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Time to Boogie with TPlus

For the first time ever, bringing you a new experience in Lao PDR, The wonderful collaboration between TPlus. 

Laos Slaps Stickers on Government Vehicles 

The government of Laos has begun attaching stickers to state vehicles to better control the use of state vehicles and show greater accountability to the public.

500 Global and Taiwan Tech Arena Join Forces Again in 2022 to Fuel Early-Stage Startup Growth on a Global Scale

500 Global Accelerator Taiwan will support 20 local and international startups on their growth journey, further bolstering Taiwan’s startup ecosystem

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 1 June 2022 – 500 Global, a leading U.S.-based venture capital firm and Taiwan Tech Arena, a deep tech startup ecosystem-building program, have renewed their partnership to bring back the highly anticipated 500 Global Accelerator Taiwan, with TTA (the “Program”). The accelerator Program aims to help 20 promising tech startups scale both locally and globally.

With the support of 500 Global’s world-class mentors, the Program will coach early stage tech startups on how to assess, refine, and fast-track their growth plans in sectors such as web3, fintech, future of work, digital health, and consumer.

Besides equipping startups with the tools and skills for rapid growth and capital attraction, the Program provides an opportunity to showcase and develop Taiwan’s R&D and talent pool.

“We are extremely proud of the success achieved by members of our 2021 cohort, such as Crescendo Lab, GoSky AI, OnMyGrad, and Spaceship that have subsequently received funding or gained market traction since completing the program. This underscores its effectiveness, which is why we are very pleased to partner with TTA once again in 2022 and help it reinforce Taiwan’s reputation as an up-and-coming startup hub,” said Carrie Liauw, Regional Director, Programs, APAC at 500 Global.

Anthony So, Co-founder & CEO of OnMyGrad, commented on his experience from last year’s Program: “I am really fortunate to have 500 Global team members supporting us throughout the program as we are an overseas startup, not physically in Taipei. It’s hard to imagine that a virtual program can be that well-organized and engaging. Most importantly, our team learnt so much about productization and scaling, which further earned us pre-seed investment from 500 Global.”

“The workshops and mentorship made a huge impact. Through this program, I had the opportunity to learn about many things I would have had to learn the hard way otherwise,” said Camila Sáenz, Founder & CEO of TUTEEMI.

The program’s key dates are the following:

June 1, 2022: Launch of Application Period
July 1, 2022: Close of Application Period
August 15, 2022 – October 21st, 2022: Accelerator Program
Week of October 24th, 2022: Demo Day

Startups selected to participate in the 500 Global Accelerator Taiwan, with TTA program will undergo eight weeks of intensive training, divided into three phases:

Phase 1: Foundations of Growth (value propositions, growth fundamentals, metrics, key performance indices (KPI).
Phase 2: Launch and Experimentation (best practices in growth strategy, sales and marketing, international scaling plans).
Phase 3: Fundraising and Presentation (building and delivering a good presentation plan).

Founders will pitch to a curated audience of industry and ecosystem stakeholders at Demo Day.

To apply to the Program, please submit your application here by 1 July 2022.

About 500 Global

is a venture capital firm with $2.7B in assets under management that invests early in founders building fast-growing technology companies. We focus on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can unlock long-term value and drive economic growth. We work closely with key stakeholders and advise governments and corporations on how best to support entrepreneurial ecosystems so startups can thrive. 500 Global has backed over 5,000 founders representing more than 2,600 companies operating in 81 countries. Our portfolio includes 45 companies valued at over $1 billion and 130+ companies valued at over $100 million. Our 140+ plus team members are located in more than 20 countries and bring experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators from some of the world’s leading technology companies.

About TTA
Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) is a deep tech startup ecosystem building program bringing academic/R&D talents, startups, accelerators, corporate and investors under one roof.

Located in Taipei Arena with 3,000+ m2 co-working and event space specifically designed for tech innovation, Taiwan Tech Arena aims to cultivate deep technology entrepreneurship, foster commercialization of innovation and build a vibrant cross border deep tech startup ecosystem.

#TaiwanTechArena #TTA

Unlimint Partners Up with Alipay+ to Accelerate the Connection of Thousands of Global Online Merchants to Over 1 Billion Consumers

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 1 June 2022 – Unlimint, the award-winning global fintech company, announced that it has partnered together with Alipay+ to further expand its global online payment portfolio. This partnership will further strengthen Unlimint’s global offering and open up new opportunities for eCommerce and online businesses worldwide, enabling them better reach the over 1 billion users of digital payment tools brought by Alipay+.

Unlimint’s new and existing merchants from industries like digital commerce, e-learning, gaming and SaaS, among others, will now gain access to a multitude of e-wallets and bank apps from across Asia, allowing them to enhance their customer services and streamline existing payment management operations. It will also allow them to expand their outreach and sell to millions of new customers in the APAC region.

Launched in 2020, Alipay+ is a suite of global cross-border digital payments and marketing solutions operated by Ant Group. It supports a wide range of digital payments methods, including e-wallets and bank apps, such as GCash in the Philippines, Kakao Pay in South Korea, Klarna in Europe as well as Alipay in China.

With innovative technologies and solutions, Alipay+ brings an easy way to capture digital-first customers and makes it easier and more convenient for merchants to serve users of Asia’s leading digital payment service providers. Especially, with the one-stop integration feature provided by Alipay+, payment services and merchants can access all existing and later-onboarded digital payment methods brought by the solution through a unified interface and standardized business rules, and without additional technical adaption.

According to research, by 2025 the volume of non-cash transactions in the APAC region is forecasted to surpass the one trillion mark. Between 2021 and 2025, the number of mobile wallets in use in Asia Pacific only is projected to more than double. A recent study by Deloitte states that the next three years will be the “golden period” for digital trade development for the APAC region, and that the Southeast Asian market ranks among top three of all sales markets in Asia Pacific countries.

“We are extremely pleased to partner with Alipay+ and add new payment capabilities to our unique solution. This is a major step on our journey of strengthening our APAC offering and powering up cross-border payments for millions of people in the region”, noted Unlimint’s Chief Customer Officer Irene Skrynova. “In the past years we have focused on building essential strategic partnerships with alternative payment methods worldwide, so that we could ensure, that we can successfully support our existing and new customers expansion needs around the globe, on top of providing international credit and debit card processing via our direct acquiring partnerships with Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay, Diners Club and Discover. Alipay+ will allow us to open new doors of opportunity for merchants all over the globe and to prepare them for whatever the “payment world of tomorrow” brings their way”, she added.

“Alipay+ solutions help merchants innovate, connecting them to global customers, through their favourite wallet or banking app, providing both payment and marketing services,” said Piero Candela, head of Business Development in Europe at Ant Group. “We value our collaboration with Unlimint, an acquirer who has successfully integrated its payment platform with relevant European digital merchants, with a strong attention to the entire shopping experience. Alipay+ will help Unlimint further expand merchant access to multiple leading payment methods, by a single and simple integration through a unified payment and marketing solution.”

About Unlimint

Founded in 2009, Unlimint provides fast-growing innovative businesses with a constantly evolving financial interface, made by innovators for innovators, and designed to make the financial world of tomorrow closer to businesses here and now. From London to Singapore and from San Francisco to São Paulo, we help local clients enter new markets, and global businesses to explore new industries and reach new milestones. Following the highest banking industry standards, we are dissolving the borders that have previously limited international expansion.

For more information, visit

#Unlimint

About ANT GROUP AND ALIPAY+
Alipay+ provides global cross-border mobile payments and marketing solutions that enable merchants, especially small and medium-sized businesses, to better serve consumers around the world by collaborating with global partners.

Alipay+ is introduced by Ant Group, the owner and operator of Alipay, One of the world’s leading digital platforms. Alipay serves hundreds of millions of users by connecting them with merchants and partner financial institutions that offer inclusive financial services and digital daily life services.

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

EdgePoint Philippines Completes Transition of First Batch of Towers from PLDT Inc.

1,512 sites transferred as part of sale-leaseback of 2,934 towers across the Luzon Island group

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 1 June 2022 – EdgePoint Infrastructure (“EdgePoint”), a leading ASEAN-based independent telecommunications infrastructure company, has officially completed takeover of the first batch of its tower sites in the Philippines, comprising 1,512 sites via its subsidiary, Comworks Infratech Corporation (“EdgePoint Philippines”).

The official handover of the remaining 1,422 sites is expected to be completed by the end of 2022, fulfilling the Sale & Leaseback agreement between EdgePoint Philippines and subsidiaries of PLDT Inc., the Philippines’ largest integrated telecommunications company, signed in April this year for 2,934 towers in the Luzon Island group.

PLDT Inc.’s subsidiary, Smart, will be leasing the towers from EdgePoint Philippines to serve its mobile communications and high-speed internet connectivity needs in the region.

Suresh Sidhu, Chief Executive Officer of EdgePoint, commented, “Our collaboration with PLDT Inc. has gotten off to a smooth start and we are keen to build on this success further with the official handover of this first batch of towers. We continue to be committed to developing the Philippines telecoms sector through building our business in this highly dynamic wireless growth market.”

Upon completion of the entire transaction, EdgePoint will own over 13,000 towers across ASEAN.

For more information on EdgePoint, please visit https://edgepointinfra.com/

ABOUT EDGEPOINT INFRASTRUCTURE

EdgePoint Infrastructure is a telecommunications infrastructure company that aspires to power Digital ASEAN via Next Generation Infrastructure. Headquartered in Singapore with operations in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, through EdgePoint Towers Sdn Bhd, PT Centratama Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk and Comworks Infratech Corporation respectively, the company is focused on providing sharable and leading-edge telecom structures, small cells and in-building systems. EdgePoint aims to be an industry leader through scale and innovation, driving operational efficiencies through the adoption of analytics and digital technologies.

#EdgePoint

Laos-China Railway Opens New Station in Oudomxay Province

The Laos-China railway has announced the opening of a Namor Railway Station in Oudomxay province starting 1 June. 

FANTASY4ALL: ESPORTS made accessible for all

Sports Perfecta revitalises casual mobile games with a competitive edge using its new platform.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 1 June 2022 – It cannot be denied that ESPORTS is quickly taking a formidable position in the sporting industry. While there are up and rising athletes in the conventional arena, there are a larger number of folks who prefer casual mobile games.

Realising this, Sports Perfecta Technologies (SPT) Sdn Bhd launched FANTASY4ALL (F4A) – an online platform that allows this particular category of casual ESPORTS consumers to play for fun, but with a twist of competition.

F4A first hit the Asian region in Sri Lanka in April 2021, before being launched in Vietnam in April 2022 (https://esports.vn/). After respective soft launches, efforts are now centering upon promotional campaigns in both countries.

“F4A is the first online platform in the Asia Pacific region and is in line with efforts to bring ESPORTS to everyone. We envision this platform to be a stepping stone in the world of ESPORTS for all mobile users” said Hiroaki Watanabe, Director of Sports Perfecta Technologies.

The platform, Watanabe explained, allows players to compete against each other in their leisure time, or compete in daily, weekly and monthly contests.

In Sri Lanka and Vietnam, SPT works with partner telecommunication companies (telco) in each respective country. Subscribers of the telcos will be able to play any of the games on F4A. Players can opt between two gaming modes – head-to-head or tournament.

“The first option allows mobile users the opportunity to play against peers; that is a competition between two players. They will compete for rewards which can range between tangible prizes or data packets on their mobile subscription,” Watanabe says. F4A will also host daily, weekly and monthly contests on its library of games.

To date, F4A hosts 10 games but new games will be uploaded to the platform regularly. Sports Perfecta is looking to collaborate with game developers and publishers to grow F4A into a hub of attractive games catering to a wide audience spectrum.

“Development and growth is vital in this industry but while we move forward it could also be interesting to tap into the legacy of games that we have been exposed to in the past. Some can be revitalised and monetised further by our platform and game developers can earn a revenue share of what is integrated onto F4A.

“We look to attract all walks of life, especially the millennials to F4A through head-to-head competition modes, in-app purchases, redeeming rewards thus resulting in vested gameplay,” explains Hassanal Burhanuddin Khalib, Chief Technology Officer of SPT.

Explaining how the platform works, Hassanal said players compete with each other after placing an entry fee using the platform points. The players will then compete to achieve the winning conditions that are set by the games developer via Sports Perfecta’s proprietary F4A Software Development Kit. Besides attracting game developers, SPT hopes to collaborate with sectors that have a large user or subscriber base like telcos.

“Of course there are expansion plans in the pipeline for F4A and we hope to grow to reach users in other SEA countries and Australia in the coming future,” Watanabe said. To this end, SPT looks forward to further engagement with game developers or platform providers in South East Asian and Asia Oceania countries.

Sports Perfecta was first established as a Fantasy Sports provider for multiple sports under its brand, FanXT in 2016. It now aims to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) later in 2023 and positions itself to becoming one of the biggest players in esports through the launch of F4A.

About Sports Perfecta

Sports Perfecta Technologies Sdn Bhd is an award-winning global mobile and web application provider for over 10 years, where we developed over 100 mobile apps and contents on various platforms. SPT is currently focussed on bringing esports to the masses, with our proprietary F4A platform and esports leagues for schools.

#SportsPerfecta

De Beers Group Reports on Progress Towards Achieving 2030 Sustainability Goals

Building Forever 2021 sustainability report shows strong progress following first full year since announcing the 12 goals

LONDON, UK Media OutReach – 1 June 2022 – De Beers Group has reported on the strong progress made in 2021 towards the achievement of its 2030 ‘Building Forever’ sustainability goals in its latest sustainability report, published today.

In the first full year since announcing the 12 goals, De Beers made meaningful progress in each of its priority focus areas – leading ethical practices, protecting the natural world, partnering for thriving communities and accelerating equal opportunity – despite ongoing challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, which continued to impact the company’s operating environment in 2021.

Key highlights during 2021 included:

Leading ethical practices

  • Increased capacity of De Beers Group’s innovative diamond traceability blockchain platform, TracrTM, which now has the ability to register up to one million diamonds per week
  • Launched the pilot of De Beers Code of Origin, a consumer-facing trusted source programme
  • Brought the first dedicated GemFairTM parcels of ethically-sourced artisanal and small-scale (ASM) mined diamonds to market (GemFair is De Beers Group’s initiative to support the formalisation of the ASM sector)
  • Implemented a land reclamation programme in Sierra Leone to bring old artisanal mine sites back to productive farming use, supporting livelihoods and food security for local communities.


Protecting the natural world

  • Reduced energy intensity by 11 per cent as De Beers strives to be carbon neutral across its operations by 2030
  • Continued to progress a project to build a 60MW solar farm at Venetia mine in South Africa
  • Launched Okavango Eternal – a five-year partnership with National Geographic to help protect the critical source waters of the Okavango Delta in southern Africa
  • Continued to actively manage biodiversity and protect threatened species across approximately 500,000 hectares of protected land in southern Africa (the Diamond Route)
  • Completed a strategy for addressing Scope 3 emissions in De Beers Group’s global supply chain.


Partnering for thriving communities

  • Supported more than 2,600 jobs through enterprise development initiatives in southern Africa and supported more than 18,000 students at 25 schools in South Africa
  • Commenced delivery of the partnership with National Geographic, which includes commitments to support the development of livelihood opportunities for 10,000 people across Africa’s Okavango Basin and help ensure water and food security for more than one million people
  • Pledged $6.8 million to support vaccine procurement and roll-out in De Beers Group’s host countries, including establishing vaccination clinics at the company’s operations for employees and community members
  • Invested $35 million on social investment initiatives. Accelerating equal opportunity
  • Announced an additional $3 million investment to extend the AWOME programme in southern Africa, which is focused on supporting women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses – more than 1,800 entrepreneurs have been supported to date
  • Engaged 1,500 girls in STEM in southern Africa in partnership with WomEng and provided 21 scholarships to women studying STEM at university in Canada, in partnership with UN Women and Scholarships Canada
  • Awarded 12 young jewellery designers in De Beers Group’s host countries training opportunities through the company’s Shining Light Awards competition
  • Launched the #BlackIsBrilliant campaign in partnership with RAD Red Carpet Advocacy, bringing together Black jewellery designers with top celebrity stylists.

Beyond its Building Forever sustainability commitments, De Beers Group continued to make a vital contribution to its host countries and communities through tax and royalty payments, employment and local procurement, which totalled $4.7 billion in 2021. In addition, 80 per cent of the revenue generated by the company’s operations remained within host countries.

Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said: “As the first full year since announcing our ambitious 2030 sustainability goals, 2021 was a pivotal year for our business. We embedded the goals into our operational and commercial frameworks, established critical foundations and partnerships, engaged with stakeholders and took tangible steps forward, all while continuing to operate against a backdrop of Covid-19. Our Building Forever sustainability goals underpin our commitment to create a better future for people and the planet and we will continue to build on our strong momentum throughout 2022 and beyond.”

The full report, titled Building Forever: Our 2021 Sustainability Report, includes a detailed overview of progress, including relating to each goal, and is available to download here.

Notes to Editors

  • Images reflecting Building Forever progress highlights during 2021 are available to download here.
  • A condensed version of De Beers Group’s 2021 sustainability report is available to download here.

About De Beers Group

Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of the De Beers Group strategy as it develops a portfolio of offers, including its jewellery houses, De Beers Jewellers and De Beers Forevermark, and other pioneering solutions, such as diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives GemFair and Tracr. De Beers Group is committed to ,’ a holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future – where safety, human rights and ethical integrity continue to be paramount; where communities thrive and the environment is protected; and where there are equal opportunities for all. De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. For further information, visit .





#sustanability #debeers #naturaldiamnds