Malaysian Reinsurance Bhd has stable credit ratings outlook

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a-’ of Malaysian Reinsurance Bhd (Malaysian Re) Malaysia.

According to AM Best, the outlook of these credit ratings is stable.

The ratings reflect Malaysian Re’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best described as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

Malaysian Re’s balance sheet strength assessment is underpinned by risk-adjusted capitalisation that remains comfortably at the strongest level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio.

The company’s capital and surplus has exhibited a strong growth over recent years from retained earnings.

In fiscal year 2019, a capital injection of RM100 million from its holding company, MNRB Holdings Bhd has strengthened its capital position to support business growth.

In addition, the company has a conservative investment portfolio, with focus on good quality fixed-income securities.

AM Best views the company’s underwriting leverage as low compared with its peers.

The rating agency views the company’s operating performance as adequate and assesses Malaysian Re’s business profile as neutral.

Malaysian Re is a dominant market leader in Malaysia’s non-life reinsurance market. More details on the ratings at http://www.ambest.com/

-- BERNAMA

Hotel Royal Classic Osaka promotes culture, sightseeing via Museum Hotel concept

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 -- Hotel Royal Classic Osaka, a new luxury hotel complex in Japan recently unveiled its Museum Hotel concept, driving Osaka's development as an international city of culture and sightseeing.

Housed in this distinctive space, the innovative Museum Hotel provides guests with a hands-on experience in art museum-level quality - an original service that transcends the norms of business or suite hotels to offer a luxury experience for the soul.

The Museum Hotel concept has been unveiled to mark the hotel’s grand opening and features over 100 modern artworks.

Curated with the assistance of Professor Junji Ito of Tokyo University of the Arts, along with Tokyo's Whitestone Gallery, the collection was displayed throughout the hotel’s public spaces and guest rooms.

The hotel was designed by globally celebrated architect, Kengo Kuma on the site of the former Osaka Shin-Kabukiza Theater.

The hotel is a unique architectural structure with a lower facade that replicates the magnificent ‘karahafu’ gabled rooftop of the original Shin-Kabukiza Theater, extending into an intricately dynamic aluminum fin motif on its upper floors.

More details of Hotel Royal Classic Osaka at https://hotel-royalclassic.jp/en/

-- BERNAMA

AM Best maintains under review with positive implications status for CIC Guam

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18-- AM Best has maintained the under review with positive implications status for the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘bbb+’ of Century Insurance Company (Guam) Limited (CIC Guam) Guam.

These ratings were placed under review on July 3, following an announcement that DB Insurance Co Ltd (DBI) has entered into an agreement with CIC Guam’s parent company, Tan Holdings Corporation (THC).

The agreement involved the acquisition of 80 per cent stake in each of THC’s three insurance subsidiaries - CIC Guam and two other insurers in Saipan and Papua New Guinea.

DBI is also expected to secure the management rights in all three companies.

At that time, AM Best indicated that the ratings would remain under review until the transaction was completed, and an assessment of the subsequent impact to CIC Guam’s business and credit profile could be determined.

The under review with positive implications status has been extended as regulatory approval is still pending.

The companies now anticipate a transaction closing date in early 2020. CIC Guam’s ratings will remain under review until the close of the transaction, while AM Best continues to conduct further discussions with CIC Guam’s and DBI’s management teams to fully assess the rating impact.

-- BERNAMA

AM Best affirms NEWGT Reinsurance Company Credit Ratings

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a-’ of NEWGT Reinsurance Company Ltd (NEWGT) Bermuda.

According to a statement, the outlook of these credit ratings is stable.

The ratings reflect NEWGT’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best described as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

The company’s strong balance sheet assessment reflects its modest capital base, low underwriting leverage and conservative investment portfolio.

Operating performance continued to improve this year with a lower combined ratio, underpinned by an improvement in claims experience and a stable expense ratio.

Although revenue is expected to decrease slightly in the short term over the course of its portfolio enhancement, AM Best believes the company’s underwriting results will remain profitable and gradually improve through the pursuit of growth in group-related business.

The stable outlooks reflect AM Best’s expectation that NEWGT’s operating performance will improve gradually and remain profitable despite its strong loss ratio controls and continuous portfolio enhancement.

-- BERNAMA

CEIS, HSF unveil production trends of China's rubber, areca nut, agarwood

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 -- Overall supply of natural rubber is expected to be tight in the first quarter of 2020, which will likely lead to the continuous rising of rubber prices, according to an annual report on the Xinhua-HSF natural rubber series price indexes (2018-2019).

The report was released jointly by China Economic Information Service (CEIS) of Xinhua News Agency and Haiken Group (HSF) at the 2019 Boao Forum for Entrepreneurs held in south China’s Hainan Province.

The report shows that sufficient supplies of natural rubber on a global scale will continue in the short term due to the large production capacity.

The two enterprises also released a report on the areca nut industry in 2018-2019.

The report shows that without a significant increase in the demand side, the areca nut fruits purchase price is expected to decline this month.

Meanwhile, CEIS and Chengmai County Government of Hainan Province released a report on the climate index of the agarwood industry.

The report reveals that China’s agarwood industry climate index in the first half of 2020 will be 130.19 points, well above the 100-point, implying the domestic agarwood enterprises' high expectations for the industry development.

According to CEIS vice-president Kuang Lecheng, the continuous release of rubber, areca nut and agarwood indices will help build brands of Hainan’s characteristic agricultural products.

-- BERNAMA

SKYDRIVE BOOSTS PRODUCTIVITY IN HARD-TO-REACH PLACES VIA CARGO DRONE

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- SkyDrive Inc has launched test flights of a cargo drone, revolutionising the way heavy goods are transported and speeding up the movement of equipment in remote locations.

In a statement, the leading flying-car developer said the first operational testing took place earlier this month in Toyota City, Japan.

This new technology has been tested with a load capacity of 30kg, utilising SkyDrive’s world-leading aircraft development technology to achieve high safety standards.

There is the potential to develop this further and achieve greater capacity loads of up to 50kg and 80kg, according to demand.

With flight speed of 40 km/h and 15 minutes flight time, the drone can be used by companies for transporting materials to hard-to-reach places such as slopes, mountain valleys, overpasses and sites of steel tower maintenance.

Usage of cargo drones will help avoid dangerous works, save personnel and shorten the term of work.

Demonstration flights of the flying car are scheduled for summer next year, and its commercial release in 2023. Pre-sale orders for the cargo drone will be taken from spring in 2020.

-- BERNAMA

Toga Limited participates in Singapore FinTech Festival 2019

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 -- Toga Limited recently participated in the world’s biggest gathering of FinTech companies, the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF).

SFF and the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) concluded the combined week-long event last month, which attracted more than 60,000 participants from 140 countries.

The event recorded 569 speakers, close to 1,000 exhibitors and 41 international pavilions. The event participation was a great way to showcase the latest developments from Toga Limited.

Toga’s Yippi App (available in Google Play and the Apple store) has now hit 400,000 active users in the South East Asian region alone. Yippi is a free super social messaging App with proprietary TRT technology.

Yippi is a unique super app that empowers its users with numerous functionalities in a single complete app that includes Wallet, Social media, Games, Stickers, Ecosystem, Languages, Artificial intelligence, Secret Chat and Fun Camera.

Yippi’s proprietary TRT Technology is seen as a game changer in this industry. With the current introduction of this health providing digital technology the download and active users of Yippi is expected to rise at a much faster rate.

The Festival was organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in partnership with The Association of Banks in Singapore and in collaboration with SingEx Holdings.

-- BERNAMA

B2Broker expands liquidity with 61 new Crypto CFD pairs

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 -- B2Broker is expanding its Crypto CFD liquidity offering with the introduction of 61 new pairs, adding a whole new range of pairs including all major cryptocurrency to top most tradable national currencies.

The currencies include US Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen, Pound Sterling, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar and Russian Ruble.

B2Broker was the first liquidity provider to launch 39 Crypto CFD pairs with a leverage of 1:5 and is now in the enviable position of offering a total of 100 pairs.

It also provides the most tradable crypto cross pairs, including BTC/XRP and BTC/ETH.

B2Broker is recognised as having been one of the first liquidity providers to provide CFD liquidity for institutional clients, offering the highest level of support available, with round-the clock trading for all 100 crypto pairs and support in English, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Spanish.

Brokers can connect to the liquidity service quickly and easily, with bridges offered as part of the package to clients operating MT5 and MT4 trading platforms.

Clients with large trade sizes can trade easily with filling of execution taking place in just milliseconds.

-- BERNAMA

Zynga commemorates Bugatti'€s 110th anniversary with mobile drag racing game

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 -- Zynga Inc, a global leader in interactive entertainment, is launching an event series in partnership with the hyper sports car manufacturer, Bugatti in the hit mobile drag racing game, CSR Racing 2 (CSR2).

The event series, which celebrates Bugatti’s 110th anniversary, will give players the opportunity to collect and compete with the world’s most powerful and exclusive hyper sports cars in CSR2.

Zynga in a statement said the series showcased 24 different Bugatti cars, three of which were available exclusively in CSR2.

Every aspect of the Bugatti cars, from the grills to the paint colour, dashboard finish and stitching, has been meticulously recreated in CSR2 to mirror the real hyper sports cars.

Players can explore the cars by tapping special points to trigger handcrafted, bespoke animations, allowing them to open doors, pop the hoods, inspect the engine bays, extend the spoilers and others.

Players can also view the cars in augmented reality, giving them the experience of sitting in the driver’s seats of the most desirable hyper sports cars ever designed.

The integration has seven different events over an eight-week period and will be highlighted in a continued beta version of CSR2’s new player-versus-player feature, Showdown.

CSR2 is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play Store.

-- BERNAMA

Wencor selected as Korry Electronics€™ exclusive aftermarket distribution partner

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 -- Wencor has been selected by Korry Electronics Co as exclusive aftermarket distribution partner within Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, effective immediately.

Under the new agreement, Wencor will support the commercial and general aviation markets with Korry human-machine interface solutions which include switches, cockpit controls, displays and panels.

“As the aviation industry moves forward, Wencor remains committed to providing innovative solutions that enable aerospace reliability, availability and cost efficiency. Adding the Korry product line to our portfolio supports that objective,” said Wencor chief executive officer, Chris Curtis.

Meanwhile, Korry president, Rob Gibbs commented: “With a worldwide network of stocking locations and strong partnerships with airlines and MRO shops, Wencor can add great value and improved service to our customers.”

Wencor will provide increased availability and customer intimacy as both companies work together on innovative solutions that deliver value and quality to customers in the ever-changing aerospace market.

Wencor has been a trusted partner in aerospace for over 60 years, offering CMM and DER repairs, PMA and an extensive network of distribution solutions to help make flights safer and more cost effective.

More information at https://www.wencor.com.

-- BERNAMA

Mary Kay addresses global female empowerment at UN Forum in California

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 -- Mary Kay Inc, alongside Warner Bros, Qualcomm and others recently addressed the economic, social and sustainability benefits of global gender equality at the United Nations Global Compact for Gender Equality forum in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Kay Inc chief operating officer, Deborah Gibbins participated at the UN event as part of a panel tackling corporate leadership in gender equality.

The regional event invited attendees to explore the many ways in which businesses can take action on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) to promote gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community.

Endorsed by chief executives, the Global Compact is a practical framework for the development, implementation and disclosure of sustainability policies and practices, offering participants a wide spectrum of workstreams, management tools and resources.

With over 10,000 corporate participants and other stakeholders from over 160 countries engaged via 68 country networks, it is the largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative in the world.

SDG 5 refers to the fifth of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

The goal focuses on ending all discrimination against women and girls, not only a basic human right, but crucial for a sustainable future. It is proven that empowering women and girls spurs economic growth and development.

-- BERNAMA

ROSTELECOM PARTNERS WITH JUNIPER NETWORKS TO BUILD IP TRANSPORT BACKBONE FOR NEXT-GENERATION SERVICES

Russia’s Largest Digital Services Provider Upgrades to Increase Capacity, Support More Bandwidth, Improve Service and Reduce Power Consumption

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec 3 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Juniper Networks, (NYSE: JNPR), a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, has provided a major infrastructure upgrade to Russia’s largest digital services provider, Rostelecom. The contract is a large scale modernization using Juniper Networks’ MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platform and PTX Series Packet Transport Routers to improve one of the key communication transport backbones across Russia.

Rostelecom is the largest digital services provider in Russia, leading Russian broadband Internet access and subscription television markets with over 13.1 million of broadband Internet users and 10.3 million subscription television users of which over 5.5 million are using Interactive TV service.

Rostelecom is a major customer for Juniper’s infrastructure and regional communication networks across Russia. The upgrade enables the modernization of Rostelecom’s original network with the MX960 and PTX10008, which have already successfully performed during peak demand from the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ and Universiade 2019 (The World University Games).

News highlights:

• Juniper Networks has installed MX960 and PTX10008 routers for Rostelecom’s modernization upgrade.
• Rostelecom has immediately saved over five percent on operational expenses due to lower power consumption and improved network efficiency.
• The “One Junos” OS experience across both the original and new infrastructure enabled the older T Series routers to be seamlessly ‘recycled’ with full backward and forward compatibility to other parts of the network with lower traffic loads.
• Rostelecom has renewed its service agreement for three years with Juniper’s best in class services support for more than 14,000 network nodes. With this agreement, Rostelecom will improve network performance with technical support, as Juniper’s resident engineers are located in different regions and they will adapt configuration to get best performance from network, and also improve its processes in its branch offices. Rostelecom aims to mitigate risk, getting support in case of outages and will have a recovery plan in place.

Supporting Quotes:

“Our main priority was to upgrade to equipment that is highly reliable under harsh operating conditions and a high traffic load. In the process, we experienced a lower incident rate, delivered new services and functions and reduced power and warranty support costs, while enabling us to repurpose the existing equipment to other parts of the network. Although this was a major upgrade, by continuing to use Juniper’s routing portfolio we have minimized cost and disruption to our network, while maximizing efficiency for our customers and our business. Rostelecom is also extremely pleased to continue to work with our trusted partner, Juniper.”

          - Vadim Nikonov, Director of Backbone Networks Department, Rostelecom

“We have had a trusted relationship with Rostelecom for many years. This was a major infrastructure project, resulting in a versatile modernization upgrade that is already delivering positive results based on Rostelecom’s objectives. It is the result of a thorough understanding of Rostelecom’s needs and we look forward to continuing to work with them as they deliver a rich customer experience.”

          - Yarob Sakhnini, Vice President, Sales, Emerging Markets, EMEA, Juniper Networks

Additional Resources:

• Follow Juniper Networks online: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
• Juniper Blogs and Community: J-Net

About Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks challenges the inherent complexity that comes with networking in the multicloud era. We do this with products, solutions and services that transform the way people connect, work and live. We simplify the process of transitioning to a secure and automated multicloud environment to enable secure, AI-driven networks that connect the world. Additional information can be found at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net), or connect with Juniper on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Juniper Networks, the Juniper Networks logo and Junos are registered trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Relations:
Pelin Murphy
Juniper Networks
+44 (0) 1372 385 686
pelin@juniper.net

SOURCE: Juniper Networks, Inc.

--BERNAMA

TOSHIBA'S NEW THREE-PHASE BRUSHLESS MOTOR CONTROL PRE-DRIVER IC FEATURES SENSORLESS CONTROL AND CLOSED LOOP SPEED CONTROL

TOKYO, Dec 3 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation ("Toshiba") today announced “TC78B009FTG,” a three-phase brushless motor control pre-driver IC that does not require Hall sensors, for applications that include high-speed fans used in servers, blowers, cordless vacuum cleaners, and robot vacuum cleaners. Mass production shipments start today.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191202005339/en/ 

In recent years, advances in server capacity and performance require larger and higher velocity fans for cooling the excess heat generated by the equipment. Similarly, blowers, vacuum cleaners and pumps also operate with high-speed impellers that require a power capability. Consequently, fan driver ICs need to be able to drive an external FET to deliver more power.

The new TC78B009FTG with sensorless control drives an external FET. It controls the gate driving current of an FET, and can be used with various FETs. In addition, a closed loop speed control regulates and maintains the motor rotational speed under dynamic power fluctuations and load variations. Precise setting of a speed profile is done by the built-in non-volatile memory (NVM) and TC78B009FTG therefore eliminates the need for an external MCU for closed loop speed control.

Main features

• Sensorless drive
  Motor rotation is controlled without Hall sensors by detecting the rotational position from the induced voltage. High-speed rotation is realized by a 150° rectangular wave drive. Eliminating the Hall sensors allows reduction of mounting area and cost of IC, also contributing to motor downsizing and cost reduction.
• Stable rotational speed under disturbances
  A closed loop speed control regulates motor rotational speed fluctuations caused by changes in power supply voltage and load. An external MCU is not required because the IC has an internal NVM for speed profile setting.
• Flexible in various power applications with appropriate external FETs.
  Various FETs can be used, since FET gate current is controlled by the internal NVM.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36304

 

APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU offers Pokémon rooms in Tokyo, Kyoto

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 -- Cosmos Initia Co Ltd in partnership with the Pokémon Company will offer new Pokémon rooms at APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU locations in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan.

According to a statement, guests will be able to check into those rooms, beginning Dec 24, with reservations beginning noon Japan Standard Time on Dec 18.

A total of five MIMARU locations are preparing Pokémon Rooms to delight Pokémon fans the world over, with originally designed in-room art and accessories.

The facilities in MIMARU Tokyo involve Ueno East and Hatchobori. The other MIMARU Kyoto branches are in Shinmachi Sanjo, Kyoto Station and Kawaramachi Gojo, the latter to be opened on Feb 6, 2020.

APARTMENT HOTEL MIMARU is an urban-style hotel, designed to cater to the needs of families or groups for medium to long-term stays, and offer rooms complete with kitchenettes and living and dining spaces.

More details at https://mimaruhotels.com/

-- BERNAMA

PURECIRCLE ANNOUNCES TWO MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS

New, great-tasting stevia leaf sweetener overcomes solubility challenges

New Brazil innovation center strengthens Latin America customer support

CHICAGO, Dec 10 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PureCircle (LSE: PURE), the world's leading producer and innovator of great-tasting stevia ingredients for the global beverage and food industries, announces several important new developments which will further support its customers in their creation of zero-added sugar and reduced-sugar products.

PureCircle is now introducing a new stevia ingredient, which will be extremely valuable to beverage and food companies.  Called Sigma Syrup, this optimized blend of our next generation stevia leaf ingredients, including Reb M, is proprietary to PureCircle. Sigma Syrup provides superior taste and overcomes solubility challenges encountered when using other stevia sweeteners in products which are high in sweetness intensity, such as syrups and liquid tabletop sweeteners.  Sigma Syrup is made from the stevia leaf and is non-GMO. Like PureCircle’s Reb M next generation sweetener, Sigma Syrup has a clean, sugar-like taste.

Recently, PureCircle also announced a new proprietary varietal of stevia plants.  Carefully cultivated by PureCircle and successfully field-tested, this new stevia varietal naturally yields greater quantities of our great-tasting next generation stevia ingredients. This breakthrough --  increasing the effective yield of PureCircle’s stevia plants -- enhances the company’s production efficiency, and further improves its ability to deliver a sustainable, cost effective supply of these next generation stevia leaf ingredients to food and beverage companies.  This allows brand owners to develop more accessible, healthier products for a wider range of consumer price points.

In addition, to enhance its customer support to Latin America food and beverage companies, the Company is opening a new office and innovation lab in Brazil. The facility located in Sao Paulo will provide formulation support to PureCircle’s customers in Latin America. As the world’s leading stevia company, PureCircle has expertise in formulating with stevia and works to share that expertise with its customers.  The new office will provide PureCircle customers increased speed to market, and stevia formulation expertise catered specifically to the needs of the South American market.  This helps zero-added sugar and reduced sugar products to market which taste great and that are naturally sweetened.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36382

Teledyne unveils newest two-camera smart system for automation

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 -- Teledyne DALSA, a Teledyne Technologies company and global leader in industrial vision solutions has introduced its newest two-camera smart system, VICORE™ for automation supporting Visible, LWIR and 3D sensors.

“The VICORE system is sensor friendly, cabinet friendly, 3rd party device friendly and user friendly. This is truly a smart choice for anyone looking for performance and flexibility in system design at an affordable price,” said Teledyne DALSA Industrial Products general manager, Steve Geraghty.

This flexible system offers excellent performance for inspection applications using traditional 2D, thermal and 3D imaging or a combination thereof, according to a statement.

Its small, book-style format consumes minimal cabinet space and provides convenient, front-accessible connections for cameras, I/O and system components.

VICORE can be setup and deployed as a standalone system, with attached HDMI display and keyboard or as a remotely accessible networked device through its LAN port.

To maximise user and application reach, VICORE offers a choice of embedded application software. New users or users of Teledyne smart camera technology, can be up and running in minutes with their easy-to-use iNspect™ software.

More information at www.teledynedalsa.com/mv.

-- BERNAMA

IFA: THE BIRTH OF THE NEW TOKEN ARCS TOWARD A SOCIETY WHERE THE VALUE AND IDEAS OF INDIVIDUALS CAN BE CONVERTED TO MONEY

The new token ARCS will create a platform for visualizing and tokenizing the value held by people. Toward a society where all people can manage and hold sovereignty over their data. TOKYO, Dec 3 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- IFA CO., LTD. (CEO: Masashi Mizukura) has developed the token ARCS (ticker symbol ARX) based on blockchain technology. The product platform AIre, which uses ARCS, tokenizes the values held by people to enable exchange, monetary conversion, requests, purchases, and more. Tokenize the value held by people, and give all people sovereignty over their data IFA, a provider of products and services using blockchain technology, has developed ARCS, a token based on new blockchain*1 technology. The product platform AIre, provided through the use of ARCS, visualizes and tokenizes*2 the various values held by people. *1 Blockchain is a technology for recording the transaction histories of decentralized cryptocurrencies. There is no specified administrator or issuer; transaction histories are monitored and managed by users, making fraudulent transactions or falsification of data difficult. *2 Tokens issued through the use of blockchain technology are a type of cryptocurrency asset allowing transactions on the Internet. It is thought that tokens will be usable in the future as consideration for products and services, like stocks or rewards cards. Anyone, whether an individual or a company, can easily issue tokens, but they can only be used within the scope of the service of the issuing individual or company. In the past, it has been difficult to clarify the values, ideas, and other intangibles held by individuals, creating a tendency toward structures that are advantageous to companies. Tokenizing such values of individuals will enable free exchange, monetary conversion, requests, purchases, and more, with all persons able to hold sovereignty over their data. In the platform AIre, ARCS will be used mainly for the following purposes. 1. Incentives when users enter information into AIre 2. Settlement method when companies use AIre 3. Rewards for applicable users when a company acquires user information from AIre 4. Settlement method for services developed and operated by companies using user information obtained from AIre AIre accumulates information from users who make use of various services and companies, such as signing up for a credit card or becoming a member at a store. This accumulated data takes on great value for both the company and the users. Companies can use the abundant information obtained from AIre to develop compelling services, and ARCS can be used as a settlement method for the services. In the future, incentives (cryptocurrencies, tokens) will be given to users as consideration for providing information. We are also planning to issue a stablecoin (a cryptocurrency with a stable price) secured by ARCS. The price of ARCS, which will be traded on cryptocurrency exchanges, will vary according to supply and demand. For this reason, companies that conduct settlement with ARCS in order to use AIre will be subject to inconvenience due to fluctuations in the price of data at the time of settlement. Issuing a stablecoin and switching the settlement currency within AIre to the stablecoin can solve this inconvenience. Preparations are currently underway for listing on KuCoin(https://www.kucoin.com/), the cryptocurrency exchange for ARCS, at 6PM(UTC＋8) on December 3, 2019. Trading will initially take place as a currency pair with USDT (Tether), under the ticker symbol "ARX." Related URLs ARCS(ARX)Telegram https://t.me/ARCS_ARX_EN ARCS(ARX)Twitter https://twitter.com/ARCS_ARX ARCS(ARX) site https://www.arcs-chain.com/ AIre VOICE (AIre 1st Product) Official Page https://en.aire-voice.com/ About IFA CO., LTD. Company Name: IFA CO., LTD. Representative: Masashi Mizukura, CEO Location: Shinjuku Sumitomo Building 15F, Nishi Shinjuku 2-6-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Established: October 1st, 2014 Business: Internet business Capital: ¥543,508,080 (including legal capital surplus) Overview: With the next-generation banking platform AIre, developed and operated by IFA CO., LTD., we are aiming for a world in which all people have sovereignty over their own data. This will not be a traditional centralized asset or information management society, but rather a decentralized society in which new standards created by users become the norm. Toward that end, we will be using distributed ledger technology (DLT). Our policy is to deepen partnerships with companies and regions whether in Japan or overseas, through technological approaches that make complex technology more familiar. We envision doing so under a wide variety of partnerships. We will develop the AIre project to achieve a better future. IFA CO., LTD. URL: https://en.ifa-aire.co.jp/   View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191203005393/en/ Contact Contact information for inquiries IFA CO., LTD., IR Group E-mail: ir@ifa-aire.co.jp Tel: +81-3-5909-5335 Ryohei Osaka Source : IFA CO., LTD. --BERNAMA

True Religion Apparel brings Zihaad Wells back as creative director

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 -- True Religion Apparel Inc has appointed Zihaad Wells as new creative director, reporting to chief executive officer, Michael Buckley.

With immediate effect, Wells, who was previously vice-president of Design for True Religion Apparel from 2006 to 2017, will be responsible for product design, marketing and driving the creative direction of the brand.

“We are extremely excited and proud to welcome Zihaad Wells back to True Religion Apparel. Zihaad is one of the leading denim and sportswear creatives in the industry,” said Buckley in a statement.

Most recently, Wells was the vice-president of Design and Creative at AG Jeans. He has a deep understanding of the branded denim industry across brand, product, wholesale, retail and ecommerce with over 20 years’ experience.

He started his career for Levi’s Europe, where he worked on Levi’s Red and Levi’s Vintage collections, before coming to True Religion Apparel in 2006.

“I am extremely excited to return to True Religion as its Creative Director, it feels like coming home. I look forward to working with Michael and the team to get back to the DNA of what made True Religion an amazing brand,” commented Wells.

-- BERNAMA

AM Best gives excellent credit ratings to Korean Reinsurance Company

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a’ of Korean Reinsurance Company (KRE), South Korea.

The stable outlook of these credit ratings reflect KRE’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorised as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, favourable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

KRE’s risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio is assessed as strongest, which AM Best expects to remain stable over the medium term, according to a statement.

As a listed company on the Korea Exchange, the company demonstrates a high level of financial flexibility, which is proven by a track record of successful capital raising through the issuance of hybrid bonds in overseas and domestic capital markets.

Its conservative approach to asset allocation remains supportive of the company’s current balance sheet strength assessment, although loans and alternative investment holdings have increased.

KRE’s operating performance is assessed as adequate, underpinned by a five-year average combined ratio of 98.9 per cent and return-on-equity ratio of 6.8 per cent, holding a large book of personal line proportional treaties, which accounted for more than half of net premium written last year.

With more than 60 years of directly working with primary insurers in South Korea, the company benefits from its strong relationship with domestic clients, profound market knowledge, and an immense amount of data it accumulated for better pricing and risk management.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data provider specialising in the insurance industry. More information at http://www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

PureCircle unveils two major developments

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 -- PureCircle, the world's leading producer and innovator of great-tasting stevia ingredients has announced important new developments to support its customers in its creation of zero-added sugar and reduced-sugar products.

PureCircle is now introducing a new stevia ingredient, which will be extremely valuable to beverage and food companies. Called Sigma Syrup, this optimised blend of its next generation stevia leaf ingredients, including Reb M, is proprietary to PureCircle.

Sigma Syrup provides superior taste and overcomes solubility challenges encountered when using other stevia sweeteners in products which are high in sweetness intensity, such as syrups and liquid tabletop sweeteners.

Recently, PureCircle also announced a new proprietary varietal of stevia plants. Carefully cultivated by PureCircle and successfully field-tested, this new stevia varietal naturally yields greater quantities of its great-tasting next generation stevia ingredients.

This breakthrough enhances the company’s production efficiency and further improves its ability to deliver a sustainable, cost effective supply of these next generation stevia leaf ingredients to food and beverage companies.

In addition, to enhance its customer support to Latin America food and beverage companies, the Company is opening a new office and innovation lab in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The facility will provide formulation support to PureCircle’s customers in Latin America.

The new office will provide PureCircle customers increased speed to market, and stevia formulation expertise catered specifically to the needs of the South American market, according to a statement.

Due to PureCircle’s innovation strength, it now holds globally 214 patents related to stevia. The Company continues to invest in innovation, and is continuously looking to the stevia plant for new ingredient solutions.

More information at https://purecircle.com.

-- BERNAMA

AxiomSL honoured Best Middle Office Initiative by AFTAs

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 -- AxiomSL, a regulatory reporting and risk management solutions provider has been awarded an American Financial Technology Awards (AFTAs) for Best Middle Office Initiative by WatersTechnology.

AxiomSL founder and chief executive officer, Alex Tsigutkin said: “We are extremely pleased to have received an AFTAs award for the second year in a row.

“It is especially, meaningful because it recognises AxiomSL’s ControllerView® data integrity and control platform and its regulatory capital calculation solution.”

Under Basel III, financial institutions (FIs) must maintain capital coverage and hold liquid assets to safeguard solvency and financial stability during economic stress.

Without transparency into risk data and calculations, FIs’ analytic and regulatory-compliance foundations are weak and cannot support astute regulatory capital decision-making.

According to Tsigutkin, Basel IV-driven expansion now requires transparency across all processes to achieve seamless and efficient compliance. These processes include data sourcing, enrichment, aggregation, model management, pre-processing, validation, reconciliation and reporting.

“They must be underpinned by dynamic data-lineage capabilities, intuitive user-controlled workflow automation and end-to-end user-friendly visualisation.”

As AxiomSL continues to innovate, many clients are opting to deploy risk and regulatory solutions on its RegCloud™ — a secure, efficient, cost-effective means to manage expanding disparate data volumes and implement meaningful risk governance and regulatory programmes.

-- BERNAMA

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY SPECIALTY INSURANCE LAUNCHES COMMERCIAL CRIME INSURANCE IN ASIA

BOSTON & HONG KONG, Dec 2 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE)-- Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) today announced that it is introducing Commercial Crime Insurance in Asia, a new policy designed to help companies address the exposures of a changing fraud landscape.

“Corporate fraud is becoming increasingly sophisticated as technology advances at an exponential pace across the globe. Companies now face new threats and are tasked with protecting both traditional and digital assets,” said Scotland Walsh-Riddle, Head of Executive & Professional Lines, BHSI Asia. “Our policy is important protection for a company’s balance sheet by both insuring against losses arising from a wide range of threats and providing support to investigate the cause of a loss.”

BHSI’s Commercial Crime Insurance Policy offers concise contract language for commercial organizations and includes coverage for both traditional employee crime and external crimes, including funds transfer fraud, credit card fraud, forgery, and impersonation coverage. Impersonation coverage responds to losses arising when a perpetrator impersonates an employee, executive or business associate of the insured for the purpose of defrauding the insured.

“Impersonation fraud is quickly becoming a systemic issue around the world. We’ve recently seen a social engineering scheme utilize artificial intelligence-based software to impersonate an executive. These schemes are testing the boundaries of what companies can prepare for – and we are committed to helping our customers protect against this rising threat,” said Scotland.

The Commercial Crime Insurance Policy also includes numerous extensions, including coverage for lost establishment fees an insured incurs to establish the existence and quantum of a loss.

“The Commercial Crime Policy was crafted with BHSI’s clear and concise underwriting and is backed by our excellent claims handling,” said Scotland. “Through BHSI’s unparalleled financial strength and experience, our customers and brokers can have the confidence BHSI will be there when it matters most.”

For more information on the Commercial Crime policy, contact Patrick Ko at patrick.ko@bhspecialty.com or Emily Poh at emily.poh@bhspecialty.com

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (incorporated in Nebraska, USA) provides commercial property, casualty, healthcare professional liability, executive and professional lines, surety, travel, programs, accident and health, medical stop loss, and homeowners insurance. The actual and final terms of coverage for all product lines may vary. In the Asia Middle East region, it underwrites on the paper of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company, which holds financial strength ratings of A++ from AM Best and AA+ from Standard & Poor’s. Based in Boston, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Irvine, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Ramon, Seattle, Stevens Point, Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Cologne, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Macau, Madrid, Melbourne, Munich, Paris, Perth, Singapore, Sydney and Toronto.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191201005230/en/

Contact

JoAnn Lee / +1 617.936.2937

Source : Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

--BERNAMA

ASEAN, Timor-Leste youth to visit Japan for movie, art exchange

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 -- A total of 105 youth from 11 countries comprising ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste, are scheduled to visit Japan from Dec 2 to Dec 9, as part of Japan’s Friendship Ties Programs, JENESYS 2019.

According to a statement, JENESYS 2019 is promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

The participants are scheduled to participate in ‘13th Asian International Children’s Film Festival’, to be held on Dec 7 in Minamiawaji, Hyogo prefecture.

As part of theme related observation, they will visit Kobe Kitano Ijinkan-gai and Awaji Ningyo Joruri in Hyogo, and Otsuka international museum in Tokushima, to see various styles of Art in Japan.

In addition, they will visit Japan International Cooperation Agency and have a lecture on Japanese Diplomacy in Asia, as well as observe historic places and attractive natures of Japan.

In Minamiawaji, they will participate in School Exchange and interact with Japanese students to have a better understanding of Japan and deepen their interests in Japan.

This programme is aimed to strengthen friendly relationships among those countries, and for participants to proactively share the appeals of Japan and other information upon returning to home country.

-- BERNAMA

Teledyne DALSA launches Xtium2 high-performance frame grabber series

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 -- Teledyne DALSA, a Teledyne Technologies company and global leader in machine vision technology, has announced its Xtium™2-CXP series of high-performance frame grabbers.

The new series transfers image data to the host memory at maximum acquisition rates with zero CPU utilisation, allowing host applications to operate at maximum efficiency.

The Xtium2-CXP series is compatible with CoaxPress® version 2.0 and uses the PCI Express Gen3 x8 platform to deliver sustained image acquisition bandwidth of up to 6.8 GB/s to the host memory.

The frame grabber series supports image acquisition rates of up to 12.5Gbs and models are available in 4, 2 and 1-channel configurations. It is fully supported by Teledyne DALSA’s free Sapera LT SDK.

With its 2 GB of image memory, the Xtium2-CXP prevents data loss when the PCIe bus is being utilised by other devices in the system and data cannot be transferred for processing.

Fully compatible with Teledyne DALSA’s Trigger-To-Image Reliability framework, the new CXP boards deliver ready-to-use images and support both area and line scan monochrome, RGB and Bayer colour cameras.

When combined with the industry’s newest and highest resolution cameras, the Xtium2-CXP series frame grabbers enable some of the most demanding vision applications.

-- BERNAMA

Athena Dynamics to promote Endace network recording platform in Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 -- Endace, a world leader in high-speed network recording, playback and analytics hosting has partnered with Athena Dynamics to expand security and network monitoring markets in Singapore.

Athena Dynamics focuses on cyber security, critical information infra-structure protection and enterprise IT Operation Management products and services.

Endace has appointed Athena as a consulting distributor for Singapore to promote and sell its network recording platform to the Asian region.

Athena has strong reputation in delivering classified projects in the public sector and critical projects, protecting sensitive digital assets in the private sector.

Endace sales vice-president (APAC and Japan), Antony Adamo said: “The partnership with Athena Dynamics reflects Endace’s strong commitment to the Asia Pacific region and to work with the best in the cyber security industry.

“Athena Dynamics has a deserved reputation for excellence demonstrated both by the multitude of awards it has won and its proven ability to deliver classified and critical projects across the public and private sector.”

According to Athena Dynamics chief executive officer Ken Soh, partnering with Endace allows them to expand its cyber security and network monitoring offering to customers and gives them access to a market-leading platform for scalable, full line rate packet capture and analytics hosting.

-- BERNAMA

COGNITE LAUNCHES JAPAN OPERATIONS

New Tokyo branch signals increased focus in the Asia-Pacific region for the leading industrial software company provider.

TOKYO, Nov 26 (Bernama- BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cognite, a global industrial software provider enabling the full-scale digital transformation of heavy-asset industries around the world, today announced the opening of an office in Japan as Cognite’s headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region. Nori Tokusue, an entrepreneur with decades of experience in the enterprise software industry, will lead Cognite's business growth in the Japanese market as the company’s Regional Vice President.

“Japan plays an important role in the global economy, and the work of digitalizing large Japanese companies is important not only for the Japanese economy, but also for the rest of the world. Cognite has a great opportunity to contribute with their know-how, and I wish them the best of luck,” said Inga M. W. Nyhamar, Norwegian Ambassador to Japan.

Cognite will officially open the office during a full-day event on Nov. 26 at the Embassy of Norway in Tokyo. The event will introduce customers, partners, and the media to Cognite’s local and global executives. Cognite co-founders Dr. John Markus Lervik, CEO, and Stein Danielsen, Chief Solutions Officer, will present Cognite’s product portfolio, including the company's key software package, Cognite Data Fusion (CDF), which empowers industrial companies to reduce costs, increase profits, and boost their safety and sustainability efforts. Following a media roundtable with Lervik and Danielsen, sessions will outline how CDF and end-user applications can deliver value for the Japanese market in areas such as production optimization, smart maintenance, and digital worker. Cognite customers Yokogawa, a global leading engineering and industrial automation company, and Aker BP, one of the largest independent energy operators in Europe, will also present at the event.

“Sumitomo Corporation is happy to welcome Cognite to Japan. We have a long-standing partnership with Cognite's parent company, Aker, and we are happy to start working together in Japan. Industries such as oil and gas and manufacturing have an unrealized potential when it comes to using data to optimize their operations. We believe that Cognite's technology contains the solution to this issue,” said Masahio Yokohama, General Manager of the Tubular Products Division for Sumitomo Corporation.

The expansion to the Asia-Pacific region comes at a time of steady growth in adoption for Cognite’s leading industrial software package, Cognite Data Fusion (CDF). CDF accelerates the use of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics for the industry by supplying instant access to contextualized data from IT and OT systems, enabling industrial digitalization initiatives to scale past proofs of concept.

“Japan is the third-largest economy and has one of the most advanced manufacturing industries globally. With Japan’s culture for innovation and pioneering adoption of new technologies, Cognite is determined to become the industrial software partner of choice for the region's industrial companies,” said Dr. John Markus Lervik, CEO of Cognite. “Cognite has seen impressive growth globally with leading companies such as Aker BP, OMV, and Wintershall DEA choosing Cognite Data Fusion as the preferred industrial software for their digitalization projects. We look forward to better serving and supporting our customers in the region by having a local team that can provide all the necessary resources to better engage and serve our Japanese partners.”

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36237

Tile´s Smart Alerts (beta) reminds users items left behind

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 -- Tile, the world’s leading smart location company, plans to relaunch Smart Alerts (beta) to prevent users from leaving items behind, no matter where they are or where they go.

Beginning next month, Smart Alerts will extend beyond user-defined locations, such as home or work. It will also offer the ability to set designated safe zones to customise where and what prompts an alert, according to a statement.

“Tile is known for helping customers find their lost items. We’re taking a tremendous leap forward and extending that promise to prevent loss from occurring in the first place with Smart Alerts,” said Tile chief executive officer, CJ Prober.

In addition, Tile Premium subscribers will be notified when they leave any Tiled items behind after remaining in a location for more than five minutes, according to a statement.

This means, if a user enters a coffeeshop with Tiled keys, wallet and laptop, but then leaves that coffeeshop 15 minutes later with only their keys and wallet, they will receive a notification that their laptop was left behind.

Smart Alerts is a key feature of Tile Premium, Tile’s subscription service. Additional features include automatic battery replacements, extended warranty, unlimited sharing, 30-day location history and premium care.

Tile Premium is currently available for US$29.99 annually or US$2.99 per month. For a limited time, Tile is offering US customers a free annual subscription to Premium in conjunction with a hardware purchase. (US$1 = RM4.18)

More information at https://www.thetileapp.com.

-- BERNAMA

Gunvor, Commonwealth LNG ink Strategic LNG Marketing & Gas Supply Agreement

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 -- Gunvor and Commonwealth LNG have entered into a Strategic LNG Marketing & Gas Supply Agreement, in relation to Commonwealth’s LNG export project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

Under the agreement, Gunvor will support Commonwealth in securing binding LNG offtake and gas supply agreements for the full capacity of the facility.

Gunvor, one of the world’s largest independent commodities trading houses by turnover, will also commit to take up to three million tonnes per annum of LNG offtake from the facility.

“In this highly competitive market, it is critical for companies – particularly ones pursuing an LNG greenfield project – to recognise their core competencies and strengths,” said Gunvor Co-Head of LNG Trading, Kalpesh Patel.

“With the comprehensive support of Gunvor’s LNG and US Gas marketing team, Commonwealth LNG will excel not only at controlling costs and project execution, but also at commercialising their project and creating the lowest cost offering on the US Gulf Coast.”

Commonwealth LNG expects to take a final investment decision in the first quarter of 2021 and deliver its first shipments of LNG in second quarter of 2024.

More details at https://commonwealthlng.com/ and https://gunvorgroup.com/

-- BERNAMA

New executive appointments in MNX Global Logistics

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 -- MNX Global Logistics, a premium global provider of specialised, expedited transportation and logistics services has announced several key executive appointments.

“These appointments are consistent with our global strategy to deliver an industry-leading customer experience,” said MNX chief executive officer, John Labrie.

In the last two years, MNX has acquired three top-tier companies in the time-critical logistics industry, namely, Logical Freight Solutions in Melbourne, Australia; Network Global Logistics based in Broomfield, CO; and Global First based in Naples, FL.

These executive appointments will consolidate the reporting structure globally for all of these acquisitions, according to a statement.

Nathan Gesse has been appointed chief operating officer. In addition to being responsible for MNX’s EMEA and Americas Operations, this appointment will expand his operational responsibilities to include the company’s services within the Asia-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, Paul Gettings has been named chief commercial officer. He will lead all Sales, Marketing and Customer Solutions company-wide. Gettings and his team will be responsible for all customer relationships and the execution of MNX’s future growth plan.

Also appointed was James Galante as MNX Entertainment and Transportation Verticals president. In his new role, Galante will lead the global commercial development of the Media and Entertainment and Transportation verticals at MNX.

More information at https://www.mnx.com.

-- BERNAMA

Former Cleveland Clinic CEO joins InnovaHealth Partners as senior adviser

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 -- Former Cleveland Clinic chief executive officer (CEO), Delos M. ‘Toby’ Cosgrove, MD, has joined InnovaHealth Partners (InnovaHealth) as senior adviser.

InnovaHealth president and CEO, Mortimer ‘Tim’ Berkowitz III said: “As a pioneering surgeon, medical technology innovator and exceptional healthcare leader, Toby shares our strategic vision of expanding market access for innovative medical technologies that meet large unmet clinical needs.

“His broad global reach and experience will augment our investment pipeline, ability to add value to our portfolio companies and further cement our strategic relationships in the medical technology industry.”

As Cleveland Clinic CEO and president, Dr Cosgrove focused on improving patient experience and medical outcomes, reorganising services and strengthening the organisation’s finances.

Dr Cosgrove, a recognised cardiothoracic surgeon, has performed more than 22,000 operations before retiring from surgery in 2006, and has earned an international reputation for his expertise in valve repair.

He was the first surgeon to complete a minimally invasive mitral-valve surgery in 1996, and holds 30 patents for medical innovations.

-- BERNAMA

Auth0: 50,000 unique IP addresses make credential stuffing attempts daily

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 -- Auth0, the identity platform for application builders has revealed data insights showing the staggering amount of credential stuffing attacks attempted on its platform on a daily basis.

It detected attacks from more than 50,000 unique IP addresses every day, reflecting the growing sophistication and frequency of cybercrime, while credential stuffing attempts are constantly multiplying, with absolutely no slowdown in sight, according to a statement.

The sheer number of attempts is due largely to the ease and inexpensive manner in which credential stuffing attacks can be orchestrated. Getting access to breached passwords is the first step for attackers, and unfortunately, there are billions openly available on the Internet.

Between July and September 2019 alone, Auth0 determined that during a credential stuffing attack, traffic for a particular website might surge as much as 180x the usual volume, with traffic related to the attack itself accounting for 70 per cent of overall activity.

“Breached Password Detection and MFA functionality are the critical barriers for preventing credential stuffing attacks. We are continuously improving our features to detect and prevent, and will be rolling out new functionality to have even greater visibility into attacks,” said Auth0 CTO and co-founder, Matias Woloski.

Breached Password Detection with its internal database of more than one billion breached passwords, enables customers to block user accounts that try to login with compromised information and only grants access when the password has been reset.

Meanwhile, Multifactor Authentication (MFA) prevents account takeovers, whether from a credential stuffing attack or something else. Attackers would need to access not only a set of breached credentials used across accounts, but also the device used for the second factor to compromise an MFA-protected account.

More information at https://auth0.com.

-- BERNAMA

JCRA Group acquisition expands Chatham Financial´s presence in Europe

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 -- Chatham Financial has acquired the JCRA Group, significantly expanding the firm’s presence in Europe to create a global powerhouse in financial risk management solutions.

“One of Chatham’s purposes is to help make markets transparent, accessible and fair for all market participants. We’re excited about how, together with JCRA, we can have an even greater impact,” said Chatham Financial chief executive officer (CEO), Clark Maxwell.

Chatham and JCRA specialise in providing debt and derivatives solutions to commercial real estate, private equity, infrastructure, financial institutions and corporate clients.

The merged firm will lead the industry in capital market expertise, transaction volume, and technology to provide clients access to the data, tools and advice they need to manage financial risk.

With decades of experience helping clients manage capital market risk, the calibre of the Chatham and JCRA teams and their deep expertise will create an unparalleled advisory practice.

JCRA CEO, Jackie Bowie will join Chatham as Co-Head of Europe, according to a statement.

The integrated firm will continue to be independent and 100 per cent employee-owned, serving clients from offices in London, Singapore, Melbourne, Toronto, Denver, Krakow and Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

More information at https://www.chathamfinancial.com.

-- BERNAMA

WORLD'S BEST AIRLINES FOR 2020

PERTH, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- AirlineRatings.com, the world's only safety and product rating website has announced Air New Zealand as its Airline of the Year for 2020.

Air New Zealand is being honored for the sixth time for its record-breaking performance, multi award winning in-flight innovations, operational safety, environmental leadership and motivation of its staff. These factors have stamped the airline as a clear industry leader.

The AirlineRatings.com Airline Excellence Awards, judged by seven editors with over 200 years' industry experience, combine major safety and government audits, with 12 key criteria that include: fleet age, passenger reviews, profitability, investment rating, product offerings, and staff relations.

www.AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said: "In our analysis Air New Zealand came out number one in most of our audit criteria, which is an outstanding performance when it is up against carriers with more resources and scale.

"Air New Zealand's commitment to excellence in all facets of its business starts at the top with outstanding governance and one of the best executive teams in aviation through to a workforce that is delivering consistently to the airline's strategy and customer promise," Mr Thomas says. Air New Zealand Acting Chief Executive Officer Jeff McDowell says winning the award for a record sixth time is a testament to the efforts of the airline's  12,500 staff who are focused on delivering a world class uniquely Kiwi experience to its customers every day.

Air New Zealand also won Best Premium Economy, while Singapore Airlines won  Best First Class and Qatar Airways Best Catering and Best Business Class.

Qantas, won Best Domestic Airline Service and Best Lounges.

Virgin Australia won Best Cabin Crew and Best Economy Class, Emirates; Best  In-Flight Entertainment, Cebu Pacific; Most Improved Airline and VietJet Air; Best Ultra Low-Cost airline.

Excellence in Long Haul travel: Delta Air Lines (Americas), Lufthansa (Europe), Emirates (Middle-East/Africa) Cathay Pacific Airways (Asia)
 
Best Low-Cost Airline; JetBlue (Americas), Wizz (Europe) Air Arabia, (Middle-East Africa) and AirAsia / AirAsia X (Asia/Pacific).

AirlineRatings.com also named its Top Twenty Airlines:

Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, EVA Air, Qatar Airways, Virgin Australia, Lufthansa, Finnair, Japan Airlines, KLM, Korean Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, British Airways, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Etihad Airways.

About AirlineRatings.com: http://www.airlineratings.com/about-us.php

SOURCE: Airline Ratings Pty Ltd

--BERNAMA

Kyriba records growth for new clients in APAC

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 -- Kyriba, the global leader in cloud treasury and finance solutions has announced increased demand from multinational organisations and corporations in the Asia Pacific region (APAC).

Kyriba has doubled the number of clients in the region in the past 12 months as compared to the same period in Q3 last year, according to a statement.

This rapid growth is attributed to the need for global, real-time visibility of cash positions, and established expertise in international markets, giving APAC organisations the ability to expand their operations while facing market headwinds.

“We are rapidly growing in our key markets, Japan and Singapore, and we now have a stronger customer base in China and India, with additional traction in Malaysia and Indonesia,” said Kyriba managing director (APAC), JaeSon Kim.

“We are innovating solutions to unlock value for our clients, which puts them in a strategic position to grow even during times of global instability.”

Among notable multinationals which adopted Kyriba as part of their digital transformation objectives in 2019 include Isuzu Motors; DiDi and HAND (China); Uno Minda and Tech Mahindra (India); InstaReM (Singapore) and, Eisai and Suntory Beverage & Food (Japan).

Kyriba is attending C-Engage on Nov 26 in Singapore. Meet the team and learn more about how Kyriba is helping CFOs and CIOs with digital transformation in APAC. More information at www.kyriba.com.

-- BERNAMA

´World´s Best Electrician´ title goes to Australian Tom Matic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 -- IDEAL® Electrical has concluded its fourth annual IDEAL National Championship by crowning the first-ever International Champion at Disney’s® Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Tom Matic from Melbourne, Australia took home the title of ‘World’s Best Electrician’ and a brand new RAM® 1500 Pickup Truck.

Matic won after competing against professional electricians from the United States (US), Canada and China in an intense hour-long competition that required the competitors to complete four challenges – one reflecting each country’s unique electrical installation methods.

The inaugural international competition took place following three days of competition, including Professional, Student/Apprentice, Contractor and School Challenge categories.

Reigning two-time Professional Individual Champion and two-time Professional Team Champion, Greg Anliker, proved he was still at the top of his game, taking home his third Professional Individual Champion title and US$75,000. (US$1 = RM4.17)

Jordan Finfrock from Flatwoods, Kentucky took the top spot in the Student/Apprentice Individual category with a prize of US$30,000.

Kellenberger Electric’s Clay Noga and Keith Runkle (Kellenberger 2) clinched first place for the Contractor Challenge while Minneapolis JATC’s Angela Bissonnette-Penna and Jacob Thoennes earned first place in the North American School Challenge.

About four years ago, IDEAL Electrical established the IDEAL National (US) Championship to showcase the skills and professionalism of today’s electricians.

-- BERNAMA

AG&P MAKES STRATEGIC EQUITY INVESTMENT IN KANFER SHIPPING

SINGAPORE, Nov 15 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Atlantic Gulf & Pacific (AG&P), the global downstream gas and LNG logistics company, has made a strategic equity investment in Kanfer Shipping (Kanfer), an innovative Norway-based developer of small-scale LNG sea transportation, maritime break-bulk solutions, floating storage facilities as well as LNG bunkering. Together, Kanfer and AG&P will make LNG more accessible and commercially viable for downstream customers in new and growing natural gas markets.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191114005321/en/

_{AG&P makes a strategic investment in Norway-based Kanfer Shipping to make LNG more accessible and commercially viable for downstream customers. Kanfer has captured the attention of the global LNG maritime infrastructure industry with its revolutionary Detachable Stern Vessel (left), that makes it easier, faster, and more efficient to break-bulk and transport LNG. (Photo: Business Wire)}

Kanfer has captured the attention of the global LNG maritime infrastructure industry with its patented, unique barge design that makes breaking bulk cargoes of LNG easier, faster and more efficient. Kanfer’s revolutionary small-scale solution uses the patented Detachable Stern Vessel (DSV) design to create an advanced version of the commonly used Articulated Tug Barge (ATB). Kanfer’s DSV efficiently transports LNG to and from an FSU, FSRU or land-based LNG terminals via a small and maneuverable barge that brings LNG to drop-points up rivers and along coasts.

Kanfer’s DSV distinguishes itself by easily navigating rivers and coastlines, including in poor weather conditions and difficult sea states, an improvement over traditional ATBs. Its shallow draft allows access to gas-starved downstream customers seeking a cleaner and lower cost fuel source by minimizing onerous marine infrastructure. These advantages enable new LNG service for smaller demand centers or for larger demand centers in places that are less accessible.

“AG&P’s goal is to bring LNG to new markets. One of the missing links has been the capability to break-bulk LNG affordably. Kanfer’s designs unlock these new markets and solve a critical gap in the LNG supply chain for nascent and growing markets. We are thus delighted to bring Kanfer Shipping into AG&P’s group of companies. Under Stig Hagen’s visionary leadership, Kanfer has brought new and exciting solutions to the maritime industry that provide a compelling alternative to traditional, capital-intensive onshore LNG facilities,” said Karthik Sathyamoorthy, President of LNG Terminals and Logistics at AG&P.

“We have worked long and hard at Kanfer to find a real solution to the LNG virtual pipeline – one that stands on its commercial and technical merits. Now, we are honored to be partnered with AG&P, a global trailblazer in LNG solutions and gas logistics. Together, we will reduce the cost of LNG infrastructure through Kanfer’s innovative solutions and provide a more robust solution to improve availability and accessibility. I am very excited about the possibilities,” said Stig Anders Hagen, Managing Partner at Kanfer Shipping.

“Kanfer will benefit from AG&P’s strong heritage in engineering and infrastructure construction, its deep technical experience and end-to-end execution capabilities in serving customers anywhere in the world,” Mr. Hagen added.

“AG&P has recognized the rapid and accelerating market shift to LNG as a primary fuel for land and marine applications. Three years ago, we invested in Gas Entec, the leading LNG terminal, bunkering and fuel system engineering company, and today in Kanfer Shipping to create a unique and compelling ecosystem for the development of LNG and gas delivery systems. Kanfer’s expertise complements and expands our passion for an integrated approach to LNG logistics and will enable us to reach new customers in Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and beyond,” said Jose P. Ibazeta, Director of AG&P.

Together, AG&P, Kanfer and partners will offer project owners and customers a fully integrated solution comprising:

• LNG supply;
• Large-scale LNG transportation;
• Large-scale Floating Storage (FSU);
• Small-scale LNG shipping for downstream distribution;
• Small-scale FSU;
• Onshore logistics and onsite infrastructure to provide reliable supply to downstream demand centers and
• A delivered cost to the customers’ doorstep.

Kanfer is already coordinating with global LNG companies to provide solutions to deliver LNG from FSUs to small demand centers or remote markets. It was announced earlier this year that ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) Shipping & Logistics are having a cooperation in the small-scale LNG segment with Kanfer. Later Japan’s INPEX CORPORATION also joined the cooperation. Customers value the Kanfer DSV’s full ocean-going capability, advanced sea state tolerance, flexibly sized storage, shallow draft and proven technology.

For hi-res images, click here.

For more information: www.agpglobal.com and www.kanfershipping.com

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36134

ORBITAL INSIGHT ANNOUNCES $50 MILLION IN FUNDING TO SECURE GLOBAL 2000 MARKET LEADERSHIP

Invicta Growth, Bunge Ventures Ltd, Chevron Technology Ventures, Goldman Sachs, and Tech Pioneers Fund Join as Key Investors

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov 13  (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orbital Insight, the leader of the geospatial analytics software industry, announced today the completion of a $50 million Series D financing. The funding round was co-led by Sequoia Capital and Clearvision Ventures, with participation from new investors Invicta Growth, Bunge Ventures Ltd, Chevron Technology Ventures, Goldman Sachs, Tech Pioneers Fund, and others. Returning investors include GV, Geodesic Capital, SKY Perfect JSAT, Intellectus Partners, and Lux Capital. Orbital Insight has now secured over $125 million of funding from these world-class investors and is positioned to increase its enterprise software market share among global corporations.

The new capital raised will be used to accelerate product innovation and expansion of the company’s software solution, Orbital Insight GO, which today provides decision-making analytics powering greater profitability, operations, and policies with geospatial applications. Current use cases include supply chain monitoring, real estate analysis, infrastructure mapping, and defense and intelligence.

“Artificial Intelligence and Commercial Space are two of the most exciting and innovative areas of our time,” said Orbital Insight CEO and Founder Dr. James Crawford. “We’re proud and excited to be able to continue to bring them together to serve our mission of understanding what is happening on and to the Earth. We’re putting the power of geospatial analysis into our customers’ hands, allowing them to ask and answer their own questions about trends and events anywhere in the world.”

Since Orbital Insight’s Series C funding round in 2017, the company continues to expand its multi-source geospatial offering to include optical satellite imagery, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), drone and aerial imagery, location-based intelligence, connected devices, vessel tracking (AIS), and other forms of geospatial data. The company also hired a new CFO, Jim Cook, and a new SVP of Product, Jens Tellefsen. It also created a federal advisory board including former NGA Director Robert Cardillo and former USGIF CEO Keith Masback bringing world-class domain leadership and GEOINT expertise to Orbital Insight’s commercial and public sector offering.

In May 2019, the company launched its Orbital Insight GO platform in the American, European, and Asian markets, experiencing a surge of demand from clients seeking trusted geospatial data to quickly, accurately, and economically analyze infrastructure, supply chains, commodities, and areas of interest pertaining to national security. Orbital Insight has also entered into strategic partnerships with firms such as Airbus to co-develop powerful change analysis and insights for Airbus Defense and Intelligence customers. The product today is trusted by leading financial services firms, Global 2000 companies, several U.S. government agencies, and global non-profit organizations.

“It’s easy to take it for granted, but we are living in the era of remote sensing and artificial intelligence,” said Bill Coughran, a partner at Sequoia and Orbital Insight board member. “Orbital Insight has transformed technology previously reserved for specialized government agencies into mainstream software to optimize organizational operations, revenue, and policies.”

About Orbital Insight

Orbital Insight leverages AI and computer vision to analyze petabytes of multi-source geospatial data, including satellite and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, location intelligence, and vessel traffic (AIS) data, to help its clients understand what is happening on and to the Earth. By monitoring the world’s geopolitical and economic activities with unprecedented timeliness, Orbital Insight provides the best possible information to inform your organization’s revenue, operations, and policies. For more information, please visit orbitalinsight.com.

Contact:

Michael Lapides

press@orbitalinsight.com

SOURCE: Orbital Insight

--BERNAMA

ZEN-NOH HOLDING "JAPAN FOOD CAMPAIGN 2019" IN SINGAPORE ON T2 DIAMOND TABLE TENNIS TOURNAMENT'S ANNIVERSARY

ZEN-NOH HOLDING

aBey blockchain co-creator delivers keynote address at Malta Blockchain Summit 2019

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 -- The aBey Foundation has released the full text and video of Dr Ciprian Pungila’s keynote address during the opening session of the two-day Malta Blockchain Summit 2019, beginning Nov 7.

Dr Pungila is co-creator of aBey blockchain technology and serves as chief scientist of the non-profit aBey Foundation which provides governance for the free open-sourced aBey blockchain.

In the speech, he addressed technological supremacy through high-performance blockchains, introducing innovative ways to empower blockchains through heterogeneous architectures and high-performance computation.

He also reviewed key facts about the aBey blockchain, saying, “aBey first saw the light of day in July 2018, and by the blockchain’s first anniversary had amassed more than 100,000 active users.”

Meanwhile, aBey Foundation endorses and offers grants for active and ongoing research efforts supporting the aBey blockchain’s development, with some of the research having been published by prestigious international publishers.

During the summit, aPay Systems demonstrated how to execute live transactions from the aPay blockchain to stored value China UnionPay, Visa and MasterCard card accounts, with reads and writes executed in fraction of a second, all underpinned by aBey blockchain technology.

The full text, and video of edited highlights of Dr Pungila’s keynote speech are available in English and Simplified Chinese at https://we.tl/t-Nyn2ILlzS6

-- BERNAMA

BITCOIN.COM EXCHANGE PREPARES INITIAL LISTING OF UNIVERSAL PROTOCOL ALLIANCE MEGA-UTILITY TOKEN

Universal Protocol Token (UPT) to be Listed November 20th

SINGAPORE, Nov 12 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Bitcoin.com Exchange will provide an initial exchange listing to support the first interoperable mega-utility token, the Universal Protocol Token (UPT). UPT is backed by the Universal Protocol Alliance, a group of leading blockchain organizations including Cred, Bittrex Global, Uphold, Blockchain at Berkeley, CertiK and OmiseGO. Bitcoin.com Exchange supports the Universal Protocol Alliance and its mission to provide blockchain interoperability, mainstream consumer safeguards, and practical applications for blockchain that reduce the time, effort and cost for businesses and consumers as well as local governments.

“At Bitcoin.com Exchange we believe in tokens that tie communities and ecosystems together,” said David Shin, head of Bitcoin.com Exchange. “UPT is a perfect example of how an alliance of strong and active members can come together to create higher utility for its respective users. The very concrete and practical work the Alliance has done, the successful track record of its members, and the overarching mission of the Alliance aligns well with the key criteria we look for at the Bitcoin.com Exchange.”

In addition to listing UPT, Bitcoin.com Exchange will also be listing Universal Protocol Stablecoins, including the Universal Dollar (UPUSD), Universal Euro (UPEUR), in addition to an ERC-20 version of Bitcoin, the Universal Bitcoin (UPBTC). Bitcoin.com Exchange will also support interoperability between the Ethereum protocol and the Simple Ledger protocol, and work with UP to develop Universal Yen (UPYEN).

Founded in 2018 to accelerate mainstream adoption of blockchain technology, the Universal Protocol Alliance is committed to producing viable and pragmatic use cases that can benefit consumers, businesses, and governments globally. Many need innovative solutions to move digital assets seamlessly across disparate wallets, exchanges, and networks. In addition to the substantial contributions made by UP Alliance members, each member organization will integrate and incorporate UPT directly into their businesses, which will be announced soon by the UP Alliance.

“The early days of the internet were very similar to the world of blockchain today, with many different technology platforms fragmented and incapable of communicating with each other,” said JP Thieriot, co-founder of the UP Alliance and Uphold. “We believe that the Universal Protocol Platform is a technology that has the potential to connect blockchain technologies - much like the breakthrough of the TCP and IP protocols that drove the internet towards mass adoption.”

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36091

Efinix® starts edge computing new era via Trion® T120 FPGAs

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 -- Efinix®, an innovator in programmable product platforms and technologies has launched Trion® T120 FPGAs, kicking off a new era of edge computing and acceleration.

Trion T120 FPGAs features a small, high-density fabric, a hardened DDR memory controller and hardened MIPI CSI-2 and PHY interfaces.

Its low-power fabric delivers real programmability at the edge, while its dense architecture packs more compute power into a smaller footprint.

Efinix co-founder, chief executive officer and president, Sammy Cheung said: “We are at a pivotal moment for driving edge, compute and acceleration. T120 FPGAs are only at the beginning of the journey of where our Quantum architecture can take edge AI computing.

“We will continue to advance our programmable compute platforms, as the development of T200 samples are already underway.”

More details at https://www.efinixinc.com/

-- BERNAMA

SDP portrays legendary Japanese artist in 'HOKUSAI´ film

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 -- SDP Inc will release the film, ‘HOKUSAI’, depicting the extraordinary life of globally famous Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in Japan by early summer next year.

In a statement, the film production company said ‘HOKUSAI’ would be released worldwide sequentially.

The film presents a new story with unique perspectives and interpretations by utilising historical materials. It depicts the famous artist based on episodes with two key persons, Tsutaya Juzaburo and Ryutei Tanehiko.

Yuya Yagira will play young and restless Hokusai while Min Tanaka is the enlightened Hokusai. Other talented Japanese actors and actresses will join the pair in this film.

Hokusai, who influenced western artists via his ukiyo-e artwork, played a prominent role in Japonism in 19th century Europe and had a significant impact on modern western arts.

He was named by Life magazine as one of ‘The 100 most important people of the past 1,000 years’. His masterpiece, ‘The Great Wave’ was sold for about US$1 million at an auction in New York in 2017. (US$1 = RM4.14)

Next year marks the 260th anniversary of Hokusai's birth. There will be a lot of events worldwide, showcasing Japanese culture, Hokusai's life and his artwork as a Japanese icon.

Watch ‘HOKUSAI’ English trailer at https://youtu.be/4moFBUZqswU and official website at https://hokusai2020.com

-- BERNAMA