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Civil Servant Numbers Culled

Laos Prime Minister's Office
The Prime Minister's Office.

The government of Laos has authorized a quota of only 1,300 new civil servants this year.

BlueArk’s Market Value Surged Over 400% in 6 Months

BlueArk Staking Pool Offers 45% APY for Investors
Achieved a Record-breaking Total Staking Value of HK$100 million in 10 Days

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 8 April 2022 – BlueArk (“BlueArk” or “the Company”) was officially launched on the 1st of September 2021. Its platform token, BRK, recorded a surge in market value of over 400% in 6 months since its listing. The BlueArk Concept Store was opened on 16 February 2022 in The Peninsula Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, making it the first “metaverse concept store” in the city, showcasing a strong line-up of work by renowned artists and partners including The Sandbox, Ruby9100m, Mizuki Nishiyama, Sankuanz, Kwai Bun, Meowdel NFT and South Morning China Post.

As promised in the Company’s roadmap, BlueArk has recently released the highly anticipated BRK Staking Pool, offering an attractive 45% annual percentage yield (“APY”) for investors, securing a total taking value of HK$100 million in 10 days.

BRK Staking Pool recorded rapid growth with a total staking value of over HK$100 million

BlueArk announced the launch of their BRK Staking Pool on BlueArk NFT Marketplace on 23 March 2022 to capture the latest momentum in crypto market development. To become part of the BRK Staking Pool, BRK investors simply have to deposit their assets onto the platform. With a concept similar to that of a fixed deposit with a traditional bank, the BRK Staking Pool allows users to deposit their BRK tokens onto BlueArk at an APY of 45%, a value that exceeds most traditional investments.

Within the first 5 hours of launch, the BRK Staking Pool recorded a total of 24,254,278 BRK (approx. US$130,000) have been deposited, with the amount progressively increasing to 1,421,632,972 BRK (approx. US$8 million) in the first 3 days, representing an increase of 6,200%.

As of 1 April 2022, the BRK Staking Pool achieved a staggering 2,500,000,000 BRK (approx. US$120 million) in 10 days.

Reason behind the success of BRK Staking Pool

Traditional investment products like insurance, banks, funds or real estate provides about a 3-5% profit. This profit is not even able to keep up with inflation. BRK Staking Pool rewards its users according to the duration of staking time on BRK platform with the highest level being a 365-day value lock at Level 7, offering an attractive APY of 45% that exceeds any return from traditional investments.

Another reason behind this record-breaking HK$100 million total staking value is the flexibility of the staking pool. Users are allowed to withdraw their tokens any time and receive tiered rewards, compared to traditional investments that typically require investors to commit to a fixed investment period which may last for years. Investors are often required to make monthly payments for a 5–10-year investment with traditional financial institutions, which adds a lot of pressure to investors, and that also comes with a penalty for any early termination which may add further stress to investors.

The third reason behind BRK Staking Pool’s success is its “credibility”. Since the launch of BlueArk half a year ago, the Company has been delivering what it promises as laid out in its roadmap. This includes the launch of BRK NFT Marketplace, and the opening of the first “metaverse concept store” in Hong Kong. The Company has announced 6 new updates on their social media platform in March, including the listing of BRK token on well-known crypto exchange platform LBank, the launch of BRK Staking Pool, and a weekly public live stream with BlueArk founders on Facebook. With all this ongoing progress, the Company is showing their commitment in the development of BlueArk, giving investors the confidence in the possibilities and potential of the Company.

The final reason will be the potential growth of the Company. Investors will need to lock their BRK tokens on the BlueArk platform to participate in the BRK Staking Pool, which will in turn limit the circulation of BRK tokens in the open market. A limit in circulation will contribute to an increase in value of goods over time. While there is a decrease in circulation of the BRK token, BRK’s value will increase, leading to a FOMO (Fear of missing out) effect on the market. Investors will be increasingly interested to invest in BRK tokens and staking them into the BRK Staking Pool, generating a huge upside for the token’s value.

BRK Staking Pool rewards investors with45% annual percentage yield, incentivizing investors’ contribution to the BRK platform

According to BlueArk’s white paper, he reward comes from 60% of the distributed BRK which are allocated to “participation as mining”. A difference between this and traditional mining is that users can get rewarded through different participations like adding to the ecosystem of the platform. One such example is participating in the staking pool.

Being rewarded by participating in the BRK platform ecosystem is crucial to the development of the project in the long run as investors are in control of their investments and being able to benefit from their BRK investments directly. An increased participation by investors will contribute to a healthy growth of the BRK ecosystem, which gives greater incentives for investors to stay in the ecosystem, building trust and confidence in the platform.

Entering the BlueArk metaverse and immerse in the BRK ecosystem

Users can start by buying BRK tokens on crypto exchange platforms. Like most crypto currencies, users need to trade it with USDT.

USDT is released by Tether. It is the crypto equivalent of USD with the ratio 1:1. Hong Kong users can purchase USDT at a rate of about 7.8 HKD for 1 USDT (depending on the market), and buy BRK using USDT.

Any investors in Hong Kong who would like to know more about the BRK ecosystem can visit The BlueArk at The Peninsula Hong Kong for a face-to-face consultation session with our consultants at the Concept Store.

Between 11 – 25 April 2022, BlueArk is offering a special exchange rate of 7.7HKD for 1USDT in store. New users will also receive a Gummy Villain NFT designed by BlueArk’s Creative Director Dough-Boy. Please refer to BlueArk’s Instagram page for more details.

Besides the USDT offer and a free NFT, BlueArk is collaborating with Ruby9100m on her solo NFT exhibition “Transhumanity”. The exhibition will include digital art pieces, sculptures and accessories. Please visit BlueArk’s Instagram account for details.

About BlueArk

In its simplest term, it as the ark that leads humanity’s imagination and creativity into the metaverse.

BlueArk’s business covers digital art, music, visuals, mixed media, gaming, artificial intelligence, and its concept store. The Company aims at untapping the endless possibilities of creative spaces and opportunities leveraging blockchain, NFTs, artificial intelligence and other technologies. Providing a platform and creating values for imaginative individuals with unlimited creativity. They hope to be the ark that prepares everyone for the next big bang in the near future.

6G, virtual reality, extended reality, artificial intelligence, and blockchain are bringing the virtual world closer to our physical life. With endless possibilities of the metaverse, be prepared for the new world. Be a trendsetter, not a follower.

BRK is the token for BlueArk, through NFTs, DeFi and GameFi concepts, they are building a virtual ecosystem using BRK as its currency. They hope to bring creators into the virtual world where their dreams can be fulfilled. They aim to provide decentralized digital financial system for the metaverse.

BlueArk is currently in the second stage of their blueprint. With a strong, creative and trustworthy team behind the project, they are about to be a strong presence in the crypto and metaverse world. We can’t wait to see the development of this project and where it will lead us.

Please refer to the official platforms of BlueArk for more information about the Company and its latest announcements:
Website:
Telegram:
Instagram:
Facebook:
Discord:
The Blue Ark concept store: Shop BE1&3, Basement Floor, The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

#BlueArk

Thailand Scraps PCR Tests on Arrival Pending Infection Rates

Thailand scraps PCR test on arrival

The spokesman for Thailand’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration has said that RT-PCR tests on arrival are to be scrapped.

Epicor Appoints Lisa Pope as President

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 8 April 2022 – Epicor, a global leader of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today announced it has appointed Lisa Pope as President of the company. Pope will continue to lead overall go-to-market strategy and execution, spearheading the company’s cloud-first, market growth initiatives that empower Epicor customers to drive business value in a complex and dynamic world.

Lisa.jpg

Lisa Pope, President of Epicor

“Lisa has been a major force for growth, scale and profitability over the last five years as we pursue our mission to be the Cloud Vendor of Choice for the make, move, and sell economy,” said Epicor CEO Steve Murphy. “Her deep partnership and commitment to customers, as well as unique understanding of the markets we serve, have been hallmarks of her leadership at Epicor, and will continue to set a high standard for how we accelerate momentum and drive results for companies we work with.”

Pope brings more than 25 years of experience in the enterprise resource planning industry, including leadership roles with Oracle, Infor, and QAD. In her tenure at Epicor as part of the executive leadership team, she has been honoured with numerous industry recognitions, including most recently the 2022 “Woman of the Year in Sales” by the Stevie® Awards for Sales and Customer Service. Pope also serves as a Board Member at Pretaa, a sales productivity platform company.

“Epicor is on a journey to help the hardworking companies we serve take advantage of cloud-based technologies to boost profitability and growth,” said Pope. “I am thrilled to continue driving our work with customers and colleagues around the globe to create a world of better business.”

About Epicor

Epicor equips hard-working businesses with enterprise solutions that keep the world turning. For 50 years, Epicor customers in the automotive, building supply, distribution, manufacturing, and retail industries have trusted Epicor to help them do business better. Innovative Epicor solution sets are carefully curated to fit customer needs and built to respond flexibly to their fast-changing reality. With deep industry knowledge and experience, Epicor accelerates its customers’ ambitions, whether to grow and transform, or simply become more productive and effective. Visit for more information.

Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation. Results are not guaranteed, and each user’s experience will vary.

#Epicor

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

Employees Caught Faking Covid Test Results 

Covid-19 rapid test kit

Government and private organizations have warned that workers who falsify Covid-19 results will face heavy fines.

Uncontrollable Inflation Reaches 8 Percent in Laos

Lao kip

Laos’ year-on-year inflation rate increased to 8.5 percent in March, the highest recorded in some years.

CPA Australia: Indonesian small businesses champion of business growth in APAC amid pandemic threats

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach – 8 April 2022 – Despite being hit hard by COVID-19 in 2021, Indonesian small businesses still managed to outperform their Asia-Pacific counterparts in business growth, in part due to their high level of e-commerce adoption. They are likely to maintain this momentum in 2022, according to CPA Australia, one of the world’s largest accounting bodies.

Indonesia.JPG

CPA Australia’s 13th Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey surveyed 4,252 small business owners or managers, including 301 from Indonesia, across 11 Asia-Pacific markets to understand business conditions and confidence.

Indonesian small businesses were the second most likely of the markets surveyed to be negatively impacted by the pandemic in 2021. Seventy-two per cent of Indonesian respondents nominated COVID-19 as the most detrimental factor on their business.

Forty-five per cent of respondents said they had shifted to online sales as a response to the pandemic, the highest of the surveyed markets. Benefiting from this proactive tilt towards e-commerce, 68 per cent of respondents earned more than 10 per cent of revenue from online sales, a significant rise of 10 percentage points from 2020. Sixty-one per cent used social media to sell their products and services in 2021, up from 51 per cent in 2020.

As a result of the surge in e-commerce and digital transformation, seven in ten stated that their business grew in 2021, making Indonesia the champion of business growth in the region. This achievement was reflected in the healthy proportion of small businesses that created more jobs. Thirty-five per cent of respondents said they had hired more staff in 2021.

Dr Adi Budiarso FCPA (Aust.), Chairman of the CPA Australia Indonesia Advisory Committee and the Director of the Financial Sector Policy Centre at Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance, said: “2021 was a very challenging year for small businesses in Indonesia because of the pandemic.

“Nonetheless, I am proud to see the resilience and agility of Indonesia’s small businesses. The survey findings not only show their skill in sustaining business operations but also growing through the use of e-commerce. Government assistance programs such as PEN program and Rumah BUMN no doubt assisted with this.”

These capabilities are translating to strong business expectations in 2022. Eighty-seven per cent of respondents expect their businesses to grow this year, making Indonesia one of the most optimistic markets surveyed. As a result, a high proportion intend to increase employees (51 per cent).

Ninety-one per cent of Indonesian respondents expect that they will definitely or possibly require external finance in 2022, the second highest result. Sixty-eight per cent will seek external finance for business growth. However, only one-quarter of respondents expect that accessing finance will be easy or very easy.

“Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are major contributors to our economy and employment. A friendly financing environment would enable them to keep expanding. According to the survey findings, banks are their primary source of finance. New rules issued by Bank Indonesia should encourage local banks to increase their lending to MSMEs from June this year.

Looking forward, Dr Adi suggested that Indonesian small businesses focus more on innovating to maintain their competitiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, as their intention to innovate has declined since 2019. “Although many small businesses grew, they will need to bring their innovation up a notch as there is strong customer demand for new products or services.”

CPA Australia recommends that Indonesian small businesses consider the following:

  • Explore opportunities to innovate such as new products, services or processes.
  • Leverage external finance for business growth, but pay attention to debt ratio and financing costs.
  • Enhance cybersecurity protections and review IT systems regularly.

About CPA Australia

CPA Australia is one of the largest professional accounting bodies in the world, with more than 170,000 members in over 100 countries and regions, including more than 21,000 members in South-East Asia. Our Indonesian office, located in Jakarta, opened in 2011. Our core services include education, training, technical support and advocacy. CPA Australia provides thought leadership on local, national and international issues affecting the accounting profession and public interest. We engage with governments, regulators and industries to advocate policies that stimulate sustainable economic growth and have positive business and public outcomes. Find out more at

#CPAAustralia

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

Results of the ixCrypto Index Quarterly Review (2022 Q1)

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 8 April 2022 – Today, IX Asia Indexes Company Limited announced the 1st quarter review of the ixCrypto Index (“IXCI”). This is the first crypto benchmark index launched in Hong Kong.

The number of constituent cryptos will be increased from the current 11 to 19 constituents from effective date of the review, in light of decreasing dominance of Bitcoin and emergence of more diversed market landscape. The changes are as follows:

Additions

1. Algorand

2. Avalanche

3. Cosmos

4. Fantom

5. Internet Computer

6. NEAR Protocol

7. Stellar

8. Tron

Deletion

N/A

The free float adjusted market capitalization coverage is 74.23%, while the 90-day-average volume coverage is 71.94%. The constituents change and recapping at 40% will be effective on April 19, 2022 (Tuesday) due to Easter break.

Since the last review, there has been a decrease in the crypto total market capitalisation from USD2.47tn to USD2.16tn (-12.6%), and a drop in the daily volume from USD114bn to USD113bn (-0.9%). Bitcoin remains as the largest crypto in the constituent list, with its price edged down by 0.2% since the last review.

More details about the ixCrypto Index, including its constituents and constituents’ weight, are provided in the Appendices, or refer to the website https://ix-index.com/

For further enquiries, please contact:

Irene WONG +852 3595 3638
enquiry@ix-index.com

Surina HUI +852 3595 3638
enquiry@ix-index.com


Appendix 1

ixCrypto Index (“IXCI”)

Universe All crypto coins traded in at least two different exchanges around the world
Selection Criteria Cryptocurrencies ranking in the top 80% of cumulative full market capitalization (“MC”) coverage and in the top 25 of 90-days-average-trading-volume.
Number of Constituents Variable/19 in Q2 2022
Launch Date 12th December 2018
Base Date 3rd December 2018
Base Value 1,000
Reconstitution Rule If the coverage is below 75% or any of constituents is not in top 25 of trading volume, IXCI will be reconstituted to bring MC coverage back and do liquidity screening.
Reconstitution and Rebalancing Frequency Quarterly and with a fast entry rule
Weighting Methodology Free float adjusted market capitalization weighted with a cap of 40%, or a 40%/ 30%/ 20% step cap under extreme conditions
Currency US Dollar
Dissemination Every 5 seconds, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (HKT)
Website https://ix-index.com/

Appendix 2

Weightings of the Constituents of ixCrypto Index

Crypto 90-day-average-volume * 90-day-average- Market Cap Cummulative Market Coverage before Cap Weighting (%) After 40% Cap
1 Bitcoin $26,998,951,275 (1) $783,081,899,958 41.52% 40.00%
2 Ethereum $14,895,513,851 (2) $351,469,654,072 60.15% 34.52%
3 XRP $2,256,334,379 (5) $36,223,120,503 62.07% 3.52%
4 Cardano $1,577,294,786 (8) $35,756,108,414 63.96% 3.41%
5 Solana $2,206,903,181 (6) $34,277,454,884 65.78% 3.33%
6 Terra $2,482,079,723 (4) $27,692,464,047 67.25% 3.19%
7 Avalanche $1,184,614,942 (11) $20,579,466,806 68.34% 2.17%
8 Polkadot $1,201,613,018 (10) $20,400,629,194 69.42% 1.88%
9 Dogecoin $856,605,587 (15) $18,766,806,764 70.42% 1.61%
10 Polygon $430,988,076 (20) $13,031,651,220 71.11% 1.10%
11 Cosmos $720,929,221 (16) $8,443,250,245 71.56% 0.73%
12 Litecoin $907,689,282(14) $8,414,374,373 72.00% 0.78%
13 NEAR Protocol $1,209,129,004(9) $7,783,537,940 72.41% 0.79%
14 Algorand $1,008,991,434(13) $6,606,445,444 72.77% 0.52%
15 Tron $4,375,196,957(3) $6,505,554,686 73.11% 0.63%
16 Bitcoin Cash $699,903,225(17) $6,327,823,838 73.45% 0.61%
17 Stellar $301,252,290(26) $5,340,337,017 73.73% 0.49%
18 Fantom $350,544,946(22) $4,986,410,806 73.99% 0.30%
19 Internet Computer $340,051,675(23) $4,457,264,201 74.23% 0.40%

Data as of 31 March 2022 (HKT)

* 90-day-average-volume ranking in total market is shown in the parentheses

* For the calculation methodology of the index, please refer to the “ixCrypto Index Methodology Paper” on our website

Appendix 3

ixCrypto Indexes Dissemination

IX Crypto Indexes are disseminated from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. at a 5-second interval on every Hong Kong business day. The real-time indexes are available for viewing on the IX Crypto Index official webpage. For IXCI, IXBI and IXEI, the indexes are also available through Nasdaq Global Index Data Service (GIDS) with the tickers “IXCI”, “IXBI” and “IXEI”, with dissemination interval kept at 15-second unchanged. The tickers are shown below:

Index Name Nasdaq GIDS Ticker
ixCrypto Index IXCI
ixBitcoin Index IXBI
ixEthereum Index IXEI

For further information about ixCrypto Index and other available indexes, please visit https://ix-index.com.

If you are interested in licensing, obtaining product specification and/or sample data files, please contact us at licensing@ix-index.com. For dissemination of our index as vendors, please contact licensing@ix-index.com

IX Asia Indexes offers API access for investors, researchers, or others interested in high-quality crypto index data. We provide API token authentication for API access. For more details, please contact enquiry@ix-index.com

About IX Fintech Group and IX Asia Indexes

IX Asia Indexes Company Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the IX Fintech Group. Aiming to become one of the leading index compilers in Asia, its services in the areas of both real and digital assets cover index consultancy, index design, index calculation and dissemination, and index education. As a key participant of Cyberport Hong Kong, and supporter of the University of Hong Kong (“HKU”) Internship and Career Mentorship Program, IX Asia Indexes launched the first Hong Kong cryptocurrency index – ixCrypto Index together with its mentees from HKU in 2018 with growing subscription. The index platform was awarded the ETNet Fintech Award – Outstanding Crypto Index Platform (Wealth Investment & Management) 2019. ixCrypto Index is created by IX Asia Indexes and licensed to ixFintech and Nasdaq GIDS for its dissemination.

Website:

About IX Crypto Indexes

The ixCrypto index (“IXCI”) is the first crypto index launched in Hong Kong. It was launched on 12 December 2018. It is denominated in USD with a base value of 1000 and a base date on 3 December 2018. On 1 June 2020, the hourly index was launched. Designed to be easy to understand while providing a good representation of the crypto market, ixCrypto index aims to cover the top 80% of the cumulative free-float adjusted market capitalization in the crypto universe and, at the same time, the crypto currencies should fall within the top 25, ranking by trading volume in the 90 days preceding the review date. The index is to be reviewed quarterly and with a fast entry rule. The real time index is available from 9 am-9 pm and updated at every 5-second interval. Real time index data together with ixBitcoin Index and ixEthereum Index can be obtained from IX Asia Indexes Data Services. For IXCI, IXBI and IXEI, the indexes are also available through Nasdaq Global Index Data Service (GIDS) with the tickers “IXCI”, “IXBI” and “IXEI”, with dissemination interval kept at 15-second unchanged.

About IX Asia Indexes Advisory Committee

To ensure the professionality and impartiality of the index methodologies and operations, ixAsia has established its index advisory committee with representation from different industries, including fund management, exchanges, brokerage, financial blockchain experts, crypto service providers, etc. The committee will meet twice a year to discuss matters relating to the ixAsia Indexes, including to review and to comment the data sources, methodologies, and operations of ixAsia Indexes, to provide guidance to the future development of new ixAsia Indexes and to handle other issues and decisions on an as-needed basis.

Webpage:

#ixCryptoindex #IXAsiaIndexes