Twitter Finally Makes Spaces Available To Everyone Nearly A Year After Launch

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Twitter Finally Makes Spaces Available To Everyone Nearly A Year After Launch

After almost a year of launching its live audio chatroom features, Twitter has finally announced that Spaces will be available to all users irrespective of their device type or follower count. 

This is coming nearly a year after it launched the feature and 6 months after it expanded it to include users with more than 600+ followers.

According to the microblogging platform, everyone with an Android or iOS device can now host their own live audio session regardless of how many Twitter followers they have.

Before now, only users with more than 600 followers could initiate a Twitter Spaces conference. But now the social media giant will allow everyone, irrespective of follower count to host a Spaces.

This latest Twitter’s announcement of the expansion of Spaces also included a GiF that serves as a quick lesson on how users can make their own Space.

Twitter Finally Makes Spaces Available To Everyone Nearly A Year After Launch
Twitter Finally Makes Spaces Available To Everyone Nearly A Year After Launch

Spaces was Twitter’s attempt at replicating Clubhouse’s success with its own version of audio-centric chatrooms. The company is finally allowing even Android users to host a Space, a feature that should have been available much sooner.

READ ALSO: Twitter Spaces is here, let’s chat

Prior to making space available to everyone, the company announced it was working hard to develop the features of this service and greatly improve the experience.

It recently added the ability to add up to two co-hosts and ten speakers, which is very beneficial for large gatherings.

Ticketed Spaces is one of the most recent updates Twitter made available to more Android users this year.

Twitter Finally Makes Spaces Available To Everyone Nearly A Year After Launch
Twitter Finally Makes Spaces Available To Everyone Nearly A Year After Launch

The company began rolling out this separate application in June for all users in the United States and says it’s a means for organizers to make money off of using the space feature.

Anyone with the latest version of Twitter can use this feature. All you have to do is tap on the compose floating button, then tap the Spaces icon to bring up a new floating sheet that introduces you to Twitter Fleets.

You can add 10 other users as speakers after entering the name of your Twitter Space. Other users can join in as listeners and be promoted to talk at any time.

DEAL: Worldcoin Raises $25 Million, Now Valued At $1 Billion

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DEAL: Worldcoin Raises $25 Million, Now Valued At $1 Billion

Worldcoin has announced that it was able to raise $25 million from investors and is now is currently valued at $1 billion.

Investors that took part in the funding include Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Coinbase Ventures, Digital Currency Group (the parent company of CoinDesk) and angel investors which includes the likes of top crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried and Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn.

Worldcoin is co-founded by Alex Blania, Sam Altman and Max Novendstern and it plans to create a new global digital currency that is fairly distributed and used by as many people as possible.

The company is based in Berlin, Germany, and currently has about 70 employees and 30 Orbs. The Orbs, as previously covered by Nairametrics is a silver-coloured spherical shaped device, that is as large as a basketball, to be used to scan people’s irises to ascertain their unique identities.

The orbs are handled by independent entrepreneurs the company calls “Orb Operators’, who take the devices into the world, (into remote villages and metro stations and university campuses) and convince people to sign up for free Worldcoin crypto with an eye scan, which the Orb uses to create a unique identifier called IrisHash that ensures the person is a human who has not collected worldcoin before.

According to some of the company’s prediction models, Worldcoin thinks over a billion people will have gazed into the Orb by 2023. Beginning in November, Worldcoin plans to ramp up production to an astonishing 4,000 Orbs per month, which the company plans to match with Orb Operators across the world.

What they are saying

Alex Blania told CoinDesk that Worldcoin has partnered with a “very big international manufacturer” with a plant in Germany, which will pump out about 50,000 Orbs per year.

Though Blania declined to name the company or say where the company was from, when asked if the manufacturer was Chinese, Blania responded stating, “Definitely not, for many reasons, and one of them is actually security. The Orb itself has private keys and signs every message it sends so we know it’s actually a real Orb. And that means we need to lock this whole supply chain totally up so we know it’s not compromised.”

Why this matters

According to Worldcoin, 130,000 people around the world have already gazed into the Orb in crypto’s version of a universal basic income (UBI).

Alex Blania told CoinDesk that the amount each person receives depends on how early in the project’s roll-out they got involved, with the amount diminishing as more people are onboarded, but that the amount is roughly valued at between $10 and $200. This amount is doled out over two years, with 10% available immediately in a wallet app generated by the Orb.

Worldcoin is built as a layer 2 system operating on the Ethereum network, with a maximum token supply of 10 billion worldcoins.

According to Blania, 8 billion of the coins will be distributed globally as the company’s stated goal is to give worldcoin to “every human on earth”, while 2 billion worldcoin will be reserved for Worldcoin’s foundation and investors.

Twitter Acquires Chat App Sphere

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Twitter Acquires Chat App Sphere

Twitter announced Thursday that it has acquired a London-based startup chat app, Sphere.

It said the move is to build a community where every participant feels welcomed and can engage in conversation easily. It was not immediately clear how much the deal is worth.

The Sphere chat app is a group messaging service with a focus on the group aspects of chats.

The startup was founded by Nick D’Aloisio and Tomas Halgas. The former is a serial tech entrepreneur, having sold his news app Summly to Yahoo for $30 million at the age of 17.

The social media giant had in May rolled out audio feature Spaces, after reportedly making an effort to acquire audio platform Clubhouse. It has also proceeded to experiment with new functions to curb online harassment and promote online safety.

The team at Sphere in a blog post said it had been “watching and admiring Twitter’s growing investment in community-building with the release of Communities, Spaces and features that promote safety”.

“When we met the team, we were even more impressed by how seriously they are pursuing interest-based community and how much they believe in its potential impact,” it said.

“Today’s announcement means we have the opportunity to take what we’ve learned at Sphere and bring our efforts to a whole new level. While we’ll be winding down our standalone product next month, we’re excited for our team of 20 to continue onwards within the communities, direct messages, and creator’s initiatives at Twitter. We can’t think of a better home for this work and are beyond excited to get started,’’ the post added.

The company’s decision to acquire Sphere comes as it ramps up measures to expand its product offerings to compete with other social media platforms.

How To Give Cryptocurrency As A Gift

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How To Give Cryptocurrency As A Gift

Cryptocurrencies are no longer just the domain of fintech nerds. Even the least technologically inclined among us have heard of them, with their volatile price swings and surges in value making the news in pretty much every corner of the globe.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Cryptocurrency gifts can function as a speculative investment or simply as an equivalent to cash to buy things online.
  • These digital assets are now fairly easy to buy and gift. Options include purchasing a gift card or using a cryptocurrency exchange.
  • Once you’ve acquired the gift, find a safe place offline to store the information needed to access it —assuming the recipient isn’t already a cryptocurrency investor.
  • Cryptocurrency gifts made by an individual worth less than $15,000 are not taxable events until the recipient decides to sell.

  • Opinion on whether to invest in this asset class is varied. Plenty of experts warn that digital money such as Bitcoin will never become entirely mainstream and are, therefore, overpriced and destined to plummet in value. Others take a more positive view, claiming that cryptocurrencies are the future, that people buying them now can still make a fortune, and that they, as a result, should be high on our shopping lists.

    Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, the concept of cryptocurrencies making good gifts can’t be entirely dismissed. Sure, they may shed value quickly. However, most people would agree that cryptocurrencies are exciting and growing in relevance.

    An increasing number of e-commerce companies now accept digital assets as a method of payment, meaning they can be used to shop and pay bills. Add to this the possibility that they could be worth a whole lot more in a few years and you have a potentially versatile gift.

  • Which Cryptocurrency Would Make a Good Gift?

    There are reportedly now more than 6,000 cryptocurrencies in the market, which makes choosing one harder than ever.1

    Unless you or the person you are giving the gift to have something specific in mind, it may be best to settle on one of the more mainstream, well-established options, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Ripple. There’s been an influx of new, cheaper entrants in recent years, however, it remains to be seen whether they will gain the same level of popularity and staying power as the more established coins.

  • As an investment, cryptocurrencies are high risk and it is crucial to review your options before buying. Do some homework on the coins that entice you most, and then weigh up their future prospects and determine if it’s reflected in the price. As this is a gift  “here you can check and find best cryptocurrency exchange“, it would also be wise to consider what the recipient might want.

  • How to Gift Cryptocurrencies

    Thanks to their soaring popularity, in part because of their speculative nature, cryptocurrencies are now much easier to buy. Here are some of the common ways that these digital assets can be gifted.

    Gift Cards

    Several websites sell cryptocurrency gift cards. Find one that looks trustworthy, preferably has good reviews, and offers what you want, then select the amount you wish to gift and pay for it.

    Once the payment is made, you’ll be sent a gift card worth the figure you deposited. Similar to how standard retailer gift cards work, the recipient can redeem the gift by going on the same website and entering the details displayed on the card.

    Crypto Exchanges

    Another option is to gift cryptocurrency via an exchange. If you aren’t already a crypto investor, you’ll first need to choose an exchange, set up an account, and decide on a payment method. When you’re up and running, purchased digital currencies can then easily be sent to your donee’s wallet address.

    Storing Cryptocurrencies

    After you’ve bought the gift, you’ll need to find somewhere safe to store it. There is the option to hold it on the platform where it was purchased, although it’s generally advisable to move it offline to somewhere where it cannot be easily hacked and stolen.

    Paper Wallets

    The cheapest method to store cryptocurrencies offline is via paper wallet. A paper wallet is created by visiting a specialized website that generates keys and corresponding QR codes at random and essentially results in a printed piece of paper containing all the information needed to access purchased cryptocurrencies and facilitate transactions.

    Once you have created a paper wallet and printed it, you must make sure not to lose or damage it. If that were to happen, the donee would no longer be able to access the virtual currencies sent to the address. It’s also important to keep it in a safe place—if someone were to find it, they could access the digital assets and steal them.

    Hardware Wallets

    A more secure storage solution is the hardware wallet. Hardware crypto wallets are essentially a USB drive device. They are small, water and virus-proof, and regarded by many in the industry as the best place to ensure that private keys, the critical data used to authorize transactions on the blockchain network, are safe and secure.

    These wallets are offline, making them harder to hack than a computer or smartphone, and can be bought fairly easily, with prices varying depending on the features they offer.

    Physical Coins

    If you want the gift to be a bit fancier, it is possible to buy physical coins. These coins are quite impressive to look at and can be used to store digital currency.

    Each one contains a unique address and a redeemable private key, which is located underneath the tamper-proof hologram. Aside from functioning as a useful storage device, these coins have also become collectibles, meaning there is a chance that they will appreciate in value.

     

    How Are Cryptocurrency Gifts Taxed

    Giving cryptocurrency to loved ones is usually not a taxable event. Unless the transfer exceeds the gift tax allowance, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) only needs to be alerted when the asset is eventually sold by the recipient and a capital gain or loss is realized.45

    If the recipient sells the gift within one year at a profit, they will have made a “short-term capital gain,” which is taxed as ordinary income. Beyond that date, it becomes a “long-term gain,” which is taxed at lower capital gains rates.4

    The size of the gain is determined by how much you, the donor, paid. In other words, if a coin was bought for $100 and then sold five years later for $500, the recipient of the gift would be taxed on a $400 profit

  • Losses, which can be used as deductions on the investor’s tax return, work slightly differently. A capital loss is only registered if the asset is sold for less than both what it was initially bought for and its fair market value when it was gifted. If a loss of that magnitude occurs, the IRS will take the lower of the two amounts into account.4

     

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Elon Musk Set To Become First Trillionaire On Earth

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Elon Musk Set To Become First Trillionaire On Earth

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person is estimated to have a net worth of $242 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Although he is already the world’s richest person, he could also become the first member of the four-comma club.

According to The Guardian, analysts at Morgan Stanley have predicted that Musk, 50, could become the world’s first trillionaire — largely thanks to his aerospace company SpaceX, People.com reports.

“More than one client has told us that if Elon Musk were to become the first trillionaire… it won’t be because of Tesla,” analyst Adam Jones told the newspaper, referring to the electric car company behind the majority of his wealth to date.

“Others have said SpaceX may eventually be the most highly valued company in the world — in any industry,” Jones added.

Though humans have yet to reach Mars — one of Musk’s goals for the company — via SpaceX’s Starship, the advanced launch system already has high expectations following the success of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

“As one client put it, ‘talking about space before Starship is like talking about the internet before Google,’ ” explains Jones.

Earlier this month, the valuation of SpaceX increased to $100.3 billion, up from $74 billion in February, according to CNBC.

The valuation made SpaceX — which Musk owns about 48% of the corporation — the world’s second-biggest privately held company, The Guardian states.

SpaceX has celebrated a number of milestones this year, including successfully launching and landing a Starship rocket for the first time. Last month, SpaceX sent the first all-civilian crew into orbit.

Musk is currently estimated to have a $242 billion net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Tesla still remains his biggest asset.

Back in January, Musk overtook Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest person, only to briefly lose the title back to the Amazon billionaire the following month. Musk went on to reclaim his spot days later, following the completion of a SpaceX funding round, according to Fortune.

Bezos — currently the second-richest person in the world, per Bloomberg — is estimated to have a net worth of $197 billion, followed by Bernard Arnault ($163 billion), Bill Gates ($133 billion) and Mark Zuckberg ($127 billion).

Musk’s fortunes have rapidly increased since the start of last year.

Back in January 2020, Musk was ranked 35th on their list of billionaires, but that year his net worth rose by $100.3 billion, according to Bloomberg. He became the second-richest person in the world that November.

Bloomberg reported at the time that Musk’s financial surge came as Tesla’s market share hit $500 billion, which was an all-time high for the electric automaker company.

So far this year, the billionaire has increased his fortune by $72 billion, a 42.4% increase from this time last year, per Bloomberg.

Microfinance Banks Lose Over N5b To Fraud

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Microfinance Banks Lose Over N5b To Fraud

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) yesterday said as at September this year, Microfinance Banks (MfBs) lost over N5 billion to fraud and other cybercrimes.

It said the increase in use of the internet in MfBs has created a space for cyber-attacks, social engineering was identified as the greatest source of identity attack. It therefore urged banks and the public to take precautions.

The Director of Special Insured Institutions Department (SIID) at NDIC, Mrs Veronica Ogbo-Ikwe, disclosed this at the 18th workshop for business editors and Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) in Ibadan.

She said: “Over N5.04 Billion was lost to fraud as at Sept, 2021, according to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS).

“Regulatory efforts aimed at stemming the scourge of fraudsters in the sub-sector include the introduction of Biometric verification Number (BVN), the three-tier Know your Customers (KYCs), regular supervision and offsite monitoring etc.

READ ALSO: Nigeria Banks Grossed A Loss Of N15.15 Billion To Fraudsters – NDIC

“The whole gamut or retinue of the supervisory responses are targeted at building resilience, sustainability, capacity of the Micro Finance institutions so that they are well-situated to deliver on the expected goals.

“A resilient, transparent, stable, de-risked Microfinance industry offers mutual benefits to the private sector and the economy as it: provides stable, sustainable returns – private sector; promotes or engenders confidence in the financial system; improves financial inclusion and; promotes the much sought after inclusive economic development of the country.”

She however noted that some of the other challenges facing the microfinance sector are hostile economic climate, escalating insecurity, disruptions in the financial space by financial technologies (FinTechs) and cybercrime.

Others are weak institutions – capital base-vulnerable to losses, deadline for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) new recapitalisation requirement, funding – difficult to grow organically, unattractive to investors, weak collateral, deviation from the MfB business model, weak corporate governance, and ponzi schemes “wonder banks”, demarketing and diminishing confidence in MfBs.

NCC Alerts Nigerians On Flubot Malware, Lists Measures To Guard Against Attack

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NCC Alerts Nigerians On Flubot Malware, Lists Measures To Guard Against Attack

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has alerted millions of Nigerian telecom consumers of the existence of new, high-risk and extremely-damaging, Malware called Flubot.

The NCC also listed measures to guard against attack from Flubot.

Malware is a generic word used to describe a virus or software, designed specially to “disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system.”

NCC’s Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

According to Adinde, information received from the Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT), revealed that Flubot “targets Androids with fake security updates and App installations”.

He said that ngCERT also affirmed that Flubot “impersonates Android mobile banking applications to draw fake web views on targeted applications,” and its goal transcends stealing personal data and essentially targets stealing of credit card details or online banking credentials.

FluBot is circulated through Short Message Service (SMS) and can snoop “on incoming notifications, initiate calls, read or write SMSes, and transmit the victim’s contact list to its control centre.”

READ ALSO: NCC Get Worked up over Cyber Theft in Nigeria

This malware attacks Android devices by pretending to be FedEx, DHL, Correos, and Chrome applications” and compels unsuspecting users to alter the accessibility configurations on their devices in order to maintain continuous presence on devices.

The new malware undermines the security of devices by copying fake login screens of prominent banks, and the moment the users enter their login details on the fake pages, their data is harvested and transmitted to the malware operators’ control point from where the data is exploited by intercepting banking-related One Time Passwords (OTPs) and replacing the default SMS app on the targeted Android device.

Consequently, it secures admittance into the device through SMS and proceeds to transmit similar messages to other contacts that may be on the device it has attacked, enticing them into downloading the fake app.

NCC said that “it suffices to say that, when Flubot infects a device, it can result in incalculable financial losses. Additionally, the malware creates a backdoor which grants access to the user’s device, thus enabling the invader or attacker to perform other criminal actions, including launching other variants of malware.

“In view of this discovery and understanding of the process by which this malware operates, and in order to protect millions of telecom consumers and prevent criminal forces, irrespective of location, from using telecom platforms to perpetrate fraud and irredeemable damages, the NCC hereby wishes to reiterate the advisory of ngCERT as follows:

“1. Do not click on the link if you receive a suspicious text message, and do not install any app or security update the page asks you to install.
2. Use updated antivirus software that detects and prevents malware infections

,”3. Apply critical patches to the system and application.

“4. Use strong passwords and enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) over logins

“5. Back-up your data regularly.
6. If you have been affected by this campaign, you should reset your device to factory mode as soon as possible. This will delete any data on your phone, including personal data.

“7. Do not restore from backups created after installing the app. You may contact ngCERT on *incident@cert.gov.ng* for technical assistance.

“8. You will also need to change the passwords to all of your online accounts, with urgency, around your online bank accounts.

“9. If you have concerns that your accounts may have been accessed by unauthorized people, contact your bank immediately.”

As the Commission intensifies efforts in ensuring increased broadband access, enabling telecoms consumers to carry out their legitimate activities more efficiently and effectively online, it also restates its commitment to empowering consumers through useful information and education to protect them from falling victims of all kinds of cyber-attack while online. “This explains the rationale for the launch of the telecom sector’s Centre for Computer Security Incident Response by NCC on 30th September, 2021.”

BOC Gases Nigeria Rebrands After TY Holdings’ Acquisition Of Majority Stake

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BOC Gases Nigeria Rebrands After TY Holdings’ Acquisition Of Majority Stake

BOC Gases Nigeria Plc will now be known as Industrial and Medical Gases Nigeria Plc after discarding name it adopted 14 years ago, a note by the company showed on Thursday.

The name drop follows the buyout of 60 per cent shareholding in BOC Gases equivalent to 249,746,823 ordinary shares in August by TY Holdings Limited, owned by Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, Nigeria’s former defence minister, from Guildford-based BOC Holdings UK.

Until becoming the majority owner of the firm, TY Holdings held 12 per cent of BOC Gases outstanding shares.

BOC Gases Nigeria Rebrands After TY Holdings’ Acquisition Of Majority Stake

“The company has obtained a new certificate of incorporation from the Corporate Affairs Commission,” BOC Gases said in the document published by the Nigerian Exchange.

The company, whose interests span industrial and medical gas production as well as sale of special gases, welding and medical equipment, has also changed its logo and trademark in the spirit of the new transformation.

Hendrik Mentz de Waal and Joseph Ramashala – both non-executive directors – exited the gas manufacturers in August, six days after the takeover.

Nigerian Banks Remain Stable, Resilient Despite Pandemic – CBN

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Nigerian Banks Remain Stable, Resilient Despite Pandemic – CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says banks in the country have remained stable, robust and resilient in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Director, Banking Supervision of CBN, Mr Haruna Mustafa, said this at the 2021 Financial Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN) workshop in Ibadan on Friday.

Mustapha, represented by Mr Adekunle Adeniji, the Assistant Director, Banking Supervision, CBN, said the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) rose to 15.21 per cent as at August, Liquidity Ratio (LR) rose to 42.23 per cent.

He said non-performing loan ratio improved from 6.58 per cent to 5.9 per cent as at August 2021, while banking system credit to the economy increased to 10.99 per cent between January and August.

Mustafa noted that the regulatory measures taken by CBN contributed to the growth.

He listed some interventions by the apex bank to lessen the impact of the pandemic to include reduction in interest rates to five per cent.

Others are: 50 billion naira target credit facility for households and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and re-enactment of Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA 2020) to strengthen the regulatory and resolution architecture for banks and other financial institutions.

CBN Says Banks Remain Stable, Resilient Despite Pandemic

The director said CBN would continue to develop additional counter cyclical policy options that could be utilised in periods of stress.

Mustafa explained that macro-prudential regulation and supervision was more critical now than ever.

“We expect financial services to be provided more in a digital manner.

“We will continuously update and assess our prudential rule books and policy to strengthen responses to economic and financial shocks.

“We will continue to deploy effective stress testing methodologies to detect vulnerabilities early to enable appropriate pre-emptive action,” he said.

Mustafa explained that the banking sector had also sustained the growth of key economic activities, which were impacted by the pandemic in the agriculture, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, hospitality and tourism sectors.

The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Quantity Surveying Division Conference 2021

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Explored challenges and prospects of quantity surveying industry and forged practical solutions

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 23 October 2021 – The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) Quantity Surveying Division hosted the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division Conference 2021 at the HKIS Surveyors Learning Centre today. Themed “Forging Ahead: Practical Solutions in Quantity Surveying” this year, the Conference gathered government office heads, business leaders, experts and scholars to share insights on the prospects of the quantity surveying industry. Ms HO Wing Yin, Winnie, JP, Director of Architectural Services, Architectural Services Department of the HKSAR Government attended the Conference as its Guest of Honour. Delivered both online and offline, the Conference drew a participation of over 300 industry professionals today.

 

Quantity Surveying Division is one of the six divisions of the HKIS and with the largest number of members. The division has adhered to the spirit of excellence for many years. Attributed to having been trained as construction cost consultants, the members are equipped with the expert knowledge of costs, values, finance, contractual arrangements and legal matters in the construction field. In order to provide comprehensive services to society, the service areas also extend from building projects in the past, to civil engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, renovations and maintenance projects.

 

The Conference featured with 10 local and overseas industry leaders, experts and scholars deliberated on emerging trends and explored prospects of the quantity surveying industry from all-rounded and professional perspectives. This Conference aimed at inspiring delegates to explore and seize opportunities emerging in the industry.

 

During the keynote speech, Ms HO Wing Yin, Winnie, JP, Director of Architectural Services, Architectural Services Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government shared with participants the innovative technologies adopted by Architectural Services Department and its quantity surveying branch. It reflects their determination in nurturing innovative quantity surveying to tackle practical problems.

 

The Conference comprised three sessions, and covers area such as financial claims, financial management, overseas career path, building information modelling and modular integrated construction. Topics discussed included “”Claims due to COVID-19 under different standard forms of contract”, “Opportunities and Challenges in Greater Bay Area” and “BIM: Expectations, Shortfalls, Issues and Solutions” and more. Both online and offline participants engaged in active discussion.

 

Sr Edwin TANG, President of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors mentions in his welcome speech, “Surveyors must keep up with the times and stay ahead of on-going development in our industry. By providing the best professional services we ensure the surveying industry can continue to flourish in Hong Kong.”

Sr Amelia FOK, Chairman of the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division mentions in her welcome speech, “With the wide-ranging topics, we hope participants will be inspired by the knowledge and experiences shared by the speakers, and help the industry “Forge Ahead”.”

 

Sr Paul WONG, Chairman of the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division Conference 2021 Organising Committee notes in his closing remarks, “It is our pleasure to invite local and overseas professionals from diverse backgrounds to share their insights regarding the future, challenges and solutions of quantity surveying with us. Through this we hope to get delegates informed and inspired.”

 

List of speakers (in order of speech delivery)

Ms HO Wing Yin, Winnie, JP, Director of Architectural Services, Architectural Services Department, HKSAR Government (Guest of Honour)

Sr Gilbert KWOK, Partner, Cocking & Co LLP

Mr KHOO Sze Boon, Immediate Past President (QS Division), Singapore Institute of Surveyors & Valuers and Managing Director, Turner & Townsend, Singapore, Vietnam & Philippines

Sr YK CHAN, Director, WT Partnership

Sr Melody LEUNG Kwan Ngan, Executive M&E Quantity Surveyor, AECOM Cost Consulting and Project Management (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Sr T T CHEUNG, JP, Past World Chairman, International Cost Engineering Council

Sr K C TANG, Director, K.C. Tang Consultants Limited

Sr Jason CHAN Tak Chuen, a young qualified QS with BIM experience

Sr Rita NG, Group Commercial Director, Paul Y. Engineering Group

Sr Mandy NG, Director, Beria Consultants Limited

Prof. Malcolm HORNER, Professor, University of Dundee

 

List of speakers and topics downloadable here: https://www.hkis.org.hk/hkis/general/annual-conf/2021/qsd/qsd-ac2021v7.pdf

Conference Proceeding downloadable here: https://qr.page/g/nqwpYfwOY

High resolution event photos downloadable HERE.

Photo caption

001 Around 60 guests and over 300 delegates attended the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division Conference 2021 in person and online respectively.

002 Ms HO Wing Yin, Winnie, JP, Director of Architectural Services, Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government opens the Conference.

003 Sr Edwin TANG, President of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors delivers welcome speech.

004 Sr Amelia FOK, Chairman of the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division delivers welcome remarks.

005 Hon Tony TSE Wai-chuen, JP, BBS, Member of Legislative Council (Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape) (3rd right), Sr Edwin TANG, President of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (2nd right), Sr Amelia FOK, Chairman of the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division (4th right), Sr Paul WONG, Chairman of the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division Conference 2021 Organising Committee (4th left) and Office Bearers of the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division presents memento to Ms HO Wing Yin, Winnie, JP (middle).

006 Sr Paul WONG, Chairman of the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division Conference 2021 Organising Committee delivers closing remarks.

About the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors

The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) is the only surveying professional body incorporated by ordinance in Hong Kong. As of 10 September 2021, the number of members reached 10,683, of which 7,367 were corporate members, 70 were associate members and 3,246 were probationers and students. HKIS work includes setting standards for professional services and performance, establishing codes of ethics, determining requirements for admission as professional surveyors, and encouraging members to upgrade skills through continuing professional development.

HKIS has an important consultative role in government policy making and on issues affecting the profession. We have advised the government on issues such as project costs, building safety and unauthorized building works, problems of property management, town planning and development strategies, construction quality and housing problems. We have also issued guidance notes on floor area measurement, real estates valuation and land boundary survey,etc.

HKIS official website: http://www.hkis.org.hk

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hkisofficial

#HongKongInstituteofSurveyors #HKIS

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