Author: Asia PEVC

BTX Capital Announces $3M Investment in Partnership with TheAPIS, an Open Source API Platform

TheAPIS, an open source, decentralized API platform, has announced a $3 million strategic investment from BTX Capital, a leading crypto investment bank. With their new partnership, they aim for a new era in which developers receive a share in the profits made by companies that benefited from the economies of scale and network effects they made possible.

TheAPIS is a developer-built platform that manages communications between DApps and blockchains via only a few simple APl calls, reducing the inherent complexity of blockchain protocols. The goal of their APISCore product is to manage these intricacies, to eliminate the entry barrier to dApp creation by connecting APIS to their conventional backend or even the No-Code/Low-Code app builder. The APIS empowers connectivity to multiple blockchains with the same API calls, rendering chain-agnostic implementations, with cost-free chain-switching. With cross-chain interoperability supported by APIS-Unified, projects have the capability to scale their products across various blockchains in a decentralized manner.

“We are excited to continue our synergistic relationship with BTX and are grateful for all they’ve already done for our current growth. We believe a future in which developers own equity in the databases that they make popular is a fairer and better future for the Web. BTX is fully aligned with us in our vision,” said Calvin Pak, CEO of TheAPIS. BTX Capital is providing APIS with access to its investment, trading and advisory arms and is now in the process of connecting the network to prominent ventures and developers around the DeFi and Web3 communities.

BTX’s tokens are fully locked for the following year, with the TheAPIS team reserving the right to extend the lock-up at any time over the following year. Both partners agreed that the optional extension can help ensure that incentives of the BTX and TheAPIS teams are fully aligned with TheAPIS community owners. “Our community owners are our highest priority shareholders, a non-negotiable feature of the journey of TheAPIS,” Pak added.

Initially, TheAPIS would ensure that third parties are able to access data from Ethereum and Filecoin, and all other relevant blockchains with uptime guarantees. It is expected that more blockchains would be supported on the platform.

For more information, please visit the official websites.
About TheAPIS
TheAPIS offers a developer-friendly platform that serves as a turn-key solution for indexing and querying public blockchains, namely Ethereum and Filecoin. Open-sourced, developers will be able to create API packages that serve every category of blockchain applications – from DeFi to Oracle to File Storage. For more information, please visit TheAPIS official website: www.theapis.io

About BTX Capital
BTX Capital is a leading crypto investment bank offering technical consulting services across the blockchain spectrum. Its staff comes from listing departments for top crypto exchanges and top token funds. Through their consulting services on the offering of plans and personnel and their in-house marketing department, BTX Capital strives to provide the most effective services to empower top-tier blockchain projects to meet the demands of first-tier exchanges. For more information, please visit the BTX Capital official website: www.btxcap.com

Industry’s First 5G Terminal Slicing Solution Demonstrated

UNISOC, with China Mobile, ZTE and other industry chain partners, jointly completed an application demonstration of the world’s first 5G terminal slicing target solution, which indicates that 5G terminal has been equipped with the slicing capability and can provide personalized and customized services for 5G users. The demonstration took place at the 8th China Mobile Global Partner Conference, from November 19 to 21, on an independent 5G SA network designed and deployed by China Mobile, with ZTE 5G system equipment and the 5G terminal chipset by UNISOC.

The terminal slicing solution enables 5G terminals with enhanced service capabilities based on multiple business granularities such as APP ID, FQDN, IP triplet, and customized DNN. This means that slicing selection can not only provide differentiated service based on different services, but can also effectively isolate the same type of traffic and even provide differentiated and personalized services to different users on the same type of service, and support new service models such as cloud gaming, real-time video broadcasting, HD video playback and so on.

The solution is designed with a modem-centric system architecture, which enables the process of matching service feature attributes and network slicing in the modem, making subsequent capacity expansion flexible and efficient, sensitive to the business attributes and providing a variety of options for users. The new system is designed to be flexible and scalable for high-quality slicing services.

The demonstration uses an online speed measurement business scenario to visually compare the experiences of non-sliced network access and slice-assured network access. The comparison demonstrates excellent 5G slice-assured performance across categories in terms of the downlink peak rate, packet loss rate and latency in securing typical 5G services, fully realizing the slicing selection and modem-centric solutions for 5G terminals. The demonstration results showed that even with overloaded cell blocks built into the demonstration scenario, 5G slice users could still enjoy smooth download rates, extremely low packet loss rates and ultra-low latency service experiences.

Network slicing is the core technology of 5G, empowering various vertical industries. It is a powerful tool for generating new businesses, innovating business models, and increasing the value of the network. As a leading chip designer in China, UNISOC and its partners have jointly completed the end-to-end 5G network slicing application and modem-centric solution, which will promote the industrialization of slicing technology and will greatly facilitate the digital transformation. 5G development has brought vitality to a variety of industries and has led to the booming development of related industries and markets.

About UNISOC
UNISOC is a leading fabless semiconductor company committed to R&D in core chipsets for mobile communications and AIoT. With 4,500 staff, 17 R&D centers and 7 customer support centers in locations around the world, UNISOC is one of the largest chipset providers for IoT and connectivity devices in China, a global top 3 mobile chipset supplier, and the leading 5G company in the world. Please visit http://www.unisoc.com.

Media Contact
Yueying Tang, PR Team
e: yueying.tang@unisoc.com
UNISOC Technologies Co., Ltd

Olympus Grows Respiratory Portfolio with Acquisition of Veran Medical Technologies, Inc.

Strategic acquisition drives Olympus expansion of its Respiratory Solutions

Olympus Corporation (TSE: 7733) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Veran Medical Technologies, Inc. (“VMT”)(CEO: Jason Pesterfield), a leading provider of advanced medical devices specializing in interventional pulmonology, for up to USD 340 million. The acquisition will be implemented through Olympus subsidiary Olympus Corporation of the Americas (“OCA”), and will be the latest in a series of strategic acquisitions designed to strengthen Olympus’ position as a leading global medical device company.

As part of Olympus’ Corporate Strategy, unveiled in November 2019, the company vowed to “focus and scale” its therapeutic solutions division. To accelerate the process and provide greater agility, Olympus made OCA the company’s therapeutic division headquarters, recognizing the significant growth opportunities in North America. The company also identified three core medical fields to prioritize – gastroenterological endotherapy devices, urological devices, and respiratory devices. The VMT acquisition is centered on respiratory devices and will position Olympus as a leader in this field.

According to Nacho Abia, global chief operating officer and CEO of OCA, the VMT acquisition will strategically position Olympus and boost development in other areas, “We are very excited about acquiring VMT because its portfolio of devices will complement our product portfolio and further strengthen our position in respiratory medical devices,” he said. “The most significant part of this deal is that we will secure immediate access to VMT’s unique Electromagnetic Navigation system with proprietary devices to build a stronger future respiratory product portfolio.”

Already a leader in bronchoscopy systems, Olympus’ endoscope technologies will combine perfectly with VMT’s navigation products to develop solutions for improved diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer.

Lung cancer affects the highest number of cancer patients and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally.(*) With increased awareness and more lung cancer screenings done by low-dose CT (computed tomography), the need for definitive diagnosis of lesions in the peripheral regions of the lungs by tissue biopsy is expected to increase. Combined with Olympus’ technology, VMT’s navigational platform and proprietary devices support this need.

“We are proud to be joining forces with Olympus, a company with a 100-year legacy and a global reputation for quality, leadership and innovation,” said Jason Pesterfield, CEO of VMT. “Olympus has a clear strategy to become a global medtech leader, and we’re excited to contribute our unique capabilities and become part of this journey.”

This acquisition will provide immediate incremental revenue and an experienced sales team within the US market. VMT’s advanced and proven navigation technology, together with Olympus’ respiratory leadership, strengthens and enhances Olympus’ global position. For details, please refer to our corporate disclosure, “Notice regarding acquisition of Veran Medical Technologies, Inc. in the United States.” (available at: https://www.olympus-global.com/news/ir/2020/)

* WHO data: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer

About Veran Medical Technologies, Inc.
VMT is a privately held medical device company headquartered in St. Louis, MO. The company’s mission is to empower physicians to diagnose cancer earlier and to enable precision therapy to save lives. In the United States, lung cancer kills more people each year than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined.

VMT has developed and commercialized a next-generation electromagnetic thoracic navigation platform called the SPiN Thoracic Navigation System(R). This breakthrough technology has been adopted by leading cancer centers throughout the United States. VMT also provides physicians with a full line of bronchoscopic brushes, needles, forceps and steerable catheters with tiny electromagnetic sensors embedded in the tips for precise navigation. The combination of these proprietary Always-On Tip Tracked(R) instruments and VMT’s exclusive patient respiratory gating technology enables physicians to accurately access lung nodules by accounting for nodule movement during patient breathing, a common challenge for lung specialists. The SPiN Thoracic Navigation System(R) is the first and only technology that enables Pulmonologists or Thoracic Surgeons to accurately access lung nodules outside of an airway using SPiN Perc(R), a navigated transthoracic needle. With SPiN Perc(R), VMT combines endobronchial navigation with percutaneous navigation, allowing physicians to access all lung nodules in a single procedure, regardless of nodule size or location. This eliminates the cost and risk of unnecessary procedures and empowers physicians to provide a same day diagnosis for their patients.

About Olympus’ Therapeutic Solutions business
In its Therapeutic Solutions business, Olympus uses innovative capabilities in medical technology, therapeutic intervention, and precision manufacturing to help healthcare professionals deliver diagnostic, therapeutic, and minimally invasive procedures to improve clinical outcomes, reduce overall costs, and enhance the quality of life for patients. Starting with its early contributions to the development of the polypectomy snare, Olympus’ Therapeutic Solutions portfolio has grown to include an array of surgical energy devices and a wide range of instruments to help prevent, detect, and treat disease. For more information, visit www.olympus-global.com.

Wintermar Offshore (WINS:JK) Celebrates 10th Anniversary of IDX Listing

Wintermar commemorated 10 years as a publicly listed company on the Indonesian Stock exchange on 29 Nov 2020.

Wintermar is pleased to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its status as a public company listed on the Indonesian Stock exchange. The Company has transformed in 10 years into a leader in the Indonesian offshore vessel industry, with experience in over 13 countries, and is now ranked amongst the top 10 Offshore Companies in Asia Pacific by Clarksons Research.

Building Quality and Sustainability

The Management’s efforts to build a sustainable company based on the Core Value of Integrity has been recognized by the strong support of international and multinational clients. Wintermar’s ability to compete in international markets is the fruit of years of building up a strong internal management system to uphold high standards of quality, safety and care for the environment. In 2019, Wintermar became a signatory of the Brunei Energy Industry Integrity Pact, joining leaders in the energy industry in the commitment to and promotion of ethical practices. In 2020, the Company achieved the ISO 45001: 2018 certification for Occupational Health and Safety management system and issued the first standalone Sustainability Report 2019 which outlines and highlights the priority placed on Sustainability of People, Planet and Profit in which is encompassed in the Company’s Management System.

Transformation into streamlined company with low gearing and focus on value added fleet

Over the past 10 years, management has led and guided the transformation of the Company into a lean and focused organization with an internationally competitive fleet, managed by high performing staff and well-trained crew. Through a fleet regeneration program, Wintermar has sold most of the low tier fleet and is now focused on a smaller fleet focusing on higher value added vessels comprising Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs), Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS), Fast Multi-Purpose Vessels (FMPV), Anchor handling tugs and harbour tugs. Despite unfavourable business conditions due to the oil and gas market downturn since 2015, the Company has managed to consistently produce positive EBITDA and has reduced the net gearing from a peak of 79% in 2012 to only 34% as at end September 2020.

As business conditions are starting to improve with a more optimistic outlook for 2021, the Company is poised to make a strong recovery in the coming years.

Over the past few weeks, as more tenders are being announced, the Contracts on hand have started to pick up, amounting to US$73 million by end October 2020 from US$70 million at the end of September 2020.

Contact:

Ms. Pek Swan Layanto, CFA  
Investor Relations
PT Wintermar Offshore Marine Tbk
Tel: +62-21 530 5201 Ext 401
Email: investor_relations@wintermar.com

Bityard Copy Trade Makes Crypto Contract Trading Easier

The price of Bitcoin, one of the mainstream cryptocurrencies in the market, recently topped $19,000. At the same time, the Ethereum price also surpassed $600. Even though the prices of most cryptocurrencies have declined slightly in recent days, the market is still crowded with traders and investors.

In the crypto market, spot and contract trading are the common ways for people to invest in digital currencies. Contract trading allows investors to profit in both bear and bull markets, so a lot of people focus on it when spot market becomes less profitable. However, contract trading also comes with some degree of risk, and it requires a high level of financial background and longtime experience.

In the contract trading market, crypto beginners often lose money due to incorrect strategies and unpredictable market changes. This March, the Bitcoin price dropped rapidly and caused heavy losses of many traders. In order to help beginners to invest in cryptocurrencies, Bityard has launched copy trade function to make contract trading easier.

In the copy trade system, Bityard users can find highly professional traders and simply copy their strategies. When copying other traders, the users don’t need to manually open or close their positions. The traders will steerbthe whole trading process for the users who copy them. For those copiers, how reliable and skilled the traders they are copying is very important.

In the past, copy trading usually happened in online investment or crypto related communities, and so did crypto scams, as traders could fabricate their trading histories and records to attract followers. With the Bityard copy trade system, all traders must submit their trading history data, which will be viewed by Bityard before the traders get listed and copied. Bityard ensures all traders in the system are qualified for other users to follow their investment strategies.

With the copy trade system, Bityard users can copy any trader on Bityard without a worry. Bityard will keep putting efforts in creating a more secure and simpler trading platform for both beginners and professional traders.

About Bityard
Bityard is the world’s leading crypto exchange, with Muay Thai superstar Buakaw Banchamek as the brand ambassador, providing customers from more than 150 countries with safe, simple and fast digital currency trading services. The copy trade function launched is designed to make contract trading easier for beginners. In the future, Bityard will continue to improve its products to provide users with better trading services. Bityard official website: www.bityard.com

Contact Info: Dan, Bityard, dan@bityard.com, https://www.bityard.com/

TAITRA Launches 2020 Online Medical Show

Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the operator of the nation’s largest B2B portal Taiwantrade.com, has launched the 2020 Online Medical Show.

The dedicated online showcase houses 700 medical products from 28 leading medical suppliers. A creation of such online exhibition, TAITRA believes, not only will make a contribution to the global medical and healthcare industries during the pandemic, but will help Taiwan’s suppliers gain enormous publicity.

In meeting global demands for pandemic prevention, TAITRA also created the Anti-epidemic and Stay-at-home Economy online showcases, which cover 20,000 products from 15 industries.

Taiwantrade.com, the largest B2B portal in Taiwan with an annual traffic of 32.5 million visitors, is sponsored by the Bureau of Foreign Trade and organized by TAITRA. In February, inquiries from worldwide buyers on the website grew 170% compared to the previous month.

According to TAITRA Digital Commerce Department Director Chen Ling-chun, the pandemic led to a drastic increase in the number of inquiries for healthcare products on the website. Inquires for stay-at-home products also rose sharply due to the deployment of lockdowns and quarantines worldwide. Catering to the global demand for stay-at-home supplies, many companies had begun to offer new lines of home entertainment and instant food products.

— 2020 Online Medical Show : https://medical.taiwantrade.com/mp/online-show
> Featuring 28 leading medical suppliers and 700 medical products.

— Anti-epidemic Economy showcase : https://anti-epidemic.taiwantrade.com
> Over 10,000 products from 7 major industries; medical consumables, diagnoses and monitoring, hospital & nursing equipment, surgeries and clinical treatment, pharmaceutical and health supplements, wound care, and first aid supplies & health supplies.

— Stay-at-home Economy : https://stayathome.taiwantrade.com
> Over 10,000 products from 8 major industries – audio video equipment, video games, video conferencing equipment, fitness & gym equipment, kitchen appliances, instant foods, computer peripherals & cellphones/tablets, and tabletop games & DIY handicraft materials.

About TAITRA
Founded in 1970 to help promote foreign trade, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) is the foremost non-profit trade promotion organization in Taiwan. Jointly sponsored by the government, industry associations, and several commercial organizations, TAITRA assists Taiwan businesses and manufacturers with reinforcing their international competitiveness and in coping with the challenges they face in foreign markets.

Contact TAITRA
Ling-Chun Chen / lingchun@taitra.org.tw / www.taitra.org.tw
The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA)

Tiger Broker Singapore’s Parent Company UP Fintech Sees 1 Million Customers Worldwide, Driven by More Than Triple Increase in Quarterly Account Openings in Singapore

– Xiaomi-backed Tiger Brokers Singapore announced high business growth with 3 times more account openings in 3Q2020 as compared to 2Q2020, showing increased demand from the investors in Singapore
– Tiger Brokers Singapore saw an increase of trading value by 540 per cent as compared to 2Q2020, driven by demand for stocks from the Technology and Electronic Vehicles (EV) sectors
– Tiger Brokers Singapore’ parent company, UP Fintech, saw the global revenue increase of 143.8 per cent and trading volume reached US$62.8 billion, exceeding 1 million client accounts as of October 2020, 7x compared to Q3 2019

Xiaomi-backed Tiger Brokers Singapore today announced a 3-fold momentous growth in account openings during 3Q 2020 as compared to 2Q 2020. Tiger Brokers Singapore also saw an increase in trading value by 540 per cent as compared to 2Q2020. The Technology and Electronic Vehicles (EV) sectors has seen the most amount of interest with demand for companies such as APPLE, TESLA, NIO, due to investors’ positive expectations for the companies in the long run.

This growth was driven by an increased interest in investing during this period, due to a digitally-driven lifestyle cultivated during the pandemic where more Singapore investors tried online trading. A recent report (e-Conomy SEA 2020) showed a regional trend towards the digitalisation in finance, where Investment Assets under management in the region is expected to grow to US$84 billion in 2025 at a Compound Annual Rate Growth (CAGR) of 32 per cent. The online trading platform launched in February this year, and 30 per cent of its users in Singapore aged between 18-24 years old.

Tiger Brokers Singapore also enhanced their platform during this period, providing access to top exchanges around the world for their investors. They launched access to the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in June and September this year, and coupled with an attractive low commission fee, allowing Singapore-based investors the ability to access more than 7 global exchanges for their investment needs. The fintech also taps on both traditional and digital communications methods to ensure that investors can contact them easily via landline and social media respectively.

Eng Thiam Choon, CEO of Tiger Brokers Singapore, shared, “2020 is a pivotal year for Tiger Brokers Singapore as we continue to capitalise on growing market opportunities catapulted by the increase in digital finance during the past few months. As we continue to see an increased number of investors who have recently adopted online trading, our team continues to ensure that both the online and mobile platforms offer superior functions and solutions to allow investors to be equipped with the necessary tools for a smooth trading process. We look forward to helping our clients expand their investment choices further with our holistic suite of products and access to additional markets in the near future.”

“Our data also showed that our investors were aware of and were reacting to investment trends caused by COVID-19. Clients were generally cautious in investments after the worst of the volatility was over, as evidenced by relative account openings in November as we have recorded our best month in terms of client onboarding so far this year.”

Tiger Broker Singapore aims to increase their platform users by 50 per cent by Q1 of 2021. To do so, they are constantly improving their platform’s user experience by looking to add more products by early next year. They will also be participating at this years’ Singapore Fintech Festival as a Silver Sponsor to share more information around the current investment climate.

Tiger Brokers Singapore taps on the expertise and insights provided by leading online brokerage firm, UP Fintech Holdings (UP Fintech) that focuses on global Chinese investors, to help drive fintech innovation in Singapore and Southeast Asia. UP Fintech’s Q3 earnings shared a triple digital growth of 148.2 per cent y-o-y to US$38 million. The group also had a record high triple digital growth as trading volume reached US$62.8 billion while client assets also reached a new high of US$10.9 billion as of November 25, 2020, an increase of 188.1 per cent from a year ago.

The Tiger Trade mobile application is available for download on Apple App store (https://apps.apple.com/sg/app/id1023600494) and Google Play store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tigerbrokers.stock).

About Tiger Brokers (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Tiger Brokers Singapore Pte Ltd (Tiger Brokers Singapore) is a brokerage firm operating with a Capital Markets Services (CMS) Licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Its trading platform, Tiger Trade, offers complimentary real-time stock quotes, dedicated multilingual customer service during trading hours and 24/7 finance news updates. The company launched the mobile version of Tiger Trade in February 2020 – accessible on Google Play Store and the Apple App Store – offering mobile-savvy generation of retail investors similar trading opportunities as their online users, such as Equities, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), Futures, Stock Options, Warrants, and Callable Bull/Bear Contract (CBBC) on their mobile phones. Both online and mobile app allow users to invest across multiple asset classes traded on Australian, U.S., Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia stock markets such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), NASDAQ, Shanghai/Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) and the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX), Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

Tiger Brokers Singapore is the Singapore entity of UP Fintech Holding Limited, known as “Tiger Brokers” in Asia, a leading online brokerage firm focusing on global investors. Founded in 2014, Tiger Brokers became #1 in the U.S. equity trading by volume among trading platforms catered to Global Chinese investors in less than two years. Tiger Brokers was awarded “2017 Fintech 250” by CB Insights and shortlisted for “China Leading Fintech 50” for two years in a row by KPMG China. The company was listed on NASDAQ under “TIGR” in 2019 and has offices in China, United States, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Tiger Brokers has over 1 million customers worldwide currently, with a total trading volume of more than US$62.8 billion in Q3 2020. The company is backed by well-known investors such as Xiaomi, as well as investment guru Jim Rogers. For more information, please visit https://www.tigerbrokers.com.sg

For media enquiries, please contact:
PRecious Communications for Tiger Brokers (Singapore)
Email: Tiger@preciouscomms.com

This article has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Any views shared with Prospective Clients (“Prospects”) are suggestive in nature and on a sample basis only. This may also be predicated on assumptions that are made by Tiger Brokers (Singapore) Pte Ltd about the Prospects’ investment objectives and risk profile. Our suggestive and sample views extended to Prospects are not to be considered as recommendations made by the Company. Suggestions provided are also based on information that may be shared by the Prospects, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of which Tiger Brokers in not in a position to verify.

Tiger Brokers (Singapore) Pte Ltd (herein “Tiger Brokers”) may, to the extent permitted by law, participate or invest in other transactions with the issuer of the products referred to herein, perform services or solicit business from such issuers, and/or have a position or effect transactions in the securities or options thereof. The information herein is for recipient’s information only and not an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy. Any date or price information is indicative only and may be changed without prior notice. All opinions expressed and facts referred to herein are subject to change without notice. The information herein was obtained and derived from sources that we believe are reliable, but while reasonable care has been taken to ensure that stated facts are accurate and opinions are fair and reasonable, Tiger Brokers does not represent that it is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. The information expressed herein is current and does not constitute an offer, recommendation or solicitation, nor does it constitute any prediction of likely future stock performance. Investment involves risk. The price of investment instruments can and do fluctuate, and any individual instrument may experience upward or downward movements, and under certain circumstances may even become valueless. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. In preparing this information, we did not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any person or affiliated companies. Before making an investment decision, you should speak to a financial adviser to consider whether this information is appropriate to your needs, objectives and circumstances. Tiger Brokers assumes no fiduciary responsibility or liability for any consequences financial or otherwise arising from trading in securities if opinions and information in this document may be relied upon.

SmartBiz Expo and Franchising Show open today

The fourth HKTDC SmartBiz Expo and sixth HKTDC Hong Kong International Franchising Show are being held online from 2 to 4 December, bringing together more than 30 industry elite speakers to share their insights.
Today’s online opening session was officiated by Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
The expo kicked off this morning with “T-Chat: Riding the wave of the Stay-at-Home Economy and Managing a Remote Business”, with Robert Glazer, Founder and CEO, Acceleration Partners, sharing insights on corporate culture under work-from-home arrangements, human resource transformation, and supporting corporations in adjusting to the new normal. 

In light of the continuing global pandemic, the fourth HKTDC SmartBiz Expo and the sixth HKTDC Hong Kong International Franchising Show, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), are being held online from 2 to 4 December, with official websites to introduce the two events. The virtual events have brought together more than 30 industry elites to share their insights at a series of webinars, examining the current business practices of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and looking at how to capture the business opportunities brought by innovative technologies, creative thinking, e-commerce and franchising amid the current challenges.

Today’s online opening session was officiated by Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

In her opening remarks at the event, HKTDC Executive Director Margaret Fong said: “While the global pandemic has necessitated these events to be held virtually, this offers brand-new online platforms to SMEs to explore the latest business opportunities and corporate transformation trends, covering areas such as innovation, creative thinking, technology applications and design. Both the SmartBiz Expo and Hong Kong International Franchising Show are very much focused on the new normal and the rise of the stay-at-home economy. Industry leaders will be sharing their points of view at a series of webinars covering topics like e-commerce, artificial intelligence (AI), big data and smart logistics solutions, rethinking how to fine-tune their business models amid the challenges.”

SmartBiz Expo captures opportunities brought by stay-at-home economy

Under the theme “Reimagine, Reinvent”, the SmartBiz Expo provides innovative business solutions to SMEs to help them maintain their competitiveness in the face of the pandemic and help them explore the stay-at-home-economy trend. In the face of an increasingly harsh business environment, the expo focuses on three key areas – how e-commerce and big data offer a brand-new customer experience, redefining working patterns through digitalisation, and how SMEs can apply technologies such as 5G and blockchain in their businesses.

COVID-19 has hit the world’s economy hard and affected almost all industries. It has also altered traditional working patterns, with numerous companies adopting flexitime or work-from-home arrangements – but how can enterprises boost productivity under these new arrangements? The expo kicked off this morning with “T-Chat: Riding the wave of the Stay-at-Home Economy and Managing a Remote Business”, with Robert Glazer, Founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, sharing insights on corporate culture under work-from-home arrangements, human resource (HR) transformation, and supporting corporations in adjusting to the new normal. Not only is Mr Glazer a renowned thought leader in corporate culture, he is also a bestselling author and renowned speaker. He ranked second on Glassdoor’s list of top CEOs for SMEs in 2018 and was on the Forbes list of 20 Speakers for 2017.

Experiencing e-commerce and big data technology

While facing the impacts of the pandemic, SMEs are also embracing new business opportunities, especially e-commerce, which helps consumers efficiently access all basic necessities. An increasing number of companies are using AI and big data technology to provide brand-new customer experiences through electronic platforms and online shops, helping them to capture new opportunities. This trend was in focus at a session titled “World SME Summit”, where Edward Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR, delivered welcome remarks while industry experts examined the global economic outlook and shared market strategies that could help local SMEs grasp new opportunities.

The concept of the stay-at-home economy has developed rapidly and is more than just putting products online – it is also about creating a one-stop experience for customers. Gordon Lam, Board Executive Director, Bonjour Holdings, and Angel Cheng, Business Development Manager at SHOPLINE, examined the path to success for e-commerce, from platform development to influencer marketing, including new retail technology, online-to-offline (O2O) commerce, and live commerce. In another webinar, Cristina Ng, Senior Manager at OpenRice, shared her experience running a one-stop catering mobile application and how to make use of the latest technologies to analyse big date for the local catering market. Bianca Ho, Co-Founder & COO, Clare.AI, talked about how SMEs can adopt AI-powered customer service chatbots to enhance their business.

Digitalisation provides boost for productivity

The second day of the expo (Thursday, 3 December) will feature webinars on boosting corporate productivity, redefining traditional working patterns, enhancing productivity and competitiveness under work-from-home arrangements and strengthening cyber security. Peter Lee, Head of Corporate Business, Microsoft Hong Kong, and Ellis Ho, NetSuite Sales Director, ONE Pacific, will share on how companies can adopt new technologies to increase efficiency and effectiveness and make remote working more effective. In addition, representatives from the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), the HKTDC and Hong Kong’s Competition Commission will introduce different funding and support schemes, as well as the competition ordinance, for SMEs. And, as innovative technologies become more widely used in companies of all sizes, IT experts will be on hand to offer advice regarding cyber security.

5G and blockchain technologies help enterprises adapt to new normal

On the last day of the expo (Friday, 4 December), a series of webinars will focus on how SMEs can apply technologies such as 5G and blockchain in their businesses. Nowadays, logistics and supply chain solutions are about much more than just transporting products from point to point, with a series of smart solutions – from manufacturing to warehousing and transportation – available in the market. Stefanie Chow, Deputy General Manager, Boxful, will introduce different kinds of smart supply chain solutions, such as a one-stop service for storage and delivery and a cloud-based inventory management system, that offer real-time information to help SMEs enhance their productivity and efficiency. Representatives from the Office of the Communications Authority, CSL Mobile, KARA Smart Fitness and Shan On Engineering Company will discuss how they have adopted the latest 5G technology in their businesses. And, with the Mainland China market anticipated to sustain its growth, experts from Zerotosix Technology Company and InSky Global eCommerce Ltd will share how to seize business opportunities under the new “internal circulation” model through various online sales and marketing avenues that can help companies penetrate the mainland market.

The HKTDC has long been committed to launching different solutions that can support SMEs in achieving their transformation goals. This year, in addition to the three-day SmartBiz Expo, the Council has launched a series of activities to help SMEs transform and be future-ready, including various seminars, programmes and workshops being held in November and December. A one-year online promotion programme called “Connect with Smart Advisors” will be launched, enabling experts in innovation and technology to demonstrate their products and technological solutions virtually on the SmartBiz Expo, Hong Kong International Franchising Show and hktdc.com Sourcing websites, helping SMEs to seize new business opportunities in the face of the pandemic.

International Franchising Show shares latest market information

Held concurrently with the SmartBiz Expo, the Hong Kong International Franchising Show is also holding numerous webinars, with industry players such as Franco Lee, Chairman of the Franchising, Licensing & Franchising Association of Hong Kong, sharing the latest business information and offering tips for success in operating a cross-border franchising business.

Concurrent events help SMEs improve competitive edge

In addition to the SmartBiz Expo and Hong Kong International Franchising Show, the HKTDC is also hosting other industry-leading events this month, including the Business of IP Asia Forum (3 to 4 December), DesignInspire (3 to 9 December) and the Asian E-tailing Summit (9 to 11 December). The events focus on new technologies across research and development, design, production, sales, and business expansion, supporting SMEs to explore opportunities and embrace the challenges presented by innovation and change.

Websites
– HKTDC SmartBiz Expo: https://portal.hktdc.com/smartbizexpo/en/
– HKTDC Hong Kong International Franchising Show: https://portal.hktdc.com/hkifs/en/
– Photo download: https://bit.ly/37pgn1L

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.

Contact:

Christine Kam, Tel: +852 2584 4514, Email: christine.kam@hktdc.org
Cathy Lee, Tel: +852 2584 4393, Email: cathy.wk.lee@hktdc.org

Home of the Crypto Community, Holdex Implements the VerifEye Badge to Authenticate User’s Identity Using Blockpass

Blockpass‘ strategic partner, Holdex will be implementing the VerifEye Badge on its compliant ICO platform to authenticate users’ identities that are verified by the Blockpass.

The partnership between Blockpass and Holdex started in 2018 through the integration of Blockpass’ flagship KYC product, KYC Connect(TM) into the Holdex Platform. Blockpass then announced an investment in the same year to strengthen the relationship. Blockpass’ seamless, compliant solution allows industrial grade due diligence process which synergizes Holdex’s goal to provide a trustworthy tool for blockchain communities to filter account frauds and provide a flood-free environment within the Holdex platform.

“We see a lot of potential in Holdex, and we believe it’s the future of crypto,” said Adam Vaziri, Blockpass CEO. “Implementing programs like the VerifEye Badge encourages users to get verified which is imperative as there is a strong need to establish trust via reusable and verifiable digital identity solutions like Blockpass in the crypto space. Blockpass also enables a fast, secure and compliant onboarding experience for users on the platform which creates a win-win situation.”

“In our observations, the crypto community and space have spam and fraud issues. In order to build trust within the blockchain community, Holdex implements the VerifEye Badge on our platform to confirm users who have the Blockpass KYC verification are real and legit,” said Vadim Zolotokrylin, Holdex CEO, CTO and Co-Founder. “We are also considering additional functionality for users who have the VerifEye Badge, the badge will also become an important element of the Holdex Partner Program. And this cannot be done without Blockpass’ support”.

Blockpass continues to develop its digital identity protocol with updates and additions to improve the compliance experience. Blockpass has recently announced a couple partnerships with various crypto platforms or fundraisers to provide identity verification solutions to them. With these partnerships in place, Blockpass’ numbers of users also increases rapidly.

With Blockpass’ unique, reusable nature of its verification method and its goal to bring KYC to as many people as possible in the current pandemic, Blockpass is now offering a 90%+ discount on its services. There has never been a better time to explore the potential of Blockpass and its service is available on different devices.

About Blockpass

Blockpass is a fast, fully comprehensive KYC & AML screening software-as-a-service for Crypto, Defi and other regulated industries. With Blockpass, you get an unmatched set of benefits for any compliance service that includes pay-as-you-go, no setup cost, no integration necessary, free testing, immediate launch and at the lowest cost. Blockpass’ KYC Connect(TM) platform enables businesses to select requirements for customer onboarding that can include ID authentication, face-matching, address checking, AML ongoing monitoring and/or screening of sanctions lists, politically exposed persons (PEP), and adverse media. Through Blockpass, end-users easily create a verified portable identity that they can control and re-use to onboard with any service instantly.

For more information and updates, please visit and sign up to the following:
Promotional video: https://youtu.be/SvO2cw3e-SI
Website: http://www.blockpass.org
Email: sales@blockpass.org

About Holdex

Holdex is the home of Crypto. At Holdex we build user-satisfaction tools for Blockchain applications to automate their marketing and community-management. We also provide to Crypto users a community-curated knowledge market with all their favorite Blockchain apps. Crypto users can deepen their involvement in Crypto by browsing our knowledge market and participating in discussions. At Holdex, we strive to make the Crypto community ever stronger and closer so that together we can accelerate Blockchain adoption and finally make the world a more open and inclusive place.

Website: https://holdex.io/home
Twitter: https://twitter.com/holdexio
Telegram: https://t.me/HoldexHQ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/holdexlimited/

Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE attracts 27,000 buyers

The HKTDC Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE (ASWO) exhibition, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), drew to a successful close on 27 November. The online exhibition featured more than 2,600 exhibitors and attracted more than 27,000 buyers from 132 countries and regions to participate. In addition to Hong Kong buyers, others came mainly from India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

More than 9,000 online business matching meetings concluded

Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director, HKTDC, said the number of exhibitors and buyers at ASWO was double the number attending Summer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE in July. Participation was also more international, demonstrating that the online exhibition was well received by different industries globally. “The HKTDC mobilised its network of 50 offices worldwide to invite quality international buyers to the event, arrange more than 9,000 online business matching meetings according to buyers’ sourcing needs. This arrangement increased the chance of business collaboration.”

The HKTDC’s online business matching platform Click2Match uses artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct automatic matching between potential business partners. The platform also helps participants to schedule meetings, conduct video meetings, chat in real time and exchange e-business cards. The HKTDC conducted an online survey with exhibitors and buyers during ASWO in which respondents said that meeting scheduling was the most useful of the platform’s functions, followed by video meeting and live chat capabilities.

3D virtual booths grab attention of global buyers

A number of exhibitors used 3D virtual booths to showcase their products in a more visually striking way, attracting more than 65,000 views. According to the survey, buyers agreed that the 3D virtual booths were useful for understanding exhibitors’ products and services, showing that the booths could help to attract more buyers, increase their interest in exhibitors’ products and services, and help them win more business.

In addition, more than 20 webinars were held during ASWO. The most popular webinars included the “Symposium on Innovation & Technology” (over 4,400 views), “Eco Asia Conference” (over 3,400 views), “Hong Kong International Optometric Symposium” (over 1,100 views), “Hong Kong International Watch Forum” (over 790 views) and the “Hong Kong Toys Industry Conference” (over 750 views). More than 100 industry leaders shared their insights in the webinars, allowing global exhibitors and buyers to stay close to the pulse of the market and get the most up-to-date information in the midst of the pandemic.

Online exhibition generates new business

ASWO provided an opportunity for buyers and exhibitors to continue to do business and close deals online, overcoming geographical constraints and helping to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Determinant (Hong Kong) Limited, a Hong Kong company that exhibited at ASWO, promoted their reusable masks and travel kits. Irene Chan, the company’s Assistant Sales Manager, said: “Through the Click2Match platform, we were able to arrange video meetings with more than 20 new buyers from India, Japan, Mainland China, Malaysia and the Middle East. Some of these potential buyers have already asked for our samples and a number of them will place orders after the online exhibition.”

Sidney Yu, Director of Prime Success Enterprises Limited, a Hong Kong exhibitor specialising in baby products, said his company had established contacts with new buyers from Brazil, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Japan, Poland and Thailand. “Four of them will become our potential customers and we expect the initial order from each new customer will be around US$10,000.”

A lighting buyer from Germany, Michael Wurzer, Managing Director of Why5 GmbH, had video meetings with four lighting suppliers through the Click2Match platform. He said: “With a sourcing budget of around US$5 million, we plan to place our first order with one of the new suppliers soon.”

Korean buyer Han Moi Kim, CEO of MOI Inc, identified 10 potential suppliers and plans to buy gold watch cases and crystal watch cases worth US$30,000 from two potential suppliers. “ASWO provides a timely and effective platform for us to find quality suppliers that can meet our sourcing needs under the global pandemic,” Mr Kim said.

Hybrid physical and virtual model for future exhibitions

According to the survey, a total of 96% of exhibitors said they had achieved one of the following objectives through the event, which included exploring market potential, generating new sales leads, meeting new customers, maintaining their presence in the market, launching and promoting new products, promoting their company’s brand, and gathering market intelligence and product trends. A total of 64% of exhibitors surveyed said they would consider both online and offline platforms as their major promotional channels in the future, while 95% said they would participate in the HKTDC’s virtual and physical exhibitions again. Of the buyers surveyed, 85% said they would use online and offline platforms as their major sourcing channels in the future, while almost all (99%) said they would participate in both virtual and physical exhibitions organised by the HKTDC.

In the face of the pandemic, it is anticipated that global sourcing behaviour will become increasingly digital, and that future trade fairs will be a combination of physical and virtual formats. The upgraded hktdc.com Sourcing platform and ASWO complement each other, with ASWO exhibitors able to keep in touch with global buyers through a three-month promotion run on hktdc.com Sourcing. The platform brings together 130,000 suppliers and 2 million buyers, creating more than 24 million business connections annually, while leveraging AI, machine learning and image recognition technologies to provide a personalised smart sourcing experience.

Websites
– Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE: http://asw.hktdc.com
– hktdc.com Sourcing: http://sourcing.hktdc.com
– HKTDC Media Room: http://mediaroom.hktdc.com
– Photo download: https://bit.ly/3mpp42D

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.

Contact:

Janet Chan, Tel: +852 2584 4369, Email: janet.ch.chan@hktdc.org
Beatrice Lam, Tel: +852 2584 4049, Email: beatrice.hy.lam@hktdc.org