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Electricity Exports On the Rise as Laos Powers Up ASEAN

Lao Electricity Imported to Cambodia


Laos has earned USD 2,012 million from the export of electricity to other countries this year, up by 12 percent compared to last year.

Laos to Reopen Under Green Zone Travel Plan

Tourism Laos


The government of Laos has begun preparations for reopening the country to vaccinated tourists under its new Lao Travel Green Zone plan.

Botify expands in Asia Pacific – empowering brands locally to enhance ROI from search with its enterprise SEO platform

Brands in Asia Pacific can now join the growing number of global enterprises that are discovering the power of organic search, achieving impressive measurable results from search as a key performance marketing channel.  

 

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 18 November 2021 – Botify, the leading enterprise software company for performance-driven organic search, today announced its incorporation in Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. This promises to help Asia-Pacific customers transform their SEO strategies and capabilities, scaling up the performance of their websites through the sustainable growth of online traffic and revenue from organic search.


Meet the Botify team in Asia Pacific

“There are growing numbers of regional and local brands that are looking to enhance their traffic and revenue through more robust SEO strategies and capabilities. Establishing Botify locally in Asia Pacific, allows us to better serve their needs, Ghislain Le Chatelier, President of Botify Asia Pacific said.  “We’re investing more resources locally, like sales & marketing, professional services and customer success, to get closer to our customers and partners, and better serve their needs. We are excited to work every day with our customers in these markets, to help drive their sustainable growth through search”.

 

Botify has a track record of optimising the websites of some of the world’s largest brands (including Expedia, Macy’s, L’Oréal, The New York Times, Groupon, Marriott, Farfetch), generating hundreds of millions of visits and billions of dollars from organic search. According  to a Forrester Report, assessing the Total Economic Impact™ of Botify, enterprise organisations using the platform can achieve a 584% ROI from their SEO and less than 3 months payback period. The key metrics used by our customers include:

●      New traffic growth

●      Retention/loss prevention of existing traffic

●      Reduction in overhead costs due to productivity gains

 

Building on this global success, and the growing groundswell of companies seeking advantage through organic, Botify Asia brings best practices to regional customers including: Airtasker, Zalora, Tiki, IOIX, Furla Japan and more.

For example, one global Food & Beverage retail customer in Japan has achieved 29X ROI by adopting Botify’s enterprise SEO solution, enabling their new online ordering channel to generate sustainable sales revenue over a 12-month period.

 

Following the US$55 million Series C funding in 2021, Botify is doubling-down on machine learning technologies to develop new, innovative features for its enterprise customers. These features will enhance its ML and AI-powered SEO platform, strengthening the unmatched depth and scale of its analytical and automation capabilities. Through such developments Botify is steadily leading a revolution in optimised organic for enterprises, helping brands and their customers around the world unlock the full potential of search. We are proud to reinforce our commitment to enabling these outcomes in Asia Pacific.

About Botify

Botify is an enterprise software company that helps brands turn organic search into an efficient, measurable, and sustainable channel for growing both traffic and revenue. Powered by a unique unified data model, prescriptive insights, and automated processes, Botify delivers a powerful end-to-end enterprise SEO solution that enables customers to unlock the true potential of their websites. If search unlocks the internet, Botify unlocks search. For brands, consumers and for the good of all. By reducing their reliance on paid, Botify’s solution helps brands to be found and favoured by their customers, and helps marketers stay on top with fewer resources. Botify’s enterprise SEO solution is used by 500+ leading companies across industries including e-commerce, travel, media & publishing, classifieds, and more.

Founded in 2012, Botify is a fast-growing, VC-backed, SaaS company with $82M in funding and offices in New York, Seattle, Paris, London, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

For more information, please visit botify.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/botify
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/botify
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/botify
IG: https://www.instagram.com/botify/

#botify #botifyasia #botifyapac #seo #enterpriseseo #sasgrowth #websitetraffic

Kenanga Investors Appointed Fund Manager for Dana Wakaf Bencana

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 18 November 2021 – Kenanga Investors Berhad (“Kenanga Investors”) has been appointed Fund Manager for Dana Wakaf Bencana (“Emergency Waqf Fund”), an emergency relief fund established for the purposes of channelling resources to those affected by climate change-related disasters as well as future pandemics.

From left to right:
Tuan Haji Syed Zafilen Syed Alwee, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kenanga Investors Berhad
Senator Tuan Haji Idris bin Haji Ahmad, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs)
Charles Hay, British High Commissioner to Malaysia
Prof. Madya Dr. Amir bin Shaharuddin, Chief Executive Officer, Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia
Suhana Sidik, Member of MATCH Foundation and Board Member of MRCS

 

On 10 November, Kenanga Investors as Fund Manager, together with Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia (waqf administrator) and MATCH Foundation (distribution agency), signed a Memorandum of Agreement to ensure funds collected are invested and distributed according to waqf principles. The signing was witnessed by Senator Tuan Haji Idris bin Haji Ahmad, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) and Mr Charles Hay, British High Commissioner to Malaysia.

 

“We are honoured to be appointed as Fund Manager for the Emergency Waqf Fund in alignment with the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK-12) and the government’s intention for increased efficiency in waqf management. We look forward to providing support to the waqf institution by means of the establishment of an emergency fund governance structure through this strategic partnership which will see the timely deployment of resources to areas of need”, says Ismitz Matthew De Alwis, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. He further explained that the appointment is attributed to Kenanga Investors’ track record in fund management and experience in the management of waqf assets through the Kenanga Waqf Al-Ihsan Fund which was launched in April 2021.

 

The Emergency Relief Fund will be receiving a portion of the RM10 million allocated in Budget 2022 as part of its initial seed funding, announced in October 2021. Funds received from institutional investors would be invested directly into a wholesale fund established by Kenanga Investors who will manage and invest it accordingly, in line with the proposed fund structure. Derived income will be distributed to investors and YWM respectively. YWM will then channel the allocated percentage of funds to MATCH Foundation for emergency response activation for the returns to reach communities at risk.

 

In Malaysia, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (“FCDO”) appointed PwC Malaysia as consultant for the Islamic Social Finance space, who then reported the necessity of establishing an emergency fund to mitigate climate related disasters and to protect the lives and livelihoods of those most vulnerable. The FCDO, under the purview of the British High Commission, runs the Financial Services and Intellectual Property Programme (“Programme”) to strengthen economic growth by addressing poverty and inequality issues in developing Southeast Asian countries.

 

“The Programme is an international effort and operates in six countries which are Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. It provides technical assistance to Malaysia’s Year 1 of the Prosperity ASEAN Economic Reform Programme through six workstreams: FinTech, Accounting Standards, Intellectual Property, Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crime, Capital Markets, and Islamic Finance.

 

“Kenanga Investors recognises the importance of a firm driven by ESG considerations and goals, and social responsibility is a major aspect of that agenda. It is our responsibility, on behalf of asset owners, to generate positive environmental, social and governance impact through their investments. With this appointment, we hope to drive impact investing in Malaysia to new heights”, says De Alwis.  

 

For more information about Kenanga Investors Berhad, please visit www.kenangainvestors.com.my.

 

About Kenanga Investors Berhad 199501024358

We provide investment solutions ranging from collective investment schemes, portfolio management services, and alternative investments for retail, corporate, institutional, and high net worth clients via a multi-distribution network.

Most recently, the FSMOne Recommended Unit Trusts Awards 2021/2022, named Kenanga Balanced Fund as “Balanced – Malaysia” for the 3rd year, Kenanga ASnitaBOND Fund as the “Core Fixed Income – Malaysia (Islamic)” for the second time, while Kenanga OnePRS Conservative Fund was awarded the “Private Retirement Scheme – Conservative” title (3rd year).

At the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards 2021 (Malaysia), KIB won overall best Malaysia Islamic Funds Group Awards (Equity) and Malaysia Provident Funds Group Awards (Mixed Assets). The Kenanga SyariahEXTRA Fund was awarded “Mixed Asset MYR Balanced – Malaysia” award for 3-years and 5-years in both categories of Malaysia Islamic Funds and Malaysia Provident Funds while the Kenanga Growth Opportunities Fund won “Equity Malaysia Small & Mid-Caps” for 3-years under the Malaysia Provident Funds category. Kenanga SyariahEXTRA Fund also won “Mixed Asset MYR Balanced – Malaysia” for 3-years and 5-years at the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards 2021 (Global Islamic). The Hong Kong-based Asia Asset Management’s 2021 Best of the Best Awards awarded KIB under the following categories, Malaysia – Best Equity Manager, Malaysia CIO of the Year, Malaysia – Best Islamic Fund (Equity), and Malaysia Best House for Alternatives.

For the fifth consecutive year, KIB was affirmed an investment manager rating of IMR-2 by Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad, since first rated in 2017. The IMR rating on KIB reflects the fund management company’s well-established investment processes and sound risk management practices. During the first half of 2021, KIB’s 20 largest unit trust funds outperformed its benchmarks for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods.

#Kenanga

Apical Group Collaborates with Palm Oil Industry Stakeholders to Launch “Palm Oil Nation”

JAKARTA, INDONESIA/SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 18 November 2021 – Exporter of sustainable palm oil, Apical Group joined forces with the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the Indonesian Vegetable Oil Industry Association (GIMNI), Indonesian Association of Biofuel Producers (APROBI), and a number of key opinion leaders from various industries, to launch a sustainable palm oil initiative “Powered by Palm Oil”.

Through this initiative, Apical Group, a member of the RGE group of resources-based companies founded by Sukanto Tanoto in 1973, seeks to improve sustainable business practices and raise greater awareness, especially among the younger generation, on the importance and impact of palm oil on communities and everyday life.

Bernard Riedo, RGE Palm Business Director said, “This initiative allows us to share knowledge and insights with Indonesians, especially the younger generation, on the prevalence of palm oil in everyday life and its many uses. As we commemorate Heroes’ Day (Hari Pahlawan) in Indonesia today, we have hope that the younger generation can become agents of change in promoting sustainable palm oil.”

Margareth Naulie Panggabean, Outreach and Engagement RSPO Indonesia said, “We support Apical to continue to cultivate sustainable palm oil while also educating the younger generation that buying products that use certified sustainable palm oil is the best choice you can make in supporting a more sustainable palm oil industry.”

Sahat Sinaga, Executive Director of GIMNI observed that for the past eight years, palm oil has continued to remain a major Indonesian export other than coal. The palm oil industry provides employment for many and is a source of foreign exchange. It remains important for Indonesians to better understand how many economic activities are heavily supported by palm oil. Additionally, oil palms grow well in tropical areas with high rainfall, and their production is able to meet national and global needs.

“From the total 47 million tons of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) produced by Indonesia, 20 million tons are for domestic consumption, of which 9 million tons are used for biodiesel, 7 million tons for food, and 2.5 million tons for oleochemical use, and the rest for other uses. Palm oil is therefore very important for this nation. The solution is not to replace palm oil with other vegetable oils, but how to make this industry more sustainable and this is a big challenge the younger generation of Indonesians will face,” added Sahat.

Compared to other countries, Indonesia is more advanced in its use of new and renewable energy, such as biodiesel. Jummy Bismar Martua Sinaga, Head of Research & Technology APROBI explained, “We have to optimize Indonesia’s palm oil as a resource. The B30 program provides employment for more than one million workers and increases farmers’ incomes. APROBI also wants to share the information that palm oil is not only used for food but is also a source of energy.”

At the event, Apical introduced four key opinion leaders from the “Palm Oil Nation” campaign consisting of practitioners from various industries, such as Kwik Wan Tien, General Manager of Nutrifood (WRP brands); Anisa Sulandana. Brahmantyo, De La House Brand & Product Marketing Director and advocate of the use of sustainable palm oil; Tigran Denre Sonda, an exporter of Harumas cooking oil, an Apical product; and Ryan Haryanto, an Asian Formula Renault driver who supports the use of biodiesel from palm oil as an effort to strengthen energy security.

The campaign has useful content that will be published every two weeks from November 10, 2021 on all Apical Group social media channels. This marks one of Apical’s many efforts to engage the younger generation in Indonesia under its #Apicalpeduli (Apical Cares) movement. Since 2020, Apical has actively engaged communities through various activities to spread positive messages and build resilience.

About Apical

Apical Group is one of the largest palm oil exporters in Indonesia, owning and controlling a broad spectrum of the palm oil business value chain from sourcing to distribution. The company is also involved in the refining, processing of palm oil for domestic use and for international export. Its operations are located in Indonesia, China and Spain, and include six refineries, four biodiesel plants, two oleo chemical plants and a kernel crushing plant. Through joint ventures, Apical also has tolling and distribution operations in India, Pakistan, Philippines and Brazil. Apical’s business is built on an extensive sourcing network in Indonesia with integrated refinery assets in strategic locations. This is reinforced by efficient logistics channels supported by Apical’s own infrastructure to deliver to a wide range of clients from international trading houses to local industrial buyers. With its unique business model, Apical has been able to control product quality and address sustainability and food safety concerns, while running highly efficient operations in world-class refineries and integrated storage and bulking facilities.


https://www.apicalgroup.com/

Apical 2020 Sustainability Report

#Apical

Four New Philips Headphones Now Available in Thailand

Features include active noise canceling, sweat resistance, and wireless-chargeable cases

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach  – 18 November 2021 – Four New Philips In ear True Wireless Headphones are being launched in Thailand for the first time today, with a wide range of features that offer something for everyone. These features include active noise canceling, splash and sweat resistance, and Qi-compatible cases that can be wirelessly charged. All these headphones come with interchangeable ear tips to ensure a good fit, charging cases, and they are currently available in black.

 

Hear exactly what you need, with active noise canceling

 

Philips TAT4506 and TAT5506 headphones boast noise canceling to keep you focused on the sounds that matter, with the TAT5506’s Noise Canceling Pro giving you an even clearer picture than ever. Both these headphones have mono mode, allowing you to use one earbud or both – particularly useful for making calls.

 

Total play and talk time with the charging cases is up to 32 hours for the TAT5506 and up to 24 hours with the TAT4506. Both feature USB-C charging, and the TAT5506’s Qi-compatible case can also be charged wirelessly. Don’t worry if you’re using them outside, because both these models provide splash and sweat resistance.

 

Compact portability and great battery life

 

The compact TAT1235 and TAT2206 have light, space-saving 6 mm neodymium drivers, but can still deliver clear sound and punchy bass. Their charging cases are small and convenient but support ultra-long playing time: a total of up to 18 hours of play time on the TAT1235, and up to 12 hours on the TAT2206. Both these models provide IPX4 splash and sweat resistance to keep them running no matter how active your lifestyle.

 

Where to buy and MSRP


Philips TAT1235 NULL In-ear True Wireless Headphones is available at an MSRP 2,090THB

Philips TAT2206 NULL True Wireless Headphones is available at an MSRP 2,190 THB

Philips TAT4506 NULL True Wireless Headphones is available at an MSRP 3,990 THB

Philips TAT5506 True Wireless Headphones is available at an MSRP 5,190 THB

 

All the Philips True Wireless Headphones series are available at Shopee Philips Audio and Lazada Philips Audio

 

For more information about Philips headphones series, please visit Philips Thailand official website or Philips Audio Thailand Facebook page.

About TP Vision

TP Vision Europe B.V. (‘TP Vision’) is registered in the Netherlands, with its head office in Amsterdam. TP Vision is a wholly owned company of TPV Technology Limited (‘TPV’), which is one of the world’s leading monitor and TV manufacturers.

TP Vision is a consumer electronics key player in TV and audio entertainment. TP Vision concentrates on developing, manufacturing and marketing Philips-branded TV sets (Europe, Russia, Middle East, South America, India and selected countries in Asia-Pacific) and Philips-branded audio products (Globally) under trademark license by Koninklijke Philips N.V. We combine the strong Philips brand with our product development and design expertise, operational excellence, and industry footprint of TPV. We believe in creating products that offer a superior audio and visual experience for consumers.

#TPVision #Philips

Botify enters Japan – empowering Japanese companies to enhance their online traffic and revenue with its next-generation enterprise SEO platform

Japanese brands can now join the growing number of global enterprises that are discovering the power of organic search, achieving impressive measurable results from search as a key performance marketing channel. 

 

TOKYO, JAPAN – Media OutReach – 18 November 2021 – Botify, the leading enterprise software company for performance-driven organic search, today announced its incorporation in Tokyo. The move promises to enable customers in Japan to transform their SEO strategies and capabilities, scaling up the performance of their websites through the sustainable growth of online traffic and revenue from organic search.


Left: Hideki Shimada, Head of Sales
Right: Satoshi Abe, SEO Consultant

“Botify Japan K.K. reflects our commitment to Asia Pacific, and our growing number of customers in Japan. By investing more resources in sales & marketing, professional services, data science and customer success, we are scaling up to serve an increasing number of local brands that are looking to get insights on customer intent and to prioritize website improvements to generate greater revenues. We are honoured to be trusted by our Japanese customers, and excited to help them drive their sustainable growth through search,” Ghislain Le Chatelier, President of Botify Asia Pacific said.

Botify has a track record of optimizing the websites of some of the world’s largest brands (including Expedia, Macy’s, L’Oréal, The New York Times, Groupon, Marriott, Farfetch), generating hundreds of millions of visits and billions of dollars from organic search. According to a Forrester Report, assessing the Total Economic Impact™ of Botify, enterprise organizations using the platform can achieve a 584% ROI from their SEO and less than 3 months payback period. The key metrics used by our customers include:

●      New traffic growth

●      Retention/loss prevention of existing traffic

●      Reduction in overhead costs due to productivity gains

Building on this global success, and the growing groundswell of companies seeking advantage through organic, Botify Japan brings best practices to local customers, including:  IOIX, Furla Japan and some large Food & Beverage e-commerce retailers.

 

To support operational excellence and customer success, Botify also collaborates closely with leading local agencies and communications groups, like SEO Japan and Dentsu. Inc.  Dentsu had earlier chosen Botify as the winner of their Innovative Marketing Technology award for 2019, to help drive the development and growth of Dentsu Inc.’s clients and partners through the Dentsu Innovation Initiative (DII).

 

“With our unique full-search methodology, robust technology and professional SEO team, we have enabled a large e-commerce food & beverage retailer in Japan to gain 29x ROI by converting high-quality traffic into incremental revenue”, said Hideki Shimada, Head of Sales, Botify Japan K.K.


As this retailer’s own words: “Over the last 12 months, Botify has been a crucial partner in helping us capitalize our website traffic to generate sales through our new online ordering platform. Botify enables us to get insights on customer intent and identify opportunities to improve content visibility to search engines and conversion paths.”


This success case demonstrates what’s possible when you combine the right SEO strategy with the right enterprise SEO solution. “Most importantly, we have built a great bond, and the foundations for trusted long-term relationships with our local customers in Japan,” added Hideki Shimada.

 

Following the US$55 million Series C funding in 2021, Botify is doubling down on machine learning technologies to develop new, innovative features for its enterprise customers. These features will enhance its ML and AI-powered SEO platform, strengthening the unmatched depth and scale of its analytical and automation capabilities. Through such developments Botify is steadily leading a revolution in optimized organic search for enterprises, helping brands and their customers around the world unlock the full potential of search. We are proud to reinforce our commitment to enabling these outcomes in Japan.

About Botify

Botify is an enterprise software company that helps brands turn organic search into an efficient, measurable, and sustainable channel for growing both traffic and revenue. Powered by a unique unified data model, prescriptive insights, and automated processes, Botify delivers a powerful end-to-end enterprise SEO solution that enables customers to unlock the true potential of their websites. Botify’s enterprise SEO solution is used by 500+ leading companies across industries including e-commerce, travel, media & publishing, classifieds, and more.

Founded in 2012, Botify is a fast-growing, VC-backed, SaaS company with $82M in funding and offices in New York, Seattle, Paris, London, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo. For more information, please visit botify.com and jp.botify.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/botify
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/botify
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/botify
IG: https://www.instagram.com/botify/

#botify #botifyasia #botifyapac #botifyjapan #seo #enterpriseseo #sasgrowth #websitetraffic

Thailand Warns of Crackdown on Illegal Migrant Workers

Migrant workers in Thailand


Authorities in Thailand have stated they will fine migrant workers who enter the country illegally and deport them back to their home countries.