. Sanlam’s areas of expertise include life and general insurance, financial planning, retirement, investments and wealth.

Established in 1918 as a life insurance company, Sanlam has evolved into the largest non- banking financial services group in Africa through its diversification strategy.

Headquartered in South Africa, Sanlam has a direct stake in financial services entities in Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Mauritius, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria. The Group owns Saham Finances, thereby having a footprint of insurance operations in Morocco, Angola, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, Niger, Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Burundi, and Lesotho.

Sanlam also has insurance business interests in India, Malaysia and the United Kingdom and has business interests in the USA, Australia, the Philippines, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

For further information on Sanlam, please visit us at www.sanlam.com

About Merchantrade Asia

Merchantrade Asia Sdn. Bhd. is a leading fintech company and Malaysia’s largest Money Services Business operator and fast-growing e-Money issuer.

Merchantrade operates 98 branches, 2 main wholesale banknote trading hubs, has more than 1,000 agent locations and cash-in cash-out merchants throughout Malaysia. Its award-winning digital platforms such as eRemit mobile money transfer app, available in both Malaysia and Singapore allows for seamless worldwide personal money transfers, and Merchantrade Money an app and card-based digital wallet that offers a range of digital financial services, including multi-currency wallet solution, digital payments, remittance services, currency exchange, micro-insurance, mobile reloads and more.

For more information, please visit www.mtradeasia.com

#MCISLife