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Independent Power Producer (IPP), NEFIN Group, Broadened its Footprint in Hong Kong with Three New Projects Coming up for Goodman, Hong Kong’s Leading Industrial Logistics and Business Space Provider

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 22 March 2022 – NEFIN Group (“NEFIN”), a premium green Independent Power Producer (IPP) offering bespoke carbon neutral technologies & financing solutions in Asia Pacific, today announced its latest project for Goodman Hong Kong. These projects will help advance utilization of renewable energy in the real estate industry and reinforce NEFIN’s mission to achieve carbon neutrality for large corporations across the globe.

NEFIN has completed four projects with the installation of solar photovoltaic system with capacity of 1,468.495 kWp by deploying 3,245 rooftop solar panels across the properties. The fifth project, that NEFIN is currently working on, aims at generating a total energy capacity of 279,279kWh by installing 558 solar panels.

For the upcoming three projects, the goal is to generate a total capacity of 657,283kWh across the properties through the installation of 1,233 rooftop solar panels.

With an extensive network of local partners across the region, NEFIN is positioned to drive total carbon neutrality solutions across borders, and to projects of varying scales, which has contributed to their success in delivering over 3,000MW of commercial and industrial rooftop solar systems and renewable energy systems regionally in its combined portfolio.

“NEFIN is working with a number of MNCs in various industries in attaining their sustainability goals by exploring other solutions like energy efficiency & management systems and renewable energy certificates (RECs). We understand that our clients strive to be leaders in environmental social governance and we will give our full support by offering them the most suitable solution” says Mr. Glenn Lim, Chief Executive Officer of NEFIN Group.

About NEFIN Group

NEFIN Group is a regional renowned carbon neutrality solutions provider and investor with a bespoke unified energy management platform committed to achieve carbon neutrality for organizations and is backed by AC Energy. Founded by a core management team of DuPont Solar Business, the management team has grown into a well-rounded team of engineers, legal experts, investment bankers and techno-commercial experts with the combined experience of over 40+ years of project development in Asia and 50+ years of engineering experience. NEFIN Group has over 3000MW of utility-scale, commercial, and industrial rooftop solar systems in its combined portfolio regionally. As a strong cohesive team, NEFIN Group is able to offer a comprehensive 360-degree assessment and full-suite of services on socially responsible and commercially viable projects through innovative approaches to technology under its unified energy management platform. NEFIN believes the future of the world is everyone’s responsibility and strives to redefine energy boundaries towards a sustainable future. Please refer to NEFIN’s website for more information and follow us at .

#NEFIN

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

Laos Confirms 2,328 New Cases of Covid-19

Vientiane Covid Update

Laos has recorded 2,328 cases of Covid-19 across the country today.

Covid Measures Tightened in Parts of Laos as Omicron Spreads

A police checkpoint in Vilabouly district
A police checkpoint in Vilabouly district, Savannaket province.

Schools have been closed and restaurants shuttered in some provinces across Laos as the Omicron outbreak worsens.

Schools Must Stay Open amid Omicron Threat and Beyond to Avoid a Learning Catastrophe

Teacher and students practise social distancing (photo: UNICEF Laos).
Teacher and students practise social distancing (photo: UNICEF Laos).

Op-ed by WHO, UNICEF, and the Lao Ministry of Health.

Expect higher standards of culture and conduct from Singapore’s insurance industry

Consumer interests and business resilience central themes in first set of guidelines published by the Insurance Culture and Conduct Steering Committee (ICCSC)

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 22 March 2022 – The Insurance Culture and Conduct Steering Committee (ICCSC) today released its first two papers providing best practice guidelines and recommended initiatives for stakeholders within the insurance ecosystem to elevate the culture and conduct standards of insurance companies, intermediaries (e.g. Financial Advisory Firms), employees, and the insurance ecosystem.

The two Papers[1] are:

  • Human Resources Culture and Conduct Best Practices – Promoting Ethical Culture and Conduct Across the Employee Life Cycle: Outlining best practices in Hiring, Enterprise Training, Consequence Management, and Exit Management
  • Corporate Governance Culture and Conduct Best Practices – Promoting Ethical Culture and Conduct Through Corporate Governance and Systems: Putting forth recommendations on the role of Leadership, Governance & Systems, Capability & Capacity, and Performance Management & Remuneration

Mr Marcus Lim, Assistant Managing Director (Banking & Insurance), Monetary Authority of Singapore, said, “The ICCSC has demonstrated its commitment to promote good culture and conduct within the insurance sector through the publication of these best practices and recommendations. By continually serving the best interests of their customers, insurers and intermediaries reinforce the foundation of trust upon which the industry is built. MAS encourages all firms to take reference from this set of papers and consider how best to apply them to their business so as to better serve their customers.”

Dr Khoo Kah Siang, Chairperson of the Insurance Culture and Conduct Steering Committee (ICCSC) said, “The papers are developed based on extensive research carried out on best practices observed internationally, and inputs from senior practitioners within the industry. We hope that these papers will provide timely and practical guidance to the insurance companies in Singapore to apply and elevate their standards of culture and conduct over time, to maintain public trust and confidence in the insurers.”

“ICCSC will continue to work with the various insurance associations in Singapore to adopt these guidelines as appropriate for their segment. These best practices papers will be reviewed in 12 months to assess the effectiveness of the recommendations for the industry.”

These Papers focus on people, performance, and processes:

  • People: From the leadership team to employees and Financial Adviser (FA) Representatives – every individual has a critical role to play in creating a strong culture of good conduct for the benefit of insurance customers. The best practice guidelines and recommendations put forth clear roles and responsibilities of the respective parties in promoting the right culture and conduct in the organisation.
  • Performance: Assessment criteria – whether for hiring, reward, or recognition – can be enhanced to include financial and non-financial measures. The performance of the management team, employees, FA representatives and partners in the ecosystem can be raised by having the right training programs and consequence management framework.
  • Processes: Recommended enhancements to the governance and ways of working to establish and enforce more robust practices to promote good conduct and the right culture within organisations and the insurance eco-system at large.

“I would also personally like to thank all the ICCSC members as well as contributors in the subcommittees who had volunteered their valuable time towards this important initiative for the industry amidst this challenging COVID-19 period,” Dr Khoo added.

The committee, consisting of senior leaders in the industry, was established in December 2019 to foster sound culture and strengthen standards of conduct among insurers in Singapore.[2] They are supported by the General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA), the Life Insurance Association (LIA) and the Singapore Reinsurers’ Association (SRA).

The ICCSC is currently working on the next best practice paper which will bring a new focus on the conduct of life insurance intermediaries. The aim is to provide practical recommendations on the role of supervisors in setting the right tone from the top and putting in place key performance measures to incentivise FA Representatives to provide customers with high quality financial advisory services. The paper also sets out recommendations to enhance disclosures to customers and information sharing between insurers and non-tied Financial Advisory Firms (FAFs) in order to raise overall standards in the financial advisory industry. This paper is targeted for an April 2022 release.

Appendix 1: Infographic on Human Resources Culture and Conduct Best Practices – Promoting Ethical Culture and Conduct Across the Employee Life Cycle

Appendix-1.jpg

Appendix 2: Infographic on Corporate Governance Culture and Conduct Best Practices – Promoting Ethical Culture and Conduct Through Corporate Governance and Systems

Appendix-2.jpg


[1] Refer to appendix for infographics with key takeaways for the two Papers. Papers are available for download at: https://www.lia.org.sg/industry-guidelines/industry-practices/
[2] Joint media release: New Industry Steering Committee to Elevate Culture and Conduct Standards for Insurance Industry (Dec 12, 2019). Information available at:
https://www.sgpc.gov.sg/sgpcmedia/media_releases/mas/press_release/P-20191212-1/attachment/Joint%20Media%20Release%20-%20New%20Industry%20Steering%20Committee%20to%20Elevate%20Culture%20and%20Conduct%20Standards%20for%20Insurance%20Industry.pdf

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

Envision Digital and Lightsource bp Partner to Catalyse Solar Power Optimisation Globally

The new multi-year partnership will see Lightsource bp leveraging Envision Digital’s AIoT platform for Net Zero

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 22 March 2022 – Envision Digital International Pte Ltd (“Envision Digital”), a Singapore-headquartered global Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (AIoT) software leader for Net Zero, and global solar developer Lightsource bp, have announced a multi-year, global partnership to accelerate the growth and optimisation of solar power, in the fight against climate change.

Lightsource bp is targeting the development of 25GW of solar power projects globally by 2025 delivering renewable power at scale, and with the urgency the climate crisis requires. Through the partnership and the advanced analytics from Envision Digital’s AIoT platform, Lightsource bp will be able to gain data driven insights to enable automation, efficiency, value and ultimately, substantial volumes of additional low-carbon power.

The partnership will see Lightsource bp leveraging Envision Digital’s AIoT platform to optimise the performance and operation of their solar assets. Lightsource bp recognises Envision Digital’s unique expertise in AIoT and digital transformation, and has selected Envision to be its advanced analytics partner for its existing and rapidly growing portfolio of solar projects globally.

Michael Ding, Global Executive Director of Envision, said: “As the global AIoT software leader for Net Zero, Envision Digital continues to focus on partnerships. We see a lot of synergies with Lightsource bp and our teams are rapidly deploying and scaling technology to power the energy transition together.”

Lightsource bp is a 50:50 joint venture with global energy major bp. By leveraging this partnership with Envision Digital, as well as more than a decade of solar experience, the company expects to be able to deliver greater value at scale and enact a real change on the global energy landscape. The 247MW Vendimia project in Spain started generating low-cost power in June 2021. The site created 600 jobs during construction and provides a snapshot of the benefits solar can provide to the economy and the climate.

Lightsource bp’s Vendimia project in Spain, was completed in June 2021. (Credit: Lightsource bp)
Lightsource bp’s Vendimia project in Spain, was completed in June 2021. (Credit: Lightsource bp)

“Deploying solar power at pace means making the most of projects once they are up and running. It’s not just about the cost of capital and your project execution. Lightsource bp has an exceptional reputation on both fronts and once all that hard work is done, we don’t want to waste a single photon,” said Nick Boyle, Group CEO, Lightsource bp.

“The partnership with Envision Digital gives us an anatomical level of insight on our assets to optimise them remotely and drive improvements,” he added.

Envision Digital’s proprietary AIoT operating system, EnOS™, currently supports more than 360GW of clean energy assets globally. As the partnership develops, and as global governments and corporations quicken net zero discussions, both companies will explore additional opportunities to drive value across Lightsource bp’s expanding portfolio of solar power projects globally.

Editors’ notes:

  1. The partnership will include all existing and future Lightsource bp operated assets as well as those under the management of its O&M business.
  2. The rollout is underway with Envision Digital and Lightsource bp collaborating on the first batch of projects now.
  3. Envision Digital’s AIoT platform EnOS™ provides pre-built decarbonization and digitalization applications and a complete suite of connectivity and device management, application enablement and analytics capabilities, focusing on asset-intensive industries like energy and utilities, manufacturing and transportation. The platform is open-source focused on preventing lock-in effects, supporting on-prem, public cloud, and hybrid cloud deployments to offer ultimate adaptability and flexibility from edge to cloud.
  4. In this specific multi-year programme Lightsource bp will use the Intelligent Renewables Advanced Analytics application for Solar, please find out more in our product brief here.
  5. The platform and its applications are fully extensible by customers, partners, and Envision Digital. This can be accomplished using both application configuration templates and modern API and micro service based application development techniques.
  6. Together with the decarbonization hardware offerings from Envision Group and our ecosystem (renewable generation, energy storage etc), Envision Digital brings integrated solutions that leverage Information Technology (IT), Operation Technology (OT) and Energy Technology (ET) for our industrial clients from hardware manufacturers to energy and utility players or large infrastructure operators.
  7. Aiming to abstract the domain expertise to enable transformation in a more efficient and intelligent way, EnOS™ is designed with a model-driven philosophy and provides 3000+ industry device models, 200+ protocol adaptors, 360+ AI models, and various solution templates for intelligent renewables, connected energy, smart spaces and smart plants. Altogether, they help to accelerate the time to solution and transformation.

About Envision Digital

A global AIoT software leader in Net Zero, Envision Digital is committed to becoming the world’s leading net zero technology partner for enterprises, governments, and cities to accelerate progress and improve their citizens’ quality of life.

EnOS™, Envision Digital’s proprietary AIoT operating system, connects and manages more than 110 million smart devices and 360 gigawatts of energy assets globally. Envision Digital’s growing ecosystem of more than 360 customers and partners spans 10 industries and includes Accenture, Amazon Web Services, GovTech Singapore, IBM, Keppel Corporation, Microsoft, Nissan, PTT, Solarvest, Total and ST Engineering. The company has close to 900 employees and 12 offices across the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Japan, Thailand, China, and the United States, with headquarters in Singapore.

For more information, please visit .

About Lightsource bp
Lightsource bp is a global leader in the development and management of solar energy projects, and a 50:50 joint venture with bp. Our purpose is to deliver affordable and sustainable solar power for businesses and communities around the world. Our team includes over 700 industry specialists, working across 17 countries. We provide full scope development for our projects, from initial site selection, financing and permitting through to long-term management of solar projects and power sales to our clients. For more information visit , follow us on Twitter and Instagram or view our page.

#EnvisionDigital #Lightsourcebp

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

Ministry of Industry and Commerce Instructs Employees to Work From Home

Work from home

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has allowed its employees to work from home amid soaring fuel prices and the Omicron Covid-19 outbreak.

ECOVACS ROBOTICS Extends Partnership With Hyun Bin as Brand Ambassador to Launch the Brand-new All-in-one Vacuuming & Mopping DEEBOT X1 OMNI in Thailand, Defines New Era of Home Service Robots

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach – 22 March 2022 – ECOVACS ROBOTICS (“ECOVACS”), the world’s leading service robotics brand, today announced that it extended its partnership with the popular Korean actor Hyun Bin as its Brand Ambassador in five Asia Pacific countries – Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. The partnership will be part of its launch of a new flagship DEEBOT X1 OMNI, the industry’s first all-round robotic vacuum cleaners.

Launched under the theme “Tomorrow’s Robots, Today.”, DEEBOT X1 OMNI is the industry’s first all-in-one base station OMNI Station, combines function and design. It creates a new home service robotics industry benchmark for premium house cleaning and sets the direction for future development by featuring ECOVACS’ strongest suction power of 5000Pa, the latest AIVI™ 3D and TrueMapping 2.0 technologies, and the industry’s first natural language interactive AI voice assistant YIKO. Jacob Jensen Design worked on the design, turning DEEBOT X1 OMNI into an art piece that will perfectly fit any elegantly-designed home.

David Qian, Chief Executive Officer of ECOVACS ROBOTICS, said, “We’re proud to partner with Hyun Bin once again to bring our latest flagship robotic vacuum cleaner to the Asia Pacific. This partnership will play a pivotal role in strengthening the emotional connection between our brand and users. The newly launched DEEBOT X1 OMNI takes the home services robotics to the next level with a series of new intelligent technologies that were designed to bring unparalleled automation, convenience, and benefits to our customers.”

Unique OMNI station and more powerful cleaning functions bring unparalleled convenience and benefits to users

The DEEBOT X1 OMNI is the first robotic vacuum cleaner to manage the entire floor cleaning process. Beyond sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping, the new models also wash and dry the mopping pads and collect more dust using the new base station, making it the first all-round robotic vacuum cleaner that genuinely frees users from housekeeping chores.

The OMNI Station, ECOVACS’s first all-round base station, is also the world’s first to integrate automated dust collection, cleaning the mop, refilling water, and hot air drying. The all-round base station OMNI Station has a 4L clean/dirty water tank to automatically store and recycle the wastewater after cleaning the mopping pad and refilling the water tanks of the DEEBOT X1 OMNI model with clean water.

This allows DEEBOT X1 OMNI to vacuum and mop longer, changing how users will use high-end robotic vacuum cleaners and ushering a new era for the home service robotics industry.

The DEEBOT X1 OMNI also features the strongest[1] mopping system, the OZMO™️ Turbo 2.0 Rotary Pressure Mopping System. It combines high pressure and high-speed rotation of 180 rpm (rotations per minute) to effectively clean stubborn stains, including coffee and soy sauce stains solidified after three days. The combination of the powerful suction system and OZMO™️ Turbo 2.0 Rotary Pressure Mopping System makes the DEEBOT X1 OMNI a multifunctional flagship. Unlike other sweeping and mopping solutions in the industry, the DEEBOT X1 OMNI keeps the mopping pad moist to ensure both steps are completed efficiently in one go.

More intelligent AIVI™️ 3D and 3D maps unveil exciting potential

ECOVACS added the brand-new AIVI™️ 3D technology to the DEEBOT X1 OMNI, significantly improving the robot’s perception of the environment using laser and visual sensing technologies.

The series features the RGBD sensor, the most complex sensor developed by ECOVACS. It includes HDR dynamic range imaging technology and can accurately capture environmental images and semantic information in a dark environment.

The TrueMapping 2.0 technology speeds up mapping and offers a wider field of view. With AIVI™️ 3D technology support, ECOVACS adds a third dimension to household mapping. The combination increases mapping speeds by ten times, doubles the visual range, cuts cleaning time by 25%, and allows the robots to navigate more precisely across different home environments. By making it easier to target specific dirty areas and locations, the robots transform the cleaning experience to be more convenient and efficient.

The DEEBOT X1 OMNI runs on Horizon GAI chips. It is the first time autopilot technology has been used in home service robots. The new chips dramatically improve the robots’ ability to identify and sense different object types while building environmental information in 3D and creating different home segments for targeted cleaning. The chip firmware also supports over-the-air (OTA) upgrades.

ECOVACS’s YIKO Voice Assistant enhance user experience, recommended by Google

ECOVACS firmly believes that natural language interaction will become most important for human-bot interaction. The DEEBOT X1 OMNI has the industry’s first built-in natural language interactive assistant, YIKO. By combining voice and visual AI algorithms, YIKO enables natural language communication and multimodal interaction in English. When integrated with other robot functions, it allows users to control and precisely guide the robots while simplifying complex household tasks with voice instructions.

YIKO uses several AI intelligent voice interaction technologies, including voice semantics from Google, to improve the accuracy and response times, bringing users unprecedented natural langue interactive experience. Users can build a complete map for efficient cleaning by saying, “OK YIKO, quick map building.” YIKO transforms the user experience, turning the DEEBOT X1 OMNI from highly intelligent cleaning tools to truly home service robotics.

Jacob Jensen Design turns DEEBOT X1 OMNI into an art piece

The prestigious Danish design company Jacob Jensen Design adds authentic Nordic minimalism into the design of the DEEBOT X1 OMNI, turning house robots into art pieces. This is the first time Jacob Jensen Design worked on home service robots.

The base station’s durable silver metal body with the silver and black rectangular elements and touch buttons complement high-end home environments.

With Jacob Jensen Design’s minimalistic design, the DEEBOT X1 OMNI becomes a household art piece that every home will want to have. With more powerful functions and keeping design and quality as its top priority, the new device is ready to meet customers’ evolving needs by marrying form and function.

Price and availability

DEEBOT X1 OMINI’s suggested retail price is THB36,900. It will be officially available at Shopee from March 27 to 29 with special price of THB33,900.


[1] Disclaimer: The strongest mopping system in ECOVACS’ product portfolio.

About ECOVACS ROBOTICS

Innovating Since Day One – Creating the Intelligent Home.

At ECOVACS ROBOTICS, we care about innovating solutions to enhance your lifestyle. Based on a deep understanding of use cases and consumer experiences, we design robots that help you “live smart, enjoy life.”

With over 20 years of design and industry-leading research, we have led the market as homes become more intelligent and responsive. We are building a world where your home asks less of your attention, becomes more seamless and powerful, and frees you to spend more time doing what you love.

#ECOVACSROBOTICS