TAITUNG, TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 30 September 2022 – Taitung launched its new Taitung Blue Ocean Daily festival on September 17 at four of the county’s iconic maritime venues: Shanyuan Bay, Jinzun, Flowing Lake, and Green Island. There will be 5 weeks of activities between these famous locations. Many paid a visit to Shanyuan to witness the spectacle that is the Outrigger Canoe. For this year’s event, Kimokeo Kapahulehua (Unkle K), an international expert from Hawaii, was invited to share his story about how his Austronesian ancestors thousands of years ago sailed from Taiwan to Hawaii on canoes. Unkle K arrived in Taiwan to sail on the Outrigger to further connect with his ancestors. On Thursday, 22 September, the Taitung County Government collaborated with Kimokeo Foundation in Hawaii, and the local Duli tribe to undergo the challenge to sail a long-distance on an outrigger canoe on Taiwanese waters for the first time. The canoe departed from the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean and sailed towards the traditional waters of the Duli tribe, establishing a meaningful milestone for the 2022 Taitung Blue Ocean Daily.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 30 September 2022 – Bartra, one of Ireland’s leading real estate developers, has announced the repayment in 2022 of €93 million to investors who invested in social housing and nursing home projects with Bartra via Ireland’s immigration investment programme. The repayment is being made following the successful completion and sale of a number of social housing and nursing home projects to institutional investors in line with the business plans for these projects.
The construction of Bartra’s social housing and nursing home schemes is funded by investors participating in the Irish Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP). The IIP was introduced by the Irish government in 2012 and uses the immigration system to incentivise foreign investment into critically needed infrastructure such as social housing and nursing homes. The programme is managed by the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) Unit, a dedicated department within the Irish Department of Justice.
The key benefit of the IIP for many investors is the prospect of residency rights in Ireland within a short timeframe. It typically takes six months for approval and Ireland does not require investors to spend any more than one day per year in the country to maintain their residency. Due to Ireland’s strong and robust economy, high-quality education system, and excellent accessibility to its EU and UK neighbours, the IIP is currently growing at a fast pace, particularly in Asia. According to the Irish Ministry of Justice, from 2016 to 2021, there were 2,226 IIP applications with most investments made into the Enterprise option (61%).
Bartra provides social housing and nursing home IIP investment opportunities under the Enterprise investment route for high-net-worth families who are interested in emigrating to Ireland.
“Both of these asset classes are priority investment areas for the Irish State and Bartra has a strong track record of delivering projects in line with business plan and repaying investors. The total successful repayment amount of over €90 million to be made this year will mark one of the largest IIP repayments in history from a single Irish developer.” Daniel Hinds, Bartra Wealth Advisors Chief Operating Officer commented.
Hinds added: “Bartra Wealth Advisors was established to provide one-stop-shop Irish immigration services. With our unique business model and the backing of our parent company, we are able to support clients throughout the investment and immigration process, from immigration consulting and applying for qualified IIP programmes to landing services and ensuring investments are repaid. To date, Bartra has maintained a 100% application approval rate, 100% renewal rate and 100% repayment rate.”
Bartra intends to continue to raise funds from the IIP to develop bundles of social housing and nursing home projects on sites it owns, providing full visibility to IIP investors on the nature of the projects that they are investing in.
Batra launched its social housing business to focus on the provision of much-needed family homes and has completed three projects to date, with three more under construction. The company has established a dedicated social housing team, which is tasked with identifying development sites suitable for social housing where Bartra can deliver attractive investment opportunities to investors. Andrew Ennis, Director of Investments and Structuring at Bartra, says, “Our plan is to deliver at least 3,000 new homes between now and 2030, with our primary focus on the continued delivery of sustainable social housing. We want to build more homes for social and affordable tenants and believe social housing – the right homes, in the right places – could play a bigger role in reducing the impact of the housing supply crisis.”
In the healthcare sector, Bartra builds, manages and operates projects from start to finish, providing premium clinical care services for residents. Led by Declan Carlyle, Bartra’s Healthcare division delivers a nursing home portfolio with superior elderly care facilities designed to meet the Irish government’s highest standards as imposed by the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA). Bartra intends to build more much-needed healthcare homes in Ireland, in proximity to major hospitals and transport hubs, to service an ever growing elderly population cohort.
And as nursing homes qualify as essential infrastructure, institutional investors with long-term investment horizons are contributing to elderly care projects as part of their investment portfolios. Selling the healthcare developments to institutional investors is also part of Bartra’s development exit strategy to repay their IIP investors. Last month, Bartra sold a portfolio of nursing homes to Belgian Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Aedifica for approximately €161 million. The portfolio, which has capacity for 617 residents, consists of two brand new nursing homes located in Loughshinny (Skerries) and Northwood (Santry), an HSE transitional care unit in Beaumont (Artane), and the forward purchase of Clondalkin Lodge nursing home, which is currently in development.
Hashtag: #Bartra
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Bartra Wealth Advisors
Bartra Wealth Advisors (Bartra) is part of the wider Bartra Group, specialising in providing independent Irish immigration investment advisory services. With well-established business, extensive Irish immigration experience, expertise in the investment field, professional landing teams and strong business network support, Bartra Group has successfully carried out a significant number of social housing and nursing home Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) projects and has helped hundreds of families successfully immigrate to Ireland.
Bartra Wealth Advisors prides itself on delivering streamlined, in-group, end-to-end services. Its unique business model supports clients throughout their investment and immigration journey, from immigration advisory and government backed IIP projects through to exit executions. It maintains a 100% application approval rate, a 100% renewal rate and a 100% repayment rate. For details, please visit to the company website https://www.bartrawealthadvisors.com/.
Equities First Holdings Limited is thrilled to announce a collaboration with Economist Impact to bring forth a new series on the massively popular podcast channel, Asia Perspectives by Economist Impact. The new podcast series, Shelter from the storm: Investing in the Era of Uncertainty, aims to help listeners understand the financial risks in the current climate, hear from wealth management experts about how these risks can be managed, and identify emerging investment opportunities. From the Sino-American trade war to hiking interest rates, the series will explore current geopolitical and economic events with seasoned wealth management professionals, and weigh up strategies they employ to protect financial assets against these threats.
A subsidiary of The Economist group, Economist Impact works with corporations, foundations, NGOs and governments across big themes and pressing issues, such as climate change, health security and gender equality, and drives value and change through uncovering insights from benchmarks, economic and social impact analysis, white papers, forecasting and scenario modelling. The new partnership sees the marriage of Economist Impact’s extensive geographical reach and evidence-based policy research, and Equities First Holdings’ abundance of experience and knowledge in the financial industry and economy at large.
Securing the future amidst troubled waves
‘Can Asia Pacific benefit from deglobalisation?’ , the first episode of Shelter from the storm, inspects the globalised economy under threat from COVID-19, deteriorating trade relations between superpowers, Russian invasion of Ukraine, and more. This episode will explore the longevity of the ‘friendshoring’ trend and the possible consequences on industries and economies, as well as investment strategies to mitigate risks and capture opportunities.
Managing risks with Equities First Holdings Financing
Be prepared for the coming storm. Equities First Holding’s equities-based financing service provides a strong alternative to traditional financing solutions, allowing our partners to unlock liquidity without giving up the potential upsides of current holdings or existing positions at unfavourable prices. While the financing itself is non-purpose, Equities First Holdings’ holds a stringent standard in risk management and diversification of its portfolio. As the world economy looks poised to continue polarising, it is made a priority for Equities First Holdings’ risk management policy to adapt and hedge against incoming adversities and protect Equities First Holdings Limited and our partners’ assets.
Hashtag: #EquitiesFirstHoldings
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Equities First Holdings
Founded in 2002, Equities First Holdings is a global investment firm specialised in long-term equities-based financing. Equities First Holdings’ equities-based financing approach overcomes traditional limitations and redefines the financing experience through providing efficient access to capital for listed companies and accredited investors, sophisticated investors, professional investors, and otherwise qualified investors (who have sufficient knowledge and experience in entering into securities financing transactions) , against publicly traded securities. The total value of loans transacted is more than US$4 billion as of May 2022. Equities First Holdings’ investment strategy involves a diverse portfolio across global markets and sectors. The talented investment team analyses the alpha of its portfolio, investing in quality securities based on robust fundamental and technical analysis, risk management, and ongoing trading and portfolio rebalancing activities. Equities First Holdings’ risk management policy forbids short-selling or lending equities to third parties.
Headquartered in Indianapolis, United States, Equities First Holdings’ international footprint reaches twelve offices in eight countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, China, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and Australia. Equities First Holdings is licensed and/or registered in all jurisdictions where required. As both an equities-based financing provider and a value investor, Equities First Holdings is the pioneer of Progressive Capital – a partnership approach to investment, rooted in respect, mutual interest and understanding. Equities First Holdings delivers liquidity solutions that are vital, transformative and move partners forward.
Disclaimer: China, Hong Kong, Singapore- Equities First Holdings Hong Kong Limited (“EFH”) is licensed in Hong Kong by the Securities Futures Commission to undertake Type 1 regulated activity and under the Money Lender Ordinance (Money Lender’s License No. 2199/2021). EquitiesFirst (“EquitiesFirst” refers to Equities First Holdings LLC, and all subsidiaries of such company in all countries where they are engaged in business activities of any nature). This document is prepared by EquitiesFirst. It is not intended as an offer to sell securities or a solicitation to buy any product managed or provided by Equities First and it aims to provide general information on the EFH loan facility which is not authorized for retail use in Hong Kong. This document is directed to accredited investors, sophisticated investors, professional investors, and otherwise qualified investors (who have sufficient knowledge and experience in entering into securities financing transactions), and it is not directed to individuals or organizations for whom such offers or invitations would be unlawful or prohibited. Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future results. All investments contain risk and may lose value. The information contained herein may be incomplete or incomprehensive. Accordingly, the information is qualified in its entirety by the terms applicable to the facility as set out in its constitutive documents (Loan Documents) and should be read together with such Loan Documents.
This document has been prepared without consideration of the investment objectives, financial situation, or particular needs of any individual investor. You should consider your own investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs before taking any action with respect to a financial product referred to in this presentation. In preparing this document, EFH is assuming your organization is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of any financial transaction described herein and its suitability for your organization’s purposes and its legal, taxation, accounting, and financial implications and that in making this evaluation you are not reliant on any recommendation or statements made by EFH. Before entering into any transaction EFH strongly encourages you to independently assess these things and fully understand the transaction in its entirety. EFH does not act as an adviser in any capacity and strongly recommends all borrowers seek independent advisement when assessing the transaction and its suitability. To the extent it is permitted by applicable law, Equities First, its affiliates, and any officer or employee of Equities First or its affiliates do not accept any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from the use of this presentation or its contents, including for negligence. Trading in equities, futures, options, commodities, currencies, or derivatives can have risks and is not appropriate for all persons. Under some market conditions, it may be impossible to liquidate a position. Copyright protections exist in this presentation. The contents of this presentation are strictly confidential and may not be disclosed, reproduced, distributed, or published by any person for any purpose without the expressed written consent of EFH, LLC. EFH makes no guarantee, representation, or warranty and accepts no responsibility or liability as to its accuracy or completeness. Expressions of opinion are those of Equities First only and are subject to changes without notice. Further information is available upon request.
Korea- The foregoing is intended solely for sophisticated investors, professional investors or otherwise qualified investors who have sufficient knowledge and experience in entering into securities financing transactions such as securities repo or securities loan transaction. It is not intended for, and should not be used by, persons who do not meet that criteria. Information provided herein is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell (or solicitation of an offer to purchase) the securities or investments referenced herein (“Offer”). Any such Offer shall only be made through a relevant offering or other documentation which sets forth its material terms and conditions. The foregoing does not provide or purport to provide investment advice, nor does it provide or purport to provide any legal or financial advisory or other professional advice or services which are regulated in jurisdiction in which EquitiesFirst (Equities First Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries) operates, does business, resides, including, Republic of Korea or that may otherwise have regulatory authority over EquitiesFirst. The foregoing has been prepared by EquitiesFirst based on or derived from sources EquitiesFirst reasonably believes to be reliable. However, EquitiesFirst has not independently examined or verified the information provided herein and no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Opinions and information herein are subject to change without notice.
Thailand- EquitiesFirst (“EquitiesFirst” refers to Equities First Holdings LLC, and all subsidiaries of such company in all countries where they are engaged in business activities of any nature). The foregoing is intended solely for certain, or certain class of, recipient who is qualified to independently consider and act on the information provided herein pursuant to laws and regulations applicable to such recipient. As such, the information provided herein is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell (or solicitation of an offer to purchase) the securities or investments referenced herein, to participate in any particular trading strategy, or to provide any particular advisory services (“Offer”), in any jurisdiction in which such Offer would be illegal. Any Offer shall only be made through the relevant offering or other documentation which sets forth its material terms and conditions pursuant to applicable laws and regulations. The foregoing and any non-public information contained therein are confidential and have been provided solely for the benefit of the intended recipient and for the limited purpose of the potential transaction that the intended recipient has already discussed with the Company. Except with the Company’s prior written consent, such confidential information may not be shared with any party other than with professional advisors and affiliates of the intended recipient, in which case the information may be shared for such limited purpose and on a need-to-know basis. If you are not the intended recipient of the foregoing, any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of its content is strictly prohibited. The foregoing does not provide or purport to provide investment advice and has been prepared by the Company based on or derived from sources the Company reasonably believes to be reliable. The Company has not independently examined or verified the information provided herein and no representation is made that it is accurate or complete. Before acting on any information, the recipient is thus encouraged to seek independent financial and/or legal advice. Opinions and information herein are subjec to change without notice.
Growing emphasis seen on sustainability, investor protection and technology
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 30 September 2022 – Policymakers are responding to the emerging geopolitical and economic landscape by reviewing regulatory approaches and priorities, KPMG says in its recent report “Navigating uncertainty – Evolving Asset Management Regulation”. The report also noted that Hong Kong, a city that boasts an abundance of asset management institutions, is steering through this regulatory evolution, which is placing a stronger emphasis on sustainability, investor protection, and the embrace of technology.
Andrew Weir, Regional Senior Partner, Hong Kong and Global Chair, Asset Management and Real Estate, KPMG, says “Just as regulators and industry were adjusting to the ‘new reality’ we outlined in last year’s report, the geopolitical and economic landscape is again undergoing major change. Policymakers are responding to developments and reviewing regulatory approaches and priorities. All stakeholders need to navigate the widespread uncertainty.”
Since the 2021 Glasgow COP 26 summit, momentum has continued to build around sustainable finance initiatives as investor demand increases, the report said. KPMG believes, initiatives to increase corporate reporting, which will improve information flow to asset managers, and promote greener capital markets, are gathering pace. Asset managers need to implement a complex range of new requirements while meeting the evolving expectations of their clients.
Hong Kong regulators, meanwhile, are changing their overall approach to investor protection as well as amending specific rules. The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has proposed extending the scope of its enforcement powers to bolster investor protection and requiring compensation of investors under certain circumstances.
Bonn Liu, Regional Head of Asset Management (ASPAC), KPMG in China, says: “Policymakers are striking a balance between expanding the available range of products to retail investors, like allowing for alternative assets and strategies to assist economic recovery, while recalibrating their approaches to investor protection in an increasingly digital world.”
The SFC has issued new rules requiring more than 1,800 fund managers to consider climate-related risks in their investment and risk management processes. This regulation adopts a two-tier approach, including a baseline set of requirements for all fund managers managing collective investment schemes, and an “enhanced requirements” that applies to fund managers with asset under management greater than HKD 8 billion. In addition, the securities and futures markets watchdog has provided additional guidance on disclosures and reporting for authorized funds that incorporate ESG factors and for funds with a climate-related focus.
Meanwhile in China, the government continues to open its capital markets to both domestic and foreign firms. Part of such effort involves deepening the mutual stock market access between Mainland China and Hong Kong (“Stock Connect”) and the prompt development of both capital markets. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the SFC agreed in principle on the inclusion of eligible exchange-traded funds (ETFs). China and Hong Kong exchanges in Stock Connect, the trading of which commenced in July 2022.
The CSRC has published new rules standardizing the framework for public pension investments and allowing Chinese investors to purchase pension funds that meet certain eligibility and size criteria. As part of a program to increase the scope of regulation and to promote investor protection, the Chinese authorities introduced various changes that impact the structure of derivatives markets and market participants.
New requirements have been introduced for China’s derivatives market relating to investor suitability, risk disclosure, control and transaction reporting. Supervision of China’s national futures market will be centralized and cross-border futures trading will be allowed for the first time. The requirements relating to total return swap transactions have also been updated and broadened.
Hashtag: #KPMG
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About KPMG China
KPMG China has offices located in 30 cities with over 14,000 partners and staff, in Beijing, Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Dongguan, Foshan, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hefei, Jinan, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR. Working collaboratively across all these offices, KPMG China can deploy experienced professionals efficiently, wherever our client is located.
KPMG is a global organization of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. KPMG is the brand under which the member firms of KPMG International Limited (“KPMG International”) operate and provide professional services. “KPMG” is used to refer to individual member firms within the KPMG organization or to one or more member firms collectively.
KPMG firms operate in 144 countries and territories with more than 236,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. Each KPMG member firm is responsible for its own obligations and liabilities.
KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.
In 1992, KPMG became the first international accounting network to be granted a joint venture licence in mainland China. KPMG was also the first among the Big Four in mainland China to convert from a joint venture to a special general partnership, as of 1 August 2012. Additionally, the Hong Kong firm can trace its origins to 1945. This early commitment to this market, together with an unwavering focus on quality, has been the foundation for accumulated industry experience, and is reflected in KPMG’s appointment for multidisciplinary services (including audit, tax and advisory) by some of China’s most prestigious companies.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 30 September 2022 – Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit, the third most visited crypto exchange in the world, said that the current bear market was a huge opportunity for the company and it was using the time to bounce back better.
Speaking at a TOKEN2049 panel in Singapore, on the future of crypto exchanges, Zhou discussed how Bybit had seized the opportunity during the bear market to realign internally by streamlining roles, responsibilities, and processes, as well as focusing on products. “We are very comfortable in the bear market,” Zhou added, “we were born in a bear market.”
Given the current economic headwinds, the panelists were asked how crypto would weather the continuing storm, and how ultimately the economic downturn would affect the future of the industry.
Zhou was just as upbeat. “We are bullish. For us, the macro trends are nothing to fear,” he said. “Rising inflation and interest rates, printing vast quantities of fiat currency, low growth or no growth – all highlight the weakness in traditional finance.”
Zhou explained how Bybit’s infrastructure had been designed and constructed differently from traditional exchanges, illustrating how it runs 24/7, and has never been offline since the company launched in 2018.
When quizzed on his ambitions for Web3, Zhou stressed Bybit’s passion for catering to all and being the gateway for people to enter into the digital economy. “It’s our job to innovate,” Zhou added. “In Web3, wherever the client wants to go, it’s our job to take them there: we are the car, we are the bus.”
He also highlighted the importance of education, but not at the expense of user experience. “Education is important but so is simplicity. It’s important to focus on the product. It is our job to make extremely sophisticated products so easy to use straight out of the box, just like Apple.”
Hashtag: #Bybit
About Bybit
Bybit is a cryptocurrency exchange established in March 2018 that offers a professional platform where crypto traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, excellent customer service and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One racing team, Oracle Red Bull Racing, esports teams NAVI, Astralis, Alliance, Virtus.pro, Made in Brazil (MIBR), City Esports, and Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, and association football (soccer) teams Borussia Dortmund and Avispa Fukuoka.
How does the international Forex brokerage service OctaFX fare in light of recent uncertainties and fears on the financial markets in general and the Foreign Exchange in specific? We took a closer look at the company to find out.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 30 September 2022 – Decentralisation of financial services and the growingly independent approach of the individual in entering those new markets have its obvious strengths in terms of financial self-determination. But the downside is the frequent and legitimate question of which financial service merits trust and which ones are out there to take advantage of—or even exploit—unsuspecting new clients.
Move by USSEC Supports Customers’ Efforts to Verify Sustainable Soy
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 30 September 2022 – International customers of U.S. Soy throughout the supply chain are now able to better demonstrate their commitment to sourcing sustainable ingredients. The U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP) has been expanded to allow the transfer of SSAP certificates up to four times.
U.S. Soy customers have long sought more transparency in the sustainability of their purchases. This change to the SSAP by Soy Export Sustainability, LLC, which is partially funded by the national soybean checkoff, allows customers to keep records of their sustainable U.S. Soy purchases, use these purchases to meet their ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) goals, and report on their progress toward those goals. Importers will be able to receive a certificate in their name from an exporter, the importer will then be able to transfer certificates to their customers. The certificate has the potential to be transferred a total of four times after export.
“Ensuring sustainable sourcing of products is central to our commitment to responsible supply chains. We are glad to see continuous improvement of the SSAP certifications, as well as the transparent and credible methodologies in place for measuring sustainable performance. Transferable certificates are key to our customers and our business to track and verify that the soy products we source are raised in a sustainable manner, leading to greater sustainability of the global food system,” said Dessislava Barzachka, EA Sustainability Execution Manager, Bunge.
The SSAP, which was developed in 2013, is a verified aggregate approach, audited by third parties, that verifies sustainable soybean production on a national scale. The system is designed to maintain mass balance of verified sustainable soy at each transfer and industry processing calculations are also incorporated into the system. The organization issuing and tracking the certificates is Soy Export Sustainability, LLC.
While this change meets the buyers’ needs for demonstrating their commitment to sourcing sustainable soy in the short-term, in the long-term the change could also help generate demand for their products because of consumer preferences for sustainable products.
Under the SSAP guidelines, U.S. soybean farmers continuously improve their sustainability performance, ensuring an even more sustainable product in the future. U.S. Soy is already recognized as having the lowest carbon footprint versus soy of other origins. In addition, the SSAP includes farm audits conducted by an independent third party – the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). SSAP recently earned Silver Level Equivalence when benchmarked with the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform)’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) 3.0. It is also positively benchmarked with the soy sourcing guidelines of the European Feed Manufacturers Federation (FEFAC) through the independent International Trade Centre (ITC) and is recognized by the Consumer Goods Forum’s Sustainable Soy Sourcing Guidelines and the Global Seafood Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices.
“U.S. soybean farmers have a strong commitment to sustainability, so we are always exploring how we can support their efforts to verify the sustainability of their products. The SSAP does that, but now with transferable certificates, it allows for that verification to be passed along to their other customers,” said Abby Rinne, Director of Sustainability, U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). USSEC is a founding member of Soy Export Sustainability, LLC focused on differentiating, elevating preference, and attaining market access for U.S. Soy.
Ecobank Kenya Limited, part of the leading pan-African Ecobank Group (http://www.Ecobank.com), is launching its flagship Women’s Programme ‘Ellevate’ to empower and support women-led and/or women focused with the financial and value-added solutions that will help their businesses reach their full potential and succeed.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for about 90% of all businesses in Africa and women own about a third of all registered African SMEs. Indeed, one-in-four (25.9%) of adult women in Africa start or manage a business.
However, women have not enjoyed equal access to high quality, demand driven financial services and it is estimated that women-owned SMEs face a US$42 billion financing gap[1], making lack of access to financing a common constraint to their business growth.
Ecobank Kenya, Managing Director Cheikh Travaly, said: “The growth of women-led and women-focused businesses have been long hampered by a range of impediments, including access to finance. We have specially designed Ellevate to meet the needs of women entrepreneurs through the provision of comprehensive, customised and tailor-made solutions which include favourable lending rates, smart cash management enablement and a suite of value-added services such as leadership training, mentoring and networking opportunities. Ecobank Commercial Bank is allocating a minimum of 10% of its loan portfolio to women’s businesses.
“Women-led businesses are a largely underserved market and Ecobank Kenya is determined to help them reach their potential, grasp business opportunities and become both scalable and sustainable. This will enable them to play a major role in Africa’s social and economic development, in addition to creating thousands of the jobs needed by this and future generations of Kenyans.”
Cheikh spoke during the formal launch of Ellevate by Ecobank in Kenya at the Nairobi Serena Hotel.
Since Ecobank Group launched the programme in 2020, the Bank has so far extended $208 million in loans and attracted $337.7 million in deposits. On average, this financial support has created an average of between 90,000 to 150,000 jobs across Africa largely in the areas of education, agribusiness, hospitality, retail and distributorship.
The product has also won notable awards such as Best New Product Launch of the Year 2021 (Middle East & Africa Retail Banking Innovation Awards); Impact Award 2021 (Financial Alliance for Women); Outstanding Crisis Finance Innovation Award 2021 (Global Finance Innovators Awards).
During the event, Ecobank Kenya also donated over 6,700 sanitary pads to County Girls High School and Immaculate Hearts Don Bosco centre to support young girls from needy backgrounds.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 30 September 2022 – The Canon Hongkong Co.,Ltd (Canon Hong Kong) 50th Anniversary Celebration Event was held at the Hotel ICON on 21st September inviting around 100 dealers and business partners, with Ambassador and Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong, Mr. Kenichi Okada as the officiating guest, to celebrate at the theme of “Define Our Future Together”. It is not merely a celebration dinner but also a showcase of Canon Hong Kong’s passionate future vision.
The guest of honor, Mr. Kenichi Okada, Ambassador and Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong joined Canon Hong Kong management to lead the toasting ceremony.
For B2C, it was the first introduction of MREAL Solution in Hong Kong. It is a video technology that fuses real and virtual spaces and allows users to experience from 360-degree perspective. Different applications can be applied, to cover a wide range of industries and activities such as event & showrooming, manufacturing, medical training, architecture even product design. Another highlight went to the demonstration of EOS Virtual Reality System, through the 3D 180-degree VR images captured by dedicated EOS R5C camera and RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye Lens, it is aimed to take creativity to the next level and cater new creators by further simplifying traditional VR Production workflow and increase efficiency.
Honorable guests made speech to make the night more memorable, including Chairman & CEO of Canon Marketing Asia Mr. Hideki Ozawa, President & COO of Canon Marketing Asia Mr. Kazutada Kobayashi, President & CEO of Canon Hongkong Mr. Shunichi Morinaga, also the Ambassador and Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong, Mr. Kenichi Okada, they congratulated Canon Hongkong’s 50 years milestones by their moving words.
To embody the theme of “Define Our Future Together”, Canon’s Management team Mr. Kazuhiro Ozawa, Mr. Philip Chan, and Ms. Sheila Wong turned into digital avatars and shared the upcoming new concepts and technologies of Canon products & solutions.
Before the ending of the Gala Dinner, there was a transition Ceremony which marked the new President & CEO of Canon Hongkong. Mr. Shunichi Morinaga blessed the newly appointed President & CEO Mr. Kazuhiro Ozawa, and the latter invited all the guests to meet again 15 years later, to celebrate the 100th anniversaries of Canon in global. To achieve this, Mr. Ozawa wished the honorable guests to maintain individual healthy life and a healthy business development. With a special video showcased Canon Hong Kong’s history in past years with stakeholders and community, the celebration event came to a touched closing.
Hashtag: #CanonHongKong
About Canon Hongkong Company Limited
Canon Inc. (TSE:7751 / NYSE:CAJ) was founded in 1937 in Japan. Its predecessor, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, produced Japan’s first 35 mm focal-plane-shutter camera “Kwanon” in 1934. From there, Canon Inc. expanded into the photocopying and printing industries, launching Japan’s first plain-paper copier NP-1100 in 1970 and the world’s first inkjet printer BJ-80 in 1985. Through the years, Canon Inc. has acquired in-depth experience in digital imaging product manufacturing, research and development. Pioneering in innovative products development, Canon Inc. hold the most technology patents in the imaging industry. Canon Inc. also makes significant contribution to promote photography. Today, Canon Inc. has a strong global presence, representing one of the most important market players in the imaging, office and industrial product categories. As of 31 December 2021, Canon’s global revenue was US$30.55 billion.
In 1971, Canon Hongkong Co., Ltd. (Canon Hong Kong) was established as one of the first Canon offices in Asia. Canon Hong Kong is a Total Imaging Solution provider, providing professional pre-sales, marketing and after-sales services for all Canon products and solutions in Hong Kong and Macau. With the solely owned subsidiary Canon Business Solutions (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. established in 2018, the company continues to deliver intelligent total business solutions and professional services to Greater Bay Area. Canon Hong Kong adheres to Canon’s corporate philosophy of “Kyosei”, encouraging the company and staff to engage social, charitable and environmental activities for the community. Implementing internationally-recognized management system, Canon Hong Kong has achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001 (Canon Digital Production Center) certifications.
For more information about Canon Hong Kong, please visit our website: https://hk.canon.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 30 September 2022 – Blockchain social platform, Moledao & Bybit, held its first ever Demo Day, as part of the Asia Blockchain Gaming Alliance. The event, held in Singapore and sponsored by the world’s third largest exchange, Bybit, was designed to provide the opportunity and facilities for potential developers to submit their projects for consideration.
The event proved to be an outstanding success with fifty (50) submissions, sixteen (16) shortlisted projects, and six (6) winners. Winning submissions included a play and earn project, a news and event hub, an upstream service for the metaverse industry, a perpetual file storage protocol, zero-code web3 metaverse infrastructure, and a share to earn retail and predictive AI.
Moledao is one of the non-profit organizations founded by Bybit, that aims to build a blockchain community, grow the ecosystem, and empower crypto enthusiasts. The company believes that all individuals have the right to be empowered and have their potential realized and maximized and that a lack of connections and resources should not stop anyone from realizing their aspirations.
Speaking at the event, Rachel Hu, Learning and Development lead at Bybit said, “The talent and submissions surprised all of us. This has been the perfect example of how providing blockchain access and opportunity spurs innovation.”
“Bybit is proud to be associated with such a worthwhile event,” said Hu, Learning and Development lead at Bybit “We fully understand the hurdles involved in achieving your dreams. That’s why we will always help fund and promote talent and innovation for a decentralized world.”
The winners were chosen by a panel of 14 judges from all parts of the blockchain ecosystem, with projects marked on technical aptitude, creativity, utility/playability, design, and presentation.
The scale and success of the event has also spurred another milestone for Bybit, to on-board everyone to the crypto ark.
Hashtag: #Bybit
About Bybit
Bybit is a cryptocurrency exchange established in March 2018 that offers a professional platform where crypto traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, excellent customer service and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One racing team, Oracle Red Bull Racing, esports teams NAVI, Astralis, Alliance, Virtus.pro, Made in Brazil (MIBR), City Esports, and Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, and association football (soccer) teams Borussia Dortmund and Avispa Fukuoka.
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