DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Media OutReach – 23 March 2023 – Bybit, the world’s third most visited crypto exchange, is proud to list the Arbitrum (ARB) token — along with a massive prize pool of $400K to celebrate. Today, users will be able to deposit ARB and trade newly created ARB spot pairs, perpetual contracts, and trading bot pairs.
Arbitrum is the biggest player in Ethereum’s layer 2 scaling landscape, designed to boost Ethereum’s speed and scalability while adding additional privacy features. The release of ARB (which includes “airdropping” 12.75% of the entire supply to the chain’s early users) is one of the most highly-anticipated events in the cryptocurrency industry this year.
To celebrate this occasion, Bybit has launched a series of campaigns that offers ARB traders a chance to win part of its massive $400K prize pool.
Firstly, all users who deposit 250 ARB will receive a gift of 25 USDT, and new users who have used the Arbitrum-native trading platform GMX, can claim a further 0.5 GMX with a deposit of 500 ARB. Also, Bybit’s official Twitter account will be giving away GMX and USDT in a lucky draw to 400 users who like or retweet its tweets, or follow the official Twitter account.
Bybit offers a range of trading bots, which allow users to automate strategies, backtest them, and trade the markets 24/7. Their bots are easy to configure, so even beginners can benefit from automated trading.
As part of the ARB celebration, users who trade ARB via Bybit’s spot grid bots will share in a $20K prize pool. Another launchpool campaign for ARB subscribers will unlock a total of $150K in rewards. Finally, a high APY ARB fixed-term product is available via Bybit Earn, allowing traders to earn even more rewards from their investments.
“At Bybit, we recognize our responsibility to provide forward-thinking opportunities for our users and lead the way in supporting the proliferation of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology,” said Ben Zhou co-founder and CEO of Bybit. “I am delighted to see that we are offering an ARB token listing, which promises unique rewards for those who make use of it. We are eager to see how our users leverage this powerful new asset and await their feedback with enthusiasm.”
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Bybit
Bybit is a cryptocurrency exchange established in 2018 that offers a professional platform where crypto traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, excellent customer service and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One’s reigning Constructors’ and Drivers’ champions, the Oracle Red Bull Racing team, esports teams NAVI, Astralis, Alliance, Made in Brazil (MIBR), and Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, and association football (soccer) team Borussia Dortmund.
The bilateral medical scholarship between the National University of Singapore and Tsinghua University will be launched with a S$320,000 contribution from Tanoto Foundation
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 23 March 2023 – Tanoto Foundation and Tsinghua University Education Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU“) in Beijing, heralding a greater level of strategic cooperation in the medical field, including the setting up of the first-ever bilateral medical scholarship between National University of Singapore (“NUS“) and Tsinghua University (“Tsinghua“).
The MoU covers three key programmes including the bilateral scholarship programme between NUS and Tsinghua, the Tanoto Foundation Chair Professorship, and the Tanoto Foundation Clinician-Investigator Award tied to the Centre for Physician Scientist Development at Tsinghua. Across all programmes, the collaboration will focus on talent development and training, as well as medical research, development, and application.
Under the bilateral scholarship between NUS and Tsinghua, two students from each university will undertake various medical and health related courses in exchange, offered respectively at the Tsinghua University School of Medicine and NUS, under both the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the Duke-NUS Medical School. To be conducted over four years with four students each year, Tanoto Foundation will contribute a total of S$320,000 to the programme, with the monies going into supporting tuition fees, accommodation, travel and other expenses.
The Tanoto Foundation Chair Professorship is an endowment programme that will fund leading professors in the development of medical research in areas of joint interest between Tanoto Foundation and Tsinghua University School of Medicine. Potentially, these include gastroenterology, cardiology, neurodegenerative diseases and clinical immunology.
Finally, the Tanoto Foundation Clinician-Investigator Award is an annual award that will be given to outstanding graduates of Centre for Physician Scientist Development (“CPSD“). Leveraging Tsinghua’s top tier resources and network in science, technology and medicine, the CPSD is a 12-month programme that trains young medical doctors with research aspirations in the clinical sciences. All awardees will receive funding which functions as a pilot grant for expanding their research projects.
The MoU signing ceremony which took place at Tsinghua University, was attended by Belinda Tanoto, Managing Director of RGE (Royal Golden Eagle) China and Member of the Board of Trustees, Tanoto Foundation; Huang Keying, Deputy Director of the United Front Work Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee; Wang Hongwei, Tsinghua University Vice President; and Professor Wong Tien Yin, Founding Head, Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, China.
During her speech, Ms Belinda Tanoto shared: “My parents firmly believe that education can change people’s lives. They highly value medical research and development work and therefore have continued to enhance their contributions to this area. RGE, Tanoto Foundation and Tsinghua University have been close partners for the past 13 years and have nurtured close to 100 students across 40 countries. With this MoU signing, we are further deepening our cooperation with Tsinghua University and reinforcing our support of further medical studies, doctors’ training, medical research, and medical resource transformation.”
Ms Huang Keying expressed her gratitude toward Mr Sukanto Tanoto, Founder of RGE and Tanoto Foundation, for his charitable contributions and advocacy work over the years, which embodied the entrepreneurial ethos of giving back to society and making contributions to the world. She added that Tsinghua looks forward to a more ambitious development blueprint for its new medical programme with the strong support from Mr Tanoto and the Tanoto Foundation.
Mr Wang Hongwei commented that Tsinghua will continue to promote a higher level of international cooperation, capitalise on its competitive advantages in its disciplines, contribute to boosting health and safety standards in China, and spearhead the establishment of a global hub for talent and innovation.
The MoU follows previous collaboration efforts between Tanoto Foundation and Tsinghua, including the establishment of the “Friends of Tsinghua-Tanoto Foundation Yuying Scholarship” at Tsinghua University in 2010, as well as the organising of the “Belt and Road Talent Development” Programme in 2016.
Hashtag: #TanotoFoundation
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About The Tanoto Foundation
Tanoto Foundation is an independent philanthropic organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto based on the belief that every person should have the opportunity to realise his or her full potential. Tanoto Foundation programmes stem from the belief that quality education accelerates equal opportunity. We harness the transformative strength of education to realise people’s full potential and improve lives. Tanoto Foundation focuses on making an impact in three main areas: improving learning environments, future leader’s development, as well as medical research and sciences.
The Honorary Consulate of Sri Lanka in Laos has advised its citizens to not fall prey to job scams in Laos after a group of Sri Lankan nationals was repatriated from the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the country.
Person washing clothes with unsanitary water. ( Photo : AP )
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A report issued on the eve of the first major UN conference on water in over 45 years says 26% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water and 46% lacks access to basic sanitation.
Laos-China Railway will extend its passenger services on the international route to China – from Vientiane to Kunming and return – starting next month.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 23 March 2023 – Respond.io, a leading customer conversation management software, announced today that they are now an official Google’s Business Messages Partner.
Based in South East Asia and one of the first few companies in this region to be selected as Google’s Business Messages provider, respond.io currently caters to a global customer base of over 10,000 companies. The company is well-poised to deliver on its mission to help businesses connect with their customers and enhance brand experiences, regardless of location.
With its massive user base and high accessibility, Google provides businesses worldwide with a streamlined messaging experience through Google’s Business Messages. Customers can easily connect with brands through various Google touchpoints like Search, Maps and brand-owned channels and more.
With direct access to the chat option, customers can quickly and easily communicate with businesses, including using photos and carousels. Plus, businesses can also provide important information such as business hours, appointment scheduling, status order updates and more, aiding in the customers’ decision-making process.
“We are thrilled to be part of Google’s Business Messages program. This represents a significant step forward for our clients and us. It is a testament to the expertise and dedication of our team in providing our clients with the best cutting-edge solution to enhance customer conversations,” said Gerardo Salandra, CEO of respond.io.
Brands around the world have found significant improvements in customer satisfaction and sales since implementing Google Business Messages. Global footwear retailer Foot Locker increased its average CSAT score by 10 points during its busiest season, while India’s automotive manufacturing company Bajaj Auto saw its lead conversions skyrocket by over 14x.
“Respond.io is committed to helping as many brands as possible leverage the benefits of Google’s Business Messages by working closely with our clients globally to adopt and implement the feature into their existing workflows and business processes. We are confident in helping our clients stay ahead of the curve and continue to thrive in today’s fast-paced and competitive digital landscape,” added Iaroslav Kudritskiy, COO of respond.io. Hashtag: #respond.io #GoogleBusinessMessages
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About respond.io
Respond.io is a customer conversation management software that enables companies to respond to messages from any channel from one centralized dashboard by teams of all sizes, thus making communication with customers easier, faster, and more satisfactory. Over 10,000 companies from 86 countries, including Klook, Decathlon, Abenson, Yoho, Roche and ShareChat use respond.io, and the platform processes more messages than three of its main competitors combined. The company is headquartered in Asia.
Key priorities for the year include bridging Singapore’s protection needs and financial gaps amidst rising inflation, enhancing the digitalisation journey for consumers and the industry, and supporting Singapore’s sustainability agenda
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 23 March 2023 – The Life Insurance Association, Singapore (LIA Singapore) today announced the newly elected members of its Management Committee at the Association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and annual luncheon held on 21 March 2023.
LIA Management Committee, 2023 – 2024
Officers
Member Company
President
Mr. Dennis Tan
Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Limited
Deputy President
Ms. Wong Sze Keed
AIA Singapore Private Limited
Deputy President
Mr. Raymond Ong
Etiqa Insurance Pte. Ltd.
Secretary
Dr. Khoo Kah Siang
Manulife (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
Treasurer
Mr. Andrew Yeo
Income Insurance Limited
Members
Member
Ms. Ho Lee Yen
HSBC Life (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
Member
Ms. Pearlyn Phau
Singapore Life Ltd.
Member
Mr. Khor Hock Seng
The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Limited
Newly elected President for 2023 – 2024, Mr Dennis Tan (on the right) with Guest-of-Honour, Mr Marcus Lim, Assistant Managing Director of the Banking and Insurance Group, Monetary Authority of Singapore (on the left).
Mr Dennis Tan is the newly elected President for 2023 – 2024, taking over the presidency from Mr Khor Hock Seng who has served the previous four terms as President. Ms Wong Sze Keed has been re-elected as Deputy President alongside Mr Raymond Ong who begins his first term as Deputy President. D Khoo Kah Siang was re-elected Secretary and Mr Andrew Yeo as Treasurer.
“Amidst the challenges brought about by the pandemic and the volatile macroeconomic environment, the life insurance sector has remained resilient. In 2023, we will focus our efforts on supporting consumers in their financial planning journey and identifying their protection gaps through our protection gap study. At the same time, we will continue our digitalisation efforts and play our part in supporting the government’s sustainability agenda,” said Mr Dennis Tan, President of LIA Singapore, in his opening address at the luncheon.
This was followed by a speech by Guest-of-Honour, Mr Marcus Lim, Assistant Managing Director of the Banking and Insurance Group, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), who highlighted the importance of the industry maintaining public trust through managing financial and non-financial risks well, and by treating customers right. He also urged the industry to continue to push ahead with its efforts to address environmental risk.
The Management Committee, comprising eight members, have identified the following top priorities for the term office, namely:
Identifying and developing key initiatives to bridge Singapore’s protection needs and financial gaps, especially through the nationwide protection gap study
Continuing digitalisation efforts in the life insurance sector to enhance the digitalisation journey for all stakeholders including the wider public
Supporting the nation’s sustainability agenda through sustainable investing and green solutions
Identifying and understanding various protection gaps and helping consumers with their financial planning goals
With 2023 being the first endemic year since Singapore reopened its borders and transitioned towards living with COVID-19, the pandemic has reminded consumers of the importance of ensuring that they are well protected. LIA Singapore will release findings of the nationwide protection gap study in the coming months. This is a study conducted once every five years to better understand and identify various protection gaps that will help in the development of key initiatives that meet individuals’ mortality and critical illness protection needs.
Amidst the rising cost of living and inflation, the life insurance industry will also continue to roll out people-first products and services that support consumers in their financial planning journey.
Continuing digitalisation efforts in the life insurance sector
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital tools across the life insurance sector and transformed the way insurers and consumers interact with one another. With increased demand for digital services, life insurers will continue to work with its partners and the MAS to ensure the seamless use of digital tools and solutions that enhance the digitalisation journey and experience for consumers.
Supporting Singapore’s sustainability agenda
As a Strategic Partner of the Green Finance Industry Taskforce (GFIT), LIA Singapore will continue to work with key partners to support sustainable investments and develop more green financial solutions.
Industry continues to show resilience and stability
Despite the macroeconomic headwinds, the life insurance industry continues to recover from the pandemic and recorded a total of S$5.10 billion in weighted new business premiums[1], a dip of 5.2% as compared to a year ago, mainly due to a drop in single premium business. The results also reflected an increase in demand for protection-focused policies in 2022, as uptake in total weighted new business premiums for Annual Premium plans recorded a 16.0% increase in Q4 2022 compared to Q4 2021.
Total weighted new business premiums for Individual Health Insurance for YTD Q4 2022 was at $360.2 million – consistent with the previous year. Total new business premiums[2] for Integrated Shield Plans (IPs) and IP riders for YTD Q4 2022 amounted to S$306.2 million, a 2.5% increase compared to YTD Q4 2021, highlighting how IP remains a priority health insurance product for Singaporeans.
[1] Weighted new business premiums measures premiums collected on new policies by taking into account (1) 10 per cent of the value of single premium products, (2) all of a year’s premiums for annual premium products, and (3) adjusted value for products with premium payment durations of less than 10 years. The figure is calculated as follows: 10% Single Premium Insurance + 100% Annual Premium Insurance + Adjusted premium for Insurance with premium payment durations of less than 10 years.
[2] With effect from 1 January 2016, MediShield Life premiums have been excluded from LIA statistics. New Business premiums refer to the premium due to the new business sold in the year, as well as incremental premiums from any repricing of plans, and change in age-band of the insureds.
Hashtag: #LIASingapore
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Life Insurance Association, Singapore (LIA Singapore)
Established in 1962, the Life Insurance Association, Singapore (LIA Singapore) is the not-for-profit trade body of life insurance product providers and life reinsurance providers based in Singapore and licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Vision and Mission
The vision of member companies is to provide individuals with peace of mind and to promote a society where every person is prepared for life’s changing cycles and for those situations unforeseen.
They are committed to being a progressive life insurance industry by collectively enhancing consumer understanding, promoting industry best practices, and through the association fostering a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect with government and business leaders.
Values underpinning the association and its members
Unified in our resolve to deliver innovative solutions where every individual’s needs are best met.
Professionalin the way we conduct ourselves and in the counsel we give.
Ethical in ensuring our policyholders’ interests are managed with utmost integrity.
Fairin how we strive to provide favourable outcomes to both our policyholders and shareholders.
Open & honestin all that we do to build an environment of trust and transparency.
Proactivein the steps we take to give our people the skills and knowledge to provide sound solutions at all times.