WHR Global Provides 'ask The Expert' 2023 Destination Services Benchmark Report

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- WHR Global (WHR), a leader in the global employee relocation industry, has announced the release of its intenational 2023 Destination Services Benchmark Report called “Ask the Expert”.

WHR, which surveyed 32 companies from its trusted destination services provider network, covering 56 countries, believes its Benchmark report will help current and future clients compare their global mobility programmes to other companies’ destination service offerings for relocating employees and assignees. As companies continue to compete for talent, relocation benefits must be competitive.

Destination services help relocating employees get settled in their new location and can include, among others, Area Orientation; Local Registration; Tenancy Management, Lease Check Out and Property Management; Home Search; Mortgage Counseling; Temporary Housing; and, Spousal and Partner Career Assistance.

WHR’s Benchmark data for 56 countries includes, the average number of days companies offer destination services and days recommended, by country; the most common leasing arrangement for expats, by country; destination services presenting the most difficulty, by country; departure services offered for employees leaving a location, by country; and ease or difficulty getting security deposits back and timeline, by country.

In a statement, WHR Strategic Initiatives Manager, Sean Thrun said: “Benchmarking destination services helps answer key questions that are critical to employee engagement and retention: Am I offering my employees enough support? Should we provide departure services, or are employees capable of handling on their own?

“What should my employees be aware of when they move to this country? If your employees are highly specialised and difficult to replace, this Benchmark will guide the service level you provide, and help your employees relocate eyes wide open."

For more information on WHR, visit http://www.whrg.com.  

-- BERNAMA 

With Imanage Cloud, Asian Development Bank's Ogc Makes Impressive Productivity

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- iManage, the company dedicated to Making Knowledge Work, has announced that the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) of Philippines-headquartered Asian Development Bank (ADB), which serves 68 member countries in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, has achieved impressive productivity, efficiency and collaboration benefits from the adoption of iManage Work 10 in the cloud for document and email management.

Replacing the previous fragmented approach to information management with iManage Work 10 has significantly reduced time spent on printing, filing, organising, and searching for documents and emails, cutting it from 2,400 person hours per month to just 600 hours, a 75 per cent increase in efficiency.

OGC’s 110 employees, some of whom are spread across the different offices, countries and time zones, can securely access files anywhere, at any time, while custom workspaces provide the flexibility to accommodate the different workflows among the different teams in the OGC.

Additionally, iManage Work 10 has allowed the OGC to take a big leap towards near-paperless operations, as part of the bank’s sustainability agenda. Traditionally, every document, email and correspondence would be filed physically, and searches would require locating and reviewing those files.

“ADB is a prime example of the way that smart organisations invest in technology to make the lives of their professionals easier and to boost the overall efficiency of the organisation.

“With the iManage Cloud in place, ADB’s Office of the General Counsel is well positioned to continue solving complex business challenges and enabling better business outcomes,” said iManage Asia Director of Sales & Business Development, Cheng Kwee Chua in a statement.

Meanwhile, Asian Development Bank Assistant General Counsel, Colin Gin said: “Thanks to iManage, we now have a reliable, secure knowledge work platform supporting our legal team that allows us to operate in a highly efficient and collaborative manner. This has freed up our legal professionals to focus on higher value activities.”

ADB worked closely with iManage partner Business Network Solutions (BNS) to deploy iManage Work on iManage Cloud. As part of the migration, BNS helped move around 5 terabyte (TB) of data from legacy systems like Lotus Notes and assorted data stores, including local drives, laptops, and shared drives, into the iManage platform, successfully completing the project within 13 months.

-- BERNAMA 

PIE SYSTEMS OFFERS "PIE VAT" APP USERS VISITING JAPAN FREE INTERNET SERVICE

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) – Pie Systems Japan Co Ltd, a leading travel tech company which provides the VAT refund solution "PIE VAT" and a subsidiary of Pie Systems Inc, has started providing 5G eSIM for free to PIE VAT app users visiting Japan.

According to Pie Systems in a statement, users can access the service by downloading tax-free shopping app PIE VAT.

Pie Systems Japan Chief Executive Officer, Hiroaki Mizuno said with the eSIM free internet service provided by Pie Systems, users can set up eSIM easily and quickly and access the internet via PIE VAT.

“We provide users with a high-speed and stress-free communications environment through the eSIM that supports 5G. Users can easily claim their VAT refunds with the PIE VAT app at PIE VAT partner stores and shopping malls.

“PIE VAT is a travel platform to connect travellers with retailers/merchants. The app serves as a bridge between them to eliminate various inconveniences during trips. We will continue launching new services to support travellers' wonderful trips,” he said.

PIE VAT is a digital platform delivering delightful tourism, starting with digitising tax-free shopping for merchants and tourists as well as reducing the operational burden for merchants and improving shopping experience for tourists.

Merchants can set up PIE VAT on their personal computers (PCs) or tablets without hardware integration while tourists can easily claim their VAT refunds when travelling abroad with the PIE VAT app.

Users can easily and quickly set up the eSIM via PIE VAT. The eSIM allows them to access the internet and complete VAT refund procedures using the free internet service.

In addition, users can enjoy a high-speed, stress-free communications environment with the eSIM that supports 5G, and can use 1 gigabyte (GB) of data free for a maximum of 30 days.

--  BERNAMA 

NIPPON EXPRESS (UK) RECEIVES IATA CEIV PHARMA CERTIFICATION FOR ITS FACILITY IN HEATHROW AIRPORT SUBURB

TOKYO, Apr. 26, 2023 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

Nippon Express (UK) Ltd. (hereinafter "NXUK"), a group company of NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC., has been awarded IATA CEIV Pharma certification*, a quality certificate for pharmaceutical transport established by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), for its facility in the suburbs of Heathrow Airport, effective February 28 this year.   Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202304184992-O1-JHM4p34o   Photo: Interior of facility that has obtained CEIV Pharma certification https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202304184992/_prw_PI2fl_ER26fIgB.jpg?_ga=2.107928770.1572156177.1681692946-1430758024.1637027940     In addition to major global pharmaceutical companies, the United Kingdom is home to numerous small and medium-sized biopharmaceutical companies as well as world-class universities and research institutes, making it a hub for pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Demand for vaccines and therapeutics has increased in recent years along with the COVID-19 pandemic, and imports and exports of pharmaceutical products via Heathrow Airport are expected to continue rising in future.   The Nippon Express Group has positioned the pharmaceutical industry as a key industry in its "Nippon Express Group Business Plan 2023 -- Dynamic Growth," and is pursuing the global development of a safe and secure pharmaceutical logistics platform to meet the ever more sophisticated and diverse needs of pharmaceutical logistics.   NXUK was awarded Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification and Wholesale Distribution Authorisation (WDA) from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in April 2020, evidencing its compliance with internationally recognized standards for the proper distribution of pharmaceuticals, and, with the acquisition of CEIV Pharma certification, will now be able to provide safer and higher-quality pharmaceutical transportation services using the UK, an important hub for the pharmaceutical industry, as a nodal point.   The Nippon Express Group is committed to contributing to the health of people around the world by supporting its customers in the global pharmaceutical industry from a logistics perspective through the establishment of a reliable and safe global pharmaceutical logistics platform.   *About CEIV Pharma: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202304184992-O1-eqntQrQm.pdf   Nippon Express website: https://www.nipponexpress.com/   Nippon Express Group's official LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nippon-express-group/     Source: NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC.   http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=45952

LG U+ MODERNIZES NETWORK TO OFFER NEW ENTERPRISE SERVICES WITH CLOUD-NATIVE SOLUTIONS FROM CASA SYSTEMS

Leading South Korean operator working with Casa Systems and its partner E-Tech System to deploy the Home eNode B Gateway (HeNB GW) and Security Gateway (SeGW)

ANDOVER, Mass., April 25 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Casa Systems (Nasdaq: CASA) today announced that LG U+ selected its virtualized Home eNodeB Gateway solution to help the South Korean operator modernize its network infrastructure and unlock new services and revenue streams as part of its broader network and service strategy. Casa Systems worked with distribution partner, E-Tech System, a leading provider of IT infrastructure and Mobile solutions and services in South Korea.

With nearly 20 million subscribers on wired and wireless services, LG U+ is one of the largest mobile operators in South Korea with a clear focus on differentiating through modern network infrastructure and advanced services. Featuring operational simplicity and the ability to quickly add new node deployment, Casa Systems’ virtualized HeNB-GW and SeGW solution will enable LG U+ to simplify its network, improve the 4G service coverage and service quality, and more easily capitalize on the growing market opportunity.

“We believe that the next generation of network services will be transformational for small and medium businesses and enterprise customers through new reach, performance, and capabilities. LG U+ will keep investment into small cells teaming up with Casa Systems and E-Tech System. The virtualized solution of Casa’s HeNB-GW and SeGW has the advantage of providing operational agility by requiring less space and power,” said Jonghyuk Lee, Access Team Leader at LG U+.

Based in South Korea, E-Tech System provides optimized IT solutions and professional technical services designed to improve the competitiveness and value of customers’ businesses. The company has expertise with a wide range of network hardware and software vendors and recognized that Casa Systems’ innovative software design addressed both the service flexibility and network operational requirements of LG U+. Casa Systems and E-Tech System are working on new opportunities to serve operators in the region and expect the LG U+ deployment to be the first of many engagements.

“LG U+ is at the forefront of deploying 4G and 5G mobile services, so we are excited to support their strategy with our network expertise and professional services,” said Mr. Shin Ho-Sik, Head of Network Service Provider ARM at E-Tech System. “Since so many of the solutions on the market are still tied to legacy chassis-based architectures and network designs, this collaboration with LG U+ proves Casa Systems’ virtualized HeNB-GW solutions to the market - an important milestone for Casa Systems and E-Tech System. Casa Systems has a robust portfolio of virtualized, cloud-native solutions for mobile core and RAN services. We see tremendous opportunity for operators in our markets to leverage Casa Systems’ solutions and deliver new advanced services and solutions to their customers.”

With Casa Systems’ virtualized HeNB-GW, LG U+ will handle the aggregation of the control and user plane traffic between large clusters of small cells and the core network while the SeGW provides secure connectivity with full visibility into performance and flexible, multi-vendor support.

"As LG U+ looked to scale the reach, performance and security of its corporate services, it recognized the value of Casa Systems’ fully virtualized HeNB GW and SeGW solution featuring unmatched performance from a small footprint, enabling them to cost-effectively scale services,” said Gibson Ang, Vice President of Technology at Casa Systems. “E-Tech System is a leader in the industry with a long history of delivering innovative software-based solutions and services to its customers. We look forward to working with E-Tech System on this and opening new doors for other deployments in Korea that would benefit from our 4G/5G cloud-native solutions.”

About Casa Systems, Inc.
Casa Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASA) delivers the core-to-customer building blocks to speed 5G transformation with future-proof solutions and cutting-edge bandwidth for all access types. In today’s increasingly personalized world, Casa Systems creates disruptive architectures built specifically to meet the needs of service provider networks. Our suite of open, cloud-native network solutions unlocks new ways for service providers to build networks without boundaries and maximizes revenue-generating capabilities. Commercially deployed in more than 70 countries, Casa Systems serves over 475 Tier 1 and regional service providers worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.casa-systems.com/.

About E-Tech System
Established in 2009, E-Tech System is an IT-specialized company that cooperates with major domestic and foreign IT manufacturers such as Cisco, Dell, Broadcom, VMware, Oracle, and HP to provide various system infrastructure such as networks and servers, as well as core infrastructure and services such as security, virtualization, and OS platforms. E-Tech System also provides professional IT services such as consulting, installation, and maintenance for the establishment and operation of IT infrastructure. 

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DENMARK TAKES FIRST PLACE IN SECOND ANNUAL WORLD CITIZENSHIP REPORT, GLOBAL 'POWERHOUSES' LOSE THEIR LUSTRE AMONG THE MASS AFFLUENT

London, United Kingdom, April 25 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denmark, Switzerland and Finland took the top three spots in the 2023 World Citizenship Report, which launched today. The World Citizenship Report ranks 188 countries across five key motivators defining citizenship for the global citizen. 

Published by CS Global Partners, the world's leading government and investment migration advisory firm, the World Citizenship Report showcases the World Citizenship Index (WCI), an innovative tool that takes a holistic approach to rank the world’s citizenships across multiple dimensions including the motivators of Safety and Security, Quality of Life, Economic Opportunity, Global Mobility and Financial Freedom. 

The World Citizenship Index is the product of a research-driven approach that goes beyond ordinary concepts of passport strength by placing greater emphasis on the diverse attitudes regarding key facets of citizenship. Unlike other rating tools, the World Citizenship Index ranking is designed to reflect a citizenship’s value through the lens of high-net-worth-individuals (HNWIs) and the newest generation of global citizens: the mass affluent population.  

“This year, we looked beyond HNWIs and extended our survey to the new mass affluent, a globally mobile generation who is providing fresh impetus for a renewed drive towards global citizenship. As the world around continues to change at an exponential rate, bringing with it new crises and opportunities – individuals across the globe are increasingly calling their own citizenships into question in terms of the safety, freedoms, and the prosperity they provide,” said Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners. 

“This Report stands apart from other reports in the industry because it examines which countries offer the most benefits for global citizens, particularly in a post-COVID world where those that have the means are consistently searching for greater opportunities." 

This year, Denmark kicked Switzerland out of the top spot and scored the highest points. Switzerland ranked in second place and Finland retained the third spot for a second year in a row.  

Notably, global superpowers such as the United States and China did not rank in the top ten, symbolising a significant shift in what these economic giants can tangibly offer the global elite. HNWIs and mass affluent citizens are searching for a better quality of life, security and financial freedoms, all aspects which have been on shaky ground since the pandemic. 

The surveyed cohort chose ‘Quality of Life’ as the most important feature of citizenship, which ranked first across the World Citizenship Index’s five pillars, eclipsing both Physical Safety and Financial Freedom.  

The Report found that a competitive economy, public services, and environmental sustainability are the three areas mass affluent individuals feel most let down by their governments.​ 

We are unfortunately living through a period where the standard of living is falling at the fastest rate in over a generation. At the end of 2022, the UK Office for Budget Responsibility reported that UK households are set to suffer a 7.1 per cent fall in living standards over the next two years, the largest decline in six decades. Furthermore, according to the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report published in the same period, living conditions in 90 per cent of the world’s countries deteriorated in 2021 – something that hasn’t been seen since the height of the previous global recession caused by the financial crisis in 2007. Moreover, the UNDP report marked the first consecutive year of decline in the 32-year history of the Human Development Index (HDI) – these trends are reflected in the current World Citizenship Index scores. For example, the United States dropped to 29th position for the Quality-of-Life motivator from 20th position previously, which shows how living standards are coming under pressure even in the world’s economic powerhouses. 

"The World Citizenship Report aims to capture what truly concerns and affects a global citizen," added Emmet. "When there are options to gain a second or third citizenship, the first question in a HNWIs mind is 'where is the next place to be associated with?'" 

"High-net-worth individuals and the mass affluent must consider a myriad of factors when deciding something as monumental as where to obtain second citizenship and build a second home. While passport strength is, of course, an important component, it is also one that is subject to the greatest change as evidenced by pandemic related travel restrictions," she added. 

As many parts of the globe recover from COVID-19 and find means to bolster their economies, a new chain of threats has emerged. The conflict in the Ukraine has not only made many nations in the northern hemisphere realise just how fragile the concept of safety and freedom is but has severely impacted energy and food security across the world. 

With so much change happening so rapidly around us, it can be challenging to keep up with how all these disparate factors coming to bear on the prevailing attitudes toward global citizenship. And this is where the value of the World Citizenship Report comes into the picture. The Report continues to build on its reputation as an ambitious product reflecting the evolving nature of these attitudes toward citizenship, and one that is in tune with the defining issues of our time with respect to global citizens, including health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and shifting investment priorities. 

The World Citizenship Index’s unique methodology relies on the experience gained through CS Global Partners unparalleled work in the citizenship solutions industry, as well as comprehensive research to evaluate 188 jurisdictions across the five motivators of citizenship out of a maximum attainable score of 100 points.  

The Report’s multidimensional approach ensured that the attitudes under investigation were captured as accurately and meaningfully as possible. Consequently, rather than relying exclusively on value judgments to construct and weight the World Citizenship Index, CS Global Partners also leveraged its unparalleled network of industry experts and access to global citizens to isolate the major motivations for attaining a second citizenship. These factors were then further explored and validated by surveying the global mass affluent population on the value of second citizenship.  

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Kroll New Designations Reinforce Data Insights And Forensics Practice expansion

KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 (Bernama) -- Kroll, the leading independent provider of global risk and financial advisory solutions, announced the expansion of its Data Insights and Forensics practice following three new appointments.

Haydn Jones joins the firm as Managing Director and Global Lead of Blockchain and Crypto solutions in London; Torsten Duwenhorst joins as Managing Director and Regional Asia Pacific lead in Singapore; and Regis Pereira joins to lead the expansion of the Latin America team in Brazil.

In a statement, its Data Insights and Forensics practice Managing Director and Global Leader, Andy Gandhi said: “As new risks relentlessly emerge with each new technology, we continue to grow our team with experts who are uniquely positioned to identify and address these challenges and complement our existing professionals who support clients in an increasingly regulated environment.

“Kroll’s continued investment in prioritising expertise and accelerating innovation will position us to continue to build on a digital investigation suite that addresses complex compliance, regulatory and legal issues for a growing number of organisations and use cases.”

Data risk is a growing concern for multinational companies, and it is becoming increasingly critical to not only have deliberate global delivery capabilities, but also to complement the capabilities with local jurisdictional knowledge.

Kroll recognises the importance of this and has made investments to expand across Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

The additions of Jones, Duwenhorst and Pereira strengthen the firm’s collective ability to map regional technology and data issues with the global intent of Kroll customers.

They bring their regional knowledge, respectively, as well as decades of experience in technology and forensic data analytics across multiple sectors, leveraging a profound track record of advisory across crypto, blockchain and financial services risks.

--  BERNAMA

GREENWAY GRID GLOBAL, TEPCO POWER GRID ANNOUNCE SALE OF “ELECTRIC POWER ASSET NFT”

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Greenway Grid Global Pte Ltd (GGG) and Tokyo Electric Power Grid Co Ltd (TEPCO PG) announced the sale of "Electric Power Asset NFT" on their websites starting on April 3.

According to TEPCO Power Grid Inc in a statement, the non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are pictures of TEPCO PG power assets, such as transmission towers and utility poles, that have been digitalised using NFT technology.

The global NFT market is said to be worth trillions yen, and the domestic market is expected to grow from several tens of billions yen to hundreds of billions yen by 2030.

GGG sees this as an opportunity to embrace the expanding Web3.0 trend and produce and sell "Electric Power Asset NFT (Transmission Tower NFT Cards, Utility Pole NFT Cards)" that are based on TEPCO PG's "Transmission Tower Card", which has been primarily used for recruitment purposes.

Furthermore, they plan to collaborate with Digital Entertainment Asset Pte Ltd, which has experience with, and WEB3.0 technical prowess that it has cultivated through, NFT gaming and the NFT market, in order to explore new ways to add value beyond mere ownership of the "Electric Power Asset NFT”.

In producing the electric power asset NFT, TEPCO PG provides photos of facilities that harmonise with the scenery and the stories of each asset from among the electric power assets that it owns, which stretch from the cities to the mountains.

Both the Transmission Tower NFT card and Utility pole NFT card consist 10 types each with different prices and the sales period is until April 30.

-- BERNAMA

Operators Lose US$1.3 Bln To Flash Calling Over Next 5 Years - Juniper Research

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Operators will lose US$1.3 billion to undetected flash calls cumulatively between 2023 and 2027, according to a new report from Juniper Research. (US$1=RM4.41)

The report predicts that over 90 per cent of flash calling traffic will be undetected by network operators in 2023. However, this figure is expected to drop to 45 per cent by 2026; driven by the increasing implementation of detection services offered by third-party firewall providers.

It also recommends that operators prioritise strategies that monetise traffic, as blocking peer-to-peer (P2P) voice calls incorrectly identified as flash calling traffic will lead to frustration amongst subscribers and most importantly, a reduction of voice channels’ value.

As voice firewalls are increasingly adopted, the report anticipates that operators’ losses to undetected flash calling will begin to experience year-on-year declines from 2026, as more traffic is identified and hence monetised by operators.

In a statement, Juniper Research said it forecasted that operators’ revenue from flash calling will reach US$450 million globally by 2027; surpassing operators’ losses to unidentified flash calling traffic for the first time.

Flash calling leverages voice networks to authenticate a user or transaction via an originating phone number of a missed call. The last few digits of this phone number are then automatically used for authentication, rather than a user inputting a code manually that was delivered via short messaging service (SMS).

An inability to detect flash calling traffic will lead to diminishing SMS business revenue for operators, as enterprises use flash calling over highly lucrative SMS channels monetised by operators.

In turn, the research urges operators to adopt voice firewall solutions that are able to distinguish flash calling traffic from existing P2P voice calls in order to reduce SMS business messaging revenue losses.

-- BERNAMA

AKWEL Announces 2022 Annual Results

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- AKWEL, the automotive and heavy goods vehicle (HGV) equipment and systems manufacturer specialising in fluid management, mechanisms and structural parts for electric vehicles, has announced its 2022 annual results.

In an automotive production market that is still subject to strong tensions, the AKWEL Group ends 2022 with a 7.4 per cent annual increase and up 11.3 per cent on a like-for-like basis.

According to AKWEL in a statement, the delay in the impacts of increases in purchase prices on sale prices weighed heavily on the Group’s results in 2022.

Its current operating income amounted to €38.6 million, representing a margin of 3.9 per cent, down 4.3 points compared to 2021, while net income Group share stands at €11.1 million. (€1 = RM4.79)

The business generated cash-flow of €48.9 million for an investment flow of €33.2 million leading to a positive net cash position of €113.7 million compared with €98.2 million at the end of 2021.

The distribution of a dividend of €0.30 per share for 2022 will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting on May 25.

For this year, AKWEL remains cautious with regard to the sector’s recovery forecasts and anticipates a slight increase in turnover and continued tension over production costs.

Operating in 20 countries across every continent, AKWEL employs 9,500 people worldwide.

-- BERNAMA