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Version 6.2 of ONLYOFFICE provides enhanced security for collaboration between remote locations throughout China and the rest of Asia

RIGA, LATVIA – Media OutReach – 19 March 2021 – ONLYOFFICE version 6.2, a powerful open-source office suite, now incorporates online editors for text documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Multiple editing tools and collaborative features ensure greater team workflow, and seamless work with complex formatting and objects within your web solution.

ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors are currently translated into 11 languages, including Simplified Chinese, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese. The ONLYOFFICE office suite enables online collaboration between distant locations, and users in China and Asia will find it an immensely versatile and secure tool whenever and wherever teamwork is required.

This latest version now includes a table of figures, new features in spreadsheets, and document protection in the desktop app.

Data validation to restrict the entered data type

New feature helps the user restrict the type of data entered into a cell enabling the creation of drop-down lists that limit the entry choices for a selected cell —just pick an item from a list which speeds the process and reduces the risk of errors.

Slicers to visualize filtering in pivot tables

Slicers for pivot tables, this functionality provides quick filtering and helps indicate the filtering state, so the user then understands what data is currently displayed.

Custom number format

With version 6.2, if the existing number formats don’t meet the user’s needs, the way the values show up can be changed by creating and applying custom number formats.

New functions

  • GROWTH to calculate predicted exponential growth by using existing data.
  • TREND to calculate a linear trend line.
  • LOGEST to calculate an exponential curve that fits the data and get an array of values that describes the curve.
  • UNIQUE to get a list of unique values from the specified range.
  • MUNIT to get the unit matrix for the specified dimension.
  • RANDARRAY to get an array of random numbers.

Table of figures to organize illustrations

ONLYOFFICE 6.2, enables the user to create a table of figures to list and organize the tables, equations, images, charts, and shapes.

Digital signatures in ONLYOFFICE desktop

With version 6.2, users can add a digital signature to documents, spreadsheets, and presentations verifying that the content originates from a specific user, and that there are no alterations.

To sign a document, the user will need a certificate issued by a certificate authority.

Digital signature of the document online is possible with DocuSign integration in ONLYOFFICE Workspace (both cloud and self-hosted versions).

Password protection in ONLYOFFICE Desktop

Protect local office files with password.

Integration with Seafile

In early 2019, ONLYOFFICE entered a technology partnership with Seafile, a company based in Beijing and a creator of the same-name sharing platform. This opened up new opportunities specifically available within the Asian landscape.

Seafile Pro 7.1.13 made the list of the DMS that can be connected to the ONLYOFFICE Desktop. This means that users will be able to edit documents stored in Seafile right from the desktop app and even collaborate on them online.

Connecting the desktop app to third-party DMS

With version 6.2, the developers, can incorporate online editors into their doc management systems, and implement the desktop app integration using ONLYOFFICE API.

Users have the ability to connect the desktop app to their DMS and use it as a client for online editing and collaboration.

Localization of ONLYOFFICE version 6.2

New interface languages — Belarusian, Catalan, Greek, Lao, Romanian. ONLYOFFICE Docs are now available in 31 languages.

The Chinese-language version of the ONLYOFFICE website is here: https://www.onlyoffice.com/zh/

About ONLYOFFICE editors

ONLYOFFICE Docs is an office suite that includes editors for text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

The free community version is distributed under AGPLv3 license. There’s also a paid Enterprise version with pro functionality (content controls, document comparison), tech support, and clustering capabilities.

Community or Enterprise versions can be used within ONLYOFFICE Workspace, an open-source productivity solution, or integrated with popular sync and share apps, such as ownCloud, Nextcloud, and Seafile.

The ONLYOFFICE desktop app is totally free and is distributed under AGPLv3 license.

Useful links
Chinese website — https://www.onlyoffice.com/zh/
Online version source code — https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/DocumentServer
Desktop version source code — https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/DesktopEditors
All available integrations — https://www.onlyoffice.com/all-connectors.aspx

evian launches its first label-free, 100% recyclable, 100% recycled bottle*

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 19 March 2021 – evian announced the launch of its new bottle design with an engraved logo in Singapore, as the brand looks at innovative ways to reduce its use of virgin plastic. In line with Global Recycling Day, evian hopes to inspire others to do their part for a more sustainable future through sustainable redesign. Reinventing the way evian natural mineral water is packaged for consumers to enjoy, the bottle presents an opportunity to reaffirm the brand’s beliefs and involvement in protecting the environment. With almost two years in the making, the bottle is a first of its kind for the brand; label-free and created from 100% recycled plastic*.

This new stripped back bottle perfectly reflects what’s on the inside – evian’s uniquely sourced natural mineral water, the way nature intended; pure and refreshing. A 15-year journey through the French Alps gives evian its naturally low mineralized composition and a distinctive cool, crisp taste.

Aligned with Singapore’s Zero Waste Masterplan to create a more sustainable living environment and pave the way towards a zero-waste nation, the introduction of evian’s new label-free bottle marks a significant milestone to becoming a ‘circular’ brand by 2025 – making all of its plastic bottles from 100% recycled plastic*. In early 2020, evian received a global certification for becoming carbon neutral. The achievement of this global standard reflects the outcome of evian’s commitment to reducing plastic use and use of recycled plastic.

Shweta Harit, evian global brand VP, said: “Today’s announcement positions evian as a pioneer in sustainable design solutions, with the bottle made from 100% recycled materials* and label-free, this acts as a tangible proof of our commitment to becoming a circular brandby 2025. It’s now more important than ever for us to bring consumers our natural mineral water in a more sustainable way. Today’s launch is a key advancement and innovation for all of us at evian. The bottle’s premium design speaks to history’s most environmentally conscious generation. Stripped down to its truest form, the bottle is as pure as the water within it”.

evian’s new bottle design is available as a 400ml bottle and features an ‘evian pink’ bottle cap. The new bottle is available at Lazada, Redmart and SaladStop, and will be made available at other hotel, café and retail outlets in the months ahead.

New bottle design: http://bit.ly/3uPGslv

Sun Hung Kai & Co. (86.HK) Announces 2020 Annual Results

Profit Attributable to Owners of the Company up 22% to HK$2,547.7 million; Basic EPS up 23% to HK128.3 cents

 

Financial Highlights

For the year ended 31 Dec

2020

2019

Change

Pre-tax Profit (HK$ million)

3,200.6

2,743.4

+17%

Profit Attributable to Owners of the Company (HK$ million)

2,547.7

2,085.2

+22%

Basic Earnings Per Share (HK Cents)

128.3

104.4

+23%

Book Value Per Share (HK$)

11.4

10.2

+12%

HONG KONG SAR Media OutReach 18 March 2021 – Sun Hung Kai & Co. Limited (Stock Code: 86.HK) (“SHK & Co.” or the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) announced a solid set of annual results for the year ended 31 December 2020. The year also marked a milestone in the Company’s five-year transformation from a securities house to an alternative investment platform after the disposal of its stake in Everbright Sun Hung Kai Securities Limited in November 2020. This strategic move has accelerated the development of the Company’s new Funds Management business.

Profit attributable to owners of the Company increased by 22% to HK$2,547.7 million (2019: HK$2,085.2 million); basic earnings per share (“EPS”) increased by 23% to HK128.3 cents (2019: HK104.4 cents); book value per share increased by 12% to HK$11.4 (2019: HK$10.2).

The Board has declared a second interim dividend of HK14 cents per share for the year ended 31 December 2020, increasing the total dividend per share for 2020 to HK26 cents (2019: HK26 cents).

“Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the results for the year reflect commendable overall performance and strong earnings in the investment management business. Through this turbulent year, the Company remained highly liquid and profitable, adopting a strategy of cautiously reducing risk in the first half, and was well-positioned for investment opportunities which arose during the second half of the year.” said Mr. Lee Seng Huang, the Group Executive Chairman.

Capitalising on the significant increase in the returns from the investment portfolio, the Group’s pre-tax profit for the year increased by 17% to HK$3,200.6 million (2019: HK$2,743.4 million). Revenue in 2020 was HK$4,056.6 million (2019: HK$4,216.8 million), of which interest income was the biggest component.

Segment Performance

Pre-tax Contribution

Segment Assets as at

(HK$ Million)

2020

2019

Change

Dec 2020

Dec 2019

FINANCING BUSINESS

Consumer Finance

1,238.5

1,276.0

-3%

17,937.0

17,917.7

Specialty Finance*

(132.3)

66.7

N/A

3,153.0

2,103.6

Mortgage Loans

112.7

121.4

-7%

3,117.4

3,694.4

INVESTING BUSINESS

Investment Management*

2,126.4

1,290.8

65%

14,603.4

15,541.2

GMS

(144.7)

(11.5)

1,158%

5,272.4

3,304.7

Total

3,200.6

2,743.4

17%

44,083.2

42,561.6














* The comparative figures for Specialty Finance and Investment Management segments were re-presented to align with the changes to segment reporting adopted in the 2020 annual report.

Investment Management

The Investment Management division leverages the Group’s expertise, network and strong financial position to seek attractive risk-adjusted investment returns. In 2020, the annual return on the average assets for the segment was 16.9%, compared to 11.9% in 2019. Taking into account operating expenses and funding cost allocations, the segment contributed HK$2,126.4 million to pre-tax profit, an increase of 65% from HK$1,290.8 million achieved in the previous year.

The development of the Group’s investment management business commenced approximately five years ago. This alternative investment focused initiative has grown to over HK$14.6 billion in assets and has built out a well-diversified portfolio consisting of investments in Private Equity, Hedge Funds, Credit and direct market securities. In addition, this portfolio has generated consistent risk adjusted returns over the 5-year period.

The standout performer in 2020 was the Alternatives segment (includes hedge funds and private equity investments) with a 24.7% return, a significant increase over the prior year. The public equity and credit portfolios were impacted in the first half of the year but saw a considerable improvement in the second half. Diversification and high underlying asset quality meant overall valuations remained robust.

The Group continued to strengthen its investment and operating teams while upgrading systems and infrastructure for the launch of its Funds Management platform. During the year, the Group added new team members and further built out its analytical and investment framework across businesses with a focus on risk management and control. In preparation for the launch of East Point Asset Management, the Group wound down a significant portion of public market positions in the fourth quarter.

Funds Management

In 2019, the Group decided to build on the success of the Investment Management business to create an Alternatives Funds Management platform, with a focus on expanding our capabilities to manage external capital. This will add additional revenue streams, further diversify our products and strategies, as well as attract and retain key talents. The Funds Management platform leverages the existing investment management platform, corporate services and marketing capabilities of SHK & Co.

The Funds Management platform has committed and launched three partnerships to date. The first with East Point Asset Management and the launch of their first fund, an APAC Equity Long/Short Fund. This involved a transition of an internally managed strategy and team. The second was a partnership with E15VC to launch a global venture capital technology fund and third is a partnership with ActusRay Partners to launch a European discretionary probabilistic investing fund focused on Europe.

In 2021, the Company has a strong pipeline of partnerships and fund launches covering various strategies including Real Estate lending, Fund of Hedge Funds, Crypto, Equity Long/Short and Index Arbitrage.

Financing Business


Consumer Finance

The Group’s Consumer Finance business is conducted via United Asia Finance Limited (“UAF”), offering unsecured loans to individual consumers and businesses in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Over the past three years, UAF ranked first amongst all money lenders in Hong Kong.

The pre-tax contribution to the Group amounted to HK$1,238.5 million, a decrease of 3% against 2019. Business volume improved in the second half of the year, though the average loan balance during the full year was lower, resulting in a drop in revenue by 5% to HK$3,331.0 million. Benefiting from interest rate reductions, finance costs were 9% lower during the year. Net impairment losses were lower by 4% as benefited from a more stable economy in the second half year compared to the first half.

Specialty Finance

The Group’s Specialty Finance business provides tailored funding solutions to corporates, investment funds and high net worth individuals. Almost all loans are either secured by assets or guarantees by corporates or high net worth individuals. The net loan balance was HK$1,637.9 million as at 31 December 2020, representing a year-on-year decline of 8%. As some of our borrowers were adversely impacted by the consequences of COVID-19, for prudence, impairment provisions were increased. As a result, Specialty Finance recorded a segmental loss of HK$132.3 million in 2020. These provisions may be reversed should there be a strong recovery post COVID-19.

Mortgage Loans

The Group’s Mortgage Loans business is operated by Sun Hung Kai Credit. It contributed a meaningful pre-tax profit of HK$112.7 million in its fifth full year of operations. Revenue increased by 3%, primarily driven by the higher yields. The gross loan balance was HK$3,061.1 million as at 31 December 2020, of which 94% was for first mortgage loans. The overall loan-to-valuation ratio of the portfolio was below 65% at the end of the year. Looking ahead, SHK Credit is entering the next phase of growth by developing more fee income through its origination and asset servicing platform.

Outlook

At the time we present this announcement, the world is still adapting to the new normal caused by the COVID-19 pandemic yet not truly recovering from it. We are proud to have had a solid 2020 against a challenging and uncertain economic backdrop. However, we remain cautious of COVID-19 and China-US relations and we remain alert to the potential downside risks of asset prices.

Looking ahead, the Group is optimistic about the prospects for its core lending businesses, confident about its investment businesses and excited about the development of its Funds Management platform. Besides, it is actively exploring collaboration and synergies between these businesses.

“The Group is committed to delivering strong risk adjusted returns over the long term with sound governance and risk controls through all market conditions. Against a backdrop of a disrupted work environment, we continue to develop our culture and systems to attract and retain top talent with a commitment to integrity, creativity and teamwork.” Mr. Lee concluded.

About Sun Hung Kai & Co. Limited

Sun Hung Kai & Co. Limited (SEHK: 86) is a leader in alternative investing headquartered in Hong Kong. Since its establishment in 1969, the Group has owned and operated market-leading platforms in Financial Services. The Group invests across public markets, alternatives and real assets and has an established track record of generating long-term risk adjusted returns for its shareholders. Most recently, it has extended its strategy to incubate, accelerate and support emerging asset managers in the Asian region. It is also the major shareholder of leading Consumer Finance firm, United Asia Finance Limited. The Group currently holds about HK$44 billion in total assets as at 31 December 2020.

For more information about SHK & Co., please visit its corporate website www.shkco.com.

Chinachem Group makes HK$3.8 million matching donation for spinal cord injury relief following paraplegic’s epic climb of Nina Tower

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 18 March 2021 – New hope will soon be given to Hong Kong people with spinal cord injuries or associated mobility problems after Urban Climb 300M+, a charity climb of Nina Tower in January, organised by Ignite Community Services and fully supported by Chinachem Group (the Group), raised more than HK$7.7 million in total for the “Get up and Walk” programme run by the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). The total proceeds include over HK$3.8 million donations from the public and corporate donors, and a dollar-for-dollar matching donation pledged by the tower’s owner, Chinachem Group. The remarkable feat at the 320-metre-tall Tsuen Wan skyscraper was performed by paraplegic climber Lai Chi-wai who became the first wheelchair climber ascended a skyscraper.

Chinachem Group Executive Director and CEO Donald Choi (3rd right); HKU’s Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Institutional Advancement) Professor Norman C Tien (4th left); Associate Vice-President (Development & Alumni Affairs) Bernadette Tsui (3rd left); Chair Professor and Head, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Jessie Ho Endowed Professorship in Spine Surgery Professor Kenneth MC Cheung (2nd left); and Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor Dr Paul Aarne Koljonen (1st left), take group photo with Co-founders of Ignite Community Services Lai Chi-wai (2nd right) and Stella Chiu (1st right).

A cheque for the Group’s matching donations of HK$3.8 million was presented to HKU today by Group CEO and Executive Director Donald Choi, during a special ceremony to say thank-you to business partners who made a donation and the many different parties involved in providing support for the climb, including Fire Services Department, consultant, staff members at Nina Tower, volunteers and, particularly, Lai Chi-wai, co-founder of Ignite Community Services and the climber. The funds raised will be used to support Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology’s pioneering work in developing exoskeletons that can help paraplegics regain mobility, as well as other clinical services and research work to support the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries.

“Chinachem Group is strongly committed to community care and in particular, addressing the needs of minority groups and promoting inclusiveness,” Mr Choi told the guests. “Lai Chi-wai’s achievement of climbing Nina Tower in a wheelchair was truly an inspirational feat, which we believe will encourage all Hong Kong people to maintain their spirit of persistence and never lose faith amid the challenging times. We hope this donation can help more spinal injury sufferers obtain this kind of life-changing assistance.”

The Group’s donation was accepted by HKU’s Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Institutional Advancement) Professor Norman C Tien, who said “The University is so grateful to Ignite Community Services, and the challenge curator and climber, Mr Lai Chi Wai for partnering with us on this fundraising initiative. We would like to thank the Chinachem Group and members of the public for their support of the ‘Get Up and Walk’ Campaign. The HKU Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology will have the resources to help patients deal with the aftermath of spinal cord injuries and make steps towards changing their future.”

Chair Professor and Head, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Jessie Ho Endowed Professorship in Spine Surgery Professor Kenneth MC Cheung gave a presentation about the project at the ceremony, where Lai gave the most vivid demonstration possible of what the donations can achieve by leaving his wheelchair and walking again on his own feet with the help of an exoskeleton.

The charity challenge on 16 January, Urban Climb 300M+, was initiated by Ignite Community Services, a non-profit-making organisation, as organiser and fund raiser, with Chinachem Group as lead partner. Lai’s remarkable ten-hour climb of the tower, with his steadfast determination and using only the strength of his arms and upper body to haul himself up the ropes in his wheelchair, was made all the more challenging by strong winds and falling temperatures as the day wore on. Having achieved a height of more than 250m, he encouraged supporters and Hong Kong people to “Live your dream. Never settle”.

Appendix 1:

Donors (Chinachem Group’s business partners) of “Get up and Walk” programme

1. Centaline

2. Hien Lee Engineering Co Ltd.

3. Chevalier Group

4. CR Construction Co., Ltd.

5. DCB Company Ltd.

6. Goldman Sachs

7. Huns Engineering Co. Ltd.

8. Midland Holdings Ltd.

9. Pretterior Works & Consultants Co., Ltd.

10. Sheen King Curtain Wall Eng. Ltd.

11. Sunley Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd.

12. Willis Hong Kong Ltd

13. Ying Wah Construction Group Limited

14. Arnlee Engineering Ltd.

15. Artwell Printing Factory (HK) Ltd.

16. Century 21 Group Limited

17. Colliers International

18. Cushman & Wakefield (HK) Limited

19. Deacons

20. Eight Partnership

21. ENM Holdings Ltd.

22. Gammon Construction Limited

23. Green and Cycle Lighting Ltd.

24. GYU Limited

25. Howden Insurance Brokers (HK) Limited

26. Knight Frank

27. Miele (Hong Kong) Limited

28. Ogilvy

29. Paul Y. Engineering Group

30. Savills (Hong Kong) Limited

31. Sino Group

32. Sonik Interiors Ltd.

33. Sundart Timber Products Co. Ltd.

34. Toplis and Harding (Hong Kong) Ltd.

35. UBS AG

36. Uni-China Management Limited

37. Winnie Leung & Co.

38. Yue Yi Laundry (Hong Kong) Limited

Chinachem Group

Since 1960, Chinachem Group has been a leading property developer in Hong Kong, with a portfolio covering residential, commercial, retail and industrial buildings for sales and investment, in addition to operating hotels and property management services. The Group actively seeks to make a positive contribution to society through its adherence to the “Triple Bottom Line”, a commitment that its activities will benefit People, bring Prosperity to the community and preserve the Planet.

Chinachem Group makes HK$3.8 million matching donation for spinal cord injury relief following paraplegic’s epic climb of Nina Tower

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 18 March 2021 – New hope will soon be given to Hong Kong people with spinal cord injuries or associated mobility problems after Urban Climb 300M+, a charity climb of Nina Tower in January, organised by Ignite Community Services and fully supported by Chinachem Group (the Group), raised more than HK$7.7 million in total for the “Get up and Walk” programme run by the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). The total proceeds include over HK$3.8 million donations from the public and corporate donors, and a dollar-for-dollar matching donation pledged by the tower’s owner, Chinachem Group. The remarkable feat at the 320-metre-tall Tsuen Wan skyscraper was performed by paraplegic climber Lai Chi-wai who became the first wheelchair climber ascended a skyscraper.

Chinachem Group Executive Director and CEO Donald Choi (3rd right); HKU’s Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Institutional Advancement) Professor Norman C Tien (4th left); Associate Vice-President (Development & Alumni Affairs) Bernadette Tsui (3rd left); Chair Professor and Head, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Jessie Ho Endowed Professorship in Spine Surgery Professor Kenneth MC Cheung (2nd left); and Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor Dr Paul Aarne Koljonen (1st left), take group photo with Co-founders of Ignite Community Services Lai Chi-wai (2nd right) and Stella Chiu (1st right).

A cheque for the Group’s matching donations of HK$3.8 million was presented to HKU today by Group CEO and Executive Director Donald Choi, during a special ceremony to say thank-you to business partners who made a donation and the many different parties involved in providing support for the climb, including Fire Services Department, consultant, staff members at Nina Tower, volunteers and, particularly, Lai Chi-wai, co-founder of Ignite Community Services and the climber. The funds raised will be used to support Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology’s pioneering work in developing exoskeletons that can help paraplegics regain mobility, as well as other clinical services and research work to support the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries.

“Chinachem Group is strongly committed to community care and in particular, addressing the needs of minority groups and promoting inclusiveness,” Mr Choi told the guests. “Lai Chi-wai’s achievement of climbing Nina Tower in a wheelchair was truly an inspirational feat, which we believe will encourage all Hong Kong people to maintain their spirit of persistence and never lose faith amid the challenging times. We hope this donation can help more spinal injury sufferers obtain this kind of life-changing assistance.”

The Group’s donation was accepted by HKU’s Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Institutional Advancement) Professor Norman C Tien, who said “The University is so grateful to Ignite Community Services, and the challenge curator and climber, Mr Lai Chi Wai for partnering with us on this fundraising initiative. We would like to thank the Chinachem Group and members of the public for their support of the ‘Get Up and Walk’ Campaign. The HKU Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology will have the resources to help patients deal with the aftermath of spinal cord injuries and make steps towards changing their future.”

Chair Professor and Head, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Jessie Ho Endowed Professorship in Spine Surgery Professor Kenneth MC Cheung gave a presentation about the project at the ceremony, where Lai gave the most vivid demonstration possible of what the donations can achieve by leaving his wheelchair and walking again on his own feet with the help of an exoskeleton.

The charity challenge on 16 January, Urban Climb 300M+, was initiated by Ignite Community Services, a non-profit-making organisation, as organiser and fund raiser, with Chinachem Group as lead partner. Lai’s remarkable ten-hour climb of the tower, with his steadfast determination and using only the strength of his arms and upper body to haul himself up the ropes in his wheelchair, was made all the more challenging by strong winds and falling temperatures as the day wore on. Having achieved a height of more than 250m, he encouraged supporters and Hong Kong people to “Live your dream. Never settle”.

Appendix 1:

Donors (Chinachem Group’s business partners) of “Get up and Walk” programme

1. Centaline

2. Hien Lee Engineering Co Ltd.

3. Chevalier Group

4. CR Construction Co., Ltd.

5. DCB Company Ltd.

6. Goldman Sachs

7. Huns Engineering Co. Ltd.

8. Midland Holdings Ltd.

9. Pretterior Works & Consultants Co., Ltd.

10. Sheen King Curtain Wall Eng. Ltd.

11. Sunley Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd.

12. Willis Hong Kong Ltd

13. Ying Wah Construction Group Limited

14. Arnlee Engineering Ltd.

15. Artwell Printing Factory (HK) Ltd.

16. Century 21 Group Limited

17. Colliers International

18. Cushman & Wakefield (HK) Limited

19. Deacons

20. Eight Partnership

21. ENM Holdings Ltd.

22. Gammon Construction Limited

23. Green and Cycle Lighting Ltd.

24. GYU Limited

25. Howden Insurance Brokers (HK) Limited

26. Knight Frank

27. Miele (Hong Kong) Limited

28. Ogilvy

29. Paul Y. Engineering Group

30. Savills (Hong Kong) Limited

31. Sino Group

32. Sonik Interiors Ltd.

33. Sundart Timber Products Co. Ltd.

34. Toplis and Harding (Hong Kong) Ltd.

35. UBS AG

36. Uni-China Management Limited

37. Winnie Leung & Co.

38. Yue Yi Laundry (Hong Kong) Limited

Chinachem Group

Since 1960, Chinachem Group has been a leading property developer in Hong Kong, with a portfolio covering residential, commercial, retail and industrial buildings for sales and investment, in addition to operating hotels and property management services. The Group actively seeks to make a positive contribution to society through its adherence to the “Triple Bottom Line”, a commitment that its activities will benefit People, bring Prosperity to the community and preserve the Planet.

Bybit Adds ADA, DOT and UNI to Its USDT Margined Offerings

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 18 March 2021 – Cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Bybit has announced today the arrival of three new USDT trading pairs with Cardano’s ADA, Polkadot’s DOT and Uniswap’s UNI.

The introduction of these new trading pairs is the second expansion of Bybit’s markets in as many weeks, following the arrival of BTCUSD0625 futures contract on March 11. ADA/USDT, DOT/USDT and UNI/USDT join the existing linear perpetual trading pairs of BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, LINK/USDT, LTC/USDT, XTZ/USDT and BCH/USDT, as well as Bybit’s inverse perpetual and futures markets.

Traders will be able to select between 1-25x leverage on these new contracts. USDT-margined linear contracts allow traders to use the stablecoin Tether (USDT) as collateral, so they can profit from the volatility while limiting their exposure to falling prices.

“We are delighted to be able to bring these highly demanded coins to our trading platform and offer our customers even more choices,” said Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit. “Bybit is well known for our outstanding liquidity. We have done extensive research and preparation to make sure that the markets of these new trading pairs will be no exception.”

About Bybit

Bybit is a derivatives cryptocurrency trading platform established in March 2018. The company provides online trading services to international individual retail clients as well as professional traders.

For more information please visit: https://www.bybit.com/

For updates, follow Bybit’s social platforms on Twitter and Telegram.

Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City aims at becoming nucleus of Ho Chi Minh City’s innovative eastern urban area

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – Media OutReach – 18 March 2021 – The HCM City People’s Committee has recognised the Việt Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM) as a hub of science, technology, culture, and knowledge in the city’s innovative eastern area.

The area has contributed to the establishment of a value-added chain for a high-technology platform and international standard technical infrastructure.

City leaders are expecting the eastern innovative urban area to help connect science-technology research and application centres, high-quality human resource training institutions, hi-tech products, services trading and production centres.

The area will become a hub that spearheads economic development in the city and southern region in the context of industry 4.0.

Innovative center

Spread over 643 ha, VNUHCM has been developed as a centre to train undergraduates and postgraduates and carry on high-quality research in many fields to serve the country’s socio-economic development needs.

It is the largest higher education establishment in the country with 36 institutions for training, researching and transferring technologies, including seven member universities: the University of Technology, University of Science, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, International University, University of Information Technology, University of Economics and Law, and An Giang University, and the Institute for Environment and Resources.

In addition, in the 2016 – 2020 period, VNUHCM has trained more than 60,000 engineers, doctors, graduates, postgraduates, and PhDs who are certain to contribute to the development of the city and southern region.

As of now it has had 66 internationally accredited training programmes and was ranked in the top 701-750 in the 2020 QS World University Rankings. In this period, it presented more than 20,000 scientific research papers at conferences and published them in local and international journals. VNUHCM signed more than 3,000 contracts with provinces and enterprises for technology transfer worth nearly VNĐ 250 billion (US$10.8 million) a year in the 2016-2020 period.

A household aquaponic model that integrates vegetable and fish farming has, for instance, been transferred to Tây Ninh and Đồng Tháp provinces.

Furthermore, cartilatist stem medicine has been developed by the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Science to treat osteoarthritis and degenerative spinal conditions. Subsequently, it has been transferred to the Vạn Hạnh General Hospital Co. Ltd. An automatic system to monitor and warn about saltwater intrusion has been transferred to the provinces of An Giang and Vĩnh Long.

During COVID-19 outbreaks last year, VNUHCM researchers developed a number of products used for the prevention and control of epidemics.

The number of papers VNUHCM published in international journals doubled in the 2016-2020 period from the previous five years.

As of October 2020, it had filed 527 applications for patents and 566 technology transfer contracts and scientific services that fetched revenues of VNĐ104.2 billion (US$4,5 million).

In The World University Rankings 2021 of 1,527 universities, VNUHCM was in 658th spot in the category of income from technology transfer and 838th in international potential.

One of VNUHCM’s strategies is to continue focusing on scientific and technological development and innovation to help implement national and southern region development strategies and to raise its international profile.

In 2020-2030 period, it plans to offer international-standard training programmes in ICT, AI and urban management. AI applications for use in traffic regulation, healthcare, finance, and commerce will be developed during this period.

VNUHCM is one of the higher education establishments in the country offering students training programs in two majors simultaneously. It has tied up with a number of member universities of the ASEAN University Network-the ASEAN Credit Transfer System for exchange students and also has agreements with universities in the US, the UK, France, Australia, and other countries.

In the last 25 years VNUHCM has adopted modern methodologies and integrated technologies for training.

In November in last year VNUHCM signed an agreement with the Saigon Hi-Tech Park for technology transfer to enterprises in the park for commercialisation.

They will join hands for an action plan to establish the innovative eastern urban area, a high-quality human resource training programme at hi-tech industries and an innovative start-up ecosystem.

VNUHCM’s Innovative Entrepreneurship Center has carried out many programmes to assist start-ups and links these start-ups with investors and service providers.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vũ Hải Quân, VNUHCM’s chancellor, said skilled human resources, technology transfer, advanced IT, and policies for development are key pillars for setting up the innovative eastern urban area. The project is implemented in Thủ Đức City and spreads over nearly 21,000 hectares.

Moreover, the innovative eastern area has invested in traffic systems including the metro line 1, Belt Road No.3 and the HCM City-Long Thành-Dầu Giây expressway, which helps connect with neighbouring provinces.

In January, the city People’s Committee approved the master plan to develop the innovative eastern urban area in the 2020-2035 period and it will be carried out in three specific stages.

According to VNUHCM, while carrying out the work, city authorities and relevant agencies should pay close attention to developing traffic infrastructure in the innovative eastern urban area especially VNUHCM and Saigon Hi-Tech Park to create the most favourable conditions for interaction and development.

VNUHCM aims to become the nucleus of the area by 2030.

With Spot Wave, NetApp Helps Organisations Drive Down Infrastructure Cost and Complexity for Big Data Applications on Kubernetes

Spot Wave allows organisations to focus on developing data applications, by providing a serverless infrastructure for running Apache Spark applications on Kubernetes

 

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 18 March 2021 – Global cloud-led, data-centric software company, NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP), today announced the launch of Spot Wave by NetApp, and Spot Ocean’s support of Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service. Together, these products provide customers with leading solutions for simple, scalable, and efficient infrastructure for cloud-native applications.

Wave automates the provisioning, deployment, autoscaling and optimisation for running Apache Spark big data applications on Kubernetes in the cloud and helps to reduce cloud waste and costs by up to 90 percent. Using Wave as a turnkey product, organisations can deploy Spark environments faster and more easily, and focus on putting their data to work knowing that Wave is ensuring their infrastructure is continuously optimised for availability, performance, and cost.

Wave is built on Spot’s AI-based engine, using the same proven technology as Spot Ocean. Wave provides:

  • Cost optimisation: Wave runs Spark jobs on containerised infrastructure using an intelligent mix of spot, on-demand, and reserved instances, affording customers up to 90 percent cost savings on cloud infrastructure.
  • Serverless infrastructure and Spark-aware autoscaling: Built-in autoscaling matches the right type and size of compute instances to Spark jobs based on workload requirements to maximise performance and efficiency.
  • Spark job right-sizing and monitoring: Continuously tune Spark configuration for jobs based on analysis of actual Spark job requirements.

“Organisations are rapidly adopting Kubernetes to deliver cloud-native applications with greater speed and agility, not only for stateless services but also for big data applications,” said Amiram Shachar, vice president and general manager of Spot by NetApp. “The necessity for organisations to balance cloud infrastructure cost, performance and availability for optimal efficiency is complex and time-consuming. Spot Wave and Ocean are solving that problem by providing a serverless experience for Spark and ensuring their infrastructure is continuously optimised.”

NetApp also announced that Ocean, Spot’s serverless container engine and the foundation of Spot Wave, now supports Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), adding to its support for AWS ECS (Elastic Container Service) and EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service), and Google’s GKE (Google Kubernetes Engine).

“Wave builds on the capabilities that we love in Ocean, focusing on the specific needs of big data applications,” said Gal Aviv, chief technology officer at Fyber. “It will be very powerful to be able to plug Spark applications into Wave. The solution also has the amazing value of executing jobs with existing tools and potentially spin up the right infrastructure to power intensive ML applications.”

NetApp and Spot by NetApp have deep histories of involvement and experience in Kubernetes and the Kubernetes community. With ongoing investments in NetApp and Spot by NetApp products for Kubernetes, NetApp provides the leading solutions and capabilities for application-driven infrastructure and data management needed by companies to run critical cloud-native applications.

More information on Spot Wave is available online at https://spot.io/products/wave.

About NetApp

NetApp is a global cloud-led, data-centric software company that empowers organisations to lead with data in the age of accelerated digital transformation. The company provides systems, software, and cloud services that enable them to run their applications optimally from data centre to cloud, whether they are developing in the cloud, moving to the cloud, or creating their own cloudlike experiences on premises. With solutions that perform across diverse environments, NetApp helps organisations build their own data fabric and securely deliver the right data, services, and applications to the right people – anytime, anywhere. Learn more at www.netapp.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.


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