The programme aims to support emerging artists in the two markets through a structured development initiative that combines mentorship, digital music education, live performance opportunities, and fan engagement activities.

Designed for Southeast Asia’s growing creator economy, Artist Accelerator SEA seeks to help local musicians build sustainable careers by providing access to industry expertise, tools, and platforms that can strengthen their visibility and audience reach.

The launch comes amid growing demand for local music across the region, with homegrown artists increasingly gaining traction on streaming and social platforms. Mastercard said the programme is intended to support the development of local music ecosystems, beginning with Indonesia and Thailand, with plans to expand to additional Southeast Asian markets later this year.

“Across Southeast Asia, music is more than something people listen to—it’s how they express who they are and what they care about,” said Dheeraj Raina, Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing & Communications, Southeast Asia, at Mastercard. 

He added, “Local artists are at the heart of this cultural movement, yet many still face barriers to turning talent into sustainable careers. With Mastercard Artist Accelerator SEA, we’re creating what matters most: bringing fans closer to the artists they love, creating exclusive, priceless experiences for our cardholders, and giving creators the mentorship, tools and platforms they need to thrive. By doing so, we’re helping Southeast Asia’s creative economy grow—one artist, one fan and one meaningful connection at a time.” 

Participating artists will undergo a curated development journey featuring guidance from industry professionals and opportunities to perform before wider audiences. The programme will also offer Mastercard cardholders access to selected artist experiences through participating issuers and partners.

Artists selected as winners in Indonesia and Thailand will receive further support beyond the programme, including initiatives aimed at increasing the visibility of their music and strengthening audience engagement.

The programme will be accompanied by a regional content campaign across TikTok and other social platforms, documenting artists’ progress throughout the initiative and highlighting key milestones along their development journey.

“SoundOn is committed to helping artists at all stages of their careers turn creative momentum into long-term success, and we’re excited to partner with Mastercard to support the next generation of talent in Southeast Asia,” said Tom Chou, Head of SoundOn, Southeast Asia. 

He continued, “Through this programme, artists will have the opportunity to connect with TikTok’s global music-loving community, grow their fanbase and share their stories in authentic and meaningful ways. We’ve seen firsthand how powerful community and discovery can be in helping artists break through, and we’re proud to help create more opportunities for local talent across Indonesia and Thailand.”

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The collaboration brings together CP AXTRA and Ayala’s respective retail and property development arms, combining CP AXTRA’s large-scale wholesale and retail network in Southeast Asia with AyalaLand Malls’ experience in mall operations, leasing strategy and customer experience design. CP AXTRA operates more than 2,700 Makro and Lotus’s stores across the region and is expanding its multi-format retail and retail-tech capabilities.

AyalaLand Malls, Inc. (ALMI) manages 34 shopping centres in the Philippines and brings expertise in tenant mix planning, leasing, facility management and mixed-use development. Its parent company, Ayala Corporation, adds broader consumer and enterprise capabilities, while ACx Holdings contributes insights on retail formats, customer behaviour and partnerships.

Under the agreement, ACx and ALMI will exchange methodologies and best practices in mall asset operations, leasing strategy and project development, with the aim of improving operational efficiency, customer experience and the long-term value of CP AXTRA’s assets. The initial focus will be on seven Makro stores in Thailand.

The partnership will also explore potential investment opportunities in mall and asset development, including new site developments and the redevelopment of existing CP AXTRA properties across Thailand.

Mark Uy, Managing Director and Group Head of Strategy and Business Development at Ayala Corporation, said, “This is another milestone in our growing relationship and collaboration with the CP Group. Through this partnership, we intend to leverage the complementary strengths of two leading conglomerates to create world-class retail and real estate developments across markets.”

Uy added, “This also marks Ayala’s entry into the Thailand market, giving us a strong opportunity not only to share our expertise but also to gain valuable insights from one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic and developed retail markets. More broadly, this partnership aligns with Ayala’s strategy of bringing the best of the world to the Philippines while showcasing the best of the Philippines to the world.”

The MoC marks the third agreement between CP AXTRA and Ayala, following earlier collaborations to operate Makro stores in the Philippines and expand regional business opportunities.

“This agreement with Ayala allows us to combine CP AXTRA’s deep understanding of the Thai retail market with Ayala’s decades of experience in developing and leasing shopping mall spaces. By applying proven methodologies to our Makro mall, we aim to elevate the standards of the retail environment we offer, not only improving the experience for our shoppers and tenants but also fostering sustainable growth and creating long-term value for our asset and the surrounding community,” said Tanit Chearavanont, Group Chief Wholesale Business Officer, CP AXTRA Public Company Limited.

“Makro’s nationwide footprint gives it a meaningful role in the everyday lives of Thai consumers. Our opportunity is to help turn that everyday relevance into places people choose to stay, explore, and return to,” shared Mariana Zobel de Ayala, Managing Director and Group Head of Leasing and Hospitality of Ayala Land.

She continued, “By combining CP AXTRA’s market knowledge with Ayala Malls’ experience in curating retail partners, improving customer journeys, and building community-orientated retail destinations, we believe these sites can become stronger platforms for shoppers, merchant partners, and long-term asset growth.”

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Located at First Fleet Park in The Rocks, the activation features a series of portal-themed experiences designed to encourage visitors to create and customise content throughout the festival. Running nightly from 6pm starting 22 May, the installation guides festivalgoers through multiple interactive zones that highlight different Galaxy S26 Ultra camera and editing features.

The experience begins with the Defy Gravity Portal, where visitors can capture stabilised video content against a customisable LED backdrop with rotating visual effects. The setup demonstrates the device’s horizontal lock feature, which uses the phone’s gyroscope and accelerometer to maintain level footage while in motion.

The second portal focuses on AI-assisted image editing through Samsung’s Photo Assist feature, allowing users to modify images by changing backgrounds, outfits, or objects within a scene. Another section of the activation highlights the Galaxy device’s Palm Selfie function, enabling hands-free photo capture through gesture control.

The experience concludes at the Creative Studio, where participants can further edit and refine the photos and videos captured throughout the installation.

As part of the wider activation, Samsung is also inviting festivalgoers to contribute content shot on Galaxy devices to a collaborative film project documenting 24 hours in Sydney through user-generated perspectives. Submissions are open until 10 June, with selected participants eligible to win Samsung product gift packs.

Eric Chou, Vice President of Mobile eXperience at Samsung Australia, shared, “We’re excited to be back at Vivid Sydney. It’s the intersection of art and technology where Samsung truly comes alive, and this year’s activation exemplifies that. The Sky Portal Studio is an unmissable installation that invites every visitor to view the world differently and to capture their vision through the lens of the Galaxy S26 Ultra.”

Sky Portal Studio will run throughout Vivid Sydney from 22 May to 13 June at First Fleet Park in Sydney’s The Rocks precinct. 

Brett Sheehy AO, Vivid Sydney Festival Director, said, “Samsung is an important partner of Vivid Sydney, and we value their ongoing commitment to innovation and evolving how audiences engage with the festival. What excites me most about Sky Portal Studio is how it invites festivalgoers to move from spectators into creators – capturing and expressing their own unique perspective of the world around them.”

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The launch comes amid growing attention on the environmental impact of AI technologies, particularly the large volumes of water consumed by data centres for cooling systems. According to the initiative, every 10 to 15 prompts processed by major AI platforms consume the equivalent of a 500ml bottle of water.

Bottle It Back tracks prompts entered across AI platforms, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude. The extension allows users to accumulate the estimated water consumption linked to their AI activity and offset it through donations supporting access to clean water in underserved communities.

Under the initiative, each virtual “bottle” can be offset for US$0.05, or approximately PHP. 3.00 based on the exchange rate cited by the organisations as of 7 April 2026. Users can accumulate their total over a month before making a single donation through the extension.

John Deotrakul, COO of Planet Water Foundation, said, “At Planet Water Foundation, we believe that giving back should be as accessible as the technology we use every day. What is beautiful about this initiative is how it connects two completely different worlds. It takes the water used by data centers and turns that impact into tangible, life-saving water for families. It proves that small, mindful everyday actions can create a massive ripple effect for communities around the globe.”

The organisations said the launch aims to encourage more sustainable AI use by transforming the environmental costs associated with digital activity into contributions that support clean water access projects worldwide.

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The partnership brings Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar under a unified global marketing approach, with both companies aiming to streamline how creative, media and customer experience work is delivered across markets.

At the core of the collaboration is a bespoke, integrated and co-located team combining WPP talent with JLR’s marketing specialists. Supported by WPP Open, its agentic marketing platform, the model is designed to deliver end-to-end marketing services under an outcome-based remuneration structure linked to JLR’s business performance.

Lennard Hoornik, Chief Growth Officer at JLR, said, “To supercharge the growth of our modern luxury brands, we needed to think differently. Together with WPP we want to resolve the traditional contradiction between scale and intimacy. Our joint vision for a single, AI-powered modern luxury marketing organisation is the solution.

He added, “Human ingenuity accelerated by AI is the base of this collaboration. Through unique access to all of WPP’s talent coupled with JLR’s pool of brilliant creative minds, the set-up of the joint co-located team and the outcome-based business model, we have the exclusive pillars of our modern luxury-centric partnership.”

The setup consolidates responsibilities across creative, media, production, customer experience and strategic advisory, marking a shift toward a more integrated operating model for the automaker’s global marketing function.

Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP, said, “This partnership is a testament to our shared ambition for the future of marketing. Our new mission at WPP is to be the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands in the era of AI. We are thrilled to embark on this journey with JLR, reimagining growth for their iconic brands.

“By combining the brilliance of human creativity with the transformative power of AI on WPP Open, we will help JLR create customer experiences of unparalleled intimacy and luxury, at scale, while writing a new playbook for growth. This is a partnership of kindred spirits, built to deliver transformational growth,” she added. 

JLR is among the latest additions to WPP’s portfolio for 2026. More recently, WPP secured Henkel Consumer Brands’ consolidated global creative and production mandate, as well as being named Estée Lauder Companies’s first global media partner under its newly established “One ELC” operating model.

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Eighteen months after launching its free streaming TV service in Southeast Asia, Samsung TV Plus, Samsung Ads has entered its first data partnership in the region to deepen its understanding of Samsung TV households.

The collaboration brings together Samsung’s regional Smart TV scale with Eyeota’s consumer data network, expanding Samsung Ads’ capabilities.

Through the partnership, advertisers can reach household audiences across Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines for Connected TV (CTV) campaigns.

The move aims to improve targeting based on demographics and interests, enhancing the effectiveness of native and video ad formats on the big screen in one of the fastest-growing CTV markets.

Marc Fanelli, General Manager, Dun & Bradstreet Sales & Marketing Services, commented, “Whether the goal is driving broad discovery or accurately converting intent into purchase, understanding CTV audiences and meeting them where they are watching is key to delivering campaign impact.” Our work with Samsung Ads significantly increases accessibility for brands and advertisers, ensuring campaign budgets are spent reaching the audiences that matter most.”

Alex Spurzem, Managing Director of Samsung Ads Southeast Asia and Oceania (SEAO), added, “Our new partnership with Eyeota empowers advertisers to unlock the full potential of Connected TV. The combination of scale and unique audience segmentation gives brands greater confidence that their campaigns are reaching the right consumers to ultimately deliver better outcomes.”

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The agreement is OpenAI’s first MOU with the Singapore Government and includes a commitment of more than S$300 million to support the country’s AI ecosystem. It sets out plans to develop AI deployment capabilities, strengthen talent pipelines and expand the use of AI across the public and private sectors.

The collaboration is structured around three workstreams covering an applied AI lab, talent development and broader access to AI.

A key component is the OpenAI Singapore Applied AI Lab, the company’s first such facility outside the United States. The lab will grow a team of Forward-Deployed Engineers and technical specialists to more than 200 roles over the next few years, focused on translating frontier AI models into practical applications. Its work will be aligned with Singapore’s national AI priorities, including public services, finance, healthcare and digital infrastructure. OpenAI will also introduce a Forward-Deployed Engineer programme in Singapore to train mid-career software engineers in applied AI system development.

On talent development, OpenAI will collaborate with local education institutions on training programmes and research partnerships, including workshops under a Singapore chapter of its OpenAI Academy and Codex for Teachers hackathons. It will also work with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and AI Singapore (AISG) under the AIxTech programme to support skills development among technology professionals, including access to Codex and structured training initiatives.

The third pillar, “AI for All”, focuses on expanding access to AI tools for individuals, businesses and startups. Planned initiatives include citizen-facing AI applications for public services, accelerator programmes offering technical support to startups, and workshops aimed at micro-entrepreneurs and SMEs. The partnership also includes plans to develop localised content for SkillsFuture programmes.

Chng Kai Fong, Permanent Secretary (Digital Development and Information), said, “With AI reshaping economies, businesses and the workforce, Singapore’s response has been deliberate: growing new sectors, anchoring global frontier companies here, and equipping our people with the skills to thrive in this new environment. This partnership with OpenAI reflects the Government’s commitment to developing Singapore’s AI capabilities, strengthening enterprise adoption of AI, and securing good jobs for Singaporeans.”

Denise Dresser, Chief Revenue Officer at OpenAI, said, “We’re excited to partner with Singapore as it builds on its position as a global leader in AI. Singapore has strong technical talent, trusted institutions, and a clear ambition to use AI to drive long-term growth and improve people’s lives. Through OpenAI for Singapore, we want to help more organisations put frontier AI to work, develop local talent, and expand access to the benefits of AI.”

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The summit brought together heads of state and delegates from 11 ASEAN member countries to discuss regional priorities, including energy security, food security, regional stability, sustainability, and digital cooperation.

According to GCash, its participation formed part of efforts to support the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship and highlight digital payment solutions during the event.

“We are incredibly honored to be a huge part of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship. Our partnership with ASEAN provides us a chance to showcase Filipino innovation on the global stage and demonstrate how the Philippines is leading the charge toward a more integrated, digital ASEAN region,” GCash General Manager for GCash for Business Paul Albano said.

At the summit’s Partners Pavilion, GCash facilitated cashless transactions for booths operated by Cebu-based micro-entrepreneurs selling products such as home décor, pastries, woven goods, chocolates, dairy products, souvenirs, and artisan crafts.

“By supporting the MSME marketplace at the Pavilion and enabling cashless transactions for Cebuano micro-entrepreneurs, we are showing how digital financial inclusion creates tangible, real-world impact,” Albano added.

The company also used the event to promote digitalisation among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) by onboarding merchants to its GCash for Business platform and demonstrating digital payment tools for local businesses.

“We are powering the MSME marketplace by bringing cashless payments to Cebuano micro-entrepreneurs. When a local vendor can accept a digital payment as easily as a major retailer, that is digital financial inclusion in practice,” Albano said.

In addition to the exhibition activities, GCash joined side events during the summit focused on digital transformation and expanding financial access across the ASEAN region.

The 48th ASEAN Summit, themed “Navigating Our Future, Together”, was held this month in Lapu-Lapu City as part of the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship programme.

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The agreement builds on a 2022 memorandum of understanding with the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group and is aimed at deploying frontier AI across public services, industry and research, while supporting workforce development and AI governance.

The partnership will focus on using AI to address societal challenges, strengthen enterprise adoption, build an AI-ready workforce and develop a secure ecosystem aligned with Singapore’s National AI Strategy.

Health, science and inclusive innovation

A key pillar of the partnership is research and development in health and life sciences, supported by Google DeepMind’s presence in Singapore under its global National Partnerships for AI initiative.

In healthcare, Google DeepMind is exploring collaboration with public health clusters on “AI co-clinicians” to support doctors in delivering care, including systems that draw on clinical guidelines and scientific literature under physician oversight.

In scientific research, Google DeepMind is working with the National Research Foundation (NRF) to train local researchers in agentic AI tools, including Co-Scientist, and will run workshops to support biomedical applications.

Separately, Google and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) will use secure AI tools on Google Cloud to support hypothesis generation and accelerate translation of research into materials and life sciences innovations, while maintaining safeguards for intellectual property.

In inclusive innovation, Google DeepMind is developing a Gemma-powered running assistant for blind and low-vision athletes. The tool uses spatial reasoning to provide real-time environmental awareness and is being tested with SG Enable.

Education and workforce development

Google is also expanding its collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to strengthen AI capabilities in teaching and learning, including educator training and upskilling programmes.

It has already integrated AI tools into Google Workspace for Education for educators across primary to pre-university levels, supporting lesson planning and content development.

The partnership also extends existing programmes under the “Majulah AI” initiative, including Skills Ignition SG with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First, AI Cloud Takeoff, and Gemini Academy.

Enterprise innovation

Google Cloud will expand its Forward Deployed Engineers team in Singapore to help companies scale agentic AI systems, building on the Singapore Engineering Centre launch.

The partnership also continues collaboration with agencies including AI Singapore (AISG), the Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies (CSIT), GovTech Singapore, the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) and the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Safety and governance

The agreement includes work on AI safety and governance frameworks as Singapore tests “computer use” AI agents in real-world environments.

A joint whitepaper by Google, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), GovTech Singapore and IMDA outlines findings from the AI Agents Sandbox, including early governance considerations for safe deployment in areas such as software testing and social assistance.

Google DeepMind is also working with IMDA and MLCommons on multilingual and multimodal safety benchmarks to improve AI systems’ handling of local languages and cultural context.

“This partnership builds on years of close collaboration with Google, and we are pleased to take it to the next level. Bringing frontier AI into our public services and enterprises is central to Singapore’s AI ambitions. This partnership, spanning across multiple agencies, allows us to deploy it at scale,” said Chng Kai Fong, Permanent Secretary (Digital Development and Information).

“As Singapore advances its National AI Strategy the focus now shifts to deploying frontier AI to accelerate real world impact for the country. Through this expanded partnership with the Singapore Government, we are putting AI into action by combining the best of our technology, R&D expertise, and local talent to accelerate AI for the public good. This also creates a scalable blueprint for responsible AI innovation, built in Singapore for the world,” said Ben King, Country Managing Director at Google Singapore.

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Speaking on how the partnership started, HONOR PH’s Brand Marketing Head, Joepy Jean Libo-on, shared, “The partnership started from a clear strategic opportunity to bring HONOR into a platform that is highly visible, culturally relevant, and emotionally engaging for Filipinos.”

This collaboration positions Miss Universe Philippines as an efficient platform, as Joepy emphasised that it already possesses strong public attention and an active digital community. She also highlighted how the platform enabled the candidates to amplify their own voices, stories, and influence.

Under the partnership, HONOR PH integrated its digital touchpoints throughout the pageant’s timeline—from content shoots and social media storytelling to candidate-led content, AI demonstrations, and on-ground executions.

Alongside this, the brand worked closely with the candidates to enable them ‘to experience the product themselves’ and understand how the AI features work. Consequently, the candidates were able to use the devices to create content, specifically by integrating AI for enhanced creativity, including AI editing and AI Image-to-Video features.

“For us, it was not just about exposure. It was about finding the right space where technology, especially AI, could be demonstrated through real people, real stories, and relatable content,” added Joepy.

Building on this, the brand shared how its focus centred on ‘making the phone part of the story’.

Joepy shared, “The candidates used the device in ways that felt natural to them — creating content, capturing moments, and showing how AI can enhance creativity. That made the campaign more authentic because the product was not just being advertised; it was being experienced and demonstrated.”

Moreover, an integral part of the partnership is ensuring that AI is simply understood. As Joepy noted, their role is to ‘simplify the message’.

“AI can sound technical, intimidating, or too advanced if communicated the wrong way. So our goal was to translate it into something Filipinos can immediately understand: “How does this help me create better photos, better videos, and better content?”

Taking on multiple roles, Joepy explained how their internal team worked closely with the organisation. The training team ensured the AI features were well-demonstrated, while the marketing team translated these technical features into engaging content ideas.

“For me, that was the most important part of the partnership — making AI feel accessible. We did not want to present AI as something complicated. We wanted people to see that with the right smartphone, AI can be part of their everyday creativity,” added Joepy.

Looking ahead, she also noted how she envisions the brand continuing to play a role in helping candidates create, connect, and tell their stories more effectively using AI and mobile technology.

When asked how she views the partnership evolving, Joepy shared, “We want this partnership to evolve beyond brand exposure and become a stronger platform where beauty, purpose, innovation, and storytelling come together in a way that feels meaningful and relevant to Filipinos.”

While the pageant scene has continually evolved its presence beyond coronation nights, this partnership marks a significant milestone in merging high-stakes pageantry with the cutting edge of consumer technology.

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