HKTDC Export Index 1Q21: Export confidence continues to grow

HONG KONG, Mar 22, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The HKTDC Export Index rose a further 2.8 points to 39.0 in the first quarter of this year compared with the preceding quarter, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) announced today. "Although the index has risen for four consecutive quarters, it remains in contractionary territory, suggesting a cautiously optimistic export outlook," said HKTDC Director of Research Nicholas Kwan. "The city's export performance will be affected by several uncertainties such as whether there is a revival in consumer and business confidence, and whether the economic stimulus packages implemented in major economies are effective."

Presenting the HKTDC Export Index for the first quarter of 2021 and an analysis on smart-city opportunities in the "new normal" are researchers at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council: (L-R) Economist Melissa Ho, Director of Research Nicholas Kwan, Assistant Principal Economist (Global Research) Louis Chan and Economist Samantha Yim

Meanwhile, resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic (46%) and softening global demand (28.4%) remained local exporters' key concerns, according to the survey.

"As the impact of COVID-19 begins to diminish and business operations gradually return to normal, the Hong Kong economy is expected to regain the momentum for growth," said Mr Kwan.

The survey also found the proportion of exporters who were hard hit by the pandemic dropped significantly, from 56.7% in the previous quarter to 33.1% this quarter. "Reduction in order sizes [53.9%] has been the most common adverse impact but more and more local exporters have experienced challenges brought by the disruptions to logistics and distribution [20.7%, up almost 8 percentage points] such as tight container supply and soaring shipping costs," he added.

Half of exporters go online

To weather COVID-19-related challenges, nearly half of the exporters surveyed planned to develop other product categories (45.7%) or build up online sales channels (45.4%) in 2021. The most popular channels for those going online included proprietary websites/applications/social commerce (77.3%) and third-party e-commerce platforms (64.9%). Some respondents also indicated they used online sourcing platforms (36.1%) or online exhibitions (19.1%).

However, many exporters encountered difficulties when developing online sales, including intense competition in the e-commerce market (56.7%) and ineffective digital market strategies (52.6%), while some were not ready to take small orders (37.6%) or establish long-term relationships with buyers on a virtual basis (32.0%). Other commonly identified issues included potential cybersecurity risks (26.3%) and the need to train e-commerce staff (25.3%).

Mr Kwan said many companies now offer a basket of value-added services as a way to stay competitive in the market. The most common free service offered is product design and development (67.9%), followed by preparing trade documentation (56.6%), logistics arrangement (56.6%), facilitating the attainment of quality-certification or product-testing reports (56.6%), and managing production including outward processing and quality control (52.8%).

All major industries rebound

The HKTDC conducts the Export Index survey every quarter, interviewing 500 local exporters from six major industries including machinery, electronics, jewellery, watches and clocks, toys and clothing, to gauge business confidence in near-term export prospects. The Index indicates an optimistic or pessimistic outlook, with 50 as the dividing line.

HKTDC Economist Samantha Yim said export confidence improved across all major industries. The strongest rebound was in jewellery (42.2) and toys (44.7), which jumped 9.2 and 8.8 points respectively. Among major markets, Hong Kong exporters were relatively more confident in the United States (46.1, up 1.7 points), while Mainland China (48.0) and Japan (47.3) were on par with the last quarter. The outlook for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (45.2) and the European Union (42.9) was less promising, falling 2 and 1.1 points respectively.

"The improving export sentiment is further evident in an upward trend in the subsidiary indexes including the Trade Value Index [46.3, up 9.8 points] and Employment Index [43.2, up 1.7 points], yet the Procurement Index [33.6, down 1 point] remained subdued, suggesting exporters are worrying orders might drop in the near future," Ms Yim said.

The HKTDC's Research Department also conducted a series of company interviews to explore how technologies have promoted smart-city development and helped local enterprises ride out the COVID-19 challenges.

Retail industry evolves

HKTDC Economist Melissa Ho said the pandemic has accelerated the transformation of the retail industry. Technological solutions such as data analytics, the Internet of Things and sensors have played a pivotal role in enabling more effective retail management and providing better shopping experiences for consumers. Self-services/self-checkout kiosks, "try-before-you-buy" experiences powered by augmented reality (AR) technology, and the use of sensors for consumption-pattern analysis have become the "new normal" in the retail industry.

"Technology improves operational efficiency and enhances shopping experiences. It is important for retailers to keep up with the fast-paced change in customer needs and expectations by enhancing their capabilities and competitiveness through digital enablers," she said.

Navigate COVID-19 opportunities

HKTDC Assistant Principal Economist (Global Research) Louis Chan said local companies upgrade and transform in four key areas amid the pandemic: developing new products, expanding sales channels, innovating marketing solutions and optimising work processes. He said medical and healthcare products as well as tech-related (including 5G, artificial intelligence, and AR) products emerged with the rise of "stay-at-home" economy, while the online-to-offline business model continued to grow with cross-border e-commerce becoming a new focus.

"Content marketing on social media as well as more precise and personalised marketing backed by data analysis will become the new normal. Mobile technology-aided game marketing can help companies win support from the new generation of consumers," said Mr Chan. He noted work optimisation can be achieved by applying various technologies, citing the example that automated systems supported by robots can enhance warehouse efficiency and delivery accuracy. Cloud database, remote and machine learning technology can also help optimise logistics efficiency, improve production management and reduce risks, added Mr Chan.

References
– HKTDC Research website: http://research.hktdc.com/
– HKTDC Export Index 1Q21: Improved Exporter Sentiment in Expectation of Economic Recovery in the Year Ahead https://bit.ly/3qYc853
– Smart City Development: New Retail Experiences https://bit.ly/3eDt1j4
– Smart City Facilitators: Robotising the Food and Beverages Sector https://bit.ly/3eDta66
– Navigating COVID-19 series https://bit.ly/3rTd1NJ
– Photo download: https://bit.ly/314qxSP

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn

Media enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Communication and Public Affairs Department:
Beatrice Lam, Tel: +852 2584 4049, Email: beatrice.hy.lam@hktdc.org

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

The UREEQA Collection of Pledged Assets Welcomes Kenny Aronoff

ONTARIO CA, Mar 13, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – If you have ever listened to the radio, there is a good chance you have heard Kenny Aronoff drumming. He has worked with everyone from Paul McCartney to Lady Gaga to The Rolling Stones, and has been cited by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". Now he is choosing to partner with UREEQA.

Kenny Aronoff

From playing with Johnny Cash to Beyonce, Kenny Aronoff is a musician who has demonstrated his ability to stand the test of time. The reason he has been able to do this can be boiled down to one word "passion".

His passion for his work can be felt by anyone who meets him. Since the age of 10, Kenny knew what his purpose was, and this purpose drives him to continuously grow and improve.

Not only was he named #1 Pop/Rock Drummer and #1 Studio Drummer for five consecutive years by Modern Drummer, but his passion for growth and improvement has also led him to become a successful inspirational speaker.

With all of his experience in the music industry just imagine the stories he could tell. Well, now you don't have to imagine it as he recently added author to his list of credentials with the release of his book Sex, Drums, Rock 'n' Roll! So where does one of the world's most influential drummers go to protect both his audio and eBook? Well, Kenny has chosen UREEQA.

The partnership between UREEQA and Kenny grew out of our mutual passion for creative works. Aronoff noted that "My first thoughts were what do myself and UREEQA have in common? Passion, Purpose, Authenticity, Creativity, Perseverance. Not only do I support the platforms' goal, but the team behind the platform holds these same values".

UREEQA's CMO Shannon Powell stated that "we are honored to welcome Mr. Aronoff to the platform. Kenny's participation in our closed beta gives UREEQA access to his expertise in the music industry as well as his experience as an author". She went on to say that "in addition to his experience, his passion for creativity and continuous improvement are perfectly aligned with the purpose behind this closed beta, to improve and bring the best possible product to our users".

UREEQAs platform is designed with a vision to empower Creators. To provide Creators with an easy-to-use option to have their work validated, minted as an NFT, a package of proof on hand to prove their ownership, and access to the tools they need to protect this work if it is ever stolen. The support we have seen from experts in their field, like Aronoff, helps UREEQA ensure the product we deliver will achieve this goal. Stay tuned to find out what other experts in their creative fields have joined Aronoff in their support for UREEQA.

About Kenny Aronoff

Kenny Aronoff is one of the world's most influential and in demand session and live drummers. Rolling Stone Magazine, in fact, cited him as one of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" and Modern Drummer named him #1 Pop/Rock Drummer and #1 Studio Drummer for five consecutive years. The list of artists he's worked with on the road and/or in the studio reads like a who's who of the music industry, and includes:

John Mellencamp, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Sting, The Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Gibbons, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Bob Seger, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Dave Grohl, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Beyonce, Santana, Crosby Stills and Nash, Celine Dion, Lenny Kravitz, and many others.

Kenny has played on over 60 Grammy-nominated or awarded recordings representing over 300 million in sales, with more than 1300 that were RIAA certified Gold, Platinum or Diamond.

Author is the most recent addition to his long line of credits. Sex, Drums, Rock 'n' Roll! The Hardest Hitting Man in Show Business (Backbeat Books, November 15, 2016).

About UREEQA

The UREEQA platform harnesses the power of blockchain technology and the blockchain community to empower creators to protect, manage, and monetize their work. Established in Canada in 2020, UREEQA will modernize the inefficient and bureaucratic systems currently in place for copyright, patent, industrial design and trademark protection. 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

Inaugural Forum on Pesticide Application Drone use in Asia brings together Regional Policymakers and Global Experts

SINGAPORE, Mar 11, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – A first-of-its-kind virtual conference on drone use for pesticide application in Asia concluded this week after three days of dialogue and discussion among stakeholders from across the food supply chain. The event focused on perspectives ranging from those of regional governments, manufacturers as well as commercial adopters, and experts in the field forecasting future innovations.

"Our industry takes seriously its commitment to ensure responsible use of plant science technologies and sustainable agricultural practices. Drones are a new tool that can support and strengthen that effort – and have the potential to play a transformative role in Asian agriculture," said Mr. Gustavo Palerosi-Carnerio, CropLife Asia President.

"As with any innovation, the most critical components are the best practices that reflect responsible use and the policies that underpin them. Through this week's conference, we've heard vital insights from agricultural drone use experts in these areas and what the future may hold. We look forward to continuing these constructive conversations, and working with regulators and other key stakeholders across the food supply chain to help deliver drone use for pesticide application in Asia that is conducted responsibly."

Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly being used by large and small-scale farmers globally. This includes use for mapping, crop surveillance and scouting, pesticide application, and monitoring both irrigation as well as grazing livestock. According to a recent Industry ARC report, "Agricultural Drones Market – Forecast (2021-2026)", the market for agricultural drones is projected to reach more than $5.8 billion by 2026.

In Asia, the use of drones for pesticide application is rapidly growing in popularity due to the advantages it provides, namely: efficiency with use of inputs; enhanced spray precision; reduced water consumption; and less dependence on labor, resulting in lower associated costs.

"As food and agricultural stakeholders, we all have a duty to ensure our region's farmers are enabled and empowered to grow the nutritious crops on which we depend – and help deliver a food supply for Asia that is safe, secure and sustainable," commented Dr. Siang Hee Tan, CropLife Asia Executive Director.

"When used responsibly, drone technology can be a game-changer for Asia's smallholder farmers. However, it's critical that the growth in agricultural drone use in our region is matched by an expansion of sound and science-based regulations to support their responsible use. By bringing together a broad array of government and private sector stakeholders, this week's forum was a substantial step forward on that front."

Asia is home to the smallest-sized farms and the largest number of smallholder farmers in the world. It's estimated that 85% of the world's 525 million smallholder farmers live and work within our continent. These growers face unique challenges in comparison with larger commercial farmers – landholder rights, access to finance, labor shortages, and availability of technology among them. With COVID-19 having an exacerbating effect on many of these and other obstacles Asia's smallholders face, drone use with pesticide application has the potential to benefit these growers by helping drive production and sustainability at the same time.

CropLife Asia's Drone for Pesticide Application Online Forum was conducted 8-10 March and brought together virtually technology experts and sector stakeholders from across Asia and around the globe. The three-day conference was structured to convey and grow: common understanding of drone benefits to sustainability as well as farmers' safety and productivity; strong cross-sector partnership between government and industry; and an open exchange of knowledge and best practices to manage risks and concerns.

A total of seven sessions were conducted during the forum to guide the discussion on a range of topics. From the "government" perspective, this included sessions on: Digital transformation and its impact on government agricultural policies; Regulatory frameworks for pesticide application by drone around Asia Pacific; and Safety Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for pesticide application by drone. Sessions focusing on the "field" perspective included: R&D – Technology enablers for pesticide application by drone; and Commercial adoption of drone for pesticide application in APAC. Lastly, capturing the "future" perspective were sessions on: Emerging technological advancements in drone for pesticide application; and Roundtable – Future collaborations to drive best practices in the region.

For additional details regarding the Forum, including a full roster of moderators and panelists who participated, please consult the Events section of the CropLife Asia website, www.croplifeasia.org.

About CropLife Asia

CropLife Asia is a non-profit society and the regional organization of CropLife International, the voice of the global plant science industry. We advocate a safe, secure food supply, and our vision is food security enabled by innovative agriculture. CropLife Asia supports the work of 15 member associations across the continent and is led by six member companies at the forefront of crop protection, seeds and/or biotechnology research and development. For more information, visit us at www.croplifeasia.org.

For more information please contact:
Duke Hipp
Director, Public Affairs & Strategic Partnerships
CropLife Asia
duke.hipp@croplifeasia.org

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

AppsFlyer Promotes Sanjay Trisal As New General Manager of India, Southeast Asia, and Australia, New Zealand, To Strengthen Regional Collaboration

SINGAPORE, Mar 10, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Today, AppsFlyer, the global attribution and marketing analytics leader, appoints Sanjay Trisal as General Manager of INSEA/ANZ (India, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand). Prior to this promotion, Sanjay was AppsFlyer India's country manager for almost 6 years, and has grown AppsFlyer's presence in India across all verticals and domains. During the shift to Work From Home in early 2020, Sanjay has set up a successful strategy that ensured productivity results soared, and backend processes remained intact for the team in India.

In this newly created role, Sanjay will be responsible for AppsFlyer's regional growth over multiple markets across India, Southeast Asia, and Australia and New Zealand, and improve cross-border collaboration and ensure smoother efficiencies across teams. Based out of India for the time being, Sanjay will also oversee, plan, and coordinate operational strategies in INSEA/ANZ. With AppsFlyer having expanded into Australia and New Zealand in November 2020, Sanjay will also play a critical role in strengthening AppsFlyer's commitment to the ANZ region.

Sanjay Trisal, General Manager, AppsFlyer INSEA/ANZ, says: "Going forward, regional collaboration will continue to be the key to our success, and I am excited to be in a position to work across core markets to drive business objectives and grow to meet the demands of the region alongside a high-performing team. AppsFlyer's solutions help marketers to work smarter and fuel data-driven initiatives in a market that is constantly evolving. I look forward to tapping into the numerous opportunities INSEA/ANZ offers."

The INSEA/ANZ regions have shown great potential in the mobile attribution industry and provides many opportunities for mobile marketers to maximise results. According to an eConomy report, the Southeast Asian internet economy has grown by 33% each year since 2015, showcasing the immense opportunities in the region. Similarly, the Australia and New Zealand industry is becoming a hub for mobile app development in the region with apps like Canva being a global phenomenon.

AppsFlyer's 2020 growth has been exponential, reporting over USD200 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), as well as a late-stage extension of its existing USD210 million series D round. AppsFlyer now has over 1,000 employees, spread across 19 offices globally.

Sanjay brings over 20 plus years of strong sales, new business development, and management experience in the IT, High Tech and Consulting sectors. Before joining AppsFlyer in 2015, Sanjay spent almost 3 years at InMobi, a multinational technology company that specializes in mobile advertising and mobile marketing and was responsible for expanding the LATAM market.

"We are very pleased that Sanjay is taking on a broader role at AppsFlyer. We have been growing exponentially over the last year, opening our latest APAC office in Sydney at the end of 2020, and with Sanjay's remarkable talents aim to bring cohesive collaboration across our core markets. Sanjay's notable accomplishments in India make him a perfect fit for this new role and we have full confidence that he will play a critical role in spearheading a successful collaboration between regions," stated, Ronen Mense, President & Managing Director, AppsFlyer, APAC.

About AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, empowers marketers to grow their business and innovate with a suite of comprehensive measurement and analytics solutions. Built around privacy by design, AppsFlyer takes a customer-centric approach to help 12,000+ brands and 7,000+ technology partners make better business decisions every day. To learn more, visit www.appsflyer.com

Media Contacts
Debbie Beins
PRecious Communications on behalf of AppsFlyer
appsflyer@preciouscomms.com

Press Contact For AppsFlyer in APAC:
Nico Marco
nico.marco@appsflyer.com

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

HouseAfrica Announces Partnership With Domineum

LAGOS, Mar 10, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – HouseAfrica, furthering its dedication to making African real estate transactions seamless and transparent, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Domineum, an enterprise blockchain technology and back-end services provider.

PropVat by HouseAfrica helps individuals and financial institutions verify and validate properties seamlessly, increasing access to credit.

HouseAfrica's PropVat.com, Africa's largest property technology platform, connects real estate stakeholders, property developers, home buyers, financial institutions, valuers and government regulators, to verify and validate property authenticity before purchase or credit application.

"We are particularly excited about our partnership with Domineum, as it helps us toward our goal of unlocking trapped real estate value in Nigeria, estimated at $300-900 billion dollars. We believe in collaboration. PropVat, our cutting-edge solution for unlocking Nigeria's and Africa's huge dead asset pool, is built on blockchain and collaboration," says Uba Nnamdi, Co-Founder and CEO HouseAfrica.

"Domineum is excited to partner with HouseAfrica to deliver its bespoke products and services to the government sector, land departments and other agencies, and the services sector, to real estate and financial businesses. Real estate investment is a real deal and blockchain can be seen as the game changer," says Mohammed Ibrahim Jega, Co-founder, Domineum.

PropVat works in partnership with key stakeholders in the real estate sector, including the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Nigerian Bar Association and Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), building a data-driven ecosystem for fast and easy means of processing interactive and transparent real estate transactions.

About PropVat
Using PropVat.com for verification helps to reduce the risk of fraudulent misrepresentation of ownership and valuation information. The PropVat platform generates a PVN (Property Verification Number) for quick access to a Verification Report, E-deed (powered by blockchain), and detailed property quality analysis. Major Financial Institutions are already using PropVat for their verification needs. Visit https://propvat.com, twitter.com/propvat, linkedin.com/company/propvat/ and facebook.com/propvat.

About HouseAfrica
HouseAfrica is building the largest African property platform using technology to connect real estate stakeholders to verify and validate property authenticity before purchase or credit application, helping to make convenient, secured, fast, transparent, and affordable property transactions. In 2019, HouseAfrica won the Best African Blockchain Startup at the AfricArena Conference Fantom Blockchain Challenge. Visit https://houseafrica.io.

About Domineum
Domineum is a software development company and consultant that aims to disrupt several sectors in the emerging markets, and leap-frog the current infrastructure with distributed ledger (blockchain) technology and Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) solutions for governments and businesses. Domineum provides efficient back-end solutions to verify and authenticate Land and Property Registry, Mortgage, Identity Management, Cargo Tracking and Supply Chain systems. Visit https://www.domineum.io.

Contact: hello@houseafrica.io

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

CropLife Asia 2021 Annual General Meeting convenes virtually with Regional Food Supply Chain & Farmer Resiliency Center Stage

SINGAPORE, Mar 3, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The CropLife Asia 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM) commenced virtually today, bringing together plant science industry leaders from across the continent. This year's edition of the annual gathering includes a unique focus on how the global pandemic has impacted various aspects of the regional food supply chain as well as the official presentation of the newly-elected Board of Directors. The 2021 Board consists of:

– Mr. Gustavo Palerosi Carneiro – President, CropLife Asia (BASF)
– Mr. Alexander Berkovskiy – Vice President, CropLife Asia (Syngenta)
– Mr. Jens Hartmann – Treasurer, CropLife Asia (Bayer)
– Mr. Peter Ford – Secretary, CropLife Asia (Corteva Agriscience)

"It is an honor to lead CropLife Asia at such a consequential time for our region and industry," said Gustavo Palerosi Carneiro, President of CropLife Asia. "The challenges we face in Asia are daunting. While our region remains home to the highest number of hungry and undernourished, farmers are facing increasing pressure from pests, weeds, disease and the impacts of climate change. The far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have only exacerbated the strain on food production and distribution.

"Plant science has an important role to play in making our food supply chain more resilient, but it's only part of the solution. On behalf of CropLife Asia, we look forward to working with food and agriculture stakeholders across the region to meet these growing demands."

In January of this year, the United Nations (UN) released a report titled Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition. Among the findings of the report was new data reflecting a troubling lack of food security among children and the most vulnerable parts of society in Asia. Specifically, nearly two billion people in Asia cannot afford a healthy diet, with two-thirds of children in the region suffering from the physical effects of malnutrition.

Beyond food security, sustainability is a topic of increasing focus for society – particularly the issue of climate change. Activities related to crop production are estimated to generate anywhere from 10-13% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and agriculture is a leading cause of deforestation.

The innovative technologies of plant science continue to enable farmers to produce more safe and nutritious food with fewer impacts to the world around us. Biotech crops have been developed with improved traits such as increased yield, better resistance to pests and/or improved nutrition, among others – and allow for sequestration of carbon in the soil through practices such as no-till farming. These are crucial tools that help farmers address global challenges such as food insecurity and climate change together.

Meanwhile, farmers rely on crop protection products (or pesticides) to grow more food on less land and raise productivity per hectare. Without pesticides, 40% of global rice and maize harvests could be lost every year and losses for fruits and vegetables could be as high as 50-90%. These losses in yield would likely mean additional land would need to be cleared for agriculture, leading to increased carbon emissions.

The CropLife Asia 2021 Annual General Meeting will conclude on Thursday, March 4.

About CropLife Asia

CropLife Asia is a non-profit society and the regional organization of CropLife International, the voice of the global plant science industry. We advocate a safe, secure food supply, and our vision is food security enabled by innovative agriculture. CropLife Asia supports the work of 15 member associations across the continent and is led by six member companies at the forefront of crop protection, seeds and/or biotechnology research and development. For more information, visit us at www.croplifeasia.org.

For more information please contact:
Duke Hipp
Director, Public Affairs & Strategic Partnerships
CropLife Asia
duke.hipp@croplifeasia.org

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

HKTDC welcomes economic recovery measures in 2021/22 Budget

HONG KONG, Feb 24, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) welcomes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) 2021/22 Budget, including the additional funding to the Council, to help revive the economy and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to tackle the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn. The Budget was announced by the HKSAR Financial Secretary Paul Chan earlier today.

HKTDC Chairman Dr Peter K N Lam said: "We welcome the economic recovery measures announced in the Budget, including fee waivers, tax reduction and optimising the 'SME Financing Guarantee Scheme' which would help relief the pressure on cash flow for SMEs. The Government's injection of new capital into the 'Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund)' and expansion of geographical coverage will also help Hong Kong companies tap into more promising markets."

Dr Lam said: "With the world still fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect many international trade fairs and conferences may continue to be held virtually. Even when the pandemic subsides, a physical cum virtual hybrid model will likely be the new norm. It is therefore of utmost importance to help enterprises accelerate their digital transformation. We will build a robust virtual platform supported by the latest technology to offer a seamless online-to-offline experience for buyers and sellers, helping local and global companies capture opportunities with greater ease and precision."

"To help Hong Kong companies ride on the opportunities from Mainland China's 'dual circulation' policy and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, we will ramp up our business promotion and matching activities. At the same time, we will leverage the growing focus on healthcare to develop Hong Kong into the leading international hub for medical and healthcare investment in the region."

"We will redouble our efforts to create new opportunities for our industries, enabling them to diversify business and find new impetus for growth in the post-pandemic new normal," Dr Lam added.

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn

Media enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Communication and Public Affairs Department:
Beatrice Lam, Tel: +852 2584 4049, Email: beatrice.hy.lam@hktdc.org
Susanna Sin, Tel: +852 2584 4294, Email: susanna.kc.sin@hktdc.org

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

AppsFlyer Announces Predictive Analytics Product for SKAdNetwork as Part of SK360, Its Comprehensive SKAdNetwork Suite

SINGAPORE, Feb 15, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, today announced the upcoming launch of PredictSK, a new predictive analytics solution that will be a part of its robust SKAdNetwork suite, SK360. The new product will be available after Apple will start enforcing its AppTrackingTransparency framework in early spring. The SK360 suite will continue to support the ecosystem throughout Apple's upcoming privacy updates.

SKAdNetwork is about to become a major part of campaign measurement and optimization on iOS, following Apple's latest privacy changes. This deterministic attribution framework provides advertisers with some data on their iOS campaigns, and while Apple has been continuously making updates to improve its offering to advertisers and app developers, it also introduces critical limitations.

To equip advertisers with the ability to continue driving positive results and accurately enhance their campaigns, AppsFlyer has added a new suite to its set of iOS 14 solutions – SK360. This comprehensive suite of tools enables brands to configure and optimize their conversion value, validate their data & keep it fraud free, and integrate with their choice of partners, all through a dedicated, centralized analytics dashboard. Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Snap, ironSource and dozens of others have already signed on to ensure that relevant data such as postbacks and conversion value schemas are seamlessly delivered to AppsFlyer and any chosen partners.

"We've been working closely with AppsFlyer to deliver a fully operational plug-and-play SKAdNetwork solution in record time," said Liwei Chen, Staff Product Manager, Twitter. "The solution was designed together to validate all advertisers' needs from SKAdNetwork are met: data trust, granularity, optimization and measurement. This is another exciting step for advertisers, delivering upon our promise of helping drive business success while maximizing end-user privacy."

PredictSK, AppsFlyer's predictive analytics solution for SKAdNetwork will be officially rolled out later this year, in line with Apple's ATT enforcement, as part of the company's SK360 suite. One of SKAdNetwork's limitations is the very short window advertisers are expected to rely on for measuring campaign performance. With only 24 hours of user activity to work with, optimization is nearly impossible. With PredictSK, advertisers will be able to leverage early signals of engagement (first 24-72 hours) to predict long-term campaign performance. PredictSK puts mobile attribution in SKAdNetwork on 'auto-pilot', removing the measurement and timing barriers and allowing advertisers to maintain and strengthen their competitive edge in this new reality.

"Since the very beginning, AppsFlyer has been leading iOS 14 innovation, with full transparency to us about the solutions as they became available," said Dmitry Pinchuk, VP Marketing, SocialPoint. "As a privacy-oriented brand, it was imperative to us that we get on board with the new privacy features for iOS 14. AppsFlyer has helped us understand the new rules, workarounds and successfully drive marketing success."

"Our guiding star has been and always will be the advertisers' needs," said Barak Witowski, Vice President, Core Product, AppsFlyer. "As part of our holistic set of iOS solutions, AppsFlyer's SK360 suite will empower brands to eliminate the uncertainty brought on by limited data availability and limited measurement capabilities, while maintaining end user privacy, by combining multiple solutions for maximum coverage. Moreover, PredictSK will enable measurement across all user events to quickly and accurately predict user LTV, helping advertisers save precious time and money. With SK360, Advertisers can stay in the driver's seat while complying with the strictest privacy requirements."

To learn more about SK360, visit: https://www.appsflyer.com/product/skadnetwork

About AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, empowers marketers to grow their business and innovate with a suite of comprehensive measurement and analytics solutions. Built around privacy by design, AppsFlyer takes a customer-centric approach to help 12,000+ brands and 8,000+ technology partners make better business decisions every day. To learn more, visit www.appsflyer.com.

Media Contacts
Debbie Beins
PRecious Communications on behalf of AppsFlyer
appsflyer@preciouscomms.com

Press Contact For AppsFlyer in APAC:
Nico Marco
nico.marco@appsflyer.com

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

Longhua District Carries out Future City Scenes Experiment

SHENZHEN, CHINA, Feb 13, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – On the morning of February 4, a press conference themed 'Foreseeing the Future in Longhua, Shenzhen' was held in Shenzhen Citizen Center. Longhua District will launch an all-round future city scenes experiment, make every effort to build a future city development experimental field and ideal society showcase window, and take the lead in exploring the system and path to adapt to the future development of high-density urban areas.

This year is the opening year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. With the new starting point, Longhua District is launching the all-round future city scene experiment, another important innovation building Shenzhen into a socialism pilot demonstration area and global benchmark city.

Longhua District will promote the application and integration of future city scenes in a comprehensive and systematic manner based on the following five strategic positionings: Firstly, it will focus on the positioning of a leading area with high-quality development and build a new scene of digital economic empowerment; Secondly, it will focus on the positioning of a law-based demonstration city and building a scene of advanced grassroots rule of law; Thirdly, it will focus on the positioning of an urban civilization model and build a new scene of digital culture and innovation; Fourthly, it will focus on the positioning of a benchmark for people's livelihood and happiness and build a new scene of intelligent public service; Fifthly, it will focus on the positioning of a pioneer for sustainable development and build a new scene of integration of "ecology, production and living". Li Junqi, chairman of Foxconn Industrial Internet Co., Ltd, a listed company located in Longhua District, said, "Longhua is our birthplace, and we will continue to lead innovation in Longhua."

Longhua District has announced the global launch of its eight themed clusters of application scenes for the experimental scenes of the future city: the overall "smart" governance scene of the North Station International Business District, the public life scene of the Heron Lake Central City, the future industrial innovation scene of the Jiulongshan Digital City, the future ecological scene of the Guanlan River Basin, the future traffic scene of Longhua Avenue, the digital fashion scene in the Dalang Fashion Town, the talent service scene in the Talent District, and the digital culture scene in the Guanlan Culture Town.

Lei Weihua, Chief Executive of Longhua District, indicated that Longhua will carry out the all-round future city scene experiment with stronger confidence and greater determination, and also sincerely invite all entrepreneurs and friends to actively participate in and make contributions to the building of the "twin districts" and the implementation of comprehensive reform pilot in Shenzhen.

Media contact:
Longhua District People's Government
Email: fzhggj@szlhq.gov.cn
From: www.szlhq.gov.cn/ydmh/xxgk/xwzx_138039/gzdt_138040/content/post_8538875.html

SOURCE: Longhua District People's Government

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

ZALL celebrates the opening of its first overseas Chinese bookstore in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Feb 11, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – ZALL Group, Asia's leading B2B e-commerce group, has officially opened its first overseas all-in-one Chinese bookstore on 8 February 2021 that is situated right in the heart of Orchard Road at Wheelock Place. The bookstore comprises of a cafe, art gallery and craft store, as well as event and outdoor spaces. Aspiring to create an all-in-one lifestyle experience, ZALL Bookstore seeks to create the perfect quintessential conducive environment for like-minded individuals who are passionate about Chinese culture, literature and arts to congregate and interact.

"Perfect for enthusiasts who are keen to learn more about Chinese culture, ZALL Bookstore creates a completely immersive experience into the world of books," said Yan Ge, spokesperson of ZALL Bookstore. "ZALL Bookstore aims to represent the richness of the Chinese heritage by offering readers an array of books with varied genres, as well as a collaborative setting for our readers to rediscover themselves whilst reading."

Serving as a gateway into the world of rich Chinese history and culture, ZALL Bookstore caters to diverse cultural interests and offers a comprehensive curated collection of more than 30,000 books on Chinese literature, humanities, history, and philosophy from China and Taiwan – featuring adult and children's books from international bestsellers, Chinese authors and foreign literary works. Beyond books, ZALL Bookstore also embodies the spirit of humanities, creativity, art and lifestyle that seeks to nourish a reader's soul with experiential charm into Chinese culture.

The interior of ZALL Bookstore accentuates the calligraphic elements of black and white, inspired by the essence of the Jiangnan watertown, with a spiral staircase – the key element of the bookstore is the circular arch that extends from the second floor to the first, resembling that of a river bridge in the water towns symbolising the essence of connecting the two streets of the town/city.

Stepping into the bookstore on the first floor, readers will be greeted with calligraphic elements of black and white, inspired by the essence of the Jiangnan watertown, and would be able to browse an extensive range of Children's books as soon as they enter the bookstore.

This floor also includes a public multifunctional reading area that can hold events from new book releases to reading events; and a cafe that provides a cosy space for anyone seeking a quiet space to read, and to relax by enjoying the variety of coffee blends, Chinese Chu tea and Taiwan tea served at the cafe, amidst the hustle and bustle of Orchard road.

Walking up the spiral staircase to the second floor, readers shall be able to appreciate the well-designed circular arch that extends from the second floor to the first, resembling that of a river bridge in the water towns which symbolises the essence of connecting the two streets of the town/city.

The second floor of the bookstore boasts the Adults' section, where lovers of Chinese books can have the most pleasurable book-hunting experience in an exquisite ambience. There would also be a section for cultural creatives and fresh stationery ideas for art and design lovers.

Readers will be pleasantly surprised by the art gallery on the second floor of the bookstore if they wish for a change in scenery as this section will showcase the collection of creative artworks and thought-provoking paintings by Singapore's local talents and international artists.

Readers are invited to come and rediscover the joys of reading whilst immersing themselves into the rich Chinese culture. For more information, please visit ZALL Bookstore at Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Road, https://www.facebook.com/zallbookstore

About ZALL Bookstore

ZALL Bookstore offers a place for cultural exchange, social gathering and homecoming providing a conducive space for everyone. ZALL bookstore is the first upscaled Chinese-themed bookstore in Singapore, featuring an all-in-one lifestyle experience. ZALL bookstore is the ideal location for events such as artistic exchanges that will nourish a reader's soul with experiential charm into Chinese culture. Its cafe will allow a quiet cafe experience of Singapore's coffee culture, providing cosy corners for anyone seeking a quiet space to read. ZALL Bookstore not only feature books, but also embodies the spirit of humanities, creativity, art, and lifestyle, that will cater to the diverse arts and cultural interests in Singapore and aspiring to create the unique arts paradise reshaping Singapore's Chinese cultural landscape.

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