Tag: Local Business

HKIoD Recommends a Director Identification Number System

HONG KONG, Apr 7, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The Government has plans to introduce subsidiary legislation to implement provisions under the Companies Ordinance relating to legitimate and necessary access to personal information contained in the Companies Register. The Hong Kong Institute of Directors supports the new arrangement.

Under the new arrangement, public inspection of the Companies Register will not be precluded. The Companies Ordinance does enable public inspection of data in the Companies Register, but the inspection must comport with the law. The Companies Ordinance as passed into law contains provisions specifying that public inspection of the Companies Register should only be for the purposes set out in section 45(1).

A main purpose of public inspection of the Companies Register is to ascertain the identity of a director of a certain company.

Under the new arrangement, a director may provide a correspondence address to be displayed in the Companies Register, and only a part of the identification numbers will be on display. The data so displayed should in most ordinary circumstances enable the person seeking information to ascertain the identity of a director. For service of documents and legal proceedings, the company's registered address or another service address that the director provides is sufficient.

Under the new arrangement, there will also be a mechanism to enable Specified Persons (e.g., minority shareholders, financial institutions, certain professional bodies, employees who are owed back wages, etc.) to seek court approval to obtain a director's usual residential address and identification number in full. A court may grant such access if deemed appropriate. The Companies Registry may also disclose a director's usual residential address if the CR cannot establish contact with the director using the correspondence address provided. Government departments and law enforcement agencies may also obtain full personal details of a director through the CR for law enforcement.

HKIoD is all for accountability of company directors, but the accountability need not come from open access to a director's residential address or to the director's personal identification number in full. The key is to have ways to ascertain the identity of a director. Under the new arrangement, the public will have adequate channels to obtain information to prevent directors from being held accountable or getting away with wrongdoings.

We may still borrow from other jurisdictions to make it more convenient to ascertain a director's identity without attracting abuse of personal information. We can look to Australia, and consider introducing official, unique Director Identification Numbers to be used by the same director across different entities for the duration of the director's life. Such DIN will improve traceability of a director's involvement across different entities at different times. Such traceability would especially help tackle phoenix activities, making it harder for culpable directors to hide.

But for the upstanding director, a DIN will not be a burden and can indeed signify one's credibility.

About The Hong Kong Institute of Directors
The Hong Kong Institute of Directors ("HKIoD") is Hong Kong's premier body representing directors to foster the long-term success of companies through advocacy and standards-setting in corporate governance and professional development for directors. A non-profit-distributing organisation with membership consisting of directors from listed and non-listed companies, HKIoD is committed to providing directors with educational programmes and information service and establishing an influential voice in representing directors. With international perspectives and a multi-cultural environment, HKIoD conducts business in biliteracy and trilingualism. HKIoD is a member institute of the Global Network of Director Institutes, a worldwide alliance of leading director institutes.
Website: http://www.hkiod.com.

Media Enquiries:
Ms Joanne Yam +852 2889 1414 joanne.yam@hkiod.com
Ms Odessa SO +852 2889 4988 odessa.so@hkiod.com




Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Central Global Berhad Proposes Private Placement of up to 18 Million New Shares

KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 5, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Main Market-listed Central Global Berhad (CGB) has proposed a private placement of up to 18 million new shares representing not more than 20% of the Group's total number of issued shares to qualified third-party investors to be identified at a later date.
Central Global Berhad’s factory in Sungai Petani, Kedah



CGB is a manufacturer of specialised industrial tapes and label stocks that pioneered industrial hi-temp masking tapes manufacturing and is a one-stop solution provider for crepe paper masking. The Group's other business is construction, where it is currently mostly active in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia.

The proposed placement may be implemented in several tranches within six months from the date of approval from Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad ("Bursa Securities"), with there being potentially several price-fixing dates and issue prices of the placement shares to be determined separately and fixed by the Board of Directors of CGB after the approval from Bursa Securities. These new shares[1] will carry the same rights as the existing issued shares.

The proceeds from the private placement will be used for a new masking tape coater production line, funding for an existing construction project, working capital and, estimated expenses related to the private placement exercise.

The Group's Board of Directors have laid out plans to fortify the manufacturing business while at the same time expand the construction business through more contracts.

CGB executive chairman Dato' Faisal Zelman said, "The private placement exercise is in line with our plans for the production of masking tapes in the Group's manufacturing business. We want to focus on keeping critical production volumes up, undertake efforts to drive efficiencies in production that can minimise wastage as well as ensure consistency in product quality, which is key to recurring orders especially for our export orders."

"We are also using the proceeds to fund a project in Pulau Pinang from our construction business. We were awarded this project in January 2020 and work commenced in July 2020. We will continue to undertake construction projects and have tendered for several projects. A portion of the proceeds from the private placement exercise will also be used for working capital purposes as well as accelerating future business expansion."

TA Securities Holdings Berhad has been appointed the advisor and the placement agent for the proposed private placement.

[1] Such new shares will not be entitled to any dividends, rights, allotments and/or any other distributions which may be declared, made or paid to the Company's shareholders unless such new shares were allotted and issued on or before the entitlement date of such rights, allotments and/or other distributions.

For more information, please contact:
Hakim Juraimi
Tel: +60 12-318 5410
Email: h.juraimi@swanconsultancy.biz

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Relaunch of JBL in Malaysia takes Living to the Next Level with Immersive Audio Experience

KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 2, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – For over 70 years, leading audio brand JBL(R) has consistently contributed to the evolution of audio reproduction in professional, home, automotive, multimedia applications, and connected technologies. On Wednesday (March 31), JBL reintroduced a full range of lifestyle audio products through its first-ever media and partners' virtual event in Malaysia.
JBL brings its first-ever Virtual Event in Malaysia with the big unveil of more than 30 new lifestyle audio products in headphones, true wireless earphones, smart speakers, and home audio categories.




JBL, a lifestyle audio brand of Harman International (Harman.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, is known for producing audio equipment with superior sound and an immersive audio experience for consumers and professional markets. Today, JBL loudspeakers are used in more than half of the world's movie theatres, sports stadiums, and music venues, and with well over 100 million portable speakers sold globally, JBL is the portable audio leader as well as the fastest-growing headphone brand on the planet.

Wednesday's virtual event was attended by esteemed local media friends, local partners and VIPs such as Ms Grace Koh, Vice President & General Manager, Lifestyle Audio Division of Asia Pacific at Harman International; Mr Henry Yap, Managing Director of Global Best United (M) Sdn Bhd, the official brand distributor of JBL in Malaysia; and Mr Mitchell Wong, Business Development Manager for Malaysia Market, Lifestyle Audio Division of Asia Pacific at Harman International.

"We are beyond excited for the opportunity to work with JBL and bring award-winning audio to all Malaysians. In a myriad of ways, the wide variety of JBL products will elevate consumers' experience in music listening, movie watching, gaming and gatherings with their loved ones," said Mr Henry Yap, Managing Director of Global Best United (M) Sdn Bhd.

Over 30 new JBL lifestyle audio products from the headphones, Bluetooth speakers, Party Box series, JBL Quantum Gaming series, soundbars and true wireless earphones series were introduced in the virtual event to the excitement of consumers in Malaysia.

"JBL is all about pushing the boundaries for premium audio experience and products that address the needs of our customers. This is what we do best, amplifying music's ability to make people feel good, feel connected, and make life infinitely more entertaining. We have seen the emergence of discerning audiophiles and the growth of the online gaming market in Malaysia, therefore we are very confident that this relaunch is timely for us," added Mr Mitchell Wong, Business Development Manager for JBL Malaysia.

In addition to the product unveil, JBL Malaysia also announced new partnerships with local brands such as Tropicana Corporation Berhad and Babel, and artists such as Mustang Dance Academy under the new #JBLPeople campaign initiative, with the aim of building a JBL community in Malaysia and enabling a wider audience to have the opportunity to experience JBL products through various avenues.

JBL also announced a partnership with ESL for the ESL Mobile Open – League Of Legends: Wild Rift South East Asia ICON Series Malaysia Summer Season 2021. More information on this will be shared and updated on JBL Malaysia's social media platforms.

Availability
JBL products are available at Lazada, Shopee, and all leading retailers, including CG Computer, Machines, PC Image, Fotoflash, Vivid, Viewnet, ALL IT, AI Home, Access Mobile, AV World, Foto Shangri-La, I-Store, Jaben, IT One, Loop, Multics, Sprint Cass, Telstar, TMT, Worldpro, AI Sound, One Living, Seng Electric and Keck Seng.

About JBL
The JBL(R) name is synonymous with the precise, naturally articulated sound found in many of the world's most prestigious locations, including clubs, cinemas and recording studios, and live-music reinforcement in venues ranging from concert halls to outdoor stadiums. For more information, please visit https://www.jbl.com.my.

Media contact:
PICO, for JBL Malaysia
Hakim Juraimi
+60 12 318 5410


Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Bin Zayed targets RM100 billion FDI to Malaysia in the next few years

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 31, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Bin Zayed International LLC (BZI) has targeted RM100 billion worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Malaysia over the next few years, to be delivered in phases, starting with the development of Widad@Langkasuka.

BZI is a leading conglomerate owned by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is a senior member of the Abu Dhabi royal family member as well as a prominent business leader and philanthropist in the Gulf States, with diverse business interests in the local and international markets, and which its business ventures include management of real estate and construction of residential and commercial buildings and towers.

In a formal letter to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, BZI expressed its strong interest to invest in Malaysia via an exclusive collaboration with Widad Business Group.

"After some productive meetings and further discussions, WBG and BZI are most proud and pleased to jointly inform the Prime Minister that we have agreed to form a joint venture entity in Malaysia for the specific purpose of the development project in Langkawi, Kedah, Widad@Langkasuka. We are confident that this project will become one of the iconic projects in Malaysia which will bring Langkawi global recognition and a truly iconic place that Malaysia would be proud of," said BZI Group Managing Director Sheikh Midhat Kidwai.

"Now that we have solemnized our business relationship via this joint venture, we would like to express our strong interest in acquiring or investing in more concessions and infrastructure projects. Starting with Widad@Langkasuka, we believe that our involvement in projects here can bring in FDI of more than RM100 billion for the next few years. This strong cash flow influx can assist to provide a significant recovery boost for the Malaysian economy as well as the creation of more than 30,000 jobs," he added.

Issued by: Sense Consultancy on behalf of Bin Zayed International

For further media enquiries please contact:
Jaz Ng
Tel: +6012 202 0096
Email: jaz@leesense.com

Anthony Lee
Tel: +6012 338 3705
Email: anthony@leesense.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

LienVietPostBank to issue JCB Platinum Debit Card in Vietnam

Hanoi & Tokyo, Mar 30, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Lien Viet Post Joint Stock Commercial Bank (LPB) and JCB International Co., Ltd. (JCBI), the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., announced the launch of the LPB JCB Platinum Debit Card today.



The new LPB JCB Platinum Debit Card will focus to serve and meet the demand of LPB's affluent customer group. The holders of LPB JCB Platinum Debit Card can access JCB acceptance network with about 35 million merchants around the world.

LPB JCB Platinum Debit Cardholders can enjoy exclusive benefits such as free access to airport lounges in Vietnam and worldwide, free access to JCB Plaza and JCB Plaza Lounge – the overseas customer service centers, and receive special discounts at more than 100 high-end restaurants and 28 luxury golf courses across Vietnam.

In particular, LPB JCB Platinum Debit cardholders will receive 1% cash back for all retail transactions via POS and ecommerce. Moreover, all card transactions can be easily managed through the LienViet24h digital banking app, which also supports changing PIN or card lock status online.

The launch of LPB JCB Platinum Debit Card will help to diversify the product portfolio and meet various demands of LPB's customers as well as continuously contribute to the development of cashless payment in Vietnam.

About LienVietPostBank

Established in 2018, March, after 11 years of operation, LienVietPostBank has gained remarkable achievements in terms of business performance, network expansion, and brand name prestige in both domestic and international markets, remaining as the leading CSR bank in Vietnam.

LienVietPostBank is the largest commercial bank in terms of network in Vietnam with nearly 400 owned branches/transaction offices in all 63 cities and provinces, more than 1,000 postal transaction offices and the exploitation over 10,000 nationwide post offices.

LienVietPostBank is also among the top 10 commercial banks in Vietnam in terms of total assets and stays in the list of Top 100 Vietnam strong brands for 4 years consecutively.

The Bank has been striving to become a leading retail and universal bank in Vietnam – "A bank for everyone" – by focusing on providing banking products and services for individuals, households and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) especially in the agricultural sector, expanding its activities to rural and remote areas via the post office network.

About JCB

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 35 million merchants around the world. JCB cards are now issued in over 20 countries and territories, with more than 140 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information: www.global.jcb/en/

Contact
JCB
Kumiko Kida, Ayaka Nakajima
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-5778-8353
Email: jcb-pr@jcb.co.jp

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

UREEQA Advisory Board Welcomes Music Industry Leader Kevin Leflar

ONTARIO CA, Mar 30, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – His roster of clients is impressive and includes the likes of James Taylor, Santana, Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits, and the list goes on. Kevin Leflar, co-founder, president and CEO of officialCOMMUNITY – has seen it all. Spending 30+ years straddling both the music and technology worlds, Leflar has become one of the best-known authorities on the impact of digital technology on the music industry.


Leflar's List of Clients



Launching his career as a band manager in his early 20s, sending demo tapes to music labels and ultimately representing a Juno award-winning artist, Leflar spurred a bidding war landing him one of the biggest deals in Canadian history. By his mid-twenties, he had his own label, was offered bands and musicians to manage and could have written his own ticket in the industry.

Leflar's interests and career took a turn into the tech sector pre-Y2K, working on what he describes as "Web 1.0," where software developers were considered somewhat rock stars – in their own right. After igniting his passion for all things Internet technology, contributing to the growth of a company from five to 350+ employees in only four short years, he ventured off on his own – bringing his two interests together with the birth of officialCOMMUNITY. officialCOMMUNITY is an online event-driven brand management agency that uses technology to empower established recording artists to acquire, serve and connect with their fans as lifelong, direct customers and community members.

Considered a rock star by his programmers and a self-described nerd to his rock star clients, Leflar landed on the world stage by working with legends Elton John, Bob Dylan, George Michael, Roger Waters and Sam Smith.

Recognizing that artists' fame can be a double-edged sword, he felt compelled to become involved with organizations dedicated to improving Canadian musicians' profile and rights. He subsequently represented a collection of recording artists before the Canadian Copyright Board and worked with international consulates as a Canadian ambassador of music.

"Leflar's background is certainly unique," commented UREEQA CEO Harsch Khandelwal. "It's not every day that an individual spends his days thinking up events like golfing with Alice Cooper, and then spends his evenings thinking about intellectual property rights and how technological advancements could impact the industry and his clients' livelihood."

It is here that his passion, values and interests align with UREEQAs vision – that by leveraging technology, and blockchain, UREEQA can protect a Creator's Work, Rights and Revenue. "UREEQA understands that this is an international problem and we're assembling a team that we think can make a difference, that can change Creators' lives," Khandelwal added.

"The music industry has its flaws," noted Leflar. "Creators need a way to protect what's theirs and it's clear to me that UREEQA is on the right path. That's why I'm excited to join their team as a member of the UREEQA Advisory Board."

Khandelwal echoed Leflar's excitement about joining the Advisory Board, adding that "It's clear to me that Kevin is there for the music industry, he's dedicated his life to the interplay between music and technology, and most importantly, he cares about the recording artists. Kevin is a perfect fit as the latest member of the UREEQA Advisory Board."

About Kevin Leflar

Kevin Leflar is the co-founder, president and CEO of officialCOMMUNITY. officialCOMMUNITY empowers established recording artists including James Taylor, Santana, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Sarah McLachlan, Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits to acquire, serve and connect their fans as lifelong, direct customers and community members.

officialCOMMUNITY conducts direct sales in each artist's name through their official website using only their brand. Our artist's teams manage the official social media presence and operate as stewards of the artist's brand online.

Mr. Leflar has an extensive background as a technologist and consultant, musician and music industry innovator. https://www.officialcommunity.com

About UREEQA

The UREEQA platform strives to protect creators' work, their rights and their revenue by harnessing the power of blockchain technology.

Established in Canada in 2020, UREEQA will modernize the inefficient and bureaucratic systems currently in place for copyright, patent, industrial design and trademark protection. By building a robust and compelling Package of Proof for source creative work, UREEQA only mints Validated NFTs to represent creative rights. This helps keep buyers safe by giving them confidence that the work they are purchasing was minted by the smart contract approved by the creator of the work and is therefore authentic.

UREEQA provides value and opportunities for its Creators, Validators and Tokenholders via URQA, the token at the heart of the UREEQA ecosystem.

For more information on UREEQA and upcoming announcements please visit our website UREEQA (https://www.ureeqa.com/), join our Telegram channel here (https://t.me/UREEQA), and follow us on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/UREEQA_Inc).

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Australian Beef Companies Become Victims of Australian Government’s Political Crisis

SYDNEY, Mar 27, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – In the past two years, Australian beef exporters have become victims of the trade war due to the acute worsening of trade relations between China and Australia. China stopped importing beef products from five Australian beef companies, four of which produced and exported 35% of the market from Australia to China. In August 2020, prohibited antibiotics were detected in imported beef, leading Chinese Customs to take action against the fifth beef company to be suspended.

The Chinese market has always been an important market for Australian beef products. Statistics show that in 2019, the exports of Australian beef products to China valued AUD2.87 billion (approximately RMB 13.9 billion), accounting for 24% of total export of Australian beef products. In 2019, China's beef products import amount surpassed the United States by 17.04% of the world's total beef imports and became the world's largest beef importing country. In other words, Australian beef exporters will suffer heavy losses if putting the Chinese market aside, which is however seemingly inevitable in current situation.

Before June 2015, Australia had been China's largest beef products exporting country. In recent years, its market share in China has been declining, to be surpassed by Brazil and Argentina. In 2019, China retained its position as the largest importing country of Brazilian beef products. Uruguay in the meantime is also expanding its market share and has now surpassed Australia to become the fourth largest beef exporting country. Australian media reported the share of Australian beef products imported by China had slumped to 15.8% during the first 6 months of 2020.

According to the AMIC, the decline of beef products exports to China in 2020 was underestimated by Australia at the beginning; instead, Australia once expected to rely on other countries including Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and India to reduce its dependency on the Chinese market. However, according to a scholar of the University of Technology Sydney, these countries are not all among Australia's top ten trading partners, many of which have not even concluded a free trade agreement, and there is no other option to be selected to have the trade value closer to that of with China. The fact makes Australian beef exporters worried very much as Australian beef is likely to be ruled out from the Chinese market permanently and completely.

It is not difficult to see that the timing between Australia's beef exports to China encountering a series of problems and the Australian government's launching a new coronavirus traceability investigation against China directly coincide with each other. The Australian government's inappropriate remarks on China and the COVID-19 global public health crisis lend reason to the tensions between China and Australia, while the Australian beef exporters have become the latest casualties in this ongoing political crisis.

Author: Scott Albert
Email: tigercbj@163.com
Scott Albert has been working as an editor of Expert feature news. His work covers economic, social, political and legal affairs. He has been recognized for his professionalism and awarded several times. More recently as an independent or working together with researchers he has delivered a number of public and internal reference reports, known as a representative and senior specialist in internet communications.

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

A Challenge for Australia: Can the deep-rooted racial discrimination be eradicated?

SYDNEY, Mar 26, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – On November 19, 2020, the Australian Department of Defense issued a report that officially recognized the killing of 39 civilians by Australian elite forces in Afghanistan. The 300-page report caused an uproar in the international arena. Killing civilians was named "blooding" by Australian military by word, but under the disguise of such words, killing innocent people has become a soldier's "coming-of-age ceremony" or a "sacrifice" to a certain ritual. However, the "macho" culture under the catalytic action of war is constantly moving towards the extinction of humanity. Such atrocity and brutality against the unarmed and weak also reflect the vulnerability and ignorance of the Australian special forces in the pursuit of their "boyhood".

Regardless the "blooding" or "warrior culture", it is a process of sugaring up the killing culture, of which the logic behind needs to be uncovered from the Australian culture and history. Australia has always advertised itself as a multicultural country, but undeniably its society operates with its inherent "biological chain". Those who stand at the top of the biological chain are naturally the British immigrants with Anglo-Saxon culture, while lying at the bottom are the Middle Eastern ethnicity labeled "Muslims" and "terrorists." Racial discrimination has always been an unavoidable social phenomenon in Australia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, repeat undisguised discrimination against ethnic Chinese has also put the multiculturalism of Australia to the test. The ultra-right wing has been occupying a place in Australian political landscape since the 1990s. For example, the One Nation Party represented by Pauline Hanson, who as a member of parliament made public speeches against Asian immigrants in the mid-1990s. She established the One Nation Party after being expelled from the Liberal Party. The One Nation is now a representative of populist political parties in Australia. This party believes that multiculturalism will impair the cultural foundation of Australia and now it exaggerates the difficulty of integrating Muslims into mainstream culture. Pauline Hanson once clearly called for banning the burqa throughout Australia (Editor's note: refers to the robes worn by Muslim women), believing that Muslim women should not wear headscarves as well.

Reflecting on racism requires Australia to face up to its own history. In the mid to late 19th century, the "White Australia Policy" came into being. Such policy was to restrict colored races from ports to Australia. The "White Australia Policy" had been implemented in Australia for 100 years and was not abolished until the 1970s, of the 20th century.

Here again, after the Department of Defence's report was made public, the local Australian media focused their attention on the impact that the report might have on the morale of the Australian army, but the pains to the victims of the Afghan civilians were selectively ignored. Especially the feelings of the Afghans living in Australia; it is impossible not to say that this is another replay of Australian racial crisis. Such a solution is regrettable to many parties.

About the author:
Scott Albert, male, has been working as the editor of Expert feature news. His work reports cover economic, social, political and legal affairs. He has been well recognized and awarded many times in terms of professionalism. In recent years, being independently or in cooperation with partners, he has delivered a certain amount of public and internal reference reports, known as a senior specialist in Internet communication.

Author: Scott Albert
Email: tigercbj@163.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

TPBank to issue JCB Card in Vietnam

Hanoi & Tokyo, Mar 25, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank (TPBank) and JCB International Co., Ltd. – the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., announced the launch of TPBank JCB Credit Card today.



The new TPBank JCB Credit Card offers one card grade: Gold card. The holders of TPBank JCB Credit Card can access JCB's global acceptance network with about 35 million merchants in the world.

With TPBank JCB Credit Card, customers can enjoy numerous of attractive features and exclusive benefits, such as special discount at more than 100 high-end restaurants, earning reward points for every card spending transaction (5,000 VND is equivalent to 01 reward point) and five times reward points when spending at supermarkets & shopping centers. Besides, customers will receive additional 10,000 reward points for every 10 million VND spending per month. With reward points, customers can redeem with a wide range of attractive gift items. During the launching period, new card members will get many attractive privileges such as: waived annual fee and issuance fee in the 1st year, complimentary insurance package worth 120 million VND as well as 10,000 reward points for those who have total transaction volume of 3 million VND during the 1st month. In addition, TPBank also offers valuable gifts for card members with highest spending amount in each month.

About TPBank

Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank (TPBank) was founded on May 5th 2008. TPBank inherits technological expertise and financial strength from its strategic shareholders including DOJI Gold & Gems Group, FPT Group, Vietnam National Reinsurance Corporation (Vinare), SBI Ven Holding Pte. Ltd (Singapore), IFC International Finance Company (under World Bank) and PYN Elite Fund.

With mission to offer most effective banking & finance solutions to customers, especially the young and active segment, TPBank has always been pioneering in setting trends in modern banking services. Basing on advanced technological infrastructure and specialized management, TPBank has created many breakthrough products which has helped TPBank become the first bank with a diversified and outstanding digital banking ecosystem in Vietnam.

TPBank has been in the Top 10 most prestigious Vietnam's commercial banks 2020 by Vietnam Report. The Bank has been striving to become a leading retail and universal bank in Vietnam by focusing on providing with the highest added value to customers. This is also the compass for TPBank's sustainable development.

About JCB

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 35 million merchants in the world. JCB Cards are now issued in over 20 countries and territories with more than 140 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/

Contact
JCB Co., Ltd.
Kumiko Kida, Ayaka Nakajima
Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +81-3-5778-8353
E-Mail: jcb-pr@jcb.co.jp

Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank
Yen, Duong Thi Phuong (Ms.)
Card Product Development Department – Retails Banking Division
Tel: +84 2437 683 683 / +84 904 758 991
E-Mail: YenDTP@tpb.com.vn

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Maps.me to Launch Financial Services of the Future to Millions of Users

ZUG, SWITZERLAND, Mar 24, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Maps.me today announced that it will add next-generation financial capabilities to its navigational services, aiming to enrich the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world by providing them with an easier way to pay, transfer, earn passive income and invest. From generating attractive investment returns in a low-interest world to making instantaneous payments across 35 currencies, Maps.me 2.0 will integrate convenient financial services with the world's most popular off- line mapping platform.

"We're excited to be building a holistic travel and financial platform that will be a trusted companion to our highly-engaged community of users as they explore the world and go about their daily lives," said Alex Grebnev, Co-founder of Maps.me. "Maps.me has enhanced people's ability to navigate, wherever they are going. Now, the same platform will offer financial services that are cheap, secure and highly relevant to the needs of Maps.me users."

From maps to money

Maps.me is used to discover and navigate places – from the streets of Barcelona to the African savannah – and bookmark them for future use. The app's open-source technology provides greater agility and choice for users, fueling an ever-increasing network that has enriched Maps.me itself. Over the last nine years, the app has been downloaded 140 million times, with 60 million people using it to navigate 195 countries in 2020.

Pilots, magazine photographers, professional cyclists, aid workers and everyday travellers love using its turn-by-turn routing, travel guides, and detailed mapping – which are all available without using often- costly mobile data. Maps.me is particularly popular with millennials in Europe: roughly 60% of users from are from the region, and more than 70% are between the ages of 18 and 40.

A recent survey conducted by Maps.me indicated that roughly half of its users are interested in accessing financial services via the app. More than 140,000 users have already joined the waiting list for a digital wallet that will allow them to:

– Earn yields of as much as 8% on stored value;
– Make payments via a linked credit card; and
– Transfer money instantly to friends and family globally and in 35 different currencies

The value in Maps.me wallets is invested in AAA-rated assets and held in a Swiss trust structure that is administered by TMF Services, a regulated entity in Switzerland. TMF is the largest corporate service provider in the world, trusted by over 60% of Fortune Global 500 and FTSE 100 companies. Users enjoy this security as well as the convenience of accessing these services via a platform they know and love – all for zero or low fees.*

A new approach to finance

The financial services offered via Maps.me will draw on a new approach to financial services: decentralized finance. DeFi is a user-driven financial system that uses smart contracts to allow people and institutions to transact directly with each other, rather than via a large financial institution.

Unnecessary middlemen are eliminated, cutting costs, increasing speed and certainty.

Since its inception, Maps.me has been open and community-driven, with users contributing to its development using the OpenStreetMap Project. Maps.me users are a substantial part of the OSM contributor group. Maps.me 2.0 builds upon that same spirit and DeFi makes this possible by allowing many to connect with many.

The roll-out of these financial capabilities with Maps.me 2.0 follows the platform's acquisition last November by Daegu Limited, a member of the Parity.com Group.

The integration of financial services with the Maps.me platform is moving ahead quickly. Closed beta testing of the Maps.me wallet will be finalized in the next few weeks. Waitlisted users will start to be offered access to the wallet after the testing process is completed, followed by a broader launch in due course.

More about Maps.me

Maps.me is the world's leading off-line mapping application for travelers. Launched in 2012 it has been downloaded more than 140 million times. More than 60 million users worldwide were active in 2020 planning and navigating their excursions in 195 countries. Maps.me users can download maps for their intended travels and then access their maps without the need for expensive roaming connectivity. An open-source advocate, Maps.me users are a primary contributor to the OpenStreetMapping Project globally. Beginning in 2021, the app will integrate payment, currency exchange and passive income services in 35 currencies to further enable explorers worldwide.

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SOURCE: Maps.me

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