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OctaFX and Ideas Academy partner to digitalise learning centres in Malaysia

OctaFX and Ideas Academy partner once again to advance education in Malaysia. This time, they join forces to digitalise multiple learning centres for refugees and underprivileged students.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 30 May 2023 – The international broker OctaFX and the educational organisation Ideas Academy have partnered once again. The joint initiative aims to effectively digitalise dozens of learning centres for refugees and underprivileged students in Malaysia to help advance their education.

Currently, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) oversees more than over 153 learning centres that cater to the needs of underprivileged individuals, particularly young refugees. Most of them lack the necessary software and structured curriculums that could greatly improve the quality of education and contribute to students’ academic success. Ideas Academy aims to provide those centres with essential software packages and online curriculums for two years.

The all-in-one digital packages will include the following pieces of software:

In addition to digitalising the learning centres, OctaFX and Ideas Academy will also hold a financial literacy workshop for underprivileged students. It will provide them with basic knowledge of personal finance that they can use to improve their financial situation.

‘Education has always been one of our core values, and it is especially important for us to contribute to it in an impactful way. We are grateful to Ideas Academy for the opportunity to take part in this project as one of the sponsors and help enhance education for underprivileged students in Malaysia,’ the OctaFX press office commented.

Here’s what the Ideas Academy representative had to say about the collaboration: ‘This project is a unique opportunity for advancing education in Malaysia, and we thank OctaFX for their much-appreciated support of this initiative. We look forward to providing the learning centres with software and learning programs!’

It will be the entities’ second collaboration to advance education in Malaysia. Recently, OctaFX sponsored the Cambridge IGCSE curriculum exam fees for students in Malaysia under the tutelage of Ideas Academy.

Hashtag: #OctaFX

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

About OctaFX

is an international broker that has been providing online trading services worldwide since 2011. The company is involved in a comprehensive network of charity and humanitarian initiatives, including the improvement of educational infrastructure and short-notice relief projects supporting local communities.

About Ideas Academy

The Kuala Lumpur-based Ideas Academy has been active in the field of improving and raising the standard of education since 2012. They specialise in working with underprivileged children, including those with refugee backgrounds.

The people driving Ideas Academy forward believe in ‘Education for All’. It is their mission to ensure that every child between 12 and 18 years of age gains a strong secondary educational foundation. By safeguarding this, they encourage them to become confident, responsible, proactive, and compassionate adults. Ideas Academy is determined to be a force for high-quality, affordable virtual education— combined with physical classes for students in Kuala Lumpur.

ULI Releases 2023 Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index Covering Data from 45 Cities

  • At their 2023 Asia Pacific Summit happening from 29 May to 1 June, ULI unveiled its 2023 APAC Home Attainability Index.
  • The report compared housing prices against the median income across 45 cities in the APAC region and Singapore’s private sector homes have now greatly surpassed last year’s top runner, Hong Kong, as the most expensive in the region.
  • Singapore’s private sector rental homes are now also the most expensive in the region at a US$2,600 (SG$3,500)/month on average.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 30 May 2023 – The Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) recently released 2023 Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index report provides a high-level snapshot of the extent to which housing is attainable in cities in the Asia Pacific region. The report covers 45 cities in nine countries, namely, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam, with a combined population of 3.5 billion or around 45% of the world’s total population, measuring home attainability for both home ownership and home rentals in relation to the median income of households.

Kenneth Rhee, Senior Director of ULI China and primary author of the report said, “Housing stocks and home attainability vary greatly in the Asia Pacific region. Key factors for home attainability include demographic trends, government policies related to land use and density, the ability to redevelop or regenerate urban areas in decay, availability of financing for home purchase, the government’s involvement in the home provision, and the impact of COVID on new home supply.”

In terms of home ownership, housing in Singapore is deemed most attainable with the median price of Housing Development Board (HDB) units at 4.7 times the median household income. Home attainability is severely challenged in Tier 1 and leading Tier 2 cities in mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang with median home prices at approximately 20 to 35 times median household income. Compared to home ownership, home rentals are deemed more attainable with monthly rent for most cities at below 30% of median household income. Cities in Japan and South Korea have the lowest ratio of monthly rent to income.

Average monthly rent per unit and average housing price per unit

Average monthly rent per unit and average housing price per unit

According to the report, Singapore’s private sector homes have surpassed Hong Kong SAR as the most expensive in the region with a median price of US$1.2 million. Also, with a nearly 30% increase in monthly rent, Singapore private sector rental homes are also the most expensive in the region with a median monthly rent of approximately US$2,600. For the sharp increase in home price and rent, the report cites as key causes (1) a large influx of immigrants into the city-state, (2) a growing trend of young professionals to move out of their multi-generational family homes for more space and freedom, (3) the government’s new measure that requires homeowners to serve a 15-month wait-out period after the disposal of their private properties before they are eligible to buy a non-subsidised Housing Development Board (HDB) resale flat, (4) a relatively limited stock of institutionally or individually-owned rental properties, and (5) a reduced new supply of housing in the past few years due to the disruption to the supply chain of building materials and labour due to COVID.

Homeownership varies significantly in the region, often a function of government policies and population migration. Singapore continues to have the highest homeownership rate of nearly 90%, thanks to the government’s decision and consistent commitment to enable its citizens to own homes at reasonable prices from the early years of the country’s independence in the 1960s.

In contrast, other gateway cities such as Hong Kong SAR, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Seoul have relatively low homeownership rates, reflecting high home prices and the more migratory nature of the populations in gateway cities.

David Faulkner, President of ULI Asia Pacific said, “This report explores the implications of shifts in housing demand and regional competitiveness, arising from wide-ranging factors that impact home attainability. Our goal at the ULI Asia Pacific Centre for Housing is to advance best practices in residential development and to support ULI members and local communities in creating and sustaining a full spectrum of housing opportunities. Through thought leadership, we aim to catalyse the production of housing and inspire a broader commitment to housing.”

Some key findings from the report:

  • Australia: Home prices have declined in Australia’s top two cities, Sydney and Melbourne. COVID-19 has caused a migration of people from Sydney to smaller regional cities with people looking for more space; this has created a housing shortage in the regional cities, worsening home attainability for existing residents.
  • Tier 1 and 2 cities in Mainland China: Similar to last year’s findings, mainland Chinese cities rank among the lowest in terms of home attainability. Home price is closely tied to new housing supply to population increase.
  • Hong Kong SAR: Home prices dropped substantially in 2022, returning to 2017 prices, mainly caused by a drop in population and a rising mortgage interest rate.
  • India: Among the eight cities studied in India, Mumbai has the highest median home price per square metre of US$3,383, with Delhi NCR trailing far behind at US$1,358. Compared to other developing countries, India’s housing price is relatively inexpensive compared to the median household income.
  • Indonesia: Jakarta’s housing stock is predominantly landed homes, which contributes to urban sprawl and heavy traffic congestion and exacerbates the rate of soil subsidence as most landed homes rely on groundwater.
  • Japan: The median monthly rent of Japanese cities relative to median household income is the lowest among all the cities in the report. The median monthly rent ranges from US$350 in Osaka to US$602 in Tokyo Ku. This is due to a relatively large pool of available housing for rent resulting from an ageing population and limited new household formation.
  • Philippines: While Metro Manila allows a high FAR (Floor to Area Ratio) of 16 or even higher, it suffers from limited housing stock and poor urban transportation infrastructure for a fast-expanding number of young professionals. The government has recently embarked on an ambitious campaign to building 1 million homes per year for the next five years.
  • South Korea: A recent home price drop has created problems for ‘Jeonse’, a unique form of home rental in South Korea where tenants put up a lump sum deposit of as much as 70-80% upfront instead of paying monthly rent during the lease period. With declining housing prices in recent months, a growing number of ‘jeonse’ landlords have been unable to return deposits to renters at lease expiration.
  • Vietnam: Homes in Ho Chi Minh City are the second least affordable, at 32.5 times the median household monthly income. Many home buyers are speculative investors who own multiple units, further driving up house prices.

The 2023 Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index summary report can be found on ULI’s Knowledge Finder platform.

NOTE TO EDITORS:
High-res versions of the charts in the press release are available for viewing in the full 2023 ULI Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index.
Hashtag: #RealEstate #Property #Housing #HomeAttainability #ULI

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

About the Urban Land Institute

The is a non-profit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has more than 46,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. For more information on ULI, please visit , or follow us on , , , and .

About the ULI Asia Pacific Centre for Housing

Established in 2022, the ULI Asia Pacific Centre for Housing aims to advance best practices in residential development and support ULI members and local communities in creating and sustaining a full spectrum of housing opportunities. The Centre for Housing publishes the annual Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index.

The Centre for Housing acts as a think tank and provides a forum to explore the latest trends and to address housing issues relevant to the region. Our programme of work is delivered through events, research, education, and advisory services for government policymakers, developers, investors, occupiers, and communities at large.

Schneider Electric Releases New White Paper and TradeOff Tool Focused on How DCIM Addresses Hybrid IT Management Challenges

  • White Paper 281 shows how the success of a CIO is rooted in a solid foundation of maintaining resilient, secure, and sustainable IT operations
  • DCIM Monitoring Value Calculator for Distributed IT supports the White Paper and provides a simple framework to help users run “what-if” scenarios and quantify the ROI/payback of implementing monitoring software

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 29 May 2023 – Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has released White Paper 281, “How Modern DCIM Addresses CIO Management Challenges within Distributed, Hybrid IT Environments” and a supporting TradeOff Tool, both available for immediate use. The new White Paper focuses on Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software and takes a close look at the rapidly-changing role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) as IT has taken center stage in the past few years. The document demonstrates how the success of a CIO is ultimately rooted in a solid foundation of maintaining resilient, secure, and sustainable IT operations. In an environment of highly distributed hybrid IT, this goal becomes harder to accomplish.

“Business requirements are forcing CIOs to hybridize their data center and IT portfolio architecture by placing IT capacity in colocation facilities and building out capacity at the local edge – sometimes in a big way,” said author Patrick Donovan, Senior Research Analyst at Schneider Electric’s Energy Management Research Center. “CIOs have always been tasked with managing and maintaining resilient and secure operations, but generally have been focused on core data center sites. Now, on top of having many more distributed sites needing resiliency and security, they are also being asked to report on the sustainability of their IT operations. This marks a real sea change in terms of their responsibilities.”

The need for resiliency, security, and sustainability

In the 16-page paper, Donovan describes the evolution of enterprise IT portfolios and explores the resulting management challenges. He explains how modern DCIM software has evolved and is more optimized for increasingly distributed environments. Distributed IT makes security a top concern along with the need for improved resiliency and tracking and reporting of the IT operation’s environmental impact.

An opportunity to “trade off” various DCIM scenarios with new calculator

A new Schneider Electric TradeOff Tool, the DCIM Monitoring Value Calculator for Distributed IT, supports the White Paper and provides user-selectable inputs and adjustable assumptions to perform “what-if” scenarios to see the ROI/payback of monitoring software. It considers factors like downtime, staffing, security and environmental incidents, and cashflow.

“We wanted to create a useful framework to help customers quantify the potential value of DCIM in their operations and we are excited for them to try our tool,” said TradeOff Tool creator Wendy Torell, Senior Research Analyst at Schneider Electric’s Energy Management Research Center. “We designed it to be user friendly and it easily adapts to the customer’s specific environment and level of maturity.”

Schneider Electric’s Energy Management Resource Center

Donovan, Torell, and fellow members of the Energy Management Resource Center conduct research that helps Schneider Electric and its customers make informed business and technology decisions backed by facts and research. Much of the research is made freely available to the public.

Related resources:

Hashtag: #SchneiderElectric #DCIM #DCIM3 #sustainability #ecostruxureit

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

About Schneider Electric

Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency.

We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.

Toyota Launches New Toyota Hilux Revo Prerunner Adventure in Laos

Toyota Hilux Revo Prerunner.

Toyota Laos Company, a leader in automobile manufacturing, has just unveiled the new “Hilux Revo Prerunner” at Toyota Square, located at Parkson Mall in Vientiane Capital.

Bybit Receives In-Principle Approval to Operate in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN – Media OutReach – 29 May 2023 – Bybit, the world’s third most visited crypto exchange, has received in-principle approval by Kazakhstan’s Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA). This latest approval highlights Bybit’s continued commitment to expanding its presence in emerging and dynamic markets.

The in-principle approval subjects Bybit to pre-conditions leading to permanent authorization upon Bybit’s completion of the full application process. With this approval, Bybit will be allowed to operate a Digital Asset Trading Facility and provide Custody Services at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan is a gateway to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a fast-growing market that is rapidly embracing cryptocurrencies. The region has established itself as a hub for cryptocurrencies, mining, and blockchain development. Bybit recognizes the potential of this market and is excited to offer its services to customers in Kazakhstan and CIS.

“It has always been our primary objective to operate our business in compliance with relevant rules and regulations. Bybit firmly supports the regulatory objective of establishing a compliant, secure, and transparent cryptocurrency industry to benefit users.” said Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit. “We are delighted to receive an in-principle approval from AFSA. We believe in the promising potential of the CIS and are eager to open up our world-class trading platform for crypto enthusiasts in the region. We are committed to continuing to improve the cryptocurrency industry’s standards and provide a valuable experience to our customers.”

Bybit is committed to operating in line with regulatory frameworks and aspires to have a presence in the AIFC, which leads the way as a progressive fintech jurisdiction and provides a regulatory framework for crypto in CIS countries.

Hashtag: #Bybit #TheCryptoArk

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.

For more information please visit:

For updates, please follow:









Two Landmine Explosions Injure Cambodian Military Personnel and Thai Woman

Seng Chhorn, a 49-year-old military personnel, was taken to the hospital after stepping on a landmine while attempting to save a Thai woman. (Photo : Khaosod).

A soldier from the Cambodian military was seriously injured by a landmine explosion while attempting to save a Thai woman who had stepped on another landmine on Saturday.

FinTech Olympiad 2023 Inspires Tertiary Students to Leverage Fintech to Create Social Impacts, Creating Solutions to Transform People’s Lives and Business Practice for the Better

Vision Carbon by CityU Won Gold Medal with its Blockchain-based Carbon Trading Platform

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 29 May 2023 – Hosted by the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and supported by HSBC, the FinTech Olympiad (FTOL) 2023 competition convening 94 teams across 18 universities from cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) was concluded with an award ceremony on 27 May. In the final pitch round, 20 finalist teams pitched their financial technology-enabled business solutions to a panel of industry leaders. Vision Carbon, a team from the City University of Hong Kong won the Gold Medal and “The Best Cross-Border FinTech Solution” award with its blockchain-based project aimed to enhance the transparency, verifiability and traceability of carbon credit trading across the GBA. Vision Carbon’s solution proposed to ease carbon offsets for both businesses and individuals.

Speaking at the ceremony today, Dr Isabel Yan, Associate Professor, Department of Economics & Finance, CityU remarked, “City U takes pride in organising the fourth FinTech Olympiad. Through the programme, FTOL is aimed to help students from all disciplines equip themselves with FinTech savviness and build industry connections that can enhance their competitiveness and employability, from a career development perspective. We encourage the younger generation to get prepared for being the key driver of the auspicious FinTech trend.”

Ms. Charlotte Wong, Chief Information Officer, Hong Kong, HSBC said, “As a ‘super-connector’ between Hong Kong and the world, HSBC is committed to playing a vital role in pushing forward fintech development in Hong Kong. We are proud to support the Fintech Olympiad which enables our future generations to pave the way for their career development in fintech. It is great to see how well this year’s participants across the GBA apply innovative ideas to address real life social needs. They have won themselves an entry ticket to the global fintech arena. Congratulations to all the awardees.”

The FinTech Olympiad is a 10-month active learning programme, comprising of training, project-based competition and networking events aimed at equipping students and driving opportunities to fit their aspirations. Over 1,400 students from 20 tertiary institutions in the GBA applied to join the training sessions, a 230% increase from last year.

The competition was designed to encourage university students to work out solutions that can address social and economic problems encountered in our everyday life by applying their fintech knowledge and skills. 20 finalist teams were selected among 94 team entrants and were supported by mentors from a range of backgrounds. The finalist teams presented their solutions to a judging panel composed of industry leaders in a real-life business world setting. Their proposals were evaluated based on criteria including problem-solving, social impacts, innovation, thoughtfulness and leadership and communication.

The winning teams (see the list of awardees) will receive prize money and industry support from HSBC, internship opportunities from the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and CityU HK Tech 300 funding possibilities to further develop their projects.

ASTRI and Hong Kong Digital Asset Society (HKDAS) are strategic partners of the FTOL, organising training workshops, meetup events and experts’ sharing sessions for participants.

List of Awardees of Fintech Olympiad 2023 Competition

Award Winning Team Project Representing
Gold Medal Vision Carbon

(Team #20)

A blockchain-based trading platform applying smart contract, NFT and GameFi to make the trading of Voluntary Carbon Credits more transparent, verifiable and traceable so as to enable businesses to access high-quality carbon credits. The solution also facilitates individuals to offset carbon footprint through tree planting investment. CityU
Silver Medal K-Quant Group

(Team #12)

A platform delivering advanced and

Interpretable tools for everyday investors to conduct stock forecast and risk analysis. Its core technology combines a dynamic financial knowledge base with diverse data.

HKUST

(Guangzhou)

Bronze Medal Bubble Taco

(Team #2)

The proposed solution collects Geographic Information System data of street vendors, including their business hours, movement tracking, consumption per capita of business area and real-time population heat map. By analysing these data, the system estimates the income level of the street vendorswhich can serve as alternative data for reference of personal credit evaluation. CUHK

(Shenzhen)

Best Cross-Border Fintech Solution Vision Carbon

(Team #20)

(see Gold Medal winning project)

CityU
Social Impact Award COREearth

(Team #5)

A B2B carbon emission-based trading platform using AI and blockchain for emission monitoring, price prediction, corporate compliance and verification of carbon footprint. It is aimed to enhance the security and transparency of carbon trading between mainland China and EU. It also provides machine learning enabled analysis and carbon investment management service. HKUST (Guangzhou)

Fireside Chat: Leveraging FinTech to Create Social Impacts

Experts were invited to give a Fireside chat at the ceremony. Ms. Amy Hui, Head of Customer Lifecycle Management (CLCM), Retail Banking and Wealth Management, HSBC, Mr. Alan Cheung, Senior Director, Trust and AI Technologies, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and award-winning music producer and singer-song writer Mr. Hanjin Tan, from Hong Kong Digital Asset Society (HKDAS) shared their views and insights on how to leverage financial technology to create positive social impacts.

Hashtag: #CityU #Fintech #HSBC

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

FinTech Olympiad

FinTech Olympiad (FTOL), hosted by the City University of Hong Kong and supported by HSBC, is an active learning programme designed to empower and inspire young FinTech talents and to promote connections among the FinTech communities in the GBA. FTOL provides a series of training, a project-based competition and networking opportunities that equip post-secondary students in the GBA with FinTech knowledge, skills and connections that can enhance their competitiveness and employability and help them surf the auspicious FinTech trend.

City University of Hong Kong

Located in the heart of Hong Kong, CityU has a well-earned reputation as an innovative hub for research and professional education and for addressing global issues and empowering positive change.

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited is the founding member of the HSBC Group. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 62 countries and territories. With assets of US$2,990bn at 31 March 2023, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.

Laos, Malaysia Ink Deal to Collaborate on Clean Electricity

Lao, Malaysia Ink Deal to Collaborate on Clean Electricity
Electricity transmission towers with orange glowing wires against night sky. ( Photo : Freepik )

Electricite du Laos and TNB Power Generation Sdn Bhd (TNB Genco) signed an MoU on Thursday to explore energy investment collaborations in renewable energy projects in Laos.