PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS – EQS Newswire – 27 April 2023 – On Wednesday 19 April 2023, The Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited (“MCB”) (www.MCB.mu) successfully launched and priced its inaugural USD 300 million 5-year senior unsecured notes issuance (the “Notes”) under its USD 3 billion Global Medium Term Note Programme (the “Programme”). This Programme, rated Baa3 by Moody’s, was established on 28 October 2022 and approved for listing on the International Securities Market of the London Stock Exchange. This landmark transaction is the first-ever bond issuance in the international capital markets by any Mauritian corporate.
These Notes aim at diversifying MCB’s funding sources, with the proceeds used for general corporate purposes and specifically to support its international diversification strategy. These Notes were issued with a coupon of 7.950%, which will be payable semi-annually, and will mature on 26 April 2028. Supported by key Development Finance Institutions (“DFIs”), the offering was oversubscribed with demand from a wide array of investors and was allocated to a global mix of 45 asset managers and financial institutions (35% from the UK and Europe, 36% from sub-Saharan Africa, and 24% from the MENA region and Asia).
Citigroup Global Markets Limited, Emirates NBD Bank PJSC, J.P. Morgan Securities Plc, and SMBC Nikko Capital Markets Limited acted as Joint Bookrunners, and African Export-Import Bank (“Afreximbank”) acted as the Joint Lead Manager for the Notes issuance.
Alain Law Min, CEO, MCB Ltd: “This issuance, which is a landmark transaction for the Bank, marks our debut in the international capital markets and will enhance the visibility of MCB and Mauritius on the international financial scene. The success of this transaction bears testimony to the strength of our business model and financial profile, as well as our appeal to foreign investors.”
Hashtag: #TheMauritiusCommercialBank #MCB
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About MCB:
MCB is the longest-standing and leading banking institution in Mauritius. It offers a comprehensive range of tailored and innovative solutions to its retail, corporate, and institutional clients in Mauritius, across the region and in sub-Saharan Africa. MCB’s rich history, commitment to customer service and excellence, innovative culture, and high-quality employees have underpinned its solid franchise and long track record of sustainable profitability and financial soundness. MCB is the only investment-grade rated commercial bank in Africa by Moody’s Investors Service with a Baa3 rating and stable outlook. MCB received several awards and recognitions, including the ‘Regional Bank of the Year – Southern Africa’ by African Banker (2022), the ‘Bank of the Year for Mauritius’ by The Banker, for the sixth time in eight years, as well as the ‘Euromoney Awards for Excellence: Best Bank in Mauritius’, for the ninth year in a row. MCB Group, MCB’s holding company, and MCB are actively involved in various markets across sub-Saharan Africa, with physical presence in 10 countries overseas, via its subsidiaries in Madagascar, Seychelles and Maldives, representative/advisory offices in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Paris, and Dubai, as well as its associates, Société Générale Moçambique and Banque Française Commerciale Océan Indien (BFCOI – operating in Réunion Island, Mayotte, and Paris).
BingX lists new trading pairs SWINGBY/USDT and IRON/USDT due to popular demand from users.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 27 April 2023 – BingX has announced that SWINGBY USDT and IRON USDT are now available for trading on its platform, providing users with more options for buying and selling cryptocurrencies.
Swingby Labs, which was established by a group of cryptocurrency enthusiasts in 2018, aims to create trustless bridges between Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other blockchains through its Skybridge protocol. This facilitates easy movement of Bitcoin tokens between blockchains without relying on a central custodian, opening up DeFi capabilities such as liquidity pooling and DEX trading. Swingby plans to launch its Ethereum MainNet in early 2021 and has partnered with Elrond, Waves, and Kira Protocol to expand its reach to other chains and projects.
Iron Fish’s platform is decentralized and censorship-resistant, providing users with a safe and secure environment for their digital transactions. The Iron Fish project is built from scratch, enabling easy-to-use and fully-private payments by following the Sapling protocol. The networking layer supports WebRTC with WebSockets, allowing users to make a true P2P connection without any setup requirements. Making it possible for anyone with a computer to run a full node. Unlike other popular cryptocurrencies that lack privacy guarantees or are difficult to use, Iron Fish is designed to provide privacy and accessibility for all users.
BingX is known for its user-friendly platform, competitive fees, and extensive range of trading pairs. The exchange is constantly expanding its offerings, with a focus on providing its users with access to the most popular and promising cryptocurrencies.
BingX has been rapidly expanding its trading pairs, attracting both experienced traders and newcomers to the crypto market. The exchange is constantly updating its platform with new updates and expanding its user base for better social trading experience.
Hashtag: #BingX
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About BingX
Founded in 2018, BingX is a leading crypto exchange that offers spot, derivatives, copy, and grid trading services to over 100 countries and regions worldwide with over 5 million users. BingX continues to connect users with expert traders and the platform in a safe and innovative way. Additionally, BingX has launched BingX QA , an engine for trading analysis and investment guidance. Find the latest analysis that includes fundamental analysis and price predictions.
BingX makes preparations to $FIL hard fork without hindering trading activities
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 27 April 2023 – BingX, a leading crypto copy trading exchange, has announced its support for the Filecoin (FIL) network upgrade. The upgrade is set to take place at Epoch 2,809,800, and BingX has put specific arrangements in place to facilitate the process.
To support the network upgrade, deposits and withdrawals on the Filecoin (FIL) network will be suspended from 2023-04-27 20:00 (UTC+8). However, it’s important to note that the trading of FIL/USDT will not be affected during this period. BingX advises users to deposit the token in advance, and it will handle all technical issues involved during the network upgrade for users.
The Filecoin (FIL) network upgrade will not result in the creation of new tokens. BingX will reopen deposits and withdrawals for the Filecoin (FIL) network once the hard fork is deemed stable.
Filecoin has gone through a network upgrade called Lightning, which is version 19 of the network. The upgrade includes changes to the storage market actor’s deal maintenance interval from 1 day to 30 days, which will reduce block validation costs and alleviate execution demands. This change will also help users catch up sync from a snapshot more quickly and improving network security. It also adds a no-operation handler to the multi-sig actor, allowing it to accept value transfers from smart contracts, ETH accounts, and placeholders. A bug fix for the sector activation epoch has also been made.
The network version 20 (Thunder) will also be rolled out, which includes a two-stage network version rollout to allow for a smooth transition for accepting new proof types. The expected timeline for the network upgrades is as follows: Mainnet v19 on May 9, and Mainnet v20 on May 16. The upgrades will have both Lotus v1.22.0 and Lotus v1.23.0 versions. The former will include everything needed for the network upgrade, while the latter will include all enhancements in v1.21.0 plus newer enhancements not in any version.
Hashtag: #bingx #cryptoexchange #filecoin
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About BingX
Founded in 2018, BingX is a leading crypto exchange that offers spot, derivatives, copy, and grid trading services to over 100 countries and regions worldwide with over 5 million users. BingX continues to connect users with expert traders and the platform in a safe and innovative way. Additionally, BingX has launched BingX QA , an engine for trading analysis and investment guidance. Find the latest analysis that includes fundamental analysis and Filecoin (FIL) price predictions.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 27 April 2023 – The Institute of Financial Technologists of Asia (“IFTA”) announces the opening of applications to IFTA FinTech and Innovation Awards 2022/2023 (“the Awards”) until 26 May 2023. The Awards invite nominations of projects, individuals and teams from different sectors who have made significant achievements in the use and/or growth of FinTech in their respective arena.
As technology continuously evolves, FinTech applications have also made major breakthroughs. Themed “Game Changers: The Rise of Next Gen FinTech“, the Awards celebrate ground-breaking ideas and technologies that shape the future of finance in a fast-changing environment. Out of 14 award categories, 10 are catered for corporations which have delivered exceptional FinTech projects or solutions used in various areas in Asia, and 4 categories celebrate the significant achievements of individuals and teams in FinTech.
In response to the rising concerns of security in cyberspace and data, a new category, “Cybersecurity and Data Protection”, has been introduced to recognise effort in protecting sensitive information against potential attacks. Both female and male play a key role in maintaining the sustainable development of FinTech industry. In this regard, IFTA also introduced the “Female’s Pioneer Award” to recognise female leaders and practitioners who have made unswerving effort and contribution to challenge the status quo and chart new frontier.
IFTA Founder and Chairman Mr Paul Pong, Head Juror of Jury Panel Dr. Dorothy Chau
“IFTA Awards aim to celebrate the effort of FinTech practitioners in upholding Hong Kong’s role as one of the world’s financial centres.” said IFTA Founder and Chairman Mr Paul Pong, “Technology is evolving in an unprecedented pace. Innovative adoption of technology in finance has empowered automation, enhanced client accessibility and supported businesses to stay ahead of competition. Through the Awards, we aim to celebrate the many innovative FinTech breakthroughs practitioners have made that drove our society forward and fuelled our businesses.”
Head Juror of IFTA Awards 2022/23 Dr Dorothy Chau mentioned, “We recognise that female plays an equally important role as male to the long-term development and growth of FinTech industry. We have therefore introduced the new ‘Female Pioneer Award’ in order to honour the contribution of female industry leaders and inspire more women to pursue a career in FinTech.”
Since its establishment in 2017, the IFTA has played an active role in raising the bar of FinTech industry in Asia, facilitating FinTech education and serving as a platform for nurturing new talents. For the past five years, the Awards have recognised outstanding companies and individuals who have dedicated to the development of this once emerging, and now maturing industry.
Award categories of IFTA Awards 2022/23 are as follows.
Corporate Achievements in FinTech and innovation
A total of 10 award categories are open to projects or solutions in Asia used by publicly listed companies, private corporates, and start-ups. They are:
RegTech
InsurTech
Payment Tech
Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and CEP (Cryptoasset Exchange Providers)
Banking Tech
Wealth Tech
Metaverse, NFT, and DeFi (Decentralised Finance)
ArtTech
Cybersecurity and Data Protection
Others (innovative projects that fall under FinTech but excluded from categories stated above)
Outstanding Financial Technologists of the Year
There are 4 award categories open to individuals and teams for their achievements in fintech industry.
Leader of the Year – Recognising company founders, shareholding directors, or C-suite executives
Rising Star of the Year – Recognising young professionals at or below the age of 35
Star in the Making – Recognising students (undergraduate or postgraduate) who come up with innovative projects or ideas that can positively transform the FinTech industry
Team of the Year – Recognising corporate teams/project teams who have made significant contribution through the implementation of FinTech solutions
The Jury Panel (in alphabetical order of surnames)
Name
Title
Head Juror
Dr Dorothy CHAU
Head of Security Special Projects Crypto.com
Jurors
Mr Barry CHAN
Chief Digital Officerand Head of FINNOSpace FORMS HK
Prof Emil CHAN
Chairman The Association of Cloud and Mobile Computing Professionals
Mr Raymond CHAN
CEO & Director Mataverse Securities
Mr Calvin CHENG
Founder & CEO Wizpresso
Mr Sean LEE
Co-founder MODO Tech
Mr Aldous MAK
Chief Financial Officer Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Ms Juni YAN
Managing Director Openhive
Mr Victor YIM
Head of FinTech Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited
Prof YIU Siu Ming
Professor Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About IFTA
The Institute of Financial Technologists of Asia Limited (IFTA) is an NPO established in Hong Kong in September 2017; As accreditation provider, IFTA has two highly-regarded qualifications: the Associate Financial Technologist (AFT) and the Certified Financial Technologist (CFT). These qualifications are designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the fast-changing financial technology landscape. In 2022, IFTA entered a collaboration agreement with the The London Institute of Banking & Finance to introduce the Certified Finance Practitioner (CFP) program. IFTA also organises events including boot camps, seminars, and an annual award to accelerate Fintech education and industry engagement among government, regulators, universities, enterprises, and start-ups.
Major General Mr. Khamking Phouilamanivong (right) meets with a member of the Vietnamese public security delegation visiting Vientiane. (photo: Vientiane Times)
Laos and Vietnam security officials met on Monday to strengthen their partnership in overseeing civil society issues, with a particular focus on managing censuses and issuing identity cards.
MUNICH, GERMANY – Media OutReach – 27 April 2023 – STABL Energy GmbH uses MOSFETs from Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) to make stationary energy storage systems from retired electric passenger car batteries. The first pilot systems have already been put into operation in Germany and Switzerland. STABL solution can connect many discarded batteries of different residual capacities to the public power grid without a central inverter.
“STABL Energy’s innovative energy storage solution impressively demonstrates how microelectronics is contributing to the energy transition and to climate protection, and how we are making the fast-growing topic of electromobility even more sustainable in the long term,” said Adam White, President of Infineon’s Power & Sensor Systems (PSS) Division.
“We use MOSFETs from Infineon to integrate power electronics and batteries to develop more flexible and safer solutions for connecting energy storage systems to the public power grid. We are taking a technological innovation leap for the second-life use of electric passenger car batteries,” says Dr. Arthur Singer, founder and co-CEO of STABL Energy. “Compared to conventional systems, this reduces loss by up to 70 percent and cuts both operating costs and CO2 emissions by up to 40 percent per year.”
Now that STABL’s first storage units have passed CE and grid connection standards for Germany and have been connected to the grid in Germany, a first unit in Switzerland has also been connected. Here, 27 discarded KIA batteries with a nominal capacity of 98 kWh serve a residential neighborhood as temporary storage for solar energy.
The basic electronic components used are 100V OptiMOS™ 5 MOSFETs from Infineon. STABL Energy chose Infineon because of the low on-resistance, as well as high thermal performance and product reliability. The young company is thus giving car batteries a second life after their capacity has declined in their initial use for electromobility and they have been discarded. Used batteries can thus continue to be used in the longer term and form an important building block as intermediate storage for a green power supply.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About STABL Energy
STABL Energy GmbH develops energy storage systems from discarded vehicle batteries. The aim is to increase the use of renewable energy with the help of energy storage systems and at the same time to extend the life cycle of car batteries. This will reduce dependence on fossil fuels and enable batteries to be used for longer, contributing to the success of the energy transition. To do this, the company is setting a new standard in battery storage design, safety, reliability, cost efficiency and handling with its innovative, integrable technology.
The university start-up was founded in Munich in 2019 and today employs nearly 30 people.
STABL Energy is part of the Infineon Partner Program. Infineon’s Partner Ecosystem is a network of specialized companies with proven expertise in areas such as hardware, software, tools, services and end applications.
About Infineon
Infineon Technologies AG is a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT. Infineon drives decarbonization and digitalization with its products and solutions. The company has around 56,200 employees worldwide and generated revenue of about €14.2 billion in the 2022 fiscal year (ending 30 September). Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the OTCQX International over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: IFNNY).
A Comprehensive Private Car Insurance Add-On to Increase Flexibility for Car Owners to Pay for What They Need
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 27 April 2023 – MSIG Insurance (Malaysia) Bhd (“MSIG Malaysia”) has launched a new motor add-on for selected comprehensive private car insurance called “EZ-Mile”. The motor add-on allows new and existing MSIG motor insurance customers to reduce their comprehensive motor insurance premium by choosing any of the three mileage-based usage plans between 5,000km, 10,000km and 15,000km – each of which offers premium savings on selected comprehensive motor insurance packages. This provides MSIG customers, particularly those who drive low mileage each year, flexibility to choose whichever package that best reflects their expected car usage and yet still benefit fully from the protection offered by MSIG’s comprehensive motor insurances.
MSIG Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Mr. Chua Seck Guan said, “The new EZ-Mile Motor Add-on gives people a good reason to drive less and, in the process, reduce their carbon footprint, which is in line with MSIG’s support of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG13 – Climate Action. In addition, we are also aware that driving behaviours have changed over the past few years primarily due to changing employment models. We recognised this trend and being responsive to customer needs, created this innovative add-on to let car users pay a premium based on how much they drive, while still providing all the benefits of a comprehensive insurance coverage. We hope this will go some way to lightening the burden of Malaysian road users.”
Customers who opt for MSIG EZ-Mile Motor Add-on will have their mileage measured by a small wireless device called a Microtag that links via Bluetooth to their smartphone. When the mileage allowance looks likely to be exceeded, the motorist can purchase a ‘top-up’ to maintain their Comprehensive motor insurance.
The Microtag also enables more effective roadside assistance with two services called eCall and bCall. The eCall feature will automatically call for assistance when an impact is detected to make sure that in the event of an accident, emergency services are alerted early. In the event of breakdown, the user can also use the bCall feature to quickly get in touch with the 24-hour assistance hotline. Further details on the terms and conditions of MSIG EZ-Mile Motor Add-on can be found at https://www.msig.com.my/personal-insurance/products/ez-mile/.
Mr. Chua concluded, “MSIG EZ-Mile Motor Add-on has been designed with our customers in mind. We wanted to provide them with an option which saves them money on their insurance if they drive less. This is a win for our customers and also for the environment and we believe this new option will be well received.”
Those interested in purchasing or finding out more about MSIG EZ-Mile Motor Add-on can contact an MSIG insurance adviser or call MSIG at 1-800-88-MSIG (6744) for further information.
Hashtag: #MSIG
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About MSIG Insurance (Malaysia) Bhd
MSIG Insurance (Malaysia) Bhd (“MSIG Malaysia”) is a subsidiary of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, Limited and a member of MS&AD Insurance Group Holding, Inc. (MS&AD), one of the top ten** general insurers in the world.
With over 100 years of general insurance experience and a nationwide network of 20 branches in Malaysia, MSIG Malaysia is one of the leading general insurers in Fire, Engineering and Motor classes and No.1* in Marine Cargo, offering an extensive range of products and services for personal and business needs.
MSIG Malaysia’s expertise is well recognised through its receipt of many prestigious awards. These have included the 2020 Reader’s Digest Quality Service Award – Silver winner in the Car Insurance category. MSIG was recognized for having one of the highest levels of quality service, which reflects the effort that the company has put in to satisfy consumer’s demand for high service standards. The company was also awarded the 2018 “Outstanding Property and Casualty Insurer in Malaysia” award in the InsuranceAsia News Awards for Excellence. MSIG Malaysia was commended for leading the market with strong financial growth, investment in product innovation, enhanced digital capabilities in business and claims management systems and strong customer service proposition. Its commitment to customer service excellence through its efforts in enhancing the customer experience and industry leadership in Enterprise Risk Management also earned MSIG Malaysia the “General Insurance Company of the Year” at the Asia Insurance Industry Awards in 2015.
For more information on MSIG Malaysia, visit www.msig.com.my or facebook.com/MSIGmy.