Biometrically authenticated remote mobile payments reach US$1.2 trillion by 2027 - Juniper Research

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (Bernama) -- A new study from Juniper Research has found the value of biometrically authenticated remote mobile payments will reach US$1.2 trillion globally by 2027; rising from US$332 billion in 2022. (US$1 = RM4.373)

These transactions use biometrics, typically facial and fingerprint recognition, to authenticate remote mobile payments.

According to a statement, this growth of 365 per cent is driven by recent regulatory changes, with the introduction of SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) pushing greater adoption.

The new research, Mobile Payment Biometrics: Key Opportunities, Regional Analysis & Market Forecasts 2022-2027, identified OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)-Pay solutions, including Apple Pay, as a driver of mobile payment biometrics adoption.

The report urged OEM-Pay vendors to use their influence over smartphone design to enhance built-in biometric systems within devices and ensure that security is maintained as new threats emerge.

The SCA requirement of PSD2 (Second Payment Services Directive) has pushed financial institutions to implement biometric authentication. To meet this requirement, financial institutions have capitalised on smartphone biometric authentication capabilities; accelerating the technology’s adoption.

To maintain trust and reduce fraud, financial institutions are implementing step-up authentication, where certain transactions are escalated for biometric approval based on risk scoring.

Therefore, vendors must offer multiple ways to authenticate, as well as developing new techniques to keep biometrics secure.

In addition, the report found that facial recognition is paving the way for greater adoption of biometrics in mobile payments, with OEM-Pay solutions leveraging the near ubiquity of facial recognition capabilities to provide frictionless checkout experiences for customers.

-- BERNAMA

Crocus Technology announces release of high accuracy energy metering solution

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Bernama) -- Crocus Technology Inc, developer of XtremeSense® TMR sensors, has announced the release of a high accuracy energy metering solution with isolated current sensing and digital output.

“The Crocus solution with the CT430 current sensor provides improved accuracy over existing magnetic sensor based designs,” said Tim Kaske, Crocus Vice President, Sales & Marketing. 

“With a validated design solution and a 12-week lead-time, OEM design customers are able to quickly integrate the energy metering solution into their end products.”

The solution is capable of measuring power, voltage and current while providing 1,820 VPK isolation in AC or DC applications. The result is a smaller and more efficient design without the use of large current transformers. 

According to a statement, the solution is ideal for a range of smart devices such as power supply monitors, electric vehicle chargers, household appliances, motor control and smart lighting.

The solution consists of the Crocus’ CT430 TMR isolated current sensor, Microchip’s ATtiny426 microcontroller, Printed Circuit Board (PCB), design files, microcontroller firmware, Bill of Materials (BoM) list, user guide and relevant support for designing a fully functional power monitoring solution.

The design solution has been verified to accurately read and quantise the voltage and current values prior to calculating the instantaneous and Root Mean Square (RMS) power components, active and reactive power, as well as power factor.

These power values are stored in registers which can be accessed by an external microcontroller via the SPI interface. By offloading the design effort of measuring and calculating power, the Crocus metering solution simplifies the addition of metering capabilities to any smart device.

The key to precise power measurements is the CT430 current sensor which provides better than one per cent current measurement accuracy over the -40°C to +125°C operating range.

It is available in a small 16-lead SOIC-Wide package, eliminating the need for bulky current transformers and allowing for more compact designs. 

More details at www.crocus-technology.com.

-- BERNAMA

NEW NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SERIES HIGHLIGHTS KAUST AS GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH HUB

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) -- National Geographic is shining the spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Chasing Answers, a new four-part series that explores the emergence of the Thuwal-based institution as a hub for groundbreaking scientific research and development in the region and the world.

According to a statement, the documentary, produced by National Geographic, will premiere on National Geographic (English) and National Geographic Abu Dhabi (Arabic) on June 1 at 9pm KSA.

Home to elite scientists from all over the world, KAUST focuses on research that applies science and technology to areas of global concern.

The series delves into three areas in particular - human need, social advancement and environmental sustainability - highlighting important projects with significant impact on both nature and mankind.

Episodes include Powering the Future, which will take a look at a team of KAUST researchers, as they spend countless hours tackling climate change and testing alternative energy solutions. Red Sea Explored is a deep dive into projects that include underwater internet and coral spawning.

The episode (Feeding) The 10 Billion Challenge shows the inroads being made by the KAUST team in answering the ever-daunting question of how to feed the world’s growing population. We Are Doers focuses on a group of problem-solvers as they look for ways to use technology to help overcome issues ranging from the global microchip shortage to filling knowledge gaps in our understanding of the past and our ambitions for the future.

Chasing Answers will air at 9pm KSA time each Wednesday for four weeks starting June 1.

Established in 2009, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is a graduate research university devoted to finding solutions for some of the world’s most pressing scientific and technological challenges in the areas of food and health, water, energy, environment and the digital domain.

KAUST is a catalyst for innovation, economic development and social prosperity in Saudi Arabia and the world, with research resulting in novel patents and products, enterprising startup businesses, collaborative regional and global initiatives, and original published papers.

-- BERNAMA

TRILLIANT PARTNERS SAMART, DEPLOYING AMI FOR PROVINCIAL ELECTRICITY AUTHORITY, THAILAND

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) -- Trilliant, a leading global provider of utility solutions for advanced metering and smart grid systems, has announced a new partnership with SAMART to deploy Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for the Provincial Electricity Authority of Thailand (PEA).

The deployment demonstrates Trilliant’s continued commitment to utilities in the Asia Pacific region at market-leading performance levels.

“Trilliant is dedicated to providing innovative solutions for our customers across the globe,” said Andy White, Chairman & CEO of Trilliant.

“Our platform allows for the deployment of hybrid-wireless technologies that can be used effectively with a variety of applications, allowing utilities to provide top level service to their customers. Partnering with SAMART allows us to deliver our software platform to support multiple meter brand deployments.”

According to a statement, PEA Thailand has awarded the contract to STS Consortium comprising SAMART Telcoms PCL and SAMART Communication Services.

“The fine selection of quality products from Trilliant, a world-class technology provider, has strengthened our solution offerings to PEA. We look forward to our long-term partnership and future collaboration in Thailand,” said Suchart Duangtawee, EVP of SAMART Telcoms PCL.

Trilliant has already connected more than three million smart meters for customers in India and Malaysia, with plans to deploy an additional seven million meters over the next three years through existing partnerships.

With the addition of PEA, Trilliant’s technology will soon be deployed in millions of new homes, helping utilities provide reliable access to electricity to their customers.

The continued deployments in APAC are a testament to Trilliant’s purpose-built technology for utilities and communities. Recently recognised by Frost & Sullivan as the 2021 Asia-Pacific Smart Utility Communications Platform Company of the Year, Trilliant remains dedicated to its technology innovation path.

For more information, visit www.trilliant.com.

-- BERNAMA

PUBMATIC'S CONNECT ENABLES MEDIA BUYERS SEAMLESSLY LINK UP WITH TARGET AUDIENCES

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Bernama) -- PubMatic, an independent technology company delivering digital advertising’s supply chain of the future, has announced the launch of Connect, a comprehensive and fully integrated platform to enable media buyers to seamlessly connect with their target audiences across the open internet. 

“As media buyers seek to maximise the value and ROI of their media spend, audience addressability is a critical piece of the puzzle,” said VP, Addressability at PubMatic, Peter Barry in a statement.

“Connect sets a new standard for efficiency and effectiveness in media targeting, giving advertisers access to specific audiences using the data currency they prefer, in one streamlined platform. There is a robust future for sell-side audience addressability, and this will give publishers and advertisers better control over revenue and performance.”

Connect is one of the only unbiased addressability offerings that combines many of the preferred signal approaches into one platform, including known identity, first and second-party data, contextual signals, seller-defined audiences, and modelled audiences.

The solution enables brands and media buyers to activate a portfolio approach to addressability to improve ad relevance while respecting consumer privacy, well ahead of the ecosystem's transition away from the third-party cookie.

Connect builds on the momentum of the company’s audience business, which has increased over 3x in the past year, thanks in part to strong growth drivers such as supply path optimisation deals and PubMatic’s connected TV (CTV) business.

By bringing audience targeting to the sell-side of the digital advertising ecosystem, PubMatic’s Connect provides ad buyers with greater control over how inventory and data are packaged and transacted to drive the best performance for their campaigns.

As a result, buyers get sustainable audience resolution, increased reach and scale, and greater return on ad spend – across display, video, mobile app, and CTV.

Connect unites a portfolio of addressability solutions that PubMatic has developed over the past few years into a single platform, making it easier for buyers to access and activate various data signals across channels.

-- BERNAMA

SWEEGEN TASTES SWEET VICTORY AGAINST PURECIRCLE IN STEVIA REB M PATENT LAWSUIT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Bernama) -- Sweegen, the global pioneer in wellness ingredient technologies and innovations, announced its victory against PureCircle in a stevia Rebaudioside M (Reb M) patent lawsuit.

“Today's judgment vindicates Sweegen and affirms the company's position as an industry leader in innovative sweetener solutions,” said CEO of Sweegen, Steven Chen in a statement.

“As a holder of core proprietary technologies of wellness ingredients, Sweegen vigorously guards its intellectual property rights and respects those of others.”

PureCircle, acquired by Ingredion in 2020, had filed the 2018 lawsuit against Sweegen in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, accusing Sweegen of infringing two PureCircle patents covering the manufacture of Reb M.

The legal tide turned on PureCircle when Sweegen obtained a summary judgment that both of PureCircle's asserted patents are invalid.

Since it is impossible to infringe an invalid patent, the court's invalidation of the asserted patents ends the infringement case against Sweegen at the U.S. District Court.

More details at www.sweegen.com.

-- BERNAMA

MULTI-ACCESS EDGE COMPUTING SPEND REACHES US$22.7 BILLION BY 2027 - JUNIPER RESEARCH

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Bernama) -- A new Juniper Research study has predicted that global MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) spend will grow from US$8.8 billion in 2022, to US$22.7 billion by 2027. (US$1 = RM4.387)

According to a statement, this growth of 260 per cent will be driven by increasing requirements for on-premises machine learning and low-latency connectivity; enabled by 5G technology.

MEC is a network architecture that moves processing power and digital content to mobile network edges to provide lower latency and faster processing to end users.

The new research, Edge Computing: Vertical Analysis, Competitor Leaderboard, and Market Forecasts 2022-2027, predicts that over 3.4 million MEC nodes will be deployed by 2027; rising from less than one million in 2022, identifying autonomous vehicles and smart cities as key beneficiaries of increasing MEC roll-outs, by enabling the handling of data generated by connections in these markets to be processed at network edges.

This will reduce network strain by decreasing the physical distance that cellular data will need to travel.

The report found that operator partnerships with agile technology companies, such as AWS, IBM and Microsoft, will be essential in achieving the growth of MEC node roll-outs. It forecasts that over 1.6 billion mobile users will have access to services underpinned by MEC nodes by 2027; rising from only 390 million in 2022.

Furthermore, mobile cloud computing is anticipated to be a highly valued MEC service amongst mobile users over the next five years. By migrating processing power to the cloud, via MEC nodes, users will benefit from faster processing power and devices with smaller form factors.

Additionally, the report predicts that the delivery of digital content, including video streaming, cloud gaming and immersive reality, will benefit from the geographical proximity of MEC nodes and increase value proposition by improving video caching and computational offload.

It urges operators to maximise the user reach of MEC by focusing on urban deployments first.

-- BERNAMA

AMBANK GROUP'S CFO NAMED 'BEST CFO FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS' AT THE MALAYSIA INVESTOR RELATIONS ASSOCIATION AWARDS 2021

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Bernama) -- Jamie Ling, Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of AMMB Holdings Berhad (AmBank), has been named ‘Best CFO for Investor Relations’ mid-cap category for 2021 by Malaysian Investor Relations Association Berhad (MIRA) at its 11^th annual Investor Relations Awards (IR Awards). 

The IR Awards is the largest annual event in MIRA's calendar which marks the culmination of a dedicated initiative by MIRA in advancing and promoting good investor relations practices among listed companies in Malaysia.
 
Reacting after receiving the prestigious award, Jamie Ling remarked, “I am humbled and truly delighted to be accorded with this title and I consider this recognition from MIRA as a testament to the dedication and support from my Investor Relations and Finance teams as well as my colleagues at AmBank. As a team, we demonstrated strong leadership, communicated clearly with our stakeholders and took actions that strengthened our financial position. We adjusted our ways of working through technology deployment for health and safety reasons, minimised service disruptions to customers while continuing to support borrowers in need. I am proud to see our people responding to the environment with commitment and trust.”
 
MIRA, the first and only professional association for investor relations in Malaysia, successfully held its 11^th annual IR Awards virtually in December 2021 where 23 awards across eight categories were presented to the winners.
 
About AmBank Group

AmBank Group is a leading financial services group with over 40 years of expertise in supporting the economic development of Malaysia. We have over three million customers and employ over 9,000 people.
 
The Group was listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia in 1988. It is the sixth-largest banking group by assets in Malaysia, with a market capitalisation of more than RM12 billion as at 31 March 2022.
 
AmBank Group serves over three million individual and corporate customers. It provides services in wholesale banking, business banking, retail banking, investment banking and related financial services which include Islamic banking, general insurance, life insurance, family takaful, stock and share broking, futures broking, investment advisory and management services in assets, real estate investment trust and unit trusts.

SOURCE: AmBank Group

MARY KAY INC. COLLABORATES WITH EUROPEAN PARTNERS TO SUPPORT NATIVE OYSTER RESTORATION PROJECTS

 

Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer at Mary Kay Inc. (Photo: Mary Kay Inc.) 

DALLAS, May 20 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Oyster reefs benefit humans and the environment through a suite of ecosystem services. A single oyster can filter up to 240 liters of water a day, resulting in increased water quality and clarity and support a unique and highly diverse community of fish and invertebrate marine species. At the same time, oyster reefs are the world’s most threatened marine habitat, with an estimated 85 percent loss globally.
 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220519005168/en/

 

In celebration of World Endangered Species Day and International Day for Biological Diversity, Mary Kay Inc., a global leader in corporate sustainability, announced its collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and European partners to support native oyster restoration projects in the UK and continental Europe.

TNC helped to launch the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (NORA), a European network made up of governmental agencies, scientists, NGOs, oyster growers, and private enterprises. The teams are collaborating on the restoration of the native European flat oyster habitat so it once again supports the biodiversity that relies on it and helps improve water quality.

“Oyster reefs are some of the best investments we can make in conserving natural systems,” said Dr. Elizabeth McLeod, who leads on reef conservation for TNC’s Global Reef Program. “Healthy oyster populations ensure cleaner water and help shield coastal areas and the people who live there from the impacts of climate change. With support from funders like Mary Kay, TNC can restore and protect these important systems for the long term.” 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43207

GUANGXI BORDER PORTS BEGIN REGULAR OPERATIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (Bernama) -- Statistics from the Department of Commerce of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region show that during the May Day holiday in 2022, a total of 3,344 vehicles entered and exited through Guangxi border highway ports, including 1,601 and 1,743 vehicles leaving and entering Guangxi, respectively.

All border ports in Guangxi maximised the capacity of customs clearance under the principle of "open port access to the greatest extent" by minimising impacts by the pandemic. As of May 5, seven highway ports and one railway port with cargo handling capacity were all open for normalised customs clearance.

On May 5, the ceremony of the departure of the first special train loaded with Chinese medicinal materials imported from Vietnam was held at the Pingxiang railway port in Guangxi. The train was loaded with 12 compartments (each weighing about 15 tonnes) of suberect spatholobus stem originated from Vietnam.

According to a statement, the train will run on a regular basis to help deepen the comprehensive cooperation between China and Vietnam in the field of traditional Chinese medicine.

Currently, Guangxi has the Nanning drug import port and the border ports of Dongxing, Pingxiang, Longbang and Aidian for medicinal material import, having gradually turned into a main channel for the import of Chinese medicinal materials from the ASEAN countries.

The variety and quantity of Chinese herbal medicines from the ASEAN countries entering China through the Guangxi ports have been increasing by leaps and bounds. Since 2020, the total value of goods has been ranking the first for two consecutive years in the country.

Guangxi Youyiguan Port has launched a non-contact verification system through innovation for border inspection to ensure non-contact documents stamping, with the installation of two automatic temperature measuring detectors and high-definition cameras at the customs inspection gate to perform non-contact temperature detection and paperwork verification on designated drivers for cross-border cargoes.

The Department of Commerce of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Port Office) will continue to coordinate with relevant departments to do a good job in the prevention and control of COVID-19 at each port and unblocked customs clearance so as to guarantee the stability of the China-ASEAN industrial supply chain.

-- BERNAMA

NIPPON EXPRESS (CHINA) STARTS CHINA-EUROPE INTERMODAL TRANSPORT SERVICE VIA CASPIAN SEA

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (Bernama) -- Nippon Express (China) Co Ltd (NX China), a group company of Nippon Express Holdings Inc, recently launched a new intermodal service for transport from various locations in China to Europe via the Caspian Sea.

Service features include the transportation of cargo by rail from numerous locations in China to Aktau, Kazakhstan, from there by ship across the Caspian Sea to Baku, Azerbaijan, and again by rail from Baku to Istanbul, Turkey, where it is transshipped to EU railways or trucks for delivery to locations throughout Europe.

Other features involve the lead time (example): approximately 50 to 55 days from Xi'an to Duisburg, Germany; service frequency is once weekly; and, the service can be used as a new BCP transport mode in addition to maritime and rail (China Railway Express) transport to Europe.

Logistics in China have been heavily impacted by the spread of COVID-19 infections as prolonged lockdowns in Shanghai have resulted in airport and seaport congestion, and trucking in the East China area connecting to Shanghai's suburbs continues to face difficulties.

To maintain customers' supply chains, NX China has been offering, in addition to its existing rail transport service on the China Railway Express, an intermodal transport service that combines rail transport in China with maritime transport along two routes it has developed.

According to a statement, the routes are a northern route using Qingdao and Lianyungang ports and secondly, a southern route using Ningbo and Wenzhou ports to avoid the congestion at Shanghai Port and Pudong Airport.

NX China has also developed a Caspian Sea route for transport from China to various parts of Europe via Kazakhstan to supplement the aforementioned intermodal transport service.

This new service can be used as a BCP transport mode for Europe-bound cargo that does not pass through Russia.

For more information, visit https://www.nipponexpress.com/

-- BERNAMA

WHR GROUP, INC. NAMED A TOP WORKPLACE FOR THE NINTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

MILWAUKEE, Wis., May  18 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the ninth consecutive year, WHR Group, Inc. (WHR) was named a Top Workplace by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Top Workplaces surveys employee engagement and satisfaction at companies throughout the US. Awards are given to companies in different regions including the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Rocky Mountains and the Pacific. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, WHR was awarded a Top Workplace in the Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin region.

Top Workplace awards are based solely on the results of employee survey feedback administered by Energage, LLC, a leading research firm that specializes in organizational health and workplace improvement. What makes this award so special, and humbling is that WHR’s employees provided the survey feedback.

WHR Employees and Culture
WHR believes it’s critical to focus on culture in the workplace. As a relocation management company, WHR helps other organizations attract and retain the best talent, which it couldn’t do without finding and retaining the best talent internally.

According to WHR Human Resources Manager, Kimberley Uitz, SHRM-CP, GPHR, “Top Workplaces is an important recognition to any employer, employee or potential employee. In the past few years, this has become more critical, and in some ways harder to obtain. WHR is honored to have earned Top Workplace in 2022 and for our ninth consecutive year. We hope to continue expanding and growing our fantastic employee base.”

WHR wants its employees to enjoy coming into the office, be engaged, be proud of the work they do and grow their careers for success. You can’t have great culture without great people. WHR Group takes the feedback it receives from its employees and acts on it. WHR’s passion has always been Advancing Lives Forward^® and WHR embodies this passion for its client’s transferees and its employees.

WHR is proud of this nine-time recognition and its very talented employees.

About WHR Group, Inc.
WHR is a private global employee relocation management company distinguished by its white-glove service delivery structure and proprietary technology. WHR has offices in Wisconsin, Switzerland, and Singapore. With its 100% client retention rate for the past decade, WHR continues to be the trusted leader in global employee relocation. https://www.whrg.com,  LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contact: Mindy Stroiman, Corporate Writer
Mindy.Stroiman@whrg.com
262-523-7510

Source: WHR Group

--BERNAMA 

NIELSENIQ LAUNCHES RETAIL MEDIA SOLUTION TO MONETIZE ASSETS AND MEASURE ROI FOR RETAILERS

NielsenIQ Activate allows retailers to leverage their own data to accelerate new revenue streams

CHICAGO, May 17 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today, NielsenIQ, a global information services company, announced the launch of NielsenIQ Activate; a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that enables retailers to accelerate revenue opportunities through retail media and comprehensive customer insights that activate shoppers with personalized promotional offers.

NielsenIQ Activate is comprised of dedicated applications for hyper-targeted audience building, offer and ads management, and end-to-end measurement. This SaaS tool, part of the NielsenIQ Connect platform, will allow retailers to create sustainable revenues by monetizing their retail media assets across physical and digital channels. Additionally, retailers will be able to boost credibility with brands and inform them of the insights they need to command their customers’ attention, act on those insights, and measure the ROI of their activities across all channels.

“We are devoted to continuing our legacy by defining the next century of consumer and retail measurement,” says Xavier Facon, Global Head of Retail Media, NielsenIQ. “NielsenIQ Activate brings together the ability to achieve a granular view of customers across all channels and gather insights into the risks and opportunities for advertisements into a single platform. This will easily allow retailers to launch campaigns based on predictive audience building and collect measurements on the impact of ads across all channels while aligning with brand partners.” 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43163

SMART Modular declares SMART Kestral PCIe Optane Memory Add-in- Card

KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Bernama) -- SMART Modular Technologies Inc (SMART), a division of SGH and a global leader in memory solutions, solid-state drives, and hybrid storage products announces its new SMART Kestral™ PCIe Optane™ Memory Add-in-Card (AIC) which is able to add up to 2TB of Optane Memory expansion on a PCIe-Gen4-x16 or PCIe-Gen3-x16 interface independent of the motherboard CPU. SMART’s Kestral AICs accelerate selected algorithms by offloading softwaredefined storage functions from the host CPU to the Intel FPGA on the AIC.

SMART’s Kestral memory AICs are ideal for hyperscale, data centre, and other similar environments that run large memory applications and would benefit from memory acceleration or system acceleration through computational storage.

“With the advancement of new interconnect standards such as CXL and OpenCAPI, SMART’s new family of SMART Kestral AICs addresses the industry’s need for a variety of new memory module form factors and interfaces for memory expansion and acceleration,” said Mike Rubino, SMART Modular’s vice president of engineering in a statement.

“SMART is able to leverage our many years of experience in developing and productizing controller-based memory solutions to meet today’s emerging and continually evolving memory add-on needs of server and storage system customers.”

Among key benefits are more memory per server at lower cost per gigabyte; field upgrades for new algorithms and protocols; and seamless upgrades for existing servers with custom memory solutions; and, support for multiple memory technologies and protocols, including Intel Optane DIMMs, DDR4 RDIMMs, and LRDIMMs.

For more information, visit smartm.com.

-- BERNAMA

Indonesia urges G20 DEWG to continue digital connectivity discussion

KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Bernama) -- The Indonesian government has urged the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) to continue the discussion on digital connectivity.

"I believe we have all witnessed the importance of information and communication technology in helping people cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Minister of Communication and Informatics, Johnny G. Plate in a statement.

The DEWG is part of the Indonesian G20 Sherpa Track. The working group originated with the formation of the G20 Digital Economy Task Force (DETF) in 2017 during the German G20 presidency. The working group was mandated to discuss the implementation of an interconnected, protected, and safe digital technology to develop an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable digital economy.

The second DEWG meeting, under Indonesia's G20 presidency, which is being held in Yogyakarta on May 17-19, 2022, discusses the issue of digital connectivity.

As the chair of the 2022 G20 Presidency, Indonesia has encouraged the 2022 G20 DEWG participants to discuss three priority issues: digital connectivity and post-COVID-19 recovery; digital skills and digital literacy; as well as cross-border data flow and trusted free data flow.

At the meeting, Plate emphasised the importance of overcoming the digital divide by building digital connectivity or telecommunications infrastructure.

During the second DEWG meeting, he urged that the discussion focus on inclusiveness, empowerment, and sustainability for strengthening the global position and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The digital divide has remained an issue until now. According to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in 2021, a total of 2.9 billion people across the world had never used the Internet.

The digital divide has become one of the reasons for the G20 DEWG forum to discuss the issue of digital connectivity.

Meanwhile, Plate reminded all delegates and knowledge partners to join the third DEWG meeting that will be held in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, on July 20-21, 2022.

-- BERNAMA

GALLIUM SEMICONDUCTOR ANNOUNCES NIJMEGEN R&D CENTRE GRAND OPENING

KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Bernama) -- Gallium Semiconductor has announced the grand opening of its European R&D centre at a ceremony in Kerkenbos 1224, Nijmegen.

The recent ceremony was hosted by Gallium Semi’s Chief Executive Officer, Kin Tan and its Vice President of Operations, Henk Thoonen. Thoonen also serves as the Nijmegen site director.

Gallium Semi welcomed many of its valued customers, partners and vendors from the Europe region to dedicate the R&D centre.

“Nijmegen was an obvious choice for Gallium Semi’s new European R&D centre,” said Kin Tan. “The city of Nijmegen continues to invest in the knowledge economy and is an attractive location for high tech companies and its employees.”

Thoonen said: “We are very proud of our new activities here. The centre is designed to support the growth of our R&D team who will focus on the development of innovative products and technologies to power next generation mobile communications.”

According to a statement, the Nijmegen office is a fitting home for Gallium Semi’s European engineers designing and developing RF semiconductor solutions to support 5G and beyond networks.

Nijmegen is at the heart of Europe’s RF power technology and enables Gallium Semi to expand its team with world class talent.

Gallium Semiconductor’s mission is to enable mass commercialisation of Gallium Nitride (GaN) based semiconductor solutions for 5G mobile communications, aerospace and defence and industrial, scientific and medical applications.

For more information, visit www.galliumsemi.com

-- BERNAMA

PERDANA LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION GATHERS ENTREPRENEURS AND MSME LEADERS AT ITS DEBUT PLF SME LEADERS PROGRAMME 2022 FOR KNOWLEDGE-EXCHANGE AND NETWORKING

 PUTRAJAYA, May 17 (Bernama) -- It is during tough times that leadership becomes more critical, and that is even more so for the micro and small-medium enterprise (MSME) sector in Malaysia. Making up more than 95% of Malaysia’s business sector, this sector contributes 38% to the nation’s annual GDP and employs more than 7 million Malaysians, yet it is the sector that is most vulnerable to external shocks and events. As an example, the pandemic and attendant lockdowns meant thousands of MSMEs went out of business, most due to cashflow and digitalisation issues, but there are also many success stories among MSMEs. 

The Perdana Leadership Foundation SME Leaders Programme 2022 taking place on 25^th May 2022 in Putrajaya aims to highlight successful MSMEs, whether new or established, by spotlighting their leaders and their leadership practices, with the aim of fostering knowledge exchange towards entrepreneurship excellence.

“Most of the big businesses of today started as a micro and small enterprise. What enabled these businesses to grow was a combination of factors but leadership plays a big role in determining success or failure. This programme by PLF for MSME leaders is timely because there are many that need direction and support to recover from the lockdowns. The dialogues and discussions featured in the event will hopefully prompt new ideas, open up new possibilities, and lead to new business collaborations that can benefit entrepreneurs,” said Tan Sri Azman Hashim, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Perdana Leadership Foundation.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43171

STARR INSURANCE COMPANIES ANNOUNCES THAILAND EXPANSION

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (Bernama) -- Starr Insurance Companies (Starr) announced an agreement with FPG Insurance Holdings Limited (HK) (FPG) and local Thai shareholders to purchase FPG Insurance Public Company Limited (FPG Thailand), a Thai non-life insurance company, together with local Thai parties.

Starr’s investment will be held by its Bermuda insurance company, Starr Insurance & Reinsurance Limited. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022, subject to certain customary closing conditions, including any necessary regulatory approvals.

“Thailand is an important, fast-growing insurance market — one of the cornerstones of the Southeast Asia economy,” said Starr Chairman & CEO, Maurice R. Greenberg in a statement.

“Asia is both commercially and culturally important to Starr, as we trace our roots to an American-owned company founded in Shanghai more than 100 years ago. We look forward to serving the needs of local Thai companies and consumers through this new insurance capability.”

Meanwhile, FPG regional chairman, David Zuellig said: “This transaction reflects the standing of our franchises and is the product of the hard work, persistence, and determination of the FPG Thailand team despite challenging market conditions. The team is excited and ready to work with Starr in bringing the company to the next level.”

Starr expects to strengthen local product offerings with tailored commercial insurance and Accident & Health (A&H) products and plans to further maximise its growth by recruiting and developing local Thai insurance talent. 

Previously, Starr supported the Thai insurance market primarily through its provision of reinsurance products, including Technical Risks, Casualty, Marine, and A&H products.

The operation’s headquarters are expected to remain in Bangkok.

More details at www.starrcompanies.com.

-- BERNAMA

CELMATIX: PRECLINICAL MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT IN PREMATURE MENOPAUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Bernama) -- Celmatix Inc, a biotechnology company focused on ovarian biology, has announced the identification of a novel AMHR2 agonist compound that has demonstrated robust biological activity in multiple therapeutically relevant preclinical assays and a pharmacokinetic profile consistent with the desired product profile for an injectable drug.

The program, which was a product of Celmatix’s decade-long focus on identifying novel biomarkers and drug targets for women’s health, has a planned first clinical indication in the prevention of premature menopause in women undergoing chemotherapy.

“Demographically speaking, menopause is a relatively new phenomenon and is the result of medical breakthroughs that allow women to now routinely outlive their ovarian function,” said Celmatix founder and CEO,  Dr Piraye Yurttas Beim in a statement.

“At Celmatix, we are committed to helping women maximise their health by optimising and extending ovarian function. Our team has worked for over a decade to uncover the molecular drivers of ovarian health and related conditions like infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and endometriosis.

“Through this work, it became clear to us that Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), the natural ligand of AMHR2, is a fundamental regulator of ovarian function, much like estrogen. 

“Unlike estrogen, however, AMH cannot be purified from natural sources like urine or chemically synthesised, and previous attempts failed to generate recombinant AMH analogs with high specific activity or pharmacokinetic stability necessary for therapeutic applications.”

Meanwhile, Chief Scientific Officer of Celmatix, Dr Stephen Palmer said: “Our results demonstrate that our lead AMH analog has the desired in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters and causes the desired cellular signaling events in traditional ovarian follicular assays and regression of the Müllerian ducts in ex vivo urogenital ridge culture systems. 

“Demonstrating high specific activity in both our target tissue (the ovary) and in the most well-established assay for AMH function gives us confidence to progress this program forward closer to the clinic.”

This announcement closely follows Celmatix’s achievement of the third milestone in its five-year, multi-target alliance with Evotec in January. 

More details at www.celmatix.com.

-- BERNAMA

AM BEST AFFIRMS CENTURY INSURANCE COMPANY (GUAM) LIMITED CREDIT RATINGS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Bernama) -- Global credit rating agency, AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘bbb+’ (Good) of Century Insurance Company (Guam) Limited (CIC Guam) Guam. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect CIC Guam’s balance sheet strength, which United States-headquartered AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

CIC Guam’s risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), is assessed at the strongest level supported by its low net underwriting leverage.

In addition to the modest size of its capital base, key offsetting balance sheet factors include moderate common stock leverage, which adds a certain level of potential volatility to its capital. Nonetheless, these factors are mitigated partially by the company’s high risk-based capital with no debt obligations and strong liquidity.

According to a statement, CIC Guam’s operating performance has been consistently profitable, mainly supported by its low loss ratio that benefits from the company’s disciplined underwriting and pricing, while its expense ratio and net investment margin lag behind its industry peers.

Although the company continued to demonstrate a favourable underwriting margin, a reduced premium base in recent years led to some contraction in its underwriting profits and overall bottom line, which (together with enlarged capital base) consequently, resulted in return on surplus measures that compare less favourably with the composite benchmarks.

However, AM Best also notes the strong business growth in 2021, which led to some improvement in the expense ratio from a year before.

CIC Guam is a domestic property/casualty insurer on the island of Guam, and its main lines of business include fire, motor, workers’ compensation, and liability insurance.

Positive rating actions could occur if CIC Guam can expand its insurance business in a profitable manner, such that it can improve its expense ratio and demonstrate return on surplus measures that outperform its industry peers in a sustainable manner.

For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

UOB MALAYSIA LEVELS UP ITS TRAINING PROGRAMME, BETTER U, AS PART OF THE BANK'S COMMITMENT TO INVEST IN ITS PEOPLE

UOB Malaysia employees can opt to master data analytics and project management as they plan their careers

KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 (Bernama) -- UOB Malaysia announced that it has expanded its learning and development programme, Better U, to enable its employees to master skillsets in data analytics and project management, two areas essential to future employability. First launched in March 2020¹ , Better U is one of UOB Group’s award-winning flagship training programmes and sits alongside the Bank’s other training and traineeship programmes for its people. 

According to research by the World Economic Forum², 91 per cent of the financial services industry will likely adopt technology such as big data analytics by 2025, leading to the growing demand for job roles such as data analysts and data scientists. Similarly, project management skills will continue to be sought after in the future of  work³. Given the criticality of these two skillsets, UOB Malaysia is making it possible for its people to specialise in these areas and to stay ahead of industry developments.

For the next level, Better U is open to all UOB Malaysia employees who have completed the mandatory foundational modules, which develop competencies in five core areas – growth mindset, problem-solving, digital awareness, human-centred design and data storytelling. Almost 70 per cent of UOB Malaysia employees have already completed the foundational modules and the Bank expects that number to increase by 22 per cent by 2022.

Mr Lai Tak Ming, Executive Director and Country Head of Human Resources, UOB Malaysia, said that the expansion of the Better U programme reaffirms the Bank’s long-term commitment to investing in its people and their development journey.

“At UOB Malaysia, we believe that it is important for our people to learn and to develop continuously for their personal and professional growth. New technologies will continue to shape consumer preferences and behaviours, as well as influence the financial industry. Therefore, it is vital that our people are empowered and equipped with the right skillsets to navigate the industry’s needs today and in the future. The two new tracks of the Better U programme, project management and data analytics, are essential skills that can be applied across all functions in the Bank. Our colleagues who undergo the training programme will learn new skills that can help them to stay ahead of the curve and to prepare them for the future of work.” 

¹Please refer to news release: “UOB Malaysia launches learning and development programme to help its employees succeed into the future”, 2 March 2020
²Source: World Economic Forum’s The Future of Jobs Report, October 2020
³Source: McKinsey Global Surveys, 2021: A Year in Review, December 2021

A roadmap to developing a Better U for all employees
UOB Malaysia has designed the second level of Better U to enable employees who have completed the foundational level of Better U to choose the track in which they want to deep-dive. While the Bank is starting with two tracks this year – data analytics and project management, it plans to expand the specialised tracks in other areas such as artificial intelligence and sustainability by 2023.

The data analytics and project management tracks feature three progressive stages, which are fullydigital and designed to be in bite-sized content, so that employees can go through them at their own pace and convenience. UOB Malaysia has taken the lessons from COVID-19 safe distancing restrictions and lockdowns to ensure all colleagues can gain the skills they need, remotely and based on their work and home life demands.

Each stage of the specialised training programme enables participants to learn and to acquire skills based on their level of experience and knowledge. This ensures that the training is meaningful to those employees who are upskilling or to practitioners who feel the need to upskill themselves in their chosen discipline. In creating and curating the curriculum, UOB Malaysia tapped insights from subject-matter experts across the Bank such as its technologists and data masters to ensure that these specialised skills development tracks are practical and can be applied in a real-world setting. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43161

ZOOM ENTERS DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE SOLVVY

KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 (Bernama) -- Zoom Video Communications Inc announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Solvvy, a leading conversational AI and automation platform for customer support.

Together, Zoom and Solvvy will offer elevated customer service experiences to a global enterprise base and work quickly to capitalise on new opportunities in contact centre and customer support.

Adding Solvvy’s proprietary technology will broaden Zoom Contact Center’s offering with scalable self-service and conversational AI, according to a statement.

With Solvvy, Zoom Contact Center customers will benefit from an automated, integrated, and easy-to-deploy contact centre that helps answer end-customers’ questions and solve issues faster, improves the overall customer experience, and drives operational savings.

“The nature of customer experience is transforming fundamentally, as enterprises increasingly need to deliver exceptional, personalised, and effortless customer experiences. Solvvy understands this shift and is the ideal platform to enhance our Zoom Contact Center offering,” said President of Product and Engineering at Zoom, Velchamy Sankarlingam.

“Together, we are excited to help businesses of all sizes improve their customer retention, increase operating efficiency, and set new standards for customer service and satisfaction.”

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Solvvy, Mahesh Ram said: “Zoom is poised to redefine the contact centre category with its unique combination of unified communication and customer experience. We could not be more excited to join forces and further scale our unique conversational AI offering.”

Following the close of the transaction, Zoom will incorporate and expand Solvvy’s capabilities across its Zoom Contact Center platform.

Solvvy Founding CEO Mahesh Ram and Co-Founder & CTO Justin Betteridge will be instrumental in driving the combined Advanced Conversational AI and Automation product vision and innovation strategy.

The transaction is expected to close in Q2 FY2023. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

-- BERNAMA

DIGITIZATION DRIVES SERVICENOW GROWTH IN SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA

Growing provider ecosystem helps companies adopt the platform for digital transformation and increased competitiveness, ISG Provider Lens™ report says

SINGAPORE & KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 12 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Many enterprises in Singapore and Malaysia are aggressively investing in ServiceNow solutions to navigate changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the trend toward digital transformation, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ ServiceNow Ecosystem Partners report for Singapore and Malaysia finds the growth of ServiceNow in 2021 was even faster in Asia than on a global basis. In Singapore and Malaysia, the services ecosystem surrounding ServiceNow grew substantially, with providers investing heavily in people and processes to better serve clients.

“The pandemic led many companies in Singapore and Malaysia to adopt digital platforms like ServiceNow for better business performance,” said Deepraj Emmanuel, director, ISG Asia. “Others that waited too long, or haven’t been able to change, may be left behind.”

Especially in Singapore, enterprises are engaging with ServiceNow ecosystem partners to support digital transformation, the report says. To achieve tangible, repeatable business results, they need consistent teams of ServiceNow experts and proven, flexible implementation methods.

The adoption of ServiceNow in Singapore and Malaysia reflects the local economy, ISG says. Local and multinational manufacturers lead the pack, along with banking, financial services and telecommunications companies. Retail companies and the public sector have lagged, often because they struggle more with digital transformation. Most enterprises are using ServiceNow IT service management (ITSM) and workflow optimization, but security and business process solutions are also gaining traction.

ServiceNow, the provider ecosystem and enterprises are all facing a shortage of skilled professionals in the region and around the world. Continued deployment and growth requires a strong focus on solutions that can be automated easily and consistently, ISG says. Service providers with experience in developing integration accelerators and robotic process automation (RPA) tools are best equipped to meet this need.

The report also explores other aspects of the ServiceNow ecosystem in the region, including the growth of local and niche service providers and the challenge of consistently delivering two major ServiceNow upgrades every year. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43152

INTERACTIVE BROKERS OFFERS CARBON OFFSETS TO CLIENTS IN EUROPE AND ASIA

New Tool Helps Investors Participate in a Greener Future 

GREENWICH, Conn., May 12 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global electronic broker, today launched Carbon Offsets to clients in Western Europe, Hong Kong, and Singapore. This new feature is available through IMPACT, Interactive Brokers’ mobile trading app for sustainable investing.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006418/en/

 

Air travel and other daily activities produce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Building on the simplicity of IMPACT, investors can now use the Carbon Offsets tool to select from common greenhouse-gas emitting activities or enter a specific amount of carbon to offset. Interactive Brokers seamlessly sources and retires the Carbon Credits at the appropriate agencies enabling investors to fully or partially reduce their carbon footprints.

“Sustainability and environmental consciousness are not isolated aspects, they speak to a collective culture. A culture that is aware of the interconnected nature of our global community. As a result, we continue to develop products that are in service to this collective culture,” said Will Peterffy, ESG Director at Interactive Brokers. “Carbon Offsets makes it easy for our clients to participate in the emerging collective culture dedicated to stewarding our planet while investing in companies that further align with their values through the IMPACT app.”

Interactive Brokers collaborated with Sustain.Life to provide emissions data for each carbon emitting activity available in the app. Sustain.Life’s SaaS platform helps companies across industries reduce their environmental impact by providing ESG tools that enable the measurement and management of their carbon emissions. The Carbon Offsets tool is available in the IMPACT app for clients of IB IE, IB UK, IB HK and IB SG.

For more information on Carbon Offsets, disclosures, and to download the IMPACT app, visit:

United Kingdom: https://impact.interactivebrokers.co.uk/
Western Europe: https://impact.interactivebrokers.ie/
Hong Kong: https://impact.interactivebrokers.com.hk/
Singapore: https://impact.interactivebrokers.com.sg/

About Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.:

Interactive Brokers Group affiliates provide automated trade execution and custody of securities, commodities and foreign exchange around the clock on over 150 markets in numerous countries and currencies, from a single unified platform to clients worldwide. We service individual investors, hedge funds, proprietary trading groups, financial advisors and introducing brokers. Our four decades of focus on technology and automation has enabled us to equip our clients with a uniquely sophisticated platform to manage their investment portfolios. We strive to provide our clients with advantageous execution prices and trading, risk and portfolio management tools, research facilities and investment products, all at low or no cost, positioning them to achieve superior returns on investments. For the fifth consecutive year, Barron’s ranked Interactive Brokers #1 with 5 out of 5 stars in its March 25, 2022, Best Online Brokers Review. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43138

SOLVE FSHD designates Dr Eva Chin Executive Director

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Bernama) -- Following SOLVE FSHD’s recent acclaimed launch, the organisation has formally announced the appointment of Dr Eva Chin as the Executive Director.

SOLVE FSHD’s Founder, Chip Wilson, has personally committed US$100 million to find a cure for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a rare disease he was diagnosed with at age 32. (US$1 = RM4.381)

As the inaugural Executive Director for SOLVE FSHD, Dr Chin will be responsible for aligning the organisation’s goals with the expertise of researchers, scientists and companies to promote and fund the discovery and development of new therapies for FSHD.

“Dr Chin’s experience and specialisation in rare neuromuscular diseases add immense value to our organisation. We are excited to gain her expertise and guidance to achieve the organisation’s goal of finding a cure for FSHD by December 2027,” said Wilson, a Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist in a statement.

“Within just a few weeks of the organisation’s launch, SOLVE FSHD has received a tremendous response to the call for qualified grant applications and new therapeutic technologies, which will be reviewed under Dr Chin’s leadership.

“In addition, she has worked tirelessly to build strong industry alliances for SOLVE FSHD, closely assessed the exciting projects to fund and facilitated collaborative funding opportunities across the academic and industry sectors in FSHD research and drug development.” he added.

Dr Chin obtained her Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Waterloo in Canada and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Sydney, Australia and U.T. Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, focusing on intracellular calcium in muscle fatigue and transcriptional regulation of gene expression in muscle fibre type determination and muscle plasticity.

“I am honoured to join the Solve FSHD team, supporting Chip and the Wilson Family in our mission to improve the quality of life for those affected by rare neuromuscular diseases by funding qualified research projects and pre-clinical and clinical research that will accelerate finding a cure for FSHD,” she said.

Her career has spanned the academic and pharmaceutical industries, with previous positions at Pfizer, the University of Maryland, MyoTherapeutics, Cytokinetics and NMD Pharma.

Under Dr Chin’s guidance, Solve FSHD’s venture-philanthropic funding model will strategically utilise Wilson’s monetary commitment to support the initial grants, investments in early-stage companies focused on FSHD and to incentivise pharmaceutical companies in the neuromuscular disease space to increase their focus on FSHD.

Future announcements for grant funding will be issued on SOLVE FSHD’s website - https://solvefshd.com/.

-- BERNAMA

IT'S THE SHIP SETS SAIL INTO THE METAVERSE

 

SINGAPORE, May 10 (Bernama) -- IT’S THE SHIP, Asia’s largest festival at sea, has been sailing the seven seas since 2014 and is set to embark on a journey into the Metaverse after a three-year hiatus. It will be Asia's first music festival to combine blockchain technology with an immersive festival experience, having previously hosted some of the world’s biggest artists on a 5-star International cruiseliner.
 
At the forefront of this future-forward shift is IT’S THE SHIP’s first NFT collection. Named "DuckDrop" - each Duck NFT represents a different character or personality from the ITS THE SHIP music festival. Each duck possesses unique traits, which entitles them access to money-can't-buy, in-real-life experiences aboard any ITS THE SHIP planned throughout the year.
 
Access to free cabins, lifetime discounts, backstage access, and, most interestingly, voting rights where DuckDrop holders can have a say in the future ITS THE SHIP experiences are among the first perks introduced for all Duck NFT holders. The Genesis collection's first wave is extremely limited at 888 ducks, with a total supply of 8,888 to be released throughout 2024.
 
DuckDrop's long-term goal is to develop the Ship community into a thriving ecosystem focused on music festivals, extended experiences, and uniting like-minded people. “We are bringing people together and supporting the entertainment and music festival industries by releasing NFTs in the hopes that it would bring us closer to the fans. We promise that this will be the first of many experiences in the future. One of the key utilities offered by DuckDrop is cool in-real-life experiences to be airdrop to all its holders.” quote by Samira Davidson, Project Lead.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43109