NEW DELHI, INDIA – Media OutReach – 6 May 2022 – India’s small businesses are the most innovative in the Asia-Pacific region, for the second consecutive year, according to a survey by one of the world’s largest professional accounting bodies, CPA Australia. Combined with a very strong domestic economy, this is expected to make Indian small businesses one of the Asia-Pacific’s top performers in 2022.

CPA Australia’s annual APAC Small Business Survey collected views from 4,252 small business owners or senior managers across 11 Asia-Pacific markets, including 525 from India. Conducted from November to December 2021, the survey is designed to understand local business conditions, challenges and confidence.

Sixty-two per cent of Indian small businesses reported growing last year, with 46 per cent experiencing very strong growth – the highest result of the markets surveyed. As a result of this, 77 per cent of respondents said that they had hired more employees, outperforming all other markets.

India’s small businesses are likely to be strong creators of new jobs this year, with 83 per cent expecting to increase employee numbers, ranking first among all markets. Sixty-eight per cent of respondent forecast their small business will grow this year.

Mr Leslie Leow, General Manager – Emerging Markets, CPA Australia said, “The survey results confirm that Indian small businesses are very ambitious. Despite the pandemic, most undertook actions such as making substantial changes to the product or service and made investments associated with high growth businesses.

“India’s small businesses take the crown as the most innovative in the region. Ninety-four per cent told us they will or may introduce a new product, process or service this year, surpassing all other markets surveyed for the second year in a row. A strong and competitive local economy, growing access to skilled workers and government policies such as the recently signed India-UK Global Innovation Partnership is anticipated to trigger a golden era of innovation for the sector.”

Reflecting their strong innovative culture, Indian small businesses are investing in technology with a very high success rate. Of local businesses that invested in technology last year, 80 per cent reported that such investment had already improved their profitability, well above the survey average of 54 per cent.

To support their innovations, India’s small businesses were the most likely to access external finance for business growth last year, and are the second most likely to expect accessing finance for growth this year. Financing this growth shouldn’t be difficult with 69 per cent expecting “easy” or “very easy” access external finance this year, the highest result of the markets surveyed.

India’s small businesses are also one of the leaders in selling online, with 83 per cent generating more than 10 per cent of their revenue through that channel. Related to that, they are also one of the leaders in receiving payment through new payment technologies such as PayTM and PhonePe.

“Of course, the unfortunate companion to this strong digital focus is increased cybersecurity risks. India’s small businesses are not blind to this, with 78 per cent expecting to be cyberattacked this year. However, this is not necessarily transferring through to action, with only 51 per cent reviewing their cybersecurity protections in the past six months.”

Indian small businesses were the most likely to have sought advice from IT consultants (49 per cent), business/management consultants (40 per cent) and accountants (35 per cent). Seeking external advice is a characteristic of high-growth businesses as professional advisers can guide small businesses through challenges and help them take advantage of opportunities.

Leow said, “Policy measures such as the Special Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme are likely to accelerate technology adoption and meet strong demand for external finance. Indian small businesses should make full use of these government initiatives to expand and innovate, however, some may wish to consider whether they are striking the right balance between short-term growth and sustainable development.”

CPA Australia recommends that Indian small businesses consider the following actions:

• Leverage government initiatives to invest in technologies and to keep innovating
• Seek professional advice to adapt your business strategy to a high growth tempo
• Focus on cybersecurity
• Only take on debt where calculations show the expected return on investment exceeds the cost of new loans.

About CPA Australia

CPA Australia is one of the largest professional accounting bodies in the world, with more than 170,000 members in over 100 countries and regions, including more than 2,000 members in South Asia. Our core services include education, training, technical support and advocacy. CPA Australia provides thought leadership on local, national and international issues affecting the accounting profession and public interest. We engage with governments, regulators and industries to advocate policies that stimulate sustainable economic growth and have positive business and public outcomes. Find out more at cpaaustralia.com.au

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

• The context behind the trend of seeking employment in Singapore has changed significantly post-pandemic
• 31,200 and 22,100 applicants are granted Permanent Residency and Citizenship status yearly
• 6 in 10 feel immigrants are not doing enough to integrate into Singapore

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 6 May 2022 – Data-centric immigration firm Fergus Consultancy Group revealed that with the further easing of covid-related measures, Singapore is expected to be popular among expatriates again. However, what challenges await in front of immigrants in their quest to achieve permanent residency or citizenship status in Singapore, especially after coming out of the pandemic? In this report, Fergus Consultancy Group has tried to find the answer to this important question.

As Singapore’s borders open progressively, it is expected that foreigners will begin to seek employment in the country and may subsequently decide to reside here for the long run. While this phenomenon is familiar, its context has altered since the pandemic.

When Covid-19 took the world by surprise, many countries gasped at the seemingly draconian measures the Singapore government implemented via “Circuit Breaker Lockdown1” sometime in April 2020. However, statistics from regulations proved the anti-vaxers and naysayers wrong.

Singapore painfully but carefully opened the community through vigorous testing while concurrently vaccinating the entire population. These calculated moves, carefully deliberated by the entire cabinet of Ministers, were closely watched by the rest of the world. And through a nation’s effort, we inched upwards in the charts to be within the top 5 countries in the world that have the highest rate of vaccination, with almost 92% of the entire population in Singapore.

However, as the country began its painstaking recovery process, articles on putting Singaporeans first also emerged concurrently. This, coupled with the increment of the minimum qualifying salaries of Employment Pass holders, seemed like the final nail to the coffin when it comes to achieving a permanent status in residency in the country.

Selective Immigration Framework

With reference to the infographic above, the immigration framework was tightened between 2009 and 2010, resulting in a significant dip in the average number of PRs and Citizenship granted per year. Expectedly, the pandemic had caused the approval numbers to dip further to an unprecedented ten-year low of 27,470 due to the closure of the borders and exodus of many foreign talents in a bid to support their loved ones back home.

Data, data, data

Regardless, the number of applications for both categories of residency did not cease as the ICA portal remains open and foreigners on eligible work pass kept up with their hopes and dreams to sink roots in Singapore successfully.

Being a data-centric immigration firm, Fergus Consultancy Group pivoted its approach and dug deep into trend analysis. Market and individual surveys were done religiously to build an archive of approved case studies within the past 3 years, including the pandemic season. With this valuable information, the approach in assisting their clients began to widen in scope. Documents validation aside, the firm began to place equal importance in ensuring the pillars of supporting elements are met during their extensive intervention period prior to the clients submitting their applications.

Solely based on numerous data points gathered from their surveys of successful cases, the team managed to create a proprietary checklist as a guide for clients to fulfill to their best abilities, and these will ultimately form the supporting elements evident in those cases.

Profile Modelling

The intervention period, also known as Profile Modelling, takes months to a year to complete and is achieved with a forward-thinking mindset and approach, bearing in mind what the Singapore government would wish to see in an applicant 5 years down the road. During this period, Fergus Consultancy Group aims to “model” an applicant’s profile to one that will be of interest and value to the country. Albeit the high number of applications put in every single month, no two are identical, but there is bound to be a group that triggers the interest of the screening officials. To be surefooted in an application is to have the Government gain confidence in areas of an applicant’s profile, e.g., integration and contribution to the community or financial stability, to name a few. These different pillars of confidence are built during the Profile Modelling stage.

Integration

“I’m too busy,” “It is not my focus at this juncture!”, “Where do I begin?” are the common feedback of prospects and clients of Fergus. However, years and years of accumulated articles and even mentions of the importance of integration have always been openly shared on media and the ICA platform. To quote, “ICA considers factors such as the individual’s family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions, qualifications, age, family profile and length of residency, to assess the applicant’s ability to contribute to Singapore and integrate into our society, as well as his or her commitment to sinking roots in Singapore.” – https://www.ica.gov.sg/reside/PR/apply

With an ever-growing list of partners and collaborators in the form of schools, universities, and non-profit organizations under their belt, Fergus Consultancy Group can, therefore, proactively allocate relevant integration opportunities to its clients. With an unwavering focus on skills alignment, purposeful intervention, and knowledge transfer, clients can contribute to the community effectively during the profile modeling period. Whether it is stretching a helping hand towards the poor and challenged or educating the next generation of leaders in Singapore, all clients will have a personalized catalog of options to consider and contribute to according to their passion and schedule.

Journey

Unlike countries with point-based systems, Singapore has never and will most probably not ever reveal the extensive allocation matrix for Permanent Residency and Citizenship. However, as experts connect the dots coupled with extensive research on successful cases, it is not impossible to look through the lenses of the approving authorities in accessing an application. Therefore, the journey to achieve one’s immigration dreams in Singapore is a marathon and never a sprint. Work needs to be done, extensive preparation will be required, and focuses may be required to be recalibrated, but ultimately, Fergus Consultancy Group remains a strong partner throughout, like a pacer in a race. The dream to successfully immigrate will, therefore, not remain a dream but a goal to be worked towards. And to begin that journey, one will have to take the first step in the right direction.

To better understand the benefits of being a Singapore PR or Citizen, visit https://www.fcg.com.sg/why-singapore.

To read up on related articles that would be beneficial for a foreigner in Singapore, visit https://www.fcg.com.sg/articles.

About Fergus Consultancy Group

Expertise: We assist our treasured clients in successfully migrating to or working in Singapore without all the hidden stresses and uncertainties.

With our Philosophy to strive to be the best, to remain relevant and competent for our clients because they deserve no less.

Our commitment to clients: We believe “there is no us without you” our commitment lies in ensuring success for every application. Our results are what drive us forward.

Our experience is a unique blend of expertise accumulated across experiences in Government agencies, Financial Institutions, Cross-border Business Development, and MNCs, allowing us to be at the forefront of the industry.

#FergusConsultancyGroup

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

Tracr™ has capability to provide provenance assurance for 100% of De Beers Group’s diamonds from source to Sightholder to store

LONDON, UK – Media OutReach – 6 May 2022 – De Beers Group is deploying the Tracr™ blockchain platform at scale for its diamond production. Tracr™ is the world’s only distributed diamond blockchain that starts at the source and provides tamper-proof source assurance at scale, enabling Sightholders to provide an immutable record of a diamond’s provenance, and empowering jewellery retailers to have confidence in the origin of the diamonds they purchase.

With more end clients wanting to know the source of the products they buy, the deep meaning associated with a diamond purchase requires a technological step-change to meet their expectations. The introduction of Tracr™ at scale delivers immutable information on the source of De Beers’ diamonds across the value chain and makes source assurance for 100% of De Beers’ production possible.

The Tracr™ platform combines distributed ledger technology with advanced data security and privacy, ensuring that participants control the use of and access to their own data. Each participant on Tracr™ has their own distributed version of the platform, meaning that their data can only be shared with their permission, and only they choose who can access their information. The advanced privacy technologies used by Tracr™ reinforce data security on the platform. The immutable nature of each transaction on the platform ensures that the data cannot be tampered with when the diamond progresses through the value chain.

The decentralised nature of the platform ensures its speed and scalability, with the ability to register one million diamonds a week onto the platform. With centralised platforms, dealing with large volumes of data can cause bottlenecks, but the decentralised model used by Tracr™ avoids such issues and enables rapid scaling.

The scalability, speed and security of Tracr™ are combined into an intuitive user experience to support ease of use for platform participants.

First launched in an R&D phase in 2018 and named by Forbes as one of the world’s 50 leading blockchain solutions in both 2020 and in 2022, De Beers has already registered one quarter of its production by value on Tracr™ in the first three Sights of the year in preparation for this first scale release.

Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said: “De Beers discovers diamonds with our partners in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa and, with our long-term investment in Tracr™, we are proud to join with our Sightholders to provide the industry with immutable diamond source assurance at scale. Tracr™, which will enable the provision of provenance information from source to Sightholder to store on a secure blockchain, will underpin confidence in natural diamonds and represents the first step in a technological transformation that will enhance standards and raise expectations of what we are capable of providing to our end clients.”

Honourable Lefoko Moagi, Minister of Minerals and Energy, Government of Botswana said: “The introduction of this advanced provenance technology is extremely exciting and we are very pleased as a large diamond producing country, and shareholder in De Beers, to be a part of this development. Confidence in diamond origin is extremely important and we look forward to seeing the roll out of this new programme delivering new benefits to the diamond industry and giving more assurance to consumers.”

The Tracr™ platform brings together a range of leading technologies – including blockchain, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and advanced security and privacy technologies – to support the identification of a diamond’s journey through the value chain. De Beers’ provenance claims have been certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council and trust in the De Beers source of diamonds is also assured by the business’s Pipeline Integrity programme which involves annual third-party verification visits of participants by independent auditors.

Notes to Editors

Tracr™ is an advanced technology platform developed by De Beers Group to underpin trust in diamond provenance. Through the use of leading-edge technologies – including blockchain, artificial intelligence, the internet of things and advanced security and privacy technologies – Tracr™ enables confidence in a diamond’s source throughout the diamond value chain.

About De Beers Group

Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of the De Beers Group strategy as it develops a portfolio of offers, including its jewellery houses, De Beers Jewellers and De Beers Forevermark, and other pioneering solutions, such as diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives GemFair and Tracr. De Beers Group is committed to ‘Building Forever,’ a holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future – where safety, human rights and ethical integrity continue to be paramount; where communities thrive and the environment is protected; and where there are equal opportunities for all. De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. For further information, visit www.debeersgroup.com.

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http://www.youtube.com/TDBGoC

#debeers #tracr #blockchain #naturaldiamonds

TAIPEI , TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 6 May 2022 – The world’s first ever metaverse mobile game: MetaCity M, developed by Gamamobi today, officially announces LISA, a member of BLACKPINK, a girl group who is massively popular across the entire world, will join MetaCity M as a global model under YG Entertainment. The news of LISA becoming MetaCity M’s global model has taken the industry by storm. LISA is known for her cute and loveable style off-stage and her overwhelming dance performance, which is a perfect match for the wholesome style of the MetaCity M. The collaboration, therefore, comes as a bombshell for fans worldwide, who are eagerly waiting to find out what surprises will come next in this exciting collaboration.

The world’s first open-world metaverse mobile game where all dreams come true!

Having begun development in 2020, MetaCity M precisely focuses on the concept of the ‘Open World Metaverse’. Each planet in MetaCity M features more than 1,600 small towns, 690 second-tier cities, and 55 first-tier cities. The massive 510 million square kilometer world allows players everywhere to play with friends and neighbors nearby, and drive, walk or even fly with people far away from all over the world. Explore different countries every day and see the world in all 4 seasons, or take part in the simple joys of life such as watching the sunrise and sunset, or enjoying a mountain top view. Take a spaceship to other planets and experience interplanetary exploration to visit players on alien planets. Use your life construction skill to develop your hometown with a global player base to create a truly unique town in the metaverse.

As LISA joins MetaCity M as a global model, fans are more hotly anticipating the release of MetaCity M than ever before. To learn more about LISA, our newest model, keep up to date with the latest news on the MetaCity M website.

《MetaCity M》Website：https://metacitym.com/

Discord：https://discord.gg/JEFGR2FRt9

Twitter： https://twitter.com/MetaCity_M

Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/mcm.gamamobi/

instagram：https://www.instagram.com/metacitym/

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