Ni Hsin to Expand Energy Coffee Business through Partnership with O&G Cooperative

KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 7, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Ni Hsin Resources Berhad's ("Ni Hsin") food and beverage arm, Blackbixon Sdn Bhd ("BlackBixon"), has signed a brand partnership agreement with Koperasi Tenaga dan Petroliam Berhad ("KTP"), a cooperative for entrepreneurs in the oil and gas ("O&G") industry, to grow the market for the 'BlackBixon' energy coffee drink.

The partnership will see BlackBixon retailing its drinks at various onshore and offshore O&G locations owned by members of KTP. This agreement will not only benefit BlackBixon through having more locations to distribute the energy coffee drink, but also benefits members of the cooperative, who will have another source of income through their participation in the BlackBixon business.

Present at today's signing ceremony were the Guest of Honour, Encik Yazid Jaafar, President/Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation; Encik Sofiyan Yahya, Chairman of KTP and Mr. Khoo Chee Kong, Managing Director of BlackBixon.

Khoo said, "KTP is a cooperative established by professionals from the energy sector in 2019. One of KTP's main mission is to enhance the economic and social well-being of its members through investment and entrepreneurial activities. BlackBixon's business model fits in nicely, promoting small scale business which the members of KTP can participate."

"As BlackBixon's Brand Partner, KTP offers extensive networking and marketplace, primarily among the oil & gas and energy sectors. KTP also has an online business platform called edagang. We are optimistic this growing online business platform will further enhance the visibility of and offer business opportunities for BlackBixon. We view this Brand Partnership Agreement between KTP and BlackBixon as synergistic for both parties. Together, we are POWERING THE ENERGY PEOPLE!" he added.

BlackBixon represents the first venture by Ni Hsin into the F&B industry, with other plans in the pipeline to grow the business regionally given the heightened interest in energy drinks combined with the coffee-drinking culture of today.

Blackbixon recently appointed Red One Network Sdn Bhd, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), to market and retail BlackBixon coffee to its 1.2 million subscribers.

Subsequently, Ni Hsin also filed for a patent for BlackBixon's invention, which includes the composition for boosting energy level, anti-fatigue and boosting mental alertness as well as use of the composition thereof, to protect the Company's rights and to secure competitive advantage for its F&B business in selling products using the invention.

BlackBixon Energy Coffee is a composition providing the benefits of caffeine and ribose in combination when consumed. The drink accentuates the human body's natural process of energy synthesis while at the same time lessening fatigue and boosting the mental alertness of an individual.

Please contact the below for more information:
Hakim Juraimi
Tel: +60 12-318 5410
Email: h.juraimi@swanconsultancy.biz

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

JCB sees online sales in Europe increase by more than 300% from 2016 to 2019, as online spending among cardmembers boom

London & Tokyo, Mar 31, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., has seen impressive growth in virtual spending with European retailers from its Asian cardmember base, with online sales growing by more than 300% across the continent between 2016 and 2019[1].

These figures have been released alongside the launch of JCB's latest whitepaper, "Ecommerce: Business Without Borders", which includes exclusive insights for European retailers on Asian online spending patterns and why building omnichannel is key.

Europe has always been a top travel destination for JCB cardmembers. However, during recent months without travel, many retailers have had to pivot their offering to cater for customers online. Thus, ecommerce spending in the region, already a growing trend among cardmembers, has now accelerated dramatically in response to recent events.

Asian economies are at the forefront of global economic recovery, and JCB data shows that eager high-net-worth Asian shoppers are still willing to spend with European brands. European e-retailers therefore, have a huge opportunity to tap into this market as a route to returning to economic prosperity in the coming months and years.

The following insights were extracted from JCB cardmembers spend in the region over a two-year period.

JCB's report reveals key insights into the evolving behaviours and expectations of Asian consumers during the last three years, with noticeable variation depending on the issuing region:

– Chinese JCB cardmembers increase spend at UK department stores by 170%:
Chinese cardmembers are still spending in Europe, but shifting from travel to retail, with the latter category accounting for 31% of sales in 2020 – a notable increase from 11% in 2017. Sales at British department stores increased by 170% between 2019 and 2020.

– Japanese JCB cardmembers surpass 90% online transactions in Europe:
Among Japanese cardmembers, 91% of sales were made online in 2020 compared to 73% in 2017. Interestingly, Japanese cardmembers spend also increases in the months of July and December, which correlates with when many Japanese companies offer bonuses.

– Spanish and UK retailers popular with JCB South Korean online spend:
Online shopping has increased over the past four years among South Korean cardmembers to 96% of overall transactions in Europe, up from 76% in 2017. Spain accounted for 34% of sales with European e-brands in 2020, while the UK increased its share to 59%, up from 24% in 2019.

– Ecommerce dominates by Taiwan cardmembers at 98% of sales in Europe:
Ecommerce transactions among Taiwanese cardmembers have grown to 98% of overall transactions in European merchants, up from 78% in 2017. Additionally, travel restrictions have meant that 30% of spend against their total online sales went to retail purchases in 2020. This is particularly notable considering sales in 2017 for retail represented just 6% of spend.

– The retail industry continues to grow its share of Thai online spend:
In 2020, 80% of transactions in Europe made by Thai cardmembers were online compared to 54% in 2017. Incredibly, retail sales jumped to 43% of their total EC transactions in 2020, up from 13% in 2019 and just 2% in 2017.

Tsuyoshi Notani, Managing Director, JCB International (Europe) Ltd. comments: "Ecommerce now offers such a huge opportunity with Asian cardmembers that European retailers cannot afford to miss out. At JCB, we believe in a collaborative approach to ecommerce underpinned by a two-fold mission. Firstly, to offer our cardmembers, who have grown by 48% in the past 4 years in number[2], every possible opportunity to complete their shopping journey with their payment network of choice. Secondly to drive and support brand loyalty by pushing customers for our partners with the core goal of enabling economic prosperity and recovery across Europe – and beyond.

JCB is a leading payment brand in Asia and our cardmembers seek out our logo as a beacon of support when shopping on or offline. When Asian consumers begin travelling again, it will be the retailers that provide both a compelling in-store experience alongside a convenient and secure omnichannel experience that will see their sales grow most rapidly with this market."

Download and read the full whitepaper – HERE
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6782214363907424257

[1] JCB Proprietary Data (May 2020)
[2] JCB Proprietary Data (September 2020)

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 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:
Propeller Group
Contact: Mykayla Carr
Email: jcb@propellergroup.com / mykayla.carr@propellergroup.com
Phone: +44 7445 067604

JCB International/Europe
Contact: India Stone
Email: istone@jcbeurope.eu
Phone: +44 020 7087 4754

JCB (Head Office in Japan)
Contact: Kumiko Kida, Ayaka Nakajima
Email: jcb-pr@jcb.co.jp
Phone: +81 3 5778 8353

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.

Media contacts:

Asia:
Adam@CaliberCorporateAdvisers.com
+852 3569 2275

North America:
ScottK@CaliberCorporateAdvisers.com
+1 917 647 1810

* https://www.tmf-group.com/en/about-us/

SOURCE: Maps.me

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

HKTDC International Sourcing Show: O2O strategies vital for businesses during pandemic

HONG KONG, Mar 23, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The ability to harness big data and leverage e-commerce opportunities has become key to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to make breakthroughs under the new normal. To help SMEs adapt to the changing landscape and adopt online-to-offline/offline-to-online (O2O) strategies, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has launched the "Let's Go Phygital: Power Up for the New Normal" seminar series with the support of AsiaWorld-Expo and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The first round of webinars was held as part of the HKTDC International Sourcing Show with sessions including "International Sourcing Outlook", "Survive and Thrive: Leveraging End-to-end E-commerce Solutions" and "Utilising Licensing to Expand Your Business". Speakers used insights derived from big data and e-commerce solutions to identify some of the paths to business success in 2021.

At the Plenary Session of the HKTDC International Sourcing Show, industry leaders shared on the latest market trends at a webinar titled "International Sourcing Outlook". Speakers included (L-R) Benson Ng, Hong Kong Business Consulting Leader at EY; Shinya Hisanaga, Director at AEON Stores (HK); Flavien Serra, Founder at DTL Sourcing; and Fione Tan, Co-founder at 28Mall.com

Plato Wai, General Manager Hong Kong at SHOPLINE, shared his experience helping brands open their online stores at the "Survive and Thrive: Leveraging End-to-end E-commerce Solutions" webinar

Ryan Lee, Co-founder and EVP of SmartStudy, shared his insights and experiences from the perspective of a licensor at the "Utilising Licensing to Expand Your Business" webinar

Three product categories with big prospects

During the webinar titled "International Sourcing Outlook", Benson Ng, Hong Kong Business Consulting Leader at consulting group EY, reviewed World Trade Organisation (WTO) statistics showing that the volume of world merchandise trade shrank 9.2% in 2020. Asia experienced a lesser decline, however, with imports falling 7.1% and exports dipping 3.9%. Following a challenging 2020, Mr Ng expressed a degree of optimism for the year ahead. "The anticipation for 2021 is that we will all start to see the light at the end of the tunnel," he said. The WTO projects that global merchandise trade will grow by 7.2% during the first quarter of 2021 and could "recover a significant portion of what was lost in 2020".

To spur trade, Mr Ng suggested that businesses focus on three major themes for corporate development. First, they need to pay attention to the changing global supply chain, which saw more customers sourcing within the region during the pandemic. Second, they must be willing to adopt digitisation – an area on which EY is placing considerable emphasis, "not just for content, but also for electronic transactions and insights for automation". Third, they should focus on sustainable products, plant-based nutrition and electric vehicles. In the next 10 to 20 years, these three themes will be highly influential and "enterprises will find tremendous opportunities by focusing on these areas," Mr Ng explained.

Devin Dai, Director of Category Management at Alibaba.com, identified the sales trends of 2021 by deciphering the market data collected by his company. He said that casual is the most popular style for fashion, while for home furnishings the keywords are "transitional, modern luxury, glam and minimalist". In the beauty products arena, home-use beauty equipment is a breakout category while the market for natural and organic products is growing substantially with a loyal customer base. In addition, the printing and packaging market is growing at a blistering pace, in part because beauty products need reliable packaging when they are sold overseas, and also because brands are increasingly looking for environmentally friendly biodegradable packaging materials to enhance their branding power.

Livestreaming and KOC marketing yield remarkable results

Although many SMEs recognise the power of e-commerce, few have the capabilities to follow it through. At the "Survive and Thrive: Leveraging End-to-end E-commerce Solutions" webinar, Plato Wai, General Manager Hong Kong of SHOPLINE, spotlighted three smart commerce trends that his company observed after helping brands open online stores. The first is O2O data synchronisation. Many companies operate both physical and online shops yet keep sales data and customer information separate. To improve administration, SHOPLINE provides an iPad point of sale system that helps merchants synchronise their online and offline data. Secondly, SHOPLINE's Smart Ads system uses artificial intelligence to measure the performance of online ads. When an ad underperforms, the system will reallocate the budget to better-performing ads so that merchants can deploy their advertising budget more effectively.

Mr Wai also suggested that Hong Kong businesses be aware of the potential of social commerce – a form of sales using livestreaming to showcase and sell products that has become particularly popular in Mainland China and some Southeast Asian countries. "Many brands that focus on selling through livestreaming do not even have an online storefront," Mr Wai said, noting that some social media platforms do not include a sales function. In response, SHOPLINE offers a convenient service to partner brands. When a customer types in a keyword while watching livestreaming on Facebook, for example, he or she will receive a link via Messenger. Clicking on the link will lead the customer directly to the store's checkout page with the product already in the shopping cart.

Elijah Whaley, VP of Marketing, APAC, at PARKLU by Launchmetrics, is an expert on key opinion leader (KOL) management and marketing strategies in Mainland China. He said that the customer acquisition cost of online advertising in the mainland is rising continually, which is leading to Chinese brands developing new collaboration models with their KOCs – key opinion consumers. KOCs are new customers who become return customers and then promote the products to family and friends to turn them into loyal customers. The KOC market is expanding rapidly and Whaley cited the example of Wang Liao Ji, which created a marketing campaign that fused celebrities and KOCs and generated 362 million impressions. "This was much more than any KOL could have achieved and created a community around the product itself," Mr Whaley said.

Prospective licensing agents must "do their homework"

At the "Utilising Licensing to Expand Your Business" webinar, Marilu Corpus, Managing Director for Asia at MDR Brand Management, offered what was essentially an introductory course in brand licensing. She went over the responsibilities of stakeholders and the preparations and considerations that prospective brand licensees need to make. She also reminded those interested in becoming licensing agents to "do their homework", such as finding out whether a brand already has other licensing agents to avoid potential problems. They should also consider cultural differences and whether the products they represent are incompatible with certain religions. Ms Corpus added that licensed products are all competing for shelf space. "Since the stockpiles of 2020 are still unresolved, department stores and physical stores may not be keen to bring in new products. As a result, online sales become a key channel."

Speaking from the perspective of a licensor, Ryan Lee, Co-founder and EVP of SmartStudy, explained how Pinkfong and Baby Shark evolved from a nursery rhyme into a global brand and generated impressive returns for the licensing agents. For example, after WowWee, a toy brand, was granted the license to produce Baby Shark dolls, it created a product that at one point became the world's best-selling toy. And, after releasing Pinkfong Baby Shark ice-cream, Nestle Malaysia attracted more than 15,000 participants to related events and sold 12,000 ice-creams in four days. "The partner companies achieved remarkable results, and the customers were happy. It was fantastic," said Mr Lee.

The International Sourcing Show is the first online-and-offline exhibition organised by the HKTDC. The event runs from 17 March to 29 July under the theme "Your Source of Inspiration" and showcases a spectrum of quality lifestyle products and solutions under four main categories. The show is hosting a total of 17 webinars with more than 60 industry luminaries invited to share their insights and ideas. A number of highlighted webinars were held during the first three days of the online show (17 to 19 March), to allow buyers and exhibitors more time to focus on making business connections on subsequent days up until 31 March. These highlighted webinars are available for viewing now at the International Sourcing Show's Intelligence Hub website.

Websites:
International Sourcing Show: https://isshow.hktdc.com/online/en/
Intelligence Hub: https://isshow.hktdc.com/tc/intelligence-hub
Photo download: https://bit.ly/2Pmqzmd

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 Communications & Public Affairs Department:
Janet Chan, Tel: +852 2584 4369, Email: janet.ch.chan@hktdc.org
Agnes Wat, Tel: +852 2584 4554, Email: agnes.ky.wat@hktdc.org

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

Trintech Continues to Innovate Its Leading Financial Solutions to Meet the Needs of Large Enterprises Across the Globe

Dallas, TX, Mar 19, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Trintech, a leading global provider of integrated Record to Report software solutions for the office of finance, today announced several key product enhancements to help large enterprises reduce the time spent on tasks and drive greater efficiencies in their month-end workflows.

"As our customers continue to focus on agility and sustainability during this time, the enhancements we have made in our solutions deliver greater control, enhanced visibility, increased efficiencies and certainty of accurate financial reporting that our large enterprise customers demand," said Michael Ross, Chief Product Officer at Trintech.

With the latest release of Trintech's Cadency Platform, finance and accounting professionals can elevate their financial automation with highly configurable and transparent workflows, integrated connector enhancements, and extended scalability and automation with new Smart Bots and ERP Bot enhancements. Leading Enterprises will benefit from the following:

– Greater efficiencies gained in the reconciliation process
– Additional automation capabilities to reduce the time to close
– Enhanced integration between Record to Report (R2R) processes to improve the overall experience
– Enhanced Bot functionality that drives deep automation and reduces administration burdens to refocus time and effort on higher value-added activities

In addition, the Cadency user experience provides intuitive, easy-to-use, standardized functionality that drives greater efficiencies throughout the finance and accounting team's daily workflow.

Managing and performing transaction matching and account reconciliations are a cornerstone of the month-end close, and when done inefficiently, can be a very time-consuming and risk prone process. To help finance & accounting teams further reduce the time and risk in this process, Trintech has extended the automation capabilities between Cadency Match and Reconciliation Certify by leveraging leading technologies, such as Risk Intelligent RPA(TM) to reduce the number of accounts needing manual reconciliation, reduce the workload for end users and administrators and allow for a faster and more efficient month-end close.

In addition, Trintech has introduced Cadency Smart Bots so finance & accounting teams can benefit from purpose-built Bot capabilities that allow not only automation of repetitive manual tasks but also complete Record to Report (R2R) activities including the ability to:

– Prepare account reconciliations using files or data from external data repositories or email inboxes and attaching any supporting documents leveraging Cadency Reconciliation Certify
– Post Journals using data or files from external data repositories or email inboxes, along with any necessary back-up documentation leveraging Cadency Journal Entry
– Close tasks corresponding to Journal Entry postings, Account Reconciliations, etc. directly in Cadency Close.

About Trintech

Trintech Inc., a pioneer of Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) software, combines unmatched technical and financial expertise to create innovative, cloud-based software solutions that deliver world-class financial operations and insights. From high volume transaction matching and streamlining daily operational reconciliations, to automating and managing balance sheet reconciliations, intercompany accounting, journal entries, disclosure reporting and bank fee analysis, to governance, risk and compliance – Trintech's portfolio of financial solutions, including Cadency(R) Platform, Adra(R) Suite, and targeted tools, ReconNET(TM), T-Recs(R), and UPCS(R), help manage all aspects of the financial close process. Over 3,500 clients worldwide – including the majority of the Fortune 100 – rely on the company's cloud-based software to continuously improve the efficiency, reliability, and strategic insights of their financial operations.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Trintech has offices located across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Nordics, as well as strategic partners in South Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific. To learn more about Trintech, visit www.trintech.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contact:
Kristina Pereira Tully
Vested
650-464-0080
trintech@fullyvested.com

SOURCE: Trintech, Inc.

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

Trintech Integrates Automated Financial Close Solution to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance

Dallas, TX, Mar 17, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Trintech, a leading global provider of integrated Record to Report software solutions for the Office of Finance, today announced its automated financial close solution is integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance. The integrated solution is now available in Microsoft AppSource to provide greater control and insight for Dynamics 365 Finance customers.

"With Adra's unified and seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365, finance and accounting departments can automate key parts of their financial close process that would otherwise require human intervention," said Darren Heffernan, President, Mid-Market at Trintech. "This integration combines the power of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance with the most comprehensive financial close solution for organizations into one seamless experience that will increase the efficiency and accuracy while simultaneously reduce the cost and risk across your financial close process."

Just a few of the many benefits finance & accounting departments will gain include:
– Visibility across all tasks in the financial close process
– Control and automation of reconciliations
– Shortened close cycle through efficiency gains
– Automated notifications of balance changes throughout the close
– Reduction in write-offs

"Trintech's Adra Suite helps maximize the value of a company's investment in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance by delivering greater insights while mitigating risk, reducing errors and improving your overall financial close process," said George Glantschnig, General Manager, Dynamics 365 Finance, Globalization, Project Operations, Human Resources at Microsoft.

Currently deployed by over 1,800 companies across the globe, the Adra Suite provides cloud-based, financial close and reconciliation solutions for companies looking to quickly increase the efficiency, control and visibility for all key areas of the financial close process including: balance sheet reconciliations (Adra Balancer), transaction matching (Adra Matcher), financial task management and controls (Adra Task Manager), and reporting (Adra Analytics).

For more information on this integration, please click here. https://pr.report/A9VsESj0

About Trintech

Trintech Inc., a pioneer of Financial Corporate Performance Management (FCPM) software, combines unmatched technical and financial expertise to create innovative, cloud-based software solutions that deliver world-class financial operations and insights. From high volume transaction matching and streamlining daily operational reconciliations, to automating and managing balance sheet reconciliations, intercompany accounting, journal entries, disclosure reporting and bank fee analysis, to governance, risk and compliance – Trintech's portfolio of financial solutions, including Cadency(R) Platform, Adra(R) Suite, and targeted tools, ReconNET(TM), T-Recs(R), and UPCS(R), help manage all aspects of the financial close process. Over 3,500 clients worldwide – including the majority of the Fortune 100 – rely on the company's cloud-based software to continuously improve the efficiency, reliability, and strategic insights of their financial operations.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Trintech has offices located across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Nordics, as well as strategic partners in South Africa, Latin America and the Asia Pacific. To learn more about Trintech, visit www.trintech.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contact:
Kristina Pereira Tully
Vested
Tel: +1-650-464-0080
trintech@fullyvested.com

SOURCE: Trintech, Inc.

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

HKTDC International Sourcing Show opens tomorrow

HONG KONG, Mar 16, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – As global sourcing becomes increasingly digitalised in the wake of the pandemic, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is debuting the HKTDC International Sourcing Show, a trade exhibition held in both online and physical formats, to help businesses adjust to the new sourcing model. The online section of the show begins tomorrow (17 March) and will enable buyers and suppliers to engage through a dedicated online exhibition platform that also features business matching and video conferencing tools. Once the pandemic situation eases, businesses can join the physical show at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from 26 to 29 July to explore further opportunities.

In response to the pandemic's impact on trade exhibitions globally, the HKTDC is debuting the HKTDC International Sourcing Show that will be held in both online and physical formats. The online section of the show begins tomorrow (17 March). At an online media briefing held today to introduce the event, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau gave an overview of the show's highlights.

As the pandemic continues to keep people apart, the online International Sourcing Show enables buyers and suppliers to conduct meetings and stay connected through an exclusive online exhibition platform that offers business matching and video conferencing functions. Once the pandemic situation has eased, businesses can join the physical show at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 26 to 29 July to explore further opportunities.

In addition to exhibiting in the usual formats, some exhibitors have opted to use 3D virtual booths to promote their brands and products in more eye-catching ways.

Hybrid sourcing model to become standard under new normal

Over the past year, numerous physical exhibitions around the world have been cancelled or rescheduled due to the pandemic. The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) estimates that the industry contracted by 68% globally in 2020 compared to the previous year, affecting deals worth around US$370 billion. Despite this challenging environment, many Hong Kong businesses reacted quickly, beginning to promote their products through online platforms to gain new customers and orders. The HKTDC reacted to the situation with a flexible and innovative approach, strengthening its online services and migrating physical fairs online. It also launched an upgraded hktdc.com Sourcing platform that has won the support of suppliers and buyers alike.

Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: "Although the global pandemic situation remains volatile, the release of COVID-19 vaccines and the commencement of mass vaccination programmes make us optimistic that trade activities can begin to return to normal. However, we believe that international trade exhibitions will continue to be held online through the first half of 2021. Even when the pandemic eases, we expect a hybrid model of online and offline sourcing to become a dominant trend."

He added: "To help Hong Kong businesses adapt to an increasingly digitalised sourcing model, the HKTDC has set up quality online platforms and support services and has leveraged e-commerce capabilities and new technologies to provide a seamless online-to-offline (O2O) experience for suppliers and buyers. The online-and-offline model of the International Sourcing Show will create synergy between the two exhibition formats. We will also mobilise the HKTDC's network of 50 offices worldwide to help exhibitors and buyers make the best possible preparations."

Four themed categories highlight quality lifestyle products and solutions

The International Sourcing Show is the first online-and-offline exhibition organised by the HKTDC. With the theme "Your Source of Inspiration", the show integrates the seven HKTDC trade fairs* that were originally scheduled to run in spring 2021. From tomorrow (17 March) to 29 July, the show will highlight a broad range of quality lifestyle products and solutions under four main categories:

– Smart Home: Featuring an extensive selection of houseware, home textiles and furnishings, including household and furniture items.
– Smart Play: Showcasing a range of baby products and toys and games, spanning baby care, nursery products and interactive and educational games.
– Smart Style: Highlighting an eclectic mix of fashion products, gifts and premiums as well as printing and packaging solutions.
– Smart Tech: Displaying a wide variety of tech products, including electronics, lighting and medical and healthcare products employing the latest technologies.

Businesses offered new product video production service

More than 1,400 companies from 20 countries and regions will exhibit at the show. Among them are 19 group pavilions, including the Department of Commerce of Jiangsu, Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Taiwan Toy & Children's Article Manufacturers Association. In addition to exhibiting in the usual formats, some exhibitors have opted to use 3D virtual booths to promote their brands and products in more eye-catching ways. The HKTDC has also launched a product video production service to enable resource-strapped SMEs to design and produce videos to promote their products and help them catch the attention of buyers.

Webinars to help enhance marketing skills

The HKTDC has invited more than 60 industry luminaries to share their insights in 17 webinars. A number of highlighted webinars will be held during the first three days of the online show (17 to 19 March), including "International Sourcing Outlook", "Survive and Thrive: Leveraging End-to-end E-commerce Solutions" and "Utilising Licensing to Expand Your Business". This arrangement will allow buyers and exhibitors more time to focus on business matching on subsequent days of the online show (that is, from 22 to 31 March).

Highlighted speakers include Devin Dai, Director of Category Management at Alibaba.com, Shinya Hisanaga, Director of Buying and Logistics at AEON Stores (Hong Kong), Flavien Serra, Founder of DTL Sourcing, Fione Tan, Co-founder of 28Mall.com, and Benson Ng, Hong Kong Business Consulting Leader at EY.

To help SMEs gear up for the new O2O hybrid sourcing model, the HKTDC is also launching the "Let's Go Phygital: Power Up for the New Normal" seminar series with the support of AsiaWorld-Expo and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The first round of seminars will be held in March during the International Sourcing Show and will include sessions such as "International Sourcing Outlook" and "Survive and Thrive: Leveraging End-to-end E-commerce Solutions".

Furthermore, the show will continue to feature Click2Match, an AI-powered online business matching platform. Buyers and suppliers can use the tool to enjoy functions such as a meeting planner, video meetings, live chat and e-business card exchange, helping them to overcome barriers under the pandemic and build business connections around the world.

* The seven fairs are: the HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles & Furnishing Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week, HKTDC Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair, and the Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair. The latter event is co-organised by the HKTDC and CIEC Exhibition Co (HK) Ltd.

Websites:
International Sourcing Show: https://isshow.hktdc.com/online/en/
hktdc.com Sourcing: https://sourcing.hktdc.com/
Photo download: https://bit.ly/3lf9iHE

About the 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 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 Communications & Public Affairs Department:
Janet Chan, Tel: +852 2584 4369, Email: janet.ch.chan@hktdc.org
Agnes Wat, Tel: +852 2584 4554, Email: agnes.ky.wat@hktdc.org

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

BlackBixon Partners with redONE in Marketing Push for Ni Hsin Resources’ F&B Business

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 10, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – BlackBixon Sdn Bhd ("BlackBixon"), the food and beverage (F&B) arm of Bursa Malaysia Main Market-listed Ni Hsin Resources Berhad (NIHSIN; KLSE: 7215), sealed the partnership with redONE Network Sdn Bhd ("redONE"), a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), to market and retail Ni Hsin's new energy coffee under the brand name 'BlackBixon'.

L-R: Mr. Lai Kian Huat, ED of Blackbixon Sdn Bhd; Mr. Khoo Chee Kong, Managing Director of Blackbixon Sdn Bhd; Encik Sofiyan bin Yahya, Chairman of Ni Hsin Group; YDH Dato' Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, Deputy Inspector General of Police; Encik Faird Yunus, CEO of Red One Network Sdn Bhd; Mr. Ben Teh, Chief Sales Officer of Red One Network Sdn Bhd

BlackBixon coffee is described as a composition providing the benefits of caffeine and the patented Bioenergy Ribose(R) in combination when consumed and helps in accentuating the human body's natural process of energy synthesis while at the same time lessening fatigue and boosting the mental alertness of an individual. There is also the nutritional coffee variant enriched with acai berry extract for a good source of phytonutrients and antioxidants enhancing immunity while providing anti-ageing benefits.

Present at today's signing ceremony were Deputy Inspector-General of Police YDH Dato' Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, Chairman of Ni Hsin Encik Sofiyan bin Yahya, Managing Director of BlackBixon Mr. Khoo Chee Kong, Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") of redONE Encik Farid Yunus and Chief Sales Officer of redONE Mr. Ben Teh.

Managing Director of BlackBixon, Mr. Khoo Chee Kong said, "We are delighted to have this collaboration with redONE as we see a lot of synergy in terms of how we can leverage on redONE's reach of 1.2 million subscribers to market our products. We believe redONE's network can strengthen our marketing efforts and outreach to the target consumers, both business-to-business and business-to-consumer."

"We see our entry into F&B as strategic for the future of Ni Hsin as this new business will enhance the earnings of the Company given the interest in energy and coffee drinks, as well as the increased demands in home coffee consumption. Our BlackBixon coffee capsules combine energy, nutrition and coffee by having caffeine and natural ingredients that boost energy and immunity. As for convenience, we provide coffee machine for our consumers to use in their home or workplace without any charge subject to terms and conditions. BlackBixon is your cafe@home@office@anywhere. Ni Hsin has other plans in the pipeline to grow the F&B business, with Malaysia being the initial market, and the regional market in our next step."

"The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for many, Ni Hsin included. Our move into F&B will also be the beginning of our pivot from being a cookware manufacturer as we will grow the F&B business to be bigger than the cookware business over time. We see domestic and overseas consumer sentiment improving in the second-half of the year as vaccines become available and the economy recovers. This will also hopefully translate into better demand for our new business."

Chief Sales Officer of redONE, Mr. Ben Teh said, "redONE is proud to collaborate with Ni Hsin in a win-win partnership where our 100 Premier Shops nationwide will attract more footfall while letting our subscribers enjoy a refreshing cup of BlackBixon coffee as they are waiting to be served. This is a good gesture and adds value to our customer experience."

The signing of today's agreement comes after the Collaboration Agreement Ni Hsin entered into with Fiatec Biosystem Sdn Bhd in August 2020 for the development and formulation of health and bioenergy products marking the Company's move into the F&B business. In January 2021, the Company entered into a Supply and Technical Assistance Agreement with Global Coffee Resources Sdn Bhd ("GCR") for the appointment of GCR as the supplier for the coffee beans and coffee powders. In February 2021, Ni Hsin also filed for a patent for BlackBixon to protect the Company's rights to the invention and to secure the competitive advantage of its F&B business in selling products using the invention.

Please contact the below for more information:
Stefani Wan
Swan Consultancy
Tel: +6012 286-1481
Email: s.wan@swanconsultancy.biz

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