Author: Asia PEVC

Rimba Raya’s Sustainable Peatland Farmer Field School

In November 2020, Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve conducted training sessions aimed at strengthening the capacity of Farmer Groups (KT). The goal of these sessions was to help farmers improve their skills in cultivation and agriculture through our Peatland Farmer Field School (Peatland-FFS). The sessions were attended by 2 Farmer Groups: Harapan Jaya from Jahitan Village, and Hijau Bakung Permai from Baung Village.

HARAPAN JAYA Farmer Group and the preparation of an area of 0.5 ha, Jahitan Village
HIJAU BAKUNG PERMAI Farmer Group with land preparation covering an area of 17 x 50 meters, Baung Village

This activity is a continuation of the Peatland-FFS training program held in September 2020, conducted by Rimba Raya in collaboration with the National Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). The farmer group from Rimba Raya working area participated at that time. Aside from focusing on improving farming skills, participants were trained in preparing their land for agricultural development without the use of traditional ‘slash and burn’ methods.

During our most recent training sessions, Rimba Raya encouraged farmers to build on their traditional agricultural knowledge with a focus on non-destructive land use and the development of areas according to soil suitability. The efficient production of nutritious food while ensuring forest preservation was strongly encouraged.

The farmers were taught how to make organic fertilizers and pesticides using organic waste from their immediate environment. “Crop and forest burning actually eliminates beneficial microorganisms and nutrients, as it releases unwanted carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” said Sylviana Andhella, Executive Director of Rimba Raya.

“Land preparation without burning and the use of organic fertilizers for agricultural practices will reduce carbon emissions and support the balance of microorganisms. This is in alignment with our project objective to reduce carbon emissions,” Andhella explained.

Additionally, the farmers were empowered to manage their own farmer organizations. This included the election of a chairman, secretary and treasurer by the group members. These positions were then ratified by the local village government.

During the training sessions, farmer groups were encouraged to develop relationships for cooperation and networking with other farmer groups around the project area. This allows them to share information, experiences and valuable lessons learned which are beneficial to all farmers.

“I am thankful that Rimba Raya included our farmer group in this initiative. We learned how to make organic fertilizer and our understanding of horticultural farming techniques has grown. We are eager to develop our farms using these strategies with the hope that we will be more successful so that we can set an example to other community farmers,” said Ardiansyah Ardian, head of Hijau Bakung Permai farmer group of Baung Village.

About Rimba Raya
The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve is the largest REDD+ project in the world, protecting nearly 65,000 hectares of peat swamp forest in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo and avoiding more than 130 million tons of carbon emissions. Rimba Raya is a living example of an economically viable alternative to deforestation.

Rimba Raya develops livelihood programs in surrounding villages (addressing all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals) to provide education, employment and hope for the future. Rimba Raya is also the world’s largest privately-funded orangutan sanctuary, and an InfiniteEARTH Project. Please visit https://rimba-raya.com.

Contact:
Frita Junita
Communication Officer – PT. Rimba Raya Conservation
Email: rimbarayajakarta@gmail.com, HP: +62 857-1743-7001

*This Press Release was originally issued on December 5, 2020 with inaccurate Contact information. To contact Rimba Raya, please refer to the Contact information above.

Micropillar compression for finding heat-tolerant alloys

Accurate measurements of crystalline deformation should help engineer stronger components for more energy-efficient turbines.

Metals containing niobium silicide are promising materials that can withstand high temperatures and improve efficiency of gas turbines in power plants and aircraft. But it has been difficult to accurately determine their mechanical properties due to their complex crystal structures. Now, scientists at Kyoto University in Japan have measured what happens at the micro-level when pressure is applied on tiny samples of these materials. The approach, published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, could help scientists obtain the accurate measurements needed to understand the atomic-level behaviour of complex crystals to develop more heat-tolerant components in gas turbines.

The scientists measured the plastic deformation that happened when a tiny probe exerted force on the micropillar specimens with various loading axis orientations.

“Our results demonstrate the cutting edge of research into plastic deformation behaviour in crystalline materials,” says Kyosuke Kishida, the study’s corresponding author.

Plastic deformation describes the distortion that occurs at the atomic level when a sustained force is applied to a crystal. It is difficult to measure in complex crystals. Kishida and his colleagues have been using a new approach to systematically measure plastic deformation in crystals showing promise for use in high temperature gas turbines.

In this study, they measured plastic deformation in a niobium silicide called alpha-Nb5Si3. Tiny ‘micropillars’ of these crystals were exposed to very small amounts of stress using a machine with a flat-punch indenter at its end. The stress was applied to different faces of the sample to determine where and how plastic deformation occurs within the crystal. By using scanning electron microscopy on the samples before and after the test, they were able to detect the planes and directions in which deformation occurred. This was followed by simulation studies based on theoretical calculations to further understand what was happening at the atomic level. Finally, the team compared the results with those of a boron-containing molybdenum silicide (Mo5SiB2) they had previously examined.

“We found that instantaneous failure occurs rather easily in alpha-Nb5Si3, which is in marked contrast to Mo5SiB2,” says Kishida.

This could mean alpha-Nb5Si3 is at a disadvantage compared to Mo5SiB2 for use as a strengthening component in metal-based alloys. Kishida and his team think, however, that this material’s inherent brittleness could be improved by adding other alloying elements.

The team plans to use the approach to study mechanical properties of other crystalline materials with complex structures.

Further information
Professor Kyosuke Kishida
Kyoto University
kishida.kyosuke.6w@kyoto-u.ac.jp

Paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14686996.2020.1855065

About Science and Technology of Advanced Materials Journal
Open access journal STAM publishes outstanding research articles across all aspects of materials science, including functional and structural materials, theoretical analyses, and properties of materials.

Further information
Dr. Chikashi Nishimura
STAM Publishing Director
NISHIMURA.Chikashi@nims.go.jp
National Institute for Materials Science

Press release distributed by ResearchSEA for Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

CITIC Telecom CPC Expands ASEAN Points of Presence to support Regional Proliferation of Innovative Technology Businesses and Smart Cities

Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta Latest Gateways in Ongoing Regional Rollout to Meet Growing Demand for TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid (SD-WAN) Solution and other Managed Enterprise Cloud Solutions

CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (“CITIC Telecom CPC”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), has recently completed its Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta network gateway deployments for its TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid (SD-WAN, Software Defined Wide Area Network) enterprise connectivity solution.

These latest SD-WAN gateways, powered by VMware, follow CITIC Telecom CPC’s ongoing initiatives to anticipate and address demand for innovative, high performance, and agile Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions in the fastest-growing markets in ASEAN. In 2016 the company expanded Russian and Eastern European coverage to serve its customers better, encompassing CITIC Telecom CPC’s full range of end-to-end managed services, including MPLS, cloud, and managed network security solutions.

By further enhancing the footprint and capacity of TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid in ASEAN, CITIC Telecom CPC (CPC) is catering to the significantly growing base of Innovative Technology Businesses and Smart Cities being created in the region. TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid’s ASEAN coverage now includes Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Jakarta.

“We have always focused on identifying and serving the most important needs in the most important market segments,” said Mr. Taylor Lam, Senior Vice President of Product Development & Management from CITIC Telecom CPC. “Within a year of its launch, TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid already covers nearly 50 gateways across 49 cities in 15 countries, including six (6) in Southeast Asia. These new ASEAN gateways in Malaysia and Indonesia underscore our commitment to ASEAN customers and highlight our continued strong SD-WAN partnership with VMware. More network gateways translate to better link quality, lower latency and overall improved performance.”

With TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid, a fully managed and better secured SD-WAN connectivity solution, customers can leverage the most cost-effective bandwidth available without compromising QoS delivery. Enterprises can dynamically create hybrid networks that bind multiple access technologies into single logical paths, taking advantage of MPLS linkages’ reliability, security, and performance, yet limiting associated expenses. Network traffic is steered intelligently on optimal paths at the best times to increase performance and reduce costs. It improves business agility, application performance, bandwidth conservation and maximizes business application accessibility. TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid achieves these compelling advantages without requiring the high traditional costs, additional in-house staffing or other ongoing overhead expenses, often prohibitive for companies with tight budgets and timeframes. IT managers also gain more visibility, traffic routing control, rapid deployment and recovery, all with almost zero on-site IT personnel.

The new Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta network gateways significantly enhance TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid performance across ASEAN, long popular as an ideal region for world leading technology companies expanding physical presence. In particular, Singapore’s political and legal stability and transparency have attracted considerable investment from MNCs and global technology pioneers to the city-state, including purchasing significant real property in the central business district and establishing innovation research labs. ASEAN as a whole is receiving increasing venture capital from around the world.

“A huge percentage of the ASEAN population is digitally savvy,” said Mr. Derek Ung, General Manager, Enterprise Sales, CITIC Telecom CPC. “Companies and people are eager to embrace and enjoy new technological products and services. ASEAN is still relatively under-represented in terms of tech startups. The potential for solutions that support all these new businesses and government projects especially smart city initiatives is huge, and creates opportunities for win/win/win for our company, our partners such as VMware, and our customers.”

The latest Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is setting out the framework for becoming the largest free trade area in the world. It is a potential window to reshape the future of trade as well as to propel enterprises to capitalize new opportunities across Asia Pacific. Further, analyst research has pointed to potentially immense ASEAN growth of its digital economy to some $300 billion over the next five years, likely encompassing multiple areas including smart products and services in mobility, e-commerce, travel, social media, telecommunications and even healthcare, the latter driven by telehealth demands in Southeast Asian countries lacking sufficient medical workers, and COVID-19 social distancing impacts. The “Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025” has also forecast up to $625 billion in annual economic impact in ASEAN by 2030, through disruptive technologies such as mobile Internet, Big Data, Cloud and Internet of Things applications.

“We may also see tremendous growth in fintech as the financial sector leverages new connectivity and computing technologies to innovate banking and investment services,” added Derek, CPC. “Manufacturing is yet another area that will evolve, with many regional companies relocating or building out their supply chain in ASEAN. With our latest gateway deployment, we want to be ready to serve our customers in ASEAN and those moving to ASEAN.”

The new ASEAN gateways for TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid fortify CITIC Telecom CPC’s ability to maintain its high-quality SLA commitment to ASEAN enterprise customers, enabling high network performance without compromising on responsiveness or reliability. The enhanced network capacity is also crucial for the region’s emerging new digital businesses and smart cities, including the New Normal “Work From Home” approach being adopted worldwide. Robust network performance without sluggishness or outages is especially relevant for organizations migrating applications and workloads to cloud platforms via business digitalization initiatives.

“We are very excited to partner with CITIC Telecom CPC and help them deliver TrueCONNECT(TM) Hybrid to ASEAN customers,” said Abe Ankumah, senior director, SD-WAN and SASE Business, VMware. “VMware SD-WAN Gateways are a unique and key component of our architecture, and for even the most demanding connectivity requirements, enterprises will be well-supported by the many high-performance gateways deployed by CITIC Telecom CPC throughout this region.”

“We are fully committed to the long-term success of our customers,” said Taylor, CPC. “From Q1 2021, we plan to expand our network gateways to 10 more cities including in the Philippines, to ensure that we deliver the best experience to our customers.”

About CITIC Telecom CPC
We are CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (“CITIC Telecom CPC”), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), serving multinational enterprises the world over by addressing their specific ICT requirements with highly scalable tailored solutions built upon our flagship technology suites, comprising TrueCONNECT(TM) private network solutions, TrustCSI(TM) information security solutions, DataHOUSE(TM) cloud data center solutions, and SmartCLOUD(Tm) cloud computing solutions.

As a leading Global Local ICT Solutions Partner with worldwide footprint across East to West and native presence, we truly live our motto, “Innovation Never Stops.” Being a preferred Digital Society Enabler, we lead our key markets at the forefront of pioneering ICT development, embracing AI, AR, Big Data, IoT, and other cutting-edge emerging technologies to transform technical potential into real-world value for our customers, helping them achieve higher productivity, agility, cost-efficiency, and ultimately, Digital Globalization.

As one of the first managed service providers in Hong Kong to achieve ISO 9001, 14001, 20000, 27001, and 27017 ICT-related certifications, CITIC Telecom CPC delivers on our superior quality commitment through a broad global self-managed infrastructure encompassing some of the highest growth markets in Asia, Europe and America, with over 140 points of presence, 18 Cloud service centers, 30+ data centers, and two dedicated 24×7 Security Operations Centers.

For more information please visit www.citictel-cpc.com

VMware, and VMware SD-WAN are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Media Contact:

June Tay
CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited
(65) 6692 8357
Email: june.tay@citictel-cpc.com

PlanetSpark Innovation Centre, First Hardware-targeted Accelerator for AIoT Innovations Led by Singapore Company, is Launched to Enable Tech Startups Achieve Market Deployment

PlanetSpark Pte. Ltd., the entrepreneurial and strategic investment arm of SGX mainboard-listed Excelpoint Technology Ltd(1) (“Excelpoint”), today announced the launch of PlanetSpark Innovation Centre, the first hardware-targeted accelerator for Artificial Intelligence of Things (“AIoT”) innovations, dedicated to supporting Singapore tech startups speed up market deployment.

Supported by Enterprise Singapore and backed by Excelpoint, PlanetSpark will invest an initial S$5 million to expand the centre’s engineering capabilities and develop technology platforms, and has secured a lineup of five startups for its upcoming pilot run of accelerator programme. The new centre, situated at Changi Business Park, is officially opened today by Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing.

The path for an AIoT technology to reach market deployment has many hurdles and requires a long gestation period. A major contributor of this phenomenon lies in the high complexity associated with AIoT solution development – from proof-of-concept to production, and eventual commercialisation.

PlanetSpark Innovation Centre sets out to address these challenges by offering a one-stop ecosystem that brings together innovators, hardware and software providers, venture capitalists, small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”), manufacturers and potential customers. Startups can tap into Excelpoint’s vast industry networks of semiconductor manufacturers, sales channel partners and design engineering expertise – enabling the startups to expedite product design and optimise system-level integration for rapid prototyping, thereby reducing their time, cost and risks in bringing their solutions to market.

Mr Satvinder Singh, Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Singapore, said, “The PlanetSpark Innovation Centre is a welcome addition to Singapore’s vibrant technology and innovation ecosystem. It brings ideas, people and networks together to scale innovative AIoT solutions to market and provides enterprises with the necessary resources to build capabilities and drive the development of innovative AIoT solutions. This is important as demand for such solutions is expected to grow in tandem with the region’s emergence of smart homes, cities and industries.”

PlanetSpark will be kicking off the 24-week accelerator programme designed to equip startups with tools and market-informed knowledge. Besides connecting the startups to industry mentors and supply chain partners, the centre will also be helping them jumpstart their AIoT technology by providing customised system integration solution (or “middleware”) – one of the most critical link in determining the scalability and interoperability of an AIoT solution.

The pilot group of startups are developing market-deployable solutions integrating the middleware to solve real-world challenges in thermal sensing, facial recognition, satellite tracking and edge AI analytics.

Currently, the PlanetSpark-exclusive middleware is powered by the technology stacks of NASDAQ-listed global companies, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (“Qualcomm”) and Xilinx, Inc. (“Xilinx”), both Excelpoint’s long-time partners. Qualcomm is the world’s leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind 5G and related IoT technologies and chipsets, whereas Xilinx is a world leading manufacturer of programmable logic devices for edge AI computation. In time, PlanetSpark plans to add new industry partners to its ecosystem network to drive additional value for the participating startups.

Mr. Albert Phuay Yong Hen, Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Excelpoint, added, “In the fast-evolving electronics industry, speed to market is key and Excelpoint is uniquely positioned at the intersection of electronics technology and supply chain management.

Excelpoint is honoured to have the strong support from Enterprise Singapore to groom the next generation of technopreneurs at PlanetSpark Innovation Centre. This innovation centre is an investment we made to nurture our Singapore-grown talents and bring our Singapore pride to the globe.

Through Excelpoint, we are thankful for the partnership with leaders in semiconductor technology, such as Xilinx and Qualcomm who have jointly worked with us for the first batch of platforms. Together, we wish to bring in our expertise and market knowledge, and open doors to opportunities in the region.”

Ms Phuay Li Ying, Managing Director of PlanetSpark, said, “Through my work at Excelpoint, I see many Singapore hardware startups face challenges in accessing technologies from industry leaders, gaining market knowledge and finding channels to enter the regional market.

This is a gap that PlanetSpark Innovation Centre aims to bridge by leveraging on the strengths of Excelpoint and working closely with company founders to develop and integrate their AIoT technology and innovations in a way that is customer-centric and scalable, therefore creating new sources of revenue for these startups. Only then, we can build a robust foundation for them to co-pollinate with other players in the ecosystem.

Our role as a technology validator will also provide an indication of the potential of the startups for venture capital firms, which plays a key role in the success of a startup. Our ultimate objective is to have a collaborative hardware ecosystem where such start-ups can accelerate their growth and commercialisation plans, attract venture capital funding and create new possibilities for local technology innovations and economic growth.”

The global IoT market is predicted to reach a scale of USD$1102.6 billion in 2026(2). Through the initiatives and collaborations spearheaded by the PlanetSpark Innovation Centre, the eventual market deployment of the startups’ AIoT innovations is expected to create new opportunities in Singapore’s semiconductor supply chain and accelerate Singapore’s Smart Nation and Industrial 4.0 transformation.

(1) Excelpoint Technology Ltd is a leading regional B2B business platform providing quality electronic components with integrated R&D capabilities. Excelpoint has been an integral part of the global electronics technology value chain for more than 30 years.
(2) https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/ (https://bit.ly/3sbELxB) (Accessed 18 Dec 2020)

About PlanetSpark Pte Ltd

PlanetSpark Pte Ltd (“PlanetSpark”) is the entrepreneurial and investment arm of Excelpoint Technology Ltd. (“Excelpoint”), investing in, supporting and collaborating with promising early- to mid-stage start-ups which have commercially viable technologies and products in Singapore and Asia that are related to the Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and Internet of Things (“IoT”) ecosystem. PlanetSpark seeks to enable new market opportunities in hardware innovation and technology within the ecosystem with our investments and resources.

PlanetSpark Innovation Centre is a go-to-market hardware accelerator in Asia for technopreneurs specialising in the AI and IoT arena to accelerate their technology innovations and enable them to make a fluid transition from proof-of-concept to production and commercialisation through our hardware platforms.

Tapping on Excelpoint’s extensive business networks and market knowledge across Asia Pacific, we strive to forge collaborative and innovative partnerships within our field.

For more information about PlanetSpark, please visit https://www.planetspark.io

About Excelpoint Technology Ltd.

Excelpoint Technology Ltd. and its subsidiaries are a leading regional business-to-business platform providing quality electronic components, engineering design services and supply chain management to original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), original design manufacturers (“ODMs”) and electronics manufacturing services (“EMS”) in the Asia Pacific region. EBN, a premier online community for global supply chain professionals, recognised Excelpoint Technology Ltd. as one of its Top 25 Global Electronics Distributors in 2017.

Excelpoint works closely with its principals to create innovative solutions to complement its customers’ products and solutions. Aimed at improving its customers’ operational efficiency and cost competitiveness, the Group has set up research and development centres in Singapore and China that are helmed by its dedicated team of professional engineers.

Established in 1987 and headquartered in Singapore, Excelpoint’s business presence spans more than 10 countries across Asia Pacific with a workforce of more than 650 people from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

For more information about Excelpoint, please visit www.excelpoint.com

For any media enquiries, please contact:
Mr. Alex TAN
Mobile: +65 9451 5252
Email: alex.tan@8prasia.com

Japan Datacenters: Market Insights 2021

Want to learn how Japanese datacenters are reshaping the country’s economy?

W.Media is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, 20th January, 10:30-12PM (GMT+9) dedicated to this explosive industry, with top-level speakers including:

– Tsutsomu Toneyama, PTS Consulting Japan – Rui Takei, BICSI
– Dominik Steiner, 650; VPC Asia KK
– Takuya Yusa, NTT Facilities
– Paul Dwyer, Equinix

Registrations are now open! https://bit.ly/38unI1M

Japan’s Datacenter Market is making a huge impact on the national economic landscape. Increased speculation from foreign companies and accelerated adoption of digital technologies across public and private sectors are the underlying driving factors to this rapid evolution.

A majority of development is in the Tokyo metropolitan area, with Osaka close behind.

Furthermore, the Japanese government inked a deal to migrate all HR systems to the cloud by 2025, a sign of the cross-industry embrace of cloud technologies currently transforming the country.

But while the data center market is experiencing this unprecedented investment, there is simultaneously a growing call for such investment to be sustainable. Japanese Data Centers are pioneering renewable energy and energy-efficient power and cooling solutions.

The growth of IoT and remote work is driving the cloud services market to an incredible 15% CAGR, but in order to properly capitalise on this explosion of data it’s important to scrutinise where the data is being held: the datacenters themselves.

JOIN US (https://bit.ly/38unI1M): Our show will focus on the Japanese datacenter market: its business prospects, technological breakthroughs, and future trends.

Tune in on 20th January to meet our world-class speakers, hear market analysis, and get your questions answered. Join the conversation today! https://w.media/japan-datacenters-market-insights/

Tune In to Hear
– [Keynote]: Hyperscale Deployment: How Japan is meeting the Surge in Demand
– [Keynote]: Navigating Local Regulations
– [Panel Discussion]: Japan’s Datacenter Outlooks: What makes Japan such a lucrative market?
– [Keynote]: How to Grow and Sustain the Engineering Talent Pool

Interested in Speaking at or Sponsoring this event? Please reach out to W.Media at hello@w.media for more information.

Norwegian Block Exchange Secures Large Private Investment

Just before entering 2021, Norwegian Block Exchange has received a 60 million NOK investment that was arranged by Pareto Securities — the leading investment bank in the Nordics, that acted as the sole manager and book-runner. This puts NBX in a prime position to continue to develop its trading platform for cryptocurrencies and digital assets, as well as new products related to banking and E-money licenses.

Ever since their public launch in April 2020, NBX has been working towards becoming a preferred digital assets services provider in the Nordics. Since then, the product has attracted over 7000 clients, including institutional accounts, which, in turn, allowed them to grow their trading volume up to 20 million NOK by November. In doing so, they were able to engage major Norwegian investors and successfully close their most recent, 60 million NOK placement, which will help them to achieve the company’s ultimate goal of becoming a digital asset bank, further down the line.

On the private placement, NBX’s Co-Founder and CEO, Stig Aleksander Kjos-Mathisen said, “I am very pleased that NBX has successfully raised 60 million NOK in a private placement. This funding will provide NBX with the financial robustness to pursue a banking license, and become one of Europe’s first digital assets banks, while simultaneously expanding our services to new countries and establishing NBX as the preferred digital asset service provider in the Nordics.”

All in all, on the way towards these goals, NBX is currently focused on cementing further relationships with institutional clients who are considering cryptocurrencies as a digital gold and growing trend in wealth management.

About NBX

Norwegian Block Exchange is truly a Norwegian and pioneering cryptocurrency exchange founded by Bjorn Kjos, who also founded Norwegian Airlines and Bank Norwegian. Based in Oslo, having highly-skilled professional teams both in Oslo and Riga, NBX sees the potential to become the one-stop solution for financial services in the cryptocurrency economy. Transparency, commitment to compliance, security and stability are all at the core of NBX business. For more information on Norwegian Block Exchange, please go to: https://nbx.com

Source: Plato Data Intelligence https://platoblockchain.net/ (https://bit.ly/3s8raqT)

Launch of Digital Week 2021: Southeast Asia

Calling all Cloud enthusiasts!

W.Media is gathering ASEAN’s best and brightest for a 4-day virtual conference to cover everything from datacenter deployment to digital banking. From 23-26 February, network with 7000+ Senior IT Leaders across the Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand markets.

Digital Week is the webinar experience: REVAMPED.

Our virtual platform is a community hub for you to access more content and engagement than ever:
– Interactive industry chat rooms
– Live speaker Q&A sessions
– 1-on-1 video calls between attendees
– Conference-wide prizes and competitions

Registration is open. Join the conversation today!

Register here: https://whova.com/portal/registration/digit2_202102/

For more information, please visit https://w.media/digital-week/.

About W.Media

W.Media is a global B2B technology marketing agency specialising in PR, Media, and Events. It is the anchor of the cloud, datacenter and cybersecurity communities in Asia Pacific, combining market knowledge and network to uplift brands via targeted communication. W.Media educates both industry stakeholders and the public on the latest developments in these industries through personalized engagement with the marketplace.

From its founding in 2018, W.Media began organising Cloud & Datacenter Conventions throughout the APAC region, in countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea. In 2020, W.Media complemented its in-person events offerings by launching a series of webinars to connect top industry professionals in the three pillars driving tech today: Cloud, Cybersecurity, and Datacenters.

Beyond events, W.Media works closely with its clients to curate effective content marketing, editorial coverage, and digital advertising campaigns. This expertise and expansive regional network make W.Media a key player in Asia’s Cloud and Datacenter market.

About Digital Week (Southeast Asia)

With cloud migration and storage demands at an all-time high, it’s essential to stay up to date on the market’s latest developments and technologies. So, our W.Media team has created a space for IT professionals to come together and share their insights while reaching an even broader, digitized network: Digital Week.

Our Digital Weeks combine the informational expertise of a leading webinar series with the personal touch of in-person conferences and exhibitions. This four-day virtual event brings together experts from the Cloud, Data Center, and Cybersecurity industries to share both regional overviews and local observations, as well as enables you speak directly to potential clients or future business partners one-on-one.

Our first Digital Week kicks off in February 2021 and caters specifically to key players across South East Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia. Join thousands of industry peers–from specialists to C-suite–as we explore the future of Cloud in ASEAN. We’ll be covering: Datacenter Deployment Trends, Regional Cybersecurity Risk Assessments, The Future of Fintech, Cloud Migration Case Studies, Digital Transformation Developments, Sustainable Infrastructure Innovations, Data Sovereignty Best Practices, 5G and IoT Adoption Analysis, and much, much more.

KSA Nisbah Capital Subsidiary of Taibah Valley has Joined Tezos Blockchain Ecosystem

Nisbah Capital, the blockchain subsidiary of Saudi Arabia-based Taibah Valley will join the Tezos ecosystem as a corporate baker, the first in the Middle East region. It also has added the Tezos blockchain to its blockchain lab projects as part of its initiative to create the biggest blockchain community in the MENA region to support commercialized applications, counselling, mentoring and researching in the areas related to blockchain and cryptocurrency.

In addition, through its subsidiary, Nisbah Capital, Taibah Valley has also become the first corporate entity in the Kingdom to participate in the Tezos ecosystem as a corporate baker, meaning that it will now validate transactions (blocks) and add them to the Tezos blockchain. This move follows an announcement (https://bit.ly/2MG4Qod) by EDF group subsidiary, Exaion, which became a corporate baker in October. Participating in the ecosystem as a baker not only strengthens the decentralization of the Tezos ecosystem but also reinforces its credibility and paves the way for future institutional adoption in the MENA region. Becoming a Tezos baker is seen by Taibah Valley as part of supporting the technology and the communities that are interested in cryptocurrency.

Raghad Abdulghani, Technical Specialist at Taibah Valley, said, “By becoming a Tezos baker, we see an opportunity to spread the knowledge about cryptocurrencies and how they work, and to attract different companies to recognize the potential in the MENA region. In addition, we believe that baking will help build the future of the Tezos blockchain in the region.”

Waleed Rassuli from Tezos Gulf, added, “This collaboration with Taibah Valley will be a major driver to stimulate the adoption of decentralized blockchain technologies in the Middle East. Given the increasing number of corporate bakers in the Tezos ecosystem, we think that having one in the Middle East will give local blockchain projects in this region a boost.”

Taibah Valley was established by 2008 with the mission of investing and supporting projects with real economic value and positive impact for Saudi Arabia and the MEA region. Its areas of focus are blockchain, Internet of Things, and Artificial intelligence

Source: https://bit.ly/3beMncw

Epazz Developed Smart Contracts for HEMP IEO on the Asia Token Exchange

Epazz Inc. (OTC: EPAZ), a provider of blockchain cryptocurrency mobile apps and cloud-based business software solutions, announced today that the company is working with Greenheart CBD Hemp company in developing their smart contracts for their IEO (Initial Exchange Offering).

The company will be enhancing their smart contract software to allow other organizations interested in launching their IEO using an easier way to create and modify their smart contracts without needing a programmer.

According to Carlos R.W., senior economist and researcher at De Meijer Independent Financial Services Advisory (MIFSA), the global blockchain market size would grow exponentially in 2021. More businesses from many industries expressed their increasing interest in using Blockchain technology to advance their business processes. The COVID-19 pandemic fast-tracked the digital transformation drive in many aspects, including distributed ledger or blockchain technology. Thus, the global blockchain market size will expand from US$3 billion in 2020 to US$39.7 billion by 2025 at an effective compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 67.3%.

Many industries are looking for solutions using Blockchain technology as a beneficial tool to digitalize their businesses. The adoption of fintech and blockchain technology allows companies to upgrade and streamline their operations. In addition, the acceptance of tokenization or the digital storage of assets on blockchain will speed up the progress of DeFi or decentralized financial services. DeFi demonstrates the successful process of smart contracts for financial services. It is an alternative form of business financing that perfectly fits the parameter of the fintechization of the economy. DeFi services witnessed impressive growth this year and surpassed US$10 billion. It is expected to speed up in 2021 and beyond.

Epazz blockchain technology provider developed an IEO securitized token software using smart contracts to help Greenheart CBD Hemp company launch Greenheart Punt, as their liquid token to be used across their current and future range of CBD products. This collaboration between Epazz blockchin technology and Greenheart CBD Hemp company is part of the growing ‘DeFi’ movement, which will take advantage of the blockchain’s capacity to establish a decentralized ecosystem, uncontrolled by a single entity, and improved accessibility for token holders. It will address the challenges of the lack of proper banking support for the CBD industry worldwide.

Epazz blockchain trading technology and Greenheart CBD Hemp company anticipate its global reach with its initial IEO sale. It offers 200 million Greenheart Punt tokens backed by1,000 Liters of Greenheart’s CBD oil, with an approximate value of US$4 million. The Greenheart Punt token began trading last December 1, 2020, through the LAToken mobile app.

Investors can redeem their tokens for CBD oil if they wish. The token will enable the holders to skip expensive payments and processing fees charged by traditional financial payment providers. In the IEO sale, the company is offering 40 million Greenheart Punt tokens to accredited non-US investors. With this premise, the company gears up to enter the Asian Token Exchange to accommodate Asian investors, especially in China.

From a regional perspective, China is leading the blockchain arena as China’s government-sponsored Blockchain-Based Service (BBS) Network aims to make blockchain technology a vital part of its digital infrastructure. China is on the verge of issuing its Crypto yuan as part of its goal to provide a global public infrastructure through its BBS Network.

Shaun Passley, Ph.D., CEO, and Chairman of Epazz, Inc., said in a comment, “As we enter 2021, adapting to the new normal lifestyle, maintaining social distancing and performing electronic payment transactions can further highlight the value of cryptocurrencies. However, with high liquidity in the crypto space, anything can happen; that’s why our blockchain technology will help track and monitor the slightest change in the crypto movement to help users decide logically.”

About Epazz Inc. (www.epazz.com)

Epazz Inc. is a provider of blockchain apps and a cloud-based software company specializing in providing customized cloud applications to the corporate world, higher-education institutions, and the public sector. Epazz BoxesOS v3.0 is a complete web-based software package for small- to mid-size businesses, Fortune 500 enterprises, government agencies and higher education institutions. BoxesOS provides many of the web-based applications organizations would otherwise need to purchase separately. Epazz’s other products include K9Sky.com kennel software and the Provitrac applicant tracking system.

DeskFlex is a desk booking solution and room reservation software useful for booking conference rooms, meeting rooms, workspaces, desks, car parking spaces and office equipment. DeskFlex meeting room scheduling system helps office managers accommodate remote workers’ time in the office, reducing rent and facility costs. DeskFlex lets employees reserve desks in advance or claim desks right away. It adjusts the telephone switch (PBX) so calls ring at the “desk du jour.” DeskFlex includes check-in, point-and-click floor maps, a web browser, a local kiosk, Microsoft Outlook integration and conference room scheduling.

SAFE HARBOR
This is the “Safe Harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: certain statements contained in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “may,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe” and “continue” (or the negation thereof) or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results or those implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that no forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Epazz Inc. assumes no obligation and has no intention of updating these forward-looking statements. It has no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that are not paid for by Epazz Inc. Investors are encouraged to review Epazz Inc.’s public filings on SEC.gov and otcmarkets.com, including its unaudited and audited financial statements and its OTC market filings, which contain general business information about the company’s operations, results of operations and risks associated with the company and its operations.

Source Link: https://zephyrnet.com/epazz-developed-smart-contracts-fo

CONTACT: For more information, please contact:
Investor Relations
investors@epazz.net
https://twitter.com/epazz?s=20
(312) 955-8161
www.epazz.com

Suntrap Life Technologies Discovers Natural anti-COVID-19 Compound

‘LeSoleil’, a naturally active compound, was discovered as a therapeutic candidate for use against COVID-19. As the new coronavirus began to spread globally, Suntrap Life Technologies Ltd established a special research team. The project, “Research on Anti-New Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention Products”, was launched in an emergency situation. Working from the naturally active compounds screening and discovery platform developed by the International Drug Discovery Network Unites (IDDNU)*, the Suntrap research team conducted high throughput virtual screening of all naturally active compounds in the library, aiming to isolate compounds with a potent antiviral activity while ensuring safety.

Consequently, ‘LeSoleil’, a potential therapeutic treatment was discovered. After further evaluation of its antiviral activity and safety, a sensitivity experiment with COVID-19 and ‘LeSoleil’ was scheduled in conjunction with Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health. With core R&D progressing smoothly, the effective prevention, and treatment, of COVID-19 were coming into view.

The sensitivity experiment was started in August, lasting one month. The results indicated ‘LeSoleil’ has a potent in vitro inhibitory effect on COVID-19, with great potential to become a drug candidate. The experimental details showed that the TC50 (Half Toxicity Concentration) of ‘LeSoleil’ is 71.16 nM, within which the highest inhibitory rate for COVID-19 reached 99.41%. In addition, ‘LeSoleil’ retained a high inhibitory effect against COVID-19 even at low concentration, which has been particularly prominent in several verification experiments. The images show the viability of cells at a concentration of 114.8 nM, with an unexpected inhibition rate up to 63.06%.

Furthermore, the in vivo experiment showed LD50 of ‘LeSoleil’ is above 2000 mg/kg. As a naturally occurring compound, the plant-derived ‘LeSoleil’ has the advantages of low toxicity, good tolerance, and high accessibility, which provide a guarantee for the rapid development of multi-dose protective and therapeutic drug products.

The research team completed the formulation of “ShengPu No.1” and “ShengPu No.2”, which provide protection against COVID-19 in the nasal cavity and the oral cavity, respectively, in a spray dosage form. In these formulations, the antiviral effects of ‘LeSoleil’ remain the best while ensuring safety. At the same time, drugs and clinically therapeutic formulations for the treatment of COVID-19 are being further explored.

Suntrap researchers hope to develop effective drugs for the prevention and treatment of the broad-spectrum coronavirus as soon as possible.

*http://suntrap-centre.com/iddnu, http://www.suntrap.com

Contact:
Suntrap Life Technologies Ltd.
Zoe Zhou, Media Supervisor
E: 2113@suntrap.com
T: +86 18825197167

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22 Longrong Road, Hualong Town, Panyu District, Guangzhou, China.
Any reproduction must cite Suntrap Life Technologies Ltd, http://www.suntrap.com as the source.