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.”
The Seno Grilled Chicken Association receives the ODOP trademark registration certificate on 12 December at the Outhoomphone District Club. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Thongsai Sayavongkhamdi, Mayor of Outhoomphone District, along with other officials and association members. (Photo Credit: Bounsu Phommathep)
On 12 December, Seno Grilled Chicken was officially recognized by Savannakhet authorities, becoming a new symbol of the central Lao province.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 December 2024 – XTransfer, the World’s Leading & China’s No.1 B2B Cross-Border Trade Payment Platform, proudly announced it has been selected as a constituent company of the Corporate Innovation Index (CII) 2024, published by the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business (APIB) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). XTransfer is the only cross-border payment platform to rank in the top 25 of the index, alongside other renowned innovative companies such as Hang Seng Bank, Airport Authority Hong Kong, Bank of East Asia, Lalamove, Cathay Pacific, China Resources, and CLP Power. CUHK recently held an award ceremony to recognise the top-performing large and small enterprises in the CII, with XTransfer’s representative present to receive the honour.
XTransfer’s representative (Center) receiving the award from Professor Cheung Waiman, Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) of CUHK Business School and Executive Director of APIB (Left), and Mr. Patrick Yeung Wai-tim, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (Right).
The Corporate Innovation Index (CII) is funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR and developed by the APIB, the executive education arm of CUHK Business School, with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce as a strategic partner. The index aims to develop a Corporate Innovation framework and measurement instruments to assess the overall innovation spirit and culture of Hong Kong corporates, as well as to measure the innovation capabilities and achievements of individual Hong Kong corporates, thereby recognising outstanding enterprises. The APIB invited 100 corporations and 200 SMEs to participate in the survey. Through assessing corporate performance in innovation leadership, business performance, and business model optimization, top-ranked achievers are selected to participate in the CII as constituent companies, while SMEs are rated on a scale of one to three stars.
Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, stated, “We are honoured to be selected as a constituent company of the Corporate Innovation Index (CII) 2024. We fully support APIB in promoting and enhancing innovation among businesses in Hong Kong. Being included in the index is a significant affirmation for XTransfer. We remain committed to our mission by leveraging innovative technology to provide secure and convenient cross-border financial services for SMEs in Hong Kong and worldwide, helping them reduce barriers and costs when expanding globally.”
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About XTransfer
XTransfer, World’s Leading & China’s No.1 B2B Cross-Border Trade Payment Platform, is dedicated to providing SMEs with secure, compliant, fast, convenient and low-cost foreign trade payment & fund collection solutions, significantly reducing the cost of global expansion and enhancing global competitiveness. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Shanghai and has branches in Hong Kong SAR, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, the UAE, Nigeria, etc. XTransfer has obtained local payment licenses in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia. With more than 550,000 enterprise clients, XTransfer has become the industry No.1 in China.
By cooperating with well-known multinational banks and financial institutions, XTransfer has built a unified global multi-currency clearing network and built a data-based, automated, Internet-based and intelligent anti-money laundering risk control infrastructure centred on small and medium enterprises. XTransfer uses technology as a bridge to link large financial institutions and small and medium enterprises around the world, allowing SMEs to enjoy the same level of cross-border financial services as large multinational corporations.
XTransfer completed its Series D financing in September 2021 and achieved unicorn status. The Company possesses a diverse composition of international investors, including D1 Capital Partners LP, Telstra Ventures, China Merchants Venture, eWTP Capital, Yunqi Capital, Gaorong Capital, 01VC, MindWorks and Lavender Hill Capital Partners.