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Tag: asia

  • Temasek and HSBC Launch Platform for Sustainable Infrastructure

    Temasek and HSBC Launch Platform for Sustainable Infrastructure

    The platform will provide debt financing for projects in Asia, with an initial focus on Southeast Asia, as part of efforts to reduce climate change.

    Temasek will be working with HSBC to catalyze financing of marginally bankable sustainable infrastructure projects, so as to address the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change, according to an announcement on Thursday.

    The two sides will initially invest $150 million of equity to fund loans, with a goal to scale up the platform to $1 billion of loans within five years to support the commercial development of the region’s sustainable infrastructure sector.

    Based in Singapore, the platform aims to harness the market’s financial expertise and connectivity to scale up the development of sustainable infrastructure across Southeast Asia in time, the announcement said.

    Neither private nor public sector can close the financing gap alone,» Noel Quinn said. «Collaborations matter in the fight against climate change, and this partnership provides an impactful model for others to follow.

    The platform will target renewable energy and storage, water and waste treatment, and sustainable transport to help meet carbon reduction targets and build resilience to offset the impact of climate change.

    Strategic partners Asian Development Bank will provide technical assistance and project development expertise, while Clifford Capital Holdings will provide its project finance expertise as well as ongoing operational mid and back-office support to the platform.

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  • Google winding down traditional Fiber TV

    Google winding down traditional Fiber TV

    Google is trying to be as cost-efficient as possible, especially when it comes to network infrastructure. Early this week, the Mountain View company revealed plans to completely retire its traditional Fiber TV, upgrading customers to streaming options.

    The announcement doesn’t really come as a surprise for some, as Google has started to upgrade its Fiber TV customers to its new TV experience since June. If you’re eligible for an upgrade, you can now get your Chromecast with Google TV and upgraded home Wi-Fi with Google Wifi through your Google Fiber account in just a few clicks.

    Although Google will gradually retire traditional Fiber TV in all markets, those still using the traditional service will get a 90-day notice before their plan will change. Google claims that it has completely upgraded Fiber TV customers in Nashville, Huntsville, Salt Lake City, and Provo, while Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, and Irvine will finish their transitions by the end of this month.

    Austin and Atlanta will be the next markets to embrace Google’s upgraded Fiber TV at the end of November. Kansas City will follow, but there’s no timeline for this specific market yet.

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  • Samsung Electronics Close To Finalising $17 Billion Texas Chip Plant

    Samsung Electronics Close To Finalising $17 Billion Texas Chip Plant

    Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is close to finalizing the construction of a $17 billion semiconductor factory in Williamson County in the U.S. state of Texas, three people with knowledge of the matter said. Samsung told Reuters that it is continuing due diligence in multiple locations and that it has yet to make a decision. The factory will make advanced logic semiconductor chips and is likely to create about 1,800 jobs, Samsung previously said in filings to state officials.

    One of the people said though no decision has been made, the Austin suburb of Williamson County is the frontrunner due to the subsidies on offer as well as the likelihood of stable sources of electricity and water. A winter storm shut down at Samsung’s existing chip plant in Austin during the first quarter caused the equivalent of 300 billion to 400 billion won ($254 million to $339 million) of damage to wafer production.

    All three people declined to be identified as they were not authorized to speak with the media. Samsung previously said it would start construction on the new 6-million-square-foot (557,418-sq-meter) plant in January, with production up and running by the end of 2024. The plan comes at a time when the global auto industry faces a significant semiconductor shortage.

    “With the United States turning semiconductors into a strategic material, it is becoming a risk to be concentrated only in Asia,” said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Seoul-based Cape Investment Securities. “Samsung wants to be on the ground in the U.S.”

    In the global chip contract manufacturing industry, Samsung is second to TSMC which had 52.9% of market share compared to Samsung’s 17.3% as of end-June, according to analysis provider TrendForce.

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  • Samsung turns Galaxy smartphones into digital car keys

    Samsung turns Galaxy smartphones into digital car keys

    Samsung is making its Galaxy devices even more useful than they are right now with the addition of a new feature that will turn them into digital car keys. Thanks to the revolutionary UWB technology, Samsung Galaxy users will be able to unlock, lock, and start their cars using their smartphones.

    UWB is a short-range, wireless communication protocol that uses radio waves to function, similar to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Unlike these two though, UWB sends radio wave at a much higher frequency, enabling highly accurate spatial awareness and directional capabilities that allow smartphones to correctly understand their surroundings better.

    More importantly, UWB enables passive entry, which means you’ll be able to lock and unlock your car, start the engine, open the trunk and even activate your personalized settings through your smartphone. The digital key can be shared if you’re lending your car to a friend, and you can even set a time limit on how long the shared key will work.

    Initially, Samsung’s digital key will be available in NFC and UWB with the Genesis V60 luxury electric vehicle in South Korea by the end of the year. Also, the smartphone maker announced that the UWB digital key is compatible with Galaxy S21+ and Ultra, Note 20 Ultra and Z Fold 2 and 3.

  • Vietnam private carriers seek zero interest loans

    Vietnam private carriers seek zero interest loans

    The Vietnam Aviation Business Association (VABA) has proposed an interest-free loan package for private airlines, similar to the one accorded national carrier Vietnam Airlines.

    The airlines are bearing high costs while revenue has declined drastically, but they have to maintain equipment and workforce so as to restart when the market recovers, VABA vice president and general secretary Bui Doan Ne, said at a recent meeting to discuss a bailout package for enterprises.

    Ne suggested stronger support from the government, including a preferential loan package with zero percent interest, similar to the one given to Vietnam Airlines.

    This year, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has provided a refinancing loan of VND4 trillion ($173 million) at zero percent interest for one year to support Vietnam Airlines.

    The support for aviation businesses is necessary because this is an industry that has the ability to recover quickly when the economy opens and is also a major contributor to the state budget, Ne said.

    Vietnam Airlines, budget carrier Vietjet Air, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), and the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) contributed over VND22 trillion in taxes and fees to the state budget in 2019.

    He said aviation development will spur tourism in particular and the economy as a whole. Some estimates say aviation growth of 2.5 percent will stimulate 1 percent of GDP growth.

    Nguyen Tuan Anh, head of the central bank’s Credit Department, said that it was planning a VND3 trillion aid package for enterprises.

    Nguyen Quoc Hung, general secretary of the Vietnam Banks Association, noted that not only airlines but a number of other businesses in the hospitality field were also severely affected by the pandemic and need support.

    “We should not support some industries while ignoring others as it would create inequality,” Hung said.

    The aviation industry has been among the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first seven months of this year, Vietnamese carriers served 13.7 million passengers, down 32 percent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office.

  • HSBC Hires Digital Platforms Specialist in Singapore

    HSBC Hires Digital Platforms Specialist in Singapore

    The bank said the newly created role will help one of its key pillars of embedding its solutions into the digital platforms that its clients are adopting.

    HSBC has appointed Aman Narain as head of platforms for global commercial banking, a role in which he will lead its strategy, including the development, commercialization and innovation of propositions, according to an announcement on Wednesday.

    Narain joins the bank from Google, where he was instrumental in the build-out and commercialization of revenue-generating ecosystems, including the launch of Google Pay in Singapore and the design of the GooglePlex account in the U.S.. He previously led digital and marketing transformation for Schroders and held various leadership positions at Standard Chartered.

    Based in Singapore, Narain will report to Stuart Tait, regional head of commercial banking, Asia Pacific.

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  • iPhone 13 module production to pick up in October

    iPhone 13 module production to pick up in October

    The delay in iPhone 13 parts manufacturing in Vietnam is set to improve in mid-October as one key facility could resume production after months of Covid-19 disruption.

    The facility in southern Vietnam, a key iPhone camera module manufacturing facility in the country, has gradually resumed production in recent days, an executive familiar with the situation said.

    The delay in making the new sensor-shift optical image stabilization module is causing buyers of iPhone 13 to face longer delivery times, it said.

    “There’s nothing we can do but to monitor the situation in Vietnam every day and wait for them to ramp up the output,” one of the executives with direct knowledge told the news outlet.

    The module is used on all four new iPhone 13 models. Previously, it was only in the premium iPhone 12 Pro Max.

    Vietnam has suffered severe Covid-19 impacts in the fourth wave, resulting in strict restrictions being imposed on factories and transportation in many localities, especially in HCMC and neighboring Binh Duong Province.

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  • Triumph Extends Partnership With Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride

    Triumph Extends Partnership With Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride

    Triumph Motorcycles will continue as the main partner and supporter of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride for five more years, having supported the charity motorcycle fundraiser since 2014. The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, or DGR, as it’s also known, was initially founded to raise both funds and awareness for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health. The DGR has gone on to become an iconic and stylish global event on the motorcycle charity calendar each year, uniting classic and vintage bike riders the world over on a single-day event every year.

    In 2014, the DGR raised a total of $1.5 million, taking place in 58 countries with around 20,000 riders dressing up to participate in the event. In 2019, the event grew to raise a record-breaking $6 million, with 1,16,000 riders participating across 104 countries. As the DGR’s major sponsor since 2014, Triumph Motorcycles has supported DGR founder Mike Hawwa and his team in helping develop the DGR into the global event that it is today.

    “In 2014 when we first partnered with Triumph Motorcycles, I was incredibly excited. They are the only motorcycle manufacturer that I felt perfectly fit with The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. We’ve done some wonderful things since then; together we have been able to reward some of our top and most dedicated fundraisers with brand new bikes from the modern classic range and built the custom one-of-one 2021 Triumph Thruxton ₹ Today, 8 years later as we announce the 5-year continuation of this partnership, I am even more excited than I was in 2014 because, with the next 5 years, I know that we can do even more together with the goal of raising funds and awareness of men’s health,” said Mike Hawwa, Founder/Director of The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride.

    The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic presented a challenge to organize the group ride event that the DGR is. Despite the difficulties and challenges, the DGR developed a new format that made it possible for riders to show their support and passion safely, with the Ride Solo Together event. The DGR community achieved its most global event ever in 2021, with 171 countries and 2,531 locations riding solo together, all connected together through social media.

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  • Siri loses the ability to help the blind use their iPhones after the release of iOS 15

    Siri loses the ability to help the blind use their iPhones after the release of iOS 15

    The accessibility menu is where you’ll find features that Apple added to iOS to help those with hearing and vision problems use an iPhone. From that menu, you can add hearing aid compatibility, toggle on the Sound Recognition feature that sends an alert when certain sounds like a fire or smoke alarm go off. Other sounds that will trigger a notification include the sound of glass breaking, the sound of a baby crying, and more.

    Other features found in accessibility include Subtitles & Captioning and there is a listing for Siri. However, some of the things that Siri used to do to help those who have poor vision or are blind have been removed following the iOS 15 update. Apple’s digital assistant will no longer send emails. It also won’t respond to the following commands:

    • Do I have any voicemails?
    • Play my voicemail messages
    • Check my call history
    • Check my recent calls
    • Who called me?
    • Send an email
    • Send an email to [person]

    AppleVis, an online forum for iPhone users who are blind or have poor vision, recently posted a comment from a user named Brian Negus who wrote: “I tried on my iPhone SE with iOS 15.0 and the response from Siri was “sorry, I can’t help with that”. Subsequently, I’ve had the same response on a phone running iOS 12. If this is a deliberate feature removal, it’s certainly a loss to some users with sight loss who find it a convenient way to send a brief email.”

    Negus later revealed that he had heard from Apple Support and they told him that “we are aware of this issue and it is currently under review.” This could indicate that Apple will be sending a software update to exterminate the bug. That certainly makes more sense than Apple haphazardly deciding not to allow Siri to help those with vision problems.

    Interestingly enough, while the first thought is that the issue started with the recent iOS 15 updates, the same accessibility features no longer working with Siri in iOS 15 are also not working when using Siri in iOS 14. Siri will play the latest voicemail that a user has received or read a voicemail from a specific person. But again, the digital assistant will no longer read the list of all available voicemails.

    Siri received something of an overhaul in iOS 15, with speech processing is now done on-device instead of via an Apple server. That’s because the Neural Engine will process speech as well as the off-device server does. The digital assistant will handle some requests offline including setting alarms and timers, messaging, launching an app, controlling the playback of audio, and opening the Settings app.

    Siri will now share content on the screen including photos, web pages, content from Apple Music or Apple Podcasts, Maps locations, stories from Apple News, and more. All you have to say is “Send this to Giancarlo.” If the content on the screen can’t be shared, Siri will offer to send a screenshot instead. And while Google Assistant already does this, Siri will now maintain context when you have a follow-up question to make the interaction with the digital helper more of a conversation.

    Is it possible that somehow, in the midst of making these changes to Siri in iOS 15, some of the accessibility features were accidentally disabled? It doesn’t matter what caused this as the most important thing is for Apple to bring back Siri’s lost capabilities so that those less fortunate can still use their iPhone even if their vision is poor.

    Apple already has a backlog of fixes it needs to send out so we could see all of these bundled together in iOS 15.01, or added to the iOS 15.1 update that Apple is currently testing with the release of its second developer beta.

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  • Italian brand Frette opens doors in Singapore

    Italian brand Frette opens doors in Singapore

    Italian home accessories and lifestyle brand, Frette, has expanded its footprint in Singapore with its first boutique in Marina Bay Sands.

    The store also marks the brand’s first mono-brand boutique in the territory. Designed by Milan-based architecture studio Archibrando, the new Frette store features elements used in the brand’s global flagship boutique on Milan’s Via Manzoni and custom furnishings crafted from natural Afara wood, “encapsulating the luxurious ambience and timeless elegance and essence of the brand”.

    Frette Singapore occupies a 65sqm area of the shopping centre, offering crafted linens and decorative home accessories, ranging from embroidery bedding, bath towels, to men’s and women’s loungewear. The Marina Bay Sands boutique also offers custom embroidery and personalisation, bedroom styling as well as installation.

    The 160-year-old brand is known for its “chic, original designs and inimitable finish and feel”. Frette operates nine retail locations in the US and 25 in Asia. The brand has flagship stores in China, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Cambodia.

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  • KaiKai app uses gamified experience to lure Hong Kong shoppers

    KaiKai app uses gamified experience to lure Hong Kong shoppers

    An app that blends the convenience of shopping by phone with in-store experience has been launched in Hong Kong.

    KaiKai has teamed with retailers to offer discounts on popular products of up to 50 percent, including Apple AirPods Pro, Dyson Supersonic hairdryers, and the Nintendo Switch gaming system. It bridges the online and offline worlds by allowing users to reserve the products within the app then pay for and collect them in-store, boosting footfalls for participating retailers.

    A KaiKai spokesperson says the app plans to add offers on services such as spas and beauty, dining and staycations, as well as luxury fashion retail in the near future. It has signed up popular influencers Sabrina Ng from Pomato YouTube Channel, Ah Gi from Arm Channel TV, and Hailey Chan from ViuTV to promote the app’s Hong Kong expansion.

    Within a week of being added to app stores in Hong Kong this month, KaiKai was ranked number one in the shopping category and third overall for downloads.

    The app works on the basis of an annual membership fee for users of HKD450 (US$58) which is being waived for the first year for the first 100,000 consumers who sign up. New deals are dropped at 12 noon and 8pm daily with users having 100 seconds to decide if they want to buy what they see before it becomes unavailable to them.

    A spokesman for the developer aid the app provides “a unique gamified shopping experience like no other”.

    “The thrill of managing to score something in the app continues in-store. KaiKai users enjoy the unique online-to-offline shopping experience: Reserve online, collect in-store later. After reserving the product with the KaiKai app, users have to redeem and pay in-store within seven days,” the spokesperson said.

    According to the South China Morning Post, the app was developed by mainland Chinese tech company Cosmose AI, known for tracking shopper locations for online advertising, but the company says KaiKai does not share user location data with Cosmose. It has already been launched in Singapore.

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  • Indian coffee platform to launch brick and mortal network

    Indian coffee platform to launch brick and mortal network

    E-commerce coffee platform, Something’s Brewing, is planning to roll out brick-and-mortar stores across India with its first offline store set to open next month.

    Something’s Brewing’s first physical store will open its doors to the public in Bengaluru on October 1. The launch is part of a plan to move offline, expanding its physical presence in the country. The company has initially raised about US$677,000 for the expansion plan.

    According to CEO of Something’s Brewing, Abhinav Mathur, next year will see the opening of 30 brick-and-mortar stores across the country through franchising and self-operated models. Estimated to cost around US$33,800 to set up, Something’s Brewing store will be designed as a space where coffee lovers can brew different kinds of roasted and blended coffee before purchasing.

    Euromonitor International estimated the value of India’s coffee and retail chains market at Rs 2,579 crore, or approximately US$350 million, in 2018. The market is led by Cafe Coffee Day and Tata Starbucks.

    Founded in 2019, online platform Something’s Brewing offers coffee equipment and products from more than 40 brands, including Baratza, CoffeeSock, Ratio and Bellman.

  • Starbucks launches Asia’s first Greener Store

    Starbucks launches Asia’s first Greener Store

    Starbucks has expanded its Green Store initiative into Asia with the first store opening in Shanghai, focusing on reducing waste and repurposing foods.

    Greener Store Shanghai is the Chinese mainland’s first Starbucks store to use recycled and lower-impact building materials such as wood reclaimed from the renovation of other Starbucks stores.

    The store features a bar made of modules which allows the store to adjust the layout by adding, removing or replacing them for different functions, such as ordering, beverage production and food display. At the ‘end of life’, modules that meet reuse standards can be refurbished and used again, hence reducing waste.

    Meanwhile, its signature green aprons are made from recycled Starbuck PET cups using advanced plastic-to-textile technologies. According to the company, each apron achieves approximately 1kg of carbon reduction in its lifecycle.

    Greener Store Shanghai will also host ‘Sustainable Coffee Classrooms’ with coffee masters selected from across the market, covering different sustainability practices adopted by Starbucks throughout the entire coffee supply chain.

    The store is the first in the country to recycle its coffee grounds for use as fertiliser. After composting, they can be used in suburban farms and shopping mall gardens. Customers can also take coffee grounds back home for free.

    In addition, Greener Store Shanghai marks the world’s first Starbucks store to host sustainability-themed exhibitions, where artists will be invited to give coffee grounds and other materials a new lease of life. Called the “Circular Lifestyle Lab,” the exhibition features sustainability-themed art installations made from recycled materials.

    The store provides coffee grounds straws and cutlery made of biodegradable materials while encouraging customers to bring their own reusable cups or tumblers. Half of the menu is plant-based food, including 15 new food items and two limited-time offer beverages. Oatmilk will be used as the default option for most beverages.

    First introduced in 2018 in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, Greener Store Framework has more than 2300 stores across the US and Canada. Starbucks aims to build and retrofit 10,000 Greener Stores globally by 2025.

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  • Giordano opens store in Ghana

    Giordano opens store in Ghana

    Hong Kong-headquartered apparel brand Giordano has launched its first store in Ghana, adding to its African footprint, which already includes Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, and Zambia.

    Partnering with local retail chain Melcom Plus, Giordano is planning to open more stores in the country this year at Achimota, Frafrah, Tema, and Weija – all inside in Melcom Department Stores.

    The first store includes wardrobe essentials and aims to “redefine simplicity” with maximised space for product displays.

    Mark Loynd, executive director and head of overseas market development in Giordano, said that the company is pleased to work with Melcom Plus, having a network of more than 50 wholesale and retail outlets.

    “We pride ourselves on being a ‘world brand’, and our overseas expansion initiative, which commenced several years ago, is now bearing fruit,” he added.

    Ramesh Sadhwani, joint group MD at Melcom, said there is a surge in demand for international fashion labels in Ghana, and they are looking forward to building a new retail landscape in West Africa by bringing in brands like Giordano.

    “With Giordano having over 2200 stores around the world, we are excited to carry the brand.” he said.

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  • Taiwan’s CTBC Bank Taps Avaloq for Private Banking Platform

    Taiwan’s CTBC Bank Taps Avaloq for Private Banking Platform

    CTBC Bank will implement Avaloq’s core banking solution internationally, starting from its business units in Hong Kong and Singapore.

    CTBC is consolidating and upgrade its international business on the Avaloq Core platform, in a bid to improve day-to-day operations, and enhance and deliver quality private banking services, according to an announcement on Tuesday.

    Avaloq Core will also provide the potential for the bank to consolidate its wealth management business, retail banking and other offerings within a single secure space, boosting the bank’s operational efficiency across the region, the announcement said. Avaloq has been building momentum in Asia-Pacific since the Swiss firm’s acquisition by Japanese corporation NEC in December 2020. The fintech previously announced a deal with Hong Kong’s Haitong International to accelerate the digitalization of its private wealth management business.

    CTBC Bank is Taiwan’s largest private bank by consolidated assets under management, and has the most extensive international presence of any Taiwanese bank, with over 116 overseas branches across 14 countries. CTBC Singapore and its private banking service was established in 2009, and is the bank’s regional hub covering Southeast Asia, while its Northeast Asia headquarters is in Hong Kong.

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