SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 December 2024 – The 2024 rankings for the Top 20 Best Places to Work in the Asia-Pacific region have been revealed, highlighting organizations that are leading the way in employee satisfaction, innovative HR practices, and exceptional workplace cultures. This year’s top performers come from a variety of industries, each demonstrating a commitment to fostering environments where employees thrive.
Leading the rankings are AIA, Novo Nordisk, Tabaterra, phData, and Tekwissen. These companies are celebrated for their empowering leadership, focus on employee well-being, and people-first strategies that are making a significant impact on the employee experience.
The full list of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Top 20 Best Places to Work includes:
1. AIA 2. Novo Nordisk 3. Tabaterra 4. phData 5. Tekwissen 6. Foodpanda 7. OneMagnify 8. Dragon Edge 9. AstraZeneca 10. Roche 11. Global Payments 12. BHS World 13. Universal Robina Corporation 14. British American Tobacco 15. HSBC 16. Diversey 17. Venture Offshore Infomatrix 18. Innocraft 19. LCIT 20. Samudera
These organizations have set new benchmarks in cultivating workplaces where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to succeed. Their achievements reflect a shared commitment to advancing workplace excellence across the region.
Each year, the program partners with organizations throughout the Asia-Pacific region to promote people-centric strategies, enhance organizational agility, and create work environments that positively impact employees’ lives.
Serving as a reminder that wellness is key for success, the event gathered visionary brands and ecosystem partners to inspire healthier living
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 December 2024 –The Mills Fabrica hosted its first-ever InnoWelltors’ Day on 6 December, an initiative dedicated to promoting mental and physical wellbeing among startup founders. Recognising the increasing pressures faced by founders, the event united mission-aligned partners for vital discussions on supporting entrepreneurs to thrive personally and professionally.
Under the theme “The NATURE Within”, the event welcomed entrepreneurs from the sustainability, green tech, and food industries, offering them a refreshing moment to prioritise self-care amid their demanding journeys. Aimed at serving as a reminder to prioritise holistic wellbeing for sustained success, the event featured a lineup of experiences curated in partnership with wellness and lifestyle brands — all designed to empower founders with the tools and mindset to integrate wellness into their entrepreneurial journey, an aspect that is not emphasised enough in Hong Kong.
“Having incubated and invested in 35 companies and supported hundreds of startups across the U.S., E.U., and Asia in the past six years, The Mills Fabrica has always championed a comprehensive approach to backing startups, whether through funding, incubation support, networking opportunities, or access to facilities. It is naturally aligned for us to extend this to include entrepreneurs’ overall wellbeing.
It was inspiring to see the startup ecosystem, wellness and lifestyle enthusiasts, and industry leaders converge in celebration of the importance of balancing mindfulness and health with demands of everyday life. This event addresses the vital need to prioritise the wellbeing of our entrepreneurs, reaffirming The Mills Fabrica’s belief in providing full support to the startup community,” says Cintia Nunes, General Manager and Head of Asia, The Mills Fabrica.
Bringing wellness into the spotlight as part of the innovation journey
Recognising that wellness is not one-size-fits-all, the activities were designed to address both physical and mental wellbeing. Participants were encouraged to share the challenges and emotions they’ve experienced on their entrepreneurial journeys, giving them a safe space to connect with the community.
The InnoWelltors’ Day unfolded as a vibrant and energising experience, seamlessly combining workshops with a focus on body and mind unity. To kick off, all participants sweated it out together in a guided jogging session with swiss sportswear brand On, helping them reconnect with their body, mind and community. With participants warmed up, the next session by Asphodel Fitness focused on stretching and mobility, deep diving into exercises for enhancing overall flexibility and strength. Following which the programme transitioned to offer participants calming tools, with a serene gong bath by ‘the door’ facilitated by local sound healing practitioners Hebe Chu and CK Chu and a mental health workshop by The New Normal Hong Kong, introducing participants to the healing benefits of sound therapy and simple mindfulness practices.
“The vision of InnoWelltors’ Day aligns with On’s dedication to strengthening community ties and promoting running culture and a healthy lifestyle. We encourage everyone to prioritise their wellbeing, even amidst busy schedules, fostering a culture of self-care and balance,” says Chantal Li, Market Lead, On.
In addition to partners, the event garnered support from international brands. “I deeply resonate with the concept behind InnoWelltors’ Day, connecting people and brands from diverse industries to unite in support of a shared mission to better support the startup community,” says Anne Fitan, Senior Commercial Brand Manager at METABEV Hong Kong Ltd, the distributor of Perrier, Maison Perrier and Vittel.
All participants were also invited to network and share stress-relief tips on the interactive “Share Your Thoughts” board to foster a sense of community and leave all participants feeling inspired.
Creating tangible impact — increased awareness and positive engagement
Aligned with The Mills Fabrica’s commitment to demonstrating the positive environment and social impact of its initiatives, all participants were invited to share their thoughts via pre- and post-event surveys to evaluate knowledge gained and any changes in behaviour.
Overall, the participants exhibited a measurable reduction in stress levels compared to pre-event metrics. 82% of participants reported being confident in their ability to manage stress after the event. Additionally, over 80% of participants reported they are likely to pick up stretching, breathing exercises and meditation to reduce stress.
Cintia continues, “This event marks the first of many such initiatives where we will bring together diverse players from across the wider ecosystem, empowering innovators to take a holistic approach to business — one that encompasses their mental and physical wellbeing of the community. We hope to call on more partners to join us in creating a thriving ecosystem that not only supports entrepreneurs to scale their groundbreaking solutions but prioritises their personal growth.” Hashtag: #TheMillsFabrica
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About The Mills Fabrica
The Mills Fabrica is a collaborative platform for accelerating sustainability-focused tech innovations in the techstyle and agrifood sectors. Officially launched in Hong Kong in December 2018, its venture capital fund, business incubator, impact retail store Fabrica X, and spaces across Hong Kong and London support innovations from different growth stages. Grown out of Hong Kong’s Nan Fung Group’s textile legacy, The Mills Fabrica, through its capital, connections, and expertise, is on a mission to bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, and corporates to create positive environmental and social impact for generations. http://www.themillsfabrica.com/
Vancouver, British Columbia – Newsfile Corp. – December 19, 2024 – Nya, a community-driven Web3 project, announced the launch of UniPaws World, a new metaverse platform that brings people together through creative self-expression and NFT technology. The platform empowers community members with customizable Kemi avatars, social features, and a unique digital ENS domain that acts as a web3 wallet identity.
UniPaws World introduces community-focused features, including:
Customizable Kemi NFT avatars with extensive personalization options
An integrated marketplace for trading Kemis and digital accessories
Kemi.ID, offering personalized Web3 ENS
Advanced profile customization tools for NFT collection display
Weekly releases of “UniPaws of Furness” light novel series
The platform connects seamlessly with Nya’s growing ecosystem, including Catgirl.io and Funhunt.io, strengthening the bonds between community members across multiple platforms.
UniPaws World is now live and accessible at https://unipaws.world/. For more information and updates, follow @NyaOnEarth on X (formerly Twitter).
About Nya: Nya is a community-driven Web3 project building innovative social platforms and digital experiences. By combining memecoin culture with practical applications, Nya creates engaging spaces that connect people across the blockchain ecosystem.
Bolikhamxay Province is grappling with a growing crisis of drug use among students, with authorities reporting alarming trends and new drug forms gaining popularity, such as kratom, collagen, and drug-laced coffee.
Group photo of Phout Simmalavong with Ambassador of Japan to Laos
On 18 December, Phout Simmalavong, Minister of Education and Sports and President of the Lao-Japan Friendship Association, received Japan’s prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.
Modernizing banking with the Backbase Engagement Banking Platform
HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 December 2024 – Backbase, the creator of the Engagement Banking Platform has released an in-depth video case study showcasing Techcombank (TCB), Vietnam’s second-largest private bank and fifth largest by asset size, and its transformation of both retail and business banking. Using Backbase’s Engagement Banking Platform, Techcombank has redefined banking by delivering personalized, humanized experiences at scale while achieving rapid growth and operational efficiency.
Key highlights include:
Overall Impact: Achieved consistent double-digit growth year-on-year, scaling operations to support millions of customers without increasing headcount, and driving significant efficiencies.
Retail Banking: Acquired over 2 million new customers digitally in 2023, with digital banking channels contributing more than 50% of total savings and investments. The app has maintained a 4.8-star rating with over 200,000 customer reviews, showcasing customer satisfaction and adoption. Weekly feature releases highlight the unparalleled speed of innovation.
Business Banking: Delivered an award-winning corporate banking platform, rated 4.9 stars, enabling 90% of payment transactions via mobile and reducing account opening times to just 30 minutes.
Behind the Transformation Techcombank’s leadership emphasized the importance of selecting a platform that enables creativity and adaptability to meet constantly evolving customer needs. Backbase’s Engagement Banking Platform offered the dual advantages of scalability and freedom—freedom to integrate with existing systems, build differentiated journeys, and test innovations without being constrained by legacy limitations.
Leadership and Vision Under the guidance of Pranav Seth, Chief Digital Officer, and Mukesh Pilania, EVP and Head of Digital Banking, Techcombank focused on delivering experiences tailored to Vietnam’s diverse customer base. Pranav shared, “We never wanted to pick a product that would limit us in terms of the creativity in meeting evolving customer needs. As much as possible, we leverage out-of-the-box capabilities we can get from the platform but every time there’s a difference needed, we have built our technical capabilities and collaboration with Backbase for our team to modify the platform to achieve exactly what we envision.” Strategic Importance for the Banking Sector Techcombank’s transformation sets a benchmark for modernization in retail and business banking, demonstrating how customer-centric strategies can drive both engagement, preference, and growth. For banks across Asia, this journey offers a blueprint for achieving sustainable success in a rapidly evolving industry.
Watch Techcombank’s success story video here. Hashtag: #Backbase, #digitalbanking, #engagementbanking, #retailbanking, #omnichannelbanking, #businessbanking, #corporatebanking, #smebanking
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Backbase
Backbase is on a mission to re-architect banking around the customer.
Backbase created the Backbase Engagement Banking Platform – a unified platform with the customer at the center, empowering banks to accelerate their digital transformation. From customer onboarding to servicing, loyalty, and loan origination, our single platform — open and frictionless, with ready-to-go apps — improves every aspect of the customer experience. Built from the ground up with the customer at the heart, our Engagement Banking Platform easily plugs into existing core banking systems and comes pre-integrated with the latest fintechs so financial institutions can innovate at scale.
Industry analysts Gartner, Omdia, and IDC continuously recognize Backbase’s category leadership position. Over 120 financial institutions around the world have embraced the Backbase Engagement Banking Platform. In APAC, the customers we serve include ABBANK, BDO Unibank, Bank of the Philippine Islands, China Bank, EastWest Bank, HDFC Bank, JudoBank, OCB, Techcombank, and TPBank.
Backbase is a privately funded fintech company, founded in 2003 in Amsterdam (Global HQ), with regional offices in Singapore (APAC HQ), Atlanta (Americas HQ), and operations in Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Latin America, and the UK.
Techcombank
Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank) is one of the largest joint stock banks in Vietnam, and a leading bank in Asia, with a vision to Change Banking, Change Lives. The Bank pursues a proven customer-centric strategy in providing a broad range of retail and corporate banking solutions and services to help financially empower its customers. Techcombank has 13.4 million retail and corporate customers, which it serves through a market-leading digital banking platform and mobile app, and an extensive network of transaction service outlets at locations across Vietnam. The Bank’s ecosystem approach, co-created through partnerships in multiple key economic sectors, adds further scale and differentiation in one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Techcombank is rated A+ by FiinRatings, Ba3 by Moody’s and BB- by S&P, which is the highest among Vietnam joint stock commercial banks.
HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 December 2024 – Vietnamese eel exporters have focused on enhancing quality standards to meet the stringent demands of international markets.
Mud-free eel farming model using composite tanks
This commitment ensures the competitiveness of Vietnamese eels in high-value markets, paving the way for further expansion and solidifying Vietnam’s position as a global player in the eel export industry.
Leveraging advantages to expand exports
In recent years, Vietnam’s eel farming and export industry has experienced rapid growth, establishing a relatively complete industrial chain encompassing breeding, farming, feed manufacturing, processing and export. Annual eel production is estimated at 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes, with the majority concentrated in the Mekong Delta provinces, including Dong Thap, An Giang, Hau Giang, Tien Giang and Can Tho. These regions boast ideal natural conditions for eel farming.
Eel farming has become a key aquaculture component, creating numerous jobs, alleviating poverty and boosting incomes in rural areas. The adoption of innovative techniques, such as mud-free eel farming in composite tanks, has further enhanced productivity and efficiency.
Eels are a popular freshwater aquatic species worldwide. Vietnamese eels (Monopterus albus) are highly regarded for their nutritional value and adaptability to freshwater environments. They are especially prized for their nutritious meat, which is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Often referred to as ‘ginseng of the water,’ eels are favoured for their health benefits and exquisite taste.
Vietnam’s eel exports have surged over recent years. In 2023, total export revenue reached about US$1.7 million, primarily driven by demand in the US and Japan. By 2024, with China emerging as a significant market, several Vietnamese companies gained approval to export eels through official channels.
As of October 2024, Vietnam’s eel exports totalled $2.98 million, with a volume of around 670 tonnes. China accounted for nearly half of the exports (300 tonnes), followed by Japan (50 tonnes), the US (38 tonnes) and South Korea (33 tonnes). Export revenue is projected to reach $3.6 million in 2024, doubling the 2023 figures.
Meeting rising standards
Continuous innovation, technological advancement and enhanced management practices are pivotal for Vietnam’s eel industry to meet growing market demands and boost exports. State agencies, research institutions and businesses prioritise the development and application of advanced technologies to produce disease-resistant eel breeds, improve breed quality, control farming environments and manage disease outbreaks. These efforts aim to optimise efficiency and product quality.
Seafood enterprises have also diversified processed eel products to better meet the requirements of export markets. Meanwhile, authorities have intensified food safety supervision at both central and local levels and guided the industry toward standardisation.
Eel farms are adopting quality certification systems, including VietGAP and GlobalGAP. Transparent documentation of farming processes, feed origins, medication usage and eel breeds is also required.
Standardised closed-loop farming minimises disease risks, reduces costs and enhances product quality, aligning with stringent international standards. Currently, over 60 Vietnamese seafood companies are certified to export eel products to demanding markets, including the EU, Japan, the US, South Korea and China. The recognition and approval from these markets signal a strong opportunity for Vietnam’s eel industry to expand production and scale up exports in the coming years.
Promising prospects for eel exports
The growing demand for high-quality eel among Chinese consumers and Asians in global markets presents significant opportunities for Vietnam’s eel export industry to thrive in the coming years.
Along with continuing to exploit and leverage favourable natural conditions, Vietnam’s eel farming export industry will improve modern, safe and sustainable farming practices free of antibiotics and heavy metal residues.
Enhanced management systems, traceability and compliance with international food safety standards will give Vietnam’s products a competitive edge, especially in stringent markets. Domestic companies are actively exploring new market opportunities, building brand recognition and improving product quality to align with global standards. As a result, Vietnamese eel is increasingly recognised for its quality and ability to meet the preferences of consumers worldwide.
Vietnam’s eel export industry expects greater support and collaboration from international regulatory bodies for import approvals and encourages importers to choose Vietnamese eel. This will ensure more global consumers can enjoy high-quality, safe and competitively priced eel products.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Group photo of participants in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Summit 2024 from across ASEAN and Timor-Leste
On 2 to 5 December, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Summit 2024 brought together 100 young leaders from across ASEAN and Timor-Leste in the World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang, under the theme “Connecting the Creative Economy.”