Category: Digitalization

Top CX Visionaries to Gather at World CX Summit and Rebuild India’s Technological Ecosystem with CX

As companies are emerging stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic, the need is to adapt to the changes in their business functions caused by a once-in-a-lifetime crisis. The way a company interacts with its clients has undergone substantial transformation leading them to seek innovations that can adapt to the current scenario.

World CX Summit is an In-Person event taking place at Taj Lands End in Mumbai on 27 April 2022. The summit is hosting top Indian CX leaders and global experts, to explore the latest trends and address the most pressing challenges in the current CX ecosystem.

Alongside World CX Summit, Trescon is introducing ‘World CX Awards’, in a bid to honour top-notch CX professionals across industry sectors in the country, who have revolutionized the CX landscape.

“When you serve stated needs of customers, you meet expectations. When you go beyond and serve unstated needs, you exceed expectations,” states KV Dipu, Senior President – Head Operations & Customer Service at Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, and one of the speaker at World CX Summit.

Dharmender Narang, SVP – Chief CX Officer, at IIFL Securities stated, “Today, companies can regularly, and seamlessly collect customer interaction data from across financial, and operations systems, yielding deep insights about their customers. Those with an eye toward the future are boosting their data and analytics capabilities and harnessing predictive insights to connect more closely with their customers, anticipate behaviors, and identify CX issues and opportunities making CX as service differentiator in the industry. These companies can better understand their interactions with customers, even pre-empt problems in customer journeys and help company to improve customer loyalty & long relationship thus improving revenue per customer.”

World CX Summit will provide a wide spectrum of expert speakers and panelists such as:
– Rekha Nair, Chief Customer Experience & Quality Officer, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd.
– Neeraj Lal, Chief Operating Officer, Apollo Hospitals
– Dharmender Narang, Senior VP, Chief Customer Experience Officer, IIFL Securities
– Dharmarajan K, Chief Business Officer, Tata CLiQ
– Chaitanya Chokkareddy, CIO, Ozonetel Communications Pvt Ltd
– Nishant Shrivastava, Global Head – Centre of Excellence for Unified Communications and Collaborations, TATA Communications
– Shradha Thapa, Regional Head – Govt & OTT Partnership, Infobip
– Prakash Bharath, Director and Regional Head, Freshworks
– KV Dipu, Senior President – Head Operations & Customer Service, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance
– Ramakrishna M, Director – Contact Centre, CX and Outsource Operations, CoinSwitch Kuber
– Indranil Nath, EVP – Operations, Shiprocket
– Nitin Jain, Head of CX (CS&L and Sales) for India & Middle East and Africa, Mondelēz International
– Kumud Upadhyay, SVP – Customer Service, Motilal Oswal Financial Services
– Hari Shankar Mishra, SVP – CX, Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited
– Gaurav Sadana, VP & Head- CX & Central Retention, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company
– Suraj Shetty, Head Of CX, Learning & Development, Kissht
– Zeenat Mongal, DVP CX, ICICI Lombard
– Aalok R Pradhan, Director – Customer Success, CoinDCX

The event will focus on topics such as: Digital Transformation with Customer-First Thinking; Customer Data: Designing for Transparency & Trust; CX Strategies for a Touchless World; Adopting Digital Omnichannel; Future of Chatbots & Virtual Assistants; Rise of the Flexible Workforce; Role of Cybersecurity in Building Customer Trust and much more.

“While digital transformation has become a necessity, business leaders must now face a new set of challenges. As businesses plan for long-term sustained growth, the top priorities are speed, agility, customer experience, and culture shift,” stated Mithun Shetty – CEO, Trescon.

World CX Summit – India is officially sponsored by Lead Partner – Ozonetel Communications; Platinum Partners – Gupshup, TATA Communications, Infobip; Silver Sponsor – Phonon Communications; Gold Partners – UserTesting; Freshworks; Bronze Partner – Haptik, NeoSOFT Tech, Yellow.ai.

About Trescon

Trescon is a global business events and consulting firm that provides a wide range of business services to a diversified client base that includes corporations, governments and individuals. Trescon is specialised in producing highly focused B2B events that connect businesses with opportunities through conferences, road shows, expos, demand generation, investor connect and consulting services.

About World CX Summit

World CX Summit is a thought-leadership-driven, business-focused, global series of events that takes place in strategic locations across the world. As a part of the global series, the Indian edition will be gathering pre-qualified CX leaders “all under one roof” to discuss how the latest CX technologies and customer insights can be combined to transform CX with a new approach
The summit will also host a combination of insightful sessions, keynotes, case studies and panel discussions sure to deliver actionable insights that attendees can apply to their Customer Experience strategies.

For further details about the announcement, please contact:
Monith Shetty
Media, PR & Corporate Communications
+91 81059 75937
media@tresconglobal.com

NextPlay Technologies Acquires Assets and IP of Casual Game Publisher, goGame, to Integrate its HotPlay In-Game Advertising Technology

NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTP), a technology solutions company building a digital business ecosystem for digital advertisers, consumers, video gamers and travelers, has completed its previously announced acquisition of gaming assets and IP from goGame, a Singapore-based mobile casual video game publisher and technology company.

The acquired assets include goPlay, a new-gen game publishing platform featuring a tournament system, chat, payment, and 37 casual games ranging from arcade to strategy. NextPlay plans to complete the integration of its HotPlay in-game advertising (IGA) technology into the 37 goPlay games by year-end.

NextPlay also acquired from goGame a perpetual license to goPay, a payment aggregator that offers game developers multiple ways to more easily collect and process user payments. This includes carrier billing, over the counter, e-voucher, bank transfer and e-wallet. The goPay technology further extends NextPlay’s existing payment services, offering access to a wider array of global payment providers.

“The key value for us in this acquisition is how the goPlay platform enables gamers to form a community within its ecosystem,” noted NextPlay co-chief executive Nithinan (Jessie) Boonyawattanapisut. “We see this providing a ready-made platform to launch our HotPlay IGA technology, with this leading to new revenue streams and expansion of our reach to users in many additional countries around the world.”

As a fully owned brand, goPlay brings Nextplay:

– Web destination for players to gather and engage in social play across a catalogue of well-crafted, hyper casual games.
– Set of new technologies and APIs, such as social graph, chat, and game tournament backend services, for integration into the company’s advertising and game services offering and delivered via its core game software development kit across web, set-top box, and mobile platforms.
– New revenue stream through goPay payments and ability to harness exciting new partnerships in key areas of NextPlay’s broader market focus, such as NFT gaming and cryptocurrency.

goPlay and goPay offer a core set of compelling features that are perfect for a wide variety of platform partners who will be able to sign up under an Open Beta this summer. The goGame offerings will become part of the NextPlay suite of customizable products that can be tailored to fit the individual needs and capabilities of B2B and B2C operators across the globe.

NextPlay also plans to introduce goPlay game users to its NextFinancial fintech-oriented products, including crypto banking, micro-lending, and potential insurance services. Across each of these offerings, NextPlay would also have full access to goGame’s payment processing gateway goPay.

For further details about the NextPlay’s asset and IP purchase from goGame, please see the NextPlay Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov, and also available in the nextplaytechnologies.com investor relations section.

About goGame

Go Game Pte Ltd is a game company headquartered in Singapore, with offices in Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Founded in July 2015 by industry veteran David Ng, the company first made headlines for securing major investments from gaming giant SEGA and venture capitalist Incubate Fund Japan. The 200-strong team has collaborated on projects with SEGA, Disney, Colopl and Viacom. For more information, visit gogame.net

About NextPlay Technologies

NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTP) is a technology solutions company offering games, in-game advertising, crypto-banking, connected TV and travel booking services to consumers and corporations within a growing worldwide digital ecosystem. NextPlay’s engaging products and services utilize innovative AdTech, Artificial Intelligence and Fintech solutions to leverage the strengths and channels of our existing and acquired technologies. For more information about NextPlay Technologies, visit www.nextplaytechnologies.com and follow us on Twitter @NextPlayTech and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and within the safe harbor provided by the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations, opinions, beliefs or forecasts of future events and performance. A statement identified by the use of forward-looking words including “will,” “may,” “expects,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimate,” “should,” and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this news release. Factors that may cause such a difference include risks and uncertainties related to our need for additional capital which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all, which raises questions about our ability to continue as a going concern; the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and is expected to continue to have, a significant material adverse impact on the travel industry and our business, operating results and liquidity; amounts owed to us by third parties which may not be paid timely, if at all; certain amounts we owe under outstanding indebtedness which are secured by substantially all of our assets and penalties we may incur in connection therewith; the fact that we have significant indebtedness, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition; uncertainty and illiquidity in credit and capital markets which may impair our ability to obtain credit and financing on acceptable terms and may adversely affect the financial strength of our business partners; the officers and directors of the Company have the ability to exercise significant influence and voting control over the Company; stockholders may be diluted significantly through our efforts to obtain financing, satisfy obligations and complete acquisitions through the issuance of additional shares of our common or preferred stock; if we are unable to adapt to changes in technology, our business could be harmed; our travel business depends substantially on property owners and managers renewing their listings; if we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, our ability to compete could be impaired; our long-term success depends, in part, on our ability to expand our property owner, manager and traveler bases outside of the United States and, as a result, our business is susceptible to risks associated with international operations; unfavorable changes in, or interpretations of, government regulations or taxation of the evolving ALR, Internet and e-commerce industries which could harm our operating results; risks associated with the operations of, the business of, and the regulation of our recent acquisitions of Longroot Holding (Thailand) Company Limited (Longroot), HotPlay Enterprise Limited (HotPlay) and NextBank International (formerly IFEB); the market in which we participate being highly competitive, and because of that we may be unable to compete successfully with our current or future competitors; our potential inability to adapt to changes in technology, which could harm our business; the volatility of our stock price; risks associated with the integration of the operations of HotPlay, Longroot and IFEB, which acquisitions we recently competed; the fact that we may be subject to liability for the activities of our property owners and managers, which could harm our reputation and increase our operating costs; and that we have incurred significant losses to date and require additional capital which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. More information about the risks and uncertainties faced by NextPlay are detailed from time to time in NextPlay’s periodic reports filed with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the headings “Risk Factors”. These reports are available at www.sec.gov. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on the Company’s future results and/or could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. The Company takes no obligation to update or correct its own forward-looking statements, except as required by law, or those prepared by third parties that are not paid for by the Company. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

Source: NextPlay Technologies, Inc.

Company Contact:
NextPlay Technologies
Richard Marshall
Director of Corporate Development
Tel (954) 888-9779
rmarshall@monakergroup.com

Singapore-based FinTechs, TechCreate and Diginius, to Merge and Combine Together into an Integrated Fintech Enterprise, TechCreate Group; Focus on Powering the Future of Payments in Asia

TechCreate Solutions Private Limited (“TechCreate”), a Singapore-based technology services group specialising in innovative digital payment and digitalisation solutions, and Diginius Pte. Ltd. (“Diginius”), a provider for IT security and infrastructure solutions, are pleased to announce a merger between both companies via a share swap transaction that will value the enlarged fintech enterprise, TechCreate Group, at USD$30 million, based on a valuation that was recently completed by one of the Big 4 accounting firms.

From left: Mr Lim Heng Hai, (Group CEO of TechCreate Group) and Mr Ronald Vong, (Managing Partner of TechCreate Group)

As a trusted leader in digital solutions, TechCreate has been at the forefront of technology innovation and since its establishment, it has developed its own proprietary Real-Time Payment Engine (RTE) that can further enhance the payment capabilities of financial and banking institutions. Leveraging its technological expertise, legal experience and extensive operational track record, TechCreate has successfully enabled end-to-end digital solutions (such as payment gateways, API gateways and blockchain solutions, among others) for several banking and financial institutions in Asia.

With Diginius’ strengths in intelligence and security for concrete cyber resilience, it has built a growing track record with a focus on delivering technology solutions related to cyber security, hyper-converged IT infrastructure and secure application services. Diginius also works with some of the industry’s indisputable experts in cyber security and secured infrastructure services, combined with market-leading technologies to provide a springboard for the next phase of digital transformation.

The current CEO of TechCreate, Mr Lim Heng Hai, will be appointed as the Group CEO of TechCreate Group, while the current CEO of Diginius, Mr Ronald Vong, will be designated as the Managing Partner of TechCreate Group.

Strategic Rationale – Powering the Future of Payments in Asia

According to a Mckinsey report issued on November 2020, Asia has outpaced all other regions in terms of payments-revenue growth over the past several years. The region is also the largest contributor to global payments revenue, generating over US$900 billion in 2019, nearly half the global total. The Asia’s payments industry is expected to return to mid-to-high single-digit growth rates and, by 2022 or 2023, generating more than US$1 trillion in annual revenue.

Notably, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated Asia’s payments megatrends and chief among these was the rapidly expanding number of connected and digitally active consumers, with booming e-commerce markets reinforcing the need for digital solutions. The competitive landscape was simultaneously heating up, with the entry of formidable new players–including telecommunications firms, fintechs, “big techs,” and other conglomerates–spurring incumbents to step up their own innovation efforts.

Meanwhile, regulators sought to standardise infrastructure while encouraging competition, fostering the introduction of real-time payments, digital know your customer (KYC), and various local payment schemes.

With a focus on powering the future of payments in Asia, TechCreate Group aims to provide cutting-edge innovation and technology capability to enhance value creation for its customers as follows:

– Expanded business scale with integrated solutions: Having the capabilities to provide more comprehensive and integrated technology solutions related to payment and digitalisation platforms to serve new and existing customers across Asia.

– Strong potential to create new customer value propositions: Ability to broaden its reach and serve diverse customer segments with differentiated requirements and objectives, thereby creating the opportunity and potential to develop proprietary insights and innovative solutions that are aligned with the new trends of payments and digitalisation in Asia.

Commenting on the merger, Mr Lim Heng Hai, Group CEO of TechCreate Group, said, “This is a transformational transaction for both companies, creating an enlarged company with end-to-end digital payment offerings in high-growth verticals as economies in Asia accelerate their digitisation roadmap.

With our combined capabilities, it amplifies our mission be a leading innovative, customer-centric and eco-friendly technology solution provider in Asia.”

Mr Ronald Vong, Managing Partner of TechCreate Group, added, “We are confident that the strengths of the combined company will enable meaningful growth to stakeholders, delivering new value and insights to better serve our markets and customers.

At the same time, it can accelerate our growth and more effectively capitalise on our pipeline and broader market opportunities within the banking and financial industries in Asia.”

For more information on TechCreate Group, please visit: http://www.techcreate.com.sg/

Issued on behalf of TechCreate Group by 8PR Asia Pte Ltd.

Media Contact:
Mr. Alex TAN
Mobile: +65 9451 5252
Email: alex.tan@8prasia.com

UREEQA Brings Validation-as-a-Service to the NFT Marketplace

  • The VaaS solution will help NFT marketplaces, NFT collection creators, auction houses and other online platforms to crack down finally, on fraud, piracy and theft.

UREEQA, a leading digital validation company helping creators to protect, manage and monetize creative work, has today announced the launch of its new Validation-as-a-Service (VaaS) solution, designed to tackle NFT fraud and protect NFT creators.

Certainly, any solution will involve validating a creator’s identity. However, Ureeqa was conceived of the notion that it was as important to validate the authorship and ownership of every creation as well, a factor lacking in current NFT marketplaces, most of which focus on the ease with which creative pieces can be initialized and sold.

UREEQA’s unique platform fixes this by employing its VaaS solution to generate a Package-of-Proof(TM) and a Responsibly Minted(TM) NFT, which come together to serve as evidence that the creator and the creation have been authenticated and are legitimate.

“The initial exchange models were adopted by NFT marketplaces on the fly, hurried and so demand-focused that it enabled bad actors to take advantage of the situation,” UREEQA CEO Kirk Fergusson said. “Efforts need to be made to curb the abilities to perpetrate fraud as easily in the first place. Then, we have the answer with a patented process and blockchain-based solution that can be integrated into most NFT platforms.”

UREEQA’s revolutionary system — which has been tried and tested by renowned artists on the company’s own marketplace — is a creator-centric hybrid approach to validation and IP protection. The platform’s patented validation process enables verification via a centralized model, while generating a Package-of-Proof on the blockchain for anyone to see in decentralized fashion.

Any ETH-based NFT sales platform can integrate the core components of the UREEQA platform into their marketplace, just like that. And so too can any auction house or creator association.

Participating marketplaces can visibly delineate creations that have gone through this thorough assessment process — highlighting the extra steps that creators have taken to instill confidence amongst prospective purchasers.

“Building scalable world-class NFT marketplaces to address early adopter demand has taken considerable effort over the past year,” Fergusson added. “At UREEQA, we’ve spent the last 18 months building a validation solution designed to support creators first and foremost — and this patented technology is now available to NFT marketplaces to eradicate fraud and instill trust in the creations they’re offering through their platforms. By leveraging our VaaS solution, NFT marketplaces can quickly work to stamp out fraud while preparing their marketplaces for broader mass market adoption.”

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

The UREEQA platform strives to protect creators’ work, their rights and their revenue by harnessing the power of blockchain technology. UREEQA provides value and opportunities for its creators, validators and token holders via URQA, the token at the heart of the UREEQA ecosystem. For more information on UREEQA and upcoming announcements, please visit our website, join our Telegram channel and Discord server, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Disclaimer:
Statements in this article, including any statements relating to UREEQA’s future plans and objectives or expected results, may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in technology development and commercialization. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Do your own research!

Society Pass spins-off Leflair into Leflair Group, appoints Group CEO; to become next Super Distributor Nexus in SEA’s Lifestyle Retail Ecosystem

  • Society Pass Inc (SoPa) has restructured Leflair’s Vietnam operations, spinning-off Leflair Group, an integrated lifestyle retail ecosystem for Southeast Asia’s 100B+ USD retail market.
  • SoPa also announces the appointment of Loic Gautier, Co-founder and Former CEO of Leflair, as Leflair Group CEO, and Ngo Thi Cham, Vietnam Country Head of SOPA, as Leflair Group COO.
  • As CEO of Leflair Group, Loic will be responsible for managing Group P&L, sourcing and acquisitions to enlarge the Leflair ecosystem, expanding across Southeast Asian markets.

Society Pass Inc (SoPa) (NASDAQ: SOPA), a leading Southeast Asian loyalty and ecommerce ecosystem, today announced the completion of restructuring Leflair’s Vietnam operations with the spin-off of Leflair Group (LFGroup). Along with this restructuring, SoPa has appointed Loic Gautier as Chief Executive Officer of the new Leflair Group. Ngo Thi Cham, Vietnam Country Head of SoPa and current Managing Director of Leflair, will become the Leflair Group’s Chief Operating Officer and work alongside Loic in driving the business towards its next stage of growth.

As a result of this corporate restructuring, the Leflair Group is set to become Southeast Asia’s next lifestyle retail super distributor nexus, evolving from a single discounted platform to a lifestyle retail ecosystem, providing shoppers with an integrated and unique shopping experience from online to offline. The Leflair Group will continue to pursue acquisition of companies in the e-commerce, lifestyle retail and online advertising verticals.

Ray Liang, CFO of SoPa Group, commented, “After the IPO of SoPa last year, we have been working on a new strategy for Leflair, in order to maximize its potential as a destination for lifestyle shopping in Southeast Asia. To facilitate this, we are happy to welcome back Loic Gautier as Group CEO, joining our executive team and becoming the driving force of Leflair Group in the future. At SoPa, hiring key talent is among our top priorities, and we always welcome Leflair’s old talents to return, and work with the team to carry Leflair to new heights. Having Loic return as the CEO of Leflair Group ensures continuous and sustainable growth for Leflair in the years to come. The new recruitment also enables us to carry out larger plans for Leflair, evolving from a single online platform to become a true ecosystem for lifestyle shopping.”

Since its IPO on the Nasdaq last year, SoPa has focused on M&A activities to expand the ecosystem with other online platforms across 6 verticals: lifestyle, F&B, travel, digital media, and B2B software and loyalty technology in the top three V.I.P countries of Southeast Asia – Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines. Through these business lines, SoPa improves the interconnectedness and support within its ecosystem, fulfilling its mission to connect millions of registered consumers with thousands of registered merchants across Southeast Asia.

With this appointment, Loic will be responsible for managing Leflair Group’s growth and expansion strategy to bring the Leflair platform to other Southeast Asian countries, as well as managing future acquisitions to expand the group to other smaller segments within the lifestyle retail industry.

As CEO of the new Leflair Group, Loic said, “It’s an honor to receive SoPa’s trust. With this spin-off, Leflair now has a new medium to maximize its full growth potential. By pivoting from a single platform to an integrated lifestyle retail ecosystem, we seek to connect all players within the lifestyle retail value chain, from brand distributors, to offline stores, ecommerce platforms and delivery companies. The new vision makes Leflair a pioneer in redefining the lifestyle and ecommerce retail market across Southeast Asia.”

According to Loic, Leflair Group is working on ambitious plans for the period ahead, aiming for extensive funding rounds and a roadmap to IPO in the near future. To learn more, please visit websites www.thesocietypass.com and www.leflair.com.

About Society Pass
Society Pass is a leading loyalty and data marketing ecosystem that operates multiple e-commerce and lifestyle platforms across its key markets. Its business model focuses on collecting user data through the expected circulation of its universal loyalty points. It seamlessly connects consumers and merchants across multiple product and service categories fostering organic loyalty. Since its inception, SoPa has amassed over 1.6 million registered consumers and over 5,500 registered merchants/brands on its platform. It has invested 2+ years building proprietary IT architecture with cutting edge components to effectively scale and support its Platform’s consumers, merchants, and acquisitions.

Society Pass provides merchants with #HOTTAB Biz and #HOTTAB POS, a specialized POS technology solution, a comprehensive system for payment, loyal customer management, user profile analytics, and convenient financial support packages for small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition, SoPa operates Leflair.com, Vietnam’s leading lifestyle e-commerce platform, Pushkart.ph, a popular grocery delivery company in Philippines, and Handycart.vn, a leading online restaurant delivery service based in Hanoi, Vietnam. For more information, please visit http://thesocietypass.com.

About Leflair
Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Leflair is an online premium outlet for Fashion, Beauty and Home Furnishing products. Launched in December 2015, Leflair had been selling more than 2,500 brands via its flash-sales model. SOPA acquired Leflair’s assets in February 2021, relaunching the platform in September 2021, and spinning off the Leflair Group in April 2022. For more information, please visit https://leflair.com.

Media Contact
Precious Communications for SoPa
sopa@preciouscomms.com
+65 6303 0567

ARMA International Forms Global Partnership With The Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia

ARMA International (www.arma.org), the world’s leading membership organization serving professionals who manage and govern information assets and the Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia (RIMPA) (www.rimpa.com.au/), the longest serving peak body for industry practitioners in the southern hemisphere announced today a Global Partnership to better serve the information management profession worldwide.

The global partnership between these two leading worldwide organizations will provide many benefits to their collective 7,000 members who will now have the opportunity for joint membership in both organizations; access to reciprocal resources including communities and professional development, education and certifications; and advocacy for the information management and information governance profession. Together the two organizations will work together to provide a unique perspective on global information issues.

“Increasing the influence of the organization in the information management profession globally is a key strategic goal put forth by the ARMA Board of Directors. A partnership between ARMA and RIMPA is an amazing opportunity to create a global alliance for the industry and increase the opportunities for all of our members worldwide,” added Michael Haley, President, Board of Directors, ARMA.

“Information management and recordkeeping is a global challenge to do well. For the benefit of world citizens, I see the ARMA and RIMPA alliance as a very important step in meeting this challenge through the exchange of information, sharing resources and good will and I am very proud to part of this exciting journey that we are about to embark on,” said Thomas Kaufhold, Chair of Board, RIMPA.

The two organizations have already begun collaborating. Nathan Hughes, Executive Director of ARMA and Wendy McLain, President-Elect of ARMA will be attending the RIMPA Live 2022 Convention, June 14-17 in Canberra, Australia, and participate in meetings with the RIMPA Board. Anne Cornish, Chief Executive Officer of RIMPA and Thomas Kaufhold, Chair of the Board of RIMPA will be attending ARMA’s InfoCon 2022, October 16-19, in Nashville, TN, and participate in meetings with the ARMA Board.

“The partnership of ARMA and RIMPA brings with it the opportunity to integrate two of the largest information management communities to continue to increase awareness for the industry. The possibilities expand exponentially when like-minded organizations work globally for their membership and foster an environment of growth,” said Nathan Hughes, Executive Director, ARMA.

“A RIMPA and ARMA alliance provide both member groups with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and extend networking opportunities. Working together on global issues and increasing access to professional development opportunities and resources is a positive sign of how society can operate effectively in separate hemispheres,” added Anne Cornish, Chief Executive Officer, RIMPA.

About ARMA International

ARMA International (www.arma.org), formed in 1955, is the world’s leading membership organization serving almost 5,000 professionals who manage and govern information in 52 countries. Members represent the community of records management, information management, and information governance professionals who harness the benefits and reduce the risks of information. ARMA provides information professionals with the resources, tools, and training they need to effectively manage records and information within an established information governance framework. Works that are associated with the framework include the Principles, the Information Governance Maturity Model and the Information Governance Body of Knowledge (IGBOK). ARMA recognizes professionals who have mastered these concepts through the Information Governance Professional (IGP) Certification.

About The Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia

The Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia (RIMPA) (www.rimpa.com.au/) established in 1969, represents over 2,000 professionals and organizations in the private sector, Commonwealth, Federal, State and Local Governments. RIMPA has active Branches and Chapters operating in all states and territories across Australia and New Zealand. RIMPA is the longest serving peak body for industry practitioners in the southern hemisphere and actively promotes best practice, sets industry standards and fosters professional development across all business sectors and educational institutions. Through its international partnerships with other peak bodies, RIMPA provides its members with access to an accomplished framework of professional associations. RIMPA has strategic alliances with the Information Governance ANZ, Institute of Managers and Leaders (IML), Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), Australian Society of Archivist (ASA) and Leadership Through Data.

For further information, contact:
Amy Riemer, Media Relations Representative
978-475-4441 (office) or 978-502-4895 (cell)
amy@riemercommunications.com

SOURCE: ARMA International

Planet Ark Launches Collaborative ACE Hub Portal to Accelerate Australia’s Transition to Circular Economy

Planet Ark, an environmental non-profit organization, chooses Hivebrite’s community management and engagement platform to connect circular economy stakeholders to drive change.

Established in 1992, Planet Ark is one of Australia’s most respected and trusted environmental organizations. It is focused on solutions and making positive environmental actions accessible to everyone.

The non-profit organization created the Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE Hub) to facilitate and accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Australia.

Supporting and Spurring Collective Action

The ACE Hub aims to be the focal point for all things circular in Australia – a platform for sharing information and inspiration and celebrating the efforts of all those contributing to this vital movement.

“You can’t have a circular economy without collaboration. The transformation to a circular economy will require one of the greatest collaboration efforts ever undertaken by humanity.” Paul Klymenko, co-CEO, Planet Ark Environmental Foundation.

“We knew that change-makers around the country were launching impressive initiatives to advance circular economy. We wanted to bring together all these individuals – from governments and industries through to business owners and consumers – in a digital space to facilitate connections and collaborations to maximize the impact of their work throughout Australia.” Chelsea McLean, ACE Hub Portal Community Coordinator, Planet Ark Environmental Foundation.

Scaling Impact Through Specialized Groups

Using Hivebrite’s Group feature, the ACE Hub team has created over 12 subgroups within the global online community to empower members to collaborate around specific interests related to circular economy.

Group leaders can post news, organize events, share resources, and create forum discussions specific to their group. The ACE Hub team can share events and content from the different groups in the broader community to enhance reach and engagement.

Sparking Conversations to Drive Change

Connecting professionals and encouraging collaborations are facilitated by the community’s interactive directory that allows members to search for peers based on expertise and location. Members can send direct messages to others to grow their network and exchange ideas.

The hub’s forum offers a space for members to start and join discussions, particularly after new initiatives, tools, and approaches have been presented at an event or conference.

Most importantly, the community turns individual experiences into guidance and shared learnings to accelerate circular economy transformation. Members can access valuable information, training materials, and regional and topic-specific advice via the hub’s resource center.

Members are also provided with a fully branded mobile application, available through the Apple Store and Google Play, to more conveniently connect to the community, facilitate deeper engagement, and enhance brand recognition.

“We are proud to partner with this extraordinary community. With Hivebrite’s community management and engagement platform, Planet Ark unites and connects trailblazers with each other and essential resources to spur collective action to support and accelerate the circular economy movement in Australia.” Dilianna C. Bustillos, Senior Director of Customer Success, Hivebrite.

About Hivebrite

Hivebrite is an all-in-one community management and engagement platform.

It empowers organizations to launch, manage, and grow fully branded private communities. Hivebrite is completely customizable and provides all the tools needed to strengthen community engagement.

Over 800 organizations worldwide, including American Heart Association, JA Worldwide, Earthwatch, the University of Notre Dame, and NYSE, use Hivebrite to create and engage vibrant communities.

Press contact
Kathryn Bird
kathryn@hivebrite.com
https://hivebrite.com/

SOURCE: Hivebrite

The Place Holdings and Stellar Lifestyle to Collaborate on Various Digital Initiatives to Shape the Future of Digital Media and Tap New Opportunities in the Digital Economy

SGX mainboard-listed company, The Place Holdings Limited (“The Place Holdings”, the “Company” and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Stellar Lifestyle Pte. Ltd. (“Stellar Lifestyle”), a business arm of SMRT Corporation Ltd., to jointly collaborate to shape the future of digital media and tap new opportunities in the digital economy.

From left to right: Mr. Fan Xianyong, CEO of The Place Holdings, Mr Ji Zenghe, Executive Chairman of the Place Holdings, Mr. Seah Moon Ming, Chairman of SMRT Corporation Ltd, Mr. Tony Heng, President of Stellar Lifestyle

Creating vibrant transit destinations through continuous innovation and a desire to make our everyday touchpoints better, Stellar Lifestyle is the largest managing agent of retail and advertising spaces in Singapore’s rail network.

Notably, both The Place Holdings and Stellar Lifestyle aim to build Singapore’s first Sky Screen, a suspended video screen that will be an enhanced version of Beijing’s iconic attraction, (“Shimao Tianjie Sky Screen”).

As a high-tech visual extravaganza, the Sky Screen is envisaged as a new attraction in Singapore that will be integrated with smart digital technology system and immersive media, boosting new business vibrancy and creating new possibilities in digital media solutions.

Shimao Tianjie Sky Screen is located at No. 9 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, the heart of Beijing’s Central Business District (CBD) and it is one of the largest sky screens in Asia with 7,500 sqm of LED lights across a space of 250m long and 30m wide, offering a spectacular light show experience with high-resolution imagery and state-of-the-art, immersive sound systems as well as technological features that enable interactivity.

Pioneering new experiential marketing experiences, Shimao Tianjie Sky Screen has established a strong brand and continues to be a popular venue and platform for various events, advertisements and media.

The Group recently announced a separate MOU to undertake two acquisitions that includes the licensing of the Intellectual Property Rights for the use in the operation and management of Shimao Tianjie Sky Screen and the acquisition of certain assets and businesses relating to Shimao Tianjie Sky Screen. More information on Shimao Tianjie Sky Screen can be accessed at www.theplacebeijing.com.

Mr. Seah Moon Ming, Chairman of SMRT Corporation Ltd, said, “The Place Holdings has an impressive business track record of more than 30 years in developing market-leading media, tourism, and real estate businesses.

As a financial, aviation and technology hub, Singapore is one of the most connected countries in the world. It is a good springboard for The Place Holdings and Stellar Lifestyle to showcase the convergence of 5G, new technologies and media concepts to bring greater value to businesses and consumers.

This MOU signifies our desire to jointly develop experiential solutions through leading-edge technology for smart commuter-station connections. We are confident that this would pave the way for greater business success together.”

Mr. Ji Zenghe, Executive Chairman of The Place Holdings, said, “Innovative visual experiences and new digital media technology continue to play a pivotal role in boosting mindshare among consumers as our physical and digital worlds come closer together.

As Singapore’s largest managing agent of retail and advertising spaces in Singapore’s rail network, Stellar Lifestyle has created a thriving ecosystem that includes F&B, shopping and digital solutions.

Through this strategic collaboration, we aim to combine our unique complementary strengths in enhancing smart commuting and creating innovative digital media solutions within this ecosystem.

This is an important milestone for the Group as we deepen our business roots in Singapore and create new value propositions with our capabilities in immersive media and digital technologies.”

Mr. Ji added, “With the Sky Screen’s visual extravaganza and technology features, we aim to contribute to the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore’s retail and tourism landscape by creating unique and engaging experiences.

Together with Stellar Lifestyle’s extensive touchpoints across Singapore, there are significant opportunities to continuously improve our service offerings and experience to targeted audiences and to redefine the future of digital media solutions.”

This document is to be read in conjunction with The Place Holdings’ exchange filings on 31 March 2022, which can be downloaded via www.sgx.com.

About The Place Holdings Limited
(SGX Code: E27)

Listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange, The Place Holdings Limited (“The Place Holdings”, the “Company” and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”), focuses on integrating traditional businesses with omni-channel strategies and digital solutions (such as “new-retail” solutions, last mile logistics, immersive virtual reality technology, enterprise intelligent connectivity) to harness new growth opportunities in the digital economy.

The Group has established a strong business platform to create new value propositions within its 3 core business pillars:

1. Property development and property management activities
2. Cultural tourism and related “new retail” businesses
3. Integrated media-related businesses with management & operation rights

The Group is backed by the key management team of The Place Investment Group, a multi-billion PRC conglomerate that has a strong track record for its extensive business portfolio in tourism, media, property management, biomedical technology investments and international trade.

Embolden with a new business approach and forward-looking corporate culture, The Place Holdings is expanding our business presence of profitable businesses with high growth potential in Singapore and China through organic and inorganic initiatives.

For additional information, please visit www.theplaceholdings.com

About Stellar Lifestyle

Transit Retail & Advertising Solutions

Stellar Lifestyle, a business arm of SMRT Corporation Limited, has expertise in property and retail management, media and digital advertising solutions. We create vibrant transit destinations and lifestyle experiences to make our everyday touchpoints better. Our growing portfolio includes mall management and outdoor media & digital engagement platforms. We are also the largest managing agent of retail and advertising spaces in Singapore’s rail network.

Issued on behalf of The Place Holdings Limited and Stellar Lifestyle by 8PR Asia Pte Ltd.

For further information, please contact the following:

Mr. Zhang Wei
Chief Strategy Officer
The Place Holdings Limited
Tel: (65) 6781 8156
Fax: (65) 6781 8159
Email: zhangwei@theplaceholdings.com

SMRT Corporate Communications
Tel: (65) 9822 0902
Email: media@smrt.com.sg

Mr. Alex TAN
Mobile: +65 9451 5252
Email: alex.tan@8prasia.com

Society Pass (SoPa) Reports Full Year 2021 Financial Results, Sees 891% Year on Year Revenue Growth

  • Revenue grew 891% (from $52,453 for fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 to $519,885 for fiscal year ended December 31, 2021) driven primarily by revenues from the LeFlair lifestyle platform
  • SoPa is well capitalized for planned acquisitions of food & beverage, lifestyle, travel, merchant software companies in VIP (Vietnam, Indonesia, and Philippines) countries of SEA
  • SoPa expects to launch the Society Pass loyalty points platform in 2Q 2022, which SoPa believes will help substantially increase it online users and merchants across the VIP region

Society Pass Incorporated (SoPa) (Nasdaq: SOPA), a leading Southeast Asia loyalty and ecommerce ecosystem, reported its financial results for its fiscal year ending 31 December 2021.

The Company’s total revenues increased over eight hundred and ninety percent year on year mainly as a result of the relaunch of its Leflair lifestyle e-commerce business in September 2021. “2021 has been a strong year for SoPa in spite of the impact from the Delta and Omicron variants. Despite only operating in only the last four months of 2021, Leflair recognized monthly double digit revenue growth in the fourth quarter. With the region rapidly pivoting to recovery, we expected to see robust eCommerce growth in both transaction volume and basket size. SoPa’s healthy pipeline and strategy for acquiring rapidly growing eCommerce platforms will allow us to capture that exciting growth. We expect 2022 to be a stellar year for SoPa as we continue to build out our next generation loyalty platform and acquire more leading e-commerce companies in SEA”, said Dennis Nguyen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Society Pass.

Key Highlights:

  • Total revenue grew by 891% primarily attributed to the acquisition of the Leflair lifestyle platform
  • The Company is well capitalized to rollout its business plan with cash on hand growing over 4,400% to $23.2 million, primarily due to the completion of its Nasdaq listing IPO in November 2021 (SoPa also completed a $11.5 million (gross proceeds) follow-on public offering in February of 2022)
  • Since its inception, Society Pass has acquired 4 eCommerce businesses in Southeast Asia namely; #HOTTAB, Leflair, and Handycart in Vietnam, as well as Pushkart in Philippines

In 2022, SoPa expects further growth as the SEA countries shift to focus on economic recovery. The Company also expects to launch of Society Points in Q2 2022, which it expects to increase profit margins and drive customer retention for merchants. In addition, SoPa plans to make additional acquisitions in 2022 that will generate additional revenue synergies and create cost efficiencies as part of the expanding SoPa ecosystem.

About Society Pass
Society Pass is a loyalty and data marketing ecosystem that operates multiple e-commerce and lifestyle platforms across its key markets. Its business model focuses on collecting user data through the expected circulation of its universal loyalty points. It seamlessly connects consumers and merchants across multiple product and service categories fostering organic loyalty. Since its inception, SoPa has amassed over 1.6 million registered consumers and over 5,500 registered merchants/brands on its platform. It has invested 2+ years building proprietary IT architecture with cutting edge components to effectively scale and support its Platform’s consumers, merchants, and acquisitions.

Society Pass provides merchants with #HOTTAB Biz – a convenient order management app for business partners on SoPa.asia, and #HOTTAB POS – a specialized POS technology solution, a comprehensive system for payment, loyal customer management, user profile analytics, and convenient financial support packages for small and medium-sized enterprises.

In addition, SoPa operates Leflair.com, Vietnam’s leading lifestyle e-commerce platform, Pushkart.ph, a popular grocery delivery company in Philippines, and Handycart.vn, a leading online restaurant delivery service based in Hanoi, Vietnam. For more information, please check out: http://thesocietypass.com/

Media contact
PRecious Communications for SoPa
sopa@preciouscomms.com

CubiCasa Enters Australian and New Zealand Real Estate Market Through Partnership with Bladescenes

CubiCasa, a global-reaching real estate software company headquartered in Oulu, Finland, has announced a partnership with Bladescenes, a leading creative marketing agency for real estate located in Auckland, New Zealand. This partnership marks a notable boost to CubiCasa’s ongoing expansion into the Australian and New Zealand real estate markets, accelerating the global growth of its mobile property scanning technology.

Bladescenes offers creative photography, videography, and now virtual floor plans as a part of its agency services. Bladescenes markets homes by capturing their prepossessing architect and layout potential through the use of digital technology. CubiCasa’s mobile capture technology gives Bladescenes’ customers the capability to visualize their dream floor plan while speeding up the home inspection and valuation process.

“By partnering with Bladescenes, we are continuing to work toward our mission of modernizing and digitizing the real estate process on a global scale,” said Jeff Allen, President of CubiCasa. “This relationship gives us the opportunity to become the one-stop shop for real estate and mortgage professionals in Australia and New Zealand while continuing to expand in the U.S., Europe, and other target markets.”

CubiCasa, which was founded in 2014 and launched its scanning solution in 2019, has successfully entered the Australian and New Zealand markets, furthering its growth by partnering with successful players in the real estate industry. The company is working with close to 40 leading companies across both countries.

“CubiCasa’s technology will allow us to integrate floor plan and sketch capabilities into our offering along with photography,” said George McNabb, Creative Director of Bladescenes. “By using CubiCasa’s easy-to-use app, we are seeing increased adoption and lower margin of error. CubiCasa has totally changed our business and we are grateful to be partnering with them.”

About CubiCasa

Headquartered in Oulu, Finland, CubiCasa is the global market leader in mobile indoor scanning and is known for its fast and easy-to-use floor plan app on the App Store and Google Play Store. CubiCasa’s technology is used in 144 different countries and has helped create over 1 million floor plans to date. CubiCasa provides technology for the real estate, appraisal, and mortgage industries and is on a mission to digitize real estate. http://www.cubi.casa/

About Bladescenes

Founded in 2012, Bladescenes remains at the forefront of real estate technology and marketing, offering a range of services that includes photography, videography, floor planning, virtual open homes, and virtual staging. With our dedicated team of real estate experts and advanced technology, Bladescenes ensures agents and homeowners have access to the leading and most creative ways to list and sell a property. https://www.bladescenes.com/

CubiCasa Media Contact
Ross Stevens
Caliber Corporate Advisers for CubiCasa
803-549-7529
ross@calibercorporate.com

SOURCE: CubiCasa