Author: Marie Jones

Asia Opportunities, Technology and Belt and Road Collaboration Spotlighted HONG KONG — “Think Asia, Think Hong Kong,” a large-scale Hong Kong business promotion organised in London by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and supported by more than 60 UK organisations, attracted over 2,100 participants from the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Over a three-day period (19-21 September), a series of activities were held, including business missions, a gala dinner, and a full-day symposium featuring 50 high-profile speakers in panel discussions and thematic seminars, plus more than 220 business matching meetings. Returning to the UK since its…

HONG KONG — The Hong Kong Independent Non-Executive Director Association (“HKiNEDA”), a major organisation of independent non-executive directors in the Greater China region, hosted on 22 September in Hong Kong its Annual Conference titled “New Challenges for Directors of Listed Companies”, which gathered directors in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China to discuss in depth and exchange views on the new challenges directors of listed companies face. The conference began following the welcome speech of Mr. Anthony Fan, Founding President of HKiNEDA, and Mr. Roy Lo, Founding Deputy President of HKiNEDA, was the moderator of the panel discussion. Key speakers included…

– Nostalgic-themed lantern display featuring Singapore’s traditional lanterns inspires this year’s Street Light-Up – Family togetherness celebrated at inaugural Mid-Autumn Family Fest SINGAPORE — This year’s Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival invites local and overseas visitors to immerse themselves in the most well-loved traditions of the annual festival. Themed “Celebrations of our Traditions”, this year’s festival will bring back the traditional cellophane lanterns, which serves as the inspiration for this year’s Street Light-Up; while emphasizing family togetherness with a new event. During the month-long celebration from 23 September to 19 October, over 1,000 beautiful, handcrafted lanterns will light up the streets of Chinatown…

HONG KONG — FinEX Asia is pleased to announce that its private equity fund manager closed an investment of US$50 million in Prosper Marketplace, a U.S. online marketplace lending platform for consumer loans. “FinEX Asia is excited to complete the Series G financing into Prosper, a leader in marketplace lending in the U.S.,” said Maggie Ng, CEO of FinEX Asia. “Our team’s expertise is in fintech and consumer lending. Our investment strategy starts with the U.S. because of our strong network with online marketplace lenders. In parallel we are considering investment opportunities in other verticals globally.” Founded earlier this year by…

HONG KONG — SMIT Holdings Limited (“SMIT” or the “Company,” together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) (stock code: 2239), a global leading CAM supplier and a major mPOS supplier in China, has been awarded the “2017 Global CAM Market Leadership Award” by Frost & Sullivan, an internationally renowned growth consulting firm. Based on the research and analysis of the global CAM market and the studies and assessments on companies engaged in the industry, this accolade represents recognition of SMIT’s efforts and progress in the global CAM industry and a commendation for the Group’s contributions to promote the overall development of the…

Aims at Satisfying Increasing Demand For Coherent Transmission Modules and Compact Optical Amplifier Applications HONG KONG — O-Net Technologies (Group) Limited (“O-Net” or the “Group”) (stock code: 877), a leading high-technology enterprise, is pleased to announce the launch of 980nm uncooled pump laser in small form factor TO-Can package (“TO pump”), a high-power laser for optical amplification applications for coherent transmission modules and compact optical fiber amplifier applications. The product will encourage the transition to the next generation of small form factor compact EDFA which can be incorporated inside the CFP2 ACO / DCO modules and has set a new industry…

New access points, edge switches and enhanced network management provide high-speed WiFi and better service in business areas with high density of mobile users and IoT devices. At a glance: – New Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess(R) Stellar access points with latest 802.11ac wave 2 technology provide simplicity, performance, analytics and IoT readiness with an excellent user-centric experience – New Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch(R) stackable LAN switch family with Multigigabit and technology provides increased bandwidth for new generation APs, while high-power PoE supports the most demanding IoT devices – Newest release of Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista(R) 2500 NMS offers unified network management of LAN and WLAN, with…

BANGKOK —  In the wake of the Thailand Pesticide Alert Network’s (Thai PAN) continued efforts to limit farmer access to safe and effective crop protection, CropLife Asia issued the following statement from Executive Director Dr. Siang Hee Tan: “Thailand Farmers are facing enormous challenges. They’re being asked to grow more food to feed more people with fewer resources and less impact on the environment. That’s a tall order. “As stakeholders in the food value chain, we have a responsibility to help ensure the farmers in Thailand and the region are empowered and enabled to meet these challenges, produce the crops that…

JAKARTA —  The Indonesian Ministry of State-Owned Enterprise (MSOEs) is again presenting the Indonesia Business and Development Expo – IBDExpo 2017. Held at Jakarta Convention Center, Sept 20 – 23, the largest SOE exhibition in the country will be joined by 95 Indonesian SOEs and regionally-owned enterprises as well as a number of Singaporean enterprises, incorporated in the Singapore Business Federation, a Singaporean business community focusing on trade, investment, and industry. Beneath the theme of “Synergy to Make Indonesia Great”, this year’s event is again organized by the National Publishing and News Corporation (NPNC), a consortium of four media-focused SOEs consisting…

HONG KONG — Sisram Medical Ltd (“Sisram Med” or the “Company”; stock code: 1696.HK), announced the allotment results of its global offering, which offers a total of 110,000,000 shares comprising of 88,000,000 new shares offered by the Company and 22,000,000 sale shares by a controlling shareholder, Magnificent View Investments Limited (the “Selling Shareholder”). The offer price was set at HK$8.88 per share. Assuming that the over-allotment option is not exercised, the net proceeds from the global offering to be received by the Company, after deduction of underwriting fees and commissions and estimated expenses payable in connection with the global offering, are…

Exploring the Residential Care Home Market in Mainland China HONG KONG — A leading operator of care and attention homes for the elderly in Hong Kong, Pine Care Group Limited (“Pine Care Group” or the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”, stock code: 1989.HK), is pleased to announce that Pine Care Elderly Home Development Limited (“Pine Care Elderly Home”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has entered into a joint venture agreement with Yada International (HK) Limited (“Yada HK”) for the formation of Pine Care Yada Elderly Services Limited (the “JV Company”) to explore the residential care home market…

HONG KONG — The BGJF is an important stage which serves buyers in all perspectives. Apart from functioning as a traditional jewelry exhibition, The Department of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce of the Royal Thai Government (DITP, The Organizer) also noticed niche markets often allows competitive advantage over other businesses in today’s world. By showcasing the unique aspects of niche products, it not only allows company to stands apart from competitors within the industry, it also helps local SMEs to target on their exact buyers to create more repeat business. To facilitate this emerging global trend, DITP proudly presented THE…

BlackGold, China Huadian and PLN subsidiaries sign Heads of Agreement for cooperation on Riau-1 Project SINGAPORE — BlackGold Natural Resources Limited (the “Company”, and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group” or “BlackGold”) is pleased to announce that, on 15 September 2017, it entered into a Heads of Agreement (the “HOA”) with various parties to form a new consortium (the “Consortium”) in relation to an ongoing cooperation project for the development, construction, operation and maintenance of a 2 x 300 MW coal-fired power plant in Riau province, Sumatra, Indonesia (the “Riau-1 Project”). The Consortium shall consist of i) the Company; ii) China…

HONG KONG — China’s leading green technology real estate developer and operator Modern Land (China) Co., Limited (“Modern Land”, the “Company”), together with its subsidiaries (the “Group”), stock code: 1107.HK, is pleased to announce that in relation to joint development of a property project with Yango Group in Guangzhou, on 15 September 2017, Modern Land and Yango Group entered into the Share Transfer Agreement whereby Modern Land agreed to acquire 5,100 shares of the Target Company (representing 51% of the issued shares of the Target Company) from Yango Group at the Consideration of HK$1,828,623,141. Upon Completion, The Target Company will be…

SPRG Also Captures Gold SABRE – Greater China Award HONG KONG — It was a celebratory night for Strategic Public Relations Group (“SPRG” or the “Group”) at yesterday’s Holmes Report Asia Pacific SABRE Awards ceremony, as the agency was named Corporate Consultancy of the Year. The panel of judges for this year’s awards scrutinized some 1,200 nominations. And despite fierce competition, SPRG received the coveted title due to its commitment to delivering superior PR services. SPRG is one of the largest PR networks in Asia and the largest PR consultancy in Hong Kong. It has maintained its leading position in Hong…

Compounds in an Asian fermented fish paste could help reduce high cholesterol. Selangor, Malaysia — Compounds in a fermented fish paste used as a condiment in Indonesia efficiently inhibit an enzyme involved in cholesterol synthesis, reports a study published in the Pertanika journal Tropical Agricultural Science. Researchers from Sriwijaya University in Indonesia tested the effects of various peptides filtered out of bekasam, a fermented fish paste used in Indonesian cooking, on the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. They found two peptides inhibited the enzyme. HMG-CoA reductase catalyzes the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonic acid, a necessary step in cholesterol synthesis in the body.…

Japanese researchers have helped discover, analyze and commercialize novel conducting materials and products, such as zirconia-based gas sensors and lithium-ion batteries. Tsukuba, Japan — The field of solid-state ionics originated in Europe, but Japanese scientists have significantly advanced it over the past 70 years, according to a review in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM). Solid-state ionics deals with all aspects of the migration of ions (charged atoms) in solids, such as ceramics, polymers, biomaterials and their composites. Despite a common belief that solids don’t conduct ions, some solids with specific structural and physical properties exhibit a fast…

BANGKOK — Dr. Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director of CropLife Asia, participated today at the Tech4Farmers Asia 2.0 event held in Bangkok. He took part on a panel looking at the issue of ‘Creating an Enabling Environment for Market Access’. “The population in Asia is projected to have one billion more people by 2050,” said Dr. Tan. “Our farmers need to produce more food to feed a growing world while coping with the pressures of weeds, pests, disease, less arable land, fewer natural resources, and a changing climate. That’s a tall order. The innovations of plant science have a significant role…

Understanding Consumer Preferences using IoT SmartMirrors Selangor, Malaysia — Mirrors that offer suggestions for what to try on in the fitting room have great potential to accelerate the shopping process and increase sales, according to a study in the Pertanika Journal of Science and Technology. A ‘smart mirror’ combines cameras, sensors and displays with powerful cognitive algorithms that predict a customer’s age, gender and current outfit, to offer clothing suggestions based on personal preferences and trends. For example, a customer trying on a shirt might be encouraged to try on another size or colour of that shirt. Ravi Ramakrishnan and Dr…

Tokyo, London, Amsterdam and Singapore — JCB International Co., Ltd. (JCBI), the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd, and Adyen, the payments platform of choice for the world’s leading companies, are pleased to announce the signing of an extension to the original License Agreement. This will lead to global JCB merchant acquiring for e-commerce, and for POS in Singapore and HK. Furthermore, for e-commerce it will be possible to process all currencies and settle in the major currencies – among them: SGD, USD, JPY, HKD, EUR, GBP. This global partnership further advances Adyen’s strategy of providing its merchants a direct…