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Spackman Media Group Artist Son Suk-Ku’s Upcoming Film, THE ROUNDUP, Dominates Korea’s Box Office Ticket Reservations At 62%

  • THE ROUNDUP, a sequel to the 2017 box office hit THE OUTLAWS starring Spackman Media Group artist Son Suk-ku, ranks #1 in national box office ticket reservations in Korea
  • THE ROUNDUP was pre-sold to 132 countries around the world, including Singapore, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and France, as well as the regions of North America and Eastern Europe
  • THE ROUNDUP, which is to be released in Korean theatres on May 18, held a pre-release screening at major theatres of CGV, Lotte Cinema, and Megabox for two days from May 14 to May 15

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 May 2022 Spackman Entertainment Group Limited (the “Group“), one of Korea’s leading entertainment production groups founded in 2011 by media & technology investor Charles Spackman, wishes to announce that the THE ROUNDUP, a sequel to the 2017 box office hit THE OUTLAWS starring Son Suk-ku of the Group’s associated company, Spackman Media Group Limited (“Spackman Media Group“), dominates Korea’s box office ticket reservations at 62%, according to data from the Korean Film Council.

THE ROUNDUP was pre-sold to 132 countries around the world, including Singapore, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and France, as well as the regions of North America and Eastern Europe.

Previously, the Group’s subsidiary, Novus Mediacorp Co., Ltd., co-presented and distributed the 2017 box office hit THE OUTLAWS. THE OUTLAWS broke the all-time highest Video On Demand sales record in Korea in 2018.

Alongside Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee) of Marvel Studios’ ETERNALS (2021), Son Suk-ku headlines in THE ROUNDUP, which is scheduled to premiere on May 18. THE ROUNDUP held a pre-release screening at major theatres of CGV, Lotte Cinema, and Megabox for two days from May 14 to 15.

In the film, Son Suk-ku takes on the role of extreme villain Kang Hae-sang where he confronts Detective Ma Suk-do, played by Ma Dong-seok.

THE ROUNDUP is also directed by Kang Yoon-sung of THE OUTLAWS.

Son Suk-ku is represented by SBD Entertainment Inc. (“SBD Entertainment“), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spackman Media Group.

Son Suk-ku of SBD Entertainment starred in the romance comedy film, NOTHING SERIOUS (2021), which reached #1 at the box office in Korea last year, and K-dramas, Netflix’s D.P. (2021), DESIGNATED SURVIVOR: 60 DAYS (2019) and MATRIMONIAL CHAOS (2018). He also starred in the American Netflix drama series SENSE8, which was written and produced by the Wachowski sisters.

Other than Son Suk-ku, SBD Entertainment also represents one of Korea’s rapidly rising young actors, Han Ji-hyun of popular K-drama THE PENTHOUSE 3, who won the Best Rookie Female Actor in the 2021 Brand Customer Loyalty Awards in Korea and endorsed luxury brand Gucci in April 2021.

About Spackman Entertainment Group Limited

Spackman Entertainment Group Limited (“SEGL” or the “Company“), and together with its subsidiaries, (the “Group“), is one of Korea’s leading entertainment production groups. SEGL is primarily engaged in the independent development, production, presentation, and financing of theatrical motion pictures in Korea.

The Company was founded in 2011 by renowned media and technology investor Charles Spackman who served as the Company’s Executive Chairman until 2017. For the past two decades, Mr. Charles Spackman has been a powerhouse in the Korean entertainment industry starting in the early 2000’s with the pioneering success of Sidus Pictures, the largest movie production company at the time and the first to be listed in Korea. Mr. Spackman is also the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the global investment firm, Spackman Group. For more information, please visit and .

Since its founding, SEGL had produced more than 30 major motion pictures including a number of the highest grossing and award-winning films in Korea, namely #ALIVE (2020), CRAZY ROMANCE (2019), DEFAULT (2018), MASTER (2016), THE PRIESTS (2015), SNOWPIERCER (2013), COLD EYES (2013) and ALL ABOUT MY WIFE (2012).

Our films are theatrically distributed and released in Korea and overseas markets, as well as for subsequent post-theatrical worldwide release in other forms of media, including online streaming, cable TV, broadcast TV, IPTV, video-on-demand, and home video/DVD, etc. Generally, we release our motion pictures into wide-theatrical exhibition initially in Korea, and then in overseas and ancillary markets.

The Group also invests into and produces Korean television dramas. In addition to our content business, we also own equity stakes in entertainment-related companies and film funds that can financially and strategically complement our existing core operations. SEGL is listed on the Catalist of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited under the ticker 40E.

Production Labels

SEGL owns Novus Mediacorp Co., Ltd. (“Novus Mediacorp“), an investor, presenter, and/or post-theatrical distributor for a total of 79 films (58 Korean and 21 foreign) including ROSE OF BETRAYAL, THE OUTLAWS and SECRETLY, GREATLY, which was one of the biggest box office hits of 2013 starring Kim Soo-hyun of MY LOVE FROM THE STARS, as well as FRIEND 2: THE GREAT LEGACY. In 2012, Novus Mediacorp was also the post-theatrical rights distributor of ALL ABOUT MY WIFE, a top-grossing romantic comedy produced by Zip Cinema. In 2018, THE OUTLAWS, co-presented by Novus Mediacorp broke the all-time highest Video On Demand (“VOD“) sales records in Korea. For more information, please visit

The Company owns a 100% equity interest in Simplex Films Limited (“Simplex Films“) which is an early stage film production firm. The maiden film of Simplex Films, JESTERS: THE GAME CHANGERS (2019), was released in Korea on 21 August 2019. Simplex Films has several line-up of films including HURRICANE BROTHERS (working title).

The Company owns a 100% equity interest in Take Pictures Pte. Ltd. (“Take Pictures“) which produced STONE SKIPPING (2020) and THE BOX (2021), and shall release THE GUEST in the second half of 2022 and A MAN OF REASON, with the previous working title GUARDIAN in 2022 tentatively.

The Company owns a 100% equity interest in Greenlight Content Limited (“Greenlight Content“) which is mainly involved in the business of investing into dramas and movies, as well as providing consulting services for the production of Korean content. Through the acquisition of Greenlight Content, the Group’s first co-produced drama, MY SECRET TERRIUS, starring top Korean star, So Ji Sub, achieved #1 in drama viewership ratings for its time slot and recorded double digits for its highest viewership ratings. Greenlight Content was one of the main investors of MY SECRET TERRIUS.

The Company owns a 20% equity interest in The Makers Studio Co. Ltd., which plans to produce and release four upcoming films, the first of which will be THE ISLAND OF THE GHOST’S WAIL, a comedy horror film.

Talent Representation

The Company holds an effective shareholding interest of 43.88% in Spackman Media Group Limited (“SMGL“). SMGL, a company incorporated in Hong Kong, together with its subsidiaries, is collectively one of the largest entertainment talent agencies in Korea in terms of the number of artists under management, including some of the top names in the Korean entertainment industry. SMGL operates its talent management business through renowned agencies such as MSteam Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Son Ye-jin, Wi Ha-jun, Lee Min-jung, Ko Sung-hee), SBD Entertainment Inc. (Son Suk-ku, Han Ji-hyun, Lee Cho-hee, Park Keun-rok), UAA&CO Inc. (Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Hye-ri, Kim Ji-young, Wang Ji-won), Play Content Co., Ltd. (Kang Min-ji, Hwang-hwi) and Kook Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Baek Si-won, Shin Ji-woong). Through these full-service talent agencies in Korea, SMGL represents and guides the professional careers of a leading roster of award-winning actors/actresses in the practice areas of motion pictures, television, commercial endorsements, and branded entertainment. SMGL leverages its unparalleled portfolio of artists as a platform to develop, produce, finance and own the highest quality of entertainment content projects, including theatrical motion pictures, variety shows and TV dramas. This platform also creates and derives opportunities for SMGL to make strategic investments in development stage businesses that can collaborate with SMGL artists. SMGL is an associated company of the Company. For more information, please visit

The Company owns a 100% equity interest in Constellation Agency Pte. Ltd. (“Constellation Agency“). Constellation Agency, which owns The P Factory Co., Ltd. (“The P Factory“) and Platform Media Group Co., Ltd. (“PMG“), is primarily involved in the business of overseas agency for Korean artists venturing into the overseas market. The P Factory is an innovative marketing solutions provider specializing in event and branded content production. PMG is a talent management agency which represents and manages the careers of major artists in film, television, commercial endorsements and branded entertainment.

Strategic Businesses

The Company also operates a café-restaurant, Upper West, in the Gangnam district of Seoul and own a professional photography studio, noon pictures Co., Ltd.

For more details, please visit

#SpackmanEntertainmentGroup

Police Warn of Fire Risk as Residents Store Fuels

Motorists buy petrol in plastic bottles from roadside resellers(Photo: Channapha Kook).

Residents of Vientiane Capital have been warned against stockpiling petrol in order to illegally trade with unsafe containers, which could result in a fire.

Spackman Media Group Artist Son Suk-Ku’s K-Drama, MY LIBERATION NOTES, Surpasses Its Own Highest Ratings Record In Korea

  • MY LIBERATION NOTES, the Korean drama series starring Spackman Media Group artist Son Suk-ku, breaks its own highest ratings records in Korea, according to Nielson Kore
  • Represented by SBD Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spackman Media Group, Son Suk-ku is currently the most popular actor in Korea, based on Good Data TV Popularity Research
  • Son Suk-ku stars along with Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee) in upcoming film THE ROUNDUP, a sequel film to the 2017 box office hit THE OUTLAWS, which is expected to be released on May 18

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 May 2022 Spackman Entertainment Group Limited (the “Group“), one of Korea’s leading entertainment production groups founded in 2011 by media & technology investor Charles Spackman, wishes to announce that the Korean drama series MY LIBERATION NOTES, headlined by Son Suk-ku of the Group’s associated company, Spackman Media Group Limited (“Spackman Media Group“), surpassed its own highest viewership record in Korea with an audience rating of 5% as of May 15, according to Nielson Korea, an audience rating research company.

Previously as of May 9, MY LIBERATION NOTES was ranked as the number one TV drama in Korea based on Good Data TV Popularity Research. MY LIBERATION NOTES has been on the rise for four consecutive weeks, starting from the first week of its broadcasting, before taking the top spot in the TV drama rankings in Korea. The K-drama surpassed OUR BLUES, which showcases a star-studded cast comprising Lee Byung-hun, Kim Woo-bin, Shin Min-a and Han Ji-min, to claim the first place.

In addition, Son Suk-ku who is represented by SBD Entertainment Inc. (“SBD Entertainment“), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spackman Media Group, was consecutively ranked number one in actor popularity on the back of MY LIBERATION NOTES as of May 9. Kim Ji-won, a co-star of MY LIBERATION NOTES and who previously starred in DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN (2016), also continued to rank second in Korea’s actor popularity rankings, based on Good Data TV Popularity Research.

Good Data TV Popularity Research is announced by Good Data Corporation, an organization specializing in the analysis of the competitiveness of Korean broadcasting content. The results are from the studies of the reactions of netizens on blogs, community groups and social networking services.

Son Suk-ku’s K-drama MY LIBERATION NOTES airs every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 on JTBC, and is also available on Netflix. MY LIBERATION NOTES tells the story of a secretive stranger (Son Suk-ku) and three siblings (Kim Ji-won, Lee Min-ki and Lee El), who long to escape from their dead-end lives. The Korean drama is produced by Chorokbaem Media and JTBC Studios.

Alongside Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee) of Marvel Studios’ ETERNALS (2021), Son Suk-ku stars in THE ROUNDUP, a sequel to the 2017 box office hit THE OUTLAWS, which is scheduled to premiere on May 18. THE ROUNDUP was pre-sold to 132 countries around the world, including Singapore, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and France, as well as the regions of North America and Eastern Europe.

Previously, he starred in the romance comedy film, NOTHING SERIOUS (2021), which reached #1 at the box office in Korea last year, and K-dramas, Netflix’s D.P. (2021), DESIGNATED SURVIVOR: 60 DAYS (2019) and MATRIMONIAL CHAOS (2018). He also starred in the American Netflix drama series SENSE8, which was written and produced by the Wachowski sisters.

Other than Son Suk-ku, SBD Entertainment also represents one of Korea’s rapidly rising young actors, Han Ji-hyun of popular K-drama THE PENTHOUSE 3, who won the Best Rookie Female Actor in the 2021 Brand Customer Loyalty Awards in Korea and endorsed luxury brand Gucci in April 2021.

About Spackman Entertainment Group Limited

Spackman Entertainment Group Limited (“SEGL” or the “Company“), and together with its subsidiaries, (the “Group“), is one of Korea’s leading entertainment production groups. SEGL is primarily engaged in the independent development, production, presentation, and financing of theatrical motion pictures in Korea.

The Company was founded in 2011 by renowned media and technology investor Charles Spackman who served as the Company’s Executive Chairman until 2017. For the past two decades, Mr. Charles Spackman has been a powerhouse in the Korean entertainment industry starting in the early 2000’s with the pioneering success of Sidus Pictures, the largest movie production company at the time and the first to be listed in Korea. Mr. Spackman is also the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the global investment firm, Spackman Group. For more information, please visit and .

Since its founding, SEGL had produced more than 30 major motion pictures including a number of the highest grossing and award-winning films in Korea, namely #ALIVE (2020), CRAZY ROMANCE (2019), DEFAULT (2018), MASTER (2016), THE PRIESTS (2015), SNOWPIERCER (2013), COLD EYES (2013) and ALL ABOUT MY WIFE (2012).

Our films are theatrically distributed and released in Korea and overseas markets, as well as for subsequent post-theatrical worldwide release in other forms of media, including online streaming, cable TV, broadcast TV, IPTV, video-on-demand, and home video/DVD, etc. Generally, we release our motion pictures into wide-theatrical exhibition initially in Korea, and then in overseas and ancillary markets.

The Group also invests into and produces Korean television dramas. In addition to our content business, we also own equity stakes in entertainment-related companies and film funds that can financially and strategically complement our existing core operations. SEGL is listed on the Catalist of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited under the ticker 40E.

Production Labels

SEGL owns Novus Mediacorp Co., Ltd. (“Novus Mediacorp“), an investor, presenter, and/or post-theatrical distributor for a total of 79 films (58 Korean and 21 foreign) including ROSE OF BETRAYAL, THE OUTLAWS and SECRETLY, GREATLY, which was one of the biggest box office hits of 2013 starring Kim Soo-hyun of MY LOVE FROM THE STARS, as well as FRIEND 2: THE GREAT LEGACY. In 2012, Novus Mediacorp was also the post-theatrical rights distributor of ALL ABOUT MY WIFE, a top-grossing romantic comedy produced by Zip Cinema. In 2018, THE OUTLAWS, co-presented by Novus Mediacorp broke the all-time highest Video On Demand (“VOD“) sales records in Korea. For more information, please visit

The Company owns a 100% equity interest in Simplex Films Limited (“Simplex Films“) which is an early stage film production firm. The maiden film of Simplex Films, JESTERS: THE GAME CHANGERS (2019), was released in Korea on 21 August 2019. Simplex Films has several line-up of films including HURRICANE BROTHERS (working title).

The Company owns a 100% equity interest in Take Pictures Pte. Ltd. (“Take Pictures“) which produced STONE SKIPPING (2020) and THE BOX (2021), and shall release THE GUEST in the second half of 2022 and A MAN OF REASON, with the previous working title GUARDIAN in 2022 tentatively.

The Company owns a 100% equity interest in Greenlight Content Limited (“Greenlight Content“) which is mainly involved in the business of investing into dramas and movies, as well as providing consulting services for the production of Korean content. Through the acquisition of Greenlight Content, the Group’s first co-produced drama, MY SECRET TERRIUS, starring top Korean star, So Ji Sub, achieved #1 in drama viewership ratings for its time slot and recorded double digits for its highest viewership ratings. Greenlight Content was one of the main investors of MY SECRET TERRIUS.

The Company owns a 20% equity interest in The Makers Studio Co. Ltd., which plans to produce and release four upcoming films, the first of which will be THE ISLAND OF THE GHOST’S WAIL, a comedy horror film.

Talent Representation

The Company holds an effective shareholding interest of 43.88% in Spackman Media Group Limited (“SMGL“). SMGL, a company incorporated in Hong Kong, together with its subsidiaries, is collectively one of the largest entertainment talent agencies in Korea in terms of the number of artists under management, including some of the top names in the Korean entertainment industry. SMGL operates its talent management business through renowned agencies such as MSteam Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Son Ye-jin, Wi Ha-jun, Lee Min-jung, Ko Sung-hee), SBD Entertainment Inc. (Son Suk-ku, Han Ji-hyun, Lee Cho-hee, Park Keun-rok), UAA&CO Inc. (Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Hye-ri, Kim Ji-young, Wang Ji-won), Play Content Co., Ltd. (Kang Min-ji, Hwang-hwi) and Kook Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Baek Si-won, Shin Ji-woong). Through these full-service talent agencies in Korea, SMGL represents and guides the professional careers of a leading roster of award-winning actors/actresses in the practice areas of motion pictures, television, commercial endorsements, and branded entertainment. SMGL leverages its unparalleled portfolio of artists as a platform to develop, produce, finance and own the highest quality of entertainment content projects, including theatrical motion pictures, variety shows and TV dramas. This platform also creates and derives opportunities for SMGL to make strategic investments in development stage businesses that can collaborate with SMGL artists. SMGL is an associated company of the Company. For more information, please visit

The Company owns a 100% equity interest in Constellation Agency Pte. Ltd. (“Constellation Agency“). Constellation Agency, which owns The P Factory Co., Ltd. (“The P Factory“) and Platform Media Group Co., Ltd. (“PMG“), is primarily involved in the business of overseas agency for Korean artists venturing into the overseas market. The P Factory is an innovative marketing solutions provider specializing in event and branded content production. PMG is a talent management agency which represents and manages the careers of major artists in film, television, commercial endorsements and branded entertainment.

Strategic Businesses

The Company also operates a café-restaurant, Upper West, in the Gangnam district of Seoul and own a professional photography studio, noon pictures Co., Ltd.

For more details, please visit

#SpackmanEntertainmentGroup

Babel Finance: Co-Founder Del Wang on His Faith in Blockchain and Crypto

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 May 2022 -Del Wang, Co-Founder and CEO of Babel Finance, has faith that Blockchain and Bitcoin will gradually become mainstream for the financial world and investors as a whole, as some financial organizations have already transitioned from traditional commercial banking to the sphere of digital currency. Babel Finance was the one of the first company to launch crypto lending service. Since its inception in July 2018, it has focused on crypto lending, and the firm has continuously expanded. Now its offering includes crypto lending, crypto trading and crypto assets management services.

Before Babel Finance, Del Wang worked in traditional banking for many years. He left the bank where he had worked for many years, and his first project was BowenPay. BowenPay for Del Wang forged an unbreakable relationship with Blockchain and crypto. In 2018, he co-founded Babel Finance. It may appear that Del Wang has returned to the banking business but in the Blockchain world rather than the traditional financial world.

Del Wang below discusses his thoughts on Blockchain and Bitcoin and some of his predictions on the Bitcoin halving.

Covid-19’s Role in securing a place for Bitcoin

Following the onset of the global financial crisis arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, central banks throughout the globe slashed interest rates, did quantitative easing, printed money, and handled different risks and liquidity issues from the standpoint of sovereign credit the way the monetary system responds.

If a central bank’s efforts succeed, Bitcoin will undoubtedly soar due to its tiny pool and high liquidity; if the monetary policy fails, the sovereign currency credit system, led by the US dollar, would becoming less attractive and trustworthy. As a result, Del Wang’s faith in the Bitcoin market has be stronger because whatever happens in the future will be beneficial to Bitcoin.

Bitcoin’s volatility in the short term

Del Wang’s crypto team at Babel Finance knows that the Bitcoin market remains a very speculative one in the short term, with several risks and possibilities. This is also a place with a lot of opportunities for folks who have previously worked in the conventional financial business to participate.

Furthermore, Bitcoin has seen three halving’s in its lifetime. How many of us were aware of it at the first time? Every halving is likely to help Bitcoin “break out of the circle,” spread the impact of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, and increase the number of populations who know about and are interested in Bitcoin. This is unquestionably a long-term advantage for the growth of Bitcoin and crypto.

“Since Babel Finance is a crypto financial institution, our primary focus is to address this uncertainty through our financial products and strategies to assist institutional investors – including mining customers, trading firms, and investment funds, – in risk management and cash flow management to cope with this uncertainty in the market movements. ” noted Del Wang.

In the long term, Del Wang remains positive about Bitcoin’s market trajectory. His thoughts are so because the halving will only result in a reduction in the increment of Bitcoin. In reality, this amount may not affect the quantity of the Bitcoin traded. The volume will still be significant.

Final thoughts

With the over-issuance of Fiat currencies, Bitcoin’s risk-asset qualities and exceptional anti-fragility will draw a large quantity of capital, which is a foregone conclusion. Overall supply of Bitcoin will steadily decline, demand will surge, and Bitcoin’s value will rise.

Del Wang cautions investors that the price occasionally deviates from the value, so the short and medium-term outlook is not ideal for the great majority of individuals, especially in a volatile market.

Notes to editors and readers

The article is based on the author’s own research, analysis, and judgment, and it is not intended to be an investment suggestion.

About Babel Finance

Babel Finance is a global leading crypto financial services provider, offering institutional and HNWI investors professional services covering crypto lending and crypto trading.

The company is backed by prominent investors, including Sequoia Capital China, Tiger Global Management, BAI Capital, Zoo Capital, Dragonfly Capital, and NGC Ventures.

With a business focus in Asia and a business headquarters in Singapore, Babel Finance has established close cooperative relationships with major global exchanges, custodians, investment funds, and mining institutions.

For more information, please contact:


#BabelFinance

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

Laos Sees Over 2,000 Visitors After Full Reopening

More than 2,000 visitors arrive in Laos after full reopening
More than 2,000 visitors arrive in Laos after full reopening.

Laos has recorded more than 2,000 arrivals at land borders and Wattay International Airport following the country’s 9 May reopening.

Students in Laos See a Difficult Future in the “New Normal”

University students return to in person classes(Photo: Kadankao)

With the government’s recent decree reopening the country, many in Laos are hoping to pick up where they left off before the pandemic abruptly ushered in a new era of lockdowns, closures, distance learning, and general sequestration. 

FreeFlow Finance and IX Fintech Digital Form Strategic Partnership for Synergistic Cooperation

FreeFlow payments infrastructure enabling universal access to regulated digital assets and IX Fintech’s portfolio of innovative digital asset products make for a win-win outcome

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 16 May 2022 – FreeFlow Finance Limited (FreeFlow) and IX Fintech Digital (International) Company Limited (IX Fintech Digital) are pleased to announce they have entered into a strategic partnership, combining FreeFlow’s world’s first interoperability infrastructure for cross-border payments, trade transactions and retail commerce, using regulated digital currencies with IX Fintech Digital’s leading digital asset products and services including digital asset index products, digital asset wallet, digital double-offline retail point system network and related digital finance innovation.

The strategic partnership will open up the potential for IX Fintech Digital to add fully regulated digital asset payment/settlement functionality and regtech/compliance solutions to their portfolio of services for their customers and partners, and to enable institutional DeFi use cases to allow new business model opportunities for FX, cash management, and lending.

The strategic partnership will also open up the opportunity for FreeFlow to explore specific use cases to connect Hong Kong customers to facilitate cross-border transactions into Greater China leveraging FreeFlow’s interoperability infrastructure and strategic partners, and IX Fintech Digital’s digital wallet and digital asset products.

The parties will start their strategic partnership by engaging in a feasibility study for technical integration of FreeFlow’s interoperability infrastructure to IX Fintech Digital. This will be followed by deeper collaboration in follow-on phases to form business partnerships to commercially scale the opportunities identified.

“At FreeFlow, we’re always looking for new synergistic partners for our ecosystem to reshape global finance and financial inclusion through regulated digital assets,” said Michael Sung, Founder and CEO of FreeFlow. “Our strategic partnerships are instrumental in facilitating responsible financial solutions for SMEs and consumers, and we’re excited to be working with IX Fintech Digital.”

“At IX Fintech Digital, we strive to build the best practice and products for future financial markets, to achieve a more seamless, transparent, and efficient system,” said Irene Wong, Founder and CEO of IX Fintech Digital. “With home base in Hong Kong, we aim to bridge between China and the other countries to achieve green, blue, cultural exchange and financial inclusion via the use of technology and treasure the opportunity to work with good partners like FreeFlow.”

About FreeFlow Finance

FreeFlow Finance is the world’s first interoperability infrastructure company for the next generation of cross-border payments, trade transactions and retail commerce, using regulated digital currencies. FreeFlow enables seamless integration with stable coins and central bank digital currencies through our cross-platform digital currency clearing and settlement and on-chain FX liquidity provision capabilities, powered by our institutional grade, vertically integrated, and regulatory compliant, single-window API platform.

About IX Fintech Digital
IX Fintech Digital is an award-winning company, providing best-in-class digital asset services, ranging from digital asset indexing, digital double-offline retail point system network to decentralized digital asset wallets, built on robust infrastructure. IX Fintech Digital (International) Company Limited offers products and services with high security and KYC/AML capabilities. Its digital asset wallet is equipped with post-quantum security and full-stack KYC/AML solutions.

#FreeFlowFinance #IXFintechDigital

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

“Ear Up Incubation” Fostering New Hong Kong Music

Five Grand Awards at the “Ear Up Music Festival”
13 New Voices of Hong Kong that Must Be Heard

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 16 May 2022 – Now in its fifth year, the “Ear Up Incubation” music mentorship programme reached another milestone for the local music industry when 14 Hong Kong based groups were chosen as finalists in the long-awaited Ear Up Music Festival in April 2022.

Credit: Ear Up Music

Credit: Ear Up Music

Along with local rock band, Kolor and independent singer-song writer, Kendy Suen, the 13 rising musicians among the finalists delivered their best to the live indie music lovers.

Credit: Ear Up Music

Credit: Ear Up Music

Covering a variety of music genres, the groups took five major awards including the “Ear Up Grand Prize“, the “Ear Up Creativity Award“, the “Ear Up Performance Award“, the “Ear Up Audience Award” and the new “Ear Up Branding Award”.

13 groups rocked the stage

Despite the continuous challenges created by the COVID-19 situation, a year-long training programme concluded with the 13 groups among the 14 finalists displaying their talents at the Festival which was held in the Macpherson Stadium.

1. BEAT FRIDAY

2. Bedroom Party

3. CHOR

4. DAWN

5. FIESTER(Unfortunately, FIESTER not on show because of other arrangements.)

6. Higgo Raj

7. Kowloon K

8. Lester Lam

9. Nervous System

10. Project “Narratist”

11. RAM

12. Tofu Kingdom

13. Uchu Yurei

14. Yuki Lovey

Female dominance evoked haunting charms

The power of the female voice could not be overlooked in this year’s “Ear Up Incubation” programme. In a diverse range of music, the female voice opened up new possibilities. Combining heavy metal and electronic elements with Cantonese songs, FIESTER delivered a colourful style of music to music lovers. DAWN saw music creation as a vast and unknown sound adventure, taking into account the song’s composition, and bringing an alternative colour side to Cantonese songs. CHOR sang in a psychedelic atmosphere, leading the audience into the music and into another place where they could feel the message and be genuinely moved. Growing up in music, Yuki Lovey used piano elements from everyday sounds such as metal parts, glue, wood, water and typing to explore themes like personal growth, suffering, and the relationships between people to deliver healing effects to busy urbanites.

Unique styles from new bands

Indie band sounds are the soul of Ear Up Music and fans enjoyed alternative rock, electronic, metal, fusion, jazz-pop, neo-soul, R&B, rap and dream-pop in Cantonese, English, Mandarin and Japanese songs.

Uchu Yurei brought progressive rock, jazz-fusion, Japanese film soundtracks, and classical music into their musical universe. Project “Narratist” told stories using notes and rhythms that blended jazz, rock, and classical music to create a pleasant and profound sound journey for the audience, while RAM provided the audience with an alternative rap rock music experience. The Kowloon K wrote songs with improvisational elements of the instrument and were constantly experimenting with new possibilities by combining city-pop and jazz-pop. Inspired by jazz-pop, soul and funk punk, Nervous System surprised the audience with its diversity of music. With dream-pop and shoegaze as their main music backbone, Tofu Kingdom provided fans with another musical experience through their indie-pop style paired with fantastic and exciting music videos.

Wandering between the electronic music of hip hop, electro, trip and house, the duo BEAT FRIDAY showcased unique music and visual in their performance. While Bedroom Party created rhythmic and dreamy music using the computer’s digital music workstation software in their bedrooms.

The ‘big chaos’ music style of Higgo Raj blends R&B, EDM, disco, hip hop, and more in a rhythmic musical journey. While Lester Lam incorporates pop music, R&B and indie into his singing and writing.

The Award Winners

Uchu Yurei, a progressive and instrumental band, offered an impressive music performance and won the “Ear Up Grand Prize“. The city pop representative Kowloon K got the “Ear Up Audience Award” and was the online live viewers’ the clear favourite. Higgo Raj was the winner of the “Ear Up Performance Award” who showed his music passion with his talented band. “Ear Up Creativity Award” went to BEAT FRIDAY, who demonstrated an innovative combination of music and visual content. Lester Lam, the singer-songwriter, was the winner of the new “Ear Up Branding Award“.

From Music to Moving Images

This year, Ear Up Music has created a limited edition of the vintage cassette Mixtape album, EUM001: ups and downs, with 12 selected songs from the finalists.

Five newly created music videos with the latest XR techniques demonstrated the originality of the new generation. Besides, Director Eric Tsang has been invited to create a mini drama with the inspiration of music by the finalists.

Fostering new Hong Kong music: Ear Up +

Ear Up Music is a music label that was tasked by the Renaissance Foundation Hong Kong to develop a sustainable and diverse music ecology in the city and nurture rising young music stars. Sponsored since 2016 by Create Hong Kong (a Government unit that aims to develop Hong Kong into a regional creative capital),the label created the “Ear Up Incubation” programme to spotlight new music in Hong Kong and in neighbouring regions and beyond.

Apart from dedicated small group mentorship sessions, the programme also includes a series of performance workshops and international forums for young musicians to enhance their live performance skills, understand the latest industry trends and discover potential collaboration opportunities. Live house showcases and school showcases are also arranged for incubatees to gain performance experience and build up a fanbase. All the incubatees are selected through an open recruitment and audition process organised by Ear Up Music.

This year, “Ear Up Music” has evolved again – the “Ear Up Music Incubation Programme 2022/23: Ear Up +” has been released. “Ear Up +” is openly recruiting 18 original music groups with market potential. The selected candidates will receive training and production and market development subsidies of up to HK$450,000. The programme will also hold a music festival for them to introduce the rising voices of Hong Kong to the public.

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Organiser
Renaissance Foundation
Ear Up Music

Main Sponsor

CreateHK

Ear Up Music Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/earupmusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/earupmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earupmusic/

About Ear Up Music

Ear Up Music is a music label that spotlights new music of Hong Kong to its neighbouring regions and beyond. The label, established by Renaissance Foundation Hong Kong in 2016, runs numerous projects from talent development to showcase events that connect with global music networks. These projects include Ear Up Incubation, Ear Up Global, Ear Up Tour and Ear Up Gig On.

In 2018, we founded Ear Hub to curate the latest developments in the Hong Kong, Asian and International music, media, production and interactive industry. Ear Hub is an international music conference and festival that offers an audiovisual feast as well as a cordial environment to initiate cross-border collaborations for music lovers and professionals.

#EarUpMusic