Hong Leong Bank Archives - MARKETECH APAC

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Soft Space, a local fintech provider, has announced a partnership with financial services company, JCB International, and banking institution Hong Leong Bank to promote JCB Card acceptance in Malaysia, capitalising on the potential of post-pandemic economic recovery.

Soft Space and JCBI entered into an agreement to partner with local acquirers, notably HLB, to promote JCB Card acceptance throughout Malaysia. As part of this initiative, Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara, a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, has already begun taking JCB Card payments made possible by HLB.

Joel Tay, chief executive officer of Soft Space, said, “As Japanese tourist arrivals in Malaysia begin to ramp up again, we are pleased to be able to enable and promote cross-border payments between Japan and Malaysia via our partners.”

He added, “This merely represents a first step in our ambition to roll out similar agreements in Southeast Asia, boosting JCB Card acceptance and riding on the wave of increasing contactless card payments in the region.”

Talking about the expansion and collaboration, Yoshiki Kaneko, president and chief executive officer of JCB International, said, “We decided to expand the collaboration with another global leader who shares similar values in enhancing user experience through state-of-the-art technological application.”

He added, “Malaysia has been an important destination country for our card members across the regions. Establishing a partnership with HLB is a huge step forward for the expansion of JCB acceptance network in Malaysia. We can now better serve JCB Card members coming to Malaysia not only from Japan, but also from the ASEAN region where we have more than 10 million card members.”

“I am especially delighted as this achievement has been brought via a unique tripartite collaboration including Soft Space. Leveraging on today’s success, we are further strengthening our presence in the entire ASEAN region through this partnership with Soft Space,” Kaneko said.

Speaking about the partnership, Andrew Jong, managing director of personal financial services at HLB, stated, “With an influx of tourists and expats coming from Japan into Malaysia, the option to accept JCB Cards will ensure convenience for its cardholders and provide businesses with an additional opportunity to capture more tourists and grow their business. This partnership will enable us to serve the customers who are increasingly going cashless as well as help our merchants increase their sales and customer transaction value.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The celebration of Hari Raya in Malaysia has concluded, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. And with such festivities, there is always a rise of ad films centred around the values and teachings of the Raya festivities.

In line with this, YouTube in Malaysia has round up the top 10 Raya ads released by local and international brands in the country. Presented in alphabetical order, the list is based on a mix of relatable festive situations that touched the hearts and funny bones of viewers, collaborations with well-loved local personalities, and nostalgia for the good ol’ days, while continuing to explore the creative formats of past campaigns.

Astro Malaysia – Senandung Hari Raya Untukmu – Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza & Aliff Aziz

Through an original track sung by Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza and local-based Singaporean artist Aliff Aziz, this campaign from the Malaysian satellite TV provider aims to communicate the values of the Raya season, from keeping in touch with loved ones or supporting local businesses for any Raya needs.

Celcom Malaysia – Iklan Hari Raya Celcom 2022 – Syukur 1 Syawal

Duit raya or tokens of money given during Raya are great and all: but have we actually thought about where we ought to spend them? In this heart-warming campaign by this local telco provider, we see a kid named Danish going around houses with his friends to collect duit raya. Among those kids is Aishah, who later on we learn that she gives all of her duit raya to his ailing father. Touched by this scene, Danish thinks of an act of kindness to Aishah’s father.

HongLeong Bank Malaysia – HLB RAYA 2022 – Lebaran Penuh Kesyukuran

This fun and quirky campaign by banking institution HongLeong Bank in Malaysia centres around the festive days despite instances being not the most ‘perfect’ celebration. In spite of obstacles along the way, like the camera falling over a swamp while taking a family picture or meals getting delayed, there is still a glimmer of hope and genuine happiness around family members to be together as always.

Julie’s Biscuits – Raya 2022 | Ini Iklan Raya baru, tau? [Full] | Julie’s Biscuits

Conceptualised by independent agency GOVT Singapore, this hilarious yet eye-opening campaign by the local biscuit brand invites Malaysians to explore traditional definitions of stereotypical roles and see how antiquated expectations no longer hold in today’s day and age.

PETRONAS – PETRONAS Raya 2022 ‘366’: Hari Ke-123 | Full Film

“Find peace within that disappointment”: It is within one of these lines within the ad that sum up the message of the campaign. This Raya-centric campaign is part of Petronas’ ongoing original series called ‘366’, aimed at tackling stories of fortitude, resilience and togetherness among Malaysians during these difficult times. Said campaign is conceptualised under Ensemble Worldwide of IPG Mediabrands.

Saji Malaysia Official – Iklan Raya SAJI 2022 | Raya Dulu – Dulu

This fun campaign by local cooking oil brand Saji focuses on cherishing the Raya festivities, even if it feels like it will never be the same as last year. In this film, we follow a male character cherishing past Raya celebrations, while being mindful to always remember such important moments from past Raya festivities into the future.

Samsung Malaysia – Raya 2022 | Rezeki Memori

Centred around the theme of fun and nostalgic memories, this film by tech company Samsung focuses on a story of Adik and his father cherishing some great memories–which is actually an emotional representation of missing sharing those moments a long time ago. The film, shot on a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra phone, invites viewers to cherish time with their parents, one of the values being focused during the Raya festivities.

Spritzer Group – Raya 2022 | Iklan Raya Paling Berseri

On a more hilarious route, this Raya ad by Spritzer focuses on doing the festivities, alongside with your full-out relatives, in this ad signifying Auntie Vivi. Despite the stereotypical nature of the ad, it teaches viewers to just remain calm and enjoy the festivities.

Taylor’s University – Sadaqah | Hari Raya 2022

If there is one saying to embody this ad from Malaysia’s Taylor’s University, it’s the adage of “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” The ad follows the story of a beggar named Amin, who asks one day for free food from a food stall owned by Kak Zaiton. Despite the ad’s initial impression of Zaiton being angry always, we see a different side of her story, as being compassionate towards the poor. In all, Zaiton’s character teaches viewers of not just getting something but rather having the opportunity to learn and grow as a person.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad – TNB Raya 2022 – Raya Macam Cara

The perfect ad to close this entry, this ad from Malaysia’s multinational electricity company focuses on the diversity of emotions–and antics–during the Raya festivities. After a long time where Raya meetups have been hampered during the pandemic, said ad communicates the long-yearning of families to meet up during these festive times.

Said ad list showcases the most engaging ads that people watched during this period, and are determined in no particular order by an algorithm that factors in watch time, organic views, paid views, and audience retention. This list was pulled on 5 May, 2022 and captures data from 3 April to 3 May 2022 inclusive.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia’s Hong Leong Bank (HLB), has launched its online store on the popular e-commerce platform Shopee, making it the first bank in Malaysia to do so.

Through the Shopee online store, customers can sign up for banking products and services without the need to visit any of the bank’s physical branches. The initiative is part of HLB’s journey in fully providing digital banking solutions to meet the rising digital consumption. Last October, the Bank launched the country’s first fully digital account onboarding through mobile app ‘Apply@HLB’, which leverages e-Know-Your-Customer ([eKYC]) technology.

Three bank services are currently available on Shopee, namely Hong Leong Basic Savings Account, Hong Leong 3in1 Junior Account, and Hong Leong Pay&Save Account.

“The Bank’s digital-at-the-core strategy has helped in reimagining banking experiences, leading us to focus on a digital growth trajectory to make banking much more accessible and improve customer experiences. The success of eKYC has set the foundation for us to explore new opportunities in better serving customers on digital-only channels,” said Domenic Fuda, group managing director and CEO of HLB.

Meanwhile, Charles Sik, HLB’s MD of personal financial services reiterates that the move towards digital platforms is in response to customer shift to online activities.

“Offering banking products on e-commerce is a natural progression for us as customers shift their spending and consumption behavior online. We are excited to have a presence on this platform where customers can open an HLB account without visiting our other channels. As a start, we are offering bank accounts with other types of banking products coming in the near future,” Sik said.

Galvin Yeo, HLB’s GM for personal financial services for deposits & digital, commented that Malaysians have developed a natural proficiency in navigating e-commerce platforms with the shift to digital and mobile-first lifestyles.

“The banking industry is playing catch up in the digital game considering you can get most essential items online or via e-commerce, [and] we are excited to reach out and serve customers on e-commerce sites. This will also challenge the Bank to constantly update and innovate our offerings to be exciting and relevant,” Yeo said.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Hong Leong Bank (HLB) has launched a new digital banking initiative that encourages children to be conscious about the environment, while practicing money saving tips.

The initiative, aptly called ‘Earth Hero’, teaches children how their choices can have an impact on the planet. With tasks completed, children earn opportunities to plant virtual trees. For every 20 virtual trees achieved, HLB will plant one real tree. The child will receive a certificate with GPS coordinates of the real tree planted in their name.

Furthermore, the newest initiative falls under the umbrella of mobile banking platform HLB Pocket Connect, a child-friendly mobile banking app which was launched last August. The new initiative is also linked to an eco-friendly reforestation mission targeting to plant 2,500 trees in Borneo in partnership with social enterprise APE Malaysia.

“We are cognizant of our role as a financial institution in creating and sustaining a vibrant ecosystem of communities and the environment. We are very proud to be the first bank in Malaysia and the region to steer the younger generation towards being financially savvy and environmentally conscious through HLB Pocket Connect. There is good traction in this app’s uptake and view it as a good opportunity to gamify financial education with tangible rewards that benefits the environment, with parental guidance and in partnership with an eco-social enterprise,” said Domenic Fuda, group managing director and CEO of HLB.

On the other hand, Galvin Yeo, HLB’s general manager for personal financial services for deposits and digital said, “Children are true native digital and technology users, and are interested to learn through an interactive mobile platform that gamifies engaging activities and tasks. Through HLB Pocket Connect, we are able to seamlessly incorporate an environmental literacy element, teaching children to cultivate the understanding and responsibility in taking care of the environment and the value of money, with parents’ help. More importantly, we are proud to think outside the financial institution box in delivering a truly innovative, fun and relevant digital banking platform for their lifestyle.”