Quite the confusion is afoot in the financial markets. Tighter regulation, rising inflation, energy sector disruptions, social unrest and wars have taken a toll on the world’s economies. How come Forex, as a means of investment, has come up on top as a global trend in 2022? Against the backdrop of current events, the international broker’s expert team at OctaFX has gathered some answers.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 10 October 2022 – The financial world is enduring some important shifts and shocks right now. This has been going on for at least two and a half years—since the start of the global coronavirus pandemic. Now—because of the monetary policies implemented by most national economies—inflation is spreading and raging on every continent like a virus. It leaves no country untouched. Ordinary people lose their savings, funds, and the purchasing power of their national currencies. Governments regulate as much as they can. But current circumstances, many of which are quite unprecedented in recent memory, led to policies restricting some financial markets. Among them—the Forex market. But the thing is that it is Forex investments that have gained traction recently, having become an international trend by now.

Now that we know where we are at, we can take a look back into the history of financial investments—specifically, how it pertains to the Foreign Exchange market.

The plain history of making investments

Making investments goes way back. Thousands of years ago, people of different tribes, villages, and regions found routes and means to exchange goods of all kinds: farm animals, precious metals and rocks, or domesticated wheat, to just name a few. Each of these ancient transactions and trades were investments—as capital, as trust in future trade relations, or often as a means of survival.

The Foreign Exchange market as a hub of making investments is almost as old—since at least the invention of the coin as an exchange currency, so at least around 600 B.C. It can be considered as a dynamic basket of foreign currencies and a network of exchanges. To put it even more bluntly, Forex represents the process of changing one currency into another. The Foreign Exchange market is decentralised by nature. Today, it exists completely online and utilises a vast variety of different countries, currencies, and commodities.

Making a huge leap into the present day, Forex experiences a significant global revival as a way of making investments. The age of quarantine, home office and lockdowns, mass lay-offs, and blunt economic uncertainty fueled by inflation forced many people into researching alternative approaches to generating additional or passive income online. Forex came out on top.

Why did this trend emerge now?

Many factors contributed to a heightened interest in Foreign Exchange. As we alluded to in the beginning, developments in geopolitics, the world economy, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic created a bundled sense of uncertainty in the financial markets. Due to the war in Ukraine, the E.U.’s compounded economy and its euro have significantly weakened. This ongoing process made it possible for the U.S. dollar to catch up to full equivalence, which has not been done since 2002, twenty years ago. This strong performance of the American currency made even retail raise their attention, looking for strong opportunities to engage. Where Forex has gained traction, other assets like stocks and real estate have weakened. The reason is, again, rising instability and insecurity in the respective markets. Less people choose to enter these for fear of miscalculation.

Commodities can be traded and invested in via Forex, as well. Whereas crucial ones like natural gas and crude oil have constantly risen in price. One of the aspects for crude oil to explode in value being the OPEC countries not yielding to the U.S.’ demands in significantly upping monthly production. Whereas natural gas was priced at 43.99 USD in June 2020 and went up to 483.23 USD in June 2022—an increase by 998.49 per cent. Only through Forex could one have taken advantage of a ten-fold, dramatic price movement like this.

Forex—among the best types of investment

Since investments can be legitimate sources of passive income, let us have a rundown of the most solid and relevant assets that can serve as investments—especially, as they relate to Foreign Exchange.

Gold is a historically proven type of investment—a magnificent long-term hedge against inflation, it has a strong track record. The downside is probably its physicality: unlike with Forex, gold needs to be stored somewhere safe and robust. The more one has, the more storage and safety becomes an issue.

Much like gold, real estate is a heavy-duty path to making an investment. The advantage is security and relatively low price volatility. Also, the owner can rent their real estate, by which they generate passive income in a straightforward way. Forex does not cover these options but does have a significant advantage elsewhere, though. The initial investment doesn’t have to be as high as it usually needs to be, acting on the real estate market. With Forex, sums between 20 and 100 USD are usually sufficient to start participating in the Foreign Exchange market.

Cryptocurrencies have been the most recent addition to the financial markets. All thanks to bitcoin, which, despite the ongoing downtrend, did manage to convince many financial legacy institutions—and even governments—to become investors in the past two years. Since crypto is prominently present in the Forex domain, many of the advantages of both worlds merge. Crypto trading has benefited from Forex-inspired security measures like stop-loss orders and negative balance protection.

But there are high risks involved with cryptocurrencies in terms of investing. Individual crypto projects can say one thing but do another. As the Celsius network and its CEO, Alex Mashinsky, have painfully demonstrated this summer. Most clients of their financial service have most probably lost all their funds.

Things are a little bit different with the algorithmic stablecoin project Terra Luna, which allegedly imploded because of a grave, but unintended technical miscalculation of the development team. Instances like these are extremely rare in Forex, since the currencies and commodities traded there are historically reliable assets that are well-equipped against sudden defaults.

Saving accounts and cash savings have their merit in times of economic stability and thrive. But in the age of inflation, these options can become a bottomless pit in no time. Forex is much more mobile and flexible in that assets can be swiftly exchanged, whereas the other two more pragmatic options are more static in nature. Saving accounts, in particular, since the contract signed with the bank can have many sorts of disadvantageous clauses in case of wanting to close it prematurely.

Stocks have their upsides in a bull market, as well. Especially if you nailed an investment like, say, buying stocks in Amazon pre-2016. Stocks actually give an individual proportional ownership over a company—the more stocks in their possession, the more of the company belongs to them. As for now, though, the stock market is in a steep decline. It is hard to ascertain the midterm outlooks or how long the downtrend will continue. The dynamic nature of Forex, on the other hand, gives the investor many short-term options to modify their investment portfolio on the run.

The pressure of certain governments on the whole domain of private investment cannot be overlooked. Constant restrictions—like the Forex industry is experiencing at the moment—while at the same time government policies are lacking to adequately meet grave dangers like inflation, may all lead to people losing their income and savings.

It doesn’t have to be this way

How can someone break free from this vicious circle, take responsibility, and engage in a meaningful, productive and potentially very lucrative investment decision? Let us take Forex as an example again.

A trustworthy and reliable broker is the first and foremost step. Any broker with at least a decade of experience in the financial markets (such as OctaFX, XM, eToro) is a solid pick. Attention has to be paid to the broker’s reviews and awards. All of that should be available to research online.

In terms of achieving financial goals, there could not be a time filled with more urgency than now. Taking the dire economic crises raging worldwide into consideration, the investment decisions one makes now could dramatically influence their future—for the better.

Hashtag: #OctaFX

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

• Majority of Singapore residents are proficient in using digital wealth and health tools
• However, 49 per cent of respondents say that modern digital technologies are becoming increasingly complex to use

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 10 October 2022 – Digital technology plays a significant role in helping Singapore residents live well for longer, according to a study commissioned by Prudential Singapore (“Prudential”). More than half (54 per cent) of the 800 Singapore residents aged 25 to 65 surveyed say that mobile devices and apps are critical tools in preparing for rising longevity.

Of those who are using technology to manage their well-being, 36 per cent say that digital tools have had the greatest positive impact on their financial situation, and 27 per cent indicated personal health.

Mr Dennis Tan, CEO, Prudential Singapore, said that the findings are not surprising given that Singapore is a widely-connected nation with a high number of mobile phone users. Based on the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) data, the mobile penetration rate in 2021 was 158.8 per cent, which means that each resident has about 1.6 mobile subscriptions.[1]

“Since the pandemic, more people have gone digital, and technology has become a core part of our lives. We need to build on this momentum by ensuring that digital technologies are simple by design so that everyone can use them easily. This will encourage individuals to continue using technology to take charge of their health and wealth as they get ready for a longer life.” said
Mr Tan.

Majority of Singapore residents are proficient in using digital wealth and health tools

In the research report titled “Digital for 100: Harnessing technology for longer lifespans”, respondents had expressed high levels of proficiency in using digital tools to improve or to monitor their personal and financial health.

More than 4 in 5 (85 per cent) respondents say that they are skilled at using mobile banking apps, and 70 per cent in financial management apps. On the health front, 73 per cent say they are well versed in using technologies such as apps for keeping tabs on their physical health, wearable fitness trackers (76 per cent) and wearable health monitors (72 per cent).

Respondents say that digital tools have helped them to better manage their bank accounts, pension (CPF), investments, and insurance needs. They also use technology for monitoring physical fitness, blood pressure, sleep, diet and for managing chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Despite the high level of digital proficiency in the country, just over two thirds (67 per cent) are good at using mental health tools, such as apps that measure stress and anxiety levels, or those that monitor moods.

“Digital technologies provide ready and easy access to mental health tools and resources which can help people take proactive steps in managing their mental wellbeing. This is crucial in helping to address growing mental health concerns,” said Mr Tan.

Increasing complexity of digital technologies

While technology adoption is on the rise, nearly half (49 per cent) of all respondents say that modern digital tools are getting more complex. This figure was more than half for those aged between 35 and 44 (55 per cent) and between 55 to 65 (52 per cent).

Whether it’s finance or other apps, complexity hinders wider adoption among Singaporeans, according to Mr Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Fintech Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore. “It is incumbent on technology companies and service providers to construct their solutions in the simplest possible design,” he says.[2]

Growing confidence in ability to live to 100

Overall, the survey conducted in June and July 2022 by Economist Impact showed that Singapore residents are becoming increasingly confident about their ability to live to 100 even amid a global health crisis and economic headwinds.

Forty-two per cent of respondents say they are prepared for rising longevity from a health and wellness perspective, up from 31 per cent in 2021, the highest figure in any of the surveys in this research series. Fifty-four per cent responded in the affirmative from a financial health perspective, up from 29 per cent in 2021. ​​

Prudential is doing its part to support people in living well for longer by leveraging technology to make health and financial resources more accessible to everyone. Key to this is Pulse by Prudential (“Pulse”)[3], Prudential’s digital health and wellness app. Users can access healthcare services such as the AI-powered healthcheck and symptom checker to assess their health or make use of wealth tools such as an AI-powered assistant to set and track financial goals. They can also purchase bite-sized insurance plans through the app.

Notes to the editor:

About the study:
“Digital for 100: Harnessing technology for longer lifespans” is the sixth research study from Prudential’s Ready for 100 series. It is the first of two reports that explores the role that digital tools currently play and will play in how Singapore residents manage their lives in the face of an increasing lifespan.​​ A total of 800 Singapore residents aged 25-65 were surveyed in June and July 2022 for this study, and a panel of subject-matter experts was interviewed for this study. The research was commissioned by Prudential and conducted by Economist Impact.

Hashtag: #Prudential

About Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd (Prudential Singapore)

Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd is one of the top life insurance companies in Singapore, serving the financial and protection needs of the country’s citizens for 91 years. The company has an AA- Financial Strength Rating from leading credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s, with S$53.3 billion funds under management as at 31 December 2021. It delivers a suite of well-rounded product offerings in Protection, Savings and Investment through multiple distribution channels including a network of more than 5,000 financial consultants.

Malaysian cardiac institutes are raising the bar with their latest innovative breakthroughs, opening doors for more promising outcomes.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 10 October 2022 – In conjunction with World Heart Day, Malaysia is strengthening its reputation as the Cardiology Hub of Asia. The country is currently home to 52 centres of cardiac excellence, many of which have made great strides with the introduction of new diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, as well as notching numerous achievements, such as being the first outside of the US to implant a Micra AV pacemaker and the only transmission site in South-East Asia for complex percutaneous coronary intervention at the CTO Live Aid.

Taking the reins is the renowned National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara or IJN), which is regarded as one of the best in Asia.

“We are the first in ASEAN to debut the POLARx Cryoablation System, which improves treatment outcomes of atrial fibrillation and reduces procedure time, as well as treating 100 patients with Micra AV, among others. At our helm is a dedicated team working together to improve the quality of cardiovascular health for all our patients,” said Datuk Dr. Aizai Azan bin Abdul Rahim, Group CEO of IJN.

The rapid evolution of cardiac imaging techniques, including 3D echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has been central in the diagnosis of many cardiovascular diseases.

“Cardiac MRI gives us detailed information that can’t be obtained from an echocardiogram or angiogram. It helps to detect blockages in the coronary arteries, and looks at what’s happening in the muscle, blood vessels and blood clots to determine the risk of heart attacks,” said Dr. Muhammad Imran bin Abdul Hafidz, Consultant Cardiologist at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

The advent of more minimally invasive procedures has also helped improve outcomes while optimising patient recovery.

“Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most common type of open-heart surgery, and it comes with a set of risks. However, with minimally invasive bypass surgery, the risk is much lower. This will definitely benefit higher risk patients, especially those with severely damaged hearts, diabetes or kidney failure,” said Dr. Eng Ji Bah, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Island Hospital.

With a focus on patients with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur (CVSKL) utilises Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) technology, which generates a detailed image of the heart blood vessels and gives cross-sectional views of the artery using sound waves, providing invaluable information on the nature of blockages or compositions within the heart.

“With IVUS, doctors can see the final stent expansions clearly, lowering the risk of post-procedure problems and improving long-term outcomes,” said Datuk Dr. Rosli Mohd Ali, Consultant Cardiologist at CVSKL.

Today, as the country continues to boost its expertise to enhance patient experience, Malaysia Healthcare is committed to providing a safe and trusted healthcare experience to all healthcare travellers right from the start. A dedicated Call Centre and Concierge & Lounge service for healthcare travellers is available at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), and Penang International Airport (PIA). Among others, healthcare travellers will be greeted upon arrival at the airport and escorted through fast-track immigration clearance (upon early notification).

“With the myriad of world-class hospitals that are renowned for their cardiac care excellence, Malaysia is strongly positioned to ensure that healthcare travellers are assured of easy access to top-notch heart care at competitive rates,” said Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC).

For more information on Malaysia Healthcare and its services, please visit https://malaysiahealthcare.org/.

Hashtag: #TheMalaysiaHealthcareTravelCouncil

About The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council

The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government agency that has been entrusted with the responsibility of curating the country’s healthcare travel scene. Founded in 2009, MHTC works to streamline industry players and service providers in facilitating and growing Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry under the brand “Malaysia Healthcare” with the intended goal of making Malaysia the leading global healthcare destination.

Software and Services Industry Veterans Gordon Lam and Ryan Rodenburg Promoted to New Roles to Further Company’s Global Expansion

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 10 October 2022 – Syniti, a global leader in enterprise data management, today announced the promotion of two current senior executives to new global roles at the company: Gordon Lam will assume the newly created role of president and chief revenue officer (CRO), and Ryan Rodenburg will become president and chief delivery officer (CDO). Both will report to Kevin Campbell, chief executive officer.

As president and CRO, Lam will lead Syniti’s global sales, value engineering, marketing, alliances and customer success operations. He will be responsible for planning and executing a global strategy to drive the company’s software-led services growth in collaboration with regional sales leaders, coordinating major system integrator alliances and ensuring the continued success and satisfaction of Syniti’s long-term client relationships. Lam joined Syniti in 2019 to lead the company’s APJ region, where he won multiple awards for leadership and innovation. A seasoned leader in sales, marketing and driving growth, he held various leadership roles at Fortune500 companies such as Microsoft, SAP and NetApp.

As president and CDO, Rodenburg will oversee Syniti’s global professional services organization, as well as its centers of excellence and global delivery centers. He joined Syniti from DMR, Inc., a data management services company he founded and served as CEO until its merger with Syniti in 2021. In his new role, Rodenburg will help drive world class consulting solutions across all regions for every Syniti client. He brings more than 20 years of experience in technology and SAP talent management to the position with a keen focus on driving a talent-first culture and building high-performance teams.

These new global appointments follow Syniti’s strong performance during the first half of 2022, including its highest revenue in history, as well as the launch of its next generation cloud-native Syniti Knowledge Platform, with major enhancements to its migration, matching and data quality components.

Kevin Campbell, CEO, Syniti, said: “We are thrilled to promote Gordon and Ryan to these two key new roles. They bring impressive track records in driving software and services revenue, and in motivating the best talent in data to achieve great outcomes for our customers. Their leadership is critical to help us grow and scale Syniti as the foremost provider of enterprise data management solutions and to deliver on our robust pipeline for the remainder of 2022.”

Bill Green, chairman of the board, Syniti, said: “Digital transformation isn’t going anywhere, even in an uncertain market. Syniti’s software and solutions are well positioned as the management of data becomes critical for the success of organizations’ long-term transformation initiatives. The board is pleased to see the company promote key senior leaders to help steer current and future growth.”

Hashtag: #Syniti

About Syniti

Syniti solves the world’s most complex data challenges by uniquely combining intelligent, AI-driven software and vast data expertise to yield certain and superior business outcomes. For over 25 years, Syniti has partnered with the Fortune 2000 to unlock valuable insights that ignite growth, reduce risk and increase their competitive advantage. Syniti’s silo-free enterprise data management platform supports data migration, data quality, data replication, master data management, analytics, data governance, and data strategy in a single, unified solution. Syniti is a portfolio company of private equity firm Bridge Growth Partners LLC. Read more at www.Syniti.com.

HUNTERSVILLE, US – News Direct – 10 October 2022 – Microban International is proud to present LapisShield^™, a novel, non-heavy-metal technology designed to seamlessly integrate antimicrobial functionality into any water-based coating formulation. This broad-spectrum antimicrobial technology is proven to inhibit bacterial growth by up to 99.99 %, and prevents the growth of mold and mildew, helping to protect treated surfaces from various sources of microbial degradation.

LapisShield is the newest coatings innovation from the leader in antimicrobial technologies, demonstrating the company’s continuing drive to deliver more sustainable solutions to deter microbial growth. With this state-of-the-art technology, manufacturers can enhance their coatings with the power of product protection against the detrimental effects of microbes – including stains, odors and premature degradation – extending the lifetime of coated products. LapisShield offers superior quality and stability by optimizing processing and manufacturing requirements. It also allows coating batches to be stored for future use, preventing unnecessary waste and optimizing resources for more sustainable coatings manufacturing.

LapisShield is specifically designed to meet the needs of the water-based coatings industry, a sector that is constantly striving for clearer and more environmentally friendly systems that create a seamless finish. This ground-breaking technology is compatible with thin coating systems and offers enhanced UV stability, limiting impacts on the optical properties of water-based coatings, and making them ideal for transparent glass or plastic applications. Michael Ruby, President of Microban International, commented: “We are excited to introduce LapisShield as the latest example of Microban’s commitment to developing sustainable, non-heavy-metal antimicrobial technologies for its partners worldwide. Our coatings experts have worked tirelessly to deliver a more environmentally friendly technology that offers the best quality and compatibility for water-based coating systems. The fantastic stability and clarity of LapisShield allows it to be easily integrated with a wide variety of coatings systems, including anti-fingerprint and anti-smudge formulations, and applications requiring optically clear performance.”

LapisShield is available to water-based coating manufacturers across the world to help prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew on a variety of substrates, including glass, metal, wood and plastics. Partners will also benefit from Microban’s 38 years of expertise in antimicrobial technologies, with renowned turnkey support services.

Find out more at www.microban.com/antimicrobial-solutions/technologies/lapisshield and get in touch with a representative today!

Hashtag: #Microban #antimicrobialtechnology #waterbasedcoatings

About Microban International

Part of Barr Brands International (BBI), Microban International is home to the most trusted and well-known global brands in the antimicrobial, odor control, and sanitization / disinfection markets – Microban® and Ultra-Fresh®. Our organization has experienced over 100 collective years of growth and has revolutionized the industry. As the global leader, our proactive systems keep products cleaner, and control odors better by preventing problems before they start. Microban International drives innovation by combining science and creative solutions that enhance high-quality consumer, textile, industrial and medical products around the world. Today, the Microban and Ultra-Fresh brands and our technologies are featured on thousands of products worldwide. The company is headquartered in North Carolina with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.microban.com.

HONG KONG SAR – News Direct – 10 October 2022 – Huobi Global has announced its global advisory board composed of industry leaders across blockchain and traditional organizations. The board was established to guide Huobi Global’s business development as well as its strategic roadmap for global expansion.

Huobi Global is of the view that the establishment of a well diversified advisory board, with a global vision and international resources, is essential to the success of our global expansion in light of the ever-changing dynamics of the blockchain industry. In particular, we welcome industry leaders who are in sync with blockchain technology and industry development in order to stay ahead of the competition. They may also include shareholders of Huobi Global, leaders in the traditional financial industry, as well as experts and scholars, and established figures from political and business circles.

Following extensive engagement with international candidates for the advisory board, the initial list of Huobi Global advisors is as follows:

• Ted Chen, CEO of About Capital Management (HK) Limited
• Du Jun, co-founder of Huobi Global
• Wang Yang, Vice President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
• H.E. Justin Sun, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Grenada to the WTO
• Leah Wald, CEO of Valkyrie Investments (Issuer of BTF, one of the first Bitcoin ETFs in the US)

We are grateful to the five advisory members for recognizing Huobi Global’s potential and agreeing to take up the position. We believe that as the advisors fully and deeply guide Huobi Global’s work in various areas such as business, marketing, branding, compliance and risk control, their proven experience, industry resources and global vision will lead Huobi Global to an unprecedented stage.

At the same time, Huobi Global Advisory Board will continue to welcome the addition of global leaders in order to further strengthen institutional cooperation, enhance the Huobi Global brand and increase market competitiveness. We are confident that Huobi Global will gain the trust of more international users and reward our global community with further new initiatives.

Contact Details

Huobi PR team
+86 139 2280 3249
intlpr@huobi.com

Company Website

https://www.huobi.com/

Hashtag: #HuobiGlobal

About Huobi Global

Founded in 2013, Huobi Global is one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, with tens of millions of users across five continents and 160 different countries and regions. We are dedicated to empowering financial freedom and creating new global wealth, having led the cryptocurrency industry in spot, derivatives, and Bitcoin transactions for many years. Our infrastructure, operations and offerings are built on processes and standards that prioritize user safety and industry compliance, backed by strong global customer supports underpinned by local expertise. It offers a unique trading environment that is truly customer-first, safe and sustainable for all users, enabling their long-term success. For more information, visit www.huobi.com